Stroud deer carcass tested for 'big cat activity'

DNA tests for "big cat activity" are being carried out on a roe deer carcass found near Stroud in Gloucestershire.

Swabs were taken from the wounds of the deer by experts who visited Woodchester Park to examine the evidence.

The carcass was seen and photographed by a local walker at the National Trust-owned countryside estate.

A National Trust spokesman said the deer's injuries and way the carcass had been consumed were "thought to be highly indicative of big cat activity".

The DNA samples were taken by a professor from the School of Life Sciences at the University of Warwick and the results are expected later this month.

'Occasional sightings'

David Armstrong, the National Trust's head ranger for the Gloucestershire countryside, said the deer carcass was found near an area of beech woodland sloping down to pastures.

"There are some very occasional sightings of big cats in the Cotswolds but they have wide territories, so are rarely present in one particular spot for long," he added.

"We'd be interested to hear of any more sightings at Woodchester."

Gloucestershire big cat expert, Rick Minter, said it was very helpful to have a forensic study of the deer carcass done "so we can learn about the subject".

"Although people occasionally report a possible big cat from a distance, close up encounters with such cats are rare," he said.

"Their hearing and movement are exceptional, which helps them avoid close contact with people."

Read more at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-16516500

DNA in a Cup of Water Reveals Lake Denizens

To monitor the biodiversity of a freshwater habitat, you could camp out by the water and count the rare wildlife. Or you could just scoop up a cup of water. A new Dutch study has found that the DNA traces in a small sample of a body of water can reveal the species that live in it. The work is in the journal Molecular Ecology. [Philip Francis Thomsen et al., "Monitoring endangered freshwater biodiversity using environmental DNA"]


As animals swim through a lake, they leave behind traces of DNA. The more individuals of a particular species, the more DNA of that species will be shed. And be available to be measured.

The researchers tested about 100 European lakes and streams, comparing the DNA evidence to traditional fauna observations. And the small-sample technique enabled them to correctly identify the species and the sizes of their populations.

Measuring biodiversity is an important part of protecting endangered species. This quick and easy method of snagging a water sample, which can be tested at a lab miles away from the site, could refresh the process of species monitoring.

—Sophie Bushwick

http://www.scientificamerican.com/podcast/episode.cfm?id=dna-in-a-cup-of-water-reveals-lake-11-12-19

Okla. Officials Find Doughnuts Help Trap Bears

COOKSON, Okla. — Oklahoma wildlife officials say nothing traps a black bear quite like a doughnut.


Wildlife officers are studying the growing black bear population in the eastern part of the state, and they say they've had the best success in trapping the animals when they use pastries as bait.

Craig Endicott of the Wildlife Department told Tulsa television station KOTV the agency usually finds 300-pound male bears and 200-pound females in its traps. But on a recent day, a 50-pound cub got to the doughnut first.

The bears are tagged and researchers take fur and tissue samples for DNA analysis. Some adult bears get tracking collars.

Researchers also are setting up about 200 bait stations equipped with hair snares. DNA from the hair will help map bears' movement.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/07/23/doughnuts-trap-bears_n_907767.html

Unknown Animals Nearly Invisible Yet There

Individuals of the bryozoan Alcyonidium diaphanum
stretch out their tentacles to filter food particles
out of the water. (Credit: Judith Fuchs.)

ScienceDaily (Mar. 22, 2011) — Bryozoans (moss animals) are a group of aquatic invertebrates that are found in great variety throughout the world, with well over 100 species in Sweden alone. Yet little is known about them. Researchers at the University of Gothenburg have now studied Swedish bryozoan species using DNA techniques.

"There are currently over 6 000 known species of Bryozoa. Earlier studies were based on visible characteristics of these animals, which is not sufficient to decide how the species are related to each other. To understand the evolution of bryozoans and how they are related to other animals, it is necessary to use molecular data, that's to say DNA," says Judith Fuchs of the Department of Zoology at the University of Gothenburg.

