Habitat restoration is an effective method for improving landscape connectivity, which can reduce habitat fragmentation. Maintaining landscape connectivity could promote connections between habitat, which is extremely essential to preserve gene flow and population viability. This study proposes a methodological framework to analyze landscape connectivity for Asian elephant habitat conservation, aiming to provide practical options for reducing habitat fragmentation and improving habitat connectivity. Our approach involved combining a species distribution model using MaxEnt and landscape functional connectivity models using graph theory to assess the impact on connectivity improvement via farmland/plantation restoration as habitat. The results showed that: (1) there were 119 suitable habitat patches of Asian elephant covering a total area of 1952.41 km². (2) The connectivity between habitats improved significantly after vegetation restoration and the gain first decreased and then increased with the increase of dispersal distance. (3) The first few new habitat patches that were identified played an important role in improving connectivity, and the variation rate of connectivity gradually leveled off as the number of new habitats increased. (4) Prioritization of the 25 best new habitat patches increased connectivity from 0.54% to 5.59% as the dispersal distance increased and mainly was located between two Asian elephant distribution regions and two components. Establishment of new habitat patches was effective for improving or restoring connectivity. Our findings can be used as guidance for improving the studied fragmented Asian elephant habitats, and they can also be used as a reference for the habitat restoration of other endangered species heavily affected by habitat fragmentation.

Toll-like receptors (TLRs), the key sensor molecules in vertebrates, trigger the innate immunity and prime the adaptive immune system. The TLR family of rodents, the largest order of mammals, typically contains 13 TLR genes. However, a clear picture of the evolution of the rodent TLR family has not yet emerged and the TLR evolutionary patterns are unclear in rodent clades. Here, we analyzed the natural variation and the evolutionary processes acting on the TLR family in rodents at both the interspecific and population levels. Our results showed that rodent TLRs were dominated by purifying selection, but a series of positively selected sites (PSSs) primarily located in the ligand-binding domain was also identified. The numbers of PSSs differed among TLRs, and nonviral-sensing TLRs had more PSSs than those in viral-sensing TLRs. Gene-conversion events were found between TLR1 and TLR6 in most rodent species. Population genetic analyses showed that TLR2, TLR8, and TLR12 were under positive selection in Rattus norvegicus and R. tanezumi, whereas positive selection also acted on TLR5 and TLR9 in the former species, as well as TLR1 and TLR7 in the latter species. Moreover, we found that the proportion of polymorphisms with potentially functional change was much lower in viral-sensing TLRs than in nonviral-sensing TLRs in both of these rat species. Our findings revealed the first thorough insight into the evolution of the rodent TLR genetic variability and provided important novel insights into the evolutionary history of TLRs over long and short timescales.

Understanding the competition and coexistence of flagship carnivores is key to creating strategies for their conservation in the face of global carnivore declines. Although studies exploring the dynamics and competition between tigers (Panthera tigris) and leopards (P. pardus) span decades, there is a lack of understanding regarding the factors that influence their coexistence mechanisms on a broad scale, as well as the drivers determining their exploitative and interference competition. We gathered a comprehensive list of research papers among which 36 papers explored the interspecific interactions between tigers and leopards and tested the influence of biotic and abiotic factors on the coexistence mechanisms along three dimensions using multiple response variables regression models; we also tested the influence of ecological drivers determining the exploitative or interference competition between tigers and leopards. Elevation and ungulate density were the most important predictors in regulating the coexistence mechanisms. Tigers and leopards exhibited more positive relations/higher overlaps as elevation increased in the spatial niche. In addition, they showed a higher dietary overlap in the prey-rich regions. We determined that interference competition between tigers and leopards was less frequently observed in habitats with dense tree cover and homogeneous vegetation structures. Meanwhile, studies with multiple metrics would promote the detection of interference competition. Our study provides new insight into the competitive interactions and coexistence mechanisms of tigers and leopards on a broad scale. Policy-makers and managers should pay more attention to the factors of elevation, prey abundance, and habitat structures for the conservation of tigers and leopards.

