Pudu Research Articles

Les arrière-boutiques de la littérature: auteurs et imprimeurslibraires aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles ed. by Edwige Keller-Rahbé

of her work was wrongly credited as author of her poetry. Dominique Rabaté adds a broad-brushed overview repeating literary history as hagiography and its desacralization by subversive writers while Christine Baron, recalling the Barthes-Picard debates as symptomatic of the Ancients-Moderns confrontation, looks at cross-cultural writings representative of the stance toward a history not belonging to the writers sensing themselves trapped by it. Likewise, four essays compose the division on critical fictions. Mathilde Bombart focuses on Furetière’s case for allegory as social commentary, Larry Norman on how the English imported and varied the Quarrel of the Ancients and the Moderns in Swift’s Battle of the Books, Marielle Macé on Sartre’s arguments against the social existence of literature , and Claude Coste on how Chevillard’s novel L’œuvre posthume de Thomas Pilaster reminds us of Nabokov’s Pale Fire, Borges, and Henry James. The essays that most convincingly articulate the arguments of this book appear in the chapter entitled “Microfictions.” Mélanie Leroy-Terquem introduces the case of Octave Uzanne and “bibliophile fiction.” This category in the margins of literature contains plagiarism, false texts, and assorted hoaxes then exposed by Martine Lavaud for their potential as subversive writing. In fine form Jeannelle explicates Georges Perec’s Le voyage d’hiver wherein Hugo Vernier exemplifies the prototype of “une allégorie critique” (189) in a pastiche that can “garantir l’authenticité de faux” (174) with Vernier as a plagiarist whose works have a date of publication indicating his own writing as originating plagiarism by others. Perec’s example of the literary mise-en-abyme sets up the model for a desynchronized literary space that Aude Préta-De Beaufort separately reveals in Pascal Quignard’s Albucius. Four other contributions make up a chapter on variations within literary genres. Stéphane Zékian shows how theater during the Parnasse revolts against the drama from the Thermidor while Sylvie Triaire has fun with Flaubert’s characters Bouvard and Pécuchet, Suzanne Lafont clearly shows the complex undermining of the anti-Semitism by Céline and Brasillach in Patrick Modiano’s La place de l’Étoile, and Denis Labouret explicates the pastiche by Jean-Louis Curtis in La Chine m’inquiète. A single definition of literary history would have been helpful as a common point of reference. In this collection, literary history refers alternately to a manual, a fiction, Lanson, and too many other meanings for the term to be a helpful common denominator for the reader. Nevertheless, we do have Michel Murat’s final essay showing how fiction, especially the novel, modifies and adapts the tradition that comes before it. If the reader looks at this essay first, then the other contributions give us variations on the subversion that the writing of literary fiction can accomplish. Trinity University (TX) Roland A. Champagne KELLER-RAHBÉ, EDWIGE, éd. Les arrière-boutiques de la littérature: auteurs et imprimeurslibraires aux XVIe et XVIIe siècles. Toulouse: PU du Mirail, 2010. ISBN 978-2-81070118 -6. Pp. 262. 24 a. Research on the material book and the printer who produced it is no longer the purview of historians alone. Edwige Keller-Rahbé has edited a welcome and cohesive collection of essays exploring the relationships between sixteenth- and 952 FRENCH REVIEW 85.5 seventeenth-century printers and authors from a literary perspective. In her informative introduction, she contends that a focus on these multi-faceted relationships contributes significantly to our understanding of French literary history during the ancien régime. Keller-Rahbé uses primarily seventeenth-century examples in her introduction, deliberately compensating for a dearth in studies on seventeenth -century printers. The essays also include four valuable analyses of sixteenth-century authors and “printer-booksellers” (“imprimeurs-libraires”). Not all eleven European contributors are familiar names on this side of the Atlantic, but the consistently thoughtful and well-researched essays provide an excellent introduction to these scholars. The contributors propose compelling hypotheses about the interdependence of printers and authors, relying on patterns of publications , conventional and often fictionalized paratext, and typographical characteristics . The thematic organization of the collection divides the essays into four complementary, and equally intriguing, sections. In the first...

