A Friendly Complexing Agent for Spectrophotometric Determination of Total Iron

Iron, one of the most common metals in the environment, plays a fundamental role in many biological as well as biogeochemical processes, which determine its availability in different oxidation states. Its relevance in environmental and industrial chemistry, human physiology, and many other fields has made it necessary to develop and optimize analysis techniques for accurate determination. Spectrophotometric methods are the most frequently applied in the analytical determination of iron in real samples. Taking advantage of the fact that desferrioxamine B, a trihydroxamic acid used since the 1970s in chelation therapy for iron overload treatment, forms a single stable 1:1 complex with iron in whichever oxidation state it can be found, a smart spectrophotometric method for the analytical determination of iron concentration was developed. In particular, the full compliance with the Lambert-Beer law, the range of iron concentration, the influence of pH, and the interference of other metal ions have been taken into account. The proposed method was validated in terms of LoD, LoQ, linearity, precision, and trueness, and has been applied for total iron determination in natural water certified material and in biological reference materials such as control human urine and control serum

The rhythm of the night: patterns of~activity of the European wildcat in the Italian peninsula

The European wildcat is a threatened carnivore, whose ecology is still scarcely studied, especially in Mediterranean areas. In this study, we estimated activity rhythm patterns of this felid, by means of camera-trapping at three spatial scales: (i) whole country (Italy); (ii) biogeographical areas; (iii) latitudinal zones. The activity rhythms patterns were also calculated according to temporal scales: (1) warm semester; (2) cold semester and (3) seasonal scales. Lastly, we also tested whether the effect of moon phases affected the wildcat activity. We conducted the analysis on a total of 975 independent events collected in 2009-2021, from 285 locations, in 65,800 camera days. We showed that the wildcat in Italy exhibits a > 70% nocturnal behaviour, with 20% of diurnal activity, at all spatial scales, and throughout the whole year, with peaks at 10.00 p.m. and 04.00 a.m. We observed a high overlap of wildcat activity rhythms between different biogeographical and latitudinal zones. The wildcat was mainly active on the darkest nights, reducing its activity in bright moonlight nights. Diurnal activity was greater in the warm months and decreased with the distance from shrubs and woodlands, most likely according to activity rhythms of its main prey, water presence in summer, the care of offspring and the availability of shelter sites. Conversely, the distance to paved roads seems to have no significant effects on diurnal activity, suggesting that, in presence of natural shelters, the wildcat probably may tolerate these infrastructures. We suggested limited plasticity in activity rhythm patterns of the wildcat, emphasizing the importance of dark hours for this species

Capture effects in wild boar: a multifaceted behavioural investigation

Although the proliferation of the wild boar in Europe makes capturing and handling necessary for both management and research, the behavioural responses of this species to capture are still unknown. We evaluated how capture affects wild boar behaviour during the first 30 days after the release, focusing on the animals' total activity, mobility and activity rhythms and their variation in response to different drug mixtures used for sedation. Low levels of activity and mobility characterized the first 10 post-capture days. After this period, a gradual restoring of stable levels occurred. Wild boar captured by using different drug mixtures exhibited slightly different patterns of activity depression. We also showed capture to produce a partial effect on wild boar behavioural rhythmicity. Our findings highlight the case study variability of the capture effect and offer useful insights into several conservation and management implications

Litter size and latitude in a large mammal: the wild boar <i>Sus scrofa</i>

1. A positive relationship between clutch size or litter size and latitude exists in birds and many species of small mammal. Hitherto, however, analyses for large mammals have failed to provide evidence that litter sizes increase with latitude. 2. We collated data from published studies of wild boar in Europe, to analyse the relationship between litter size and latitude in this widely distributed terrestrial mammal. 3. Depending on the specific data set (whether only the most reliable data or all available data were included), latitude explained 58% to 72% of the variation in mean litter sizes across studies. On average, litter size increases by approximately 0.15 piglets per degree of latitude. 4. A strong correlation between litter size and latitude for wild boar in Europe provides a starting point for demographic modelling of this species of both ecological and economic importance. 5. The pattern for wild boar is consistent with Ashmole’s explanation for the effects of latitude on reproduction. The contrast between our results and those generated for other large mammals may result from our focus on an herbivore in contrast to previous work which was focused on carnivores. Further work could usefully examine the extent of seasonality in the availability of resources for species of different dietary types

Y-chromosome microsatellite variation in Italian wolves: a contribution to the study of wolf-dog hybridization patterns

One major concern in wolf (Canis lupus) conservation is the risk of genetic contamination due to crossbreeding with domestic dogs. Although genetic monitoring of wolf populations has become widely used, the behavioural mechanisms involved in wolf-dog hybridization and the detrimental effects of genetic introgression are poorly known. In this study we analysed Y-chromosome microsatellite variation in the recovering Italian wolf population and detected strikingly different allele frequencies between wolves and dogs. Four Y haplotypes were found in 74 analysed male wolves, and all of them were present in a focus wolf population in the Apennines. On the other hand, only 1 haplotype was found in the recolonizing wolf population from the Western Alps. The most common haplotype in a sample of domestic dogs, was also found in 5 wolves, 2 of which revealing a signature of recent hybridization. Moreover, another suspect hybrid carried a private haplotype of possible canine origin. These results give support to the idea that female wolves can breed with male stray dogs in the wild. The Y-chromosome variation in Italian wolves contrasts with the previously observed lack of mitochondrial variation. Further investigations are needed to clarify at what extent historical or recent wolf-dog hybridization events may have contributed to the observed haplotype diversity. In conclusion, the two molecular markers employed in this study represent effective means to trace directional genetic introgression into the wolves male lineage and have the noteworthy advantage of being suitable for analyses on low-quality DNA samples

Detection of Endoparasites in Non-Native Raccoons from Central Italy

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is a carnivore native to North and Central America, gradually introduced into Asia and Europe, including Italy. It is an important carrier of multiple endoparasites, both Protozoa and Helminths, some of them being zoonotic. The aim of this study was to investigate the endoparasites of the non-native raccoon population of Central Italy. Sixty-two raccoons were collected by local competent authorities (sixty trapped and euthanized, two found dead) and subjected to necroscopic examination. Carcasses underwent a broad parasitological investigation, including coprological techniques (macroscopic examination of the gastrointestinal tract, lungs, trachea, and heart, Flotac®, Baermann test, and immunofluorescence for Giardia duodenalis and Cryptosporidium spp.), research on respiratory/urinary capillariosis and artificial digestion for Trichinella spp. larvae, and a histopathological examination of the ileum. Ascarid parasites were further identified at the species level using a next-generation sequencing-based amplicon sequencing approach. The results showed the presence of different Protozoa and Nematodes: Baylisascaris procyonis (26/62; 41.9%), Pearsonema sp. (6/62; 9.6%), Capillariidae (6/62; 9.6%), Eimeria sp. (2/62; 3.2%), Cryptosporidium sp. (2/62; 3.2%), and Ancylostomatidae (2/62; 3.2%). B. procyonis is an emerging helminthic zoonotic agent considered a serious concern for public and animal health, given the possibility of its transmission to paratenic hosts, including humans and pets. The demonstrated role of the raccoon as a multi-parasite carrier should be an incentive to continuing the eradication/control of this alien species, and supports the need to implement related disease surveillance programs