Habitat degradation and loss of genetic diversity are common threats faced by almost all of today’s wild cats. Big cats, such as tigers and lions, are of great concern and have received considerable conservation attention through policies and international actions. However, knowledge of and conservation actions for small wild cats are lagging considerably behind. The black-footed cat, Felis nigripes , one of the smallest felid species, is experiencing increasing threats with a rapid reduction in population size. However, there is a lack of genetic information to assist in developing effective conservation actions. A de novo assembly of a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome of the black-footed cat was made, and comparative genomics and population genomics analyses were carried out. These analyses revealed that the most significant genetic changes in the evolution of the black-footed cat are the rapid evolution of sensory and metabolic-related genes, reflecting genetic adaptations to its characteristic nocturnal hunting and a high metabolic rate. Genomes of the black-footed cat exhibit a high level of inbreeding, especially for signals of recent inbreeding events, which suggest that they may have experienced severe genetic isolation caused by habitat fragmentation. More importantly, inbreeding associated with two deleterious mutated genes may exacerbate the risk of amyloidosis, the dominant disease that causes mortality of about 70% of captive individuals. Our research provides comprehensive documentation of the evolutionary history of the black-footed cat and suggests that there is an urgent need to investigate genomic variations of small felids worldwide to support effective conservation actions.
Clouded leopards (Neofelis spp.), a morphologically and ecologically distinct lineage of big cats, are severely threatened by habitat loss and fragmentation, targeted hunting, and other human activities. The long-held poor understanding of their genetics and evolution has undermined the effectiveness of conservation actions. Here, we report a comprehensive investigation of the whole genomes, population genetics, and adaptive evolution of Neofelis. Our results indicate the genus Neofelis arose during the Pleistocene, coinciding with glacial-induced climate changes to the distributions of savannas and rainforests, and signatures of natural selection associated with genes functioning in tooth, pigmentation, and tail development, associated with clouded leopards' unique adaptations. Our study highlights high-altitude adaptation as the main factor driving nontaxonomic population differentiation in Neofelis nebulosa. Population declines and inbreeding have led to reduced genetic diversity and the accumulation of deleterious variation that likely affect reproduction of clouded leopards, highlighting the urgent need for effective conservation efforts.
Staphylococcus aureus is a foodborne zoonotic pathogen that threatens food safety and public health. However, few people have conducted long-term and systematic studies on S. aureus contamination in food in Yantai City. To investigate the contamination situation of S. aureus in food and improve the ability of early warning and control of foodborne diseases, a total of 2384 samples from 17 categories were collected from 13 monitoring points in Yantai City, from 2010 to 2023. Forty-four samples were positively detected for S. aureus, with a detection rate of 1.85% (44/2384). The detection rate of S. aureus was highest in Zhifu District (4.12%), followed by Penglai District (2.45%), Zhaoyuan District (2.37%), Kaifa District (2.19%), and Longkou District (1.98%). Positive detection rates were higher in frozen rice and flour products at 8.82% (6/68), quick-frozen dishes at 5.56% (1/18), aquatic products at 4.05% (3/74), and meat and meat products at 3.55% (27/760). Positive detection rates in samples from the first, second, third, and fourth quarters were 0% (0/44), 2.21% (20/906), 2.13% (22/1033), and 0.50% (2/401), respectively. Positive detection rates in bulk and prepackaged samples were 2.33% (36/1546) and 0.95% (8/838), respectively, with statistically significant differences (χ2 = 5.66, p < 0.05). Positive detection rates were significantly different for samples collected from different sampling stages, of which at production and processing stages was 7.78% (20/257), catering stages 1.38% (10/727), and distribution stages 1% (14/1400) (χ2 = 56.41, p < 0.05). Frozen rice and flour products, quick-frozen dishes, aquatic products, and meat and meat products are the main food products contaminated with S. aureus, and the resulting secondary contamination is a hidden danger for the occurrence of foodborne diseases, which should be given sufficient attention.
