The analysis of body shape variability has always been a central element in biology. More recently, geometric morphometry has developed as a new field in shape analysis, with the aim to study body morphological variations and the identification of their causes. In wildlife management, geometric morphometry could be a useful tool to compare the anatomical structures of an organism and quantify its geometric information in order to relate them to environmental factors, thus identifying the causes and effects of the variation and acting management and/or conservation plans. The aim of our study is to evaluate the relationship between roe deer mandible shape and trophic resources available during autumn and winter. We applied a geometric morphometry approach consisting of a Relative Warp analysis of landmark data in 26 roe deer fawn mandibles. Each sample was assigned to an age category and to an environmental category based on the territory carrying capacity. The mandible shape of samples under 8 months of age is likely influenced by the availability of trophic resources. Our findings suggest that the mandible shape is a reliable instrument to assess resource availability. Geometric morphometry could thus represent an additional tool for roe deer management.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/ani11061611 | DOI Listing |
Front Vet Sci
December 2024
Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Sciences, University of Milan, Lodi, Italy.
Background: Recently, environmental pollution has become a significant concern for human, animal, and environmental health, fitting within the "One Health" framework. Among the various environmental contaminants, per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) have gathered substantial attention due to their persistence, bioaccumulation, and adverse health effects. This study aimed to compare the levels of 12 PFASs in the fur, liver, and muscle of wild roe deer to evaluate the feasibility of using fur as a non-invasive biomonitoring matrix.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEcol Evol
December 2024
Wildlife Conservation Society New York New York USA.
Foods
November 2024
Department of Animal Food Technology, Faculty of Food Science and Biotechnology, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Skromna 8, 20-704 Lublin, Poland.
This study aimed to investigate the possibility of producing fermented roe deer sausages using acid whey without the addition of sodium nitrite. Additionally, ascorbic acid was added to improve the oxidative stability of the product, and sodium chloride (NaCl) was partially replaced by potassium chloride (KCl) (7:3). The sausages were analyzed after fermentation (on day 30) and during post-production aging (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFoods
November 2024
LAQV/REQUIMTE, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade do Porto, Rua de Jorge Viterbo Ferreira, 228, 4050-313 Porto, Portugal.
Roe deer meat is a prized game product in many European countries. However, concerns exist regarding the accuracy of the amount of declared roe deer in processed game meat foods. This study aimed to develop a reliable method for the detection and quantification of roe deer in commercialized game meat products.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiol Reprod
November 2024
ETH Zürich, Animal Physiology, Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Universtitätstr. 2, CH-8092 Zurich, Switzerland.
The blastocyst of the European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) undergoes a period of decelerated growth and limited metabolism. During this period known as embryonic diapause, it floats freely in the uterus encircled by the histotroph. Prior to implantation, reactivation is marked by rapid embryonic growth and conceptus elongation.
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