Red-eared sliders (Trachemys scripta elegans), as one of the 100 most threatening aliens, have stronger immunity than the native species in response to environmental stress. Blood cells are an important component of immunity in the body. However, the blood cell researches of turtle are still in the traditional blood cell classification and morphological structure observation. Furthermore, turtle granulocytes cannot be accurately identified using traditional methods. Single-cell RNA sequencing techniques have been successfully implemented to study cells based on the mRNA expression patterns of each cell. The present study profiled the transcriptomes of peripheral blood cells in red-eared sliders to construct a single-cell transcriptional landscape of the different cell types and explored environmental adaptation mechanism from the perspective of hematology. All 14 transcriptionally distinct clusters (platelets, erythrocytes1, erythrocytes2, CSF1R monocytes, POF1B monocytes, neutrophils, GATA2high basophils, GATA2low basophils, CD4 T cells, CD7 T cells, B cells, ACKR4 cells, serotriflin cells, and ficolin cells) were identified in the peripheral blood cells of the red-eared sliders. In particular, a subtype of erythrocytes (erythrocytes1) that expressed immune signals was identified. Peripheral blood cells were grouped into three lineages: platelet, erythroid/lymphoid, and myeloid cell lineages. Furthermore, based on differentiation trajectory and up-regulated gene expression, ACKR4 cells were newly identified as lymphocytes, and serotriflin and ficolin cells as granulocytes. The single-cell transcriptional atlas of the peripheral blood cells in red-eared sliders provided in the present study will offer a comprehensive transcriptome reference for the exploration of physiological and pathological hematology in this species.

Honeybees are the most critical pollinators providing key ecosystem services that underpin crop production and sustainable agriculture. Amidst a backdrop of rapid global change, this eusocial insect encounters a succession of stressors during nesting, foraging, and pollination. Ectoparasitic mites, together with vectored viruses, have been recognized as central biotic threats to honeybee health, while the spread of invasive giant hornets and small hive beetles also increasingly threatens colonies worldwide. Cocktails of agrochemicals, including acaricides used for mite treatment, and other pollutants of the environment have been widely documented to affect bee health in various ways. Additionally, expanding urbanization, climate change, and agricultural intensification often result in the destruction or fragmentation of flower-rich bee habitats. The anthropogenic pressures exerted by beekeeping management practices affect the natural selection and evolution of honeybees, and colony translocations facilitate alien species invasion and disease transmission. In this review, the multiple biotic and abiotic threats and their interactions that potentially undermine bee colony health are discussed, while taking into consideration the sensitivity, large foraging area, dense network among related nestmates, and social behaviors of honeybees.

Morphometric studies of 3D micro CT-scanned images can provide insights into the evolution of the brain and sensory structures but such data are still scarce for the most diverse mammalian order of rodents. From reviewed and new data, we tested for convergence to extreme aridity and high elevation in the sensory and brain morphology of rodents, from morphometric data from micro-CT X-ray scans of 174 crania of 16 species of three distantly related African murid (soft-furred mice, Praomyini, laminate-toothed rats, Otomyini, and gerbils, Gerbillinae) clades and one North American cricetid (deer mice and white-footed mice, Peromyscus) clade. Recent studies demonstrated convergent evolution acting on the oval window area of the cochlea (enlarged in extremely arid-adapted species of Otomyini and Gerbillinae) and on endocranial volume (reduced in high elevation taxa of Otomyini and Peromyscus). However, contrary to our predictions, we did not find evidence of convergence in brain structure to aridity, or in the olfactory/respiratory system (turbinate bones) to high elevation. Brain structure differed, particularly in the petrosal lobules of the cerebellum and the olfactory bulbs, between Otomyini and Gerbillinae, with extreme arid-adapted species in each clade being highly divergent (not convergent) from other species in the same clade. We observed greater “packing” of the maxillary turbinate bones, which have important respiratory functions, in Peromyscus mice from high and low elevations compared to the high-elevation African Praomyini, but more complex patterns within Peromyscus, probably related to trade-offs in respiratory physiology and heat exchange in the nasal epithelium associated with high-elevation adaptation.

