ecoSound-web: an open-source, online platform for ecoacoustics.

Passive acoustic monitoring of soundscapes and biodiversity produces vast amounts of audio recordings, but the management and analyses of these raw data present technical challenges. A multitude of software solutions exist, but none can fulfil all purposes required for the management, processing, navigation, and analysis of acoustic data. The field of ecoacoustics needs a software tool that is free, evolving, and accessible.

Energetics at the urban edge: Environmental and individual predictors of urinary C-peptide levels in wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus).

As human-modified landscapes encroach into natural habitats, wildlife face a reduction in natural food sources but also gain access to calorie-rich, human-derived foods. However, research into the energetics of wildlife living within and adjacent to urban and rural landscapes is lacking. C-peptide - a proxy for insulin production and a diagnostic tool for assessing pancreatic function in humans and domestic animals - can be quantified non-invasively from urine (uCP) and may provide a way to investigate the energetic correlates of living in human-altered landscapes.

Diurnal variation of salivary cortisol in captive African elephants (Loxodonta africana) under routine management conditions and in relation to a translocation event.

The present study assessed the diurnal variation in salivary cortisol in captive African elephants during routine management (baseline) and in relation to a potential stressor (translocation) to evaluate to what extent acute stress may affect diurnal cortisol patterns. Under baseline conditions, we collected morning and afternoon saliva samples of 10 animals (three zoos) on different days in two study periods (n = 3-10 per animal, daytime and period). Under stress conditions, we sampled the transported cow (newcomer) and the two cows of the destination zoo before and after the transport in the morning and afternoon (n = 3-9 per animal, daytime and transport phase), as well as after the first introduction of the newcomer to the bull (n = 1 per animal).

Collective action reduces androgen responsiveness with implications for shoaling dynamics in stickleback fish.

Androgens, traditionally viewed as hormones that regulate secondary sexual characteristics and reproduction in male vertebrates, are often modulated by social stimuli. High levels of the 'social hormone' testosterone (T) are linked to aggression, dominance, and competition. Low T levels, in contrast, promote sociopositive behaviours such as affiliation, social tolerance, and cooperation, which can be crucial for group-level, collective behaviours.

Vaccination of Macaques with DNA Followed by Adenoviral Vectors Encoding Simian Immunodeficiency Virus (SIV) Gag Alone Delays Infection by Repeated Mucosal Challenge with SIV.

Vaccines aimed at inducing T cell responses to protect against human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection have been under development for more than 15 years. Replication-defective adenovirus (rAd) vaccine vectors are at the forefront of this work and have been tested extensively in the simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) challenge macaque model. Vaccination with rAd vectors coding for SIV Gag or other nonenvelope proteins induces T cell responses that control virus load but disappointingly is unsuccessful so far in preventing infection, and attention has turned to inducing antibodies to the envelope.

Author Correction: Consistent success in life-supporting porcine cardiac xenotransplantation.

In this Letter, Mayuko Kurome and Valeri Zakhartchenko have been added to the author list (affiliated with Institute of Molecular Animal Breeding and Biotechnology, Gene Center, LMU Munich, Munich, Germany). The author list and 'Author contributions' section have been corrected online; see accompanying Amendment.

Genotoxic stress increases cytoplasmic mitochondrial DNA editing by human APOBEC3 mutator enzymes at a single cell level.

Human cells are stressed by numerous mechanisms that can lead to leakage of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) to the cytoplasm and ultimately apoptosis. This agonist DNA constitutes a danger to the cell and is counteracted by cytoplasmic DNases and APOBEC3 cytidine deamination of DNA. To investigate APOBEC3 editing of leaked mtDNA to the cytoplasm, we performed a PCR analysis of APOBEC3 edited cytoplasmic mtDNA (cymtDNA) at the single cell level for primary CD4 T cells and the established P2 EBV blast cell line.

Consistent success in life-supporting porcine cardiac xenotransplantation.

Heart transplantation is the only cure for patients with terminal cardiac failure, but the supply of allogeneic donor organs falls far short of the clinical need. Xenotransplantation of genetically modified pig hearts has been discussed as a potential alternative. Genetically multi-modified pig hearts that lack galactose-α1,3-galactose epitopes (α1,3-galactosyltransferase knockout) and express a human membrane cofactor protein (CD46) and human thrombomodulin have survived for up to 945 days after heterotopic abdominal transplantation in baboons.

Developmental and family history-based analysis of congenital fused labia phenotype in the captive common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus).

Background: Congenital fused labia (CFL) is defined as a failure or significant delay in the opening of the juvenile sealed labia majora. This phenotype is known to be variably common in adult captive female marmosets but has never been investigated in detail before.

Materials And Methods: Here, we define, describe and quantify the variations in the degree of closure of the vulva in 122 captive marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) from 1.

The repeatability of cognitive performance: a meta-analysis.

Behavioural and cognitive processes play important roles in mediating an individual's interactions with its environment. Yet, while there is a vast literature on repeatable individual differences in behaviour, relatively little is known about the repeatability of cognitive performance. To further our understanding of the evolution of cognition, we gathered 44 studies on individual performance of 25 species across six animal classes and used meta-analysis to assess whether cognitive performance is repeatable.

Reproductive tolerance in male primates: Old paradigms and new evidence.

Within social groups of primates, males commonly compete over reproduction, but they may also rely on cooperation with other males. Theory suggests that it may be adaptive for male primates to tolerate some reproduction by other males if reproductive tolerance fosters cooperation, particularly that dominant males yield so-called reproductive concessions to subordinates to entice their cooperation. We review four recent studies that claimed to have found evidence for reproductive concessions or similar forms of reproductive tolerance.

