Determinants of vigilance in a reintroduced population of Pere David＇s deer

After being kept in captivity and isolated from natural predators for more than 1,200 years, P6re David＇s deer has been reintroduced in China and now occurs in a reserve where human activity is the only potential threat. Antipredator vigilance i~ an important component of survival for many prey animals in their natural habitat. Do deer still adjust vigilance as a function of risk after such a long period of relaxed predation pressure？ Here, we examined vigilance levels in P6re David＇s deer groups as a function of group size, sex and level of human disturbance. The results showed that individual vigilance significantly decreased with group size in all-female groups but not in all-males or mixed-sex groups. In rutting season, males compete with one another and harass females, and we argue that vigilance is partly aimed at threatening males and that such vigilance increases with group size. This explains why overall vigilance did not vary with group size for males in general and for females in mixed-sex groups. Vigilance increased in more disturbed areas but in in male deer only. The results indicate that despite relaxed predation pressure over centuries, P6re David＇s deer can still adjust antipredator responses as a function of perceived risk. Such information may become useful in the rewilding programme now under way for this species in China [Current Zoology 59 （2）： 265-270, 2013].

Chevrier＇s Field Mouse(Apodemus chevrieri) and Père David＇s Vole(Eothenomys melanogaster) in China Carry Orthohepeviruses that form Two Putative Novel Genotypes Within the Species Orthohepevirus C

Hepatitis E virus(HEV)is the prototype of the family Hepeviridae and the causative agent of common acute viral hepatitis.Genetically diverse HEV-related viruses have been detected in a variety of mammals and some of them may have zoonotic potential.In this study,we tested 278 specimens collected from seven wild small mammal species in Yunnan province,China,for the presence and prevalence of orthohepevirus by broad-spectrum reverse transcription(RT)-PCR.HEV-related sequences were detected in two rodent species,including Chevrier’s field mouse(Apodemus chevrieri,family Muridae)and Père David’s vole(Eothenomys melanogaster,family Cricetidae),with the infection rates of 29.20%(59/202)and 7.27%(4/55),respectively.Further four representative full-length genomes were generated:two each from Chevrier’s field mouse(named Rd HEVAc14 and Rd HEVAc86)and Père David’s vole(Rd HEVEm40 and Rd HEVEm67).Phylogenetic analyses and pairwise distance comparisons of whole genome sequences and amino acid sequences of the gene coding regions showed that orthohepeviruses identified in Chinese Chevrier’s field mouse and Père David’s vole belonged to the species Orthohepevirus C but were highly divergent from the two assigned genotypes:HEV-C1 derived from rat and shrew,and HEV-C2 derived from ferret and possibly mink.Quantitative real-time RT-PCR demonstrated that these newly discovered orthohepeviruses had hepatic tropism.In summary,our work discovered two putative novel genotypes orthohepeviruses preliminarily named HEVC3 and HEV-C4 within the species Orthohepevirus C,which expands our understanding of orthohepevirus infection in the order Rodentia and gives new insights into the origin,evolution,and host range of orthohepevirus.

Israel＇s Changing Attitude Toward the Arab National Minority： Between Ben Gurion and Eshkol Military Rule as a Test Case

In August 1963, Israel＇s Prime Minister Levi Eshkol initiated the procedure for terminating the martial law in effect since the end of the War of Independence （1948） with regard to Israeli Arabs. Martial law discriminated against Israel＇s Arab minority, as opposed to the majority of Israel＇s society, as part of different issues bound up with this population＇s daily functioning. The aim of the paper is to present the reasons why Eshkol＇s doing away with the martial law stemmed was its ineffectiveness, while the other, and this makes up the core of our concern here, was his changing attitude toward the Arab minority in Israel, by contrast with that of his predecessor, David Ben Gurion The main conclusion of the paper is that even though Eshkol＇s ideas about the Arab minority were not very different from Ben Gurion＇s ideas one insisted on maintaining the military government in Israel, while the other saw this as unnecessary, and so brought it to an end. In August 1963, a few months after assuming office, Israel＇s Prime Minister Levi Eshkol initiated the first steps leading to the annulment of military rulet which had applied to Arabs in the State of Israel ever since the end of the War of Independence （1948）. This process was concluded some three years later. Military rule was lifted in effect on December 1, 1966. In the presentation, the author would like to look into the considerations which prompted Eshkol to take such a step, in light of the fact that his predecessor, Ben Gurion, was a staunch opponent of annulling the military regime, convinced as he was, even after the conclusion of his term in office, that the current state of affairs should remain in effect.

Effect of total dissolved gas supersaturated water on early life of David's schizothoracin (Schizothorax davidi)

The effect of total dissolved gas （TDG） supersaturation on fish living downstream of dams is one of the main ecological risks of high dam construction. A strategy for mitigating the negative effects is needed urgently since many high dams are under construction in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in China. Experiments on the hatching process of David＇s schizothoracin were carried out and the results show that the hatching rate decreased with increasing TDG levels, and that most eggs hatched within a very short time in the higher TDG saturation groups. By using a stereomicroscope, damages to the head, yolk sac, body, anus, etc. were found in larvae which hatched in TDG supersaturated water. Results show that the lesion rate increased with increasing TDG levels. Furthermore, 7-d-old David＇s schizothoracin were exposed to TDG supersaturated water levels of 100%, 105%, 110%, 115%, 120%, 125%, 130%, 135%, and 140% for testing their tolerance to TDG supersaturation. We found that the median lethal concentrations （LC50） for 13, 14, 20, 35, 52, 73, and 96 h exposure were 138%, 138%, 134%, 130%, 129%, 128%, and 126%, respectively. The median lethal times （LTs0） were 7.49, 11.04, 19.25, and 35.38 h for exposure to water with TDG levels of 145%, 140%, 135%, and 130%, respectively.