A genome-wide association study with 1,126,563 individuals identifies new risk loci for Alzheimer's disease

Late-onset Alzheimer’s disease is a prevalent age-related polygenic disease that accounts for 50–70% of dementia cases. Currently, only a fraction of the genetic variants underlying Alzheimer’s disease have been identified. Here we show that increased sample sizes allowed identification of seven previously unidentified genetic loci contributing to Alzheimer’s disease. This study highlights microglia, immune cells and protein catabolism as relevant to late-onset Alzheimer’s disease, while identifying and prioritizing previously unidentified genes of potential interest. We anticipate that these results can be included in larger meta-analyses of Alzheimer’s disease to identify further genetic variants that contribute to Alzheimer’s pathology

Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals' 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.acceptedVersio

Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals' 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.acceptedVersio

Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns

DATA AND MATERIALS AVAILABILITY : The full dataset used in the final analyses (33) and associated code (34) are available at Dryad. A subset of the spatial coordinate datasets is available at Zenodo (35). Certain datasets of spatial coordinates will be available only through requests made to the authors due to conservation and Indigenous sovereignty concerns (see table S1 for more information on data use restrictions and contact information for data requests). These sensitive data will be made available upon request to qualified researchers for research purposes, provided that the data use will not threaten the study populations, such as by distribution or publication of the coordinates or detailed maps. Some datasets, such as those overseen by government agencies, have additional legal restrictions on data sharing, and researchers may need to formally apply for data access. Collaborations with data holders are generally encouraged, and in cases where data are held by Indigenous groups or institutions from regions that are under-represented in the global science community, collaboration may be required to ensure inclusion.COVID-19 lockdowns in early 2020 reduced human mobility, providing an opportunity to disentangle its effects on animals from those of landscape modifications. Using GPS data, we compared movements and road avoidance of 2300 terrestrial mammals (43 species) during the lockdowns to the same period in 2019. Individual responses were variable with no change in average movements or road avoidance behavior, likely due to variable lockdown conditions. However, under strict lockdowns 10-day 95th percentile displacements increased by 73%, suggesting increased landscape permeability. Animals’ 1-hour 95th percentile displacements declined by 12% and animals were 36% closer to roads in areas of high human footprint, indicating reduced avoidance during lockdowns. Overall, lockdowns rapidly altered some spatial behaviors, highlighting variable but substantial impacts of human mobility on wildlife worldwide.The Radboud Excellence Initiative, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the National Science Foundation, Serbian Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development, Dutch Research Council NWO program “Advanced Instrumentation for Wildlife Protection”, Fondation Segré, RZSS, IPE, Greensboro Science Center, Houston Zoo, Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens, Nashville Zoo, Naples Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Miller Park, WWF, ZCOG, Zoo Miami, Zoo Miami Foundation, Beauval Nature, Greenville Zoo, Riverbanks zoo and garden, SAC Zoo, La Passarelle Conservation, Parc Animalier d’Auvergne, Disney Conservation Fund, Fresno Chaffee zoo, Play for nature, North Florida Wildlife Center, Abilene Zoo, a Liber Ero Fellowship, the Fish and Wildlife Compensation Program, Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, Teck Coal, and the Grand Teton Association. The collection of Norwegian moose data was funded by the Norwegian Environment Agency, the German Ministry of Education and Research via the SPACES II project ORYCS, the Wyoming Game and Fish Department, Wyoming Game and Fish Commission, Bureau of Land Management, Muley Fanatic Foundation (including Southwest, Kemmerer, Upper Green, and Blue Ridge Chapters), Boone and Crockett Club, Wyoming Wildlife and Natural Resources Trust, Knobloch Family Foundation, Wyoming Animal Damage Management Board, Wyoming Governor’s Big Game License Coalition, Bowhunters of Wyoming, Wyoming Outfitters and Guides