Effects of resveratrol treatment on mitochondria and subsequent embryonic development of bovine blastocysts cryopreserved by slow freezing

This study evaluated the effects of cryopreservation by slow freezing on the mitochondrial function, DNA integrity, and developmental ability of bovine embryos and examined whether resveratrol treatment of the frozen‐thawed blastocysts improved embryonic viability. In vitro produced bovine embryos were subjected to slow freezing. After thawing, the ATP content and mitochondrial DNA integrity (mtDNA), determined by real‐time PCR targeting short and long mitochondrial sequences, was found to be lower in frozen‐thawed embryos than in fresh embryos, and mtDNA copy number was significantly reduced during the 24‐hr incubation post warming. Furthermore, immunostaining against double‐strand DNA revealed DNA damage in frozen‐thawed embryos. When frozen‐thawed embryos were incubated in the medium containing 0.5 µM resveratrol, SIRT1 expression, and survival rate of the embryos significantly improved compared with the vehicle‐treated embryos. In addition, cell‐free mtDNA content in medium was higher in case of resveratrol‐treated embryos than of vehicle‐treated embryos. In conclusion, slow freezing affects mitochondrial integrity and function in the blastocysts. In the frozen‐thawed embryos, mitochondria were removed during post‐thawing incubation and resveratrol enhanced the process, resulting in improved survivability of the embryos.     

Parent‐of‐origin effects on carcass traits in Japanese Black cattle

Variances caused by the differential expression of paternally and maternally imprinted genes controlling carcass traits in Japanese Black cattle were estimated in this study. Data on marbling score (BMS), carcass weight, rib thickness, rib‐eye area (REA) and subcutaneous fat thickness (SFT) were collected from a total of 13,115 feedlot steers and heifers in a commercial population. A sire–maternal grandsire model was used to analyse the data, and then, imprinting parameters were derived by replacing the genetic effect of the dam with the effect of the maternal grandsire in the imprinting model to calculate the genetic parameter estimates. The proportions of the total genetic variance attributable to imprinted genes ranged from 8.7% (SFT) to 35.2% (BMS). The remarkably large imprinting variance of BMS was mainly contributed by maternally expressed inheritance because the maternal contribution of the trait was much larger than that of the paternal trait. The parent‐of‐origin effect originating from maternal gene expression was also observed for REA. The results suggested the existence of genomic imprinting effects on the traits of the Japanese Black cattle. Hence, the parent‐of‐origin effect should be considered for the genetic evaluation of Japanese Black cattle in breeding programmes.     

Partitioning the multi-scale effects of human activity on the occurrence of riparian forest birds

Conservationists, managers, and land planners are faced with the difficult task of balancing many issues regarding humans impacts on natural systems. Many of these potential impacts arise from local-scale and landscape-scale changes, but such changes often covary, which makes it difficult to isolate and compare independent effects arising from humans. We partition multi-scale impacts on riparian forest bird distribution in 105 patches along approximately 500 km of the Madison and Missouri Rivers, Montana, USA. To do so, we coupled environmental information from local (within-patch), patch, and landscape scales reflecting potential human impacts from grazing, invasive plant species, habitat loss and fragmentation, and human development with the distribution of 28 terrestrial breeding bird species in 2004 and 2005. Variation partitioning of the influence of different spatial scales suggested that local-scale vegetation gradients explained more unique variation in bird distribution than did information from patch and landscape scales. Partitioning potential human impacts revealed, however, that riparian habitat loss and fragmentation at the patch and landscape scales explained more unique variation than did local disturbances or landscape-scale development (i.e., building density in the surrounding landscape). When distribution was correlated with human disturbance, local-scale disturbance had more consistent impacts than other scales, with species showing consistent negative correlations with grazing but positive correlations with invasives. We conclude that while local vegetation structure best explains bird distribution, managers concerned with ongoing human influences in this system need to focus more on mitigating the effects of large-scale disturbances than on more local land use issues. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

The influence of topography and fire in controlling landscape composition and structure in Sierra de Gredos (Central Spain)

