The curious case of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis dysfunction in subordinate female naked mole-rats (Heterocephalus glaber): No apparent role of opioids and glucocorticoids.

The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is a unique model mammal in which to study socially induced inhibition of the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal (HPG) axis. Naked mole-rat groups exhibit a high degree of reproductive bias in which breeding is restricted to one female (the queen) and one male, with subordinate non-breeding colony members rarely, if ever, having the opportunity to reproduce due to a dysfunctional HPG axis. It is posited that aggression directed at subordinates by the queen suppresses reproduction in these subordinates, yet the underlying physiological mechanisms causing this dysfunction are unknown.

The bii4africa dataset of faunal and floral population intactness estimates across Africa's major land uses.

Sub-Saharan Africa is under-represented in global biodiversity datasets, particularly regarding the impact of land use on species' population abundances. Drawing on recent advances in expert elicitation to ensure data consistency, 200 experts were convened using a modified-Delphi process to estimate 'intactness scores': the remaining proportion of an 'intact' reference population of a species group in a particular land use, on a scale from 0 (no remaining individuals) to 1 (same abundance as the reference) and, in rare cases, to 2 (populations that thrive in human-modified landscapes). The resulting bii4africa dataset contains intactness scores representing terrestrial vertebrates (tetrapods: ±5,400 amphibians, reptiles, birds, mammals) and vascular plants (±45,000 forbs, graminoids, trees, shrubs) in sub-Saharan Africa across the region's major land uses (urban, cropland, rangeland, plantation, protected, etc.

Leopard density and the ecological and anthropogenic factors influencing density in a mixed-use landscape in the Western Cape, South Africa.

Large carnivores face numerous threats, including habitat loss and fragmentation, direct killing, and prey depletion, leading to significant global range and population declines. Despite such threats, leopards (Panthera pardus) persist outside protected areas throughout most of their range, occupying diverse habitat types and land uses, including peri-urban and rural areas. Understanding of leopard population dynamics in mixed-use landscapes is limited, especially in South Africa, where the majority of leopard research has focused on protected areas.