Exploring Serum Ferritin's Connection to the Acute Phase Response in Zoo-Managed African Rhinoceroses.

Despite serum ferritin's potential as an iron status indicator, its concentrations vary significantly throughout a black rhinoceros's (Diceros bicornis) life, sometimes irrespective of iron load. We explored acute phase response-related biomarkers, serum amyloid A (SAA) and ceruloplasmin (Cp), to better understand the mechanisms influencing serum ferritin changes in managed black rhinoceroses. The objective was to evaluate the relationships between circulating levels of ferritin, SAA, and Cp in black and white rhinoceroses (Ceratotherium simum).

Rhinoceros horn mineral and metal concentrations vary by sample location, depth, and color.

Poaching is again driving rhinos to the brink of extinction due to the demand for rhino horn products consumed for cultural, medicinal, and social purposes. Paradoxically, the same horn for which rhinos are killed may contain valuable clues about the species' health. Analyses of horn composition could reveal such useful bioindicators while elucidating what people actually ingest when they consume horn derivatives.

Development of a Micropropagation Protocol for the Ex Situ Conservation of Nuttall's Scrub Oak ().

Worldwide, oak species are threatened with extinction due to habitat loss, pathogens, and changing fire regimes. Ex situ conservation through tissue culture may protect the remaining genetic diversity of , or the coastal sage scrub oak, from further loss. We designed three basal salt formulations based on the mineral composition of shoot tips and first leaves from mature and explored carbohydrate source, stress-mitigating compounds, and plant growth regulator concentrations to develop a method of cultivating many culture lines in vitro.

Plant Cryopreservation: Principles, Applications, and Challenges of Banking Plant Diversity at Ultralow Temperatures.

Progressive loss of plant diversity requires the protection of wild and agri-/horticultural species. For species whose seeds are extremely short-lived, or rarely or never produce seeds, or whose genetic makeup must be preserved, cryopreservation offers the only possibility for long-term conservation. At temperatures below freezing, most vegetative plant tissues suffer severe damage from ice crystal formation and require protection.

Durable contraception in the female domestic cat using viral-vectored delivery of a feline anti-Müllerian hormone transgene.

Eighty percent of the estimated 600 million domestic cats in the world are free-roaming. These cats typically experience suboptimal welfare and inflict high levels of predation on wildlife. Additionally, euthanasia of healthy animals in overpopulated shelters raises ethical considerations.

Rhinoceros serum labile plasma iron and associated redox potential: interspecific variation, sex bias and iron overload disorder disconnect.

A consequence of the poaching crisis is that managed rhinoceros populations are increasingly important for species conservation. However, black rhinoceroses (BR; ) and Sumatran rhinoceroses (SR; ) in human care often store excessive iron in organ tissues, a condition termed iron overload disorder (IOD). IOD research is impeded by the challenge of accurately monitoring body iron load in living rhinoceroses.

Non-invasive measurements of respiration and heart rate across wildlife species using Eulerian Video Magnification of infrared thermal imagery.

Background: An animal's metabolic rate, or energetic expenditure, both impacts and is impacted by interactions with its environment. However, techniques for obtaining measurements of metabolic rate are invasive, logistically difficult, and costly. Red-green-blue (RGB) imaging tools have been used in humans and select domestic mammals to accurately measure heart and respiration rate, as proxies of metabolic rate.

Assessing Dehydroepiandrosterone Sulfate (DHEAS) as a novel biomarker for monitoring estrus and successful reproduction in polar bears.

Polar bears (Ursus maritimus) in the wild are under threat due to climate change, primarily loss of sea ice, and experience poor reproductive success in zoos. The polar bear is a seasonally polyestrous species that exhibits embryonic diapause and pseudopregnancy, complicating characterization of reproductive function. Fecal excretion of testosterone and progesterone have been studied in polar bears, but accurately predicting reproductive success remains difficult.

The challenge of assisted reproduction for conservation of wild felids - A reality check.

Threats to the Earth's biodiversity are increasing exponentially, driven by human population growth and resource consumption. As many as one million wildlife species may disappear within the next few decades due to this human-induced extinction event. This represents our current reality and has profound implications for wildlife conservation.

Improving culture initiation of mature oak shoots through use of silver thiosulfate.

Premise: Of the approximately 430 species of oaks ( spp.) that have been assessed, 31% are threatened with extinction and in need of safeguarding. However, oak seeds cannot be seed banked, and thus rely on alternative strategies such as in vitro culture for ex situ conservation.

Label-Free Quantification (LFQ) of Fecal Proteins for Potential Pregnancy Detection in Polar Bears.

Reliable pregnancy diagnostics would be beneficial for monitoring polar bear () populations both in situ and ex situ, but currently there is no method of non-invasive pregnancy detection in this species. Recent reports in several carnivore species described the identification of fecal proteins that may serve as pregnancy biomarkers; however, repeatability has been limited. The objective of the current analysis was to utilize an unbiased, antibody-free, label-free method for the identification and quantification of fecal proteins to determine if differences associated with pregnancy are detectable in polar bears.

The Tip of the Iceberg: Cryopreservation Needs for Meeting the Challenge of Exceptional Plant Conservation.