Nomenclature for the KIR of non-human species.

The increasing number of Killer Immunoglobulin-like Receptor (KIR) sequences available for non-human primate species and cattle has prompted development of a centralized database, guidelines for a standardized nomenclature, and minimum requirements for database submission. The guidelines and nomenclature are based on those used for human KIR and incorporate modifications made for inclusion of non-human species in the companion IPD-NHKIR database. Included in this first release are the rhesus macaque (Macaca mulatta), chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), orangutan (Pongo abelii and Pongo pygmaeus), and cattle (Bos taurus).

Species-specific host factors rather than virus-intrinsic virulence determine primate lentiviral pathogenicity.

HIV-1 causes chronic inflammation and AIDS in humans, whereas related simian immunodeficiency viruses (SIVs) replicate efficiently in their natural hosts without causing disease. It is currently unknown to what extent virus-specific properties are responsible for these different clinical outcomes. Here, we incorporate two putative HIV-1 virulence determinants, i.

Human Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae Infection in Wild Bonobos.

Despite being important conservation tools, tourism and research may cause transmission of pathogens to wild great apes. Investigating respiratory disease outbreaks in wild bonobos, we identified human respiratory syncytial virus and Streptococcus pneumoniae as causative agents. A One Health approach to disease control should become part of great ape programs.

Comparison of fecal preservation and extraction methods for steroid hormone metabolite analysis in wild crested macaques.

Since the non-invasive field endocrinology techniques were developed, several fecal preservation and extraction methods have been established for a variety of species. However, direct adaptation of methods from previous studies for use in crested macaques should be taken with caution. We conducted an experiment to assess the accuracy and stability of fecal estrogen metabolite (E1C) and glucocorticoid metabolite (GCM) concentrations in response to several preservation parameters: (1) time lag between sample collection and fecal preservation; (2) long-term storage of fecal samples in 80% methanol (MeOH) at ambient temperature; (3) different degrees of feces drying temperature using a conventional oven; and (4) different fecal preservation techniques (i.

A retrospective analysis of adverse effects of an in vivo fluoroquinolone antibiotic enrofloxacin treatment on oocyte quality in the common marmoset.

Here we report a retrospective analysis of negative effects of routine enrofloxacin treatment of recurrent diarrhea on the ovary and the developing oocytes of the common marmoset, a small New World primate. The most deleterious effect on oocytes was observed about two months post treatment suggesting that the enrofloxacin effect is on early growing follicles. Manifestations of toxicity included decreased numbers of growing follicles and recovered culturable oocytes, as well as signs of early atresia of granulosa cells.

Impact of stress on the gut microbiome of free-ranging western lowland gorillas.

Exposure to stressors can negatively impact the mammalian gastrointestinal microbiome (GIM). Here, we used 454 pyrosequencing of 16S rRNA bacterial gene amplicons to evaluate the impact of physiological stress, as evidenced by faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGCM; ng/g), on the GIM composition of free-ranging western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Although we found no relationship between GIM alpha diversity (H) and FGCM levels, we observed a significant relationship between the relative abundances of particular bacterial taxa and FGCM levels.

Distracter suppression dominates attentional modulation of responses to multiple stimuli inside the receptive fields of middle temporal neurons.

Single-cell studies in macaques have shown that attending to one of two stimuli, positioned inside a visual neuron's receptive field (RF), modulates the neuron's response to reflect the features of the attended stimulus. Such a modulation has been described as a 'push-pull' effect relative to a reference response: a neuron's response increases when attention is directed to a preferred stimulus, and decreases when attention is directed to a non-preferred stimulus. It has been further suggested that the response increase when attending to a preferred stimulus is the predominant effect.

Triadic male-infant-male interaction serves in bond maintenance in male Assamese macaques.

While the ultimate consequences of social bonds start to be better understood, the proximate behavioural mechanisms underlying the formation and maintenance of these close affiliative relationships have received less attention. We investigated the possible function of male-infant-male interactions (MIMIs) in male-male social bonding processes by analysing about 9000h of focal animal observations collected on two groups of wild Assamese macaques. In support of an agonistic buffering function of MIMIs, after engaging in a MIMI upon approach, subordinates stayed longer in close proximity of a dominant male.

IL-12 and IL-15 induce the expression of CXCR6 and CD49a on peripheral natural killer cells.

Introduction: Murine hepatic NK cells exhibit adaptive features, with liver-specific adhesion molecules CXCR6 and CD49a acting as surface markers.

Methods: We investigated human liver-resident CXCR6+ and CD49a+ NK cells using RNA sequencing, flow cytometry, and functional analysis. We further assessed the role of cytokines in generating NK cells with these phenotypes from the peripheral blood.

Sex ratios.

Jennions et al. introduce the different kinds of sex ratio and their biology.

Active Vision: Dynamic Reformatting of Visual Information by the Saccade-Drift Cycle.

Visual processing depends on rapid parsing of global features followed by analysis of fine detail. A new study suggests that this transformation is enabled by a cycle of saccades and fixational drifts, which reformat visual input to match the spatiotemporal sensitivity of fast and slow neuronal pathways.

Group size and visitor numbers predict faecal glucocorticoid concentrations in zoo meerkats.

Measures of physiological stress in zoo animals can give important insights into how they are affected by aspects of their captive environment. We analysed the factors influencing variation in glucocorticoid metabolites in faeces (fGCs) from zoo meerkats as a proxy for blood cortisol concentration, high levels of which are associated with a stress response. Levels of fGCs in captive meerkats declined with increasing group size.