Immune response of hibernating European bats to a fungal challenge

Immunological responses of hibernating mammals are suppressed at low body temperatures, a possible explanation for the devastating effect of the white-nose syndrome on hibernating North American bats. However, European bats seem to cope well with the fungal causative agent of the disease. To better understand the immune response of hibernating bats, especially against fungal pathogens, we challenged European greater mouse-eared bats (Myotis myotis) by inoculating the fungal antigen zymosan. We monitored torpor patterns, immune gene expressions, different aspects of the acute phase response and plasma oxidative status markers, and compared them with sham-injected control animals at 30 min, 48 h and 96 h after inoculation. Torpor patterns, body temperatures, body masses, white blood cell counts, expression of immune genes, reactive oxygen metabolites and non-enzymatic antioxidant capacity did not differ between groups during the experiment. However, zymosan injected bats had significantly higher levels of haptoglobin than the control animals. Our results indicate that hibernating greater mouse-eared bats mount an inflammatory response to a fungal challenge, with only mild to negligible consequences for the energy budget of hibernation. Our study gives a first hint that hibernating European bats may have evolved a hibernation-adjusted immune response in order to balance the trade-off between competent pathogen elimination and a prudent energy-saving regime

Planning tiger recovery: Understanding intraspecific variation for effective conservation

Although significantly more money is spent on the conservation of tigers than on any other threatened species, today only 3200 to 3600 tigers roam the forests of Asia, occupying only 7% of their historical range. Despite the global significance of and interest in tiger conservation, global approaches to plan tiger recovery are partly impeded by the lack of a consensus on the number of tiger subspecies or management units, because a comprehensive analysis of tiger variation is lacking. We analyzed variation among all nine putative tiger subspecies, using extensive data sets of several traits [morphological (craniodental and pelage), ecological, molecular]. Our analyses revealed little variation and large overlaps in each trait among putative subspecies, and molecular data showed extremely low diversity because of a severe Late Pleistocene population decline. Our results support recognition of only two subspecies: the Sunda tiger, Panthera tigris sondaica, and the continental tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, which consists of two (northern and southern) management units. Conservation management programs, such as captive breeding, reintroduction initiatives, or trans-boundary projects, rely on a durable, consistent characterization of subspecies as taxonomic units, defined by robust multiple lines of scientific evidence rather than single traits or ad hoc descriptions of one or few specimens. Our multiple-trait data set supports a fundamental rethinking of the conventional tiger taxonomy paradigm, which will have profound implications for the management of in situ and ex situ tiger populations and boost conservation efforts by facilitating a pragmatic approach to tiger conservation management worldwid

Emergent global oscillations in heterogeneous excitable media: The example of pancreatic beta cells

Using the standard van der Pol-FitzHugh-Nagumo excitable medium model I demonstrate a novel generic mechanism, diversity, that provokes the emergence of global oscillations from individually quiescent elements in heterogeneous excitable media. This mechanism may be operating in the mammalian pancreas, where excitable beta cells, quiescent when isolated, are found to oscillate when coupled despite the absence of a pacemaker region.Comment: See home page http://lec.ugr.es/~julya

Isomeric [2.2]metaparacyclophane quinhydrones

The two [2.2]metaparacyclophane quinhydrones and were synthesized. Structure, stereochemistry and charge-transfer absorptions are discussed

Electron donor‐acceptor compounds, XXXVI. Quinones and quinhydrones of the [2.2]‐ and [3.3]metaparacyclophane series

The isomeric quinhydrones 1 and 2 as well as the bis(quinone) 6 of the [2.2]metaparacyclophane series were synthesized. Precursor of these products was the tetramethoxy[2.2]metaparacyclophane 3 which was prepared via 4 and 5. X‐ray structure analyses of 1, 3 and 6 are discussed with regard to the steric strain in these molecules and the donor‐acceptor orientation in 1. Charge‐transfer absorptions of 1 and 2 are reported as well as circular dichroism of 1 which was separated into enantiomers. — Following an analogous route the isomeric quinhydrones 13 and 14 as well as the bis(quinone) 15 of the [3.3]metaparacyclophane series were prepared. The difference in steric strain of the [3.3]‐ in comparison to the [2.2]metaparacyclophane series is discussed on the basis of an X‐ray structure analysis of 13. Charge‐transfer absorptions of 13 and 14 are reported