Mediterranean landscapes are dynamic systems that undergo temporal changes in composition and structure in response to disturbances, such as fire. Neither landscape patterns nor driving factors that affect them are evenly distributed in space. Accordingly, disturbances and biophysical factors interact in space through time. The aim of this paper is to assess the relative influence of topography and fire on the landscape patterns of a large forested area located in Sierra de Gredos (Central Spain) through time. A series of Landsat MSS images from 1975 to 1990, and a digital elevation model (DEM) were used to map fires, assess topographical complexity and evaluate changes in landscape composition and structure. Functional regions across the entire landscape were identified using different classification criteria (i.e., percentage burned area and topographic properties) to model topographic and fire impacts at regional scales. A canonical variance partition method, with a time series split-plot design, quantified the relative influence and co-variation of topography and fire on land cover patterns through time. Main results indicated that analyzing portions of the landscape under similar environmental conditions and fire histories, the effects of different fire regimes on the spatio-temporal dynamics of main land covers can be highlighted. However, the impact of fire on landscape patterns was high variable among regions due to the different regeneration abilities of main land covers, the topographic constraints and the fire histories of each region. Hence, broad patterns of fire related variance and co-variation with topography emerged across the entire area due to the different conditions of each landscape portion in which this large Mediterranean landscape was divided. Electronic supplementary material  The online version of this article (doi:) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.     

Response of mountain plovers to plague-driven dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog colonies

Sylvatic plague is a major factor influencing the dynamics of black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies in the western Great Plains. We studied the nesting response of the mountain plover (Charadrius montanus), a grassland bird that nests on prairie dog colonies, to plague-driven dynamics of prairie dog colonies at three sites in the western Great Plains. First, we examined plover nest distribution on colonies that were previously affected by plague, but that had been recovering (expanding) for at least 6 years. Plovers consistently nested in both young (colonized in the past 1–2 years) and old (colonized for 6 or more years) portions of prairie dog colonies in proportion to their availability. Second, we examined changes in plover nest frequency at two sites following plague epizootics, and found that mountain plover nest numbers declined relatively rapidly (≤2 years) on plague-affected colonies. Taken together, our findings indicate that available plover nesting habitat associated with prairie dog colonies closely tracks the area actively occupied by prairie dogs each year. Given the presence of plague throughout most of the mountain plover’s breeding range in the western Great Plains, important factors affecting plover populations likely include landscape features that determine the scale of plague outbreaks, the distance that plovers move in response to changing breeding habitat conditions, and the availability and quality of alternate breeding habitat within the landscape.     

Predicting land cover changes and their impact on the sediment influx in the Lake Balaton catchment

The land cover pattern in the Lake Balaton catchment (Hungary) has been changing since decollectivization in the 1990s. These land cover changes significantly impact the landscape connectivity, controlling the influx of sediments into the lake. A comparison of high resolution land cover maps from 1981, 2000 and 2005 showed a significant extensification of the agriculture with land cover conversions from arable land and vineyards to grassland and forest. For each land unit transition probabilities were assessed using logistic regression techniques to evaluate to which extent land cover changes are controlled by physical or socio-economic parameters. A stochastic land cover allocation algorithm was applied to generate future land cover patterns. The landscape connectivity for each of the simulated land cover patterns was assessed by means of a distributed routing algorithm. The simulations suggest that further land abandonment in the upslope parts of the catchment will cause a non-linear reduction of average soil erosion rates. The changes, however, have a relatively low impact on the sediment volume entering the lake because of the land unit’s poor connectivity with permanent river channels. The major contributors to the lakes sediment load are the vineyards near the lakeshore. They are likely to be maintained because of their touristic value. A significant reduction of the total sediment input in the lake can be expected only if soil conservation measures in the vineyards near the shorelines are undertaken.     

Human settlement ecology and chimpanzee habitat selection in Mali

Customary land-use practices create distinctive cultural landscapes, including landscapes where abandoned settlements host vegetation that attracts wild animals. Understanding how landscape patterns relate to land-use history can help clarify the ecological effects of particular land uses. This study examines relationships between chimpanzee habitat selection and Maninka settlement practice, to determine how settlement history has affected chimpanzee habitat in Mali’s Bafing Biosphere Reserve, where conservation practitioners assume that the characteristic settlement pattern reflects a process of settlement expansion into undisturbed habitat. Three types of data are reported: (1) ethnographic interviews on settlement history and practice; (2) systematic sampling of chimpanzee habitat use; and (3) ground-based mapping of settlement sites, surface water, and fruit-tree patches. These data show that the Maninka have a shifting settlement system, meaning that most sites are occupied for only relatively brief periods; and that some abandoned settlement sites host fruit-tree patches that are seasonally important chimpanzee habitat. Two main conclusions are: (1) settlement expansion has not occurred; instead, historic settlement has created habitat that is both attractive and available to chimpanzees. Anthropogenic habitat does not appear to be vital for chimpanzee survival, but it spatially and temporally supplements natural habitats. (2) Conservation policies meant to reduce the presumed threat of settlement expansion may have initiated an unintended, long-term threat of habitat loss for chimpanzees. While settlement practices may be a component of short-term threats to chimpanzees, such as hunting, when addressing these threats conservation practitioners should consider long-term settlement processes to avoid creating new threats.     

