Body Odours as Lures for Stoats : Captive and Field Trials.

Eradication and control methods to limit damage caused to native biota in New Zealand by the stoat () rely on effective lures for trapping and detection devices, such as cameras. Long-life semiochemical lures have the potential for targeting stoats in situations where food-based lures are of limited success. The attractiveness of body odours of captive stoats was tested in a series of captive animal and extensive field trials to investigate their potential as trapping and monitoring lures.

De Novo Transcriptome Assembly and Annotation of Liver and Brain Tissues of Common Brushtail Possums () in New Zealand: Transcriptome Diversity after Decades of Population Control.

The common brushtail possum (), introduced from Australia in the mid-nineteenth century, is an invasive species in New Zealand where it is widespread and forms the largest self-sustained reservoir of bovine tuberculosis () among wild populations. Conservation and agricultural authorities regularly apply a series of population control measures to suppress brushtail possum populations. The evolutionary consequence of more than half a century of intensive population control operations on the species' genomic diversity and population structure is hindered by a paucity of available genomic resources.

Mitogenomics data reveal effective population size, historical bottlenecks, and the effects of hunting on New Zealand fur seals (Arctocephalus forsteri).

The New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) passed through a population bottleneck due to commercial sealing during the eighteenth to nineteenth centuries. To facilitate future management options, we reconstructed the demographic history of New Zealand fur seals in a Bayesian framework using maternally inherited, mitochondrial DNA sequences. Mitogenomic data suggested two separate clades (most recent common ancestor 5000 years ago) of New Zealand fur seals that survived large-scale human harvest.

Complete mitochondrial genome of the stoat (Mustela erminea) and New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) and their significance for mammalian phylogeny.

The complete mitochondrial genome of three mustelid species, stoats (Mustela erminea), weasels (Mustela nivalis) and ferrets (Mustela furo), and the New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) were sequenced using direct mitochondrial DNA extraction and overlapping long PCRs. The usual 37 mammalian mitochondrial genes (13 protein coding genes, 22 t-RNA and 2 r-RNA) were identified in all four mitogenomes. The divergence of stoats from other members of the sub-family Mustelinae was dated 4.

Innovative developments for long-term mammalian pest control.

Background: Invasive mammalian pests have inflicted substantial environmental and economic damage on a worldwide scale.

Results: Over the last 30 years there has been minimal innovation in the development of new control tools. The development of new vertebrate pesticides, for example, has been largely restricted due to the costly and time-consuming processes associated with testing and registration.

Development of a new humane toxin for predator control in New Zealand.

The endemic fauna of New Zealand evolved in the absence of mammalian predators and their introduction has been responsible for many extinctions and declines. Introduced species including possums (Trichosurus vulpecula Kerr), ship rats (Rattus rattus L.) and stoats (Mustela erminea L.

The Arabidopsis ALDP protein homologue COMATOSE is instrumental in peroxisomal acetate metabolism.

The Arabidopsis acn (acetate non-utilizing) mutants were isolated by fluoroacetate-resistant germination and seedling establishment. We report the characterization of the acn2 mutant. Physiological analyses of acn2 showed that it possessed characteristics similar to those of the mutants cts (COMATOSE)-1 and pxa [peroxisomal ABC (ATP-binding-cassette) transporter]1.

Characterization of Arabidopsis fluoroacetate-resistant mutants reveals the principal mechanism of acetate activation for entry into the glyoxylate cycle.

The toxic acetate analogue monofluoroacetic acid was employed to isolate Arabidopsis tDNA-tagged plants deficient in their ability to utilize or sense acetate. Several tDNA-tagged lines were isolated, including two that were determined to be allelic to an EMS-mutagenized line denoted acn1 for ac non-utilizing. Following conventions, the tDNA-tagged mutants were designated acn1-2 and acn1-3.

Assessment of risks of brodifacoum to non-target birds and mammals in New Zealand.

The risks to non-target birds and other wildlife from the use of vertebrate pesticides, including anticoagulant rodenticides, are determined to a significant extent by species' intrinsic susceptibility, and the toxicokinetics of the compounds used. Brodifacoum is highly toxic to birds and mammals. The acute toxicity of brodifacoum to birds in New Zealand varies from <1 mg/kg in pukeko (Porphyrio p.