深圳野生动物园游客对保护教育项目的选择偏好

动物园是对公众进行保护教育的重要基地,游客观赏和教育项目偏好是影响游客管理决策的重要因素。本研究采用选择实验法构建深圳野生动物园庭院探秘之旅项目的随机参数模型(random parameter logit,RPL),将观看项目动物、体验项目、动物生态解说、纪念品及费用5个属性纳入评估模型,分析各属性的偏好及愿付价值(willingness to pay,WTP)。结果表明:游客希望该项目在现状基础上进行属性提升,且相对偏好于观赏多种动物以及进行深度体验,这两个属性的WTP分别为28.71和11.86元/(次·人);若项目费用升高,则游客对其选择性随之下降。利用潜在类别模型(latent class model,LCM)进行该项目游客市场区隔分析:第一个类群为偏好多样化的游客,占受访者的35.7%,第二类群为偏好单一型游客,倾向于深度体验项目,这部分游客较多,占64.3%。可开展后场参观、动物饲料制作等游客参与式深度体验项目,招募志愿者辅助完成讲解站、主题日等保护教育活动,以提高动物园对游客的吸引力。     

公选课《野生动物与保护》对提高非生物类专业学生综合素质的研究

学生作为社会的一个特殊群体,对待环境和动物的态度以及心理健康状态直接影响整个社会的健康状态。通过开设《野生动物与保护》课程,使学生对动物的了解更加全面,环境保护意识有所提高,而且还在主动宣传环保知识和提升全民素质方面起到了积极的推动作用。     

Comparison of Preferences of Farmed Silver and Blue Foxes for Cages with and without a Nest Box

Abstract

The preferences of juvenile farmed silver foxes (n = 14) and blue foxes (n = 12) for an empty cage (105L × 115W × 70H cm) and a cage of equal size with a wooden nest box were assessed in an 11-day preference test. The silver foxes spent a higher percentage of their time (86 ± 8%) in the nest box cage than the blue foxes (66 ± 21%). The silver foxes, but not the blue foxes, had a strong preference for the nest box roof as a resting site (44% of total daily time). Assuming that greater use indicates a greater need, silver foxes may benefit more from the nest boxes than blue foxes.     

Assessment of Public Knowledge and Willingness to Pay for Recovery of an Endangered Songbird,the Golden-Cheeked Warbler

Ecological economics assigns value to resources. Valuation can be difficult when the resource is a species, particularly one that does not directly impact humans. The endangered golden-cheeked warbler (Setophaga chrysoparia) is a songbird that breeds exclusively in central Texas. Using a door-to-door survey design, we investigated knowledge and willingness to pay for golden-cheeked warbler recovery actions in Austin, Texas, a city attempting to balance human population growth with conservation of several endangered species. Approximately half of respondents had knowledge of this species; of those 80% knew it was endangered. Seventy-four percent of respondents believed the species held value, and most regarded that value as existence-based. The mean willingness to pay was $21.47 per person annually over a 5-year period, including individuals not willing to pay. Our study indicated the public values the warbler, and is willing to provide monetary support for recovery and conservation efforts.     

基于AHP的黄土高原乡土地被植物评价体系的建立与应用

以充分发掘黄土高原地区乡土地被植物为目标，采用层次分析法(Analytic hierarchy process，AHP)构建了乡土地被植物综合评价体系，运用该体系对兰州野生地被植物进行了评价。结果显示，该体系中指标权重值的排序为生态适应性＞园艺学特性＞园林观赏性＞开发新颖性，生态适应性最为重要，符合黄土高原地区生态环境特点和绿化需求；在兰州市共调查采集到乡土地被植物70种，其中开发利用价值高的有草地早熟禾(Poa pratensis)、芨芨草(Achnatherum splendens)等共13种；地被特性较好、可适度开发的有细叶鸢尾(Iris tenuifolia)等共31种;开发利用价值一般的有甘青铁线莲(Clematis tangutica)等共14种；三裂绣线菊(Spiraea trilobata)等12种植物对生境要求严格，繁殖难度大，不适宜在兰州市作地被应用。该评价体系把定性判断和定量判断相结合，能准确、快速反映乡土地被植物资源特点，可为黄土高原地区开发利用乡土植物提供参考。     

Behaviour and reproductive performance of Nigerian native chickens subjected to different mating ratios for a short term

