USE OF COMBINATION OF FLUORESCENT PROBES TO IDENTIFY SPERM SUBPOPULATIONS FOR QUALITY ASSESSMENT OF FRESH AND CRYOPRESERVED CANINE SEMEN. PRELIMINARY RESULTS

The use of fluorescent markers in the evaluation of sperm morphophysiology allows a better accuracy, compared to the subjective nature of some routine tests in semen qualification. In this study was used the combination of fluorescence probes: propionate iodide, Hoechst 33342 and FITC-PSA in fresh and thawed dog semen, to the identification of the following morphological subpopulations: II (intact plasma and acrosomal membranes), IL (intact plasma membrane and lesioned acrosomal membrane), LI (lesioned plasma membrane and intact acrosomal membrane) and LL (both membranes lesioned). When comparing the results obtained with the results of the tests used conventionally in semen evaluation (sperm motility and vigor, hypoosmotic test and morphological alterations), little correlation was observed. The II population declined from fresh semen to thawed, while LL population increased (p <0.05). The IL population was composed of extremely small numbers of cells but increased (p <0.05) from fresh semen to thawed semen. In the thawed semen the major defects had a positive correlation with the LL population (p <0.01). For the thawed semen, the results of the hypoosmotic test (number of cells that reacted to the medium) correlated positively with population II (p <0.025), that is, different from that observed in fresh semen. Although all tests were able to detect decrease in sperm quality post-thawing (p <0.05). The use of this fluorescent probe association allowed qualification and more accurately quantification of plasma membrane and acrosomal insults mediated by cryopreservation. El uso de marcadores fluorescentes en la evaluación de la morfofisiología espermática permite una mayor precisión, comparada con la naturaleza subjetiva de algunas pruebas de rutina en la valoración del semen. En este estudio se usó la combinación de pruebas fluorescentes: yoduro de propidio; Hoechst 33342 y FITC-PSA en semen fresco y descongelado de perro, para la identificación de las siguientes subpoblaciones morfológicas: II (membranas plasmática y acrosomal intactas), IL (membrana plasmática intacta y membrana acrosomal dañada), LI (membrana plasmática dañada y membrana acrosomal intacta) y LL (ambas membranas dañadas). Cuando se comparan los resultados obtenidos con los resultados de las pruebas usadas convencionalmente en la evaluación seminal (motilidad y vigor espermáticos, prueba hipoosmótica y alteraciones morfológicas), se observó poca correlación. La población II disminuyó desde el semen fresco al descongelado, mientras que la población LL se incrementó (p<0.05). la población IL estuvo compuesta por un número extremadamente pequeño de células, pero incremento (p<0.05) desde el semen fresco al descongelado. En el semen descongelado los defectos mayores tuvieron una correlación positiva con la población LL (p<0.01). En el semen descongelado, los resultados de la prueba hipoosmótica (número de células que reaccionan al medio) se correlacionaron positivamente con la población II (p<0.05). El uso de esta asociación de pruebas fluorescentes permitió la valoración y la cuantificación más precisa de los daños a la membrana plasmática y acrosomal mediados por la criopreservación.

Space use and movement of a Neotropical top predator: the endangered Jaguar

Não foi disponibilizado o número de páginas, pois não consta no arquivo.Accurately estimating home range and understanding movement behavior can provide important information on ecological processes. Advances in data collection and analysis have improved our ability to estimate home range and movement parameters, both of which have the potential to impact species conservation. Fitting continuous-time movement model to data and incorporating the autocorrelated kernel density estimator (AKDE), we investigated range residency of forty-four jaguars fit with GPS collars across five biomes in Brazil and Argentina. We assessed home range and movement parameters of range resident animals and compared AKDE estimates with kernel density estimates (KDE). We accounted for differential space use and movement among individuals, sex, region, and habitat quality. Thirty-three (80%) of collared jaguars were range resident. Home range estimates using AKDE were 1.02 to 4.80 times larger than KDE estimates that did not consider autocorrelation. Males exhibited larger home ranges, more directional movement paths, and a trend towards larger distances traveled per day. Jaguars with the largest home ranges occupied the Atlantic Forest, a biome with high levels of deforestation and high human population density. Our results fill a gap in the knowledge of the species’ ecology with an aim towards better conservation of this endangered/critically endangered carnivore—the top predator in the Neotropic

Monitoramento por radiotelemetria da área de uso de onça parda reintroduzida no entorno do Parque Estadual da Serra do Brigadeiro - MG, Brasil Radiotelemetry monitoring of the home range of cougar reintroduced at the surroundings of the State Park of Serra do Brigadeiro - MG, Brazil

Um exemplar macho, subadulto de onça parda reintroduzido foi monitorado por técnica de radiotelemetria. O monitoramento foi de 110 dias, realizado de forma aleatória, com intervalos descontínuos. Os dados do acompanhamento sugerem que a área utilizada por este espécime seja de, aproximadamente, 26km². Esta configura o menor índice já descrito para a espécie, porém, deve-se ressaltar a importância deste monitoramento básico, visto a incipiência do comportamento de um felino de grande porte reintroduzido em habitat natural após período em cativeiro.<br>One subadult male specimen of a reintroduced mountain lion was monitored using the radio telemetry technique. The monitoring lasted 110 days, being randomly distributed. Data of the monitoring through radiotelemetry suggested that the home range of this specimen was of approximately 26km². This sets as the smallest home range described for this species. However, the importance of this basic monitoring should be emphasized, since information of the behavior of a large feline reintroduced in its natural habitat after a period in captivity is incipient

Boxplot and Posterior Density Estimates for male and female home range (log km²) [A and B], home range crossing time (log days) [C and D], velocity autocorrelation timescale (h) [E and F], and average distance traveled (Km/day) [G and H].

<p>Black line represents the difference between the posterior distribution of males and females, red represents the posterior distribution of females and blue represents the posterior distribution of males.</p

Space Use and Movement of a Neotropical Top Predator: The Endangered Jaguar - Fig 2

<p>(A) Variogram of a resident jaguar. Notice that the animal’s semi-variance reaches an asymptote within a few days, roughly representing the time to cross its home range. The red line represents the fitted model and the red shading represents the 95% CI. (B) A non-resident jaguar. Note the lack of a clear asymptote despite the fact that the animal was monitored for a long period (591 days). This lack of asymptote indicates that this animal is not range resident and thus a home range analysis for this individual is not appropriate. For both A and B, the fraction of the variogram displayed is 65% of the duration of each dataset.</p

Map of study areas in Brazil and on the border of Brazil and Argentina.

<p>Source: mma.gov.br and wwf.org</p

Boxplot of home range (km²) for males and female jaguar by biome.

<p>Boxplot of home range (km²) for males and female jaguar by biome.</p

Extent and conservation status of remaining habitat in Brazil’s major biomes and a portion of Atlantic Forest in Argentina.

<p>Jaguars are considered vulnerable in the Amazon and Pantanal, endangered in the Cerrado and critically endangered in the Atlantic Forest and Caatinga [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0168176#pone.0168176.ref014" target="_blank">14</a>,<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0168176#pone.0168176.ref015" target="_blank">15</a>].</p

Jaguars’ home range estimates in relation to human population size (square root transformed) across four study areas in Brazil and Argentina.

<p>Regression line is the species estimate from a linear regression model formulated in a Bayesian framework (Bayesian p-value = 0.495). Error lines are 95% CI.</p