Animal behavioral adaptation to changing landscapes: spring-staging geese habituate to wind farms

Wind farms are positioned in open landscapes and may cause loss of wildlife habitat due to disturbance, fragmentation, and infrastructure development. Especially flocking geese, swans, ducks and waders are regarded as vulnerable to wind farm development. We compared past and current displacement effects of two onshore wind farms and a line of land-based turbines on spring-staging pink-footed geese (Anser brachyrhynchus) to see if there was evidence of habituation. In one wind farm area, geese previously (1998) (Larsen and Madsen 2000) kept a distance of c. 200 m (the distance at which 50% of peak densities is reached) and they did not go between the turbines; today (2008) they keep a distance of c. 100 m, but do still not enter the wind farm area. In another wind farm, where foraging geese previously (2000) kept a distance of more than 100 m and did not enter the wind farm, they now (2008) forage between the wind turbines and keep a distance of c. 40 m to turbines. In 1998, geese kept a distance of 125 m to a line of turbines, compared to 50 m now. We conclude that geese have behaviorally adapted to changing landscapes created by wind farms. The difference in avoidance between the sites may be due to the sizes of the turbines which in this study were small in both rotor-swept area and in height compared to more recent “industry standard” of 2.5 and 3.0 MW turbines. The study points to the need for longer term studies to properly assess the impact of wind farms on wildlife, including consequent increased risks from inclement weather events of feeding, rafting, and migrating waterfowl.     

Historical change in coastal sage scrub in southern California,USA in relation to fire frequency and air pollution

Invasions resulting in the transformation of one ecosystem to another are an increasingly widespread phenomenon. While it is clear that these conversions, particularly between grassland and shrubland systems, have severe consequences, it is often less clear which factors are associated with these conversions. We resampled plots from the 1930s (Weislander VTMs) to test whether two widely assumed factors, changes in fire frequency and nitrogen deposition, are associated with the conversion of coastal sage scrublands to exotic grasslands in southern California. Over the 76-year period, coastal sage scrub cover declined by 49%, being replaced predominantly by exotic grassland species. Grassland encroachment was positively correlated with increased fire frequency and, in areas with low fire frequencies, air pollution (percent fossil carbon as indicated by ∂¹⁴C, likely correlated with nitrogen deposition). We conclude that increases in fire frequency and air pollution over the last several decades in southern California may have facilitated the conversion of coastal sage shrubland to exotic grassland systems.     

Using an individual-based model to examine the roles of habitat fragmentation and behavior on predator–prey relationships in seagrass landscapes

Seagrasses, which form critical subtidal habitats for marine organisms worldwide, are fragmented via natural processes but are increasingly being fragmented and degraded by boating, fishing, and coastal development. We constructed an individual-based model to test how habitat fragmentation and loss influenced predator–prey interactions and cohort size for a group of settling juvenile blue crabs (Callinectes sapidus Rathbun) in seagrass landscapes. Using results from field studies suggesting that strong top-down processes influence the relationship between cannibalistic blue crab populations and seagrass landscape structure, we constructed a model in which prey (juvenile blue crabs) are eaten by mesopredators (larger blue crabs) which in turn are eaten by top-level predators (e.g., large fishes). In our model, we varied the following parameters within four increasingly fragmented seagrass landscapes to test for their relative effects on cohort size: juvenile blue crab (prey) predator avoidance response, hunting ability of mesopredators and predators, the presence of a top-level predator, and prey settlement routines. Generally, prey cohort size was maximized in the presence of top-level predators and when mesopredators and predators exhibited random searching behavior vs. directed hunting. Cohort size for stationary (tethered) prey was maximized in fragmented landscapes, which corresponds to results from field experiments, whereas mobile prey able to detect and avoid predators had higher survival in continuous landscapes. Prey settlement patterns had relatively small influences on cohort size. We conclude that the effects of seagrass fragmentation and loss on organisms such as blue crabs will depend heavily on behaviors of prey and predatory organisms and how these behaviors change with landscape structure.