To date, there is no reported standard mating ratio for Nigerian native chickens despite their large population in the country. This study investigated the effect of mating ratio on behaviour, semen quality and level of stress. Sixty-three (9 cocks and 54 hens) sexually matured birds were randomly assigned to three mating ratios (MR) of 1 cock to 3 hens (1C:3H), 1 cock to 6 hens (1C:6H) and 1 cock to 9 hens (1C:9H), and each MR was replicated three times. Each cock spent 2 weeks in a particular MR before it was moved to another. By the 6th week, all cocks had experienced the three mating ratios. Behaviour of the hens and sexual behaviour of the cocks were observed in the morning and evening, respectively, for 6 weeks. At the end of 2nd week in each MR, semen samples were collected and evaluated for motility, morphology, liveability and concentration, and blood samples were also taken from the cocks to determine the heterophil/lymphocyte (H:L) ratio, an indicator of stress. There was also no significant effect of mating ratio on the fertility of eggs and hatchability of the chicks. The number of hen–hen aggression instances, frequency of visits to the nest box and duration of nesting was not influenced by the mating ratio. However, the duration of nest seeking was higher at 1C:3H and lower at 1C:9H. A mating ratio of 1C:9H is therefore recommended for farmers interested in raising Nigerian native chickens.     

柑橘衰退病毒RB和VT基因型实时定量PCR检测方法的建立和应用

为定量检测柑橘衰退病毒（citrus tristeza virus, CTV）RB、VT基因型的含量,本研究以RB基因型的p33基因、VT基因型的ORF1a基因为靶标,建立了RB、VT基因型特异性的实时定量PCR方法,该方法灵敏度为普通PCR的1000倍;RB、VT基因型标准曲线的相关性系数分别为0.9991、0.9954,扩增效率分别为99.85%、102.05%;两种方法组内和组间变异系数均小于2.07%,重复性良好。对田间样品检测发现RB、VT基因型含量差异较大。本研究建立的方法特异性强,灵敏度高,适用于田间样品检测。     

Consequences for the bovine embryo of being derived from a spermatozoon subjected to oxidative stress

Objective To determine whether oxidative damage of ejaculated frozen–thawed sperm prior to oocyte insemination in vitro affects the competence of the resultant embryo to develop to the blastocyst stage. Method Extended frozen semen from bulls was thawed, subjected to Percoll gradient purification to obtain motile spermatozoa and mixed with medium containing the pro-oxidants menadione or tert-butyl hydroperoxide. After 3 h at 38.5°C, the sperm were washed and used to inseminate oocytes in vitro. Embryo development proceeded until 8 days after insemination. Results Treatment of sperm with 15 or 30 µmol/L menadione reduced the proportions of oocytes that cleaved and those that developed to the blastocyst stage; 30 µmol/L menadione reduced the proportion of cleaved embryos that developed to the blastocyst stage at day 8 after insemination. Oocytes inseminated with sperm treated with 150 or 300 µmol/L tert-butyl hydroperoxide had lower proportions of cleavage and blastocyst development, and the proportion of cleaved embryos becoming blastocysts was also reduced. Conclusion Oxidative damage to ejaculated sperm can compromise the ability of the sperm to cause oocyte cleavage and leads to formation of embryos with reduced competence for development.     

Development of a genomic tool for breed assignment by comparison of different classification models: Application to three local cattle breeds

Assignment of individual cattle to a specific breed can often not rely on pedigree information. This is especially the case for local breeds for which the development of genomic assignment tools is required to allow individuals of unknown origin to be included to their herd books. A breed assignment model can be based on two specific stages: (a) the selection of breed-informative markers and (b) the assignment of individuals to a breed with a classification method. However, the performance of combination of methods used in these two stages has been rarely studied until now. In this study, the combination of 16 different SNP panels with four classification methods was developed on 562 reference genotypes from 12 cattle breeds. Based on their performances, best models were validated on three local breeds of interest. In cross-validation, 14 models had a global cross-validation accuracy higher than 90%, with a maximum of 98.22%. In validation, best models used 7,153 or 2,005 SNPs, based on a partial least squares-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and assigned individuals to breeds based on nearest shrunken centroids. The average validation sensitivity of the first two best models for the three local breeds of interest were 98.33% and 97.5%. Moreover, results reported in this study suggest that further studies should consider the PLS-DA method when selecting breed-informative SNPs.     

褪黑激素RIA方法的建立及其在探索湖羊四季发情机理上的应用

运用Mannich的反应，将褪黑激素（MLT）与牛血清白蛋白（BSA）连结，制备MLT完全抗原。MLT与BSA连结比为12：1。将此完全抗原免疫5只雄兔，制备特异性抗体；将MLT用^125I标记，薄层层析筛选标记物，制备高纯度的放射性标记物，建立竞争性MLT－RIA法。本法可测范围为15．31－1500pg，灵敏度为每管15．31pg，批内变异系数6．7％，批间变异系数14．8％。用此法测定夏至时考力代羊昼夜血样，测定结果与国外基本一致；测定夏至时湖羊昼夜血样，发现湖羊MLT分泌有其特殊性，即血液MLT水平呈明显的昼夜变化；白天为100ng/L左右，而黑暗开始时，MLT水平迅速上升，在20：00－次日8：00处于高水平，最大值为1100ng/L左右。