Anatomical Study of the Gastrointestinal Tract of a Pudu (Pudu puda) Using Contrast-Enhanced Abdominal Computed Tomography

The pudu (Pudu puda), which is the smallest deer in the world and inhabits central and southern Chile and Argentina, is a ruminant and a browsing herbivore. The aim of this study was to provide a reference for interpretation of the normal anatomy of the pudu's gastrointestinal tract as imaged by abdominal computed tomography (CT). For the study, one adult female pudu was used. After a 24-h fast, the pudu was anaesthetized and positioned in sternal recumbency at the CT table. Image acquisition began immediately after intravenous injection of contrast media (MD-76(®); 370 mgI/ml) into the cephalic vein. Injection of contrast material was administered as a biphasic protocol. First, a manual bolus of contrast material was injected at a rate of 4 ml/s. Then, an additional continuous infusion injection (0.1 ml/min) was performed for adequate opacification of vascular structures. Transverse images of 5 mm thickness and 5 mm interval were obtained with a fourth-generation CT scanner, from the ninth thoracic vertebra (T9) until the first sacral (S1) vertebrae. CT images were labelled and compared with anatomical reference images for ruminants. Structures that were identified in the abdominal cavity included the stomach with its four compartments (rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasum), the small and large intestines, liver, spleen, kidneys and some major blood vessels (aorta, caudal vena cava). The distal loop of the ascending colon, the transverse colon, the pancreas and lymph nodes could not be identified. The resulting CT images provide a reference for normal cross-sectional abdominal anatomy of the adult pudu.

Molecular divergence between insular and continental Pudu deer (Pudu puda) populations in the Chilean Patagonia

Island–continent isolation scenarios have played major roles in the understanding and development of evolutionary theories. During the last glacial maximum (LGM) in southern Chile, ice sheet advances and retreats formed the Patagonian archipelago along the southern Pacific Ocean. Chiloé Island is the largest island from the archipelago isolated from the continent by a narrow and shallow stretch of ocean. Pudu puda is a species endemic to Chile and part of Argentina, distributed along the Valdivian Temperate rainforest. We used mtDNA control region (654 bp) and cytochrome b (734 bp) sequences to understand the consequences in the evolutionary history and population structure of Pudu puda island–continent isolation. Bayesian and Maximum Likelihood phylogenetic analysis revealed two divergent clades corresponding to the continent and Chiloé Island. The Median Joining Network also supports these findings with an isolation of 10 mutational steps between Chiloé and the continent. We also found a significant high genetic structure (Φst = 0.75) and a sequence divergence percentage of 2.3% between the two clades. On the other hand, on the continent we found high haplotype genetic diversity (H = 0.9790 ± 0.0103) but no clear geographical population structure or phylogenetic clades. Our results suggest that the southern Pudu deer populations were isolated since the interglacial period (less than 0.5 million years ago) from the continent leading to two reciprocally monophyletic clades. We propose two subspecies to be considered in the development of future conservation programs for the species.

Priorities for the conservation of the pudu (Pudu puda) in southern South America

The southern pudu (Pudu puda) is a threatened deer that is endemic to the South American temperate forests. Despite its assumed threatened status, there is relatively little understanding on the ecology and conservation of this species. Considering this situation and the fact that there are some research groups currently working on this species, we organised a symposium to discuss research and management priorities – as well as to coordinate efforts – to move forward on the conservation of the pudu. We agreed that main research priorities should be to increase the understanding of the threats that jeopardize the viability of pudu populations, with a strong emphasis on research questions that will provide information for the management of these threats. The main management recommendations were to implement monitoring of pudu populations at least in protected areas, to implement specific actions to remove threats from protected areas and to start following internationally-accepted guidelines for the management of rescued and confiscated animals.

