We discovered a highly virulent variant of subtype-B HIV-1 in the Netherlands. One hundred nine individuals with this variant had a 0.54 to 0.74 log 10 increase (i.e., a ~3.5-fold to 5.5-fold increase) in viral load compared with, and exhibited CD4 cell decline twice as fast as, 6604 individuals with other subtype-B strains. Without treatment, advanced HIV—CD4 cell counts below 350 cells per cubic millimeter, with long-term clinical consequences—is expected to be reached, on average, 9 months after diagnosis for individuals in their thirties with this variant. Age, sex, suspected mode of transmission, and place of birth for the aforementioned 109 individuals were typical for HIV-positive people in the Netherlands, which suggests that the increased virulence is attributable to the viral strain. Genetic sequence analysis suggests that this variant arose in the 1990s from de novo mutation, not recombination, with increased transmissibility and an unfamiliar molecular mechanism of virulence.

The influence of human harvest on evolution of secondary sexual characteristics has implications for sustainable management of wildlife populations. The phenotypic consequences of selectively removing males with large horns or antlers from ungulate populations have been a topic of heightened concern in recent years. Harvest can affect size of horn‐like structures in two ways: (a) shifting age structure toward younger age classes, which can reduce the mean size of horn‐like structures, or (b) selecting against genes that produce large, fast‐growing males. We evaluated effects of age, climatic and forage conditions, and metrics of harvest on horn size and growth of mountain sheep (Ovis canadensis ssp.) in 72 hunt areas across North America from 1981 to 2016. In 50% of hunt areas, changes in mean horn size during the study period were related to changes in age structure of harvested sheep. Environmental conditions explained directional changes in horn growth in 28% of hunt areas, 7% of which did not exhibit change before accounting for effects of the environment. After accounting for age and environment, horn size of mountain sheep was stable or increasing in the majority (~78%) of hunt areas. Age‐specific horn size declined in 44% of hunt areas where harvest was regulated solely by morphological criteria, which supports the notion that harvest practices that are simultaneously selective and intensive might lead to changes in horn growth. Nevertheless, phenotypic consequences are not a foregone conclusion in the face of selective harvest; over half of the hunt areas with highly selective and intensive harvest did not exhibit age‐specific declines in horn size. Our results demonstrate that while harvest regimes are an important consideration, horn growth of harvested male mountain sheep has remained largely stable, indicating that changes in horn growth patterns are an unlikely consequence of harvest across most of North America.

No abstract

: Ungulate populations in desert environments are thought to be regulated by precipitation. Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) populations in Trans‐Pecos, Texas, USA, experienced a 70% decline between 1977 and 2001. The causative factors associated with the decline are unknown but appear to be related to drought. We evaluated the relationships between pronghorn abundance and productivity and precipitation (i.e., raw precipitation, Palmer Drought indices) for the Trans‐Pecos district of Texas from 1977 to 2004. Pronghorn productivity (range = 305‐4,407) and abundance (range = 5,061‐17,266) showed high variability. Precipitation was also highly variable, ranging from 18 cm to 57 cm. Pronghorn abundance was positively influenced by precipitation indices (R = 0.790, P < 0.001). The relationship between fawn production and raw precipitation (R = 0.869, P < 0.001) suggested that fawn production may be more closely related to immediate moisture conditions, whereas pronghorn abundance was more influenced by long‐term population trends. Management plans for pronghorn populations in more arid regions should include drought contingencies including reduced stocking rates and harvest quotas.

Passive and active infrared camera systems and, more recently, videography have been used in wildlife research to assist in data collection. Traditional camera systems can be expensive and labor‐intensive, and are limited in operation time by film length and battery life. Current camera systems are neither computer‐ nor network‐oriented and do not allow for near real‐time retrieval and storage of data. We describe a web‐based, digital camera system for monitoring wildlife in remote, inaccessible environments. Between February 2002 and December 2003, our web‐based camera system collected 486 digital photographs of west Texas wildlife. The key advantage of our camera system is that it allows for unobtrusive monitoring of secretive and often unobservable species in their natural habitat. Because our system is web‐based, high‐resolution photographs of wildlife can be posted on a web page for viewing, offering a unique teaching tool for grade school and university students who may not have the opportunity to visit these remote, inaccessible areas. Although our camera system was expensive ($12,000 U.S.), it offers a self‐sustaining technique for monitoring wildlife in remote regions that allows for easy data retrieval and storage.

No abstract

Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) are one of the least understood upland game birds in North America. The lack of ecological studies on Montezuma quail may be attributed to the inability of researchers to capture the secretive bird. We evaluated techniques that are commonly used for capturing other upland game of North America including funnel traps, trained dogs and hand‐nets, audio calls, portable mist nets, and night‐netting in the Chihuahuan Desert of Texas, USA, 2000–2001. The modified mist net was the most successful technique employed for capturing nonradiotagged Montezuma quail; however, its application may be limited to grassland and savannah communities. Researchers attempting to capture Montezuma quail should employ a variety of capture techniques and then bolster sample sizes using night‐netting.

Little information is known about the foraging habitat of Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) in Texas, USA. We compared habitat characteristics of foraging and nonforaging areas to identify trends in habitat attributes across sites with varying levels of quail use on Elephant Mountain Wildlife Management Area in Brewster County, Texas, USA, during May‐August 2001. We delineated foraging and nonforaging areas using a system of parallel transects (100 m apart) that spanned the length of the grassland and covered the entire area. We walked transects every 3–5 days searching for signs of feeding (i.e., diggings). We documented a higher mean density of Allium spp. plants in foraging (95% CI: 12.1 ± 4.3 plants/m2) than nonforaging areas (95% CI: 0.8 ± 0.6 plants/m2). Foraging areas also exhibited a greater mean slope (95% CI: 22.6 ± 2.9% vs. 8.0 ± 2.1%). However, species richness, diversity, and equitability were similar between the foraging (23, 6.5, and 0.3, respectively) and nonforaging area (29, 7.6, 0.3). We observed a decreasing trend in density of Allium spp. plants, number of stones, and slope from high‐ to no‐use sites. These 3 variables appear to be key habitat features associated with foraging areas of Montezuma quail in west Texas.