Association, Pope and Young Club, US Forest Service, US Fish and Wildlife Service, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Wyoming Wild Sheep Foundation, Wild Sheep Foundation, Wyoming Wildlife/Livestock Disease Research Partnership, the US National Science Foundation [IOS-1656642 and IOS-1656527, the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness, and by a GRUPIN research grant from the Regional Government of Asturias, Sigrid Rausing Trust, Batubay Özkan, Barbara Watkins, NSERC Discovery Grant, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration act under Pittman-Robertson project, the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sport of the Czech Republic, the Ministry of Agriculture of the Czech Republic, Rufford Foundation, an American Society of Mammalogists African Graduate Student Research Fund, the German Science Foundation, the Israeli Science Foundation, the BSF-NSF, the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food and Slovenian Research Agency (CRP V1-1626), the Aage V. Jensen Naturfond (project: Kronvildt - viden, værdier og værktøjer), the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG, German Research Foundation) under Germany’s Excellence Strategy, National Centre for Research and Development in Poland, the Slovenian Research Agency, the David Shepherd Wildlife Foundation, Disney Conservation Fund, Whitley Fund for Nature, Acton Family Giving, Zoo Basel, Columbus, Bioparc de Doué-la-Fontaine, Zoo Dresden, Zoo Idaho, Kolmården Zoo, Korkeasaari Zoo, La Passarelle, Zoo New England, Tierpark Berlin, Tulsa Zoo, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Government of Mongolia, the Mongolian Academy of Sciences, the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration act and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the National Science Foundation, Parks Canada, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council, Alberta Environment and Parks, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Safari Club International and Alberta Conservation Association, the Consejo Nacional de Ciencias y Tecnología (CONACYT) of Paraguay, the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, EU funded Interreg SI-HR 410 Carnivora Dinarica project, Paklenica and Plitvice Lakes National Parks, UK Wolf Conservation Trust, EURONATUR and Bernd Thies Foundation, the Messerli Foundation in Switzerland and WWF Germany, the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions, NASA Ecological Forecasting Program, the Ecotone Telemetry company, the French National Research Agency, LANDTHIRST, grant REPOS awarded by the i-Site MUSE thanks to the “Investissements d’avenir” program, the ANR Mov-It project, the USDA Hatch Act Formula Funding, the Fondation Segre and North American and European Zoos listed at http://www.giantanteater.org/, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources, the Yellowstone Forever and the National Park Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Grant, and State University of New York, various donors to the Botswana Predator Conservation Program, data from collared caribou in the Northwest Territories were made available through funds from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of the Northwest Territories. The European Research Council Horizon2020, the British Ecological Society, the Paul Jones Family Trust, and the Lord Kelvin Adam Smith fund, the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute and Tanzania National Parks. The Eastern Shoshone and Northern Arapahoe Fish and Game Department and the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Kodiak Brown Bear Trust, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Koniag Native Corporation, Old Harbor Native Corporation, Afognak Native Corporation, Ouzinkie Native Corporation, Natives of Kodiak Native Corporation and the State University of New York, College of Environmental Science and Forestry, and the Slovenia Hunters Association and Slovenia Forest Service. F.C. was partly supported by the Resident Visiting Researcher Fellowship, IMéRA/Aix-Marseille Université, Marseille. This work was partially funded by the Center of Advanced Systems Understanding (CASUS), which is financed by Germany’s Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and by the Saxon Ministry for Science, Culture and Tourism (SMWK) with tax funds on the basis of the budget approved by the Saxon State Parliament. This article is a contribution of the COVID-19 Bio-Logging Initiative, which is funded in part by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF9881) and the National Geographic Society.https://www.science.org/journal/sciencehj2023Mammal Research InstituteZoology and Entomolog

