Conservation genetics of island takahe (Porphyrio mantelli)

ii, 66 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Diploma in Wildlife Management. University of Otago department: Zoology. University of Otago Wildlife Management Report; no. 96.General introduction: Conservation of biodiversity is one the most important contemporary global problems faced by humanity. Human activity has caused the extinction of more than a thousand vertebrate species over the last century (Altukhov, 1994), with many more currently on the verge of extinction. As remaining natural areas continue to decline in size and become fragmented, an increasing number of species will require monitoring and management to ensure their persistence. New Zealand contains 11% of the world's endangered bird species (Reed and Merton, 1990). For many of these species, management options are limited to preserving relic populations and their habitats on the mainland, and/or maintaining a number of small populations on predator-free offshore islands. New Zealand has over 500 offshore islands, a large proportion of which are designated sanctuaries or nature reserves (Mortimer et al., 1996). Over the last decade, awareness and concern over genetic problems potentially faced by small populations has grown considerably. Issues of particular concern are the maintenance of genetic variation and effects of inbreeding. This project constitutes an investigation into genetic issues related to the management of the takahe (Porphyria mantelli), a large, flightless rail endemic to New Zealand. Presumed extinct until their "rediscovery" in 1948, just one relict population of -120 individuals remains in the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland. In addition, four small populations have been established on predator-free islands since 1984 (Crouchley, 1994). This project consists of two separate but inter-related chapters. Chapter One addresses the mating system and levels of genetic variation of takahe breeding on islands. Chapter Two assesses the effects of inbreeding on the reproductive success of island takahe. Conclusions and management recommendations are considered in the final part of this report. Some repetition is a consequence of this approach

A novel nuclear antigen

The human oestrogen receptor (hER) mediates some effects of the steroid hormone oestrogen and functions as a ligand-dependent transcription factor in the nuclei of oestrogen-sensitive cells. The measurement of hER levels in breast cancer biopsies provides useful clinical information regarding therapy and prognosis. The current study describes a monoclonal antibody raised against hER aa 497-507 which recognises a novel nuclear antigen. Monoclonal antibodies were raised by immunising mice with a synthetic fragment of the hER (aa 497-507) conjugated to keyhole lymphocyte haemocyanin. Thirty antibody secreting hybridomas were identified. Hybridoma supernatants were characterised by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), immunological staining using MCF-7 cells, binding studies, and SDS-PAGE Western blotting. One supernatant (15F6) displayed nuclear staining in fixed MCF -7 cells. Staining could be abolished by pre-incubation of the supernatant with the aa 497-507 peptide and peptide conjugates, but not with an unrelated hER peptide (aa 256-275). This antibody also stained the nuclei of hER negative breast cell lines MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-330, the breast cell line T47D, and liver cell line HepG2. Immunological staining of human tissue sections reveal the antigen to be present in the nuclei of keratocytes in skin and tubule and luminal endothelial cells of the kidney. The antibody identified a 120 kD band on Western blots with cytosols prepared from human breast cell lines and in solubilised cells. The antibody does not precipitate 16a-iodooestradiol-labelled ER from MCF-7 cells. Expression-linked screening of the MCF-7 cDNA library with antibody 15F6 identified nine positive clones. Antibody staining could be blocked by pre-incubating the antibody with hER aa 497-507-BSA conjugate, but not with an unrelated hER peptide conjugate. The (260 bp) clones were found to be identical. Submission of sequence to BLAST protein and nucleotide databases revealed a lack of homology to known proteins and genes. Sequence was matched to expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from brain, liver/spleen, uterus, ovary, colon, heart, and placenta. To further define the epitope of antibody 15F6, the sequence was translated and three peptides containing potential epitopes, comparable to the hER aa 497-507 region, were synthesised and tested by ELISA. The putative epitope was shown to be contained within one of these peptides

Conservation genetics of island takahe (Porphyrio mantelli)

ii, 66 leaves : ill. ; 30 cm. A research report submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Diploma in Wildlife Management. University of Otago department: Zoology. University of Otago Wildlife Management Report; no. 96.General introduction: Conservation of biodiversity is one the most important contemporary global problems faced by humanity. Human activity has caused the extinction of more than a thousand vertebrate species over the last century (Altukhov, 1994), with many more currently on the verge of extinction. As remaining natural areas continue to decline in size and become fragmented, an increasing number of species will require monitoring and management to ensure their persistence. New Zealand contains 11% of the world's endangered bird species (Reed and Merton, 1990). For many of these species, management options are limited to preserving relic populations and their habitats on the mainland, and/or maintaining a number of small populations on predator-free offshore islands. New Zealand has over 500 offshore islands, a large proportion of which are designated sanctuaries or nature reserves (Mortimer et al., 1996). Over the last decade, awareness and concern over genetic problems potentially faced by small populations has grown considerably. Issues of particular concern are the maintenance of genetic variation and effects of inbreeding. This project constitutes an investigation into genetic issues related to the management of the takahe (Porphyria mantelli), a large, flightless rail endemic to New Zealand. Presumed extinct until their "rediscovery" in 1948, just one relict population of -120 individuals remains in the Murchison Mountains, Fiordland. In addition, four small populations have been established on predator-free islands since 1984 (Crouchley, 1994). This project consists of two separate but inter-related chapters. Chapter One addresses the mating system and levels of genetic variation of takahe breeding on islands. Chapter Two assesses the effects of inbreeding on the reproductive success of island takahe. Conclusions and management recommendations are considered in the final part of this report. Some repetition is a consequence of this approach

A new species of scincid lizard in the genus Oligosoma (Reptilia: Scincidae) from the mid-Canterbury high country, New Zealand

Whitaker, Tony, Chapple, David G., Hitchmough, Rodney A., Lettink, Marieke, Patterson, Geoff B. (2018): A new species of scincid lizard in the genus Oligosoma (Reptilia: Scincidae) from the mid-Canterbury high country, New Zealand. Zootaxa 4377 (2): 269-279, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4377.2.