When Bryozoa were discovered in the 16th century, they were regarded as plants. Later on they were found to have a nervous system, muscles and an intestinal system and were classified as animals. On their own, bryozoans are barely visible to the naked eye, but like coral animals all bryozoans build colonies that reach several centimetres in size and some species build colonies of over 30cm.

In her thesis, Fuchs has studied the evolution and relationships of Bryozoa using molecular data (DNA) from more than 30 bryozoan species, most collected in Sweden. The results show that this animal group developed from a common ancestor that probably lived in the sea. Two groups of Bryozoa evolved from this common ancestor: a group that stayed in the marine environment and another that evolved in freshwater. The DNA studies of the larval stage of Bryozoa can also contribute to a better understanding of the evolution of life cycles and larval stages of other multicellular animals.

Together with her supervisor, Matthias Obst, over a period of four years she has also taken part in the marine inventory of the Swedish Species Project along the west coast of Sweden. The collection of all marine bottom-living animals is based on more than 500 samples from 400 locations.

"We found as many as 120 marine bryozoan species in our waters, and many of them had not been previously known in Sweden. We also found a completely new species of Bryozoa. This is a very small bryozoan with characteristic spikes on its surface, which I have described in my thesis."

To date, 45 per cent of the bryozoans collected in the inventory have been determined.

"Sweden has a very rich bryozoan fauna. On your next trip to the beach you might perhaps take a closer look at seaweed or pebbles. If you see a white covering with small holes in it, you have found a bryozoan colony for yourself."

There are currently over 6 000 known species of Bryozoa. Earlier studies were based on visible characteristics of these animals, which is not sufficient to decide how the species are related to each other. To understand the evolution of bryozoans and how they are related to other animals, it is necessary to use molecular data, that's to say DNA," says Judith Fuchs of the Department of Zoology at the University of Gothenburg.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/03/110322105740.htm

Experts DNA test England's adders to help halt decline

28 March 2011

Ecologists are running DNA tests on adders to check their genetic diversity amid fears the UK's only venomous snake is vanishing from the wild.

A recent study found that numbers of the reptile had declined since 2007.

Conservationists believe inbreeding in small, isolated populations could lead to a further decrease in numbers.

Experts from Natural England, the Zoological Society of London and Oxford University are taking swabs from the reptiles at 16 sites across England.

Ecologist Nigel Hand has already carried out health checks and collected DNA samples from five snakes at a Surrey Wildlife Trust site and 27 adders from an area in Norfolk.

Once captured, the reptiles are placed in a plastic tube to measure their length and protect the handler from their bite.

A swab is taken and they are marked before they are released back into the wild.

The DNA is then analysed to see whether larger or smaller populations have different levels of genetic variety.

Jim Foster, of Natural England, said: "With around a third of adder populations now restricted to isolated pockets of habitat, and with only a handful of snakes per sites, they could be especially vulnerable."

It is estimated that there are 1,000 populations of adder in the country with some groups made up of fewer than 10 adults.

Mr Foster said the tests would also help them understand why some adders had been found with abnormalities including malformed scales and missing eyes.

He added: "In the longer term, the last resort option is whether we should move animals between populations, artificially encouraging them to mix."

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-12878563

Species ID challenged by DNA analysis

Identifying species: looks are no longer enough. Increasingly common problem for 21st century biologists

November 2010: What happens when a species isn't the one it looks like? It is a problem being faced increasingly by biologists. Although Linnaean taxonomy is still a cornerstone of biology, modern DNA techniques have erased many of the established boundaries between species, making it far more difficult, in practice, to know exactly what you are looking at.

A researcher from Sweden's University of Gothenburg is now highlighting the potential pitfalls this can cause. ‘If you can't recognise a species by looking at it, this can have serious consequences,' says Emma Vodoti from university's Department of Zoology. ‘For example, there is a species of leech that is widely used in medical studies, and it was discovered recently that sometimes a leech was being used that looks the same but has a different genetic make-up. This naturally has an effect on the results of the studies conducted. All work based on having to be able to identify species may have to change.'