Bestandsreduksjon av elg og hjort i Nordfjella- regionen i perioden 2019-2020. Forslag til avskytingsstrategier

Solberg, E.J., Rivrud, I.M., Nilsen, E.B., Veiberg, V., Rolandsen, C.M., Meisingset, E.L. & Mysterud, A. 2019. Bestandsreduksjon av elg og hjort i Nordfjellaregionen i perioden 2019-2020: Forslag til avskytingsstrategier. NINA Rapport 1667. Norsk institutt for naturforskning. Våren 2016 ble det oppdaget skrantesyke (CWD) hos ei reinsimle i Nordfjella villreinområde sone 1, og som del av bekjempelsen av sykdommen ble hele delbestanden utryddet i 2017 og 2018. Det er imidlertid fortsatt usikkerhet rundt smittestatus i tilgrensende bestander av hjortedyr og miljøsmitte utgjør fortsatt en risiko for overføring av sykdommen til hjort og elg som bruker det samme arealet. Av den grunn har myndighetene bedt om at bestandene av elg og hjort reduseres til 50 % (eller mindre) av 2016-nivå i de 15 kommunene som omkranser Nordfjella villreinområde (Nordfjellaregionen). Målet er at bestandsreduksjonen skal gjennomføres gjennom ordinær jakt i løpet av 2019 og 2020. I rapporten har vi beregnet bestandsstørrelsen av elg og hjort i de aktuelle kommunene i perioden 2016-2019, og deretter beregnet hvor mange dyr som må felles under jakt i 2019 og 2020 for å nå forvaltningsmålet i 2021. Til beregningen har vi benyttet en bestandsmodell basert på data over det kjønns- og aldersspesifikke (kalv, åring, eldre) antallet elg og hjort sett og felt under jakt i 2016-2018, fallviltdata registrert av kommunene, og naturlig dødelighetsrater estimert i merkestudier av elg og hjort. Modellberegningene antyder at vinter- og førjaktbestandene av elg og hjort i gjennomsnitt økte fra 2016 til 2017, hvorpå førjaktbestandene avtok fram til 2018. Det siste skyldtes at høstingsraten av hjort økte i 2017 og at begge arter opplevde høyere naturlig dødelighet enn vanlig vinteren 2017/2018. Kalverekrutteringen var også lavere enn vanlig på høsten 2018, sannsynligvis som følge av den foregående harde vinteren og varme og tørre sommeren. Beregningene viser at jaktuttaket må økes vesentlig i de neste to årene dersom bestandene skal reduseres til maksimum 50 % av størrelsen i 2016 innen 2021. I gjennomsnitt må jaktuttaket av elg i 2019 og 2020 økes med henholdsvis 80 % og 30 % av 2018-uttaket, mens uttaket av hjort må økes med henholdsvis 80 % og 40 % av 2018-uttaket. Dette forutsetter at kalverekruttering og naturlig dødelighet ikke avviker fra tilstanden i 2016 og 2017. For å unngå store endringer i kjønns- og aldersstruktur må jaktuttaket også bestå av en større andel hunndyr enn hva som er tilfelle i dag. En slik avskytingsstrategi vil derved kreve mindre innsats pr. felt dyr. Bestands- og avskytingsestimatene er beheftet med usikkerhet som vi ikke har et tilstrekkelig grunnlag for å kvantifisere. Vi tror bestandsestimatene for elg er mest nøyaktige da det jevnt over eksisterer mye og bra overvåkingsdata fra elgbestandene. Dessuten er det nylig gjennomført et merkestudie av elg i området som har bidratt med lokale estimat på naturlig dødelighet. Også fra de tre største hjortekommunene i regionen (Lærdal, Aurland, Årdal) samles det inn mye overvåkingsdata, men det eksisterer ingen publiserte estimater på naturlig dødelighet. For hjorten har vi derfor benyttet estimater beregnet i et studie lenger nord. Fra de andre hjortebestandene eksisterer det til dels lite overvåkingsdata og ingen naturlig dødelighetsestimat, og følgelig er bestands- og avskytingsberegningene basert på flere generaliseringer. Upubliserte data fra hjort som er radiomerket i deler av Nordfjellaregionen er i samsvar med de dødelighetsestimatene som benyttes i beregningene. Av parameterne benyttet i bestandsmodellen, er bestandsestimatene mest sensitiv overfor feil i bestandens vekstrate i 2016. Av mulige alternativer valgte vi lave bestandsvekstrater for både elg og hjort. Høyere verdier fører til høyere beregnet bestandsstørrelse og avskyting. Den beregnede avskytingen for 2019 og 2020 er derfor med større sannsynlighet et underestimat enn et overestimat. Beregnet bestandsstørrelse og nødvendig avskyting er vist på kommunenivå og for en gjennomsnittskommune i regionen. I tillegg viser vi antatt sammensetning av førjaktbestandene i 2019 og 2020, og forslag til hvordan kvotene bør struktureres for at bestandsstrukturen ikke skal endre seg for mye som følge av bestandsreduksjonen. Vi anbefaler likevel at bestandsutvikling og avskyting evalueres etter jakt i 2019 slik at eventuelle avvik kan kompenseres for i 2020. Vi forventer økning i aldersspesifikke vekter og fruktbarhetsrater etter at bestandene er redusert på grunn av mer og bedre mat pr. individ. I tillegg tror vi det vil bli en netto innvandring av dyr fordi bestandstettheten vil være høyere utenfor regionen. Begge vil bidra til økt tilvekst i bestandene. Denne effekten kan motvirkes av en nedgang i hunndyras gjennomsnittsalder dersom dødeligheten øker mer for eldre enn yngre hunndyr.Solberg, E.J., Rivrud, I.M., Nilsen, E.B., Veiberg, V., Rolandsen, C.M., Meisingset, E.L. & Mysterud, A. 2019. Population reduction