A significant research focus is placed on identifying animal species and areas at future risk to human-induced alterations of the environment and long-term changes in climatic conditions. Yet, the extent to which exposure to extreme climatic events and intense human pressure can increase the risk of harmful impacts on species remains poorly investigated. Focusing on terrestrial mammals in China, one of the world's megadiverse countries, we investigated patterns of contemporary exposure to floods and human pressures and determined their taxonomic representation and distribution across three major area-based conservation schemes, namely, national nature reserves (NNRs), priority areas for biodiversity conservation (PABCs), and key biodiversity areas (KBAs). Among the 440 species assessed with moderate or high exposure to floods, 327 (∼75%) also qualified as moderate or high in exposure to intense human pressure. These species mainly belong to the orders Chiroptera, Eulipotyphla, and Rodentia. Likewise, there were 305, 311, and 311 species with moderate or high exposure to flood and intense human pressure represented across NNRs, PABCs, and KBAs, respectively. Our findings support the prioritization of KBAs for expansion of site-based protection efforts such as NNRs in China, considering threats to species from exposure to adverse effects from both extreme climate and human pressure.

Anti-predation strategies are critical to animal survival and are fundamental to deciphering predator–prey interactions. As an important defense strategy, sensory predator detection (such as through acoustic and visual cues) enables animals to assess predation risk and execute predator-avoidance behavior; however, there are limited studies on the anti-predation behavior of nocturnal animals. The prey of bats provides an excellent representative system for examining the anti-predation behavior of nocturnal animals. Here, we broadcasted different types of echolocation calls of the bird-eating bat Ia io to two wild passerine birds, namely, Zosterops japonicus and Sinosuthora webbiana, that are preyed upon by I. io, and presented the birds with individual bats under different light intensities. The results showed that both bird species were able to perceive the low-frequency audible portion of the bats’ echolocation calls; however, they did not exhibit escape responses to the acoustic stimuli. In the dark and under moonlit conditions, both bird species were unable to respond to active bats at close range and the birds only exhibited evasive flight behavior when bats approached or touched them. These results suggest that nocturnal passerine birds may not be able to use acoustic or visual cues to detect bats and adopt evasive maneuvers to avoid predation. This work suggests that bat predation pressure may not elicit primary predator-avoidance responses in nocturnal passerine birds. The results provide new insights into the anti-predation behavior of nocturnal animals.

Fertility control is often heralded as a humane and effective technique for management of overabundant wildlife, including rodents. The intention is to reduce the use of lethal and inhumane methods, increase farm productivity and food security as well as reduce disease transmission, particularly of zoonoses. We developed a framework to guide researchers and stakeholders planning to assess the effectiveness of a potential contraceptive agent for a particular species. Our guidelines describe the overarching research questions which must be sequentially addressed to ensure adequate data are collected so that a contraceptive can be registered for use in broad-scale rodent management. The framework indicates that studies should be undertaken iteratively and, at times, in parallel, with initial research being conducted on (1) laboratory-based captive assessments of contraceptive effects in individuals; (2) simulation of contraceptive delivery using bait markers and/or surgical sterilization of different proportions of a field-based or enclosure population to determine how population dynamics are affected; (3) development of mathematical models which predict the outcomes of different fertility control scenarios; and (4) implementation of large-scale, replicated trials to validate contraceptive efficacy under various management-scale field situations. In some circumstances, fertility control may be most effective when integrated with other methods (e.g. some culling). Assessment of non-target effects, direct and indirect, and the environmental fate of the contraceptive must also be determined. Developing fertility control for a species is a resource-intensive commitment but will likely be less costly than the ongoing environmental and economic impacts by rodents and rodenticides in many contexts.