Cryopreservation is increasingly important as a conservation tool, particularly for threatened exceptional species. The goal of this study was to investigate the current knowledge of plant cryopreservation through a search of the literature in Web of Science and align that with the 775 species currently identified on the Working List of Exceptional Plants. While there is a good foundation in plant cryopreservation research, particularly with economically important species, there are significant gaps in research on families that contain the largest numbers of currently known exceptional species, including the Dipterocarpaceae, Rhizophoraceae, and Pittosporaceae.

Rhinoceros Serum microRNAs: Identification, Characterization, and Evaluation of Potential Iron Overload Biomarkers.

Iron overload disorder (IOD) in critically endangered Sumatran () and black () rhinoceros is an over-accumulation of iron in organs which may exacerbate other diseases and indicate metabolic disturbances. IOD in rhinos is not well understood and diagnostics and therapeutics are limited in effectiveness. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are small non-coding RNAs capable of altering protein synthesis.

Shoot Tip Cryopreservation as a Conservation Tool for Species of Quercus: Effects of Species and Environment on Recovery.

Background: The seeds of oak (Quercus) species cannot be conserved in conventional seed banks and require cryobiotechnologies for long-term, ex situ conservation.

Objective: To evaluate shoot tip cryopreservation as a method for conserving oaks ex situ.

Materials And Methods: Droplet vitrification was tested on tips from shoot cultures of four oak species; the effects of three preculture and recovery growth conditions on survival and growth were tested with Q.

Cross-species efficacy of a chemically-defined, soy lecithin-based cryomedium for semen banking in imperiled wild felids.

Felid semen has historically been frozen using an egg yolk-based cryopreservation medium. However, the use of egg introduces several potential concerns, such as variability in composition, microbial contamination, and regulatory issues. In the present study, our aim was to compare a chemically-defined, soy-based medium (SOY) to a commercial egg yolk-based medium (TEY) for the cryopreservation of sperm in four imperiled small cat species.

Longevity of Preserved Germplasm: The Temperature Dependency of Aging Reactions in Glassy Matrices of Dried Fern Spores.

This study explores the temperature dependency of the aging rate in dry cells over a broad temperature range encompassing the fluid to solid transition (Tg) and well below. Spores from diverse species of eight families of ferns were stored at temperatures ranging from +45�C to approximately -176�C (vapor phase above liquid nitrogen), and viability was monitored periodically for up to 4,300 d (∼12 years). Accompanying measurements using differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) provide insights into structural changes that occur, such as Tg between +45 and -20�C (depending on moisture), and triacylglycerol (TAG) crystallization between -5 and -35�C (depending on species).

Monitoring and controlling ovarian function in the rhinoceros.

Despite their size and potentially dangerous demeanor, the rhinoceros has been a preferred subject of wildlife reproductive scientists. Several factors contribute to this taxon's popularity including the ability to utilize insightful tools like non-invasive hormone metabolite monitoring and transrectal ultrasonography, the necessity for mate introductions to coincide with the female's estrus when breeding certain species or individuals, and the desire to develop assisted reproductive technologies to facilitate the genetic management and ultimate sustainability of small, managed populations in human care. The resulting profusion of rhinoceros reproductive studies has revealed significant species-specific characteristics and exposed the prevalence of aberrant reproductive activity within this taxon.

Tools for the conservation of the threatened species, var. .

conservation is critical for hedging against the loss of plant diversity. For those species (exceptional species) that cannot be conserved long-term in standard seed banks, alternative methods are required, often involving culture and cryopreservation, or storage in liquid nitrogen. var.

Temporal changes in serum luteinizing hormone following ovariohysterectomy and gonadotropin-releasing hormone vaccination in domestic cats.

Measurement of circulating luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations in cats and temporal changes following ovariohysterectomy (OHE) or possibly GnRH vaccination may be informative for assessing their fertility, contraception or sterilization status. In this study, serum LH concentrations were measured in domestic cats (n = 6) immediately prior to and up to 120 days post-OHE. Basal LH concentrations of females previously subjected to OHE (n = 4; ~1.

Presumptive keratoglobus in a great horned owl (Bubo virginianus).

A juvenile to young adult, male, great horned owl (Bubo virginianus,GHOW) was presented to the wildlife rehabilitation hospital at Lindsay Wildlife Museum (WRHLWM) due to trauma to the right patagium from barbed wire entanglement. On presentation, both corneas were irregular, dry, and no movement of the third eyelid was noted. A severe corneal enlargement/globoid appearance was the predominant ophthalmic feature.

Assessment of the reproductive physiology of the potto (Perodicticus potto) through fecal hormone metabolite analyses and trans-abdominal ultrasonography.

Potto (Perodicticus potto) reproductive biology has been minimally studied. Noninvasive endocrinology and ultrasonography are proven tools for reproductive assessment in other primates. In this study, we used fecal hormone metabolite analysis to monitor one adult male potto and four females at different life stages.

Use of urinary biomarkers of ovarian function and altrenogest supplementation to enhance captive breeding success in the Indian rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis).

Urinary hormone analysis was conducted on two adult female Indian rhinoceroses (Rhinoceros unicornis) that exhibited minimal or no estrual behaviors traditionally used to time breeding. Urine was collected throughout two consecutive estrous cycles to establish preliminary data on each individual's pattern and concentration of estrogen conjugates (EC) and progesterone metabolites (PdG) during follicular and luteal phases. Following preliminary endocrine analysis, urine samples were shipped on a frequent basis to verify when each female was off baseline in EC.