An Antlered Female Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) from Ohio

Author Institution: Ohio Division of Wildlife, New Marshfiel

Productivity of White-Tailed Deer in Ohio

Author Institution: Ohio Division of Wildlife, New Marshfield, OhioProductivity of Ohio white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) was calculated from examination of 651 reproductive tracts obtained between 1951 and 1967. Adult doe (1.5+ years) breeding begins in late October and peaks between November 3 and November 16. Precocial-fawn does begin to conceive in mid-November, with 70 percent of fawn conceptions occurring between November 24 and December 21. Breeding activity reaches a peak about one week earlier north of latitude 40° compared with that in southern Ohio. Nearly 77 percent of the fawn does and all but one adult doe examined had ovulated. Precocial-fawn breeders averaged 1.29, yearlings 1.87, and adults 2.04 fetuses per breeder. Ovum and embryo mortality for the first three months gestation averaged 11.5 percent for all age classes of does. Fawn mortality between mid-gestation and 5-7 months postpartum totaled at least 21.9 percent. Fawn and yearling does carried significantly more male than female fetuses, while the fetal sex ratio from 2+ year does was essentially 1:1. For all fetuses examined, the secondary sex ratio was 58.6 percent males. Male fawns die at a rate between 1.22 and 1.26 times greater than do females up through six months postpartum. A representative 100 Ohio does could produce 153 fetuses, while a representative 100 deer of both sexes could produce 74 fetuses. This theoretical increase rate of 74 percent, when compared with the actual rate of increase of about 20 percent since 1962, indicates that the annual mortality rate of the Ohio deer herd has been about 50 percent in recent years

Illinois Forest Game Investigations W-87-R-9, Quarterly Federal Aid Performance Report 1 July - 30 September 1987

Quarterly Federal Aid Performance Report W-87-R-9, 1 July - 30 September 1987; Study No. VII-D Harvest Strategies for Illinois Deer Herds, Urban Deer StudyReport issued on: September 30, 1987INHS Technical Report prepared for unspecified recipien

Foods Eaten by a Beaver Colony in Southeast Ohio

Author Institution: Ohio Division of Wildlife New MarshfieldThe food habits of stream-occupying beavers {Castor canadensis) were studied at two different sites, located approximately a mile part, in Athens and Vinton Counties in southeast Ohio from August, 1964, through June, 1965. The colony, consisting of five to six beavers, both adults and kits, cut or barked 352 stems at site 1 and 1,218 stems at site 2, and averaged between 245 and 295 stems per beaver for 10 months. At site 1, ironwood, buttonbush, Virginia pine and red elm were preferred foods, while common alder, red elm, ironwood, and soft maple were preferred at site 2. The distance traveled to feed on each species indicated that alder, soft maple, and red elm were most preferred. Utilization of preferred food species closely followed their availability at both sites, but it was stems less than 2.0 inches dbh that were usually cut. Less than one percent of the stems cut were wasted. Food stocks are adequate for beaver along most streams in southeast Ohio, but conflicts with humans and with fluctuating water levels limit colony establishment. Until improved land-management practices or flood-control structures reduce present fluctuations in annual water levels, beaver colonies must remain transient on the major streams. Stream sites utilized for future transplants of beavers should be adjacent to stands of ironwood, red elm, common alder, maple (red and silver), buttonbush, and aspen, and be located where water levels are relatively stable

Composition of Gray Squirrel Milk

Author Institution: Ohio Division of Wildlife, New Marshfield and Department of Food Science and Nutrition, The Ohio State University, ColumbusMilk was collected from eight female gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) and pooled for analysis, in an effort to determine the best substitute for gray squirrel milk for preweaned young squirrels. The sample, about 2 cc, contained 9.0 percent protein, 12.1 percent fat, 3.0 percent lactose, 1.3 percent ash, 0.36 percent calcium, and 0.45 percent phosphorus. This analysis is similar to that reported for two samples from single specimens. Infra-red spectroscopy was used for a portion of the analysis. This method provides a useful means of analyzing the small quantities (<0.5 ml) of milk obtainable from a variety of small mammals

Distribution and Relative Abundance of the Gray Squirrel in Illinois

is peer reviewedOpe

Managing Forests to Maintain Populations of Gray and Fox Squirrels

Ope

Role of orexin A signaling in dietary palmitic acid-activated microglial cells

AbstractExcess dietary saturated fatty acids such as palmitic acid (PA) induce peripheral and hypothalamic inflammation. Hypothalamic inflammation, mediated in part by microglial activation, contributes to metabolic dysregulation. In rodents, high fat diet-induced microglial activation results in nuclear translocation of nuclear factor-kappa B (NFκB), and increased central pro-inflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). The hypothalamic neuropeptide orexin A (OXA, hypocretin 1) is neuroprotective in brain. In cortex, OXA can also reduce inflammation and neurodegeneration through a microglial-mediated pathway. Whether hypothalamic orexin neuroprotection mechanisms depend upon microglia is unknown. To address this issue, we evaluated effects of OXA and PA on inflammatory response in immortalized murine microglial and hypothalamic neuronal cell lines. We demonstrate for the first time in microglial cells that exposure to PA increases gene expression of orexin-1 receptor but not orexin-2 receptor. Pro-inflammatory markers IL-6, TNF-α, and inducible nitric oxide synthase in microglial cells are increased following PA exposure, but are reduced by pretreatment with OXA. The anti-inflammatory marker arginase-1 is increased by OXA. Finally, we show hypothalamic neurons exposed to conditioned media from PA-challenged microglia have increased cell survival only when microglia were pretreated with OXA. These data support the concept that OXA may act as an immunomodulatory regulator of microglia, reducing pro-inflammatory cytokines and increasing anti-inflammatory factors to promote a favorable neuronal microenvironment

Attitudes of Illinois Farmers Regarding Deer and Deer Hunters, 1990

Ope

Quantitative Deep Sequencing Reveals Dynamic HIV-1 Escape and Large Population Shifts during CCR5 Antagonist Therapy In Vivo

High-throughput sequencing platforms provide an approach for detecting rare HIV-1 variants and documenting more fully quasispecies diversity. We applied this technology to the V3 loop-coding region of env in samples collected from 4 chronically HIV-infected subjects in whom CCR5 antagonist (vicriviroc [VVC]) therapy failed. Between 25,000–140,000 amplified sequences were obtained per sample. Profound baseline V3 loop sequence heterogeneity existed; predicted CXCR4-using populations were identified in a largely CCR5-using population. The V3 loop forms associated with subsequent virologic failure, either through CXCR4 use or the emergence of high-level VVC resistance, were present as minor variants at 0.8–2.8% of baseline samples. Extreme, rapid shifts in population frequencies toward these forms occurred, and deep sequencing provided a detailed view of the rapid evolutionary impact of VVC selection. Greater V3 diversity was observed post-selection. This previously unreported degree of V3 loop sequence diversity has implications for viral pathogenesis, vaccine design, and the optimal use of HIV-1 CCR5 antagonists