Knowledge of mammalian diversity is still surprisingly disparate, both regionally and taxonomically. Here, we present a comprehensive assessment of the conservation status and distribution of the world's mammals. Data, compiled by 1700+ experts, cover all 5487 species, including marine mammals. Global macroecological patterns are very different for land and marine species but suggest common mechanisms driving diversity and endemism across systems. Compared with land species, threat levels are higher among marine mammals, driven by different processes (accidental mortality and pollution, rather than habitat loss), and are spatially distinct (peaking in northern oceans, rather than in Southeast Asia). Marine mammals are also disproportionately poorly known. These data are made freely available to support further scientific developments and conservation action.

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The red brocket deer Mazama americana is a neotropical species that exhibits extensive karyotype variation under an unvarying morphotype. In order to deduce red brocket deer genetic units for conservation, gene flow between populations, and genetic variation, we initiated a cytogenetic and molecular genetic study based on representative samples from throughout their Brazilian geographic range. These data represent the first cytotaxonomical and molecular systematics, and although sample sizes are limited, our results clearly suggest that red brocket deer populations are significantly differentiated with respect to karyotypes and the mitochondrial sequences analyzed. We clearly recognized 2 independent species, and we will be focusing further research in analyzing the meiotic dynamic to determine the existence of other evolutionarily significant units under the red brocket complex.

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BackgroundSince the 1980s, Spain experienced two decades of sharply increasing breast cancer incidence. Declines in breast cancer incidence have recently been reported in many developed countries. We examined whether a similar downturn might have taken place in Spain in recent years.MethodsCases of invasive female breast cancer were drawn from all population-based Spanish cancer registries that had at least 10 years of uninterrupted registration over the period 1980–2004. Overall and age-specific changes in incidence rates were evaluated using change-point Poisson models, which allow for accurate detection and estimation of trend changes. All statistical tests were two-sided.ResultsA total of 80 453 incident cases of invasive breast cancer were identified. Overall age- and registry-adjusted incidence rates rose by 2.9% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.7% to 3.1%) annually during the 1980s and 1990s; there was a statistically significant change in this trend in 2001 (95% CI = 1998 to 2004; P value for the existence of a change point <.001), after which incidence declined annually by 3.0% (95% CI = 1.8% to 4.1%). This trend differed by age group: There was a steady increase in incidence for women younger than 45 years, an abrupt downturn in 2001 for women aged 45–64 years, and a gradual leveling off in 1995 for women aged 65 years or older. Separate analyses for registries that had at least 15 years of uninterrupted registration detected a statistically significant interruption of the previous upward trend in breast cancer incidence in provinces that had aggressive breast cancer screening programs and high screening participation rates, including Navarra (change point = 1991, P < .001), Granada (change point = 2002, P = .003), Bizkaia (change point = 1998, P < .001), Gipuzkoa (change point = 1998, P = .001), and Araba (change point = 1997, P = .002).ConclusionsThe recent downturn in breast cancer incidence among Spanish women older than 45 years is best explained by a period effect linked to screening saturation.

For many years it has been assumed that the population of Uruguay is almost exclusively European-derived and that the biological contribution of the native population as well as of individuals of African descent is negligible. Several recent studies based on a variety of genetic markers, mostly morphological and serological markers, have produced quite a different picture of the constitution of the Uruguayan population. The Native American contribution varies from 1-20%, while the African contribution ranges from 7-15%, in different regions of the country. In the present study we examine the way the admixture process took place in Uruguay by analyzing the ancestry of maternal lineages in a sample from the northern city of Tacuarembó. To accomplish this goal we typed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) markers of Native American, African, and European origin and estimated the proportions of each parental group in the admixed population. We found that 62% of all mtDNA haplogroups were of Native American descent, a surprising figure considering the "European roots" of the country. Consequently, this result assimilates Uruguay to the rest of Latin American populations where sex-biased gene flow between European men and Native American women has been the rule. We further analyzed the distribution of the four major founding mitochondrial lineages in Tacuarembó and compared it to other South American populations. We discuss our findings in the light of historical records and assess the need for additional genetic studies.

The Pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus L. 1758) is the most endangered neotropical cervid, and in the past occupied a wide range of open habitats including grassland, pampas, savanna, and cerrado (Brazil) from 5 degrees to 41 degrees S. To better understand the effect of habitat fragmentation on gene flow and genetic variation, and to uncover genetic units for conservation, we examined DNA sequences from the mitochondrial control region of 54 individuals from six localities distributed throughout the present geographical range of the Pampas deer. Our results suggest that the control region of the Pampas deer is one of the most polymorphic of any mammal. This remarkably high variability probably reflects large historic population sizes of millions of individuals in contrast to numbers of fewer than 80,000 today. Gene flow between populations is generally close to one migrant per generation and, with the exception of two populations from Argentina, all populations are significantly differentiated. The degree of gene flow was correlated with geographical distance between populations, a result consistent with limited dispersal being the primary determinant of genetic differentiation between populations. The molecular genetic results provide a mandate for habitat restoration and reintroduction of Pampas deer so that levels of genetic variation can be preserved and historic patterns of abundance can be reconstructed. However, the source of individuals for reintroduction generally should be from populations geographically closest to those now in danger of extinction.