Claude Simon, la passion cinema

Berenice Bonhomme. Simon, la cinema. Villeneuve d'Ascq: Presses Universitaires du Septentrion, 2011. Pp. 444. While a number of book-length scholarly works examine the influence of the graphic image, and of vision and visuality more generally, on the work of Simon, (1) the relationship between the Nobel prize-winning author's corpus and the has received comparatively scant attention. Over the last few years Berenice Bonhomme has effectively cornered this nascent sector of the Simon-studies market, publishing no less than four monographs, over 1,000 pages in all, on the place of film in the writer's oeuvre. In addition to a study devoted to the little-known cinematic adaptation of Simon's Triptyque ('Triptyque' de Simon: du livre au film, une esthetique du passage, Paris: Presses Universitaires de Paris-Sorbonne, 2005), a look at her subsequent publications might initially suggest that Bonhomme has written the same book three times over: Simon, l'ecriture cinematographique (Paris: L'Harmattan, 2005); Simon, une ecriture en (New York, Oxford, and Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2010); Simon, la (Villeneuve d'Ascq: PU du Septentrion, 2011). Thankfully, for Simon scholars and enthusiasts alike, this is not the case. Despite a number of inevitable redundancies that crop up between them--which might prompt readers to wonder why Bonhomme does not include references to her two previously published titles anywhere in the extensive bibliography that accompanies her most recent volume, not even under the section on Simon and le lien avec l'image--each part of this hermeneutic triptych ultimately merits its own reading. Where the first essay, Simon, l'ecriture cinematographique, likens the novelist to a filmmaker concerned with techniques like mise en scene and montage--suggesting that Simon's particularly cinematographic style, especially in La Route des Flandres and Triptyque, is greatly informed by the grammar of cinema--Bonhomme's 2010 monograph, Simon, une ecriture en cinema, turns its attentions more specifically to the author's filmic optics, on how the and cinematic spectatorship serve as models for Simon's take on perception, cognition, and ways of seeing. Bonhomme's latest (will it be the last?) volume focuses on the both as a thematic motif and as a generator of narrative. In lively, lucidly written prose, Bonhomme mines Simon's entire corpus for examples that illustrate how the novelist's interest in and for the nourish his writing. At the same time, she argues that Simon's fascination for film must be considered within the context of his personal experience with the movie-making business. Though the German production company that collaborated with Simon to craft a short film version of Triptyque succeeded in releasing it in 1975, just two years after the novel's publication, Simon was pleased neither with the process nor with final product. The earnest yet ultimately failed attempt to bring La Route des Flandres to the big screen--a venture that petered out after more than thirty years--proved even more frustrating, and helps to explain the sense of skepticism with regard to the industry that Bonhomme senses throughout Simon's work. As she suggests in Simon, la cinema, the novelist's disenchantment with the world of film production ultimately tempers and problematizes the underlying passion for the movies that subtends so much of his writing: Fascination, rejet, plaisir, mepris, espoir et deception, tout cela se mele en une tension cinematographique interne a l'oeuvre litteraire (416). The first of the book's three sections, Claude Simon spectateur, locates the origins of this mix of attraction and aversion for the in Simon's tendency to associate the medium with adolescence. Bonhomme posits that Simon was a child of the cinema whose celluloid memories would later make their way into his work. …

Hábitos alimentarios del Puma concolor (Carnivora: Felidae) en el Parque Nacional Natural Puracé, Colombia

Neotropical puma (Puma concolor) diet is scarcely known, in particular that of mountain dwelling individuals from Northern South America. This is the first study on pumas from the paramo and the first puma diet analysis for Colombia. The puma diet was studied from 2007 to 2009 in the Puracé National Park in the South Colombian Andes. Paramos are unique neotropical high altitude ecosystems which store and regulate water, and are currently threatened by agricultural expansion and climate change. Seven latrines were monitored for three years and scat collected, washed and dried. Items in scat such as hair, bones, claws and others were separated. Hairs were inspected by microscopy and compared to voucher hair museum specimens. Bone fragments, claws and teeth were also compared to museum collections and identified wherever possible. Additionally, six cameras were set along game trails to document puma and potential prey presence in the area. Food items from five species were identified in 60 puma scats; Northern Pudu (Pudu mephistophiles) was the most important prey in their diet. A total of 354 camera trap-nights photographed a male and female puma, Northern pudu and Spectacled bear (Tremarctos ornatus). The main conclusion suggests a strong dependence of puma on the threatened and mysterious Northern Pudu in paramo habitats. This behavior might reflect restricted prey availability in the high Andes mountains of Colombia, and highlights the plasticity in the puma diet. Conservation actions in the paramo should thus, focus on focal wild species, and in particularly those that show a relationship, such as the one evidenced here with the dependence of puma on Northern Pudu. These findings contribute to increase the little known ecology of Andean puma populations and the species as a whole in Colombia. Baseline data on puma prey populations in different ecosystems throughout their range, is critical to understand the regional requirements for survival, and design conservation actions, to follow and evaluate the need for particular protected areas along their geographical gradients.