Pest rodents pose a serious threat to island biodiversity. Fertility control could be an alternative approach to control the impact of rodents on these islands. In this study, we examined the antifertility effects of EP^-1 baits containing quinestrol (E) and levonorgestrel (P) using a dose of 50 ppm E and P at three different ratios (E:P ratio = 1:2, 1:1, and 2:1) on Pacific rats (Rattus exulans) in the Xisha Islands, Hainan, China. Compared to the control group, all animals in EP^-1 treatment groups showed significantly decreased food intake and body weight. In treated males, there were obvious abnormalities in testis structure and a significant decrease of relative seminal vesicle weight, but no significant effect on relative uterine and ovarian weights (g kg−1 body weight), or ovarian structure in females. Adding 8% sucrose to the original 50-ppm baits (E:P ratio = 1:1) significantly increased bait palatability for males and females. This dose induced uterine edema and abnormalities of ovarian structure in females but had no significant negative effect on the relative testis, epididymis, and seminal vesicle weights (g kg−1 body weight) or sperm density in males. In summary, 50-ppm EP^-1 (1:1) baits have the potential to disrupt the fertility of females, and 8% sucrose addition to the EP^-1 baits (E:P ratio = 1:1) could improve bait palatability. This dose disrupted the testis structure in males. Future studies are needed to improve bait acceptance and assess the antifertility effects of EP^-1 (1:1) on Pacific rats in captive breeding trials and under field conditions.

Herbivory is common in mammals, yet our understanding of detoxification processes used by mammals to biotransform plant secondary compounds (PSCs) is limited. Specialist herbivores are thought to have evolved detoxification mechanisms that rely more heavily on energetically cheap Phase I biotransformation reactions to process high levels of PSCs in their diets. We explored this hypothesis by comparing the urinary metabolite patterns of two specialist herbivores (genus Neotoma). Neotoma stephensi is an obligate specialist on one-seeded juniper (Juniperus monosperma). Neotoma lepida is a generalist forager across its range, yet populations in the Great Basin specialize on Utah juniper (J. osteosperma). While both juniper species have high levels of terpenes, the terpene profiles and quantities differ between the two. Individuals from both woodrat species were fed diets of each juniper in a cross-over design. Urine, collected over a 24-h period, was extracted and analyzed in an untargeted metabolomics approach using both GC-MS and HPLC-MS/MS. The obligate specialist N. stephensi excreted a unique pattern of Phase I metabolites when fed its native juniper, while N. lepida excreted a unique pattern of Phase II metabolites when fed its native juniper. Both woodrat species utilized the Phase II metabolic pathway of glucuronidation more heavily when consuming the more chemically diverse J. osteosperma, and N. stephensi utilized less glucuronidation than N. lepida when consuming J. monosperma. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that obligate specialists may have evolved unique and efficient biotransformation mechanisms for dealing with PSCs in their diet.

A diverse sessile barnacle fauna from a Miocene shallow-water deposit at Dolnja Stara vas in Slovenia is described. It includes the first descriptions of early post settlement juveniles of Actinobalanus sloveniensis attached to mangrove leaves. These represent three distinct growth phases, the earliest being interpreted as being less than 24 h post settlement, the others being 1 to 2 days post settlement. An assessment of their taphonomy is provided. Associated adult balanomorphs are attached to a variety of organic substrates, including mangrove leaves and branches, fragments of the conifers? Taxodioxylon, Carapoxylon, pine cones, molluscs, and cetacean bones. The barnacles include A. sloveniensis, Amphibalanus venustus, and Perforatus perforatus—many with opercula retained within the shells. A. venustus retains some of the original shell color. This is the second record of barnacle–plant associations from the Central Paratethys from Kamnik and Trbovlje. The paleoecology and paleogeography of the site are discussed.

The dynamics of populations of small mammals of Central Siberia was analyzed. The studies were carried out at the Yenisei ecological station “Mirnoye” of the A.N. Severtsov Institute of Ecology and Evolution, Russian Academy of Sciences. The time series analysis was performed by the wavelet transform using the statistical data processing language R. In the 20th century, the dynamics of the population of the community and some of its constituent species (Sorex araneus; S. caecutiens; S. isodon; S. tundrensis; S. minutus; Craseomys rufocanus; Clethrionomys rutilus; Microtus oeconomus; M. agrestis) were characterized by a 4-year periodicity. The type of dynamics changed to noncyclic by the nineties, but by 2022, four species (S. araneus, S. isodon, C. rutilus, and M. oeconomus) and the community as a whole showed a tendency toward recovery of population cycles. The remaining species were characterized by consistently low numbers with irregular low amplitude fluctuations.

