INCIDENCE OF \u3ci\u3eGIARDIA\u3c/i\u3e IN BEAVER AND NUTRIA IN SOUTHEAST TEXAS

Beaver (Castor canadensis) have long been associated as carriers of Giardia, a flagellated protozoan parasite that inhabits the gastrointestinal tract of its host species. However, very few studies have been conducted on Giardia occurrence in beaver populations of southeastern United States. Nutria (Myocastor coypus) are similar to beavers but have not been researched with regard to Giardia infection and transmission. From October 1992 through September 1993, 100 beaver and 30 nutria were collected from areas throughout southeast Texas as part of wildlife damage management activities. Fecal samples from each individual were examined for the occurrence of Giardia using the Merifluor® immunoassay detection kit. Duodenal mucoid samples were examined for Giardia trophozoites using a trichrome staining method. Results were compared by species, sex, age, habitat, and season. The immunoassay technique indicated that 30.0% of beaver and 66.7% of nutria tested positive for Giardia. Results for the trichrome staining method were similar, with 26.0% of beaver and 66.7% of nutria testing positive. A combination of both methods indicates that 33.0% of beaver and 73.3% of nutria tested positive. No relationship was found between presence of Giarda in nutria by age, habitat, river system, or season. An apparent relationship between infection of nutria and sex was discovered. Only 46.4% of female nutria were infected versus 87.5% of male nutria. No relationship was found between presence of Giardia in beaver by age, sex, habitat, river system, or season

Black Vulture Conflict and Management in the United States: Damage Trends, Management Overview, and Research Needs

Contrary to rapid declines of many vulture (Accipitridae, Cathartidea) species worldwide, black vulture (Coragyps atratus) populations are increasing and expanding their range in North America. Vultures exhibit complex behaviors and can adapt to any human-dominated landscape or land use. These traits, combined with population growth and range expansion, have contributed to increased human–vulture conflicts. Our goal was to summarize the current status and trends in human–black vulture conflicts (hereafter human–vulture conflicts), review available management strategies, identify knowledge gaps, and provide recommendations to enhance management and understanding of this species and the associated conflicts. We found human–vulture conflicts are increasing in agriculture (livestock), private and public property (both personal and infrastructure-based), and threats to human health and safety. The greatest increases in conflicts were reported in agriculture and private and public property damage. Regarding livestock depredation, good progress has been made toward assessing producer perceptions of the conflicts, including estimates of economic damage and mitigation strategies, but a basic understanding of the underlying mechanism driving the conflict and advancing strategies to mitigate damage is lacking. For damaged property, little information is available regarding economic losses and perceptions of stakeholders who are experiencing the damage, and most of the tools recommended for mitigating this damage have not been rigorously evaluated. Regarding human health and safety, recent research quantifying flight behavior of black vultures has direct implications for reducing aircraft collision risks. However, it is unclear what factors influence roost site selection and the most effective means to leverage the sensory ecology of the species to mitigate risks. We identify additional knowledge gaps and research needs that if addressed could increase managers’ understanding of black vulture ecology and facilitate enhanced management of this species while simultaneously allowing for the species to provide valuable ecosystem services

Rickettsia parkeri in Amblyomma americanum Ticks, Tennessee and Georgia, USA

To determine the geographic distribution of the newly recognized human pathogen Rickettsia parkeri, we looked for this organism in ticks from Tennessee and Georgia, USA. Using PCR and sequence analysis, we identified R. parkeri in 2 Amblyomma americanum ticks. This rickettsiosis may be underdiagnosed in the eastern United States

REVEILLE8 and PSEUDO-REPONSE REGULATOR5 Form a Negative Feedback Loop within the Arabidopsis Circadian Clock