Arcanobacterium pyogenes Septicemia in a Southern Pudu (Pudu puda) Following Uterine Prolapse

A 14-year-old female pudu (Pudu puda) developed a uterine prolapse after unassisted parturition. The length of time between the prolapse and replacement of the organ was not known but was less than 24 hr. When the prolapse was first noticed, uterine tissue appeared undamaged and was immediately cleaned with antiseptic solution, handled carefully during replacement, and prophylactic antibiotic and anti-inflammatory drugs were given. The pudu appeared clinically normal until 4 days postpartum, when she developed clinical signs of tenesmus, dysuria, and a purulent discharge from the vulva. Despite further treatment, the animal was found dead 10 days postpartum, even though it had not shown any other signs of systemic illness. Gross and histologic lesions supported a diagnosis of septicemia secondary to metritis. Arcanobacterium pyogenes was isolated from lung, liver, and uterine exudate.

Evaluating mortality sources for the Vulnerable pudu Pudu puda in Chile: implications for the conservation of a threatened deer

We assessed the importance of potential sources of mortality for the Vulnerable southern pudu Pudu puda in southern Chile using the clinical records of wildlife rehabilitation centres, necropsies of animals found in the field and a review of the diet of potential predators. To assess whether the identified mortality sources operate in nominally protected areas, we conducted a camera-trap survey in two areas to determine the presence of pudus and their potential predators. Predation by domestic dogs Canis lupus familiaris and car collisions were the commonest causes of pudu admissions to rehabilitation centres (35 of 44) and of deaths of animals encountered opportunistically in the field (seven of 14). Field data suggest that poaching could also be an important threat to pudus. Pudus were detected in both areas surveyed, accounting for 15.6% of mammal detections. Dogs accounted for 47.8% of all detections of potential predator species, followed by pumas Puma concolor (17.4%), guignas Leopardus guigna (17.4%) and chilla foxes Lycalopex griseus (17.4%). The literature survey implicated only pumas as important pudu predators among native carnivores. Our data suggest that, aside from forest loss, dogs, road kills and probably poaching are important concerns for pudu conservation. Our frequent detections of free-ranging dogs associated with roads within nominally protected areas suggest that long-term efforts to conserve pudu will require not only the protection of remnant native forest but also substantive environmental education to modify dog management near protected areas.

Ecosystem and competition impacts of introduced deer

Numerous deer species have been introduced beyond their native range into ecosystems around the world. Their economic value leads to further accidental and deliberate releases and lack of control is contributing to range expansion in Australia, South America and Europe. Despite localised or regional concern, the scale and generality of detrimental impacts have not been widely recognised. We review the direct and indirect impacts on ecosystems and evidence for interspecific effects on native deer. In New Zealand, where large herbivores were previously absent, severe and novel impacts have been found in susceptible forests. Even where ecosystems contain native deer, invasion by taxonomically exotic deer species carries the risk of cascade effects on spatial plant dynamics and forest composition. In Patagonia, introduced deer have disrupted forest composition, whereas in Europe, ecosystem impacts of introduced species can differ from those of over-abundant native deer. Introduced Chinese muntjac (Muntiacus reevesi) within a coniferous forestry landscape in eastern England differ from native European roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) in their distribution of herbivory among differing habitats, and provide much lower rates of endozoochorous seed dispersal. Frequent concern is expressed that introduced deer species may have detrimental effects on native deer and other ungulates, although potential epidemiological effects have not been investigated. Apparent competition, with introduced prey resulting in increased predation rates on native deer, may be occurring between South American huemul (Hippocamelus bisulcus) and southern pudu (Pudu puda). Habitat and dietary overlap is often substantial among native and introduced ungulates, including deer, and exploitation competition is likely. Evidence includes spatial responses of native to non-native deer and negatively correlated changes in population abundance, but demographic mechanisms have not been demonstrated previously. In a coniferous forestry landscape in eastern England, substantial habitat and dietary overlap occurs between native roe deer and high-density introduced Chinese muntjac. This roe deer population has shown a reduction in body weight and fertility following establishment and increasing abundance of non-native Chinese muntjac, compatible with interspecific competition. European roe deer also appear susceptible to competition from larger grazing deer, including native red deer (Cervus elaphus) and introduced fallow (Dama dama). The widely introduced fallow deer may be a particularly effective competitor in sympatry with intermediate or concentrate feeders. There is need for further investigation of potential interactions of introduced and native deer species, and a wider recognition of the ecological impacts of introduced deer.

