No abstract

The recent reintroduction of the gray wolf (Canis lupus) to Yellowstone signifies a constructive change, but the overall record in the United States on large carnivore conservation remains poor. Many developing countries are determined to do a better job of conserving predators, including their critical habitat and prey populations. We describe current efforts to protect tigers (Panther tigris), jaguars (Panthera onca), and large‐scale forest habitat in Asia, Central America, and Africa. These initiatives take a comprehensive approach that includes biological field research, the identification of local human interests, and a growing recognition of the need for cooperation across political lines. Though often supported by U.S. technical assistance, this international experience could be used better to inform and improve carnivore conservation efforts in North America. Failure to improve our domestic performance or to fully appreciate the contributions of far less developed countries could weaken global efforts to maintain and restore populations of large carnivores.

Respiratory function is the main cause of mortality in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Elevated levels of TGF-β play a key role in the pathophysiology of DMD. To determine whether therapeutic attenuation of TGF-β signaling improves respiratory function, mdx mice were treated from 2 weeks of age to 2 months or 9 months of age with either 1D11 (a neutralizing antibody to all three isoforms of TGF-β), losartan (an angiotensin receptor antagonist), or a combination of the two agents. Respiratory function was measured in nonanesthetized mice by plethysmography. The 9-month-old mdx mice had elevated Penh values and decreased breathing frequency, due primarily to decreased inspiratory flow rate. All treatments normalized Penh values and increased peak inspiratory flow, leading to decreased inspiration times and breathing frequency. Additionally, forelimb grip strength was improved after 1D11 treatment at both 2 and 9 months of age, whereas, losartan improved grip strength only at 2 months. Decreased serum creatine kinase levels (significant improvement for all groups), increased diaphragm muscle fiber density, and decreased hydroxyproline levels (significant improvement for 1D11 only) also suggested improved muscle function after treatment. For all endpoints, 1D11 was equivalent or superior to losartan; coadministration of the two agents was not superior to 1D11 alone. In conclusion, TGF-β antagonism may be a useful therapeutic approach for treating DMD patients.

When females mate with multiple partners in a reproductive cycle, the relative number of competing sperm from rival males is often the most critical factor in determining paternity. Gamete production is directly related to testis size in most species, and is associated with both mating behavior and perceived risk of competition. Deer mice, Peromyscus maniculatus, are naturally promiscuous and males invest significantly more in sperm production than males of P. polionotus, their monogamous sister‐species. Here, we show that the larger testes in P. maniculatus are retained after decades of enforced monogamy in captivity. While these results suggest that differences in sperm production between species with divergent evolutionary histories can be maintained in captivity, we also show that the early rearing environment of males can strongly influence their testis size as adults. Using a second‐generation hybrid population to increase variation within the population, we show that males reared in litters with more brothers develop larger testes as adults. Importantly, this difference in testis size is also associated with increased fertility. Together, our findings suggest that sperm production may be both broadly shaped by natural selection over evolutionary timescales and also finely tuned during early development.

12Video recording technology is an important tool for studies of animal behavior because it 13 reduces observer effects and produces a record of experiments, interactions among subjects, 14 and contextual information, however it remains cost prohibitive for many researchers. Here we 15 present an inexpensive method for building a remotely-operated video recording system to 16 continuously monitor behavioral or other biological experiments. Our system employs Raspberry 17Pi computers and cameras, open-source software, and allows for wireless networking, live-18 streaming, and the capacity to simultaneously record from several cameras in an array. To 19 validate this system, we continuously monitored home-cage behavior of California mice 20 (Peromyscus californicus) in a laboratory setting. We captured video in both low-and bright-light 21 environments to record behaviors of this nocturnal species, and then quantified mating 22interactions of California mouse pairs by analyzing the videos with an open-source event 23 logging software. This video recording platform offers users the flexibility to modify the 24 specifications for a range of tasks and the scalability to make research more efficient and 25 reliable to a larger population of scientists. 26 behavior during the dark period while the room was illuminated with red lights and infrared LED 131 lights. We found that using two modules, each set to parameters optimized for each light 132 environment, was the most effective way for us to obtain high quality video across the entire 133 light-dark cycle, however a single camera can be programed to adjust parameters at different 134 times through the day. In our setup, the size of the files produced from using a single module 135 exceeded the capacity of the micro-SD card, and we found that adding as second module was 136 more cost effective that using a high-capacity micro-SD card. 137 138 Rev. 1978;43(5):623-43.