Enterobacterales and Pseudomonas aeruginosa have been colonizing or infecting wild hosts and antimicrobial-resistant strains are present in mammals and birds. Furthermore, international high-risk clones of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli are identified and the implications of multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria in zoo animals are discussed.

Escape behavior is a common antipredator strategy among wild animals. Here, we investigated the effect of four factors on the vigilance behavior of the endemic Cyprus rock agama (Laudakia cypriaca). Flight initiation distance (FID, the minimum distance to which an observer can approach a lizard before it flees) was measured in relation to the type of location (tourist vs. nontourist area), the observer's starting distance, air temperature, and substrate temperature. We collected data for 39 agamas in tourist areas and 34 of these lizards in nontourist areas. As a whole, the mean starting distance was 10.5 m and the FID was 3.6 m. The average substrate temperature was 34.0°C and the average air temperature 29.6°C. Only the type of area affected the agamas’ escape decisions with FID being 1.8 m shorter in tourist areas than in nontourist areas (2.7 m vs. 4.5 m). This is probably due to the habituation of lizards to the presence of humans in the former areas. This study shows that tourism strongly affects the behavior of lizards, which may have consequences for the functioning of the population. Tourists can increase the safety of lizards by creating a human shield to deter predators. Once the tourist season is over, lizards may become more vulnerable to predators.

Rodent pests not only cause severe agricultural loss but also spread zoonotic pathogens to human beings. Anticoagulant rodenticides are widely used to decrease the population densities of rodents but often lead to the spillover of ectoparasites because fleas and ticks may gather on surviving rodents. Therefore, it is necessary to kill fleas and ticks before culling rodents to minimize the risk of pathogen transmission. In this study, we used a mixture of ivermectin (an antiparasitic drug) and bromadiolone (an anticoagulant rodenticide) to control both rodent and flea/tick abundances. We found that in a laboratory test, 0.01% ivermectin bait was not lethal for greater long-tailed hamsters after 7 days of treatment, while 0.1% ivermectin bait was lethal for approximately 33% of treated rodents. In a field test, bait containing 0.001%, 0.005%, 0.01%, and 0.05% ivermectin decreased the number of fleas per vole of Brandt's voles to 0.42, 0.22, 0.12, and 0.2, respectively, compared with 0.77 in the control group, indicating that 0.01% ivermectin bait performed best in removing fleas. In another laboratory test, bait containing a 0.01% ivermectin and 0.005% bromadiolone mixture caused the death of all voles within 6–14 days after the intake of the bait. In the field test, the bait containing 0.01% ivermectin and 0.005% bromadiolone reduced the average number of fleas per vole to 0.35, which was significantly lower than the 0.77 of the control group. Our results indicate that a 0.01% ivermectin and 0.005% bromadiolone mixture could be used to control both rodents and fleas to minimize the spillover risk of disease transmission when using traditional rodenticides.

Globally, grassland degradation is an acute ecological problem. In alpine grassland on the Tibetan Plateau, increased densities of various small mammals in degraded grassland are assumed to intensify the degradation process and these mammals are subject to lethal control. However, whether the negative impact of small mammals is solely a result of population size or also a result of activity and behavior has not been tested. In this study, we use plateau pika as a model to compare population size, core area of colony, and the number of burrow entrances and latrines between lightly and severely degraded grassland. We test whether the alleged contribution of pika to grassland degradation is a result of increased population size or increased burrowing activities of individuals in response to lower food abundance. We found that grassland degradation resulted in lower plant species richness, plant height, and biomass. Furthermore, the overall population size of pika was not significantly affected by location in lightly and severely degraded grassland. However, pika core areas in severely grassland degradation were significantly larger and had significantly higher densities of burrows and latrines. Our study provides convincing evidence that habitat-induced changes in the behavior of small, burrowing mammals, such as pika, can exacerbate grassland degradation. This finding has significant implications for managing small mammals and restoring degraded grassland ecosystems.

