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In order to effectively conserve a species and manage its population, it is critical to understand the impact of climate change on habitat quality and connectivity. The sika deer (Cervus nippon) is a ungulate species endemic to East Asia and listed as a Category I State Key Protected Wild Animals under Chinese law. The C. nippon population was established in the Shennongjia area 30 years ago, and there is an urgent need to analyse the impact of environmental change on habitat quality. In this study, we compared suitable habitats and habitat connectivity of C. nippon in the Shennongjia area by utilizing an ecological niche model that integrated a set of environmental factors combined with a cost-distance approach for both the present time as well as in the future. The most encouraging findings were that the suitable habitat for C. nippon may be obviously enlarged and its habitat connectivity obviously improved under climate change. The suitable habitat of C. nippon in the Shennongjia area is limited at present; however, it is possible that the total area and number of suitable habitat patches can increase twenty- to thirty-fold and quadruple to sextuple, respectively, in the future (2050–2070). We detected a clear trend of suitable future habitat expansion into the northeast. The number of interpatch least-cost paths may dramatically increase (up to six to twelve times higher), and the lengths of least-cost paths and movement costs for the deer may decrease by half. Based on these results, several conservation recommendations have been suggested. Our study provides a valuable reference for protective actions that can be taken to conserve C. nippon in the Shennongjia area and can serve as a template for establishing conservation strategies for other species. [Display omitted] • Understanding the impacts of climate change on habitat quality and connectivity are crucial for species conservation. • We predicted changes of suitable habitat and connectivity of the sika deer in Shennongjia area under future climate change. • Habitat quality and connectivity of the sika deer may be obviously improved in the future. • Several representative regions should be emphasised during protection actions. • Several suggestions were provided for conservation efforts of the species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Large hydroelectric dams have become a major driver of habitat loss and fragmentation worldwide. The small-island effect (SIE) and nestedness are two general biogeographical patterns that have important implications for biodiversity conservation in fragmented systems. In this study, we tested for the existence of the SIE and nestedness patterns in medium- and large-bodied mammals (>1 kg) (hereafter mammals) on land-bridge islands created by a large hydroelectric dam in the Thousand Island Lake, China. We used the camera trapping method to determine the distribution of mammals on 32 study islands from May 2011 to March 2014. To evaluate whether an SIE exists in mammals, we used the information-theoretic multimodel inference approach to compare the fit of a simple logarithmic model with two most widely used breakpoint regression models. Model selection based on corrected Akaike's information criterion (AICc) identified the left-horizontal SIE model and the continuous two-slope SIE model as the two best models. Thus, we found strong evidence for the existence of an SIE in our study system. The SIE in mammal assemblages may result from episodic disturbances, stochastic events and nutrient subsidies from the lake. We used the metric NODF to quantify nestedness and found that mammal assemblages were significantly nested. The nestedness of mammal assemblages was significantly correlated with island area and species traits linked to extinction risk (i.e. minimum area requirement). Our results indicate that conservation priorities should be on protecting large islands and species with large area requirement for the effective conservation of mammals in this fragmented reservoir system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Nuciferine regulated lipid metabolism through PPARα-LXRα-ABCA1 signaling. • Nuciferine ameliorated dyslipidemia by modulating miRNA signaling in serum EVs. • Serum EV miRNAs interacted with the mRNAs of PPARα, ABCA1, and CYP7A1. • Nuciferine improved hyperlipidemia by modulating NPC1L1 and ABCG5. We investigated the effects of nuciferine rich in Lotus leaf on the amelioration of hepatic steatosis and dyslipidemia of hyperlipidemic rats, and explored the underlying mechanism on miRNAs and genes expression. Serum extracellular vesicles (EVs) from rats were prepared and characterized, and interactions between miRNAs and target mRNAs were validated in 293T cell line with the double luciferase reporter gene assay. Results showed that nuciferine significantly induced the expression of PPARα, ABCA1, CYP7A1, LXRα in liver and ABCG5 in intestine, while NPC1L1 expression was markedly reduced. In vitro, double luciferase reporter assays showed that miRNA-764-5p, miRNA-758-3p, and miRNA-126-5p interacted with the target mRNAs of PPARα, ABCA1, and CYP7A1, respectively. And the effect of nuciferine on lipid metabolism in rats was related to regulate intestinal absorption and serum EVs miRNAs. These miRNAs were able to reduce lipid levels by targeting lipid metabolism genes and up-regulating PPARα-LXRα-ABCA1 pathway and CYP7A1 expression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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