Circadian rhythms provide organisms with an adaptive advantage, allowing them to regulate physiological and developmental events so that they occur at the most appropriate time of day. In plants, as in other eukaryotes, multiple transcriptional feedback loops are central to clock function. In one such feedback loop, the Myb-like transcription factors CCA1 and LHY directly repress expression of the pseudoresponse regulator TOC1 by binding to an evening element (EE) in the TOC1 promoter. Another key regulatory circuit involves CCA1 and LHY and the TOC1 homologs PRR5, PRR7, and PRR9. Purification of EE–binding proteins from plant extracts followed by mass spectrometry led to the identification of RVE8, a homolog of CCA1 and LHY. Similar to these well-known clock genes, expression of RVE8 is circadian-regulated with a dawn phase of expression, and RVE8 binds specifically to the EE. However, whereas cca1 and lhy mutants have short period phenotypes and overexpression of either gene causes arrhythmia, rve8 mutants have long-period and RVE8-OX plants have short-period phenotypes. Light input to the clock is normal in rve8, but temperature compensation (a hallmark of circadian rhythms) is perturbed. RVE8 binds to the promoters of both TOC1 and PRR5 in the subjective afternoon, but surprisingly only PRR5 expression is perturbed by overexpression of RVE8. Together, our data indicate that RVE8 promotes expression of a subset of EE–containing clock genes towards the end of the subjective day and forms a negative feedback loop with PRR5. Thus RVE8 and its homologs CCA1 and LHY function close to the circadian oscillator but act via distinct molecular mechanisms

Author correction : roadmap for naming uncultivated archaea and bacteria

Correction to: Nature Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-020-0733-x , published online 8 June 2020. In the version of this Consensus Statement originally published, Pablo Yarza was mistakenly not included in the author list. Also, in Supplementary Table 1, Alexander Jaffe was missing from the list of endorsees. These errors have now been corrected and the updated Supplementary Table 1 is available online

Roadmap for naming uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria

The assembly of single-amplified genomes (SAGs) and metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) has led to a surge in genome-based discoveries of members affiliated with Archaea and Bacteria, bringing with it a need to develop guidelines for nomenclature of uncultivated microorganisms. The International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes (ICNP) only recognizes cultures as ‘type material’, thereby preventing the naming of uncultivated organisms. In this Consensus Statement, we propose two potential paths to solve this nomenclatural conundrum. One option is the adoption of previously proposed modifications to the ICNP to recognize DNA sequences as acceptable type material; the other option creates a nomenclatural code for uncultivated Archaea and Bacteria that could eventually be merged with the ICNP in the future. Regardless of the path taken, we believe that action is needed now within the scientific community to develop consistent rules for nomenclature of uncultivated taxa in order to provide clarity and stability, and to effectively communicate microbial diversity

Food habits of raptors using airports in north-central Kentucky

As domestic air travel and wildlife populations have increased in recent years, wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) have increased, prompting concerns for human safety and the economic impacts of wildlife strikes. Most of these wildlife strikes occur in the immediate vicinity of airports. Therefore, removal of wildlife attractants from the airfields themselves is an important component of effective wildlife strike hazard management programs. In response to a such a wildlife strike problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program initiated a wildlife hazard mitigation program at airports in north-central Kentucky which included direct control of raptors. To identify the food-based attractants that may be attracting raptors to these facilities, we salvaged digestive tracts from carcasses of raptors removed from these airports and identified food items contained within. These data will be used to focus prey-base management activities and help reduce the attractiveness of airfield habitats to foraging raptors in an effort to reduce wildlife strikes and the need for direct control of these birds

Food habits of raptors using airports in north-central Kentucky

As domestic air travel and wildlife populations have increased in recent years, wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) have increased, prompting concerns for human safety and the economic impacts of wildlife strikes. Most of these wildlife strikes occur in the immediate vicinity of airports. Therefore, removal of wildlife attractants from the airfields themselves is an important component of effective wildlife strike hazard management programs. In response to a such a wildlife strike problem, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program initiated a wildlife hazard mitigation program at airports in north-central Kentucky which included direct control of raptors. To identify the food-based attractants that may be attracting raptors to these facilities, we salvaged digestive tracts from carcasses of raptors removed from these airports and identified food items contained within. These data will be used to focus prey-base management activities and help reduce the attractiveness of airfield habitats to foraging raptors in an effort to reduce wildlife strikes and the need for direct control of these birds