Aim
The Island Rule—that is, the tendency for body size to decrease in large mammals and increase in small mammals on islands has been commonly evaluated through macroecological or macroevolutionary, pattern‐orientated approaches, which generally fail to model the microevolutionary processes driving either dwarfing or gigantism. Here, we seek to identify which microevolutionary process could have driven extreme insular dwarfism in the extinct dwarf red deer population on the island of Jersey.
Location
Jersey, UK (Channel Islands).
Taxon
Red deer (Cervus elaphus).
Methods
We applied an individual‐based quantitative genetics model parameterized with red deer life‐history data to study the evolution of dwarfism in Jersey's deer, considering variations in island area and isolation through time due to sea level changes.
Results
The body size of red deer on Jersey decreased fast early on, due to phenotypic plasticity, then kept decreasing almost linearly over time down to the actual body size of the Jersey deer (36 kg on average). Only 1% of 10,000 replicates failed to reach that size in our simulations. The distribution of time to adaptation in these simulations was right skewed, with a median of 395 generations (equivalent to roughly 4 kyr), with complete dwarfism effectively occurring in less than 6 kyr 84.6% of times. About 72% of the variation in the time to adaptation between simulations was collectively explained by higher mutational variance, the number of immigrants from the continent after isolation, available genetic variance, heritability, and phenotypic plasticity.
Main Conclusions
The extreme dwarfing of red deer on Jersey is an expected outcome of high mutational variance, high immigration rate, a wide adaptive landscape, low levels of inbreeding, and high phenotypic plasticity (in the early phase of dwarfing), all occurring within a time window of around 6 kyr. Our model reveals how extreme dwarfism is a plausible outcome of common, well‐known evolutionary processes.
Although geopropolis has been the subject of many chemical and pharmacological studies, there are few studies investigating the photoprotective activity of formulations containing propolis. Thus, we investigated in vivo the photoprotective efficacy of the cream containing geopropolis extract by macroscopic and histological evaluation of the skin of Wistar rats subjected to ultraviolet radiation (UVB). We also evaluated the chemical composition of hydroethanolic extract using the HPLC-DADESI-MS/MS technique, as well as antioxidant activity by the photocolorimetric method of free radical DPPH (2.2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazine) and cytotoxic activity by the in vitro MTT quantitative method [brometo de 3- (4.5dimetiltiazol-2-il)-2.5-difeniltetrazolio]. The extract had a varied chemical composition, 29 different phenolic compounds being detected, distributed between phenols and flavonoids, the latter being represented by chalcones, flavones and flavonols. The highest percentages of DPPH inhibition e o baixo valor de IC50 indicaram que o extrato apresentou alta atividade antioxidante. The hydroethanolic extract did not exert cytotoxic effects since high percentages of viability of L929 fibroblasts were observed after incubation for 72 hours at different concentrations of the extract. On skin submitted to cream application containing of geopropolis extract and the irradiation with UVB did not occur macroscopic and histological lesions. Thus, we concluded that the cream containing of geopropolis extract produced by Melipona subnitida was able to protect the skin from lesions induced by UVB irradiation, thus demonstrating photoprotective effect.
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Pathoanatomical studies of diseases that affect wild animals are extremely important as appropriate measures can then be taken for the prevention and control of such diseases. We report here the case of death of a greater rhea (Rhea americana) by intestinal intussusception secondary to the ingestion of a large amount of sand. The animal was bred at the Center for Multiplication of Wild Animals of the Federal Rural University of the Semi-Arid. The animal died after presenting clinical signs of apathy, weakness, prostration, and inability to move, drink water, or eat. After death, the carcass was immediately sent for necropsy. During necropsy, intussusception was found involving the jejunum, ileum, and colon. The duodenum contained large amounts of coarse sand. The invaginated intestinal segments were reddish in color, with necrotic spots, and covered by a fibrinous exudate. Histopathological examination of the invaginated segments showed necrosis of the enterocytes, detachment of the intestinal epithelium, and the presence of inflammatory cells. The ingestion of a large amount of sand may have resulted in altered intestinal transit, contributing to the occurrence of intussusception, which resulted in ischemic alterations, intestinal necrosis, and consequent death of the animal.
Research on the chemical composition and pharmacological activities of geopropolis produced by stingless bees (Hymenoptera, Apidae, Meliponini) may contribute to expand its use of propolis-based formulations in the clinical context. Thus he study aimed to evaluate the chemical composition and biological activity of the hydroethanolic extract (HEG) of the geopropolis of Partamona cupira, obtained in the semiarid region of northeast Brazil. Chemical analyses of HEG were carried out using HPLC-DADESI-MS/MS. The antioxidant activity of extracts was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) assay method and cytotoxic activity by the in vitro MTT method [brometo de 3- (4.5dimetiltiazol-2-il)-2.5-difeniltetrazolio]. The antibacterial activity of the HEG was evaluated through the disc-diffusion test on agar and measurement of the promoted by the extract in different concentrations. The genoprotective potential of the HEG was evaluated through the comet assay on fibroblasts of L929, co-treated with the extract and submitted to genotoxicity induction with H2O2. We also investigated the healing effect of the cream containing geopropolis (10%) on experimental skin wounds in Wistar rats. The HEG presented in its composition phenolic compounds of high biological activity, as well as revealed high antioxidant activity and promoted genoprotective effect by reducing DNA damage from L929 fibroblasts. The HEG presented antimicrobial activity promoting inhibition of S. aureus, S. pyogenes, E. coli and E. aerogenes. The topical use of the cream containing geopropolis promoted wound closure and faster reepithelialization in relation to the control group, in addition to a less intense inflammatory reaction, increased fibroblastic proliferation and collagen deposition.
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