In order to investigate the relationship between soil-dwelling arthropoda communities and soil physical-chemical factors,five communities are selected in planting soybean-corn-beet-mixed grain system at 50 hectare test farmland which is as four zones crop rotation about 60 years in Hulan area of Heilongjiang University.Soil samples were collected from the different area which planted soybean,corn,beet,mixed grain,and edge protective forest last year.The results shows that five groups of soil animals,totally 214 individuals,which existed in four communities,belonging to 1 Phylum,2 Classes and 4 Orders.The dominant groups areAcarina and Collembola,The rare groups are Diptera larvae and Opiliones.In comparing with the four communities,there was a positive relationship between the species and numbers of soil-dwelling arthropoda and the physical-chemical factors.The number of soil-dwelling arthropoda increased with the improvement of nutrient of carbon and nitrogen,but the pH value is the restricting factor for the distributing of soil-dwelling arthropoda.In addition,the number and species of the soil-dwelling arthropoda on undisturbed farmland is much more than that of the corn,soybean,beet and mixed grain farmland.
China is a country with one of the most disaster losses in the world. In this paper, a comprehensive evaluation of disaster losses in China was carried out based on the TOPSIS model of entropy weight. Then, linear and nonlinear models were established, and the relationship between economic growth and disaster losses was analyzed using the ARDL model, which included energy consumption and fixed asset investments. The results showed a significant inverted U-shaped relationship between disaster losses and economic growth; that is, smaller disaster losses helped increase economic growth, but larger disaster losses inhibited economic growth. In the long run, the increase in fossil energy consumption and new energy consumption promoted economic growth, but the role of fossil energy was more significant than that of new energy. We also found that fixed asset investment had a negative effect on economic growth.
Abstract In two pot experiments, cucumber (Cucumis sativus L. cv. Jinlu No. 3) seedlings were each inoculated with one of three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), Glomus mosseae, Glomus intraradices, or Glomus versiforme, or uninoculated. Seedling growth and weight of single fruit were investigated. The results indicated that growth of seedlings was significantly enhanced by G. mosseae, inhibited by G. versiforme, and not significantly influenced by G. intraradices. The dry weight of seedlings inoculated with G. mosseae was 1.2 times its counterparts. The concentrations of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) in roots and magnesium (Mg), copper (Cu), and zinc (Zn) concentration in shoots were increased by inoculating the three AMF, and potassium (K) and iron (Fe) concentrations in shoots decreased significantly. The weights of single fruit of plants preinoculated with G. mosseae and G. versiforme were about 1.4 and 1.3 times higher than those from the uninoculated treatment, respectively.
BACKGROUNDPolygonum multiflorum is one of the leading causes of herb-induced liver injury in China.HLA-B*35:01 is reported to be a potential biomarker of Polygonum multiflorum-induced liver injury (PM-DILI).However, little is known about the relationship between single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and PM-DILI. AIMTo identify SNPs that indicate susceptibility to PM-DILI. METHODSWe conducted a systematic study enrolling 382 participants from four independent hospitals, including 73 PM-DILI patients, 118 patients with other
The research advance about the main pest species and their control measures was summarized,and the control strategy in the future was further discussed.
Abstract Island endemic birds account for the majority of extinct vertebrates in the past few centuries. To date, the evolutionary characteristics of island endemic bird's is poorly known. In this research, we de novo assembled a high‐quality chromosome‐level reference genome for the Swinhoe's pheasant, which is a typical endemic island bird. Results of collinearity tests suggest rapid ancient chromosome rearrangement that may have contributed to the initial species radiation within Phasianidae, and a role for the insertions of CR1 transposable elements in rearranging chromosomes in Phasianidae. During the evolution of the Swinhoe's pheasant, natural selection positively selected genes involved in fecundity and body size functions, at both the species and population levels, which reflect genetic variation associated with island adaptation. We further tested for variation in population genomic traits between the Swinhoe's pheasant and its phylogenetically closely related mainland relative the silver pheasant, and found higher levels of genetic drift and inbreeding in the Swinhoe's pheasant genome. Divergent demographic histories of insular and mainland bird species during the last glacial period may reflect the differing impact of insular and continental climates on the evolution of species. Our research interprets the natural history and population genetic characteristics of the insular endemic bird the Swinhoe's pheasant, at a genome‐wide scale, provides a broader perspective on insular speciation, and adaptive evolution and contributes to the genetic conservation of island endemic birds.
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