Life Services (United States)

Immobilized microorganism technology offers a promising approach for remediating heavy metal-contaminated soils. This study developed a novel bio-mineral composite (B-AM) by coupling acid-modified maifanite (AM) with Bacillus mucilaginosus to enhance lead (Pb) immobilization. Comparative experiments demonstrated that B-AM outperformed conventional amendments, including oyster shell, pristine maifanite, AM and B. mucilaginosus in Pb immobilization. The B-AM treatment optimized soil pH, improved soil fertility with increases in available potassium (1.06-fold) and available phosphorus (1.28-fold). Additionally, B-AM transformed Pb into more stable fractions, reducing labile Pb fractions by 52.52% while increasing the residual fraction by 88.36%. These improvements resulted in an 83.24% reduction in Pb accumulation and a 63.95% increase in the fresh root weight of radish. Mechanistic insights revealed that the enhanced remediation performance stems from both the individual contributions of AM (adsorption capacity) and B. mucilaginosus (biosorption and biomineralization) and their synergistic interaction. Specifically, AM acts as a carrier and pH buffer, promoting microbial proliferation and reducing Pb remobilization from cell lysis. The resulting sustained microbial activity further leads to the formation of stable Pb minerals. Collectively, our results establish a theoretical and practical basis for using B-AM to remediate Pb-contaminated soils.

Abstract Cochliomyia hominivorax , New world Screwworm (NWS), has become a reemerging veterinary concern in the United States due to the recent northward expansion of fly detections as far as northern Mexico. Rapid, accurate and validated detection pipelines need to be developed in the case of an incursion into the United States. Confirmatory cases are evaluated by morphological identification with no paired test to verify identifications. With the frequency of submissions of non-ideal samples, particularly from fly traps, a molecular tool would be necessary for species identification. In this manuscript, we develop and assess a pipeline including three real-time PCR assays targeting the ribosomal RNA and five sets of Sanger primers targeting the mitochondrial genome that would be used as a paired tool with morphological identification. Two of the assessed real-time PCR assays are highly specific, sensitive and repeatable requiring <1 copy per reaction for detection. Four of the five Sanger primer sets were assessed, optimized and results evaluated for potential use in preliminary geographic analysis of specimens. This workflow will expedite screening of samples, provide a method to verify results using different tools and help understand genetic variations within the mitochondria for NWS outbreaks.

Open wells in agricultural regions of India pose a critical, yet underreported threat to terrestrial wildlife. This study investigates incidents of wildlife falls into open wells across Pune and Ahmednagar districts of Maharashtra between 2009 and 2024. Indian leopards (Panthera pardus fusca) were the most frequently affected species, accounting for 67.6% of the 68 documented cases. Temporal trends indicate an increasing frequency, with peaks in 2019 and 2023. Other species affected include golden jackals, small Indian civets, Asian palm civets, striped hyaenas, and sambar deer. All animals were successfully rescued and released through operations led by Wildlife SOS and the Maharashtra Forest Department. Twenty-one high-risk wells were covered as part of mitigation efforts. The findings underscore the urgency for expanded, proactive programs to cover the wells to reduce wildlife mortality and foster coexistence in human-dominated landscapes.

The helmeted hornbill (Rhinoplax vigil), a critically endangered bird prized for the distinctive helmet-like "casque" capping its beak, faces threats from poaching and habitat loss. This study applies biomaterials/imaging techniques to wildlife forensics, using micro-computed tomography to forensically analyse bullet-induced damage in a unique collection of helmeted hornbill skull specimens, confiscated by the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) of Hong Kong. The findings reveal diverse healing responses, bullet characteristics and indications of the poaching strategies used. For example, specimen scans-showing various bullets embedded in skull tissue-suggest that poachers may use the conspicuous casque as a target when shooting upward from the ground. Additionally, our observations of casque anatomy exhibit two different types of tissue repair, arguing that several of the individuals lived long after being shot. The study highlights the value of confiscated specimens for understanding life history factors and poaching impacts in rare species, vital for developing tailored conservation strategies and advancing knowledge of the biology of elusive wildlife.

The Pacific sleeper shark (Somniosus pacificus) is a long-lived, deep-water, sub-polar species that exhibits flexible foraging strategies, likely combining scavenging with active predation on a broad range of prey, yet their role in marine food webs and impact on commercial species remain undetermined. Tracking the location of Pacific sleeper sharks in Alaskan coastal waters is extremely challenging given the predominantly aphotic depths that these sharks occupy, often in spatially constrained and critically under-sampled regions: deep, steep-flanked, convoluted fjords of Prince William Sound (PWS). From the first ever, year-long depth and temperature records recovered from archiving pop-up satellite-linked transmitters (n = 7), we characterized the residence distributions, depth, and thermal habitat for sharks within the PWS fjords and identified seasonal and temporal variation in habitat use. Depths recorded from the seven sharks ranged from 3 to 572 m, and pop-up tag locations suggested a high degree intra-annual residency within western PWS. Ambient water temperatures ranged from 2.65 to 11.1 °C, with little deviation from the median of 5.9 °C. Seasonal patterns emerged within and across individuals relative to the variation in vertical movements, ambient temperatures, and horizontal movements that could reflect resource-oriented strategies. The high degree of residency combined with extensive use of the water column facilitates the use of physically recoverable, high-resolution behavioral and environmental samplers on Pacific sleeper sharks. This adaptive sampling using Pacific sleeper sharks as platforms of opportunity may in turn enable the use of Pacific sleeper sharks as climate and ecosystem sentinels.