of moose and red deer in the Nordfjella region during the period 2019-2020: Suggested harvesting strategies. NINA Report 1667. Norwegian Institute for Nature Research. In spring 2016, Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) was for the first time detected in Europe in a female reindeer in the Nordfjella wild reindeer area in southern Norway. To combat the disease, Norwegian authorities decided to exterminate the entire herd in the autumn and winter of 2017-2018. In addition, they recently asked for a population decrease of moose and deer to 50 % of 2016-level in the overlapping and surrounding 15 municipalities (the Nordfjella region), as to reduce the probability for these species to be infected by CWD prions remaining in the soil and vegetation. The plan is to reduce the population size by increased recreation hunting and preferably before the end of 2020. In this report we have estimated the population size of moose and deer in the municipalities of the Nordfjella region in the period 2016-2019, and calculated the number, sex and age (calf, adults) that needs to be harvested in 2019 and 2020 to reach the management goal. We have based our estimates on a population model with parameters estimated from data on the sex and age specific number of moose and deer killed and seen during the hunting seasons in 2016-2018, the number of fallen stock recorded by the municipalities in the same period (i.e. moose and deer recorded dead due to other causes than hunting), and natural mortality rates estimated in capture-mark-recapture studies of moose and deer. The model outcome indicated that the pre-harvest population size of moose and deer on average increased from 2016 to 2017, but then decreased from 2017 to 2018. The latter was because of enhanced harvest rates of deer in 2017, and because both species experienced high natural mortality during the snow rich winter of 2017/2018. In addition, the recruitment rate of calves was lower than normal in the autumn of 2018, probably due to the previous harsh winter and subse-quent extraordinary warm and dry summer. The annual harvest must be substantially increased in the next two years to reduce the population sizes to 50 % of their size in 2016. On average, the harvests of moose in 2019 and 2020 have to be increased by 80 % and 30 % of the 2018-harvest, respectively, whereas the harvest of red deer has to be increased by 80 % and 40 % of the 2018-harvest in the same two years. We assume that the recruitment rate of calves and natural mortality rate will be approximately as in 2016 and 2017. In addition, the harvest should be focussed more on females than what is the practice today. Such a harvest strategy will be more effective in terms of effort needed per animal killed and will lead to large changes in the population structure. The population and predicted harvest estimates are associated with an uncertainty that we have not been able to quantify. The population estimates of moose are based on more and better monitoring data (seen moose and harvest data) than is the case for deer, and we have recent estimates of natural mortality rates based on a moose radio-collaring study in the area. Reasonably good monitoring data are also available from the three largest red deer municipalities in the region. However, as we have no local estimates of natural mortality, we had to base our estimates on a study of a deer population further north. From the other red deer populations, we have access to less monitoring data and no natural mortality estimates. Accordingly, the popu-lation and harvest estimates are based on several generalisations, and the estimates for these deer populations are therefore associated with larger uncertainty. Among the parameters in the population model, the population growth rate in 2016 is associated with most uncertainty relative to its influence on the model outcome. We had several alternative estimates available (based on seen and harvest data) and chose the lowest for both species. As higher population growth rates return higher estimated population size and harvest, we believe our estimates are more likely to be underestimates than overestimates

Coprophagy in moose: A first observation

Coprophagy, the eating of feces, has been documented in a wide range of species but appears to be rare or difficult to detect in deer (Cervidae). Here, we report the first observation of coprophagy in moose Alces alces, which was recorded using camera collars on free-ranging moose in Norway. The footage shows an instance of allocoprophagy by an adult female moose in spring (May). We summarize the current knowledge about coprophagy in deer and briefly discuss potential drivers and possible implications for disease transmission. Further research is needed to determine whether coprophagy occurs frequently in moose and whether this behavior is positive (e.g., increased intake of nutrients) or negative (increased infection by parasites or pathogens). Alces alces, camera collar, chronic wasting disease, coprophagy, foraging, moosepublishedVersio