Survival of a wild ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) with abdominal trauma in an anthropogenically disturbed habitat

Soft tissue injuries are rarely reported in wild primates as these heal fast, are not obvious, and are rapidly scavenged or decompose after death. An adult female ring-tailed lemur (Lemur catta) was found to have a chronic gastrointestinal fistula in Beza Mahafaly Special Reserve, Madagascar. She was observed monthly for 13 months until her remains, which showed evidence of dog predation, were found. Until then, she was in good body condition, had gained weight from the previous year and was observed to exhibit normal behaviour and produce an infant. This report documents a wild strepsirrhine primate able to survive significant soft tissue injury in an anthropogenically disturbed habitat.  RÉSUMÉ Il est rare que des blessures dans les tissus mous soient signalés chez les primates vivant à l’état sauvage car ces blessures guérissent rapidement, sont moins visibles ou que les animaux eux-mêmes se décomposent ou sont rapidement mangés par d’autres animaux après leur mort. Une femelle adulte de lémur catta (Lemur catta) a été trouvée avec une fistule gastro-intestinale chronique. Elle avait été observée vivante tous les mois pendant 13 mois avant que nous ne trouvions son cadavre, qui montrait des signes de prédation par des chiens. Jusque-là, elle était en bonne condition physique, avait pris du poids par rapport à l’année précédente, montrait un comportement normal et avait donné naissance à un petit. Ce rapport documente une lésion grave des tissus mous sur un Prosimien qui a été capable de survivre dans un habitat perturbé par l’homme

Achieving global biodiversity goals by 2050 requires urgent and integrated actions

Governments are negotiating actions intended to halt biodiversity loss and put it on a path to recovery by 2050. Here, we show that bending the curve for biodiversity is possible, but only if actions are implemented urgently and in an integrated manner. Connecting these actions to biodiversity outcomes and tracking progress remain a challenge

Evolutionary, ecological and biotechnological perspectives on plasmids resident in the human gut mobile metagenome

Numerous mobile genetic elements (MGE) are associated with the human gut microbiota and collectively referred to as the gut mobile metagenome. The role of this flexible gene pool in development and functioning of the gut microbial community remains largely unexplored, yet recent evidence suggests that at least some MGE comprising this fraction of the gut microbiome reflect the co-evolution of host and microbe in the gastro-intestinal tract. In conjunction, the high level of novel gene content typical of MGE coupled with their predicted high diversity, suggests that the mobile metagenome constitutes an immense and largely unexplored gene-space likely to encode many novel activities with potential biotechnological or pharmaceutical value, as well as being important to the development and functioning of the gut microbiota. Of the various types of MGE that comprise the gut mobile metagenome, plasmids are of particular importance since these elements are often capable of autonomous transfer between disparate bacterial species, and are known to encode accessory functions that increase bacterial fitness in a given environment facilitating bacterial adaptation. In this article current knowledge regarding plasmids resident in the human gut mobile metagenome is reviewed, and available strategies to access and characterize this portion of the gut microbiome are described. The relative merits of these methods and their present as well as prospective impact on our understanding of the human gut microbiota is discussed

Morphological and Chemical Mechanisms of Elongated Mineral Particle Toxicities

Much of our understanding regarding the mechanisms for induction of disease following inhalation of respirable elongated mineral particles (REMP) is based on studies involving the biological effects of asbestos fibers. The factors governing the disease potential of an exposure include duration and frequency of exposures; tissue-specific dose over time; impacts on dose persistence from in vivo REMP dissolution, comminution, and clearance; individual susceptibility; and the mineral type and surface characteristics. The mechanisms associated with asbestos particle toxicity involve two facets for each particle's contribution: (1) the physical features of the inhaled REMP, which include width, length, aspect ratio, and effective surface area available for cell contact; and (2) the surface chemical composition and reactivity of the individual fiber/elongated particle. Studies in cell-free systems and with cultured cells suggest an important way in which REMP from asbestos damage cellular molecules or influence cellular processes. This may involve an unfortunate combination of the ability of REMP to chemically generate potentially damaging reactive oxygen species, through surface iron, and the interaction of the unique surfaces with cell membranes to trigger membrane receptor activation. Together these events appear to lead to a cascade of cellular events, including the production of damaging reactive nitrogen species, which may contribute to the disease process. Thus, there is a need to be more cognizant of the potential impact that the total surface area of REMP contributes to the generation of events resulting in pathological changes in biological systems. The information presented has applicability to inhaled dusts, in general, and specifically to respirable elongated mineral particles

Introduction—Food Security and Food Waste Reduction: A Social Innovation Approach to Current Social, Environmental, and Political Concerns

This chapter presents the research rationale underpinning the book. It addresses the intertwining challenges of food security and surplus food management, discussing recent data and literature. It also presents how social innovation is conceptualized in the book as the theoretical framework to analyse partnerships between business and non-profit organisations in managing food surplus. The methodology of the research is also detailed, along with the book structure