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Food preferences of golden jackal Canis aureus Linnaeus, 1758 from three areas with different anthropogenic impact in Central Bulgaria during the autumn and winter seasons of 2016-2018 were investigated. A total of 170 stomachs were analysed. In the mountainous area (Stara Planina Mts.), wild ungulates predominated in the jackal's diet, followed by rodents, trash and plant material (mainly fruits). Domestic mammals predominated in the jackal's diet in the hilly and semi-mountainous area (Sarnena Sredna Gora Mts.), followed by carcasses of wild carnivores and fruits. In the agricultural lowland area (Thracian Plain), rodents occurred in the jackal's diet most frequently, followed by plant materials (fruits and cereals), domestic mammals and fishes. Considering the narrower jackal's food niche in Upper Thracian Plain and in Stara Planina Mts. compared to that in Sredna Gora Mts., it can be concluded that rodents were favoured by the jackal in the lowlands, and hunter-killed ungulates in the mountainous area. In the semimountainous area, the species did not take advantage of a particular food category, demonstrating feeding generalization. Delivering easily accessible and high energy food in both anthropogenic environments and natural habitats makes human influence widespread. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The least weasel (Mustela nivalis) is one of the most widely distributed carnivorans. While previous studies have identified distinct western and eastern mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) lineages of the species in the western Palearctic, their broader distributions across the Palearctic have remained unknown. To address the broad‐scale phylogeographical structure, we expanded the sampling to populations in Eastern Europe, the Urals, the Russian Far East, and Japan, and analyzed the mtDNA control region and cytochrome b, the final intron of the zinc finger protein on Y chromosome (ZFY), and the autosomal agouti signaling protein gene (ASIP). The mtDNA data analysis exposed the previous western lineage (Clade I) but poorly supported assemblage extending across Palearctic, whereas the previous eastern lineage (Clade II) was reconfirmed and limited in the south western part of the Palearctic. The ZFY phylogeny showed a distinctive split that corresponding to the mtDNA lineage split, although less phylogeographical structure was seen in the ASIP variation. Our data concur with the previous inference of the Black Sea–Caspian Sea area having an ancestral character. The Urals region harbored high mitochondrial diversity, with an estimated coalescent time of around 100,000 years, suggesting this could have been a cryptic refugium. Based on the coalescent‐based demographic reconstructions, the expansion of Clade I across the Palearctic was remarkably rapid, while Clade II was relatively stable for a longer time. It seems that Clade II has maintained a constant population size in the temperate region, and the expansive Clade I represents adaptation to the cold regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The marbled polecat, Vormela peregusna, is a small marten-like mustelid distributed from southeastern Europe to western China. Since the individual numbers of this species have declined, it has been classified as a vulnerable (VU) species in the 2008 IUCN Red List. To better understand the adaptation of V. peregusna, we investigated diversity and selection in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II DRB gene which is reported to be highly polymorphic in many other species. Among 10 V. peregusna individuals from Bulgaria, we detected 9 novel sequences of partial exon 2, including antigen-binding site (ABS) codons, as representatives of DRB allele (Vope-DRBs). Two of the alleles were detected in all individuals analysed, while the others showed limited geographical distributions. Our results provided evidence for positive selection on ABS codons and recombination break points, contributing to maintaining the diversity of Vope-DRBs. In a Bayesian phylogenetic tree, all Vope-DRBs grouped within the mustelid clade, with three of them in the basal group consisted of alleles from Meles, Martes, and Vormela but no Mustela alleles, and the others in the derived group consisted of alleles diverged relatively late in the various mustelid species. The Vope-DRBs showed trans-species polymorphism within the mustelid clade, suggesting that the DRB genes evolved under long-lasting balancing selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In Bulgaria part of fish farming is through using extensive production technologies. Most of the dams used for fish production are located in the lowlands of the country and are the natural habitats of herons, cormorants and pelicans. Thus these birds are considered to be pests in extensive aqua production. To clarify whether in fact the owners and workers in fish farms obey the law with regard to fish-eating birds, an anonymous survey among 80 fish producers was conducted between January and August 2014. The positive and negative responses were expressed as a percentage. The economic factor determined the negative attitude of owners towards fish-eating birds. The lack of motivation for conservation of protected bird species was due to non-payment of compensations from the government. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mustela nivalis, the smallest member of the family Mustelidae, is widely distributed in the Holarctic region and shows high geographical variation. To further understand the molecular evolution of major histocompatibility complex (MHC), we sequenced part of MHC class II DRB gene exon 2, including codons encoding the antigen binding site (ABS), from 35 individuals from Finland, Bulgaria, Russia, and Japan. We detected 27 species-specific alleles (Muni- DRBs), some of which were broadly distributed and others geographically restricted. The ratio of nonsynonymous to synonymous substitution rates for predicted ABS codons exceeded 1, though not statistically significant. In addition, the single break point recombination (SBP) and mixed-effects model evolution (MEME) analyses demonstrated a recombination site and positive selection sites that could be committed to maintain the diversity of Muni-DRBs. In a Bayesian phylogenetic tree, all Muni-DRBs grouped within a Mustelidae clade. The Muni-DRBs showed transspecies polymorphism in related Mustela species that could have appeared to be evolved under long-lasting balancing selection. However, the sister-group patterns suggested that Mustela itatsi and Mustela sibirica alleles are much more closely related to one another than either are to M. nivalis alleles. This result correlates with the large genetic distance separating M. nivalis from M. itatsi or M. sibirica, data for which we have previously reported. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]