Three hundred and fifty years after Linnaeus created his system for organising and categorising species of plants and animals, the system is being pulled apart. Newly discovered organisms are still categorised and named in line with his system, but there is a big difference between species described before and after the discovery of DNA. Until the 1980s, scientists had to rely entirely on appearance, anatomy and other characteristics, such as a bird's song. Since then, genetic patterns have also been taken into account when identifying new species.

Genetic studies have erased many established boundaries between species
'Ironically, these genetic studies have erased many of the established boundaries between species and even disproved the existence of previously described species that have turned out not to be related. Attempts have been made to establish universal boundaries between species by quantifying how much DNA needs to be different between two organisms in order for them to be viewed as separate species, but this doesn't always work.'

In her thesis, Vodoti looks at the practical problems with species identification today, after having studied the relationship between the genetic relatedness and the appearance and geographical distribution of various sea creatures. The common horse mussel Modiolus modiolus found in the Atlantic and on the west coast of Sweden turns out to be totally different genetically from the one found on the Pacific coast of the USA, despite looking identical. Nemertean worms may have similarities in appearance but turn out to consist of a hotchpotch of different species, more or less independent of looks. Nemerteans include worms just a few millimetres in length to one of the world's longest creatures, Lineus longissimus, which can grow up to 15 metres.

‘It's probably impossible to find a universal way of defining, identifying and delimiting species,' says Vodoti. ‘My thesis shows that there is a need for individual assessment on a case-by-case basis when identifying species, taking account of both appearance and genes.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/species-identification.html

Species ID challenged by DNA analysis

Identifying species: looks are no longer enough. Increasingly common problem for 21st century biologists

November 2010: What happens when a species isn't the one it looks like? It is a problem being faced increasingly by biologists. Although Linnaean taxonomy is still a cornerstone of biology, modern DNA techniques have erased many of the established boundaries between species, making it far more difficult, in practice, to know exactly what you are looking at.

A researcher from Sweden's University of Gothenburg is now highlighting the potential pitfalls this can cause. ‘If you can't recognise a species by looking at it, this can have serious consequences,' says Emma Vodoti from university's Department of Zoology. ‘For example, there is a species of leech that is widely used in medical studies, and it was discovered recently that sometimes a leech was being used that looks the same but has a different genetic make-up. This naturally has an effect on the results of the studies conducted. All work based on having to be able to identify species may have to change.'


Three hundred and fifty years after Linnaeus created his system for organising and categorising species of plants and animals, the system is being pulled apart. Newly discovered organisms are still categorised and named in line with his system, but there is a big difference between species described before and after the discovery of DNA. Until the 1980s, scientists had to rely entirely on appearance, anatomy and other characteristics, such as a bird's song. Since then, genetic patterns have also been taken into account when identifying new species.

Genetic studies have erased many established boundaries between species
'Ironically, these genetic studies have erased many of the established boundaries between species and even disproved the existence of previously described species that have turned out not to be related. Attempts have been made to establish universal boundaries between species by quantifying how much DNA needs to be different between two organisms in order for them to be viewed as separate species, but this doesn't always work.'

In her thesis, Vodoti looks at the practical problems with species identification today, after having studied the relationship between the genetic relatedness and the appearance and geographical distribution of various sea creatures. The common horse mussel Modiolus modiolus found in the Atlantic and on the west coast of Sweden turns out to be totally different genetically from the one found on the Pacific coast of the USA, despite looking identical. Nemertean worms may have similarities in appearance but turn out to consist of a hotchpotch of different species, more or less independent of looks. Nemerteans include worms just a few millimetres in length to one of the world's longest creatures, Lineus longissimus, which can grow up to 15 metres.

‘It's probably impossible to find a universal way of defining, identifying and delimiting species,' says Vodoti. ‘My thesis shows that there is a need for individual assessment on a case-by-case basis when identifying species, taking account of both appearance and genes.'

http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/species-identification.html