Abstract Many countries operate trapping programs to detect incursions of tephritid fruit fly pests (Diptera: Tephritidae). Food-based attractants are an important component of trapping systems, as they are neither species- nor sex-specific. Liquid protein baits, including an aqueous solution of torula yeast plus borax (TYB), have traditionally been used. However, such baits are short-lasting and must be replaced frequently. Several dry, synthetic food baits, all containing ammonium acetate, putrescine, and trimethylamine hydrochloride, have been developed as potential replacements for TYB. A recent study reported that, in five different countries, a new vial-lure dispenser (containing these same three components) attracted similar or greater numbers of Mediterranean fruit flies, Ceratitis capitata (Wiedemann), than TYB-baited traps. In all locations the TYB was replaced weekly, while the vial-lures were not replaced over eight consecutive weeks of trapping. Here, we present additional data from three different regions on the performance of vial-lure dispensers relative to TYB and several other synthetic food-based lures. Results from Florida and Guatemala showed that traps baited with vial-lures captured an equivalent or greater number of C . capitata as traps baited with TYB, whereas in Hawaii TYB was significantly more attractive than the vial-lures. No consistent differences were evident between vial-lures and the other synthetic food baits tested. The present study does not identify the most effective replacement for TYB for monitoring C . capitata . Regardless of the specific bait used, however, the extended field longevity characteristic of synthetic food-based attractants will reduce the high servicing costs associated with TYB-baited traps.

This study aimed to assess the relationship between improperly conducted play and the frequency of aggressive behaviour in cats. The research was conducted using an anonymous survey. Three thousand five hundred respondents with cats took part in the study. Among the animals, 58.9% were individuals aged 1 to 5 years, 24.4% were cats aged 6-15 years, under 14.4% and senior cats over 15 years of age 2.3%. The results were statistically analyzed using the Statistica 13.1 program. Almost half of the respondents confirmed playing with the cat with their hands (42.3%). Aggressive behaviours most often mentioned by caretakers were biting, scratching, attacking hands/legs and attacking other animals. Significant correlations were observed between the occurrence of aggressive behaviour and the way of ending play with the cat. The least aggressive behaviour towards other animals occurred when playing more than three times a day.

Baylisascaris procyonis, the ubiquitous roundworm of raccoons (Procyon lotor), is a threat to remaining populations of Allegheny woodrat (Neotoma magister). The distribution of anthelmintic baits has been shown to be an effective management tool to support woodrat recovery. We compared the prevalence of B. procyonis eggs in raccoon feces across occupied woodrat habitat in Ohio for 3 y before and 6 y after the implementation of anthelmintic baiting. Baiting significantly reduced prevalence of B. procyonis at woodrat habitats, even in years when baiting was not implemented. We recommend anthelmintic baiting as an effective conservation strategy in areas where Allegheny woodrat populations are vulnerable.

Abstract Understanding factors that influence the vulnerability of wild animals to harvest is of interest to wildlife managers as they strive to implement management strategies that achieve population and distribution objectives. Growing evidence suggests that ungulates adjust their behavior to mitigate harvest risk, such as decreasing their rate of movement and selecting habitat indicative of security to lessen detectability. However, few studies have evaluated how behavior that might mitigate harvest risk interacts with age and influences survival. We used 4 years of movement, age, and survival data from 61 adult male elk ( Cervus canadensis ) in west‐central Montana, USA, to test 2 hypotheses: 1) age influences elk behavior amid hunting pressure, and 2) age and behavior interact to influence elk survival during the hunting season. Consistent with our predictions, elk used and selected security attributes, including areas at high elevation and far from motorized routes, but contrary to expectations, elk avoided dense forest on land with public access. Behavior to mitigate risk varied among individual elk and was influenced by age. Young, inexperienced elk (<4 years old) and mature, experienced elk (>7 years old) moved less, used higher elevations, steeper slopes, denser cover, and selected more strongly for land with public access compared with middle‐aged elk (4–7 years old). Both age and behavior influenced vulnerability and likelihood of harvest. At the beginning of the hunting season, odds of survival increased by 40% with every 1‐year increase in age, but by the end of the hunting season, survival was similar across all age classes. Moreover, male elk were 52% more likely to survive the hunting season when time spent on land with restricted access increased from 0% to 100%. Our findings suggest that elk of varying ages employ flexible strategies to mitigate harvest risk and highlight the behavioral and demographic mechanisms that elicit use of security attributes during a period of heightened risk.