Stakeholder Attitudes towards Wildlife-Based Land Use in Namibia’s Kunene Region

African rangeland systems are characterized by competing resource use for livestock farming and wildlife conservation. In Namibia’s rangeland savannahs, cattle farming for commercial and subsistence purposes is common, shaping the land use system of the country’s north. Local cattle stocking rates increased over the past decades and triggered ecosystem degradation that became visible in the last drought-stricken years. Cattle was lost, meat prices dropped and livelihoods were threatened. It is assumed that current land use activities are pushing the rangeland ecosystem towards ecological tipping points. Alternative approaches to use the scarce resources of rangelands in a more sustainable way may be centred on wildlife-based land use strategies. Against this background, we investigate the attitudes of stakeholders towards wildlife in order to carve out current barriers for upscaling wildlife-based land use strategies. We conducted stakeholder mapping based on the results of a larger qualitative survey, which included a workshop, individual interviews and a participatory observation. Our results indicate that the reasons for stakeholders being hesitant towards wildlife-based strategies can be clustered around (i) cultural and traditional practices, (ii) unfavourable market conditions and (iii) negative connotations of certain wildlife utilization practices. The study results contribute to the identification of entry points for policies that seek to support wildlife-based strategies

The pleiotropic mouse phenotype extra-toes spotting is caused by translation initiation factor Eif3c mutations and is associated with disrupted sonic hedgehog signaling

Polydactyly is a common malformation and can be an isolated anomaly or part of a pleiotropic syndrome. The elucidation of the mutated genes that cause polydactyly provides insight into limb development pathways. The extra-toes spotting (Xs) mouse phenotype manifests anterior polydactyly, predominantly in the forelimbs, with ventral hypopigmenation. The mapping of XsJ to chromosome 7 was confirmed, and the interval was narrowed to 322 kb using intersubspecific crosses. Two mutations were identified in eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 subunit C (Eif3c). An Eif3c c.907C>T mutation (p.Arg303X) was identified in XsJ, and a c.1702_1758del mutation (p.Leu568_Leu586del) was identified in extra-toes spotting-like (Xsl), an allele of XsJ. The effect of the XsJ mutation on the SHH/GLI3 pathway was analyzed by in situ hybridization analysis, and we show that Xs mouse embryos have ectopic Shh and Ptch1 expression in the anterior limb. In addition, anterior limb buds show aberrant Gli3 processing, consistent with perturbed SHH/GLI3 signaling. Based on the occurrence of Eif3c mutations in 2 Xs lines and haploinsufficiency of the XsJ allele, we conclude that the Xs phenotype is caused by a mutation in Eif3c, a component of the translation initiation complex, and that the phenotype is associated with aberrant SHH/GLI3 signaling.—Gildea, D. E., Luetkemeier, E. S., Bao, X., Loftus, S. K., Mackem, S., Yang, Y., Pavan, W. J., Biesecker, L. G. The pleiotropic mouse phenotype extra-toes spotting is caused by translation initiation factor Eif3c mutations and is associated with disrupted sonic hedgehog signaling

Modellrechnungen zur Ausbreitung von Radionukliden im Deckgebirge

TIB: MU 1119 (18) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEDEGerman

Feral pig populations are structured at fine spatial scales in tropical Queensland, Australia

Feral pigs occur throughout tropical far north Queensland, Australia and are a significant threat to biodiversity and World Heritage values, agriculture and are a vector of infectious diseases. One of the constraints on long-lasting, local eradication of feral pigs is the process of reinvasion into recently controlled areas. This study examined the population genetic structure of feral pigs in far north Queensland to identify the extent of movement and the scale at which demographically independent management units exist. Genetic analysis of 328 feral pigs from the Innisfail to Tully region of tropical Queensland was undertaken. Seven microsatellite loci were screened and Bayesian clustering methods used to infer population clusters. Sequence variation at the mitochondrial DNA control region was examined to identify pig breed. Significant population structure was identified in the study area at a scale of 25 to 35 km, corresponding to three demographically independent management units (MUs). Distinct natural or anthropogenic barriers were not found, but environmental features such as topography and land use appear to influence patterns of gene flow. Despite the strong, overall pattern of structure, some feral pigs clearly exhibited ancestry from a MU outside of that from which they were sampled indicating isolated long distance dispersal or translocation events. Furthermore, our results suggest that gene flow is restricted among pigs of domestic Asian and European origin and non-random mating influences management unit boundaries. We conclude that the three MUs identified in this study should be considered as operational units for feral pig control in far north Queensland. Within a MU, coordinated and simultaneous control is required across farms, rainforest areas and National Park Estates to prevent recolonisation from adjacent localities

Towards a genomic platform for analysis of wild boar and suiforme diversity and evolution

The pig (Sus scrofa domesticus) was domesticated from Sus scrofa, the wild boar, 9,000 years ago and studies utilizing mitochrondrial DNA analysis indicate that this occurred through multiple independent events around the world (Central Europe, Italy, Northern India, South East Asia, and Island Southeast Asia). Our efforts are focusing on the use of genomic DNA polymophisms (single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs) to assess nuclear contributions to global wild boar and domestic populations. Our goals are to provide a genomics platform that can be used to: 1) define wild boar and domestic populations; 2) define the evolution of Sus scrofa and suiformes; and 3) provide a tool to assist in captive breeding and management projects. The pig genome sequencing project provides a reference sequence to support SNP discovery and next generation re-sequencing projects. This International Suiforme Genomics Consortium (ISGC) is thus focusing on SNP discovery using global wild boar germplasms (35 samples from Europe and Asia) and ten European, North American and Asian domesticated breeds. Reduced representation libraries (RRL) have been constructed from this diverse germplasm. These RRL were sequenced using Solexa and 454 platforms and SNPs were incorporated into a bioinformatics platform for identification of SNPs with >0.10 minor allele frequencies covering the complete pig genome. These SNPs were subsequently used by the ISGC to design a high density Illumina iSelect pig DNA chip (60,000 SNPs). This pig SNP chip will be used to define wild boar and domesticated populations and to determine its utility in captive breeding and management programs. The ISGC welcomes new members to provide broader access to germplasm and to assist in further defining the wild origins and related suiformes