Food and predators are the most noteworthy objects for the basic survival of wild animals, and both are often deviant in both spatial and temporal domains and quickly attract an animal's attention. Although stimulus-specific adaptation (SSA) is considered a potential neural basis of salient sound detection in the temporal domain, related research on visual SSA is limited and its relationship with temporal saliency is uncertain. The avian nucleus isthmi pars magnocellularis (Imc), which is central to midbrain selective attention network, is an ideal site to investigate the neural correlate of visual SSA and detection of a salient object in the time domain. Here, the constant order paradigm was applied to explore the visual SSA in the Imc of pigeons. The results showed that the firing rates of Imc neurons gradually decrease with repetitions of motion in the same direction, but recover when a motion in a deviant direction is presented, implying visual SSA to the direction of a moving object. Furthermore, enhanced response for an object moving in other directions that were not presented ever in the paradigm is also observed. To verify the neural mechanism underlying these phenomena, we introduced a neural computation model involving a recoverable synaptic change with a “center-surround” pattern to reproduce the visual SSA and temporal saliency for the moving object. These results suggest that the Imc produces visual SSA to motion direction, allowing temporal salient object detection, which may facilitate the detection of the sudden appearance of a predator.

The black rat (Rattus rattus) poses a severe threat to food security and public health in Madagascar, where it is a major cause of pre- and post-harvest crop losses and an important reservoir for many zoonotic diseases, including plague. Elsewhere, ecologically based rodent management (EBRM) strategies have been developed using ecological information to inform decisions on where and when to target control. EBRM could deliver improved health and well-being outcomes in Madagascar if adapted to the local ecological context. Using data collected from removal studies, we explored spatio-temporal patterns in the breeding activity of the black rat (R. rattus) in domestic and agricultural habitats across Madagascar and investigated to what extent these trends are influenced by rainfall and rat density. We identified clear spatio-temporal variation in the seasonality of R. rattus reproduction. Reproduction was highly seasonal both inside and outside of houses, but seasonal trends varied between these two habitats. Seasonal trends were explained, in part, by variation in rainfall; however, the effect of rainfall on reproductive rates did itself vary by season and habitat type. A decline in breeding intensity with increasing rat density was recorded outside of houses. This has important implications for control, as populations may compensate for removal through increased reproduction. We recommend that sustained control initiated before the main breeding season, combined with improved hygiene and adequate rodent-proofing in homes and grain stores, could curtail population growth and reduce pre- and post-harvest losses provided that these measures overcome the compensatory response of rodent populations.

Integrating fertility control techniques using steroid hormones after lethal control can help reduce post control rebuildup of rodent populations. The current study is the first to assess the antifertility effects of quinestrol in male lesser bandicoot rat, Bandicota bengalensis which is the predominant rodent pest species in Southeast Asia. Rats in different groups were fed bait containing 0.00%, 0.01%, 0.02%, and 0.03% quinestrol for 10 days in laboratory and evaluated immediately, and 15, 30, and 60 days after treatment discontinuation for effect on reproduction and other antifertility parameters. Effect of 0.03% quinestrol treatment for 15 days was also observed in managing rodent populations in groundnut crop fields. Treatment resulted in average consumption of 19.53 ± 1.80, 67.63 ± 5.50, and 246.67 ± 1.78 mg/kg bwt active ingredient by three treated groups of rats, respectively. No reproduction was observed in female rats mated with male rats treated with 0.03% quinestrol, even 30 days after cessation of treatment. Post-mortem examination showed a significant (P < 0.0001) effect of treatment on organ weights (testis, cauda epididymis, seminal vesicles, and prostate gland) and different sperm parameters (sperm motility, sperm viability, sperm count, and sperm abnormality) in the cauda epididymal fluid with partial reversibility after 60 days. A significant (P < 0.0001) effect of quinestrol on the histomorphology of testis and cauda epididymis was observed, suggesting its effect on spermatogenesis. Affected cell association and cell count in seminiferous tubules did not fully recover within 60 days of stopping treatment. Evaluation of the effects of quinestrol treatment in groundnut fields showed greater reductions in rodent activity in fields treated with 2% zinc phosphide followed by 0.03% quinestrol treatment as compared to fields treated with 2% zinc phosphide alone. Research concludes that quinestrol has the potential to reduce fecundity and post control rebuildup of B. bengalensis populations, but long-term studies of the effectiveness of quinestrol under large-scale field conditions are needed to use it as part of an integrated pest control program for rodents.

