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Simple Summary: Alpine musk deer, red serow, and white-lipped deer coexist in the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains of Tibet. We aimed to understand the mechanisms of their coexistence by studying their dietary preferences using DNA barcoding. All of the species exhibited broad dietary ranges with distinct food preferences. Furthermore, our findings revealed genus-level dietary specializations and the mechanisms facilitating their coexistence. The results of this study provide valuable insights for the development and implementation of effective conservation strategies and management measures in the local area. Wild ungulates play crucial roles in maintaining the structure and function of local ecosystems. The alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaste), white-lipped deer (Przewalskium albirostris), and red serow (Capricornis rubidus) are widely distributed throughout the Nyenchen Tanglha Mountains of Tibet. However, research on the mechanisms underlying their coexistence in the same habitat remains lacking. This study aimed to investigate the mechanisms underlying the coexistence of these species based on their dietary preferences through DNA barcoding using the fecal samples of these animals collected from the study area. These species consume a wide variety of food types. Alpine musk deer, white-lipped deer, and red serow consume plants belonging to 74 families and 114 genera, 62 families and 122 genera, and 63 families and 113 genera, respectively. Furthermore, significant differences were observed in the nutritional ecological niche among these species, primarily manifested in the differentiation of food types and selection of food at the genus level. Owing to differences in social behavior, body size, and habitat selection, these three species further expand their differentiation in resource selection, thereby making more efficient use of environmental resources. Our findings indicate these factors are the primary reasons for the stable coexistence of these species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Host‐associated microbiota can significantly impact host fitness. Therefore, naturally occurring variations in microbiota may influence the health and persistence of their hosts. This finding is particularly important in reintroduced animals, as they typically experience habitat changes during translocations. However, little is known about how microbiomes are altered in response to conservation translocation. Here, we accessed the gut microbiome of Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) populations in China from three nature reserves (i.e. Xinjiang Kalamaili Nature Reserve, KNR; Dunhuang Xihu National Nature Reserve, DXNNR; and Anxi Extreme‐arid Desert Nature Reserve, AENR) using 16s rRNA gene and metagenome sequencing. The results showed that the microbial composition and function differed significantly across locations, while a subset of core taxa was consistently present in most of the samples. The abundance of genes encoding microbe‐produced enzymes involved in the metabolism of carbohydrates, especially for glycoside hydrolases, was significantly higher in open‐spaced KNR populations than in more confined AENR individuals. This study offers detailed and significant differential characters related to the microbial community and metabolic pathways in various reintroduced sites of Przewalski's horse, which might provide a basis for future microecological and conservation research on endangered reintroduced animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined 674 fresh fecal samples from forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii Flerov) in Sichuan and Shaanxi Provinces, China, for coccidian oocysts and 65% were infected with Eimeria spp. Previously, only four Eimeria species were known from Moschus spp. Here we describe six new Eimeria species. Eimeria aquae n. sp., in 38% deer, has ovoidal oocysts, 32.0 × 23.0 μm, micropyle (M) and scattered polar granules (PGs) of various sizes are present, sometimes oocyst residuum (OR) is present; ovoidal sporocysts, 14.1 × 7.5 μm, with Stieda body (SB) and sporocyst residuum (SR). Eimeria dolichocystis n. sp., in 11% deer; cylindroidal oocysts, 36.6 × 18.9, with a M, 1 PG and OR; ovoidal sporocysts, 13.9 × 7.7, with SB and SR. Eimeria fengxianensis n. sp., in 7% deer; ovoidal oocysts, 36.3 × 25.2, a M and PGs present but OR absent; ovoidal sporocysts, 13.9 × 7.3, with SB and SR. Eimeria helini n. sp. in 24% deer; subspheroidal oocysts, 27.0 × 24.1, OR and PGs often present, but M absent; ovoidal sporocysts, 13.5 × 7.7, with SB and SR. Eimeria kaii n. sp. in 26% deer; ovoidal oocysts, 33.2 × 20.7, M and PGs present, but OR absent; ovoidal sporocysts, 14.4 × 7.5, with SB and SR. Eimeria oocylindrica n. sp., in 17% deer; cylindroidal oocysts, 36.0 × 21.4, M and 1-2 PGs present but OR absent; ovoidal sporocysts, 13.8 × 7.7, with SB and SR. Eimeria dujiangyanensis n. nom. is proposed to replace E. moschus Sha, Zhang, Cai, Wang & Liu, 1994, a junior homonym of E. moschus Matschoulsky, 1947.

The nonisothermal crystallization behavior of poly(lactic acid) (PLA) in the presence of talc with poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was performed by using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and polarized optical microscopy. It was evidenced that talc together with PEG had a synergistic effect on enhancing the crystallization rate of PLA, despite the fact that the two additives had an opposite effect on the size and density of the spherulites. The nonisothermal crystallization data were analyzed by using three different kinetics models, namely, the Avrami, Ozawa, and Mo models. It was found that the Avrami method and the Mo model could describe the experimental data of the nonisothermal crystallization fairly well for all the specimens, whereas the Ozawa analysis failed to provide an adequate description of the nonisothermal crystallization of the PLA formulations comprising talc with PEG. The difference in the values of the Avrami exponent between neat PLA and its mixtures with talc and PEG suggested that the nonisothermal crystallization of the mixtures corresponds to a three-dimensional growth with heterogeneous nucleation. The activation energy for nonisothermal crystallization of PLA formulations was evaluated based on the differential isoconversional method of Friedman. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 50:2298-2305, 2010. [C] 2010 Society of Plastics Engineers, INTRODUCTION Poly (lactic acid) (PLA) is a well-known biodegradable and biocompatible polyester derived from 100% renewable resources like corn. While expensive in the past, PLA becomes competitive due to the [...]

Captive conditions can affect the symbiotic microbiome of animals. In this study, we compared the structural and functional differences of the gastrointestinal microbiomes of wild Bactrian camels (Camelus ferus) between wild and captive populations, as well as their different host energy utilization performances through metagenomics. The results showed that wild‐living camels harbored more microbial taxa related to the production of volatile fatty acids, fewer methanogens, and fewer genes encoding enzymes involved in methanogenesis, leading to higher energy utilization efficiency compared to that of captive‐living camels. These findings suggest that the wild‐living camel fecal microbiome demonstrates a series of adaptive characteristics that enable the host to adjust to a relatively barren field environment. Our study provides novel insights into the mechanisms of wildlife adaptations to habitats from the perspective of the microbiome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]