Diet composition and its ecological drivers are rarely investigated in coexisting closely related species. We used a molecular approach to characterize the seasonal variation in diet composition in four spiny lizard species inhabiting a mountainous ecosystem. DNA metabarcoding revealed that the lizards Sceloporus aeneus, S. bicanthalis, S. grammicus, and S. spinosus mostly consumed arthropods of the orders Hemiptera, Araneae, Hymenoptera, and Coleoptera. The terrestrial lizards S. aeneus and S. bicanthalis mostly predated ants and spiders, whereas the arboreal–saxicolous S. grammicus and saxicolous S. spinosus largely consumed grasshoppers and leafhoppers. The taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity of the prey was higher during the dry season than the rainy season, likely because reduced prey availability in the dry season forced lizards to diversify their diets to meet their nutritional demands. Dietary and phylogenetic composition varied seasonally depending on the species, but only dietary composition varied with altitude. Seasonal dietary turnover was greater in S. spinosus than in S. bicanthalis, suggesting site-specific seasonal variability in prey availability; no other differences among species were observed. S. bicanthalis, which lives at the highest altitude in our study site, displayed interseasonal variation in diet breadth. Dietary differences were correlated with the species’ feeding strategies and elevational distribution, which likely contributed to the coexistence of these lizard species in the studied geographic area and beyond.

The Çorakyerler fossil locality in Anatolia reveals unique faunal elements. This study introduces Hystrix kayae sp. nov., a new Late Miocene porcupine initially classified as Hystrix sp. Yavuz et al., 2018. This finding expands our knowledge of Late Miocene Anatolian porcupines, bringing the total number of known species to three. H. kayae sp. nov. is larger than Hystrix aryanensis and exhibits greater upper cheek tooth crown height. Its cheek tooth morphology differs from Hystrix depereti, and it possesses distinctive U-shaped choanae unlike Hystrix primigenia. The Çorakyerler locality may predate sites with H. aryanensis and H. primigenia but aligns temporally with Hystrix parvae localities. This study enhances our understanding of Late Miocene porcupine diversity in Anatolia, emphasizing the importance of Çorakyerler in unraveling the evolutionary history of these fascinating mammals.

Aotearoa—New Zealand has only four rodent species, all introduced. In order of arrival, they are Pacific rat Rattus exulans, brown rat R. norvegicus, house mouse Mus musculus, and black rat R. rattus. Rodent management in New Zealand aims mainly to conserve indigenous biodiversity rather than to protect crops or manage diseases, as is usual elsewhere. We describe four major “regimes” and one major vision for rodent control in New Zealand to meet ecological restoration objectives. Current challenges for island eradications are for large islands that are remote or populated by people. Aerial 1080 is the only large-scale (tens of thousands of hectares) option for black rat control, but its application requires adjustment to counter subsequent rapid black rat repopulation. Unfenced “ecosanctuaries” (mean 720 ha) use ground-based traps and poisons to target mainly black rats and face constant reinvasion. Ecosanctuaries with mammal-resistant fences (up to 3500 ha) limit reinvasion and target more pest species and have enabled the return of previously extirpated taxa to the main islands. Predator Free 2050 aims to eradicate the rat species (but not mice) plus some other introduced mammals from New Zealand by 2050. This vision is not attainable with current tools, but research and experimental management is exploring techniques and technologies. The large scale (to 100 000 ha) at which black rats are now targeted for control to extremely low abundance seems to be unique to New Zealand.

During the 20th century, there has been an ongoing agricultural expansion and global warming, two of the main determinants influencing biodiversity changes in Argentina. The red hocicudo mouse (Oxymycterus rufus) inhabits subtropical grasslands and riparian habitats and has increased its abundance in recent years in central Argentina agroecosystems. This paper describes the long-term temporal changes in O. rufus abundance in Exaltación de la Cruz department, Buenos Aires province, Argentina, in relation to weather fluctuations and landscape features, as well as analyzes the spatio-temporal structure of captures of animals. We used generalized liner models, semivariograms, the Mantel test, and autocorrelation functions for the analysis of rodent data obtained from trappings conducted between 1984 and 2014. O. rufus showed an increase in abundance across the years of study, with its distribution depending on landscape features, such as habitat types and the distance to floodplains. Capture rates showed a spatio-temporal aggregation, suggesting expansion from previously occupied sites. O. rufus was more abundant at lower minimum temperatures in summer, higher precipitation in spring and summer, and lower precipitations in winter. Weather conditions affected O. rufus abundance, but there was local variation that differed from global patterns of climate change.

Pangolins (Pholidota, Manidae) are classified as an evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered mammal due to their unique morphology (nail-like scales and a myrmecophagous diet) and being the victim of heavy poaching and worldwide trafficking. As such, pangolins serve as a textbook example for studying the special phenotypic evolutionary adaptations and conservation genetics of an endangered species. Recent years have demonstrated significant advancements in the fields of molecular genetics and genomics, which have translated to a series of important research achievements and breakthroughs concerning the evolution and conservation genetics of pangolins. This review comprehensively presents the hitherto advances in phylogeny, adaptive evolution, conservation genetics, and conservation genomics that are related to pangolins, which will provide an ample understanding of their diversity, molecular adaptation mechanisms, and evolutionary potentials. In addition, we highlight the priority of investigating species/population diversity among pangolins and suggest several avenues of research that are highly relevant for future pangolin conservation.

The study of the relationship between animal stress and personality for free-ranging animals is limited and provides contrasting results. The perception of stressors by an individual may vary due to its personality, and certain personality traits may help individuals to better cope with them. Using non-invasive infrared thermography (IRT), we investigated the link between physiological and behavioral components expressed during an acute stress event by free-ranging Fremont's squirrels (Tamiasciurus fremonti). We expected that, during the acute stress event of being approached by the researcher, individuals that showed a fast pace-of-life syndrome (bolder, more active, and less social/more aggressive) based on an arena test would exhibit stronger sympathetic-adrenal-medullary system reactivity showing a more intense stress-induced hyperthermia (high core body temperature and low peripheral temperature) than individuals with a slow pace of life (shy, less active, and more social). We successfully employed IRT technology to images of Fremont's squirrels with identification of the individuals’ body parts (eye, nose, ear, hind foot). However, we found no support for our hypothesis. Squirrels’ body surface temperatures told us more about a squirrel's external environment and less about the thermal state of the body in that environment following a stressful event. Further studies need to assess how to make IRT effective and efficient in the field and improve its performance in studying the relationships between physiology and personality in wildlife.

Baseline studies of small rodent populations in undisturbed ecosystems are rare. We report here 50 years of monitoring and experimentation in Yukon of a dominant rodent species in the North American boreal forest, the red-backed vole Clethrionomys rutilus. These voles breed in summer, weigh 20–25 g, and reach a maximum density of 20 to 25 per ha. Their populations have shown consistent 3–4-year cycles for the last 50 years with the only change being that peak densities averaged 8/ha until 2000 and 18/ha since that year. During the last 25 years, we have measured food resources, predator numbers, and winter weather, and for 1-year social interactions, to estimate their contribution to changes in the rate of summer increase and the rate of overwinter decline. All these potential limiting factors could contribute to changes in density, and we measured their relative contributions statistically with multiple regressions. The rate of winter decline in density was related to both food supply and winter severity. The rate of summer increase was related to summer berry crops and white spruce cone production. No measure of predator numbers was related to winter or summer changes in vole abundance. There was a large signal of climate change effects in these populations. There is no density dependence in summer population growth and only a weak one in winter population declines. None of our results provide a clear understanding of what generates 3–4-year cycles in these voles, and the major missing piece may be an understanding of social interactions at high density.