Annual secretional activity of the skin glands in the Southern pudu ( Pudu puda Molina 1782, Cervidae)

Annual secretional activity of the skin glands in the Southern pudu ( Pudu puda Molina 1782, Cervidae)

Distribution and habitat features of southern pudu ( Pudu puda Molina, 1782) in Argentina

Pudu puda is a very small deer that inhabits humid areas of the temperate forests in Chile and Argentina and is one of the less known South American deer. We provide an updated distribution of Pudu puda in Argentina, with georeferenced sighting localities, and some qualitative features of its habitat such as forest type and understory. We also analyse the effects of human settlements, cattle and invasive mammals ( Cervus elaphus and Sus scrofa) on the distribution of the southern pudu. We obtained information on Pudu puda occurrence from unpublished sources including protected areas provided by National Parks Administration and interviews of local residents. In the north sector of Nahuel Huapi National Park, where high density of records was found, we obtained information about some qualitative habitat features, proximity of Pudu puda sighting localities to human settlements, presence of invasive mammals and cattle. We recorded a total of 54 new localities for Pudu puda in Argentina, the northernmost record at S 39°23′, W 71°17′ and the southernmost at S 42°58′, W 72°00′. We recorded low frequency of human settlements, Sus scrofa and Cervus elaphus in Pudu puda sighting localities. We did not detect exclusion of Pudu puda from areas with cattle occurrence. Sighting localities of southern pudu were made mostly in monotypic mature Nothofagus dombeyi forest, with dense understory dominated by Chusquea coleu.

Relaciones filogenéticas entre géneros de ciervos neotropicales (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) mediante secuenciación de ADN mitocondrial y marcadores microsatelitales

The current work shows two molecular phylogenetic analyses on Neotropical deers. In the first analysis, the mitochondrial control region (D-loop) was sequenced in six Odocoileinae species from Latin America, using the sequences of two Muntiacinae as outgroups. The results obtained were as follows: A sequence of Mazama americana showed a striking relationship with several sequences of Odocoileus in contrast to that expected, since this M. americana haplotype, from a Mexican origin, was not associated with several Bolivian Mazama sequences analyzed. This could put forward that this genera is not monophyletic. On the other hand, these Bolivian Mazama formed a clade with Pudu puda and Ozotoceros bezoarticus. Likely, an Odocoileus virginianus sequence from the Central area of Colombia showed a more strong relationship with a Northamerican O. heminonus sequence than with the other O. virginianus sequences of Colombian origin as well. This could be explained by means of various different hypotheses. The first is the existence of common ancestral haplotypes between both species. Another one is the reiterative hybridization among both Odocoileus species before the migration of O. virginianus from North America to South America. Moreover, the maximum parsimony analysis showed an intense relationship between the Muntiacinae and this Neotropical Cervidae clade. In addition, and adding credence to the relevant polyphyletism found in Mazama by means of the mitochondrial control region DNA sequences, a second analysis with 16 DNA microsatellite loci also showed a higher genetic relationship between M. americana and O. virginianus, than between the first species regard to Mazama gouazoubira.

Obtaiment of Pudu (Pudu pudu) deer Embryos by the Somatic Nuclear Transfer Technique

Los objetivos de este trabajo fueron los de producir embriones de pudu, obtenidos por la transferencia de nucleos de fibroblastos de la oreja de pudu en ovocitos de un rumiante domesticos que es el bovino. Para posteriormente en un trabajo futuro proceder a la transferencia de embriones de pudu, al utero de hembras receptoras sincronizadas de otra especie. Se obtuvieron biopsias de 1 mm aproximadamente del borde externo de la orejas de dos ciervos pudu machos del jardin zoologico Buin-Zoo, Santiago de Chile. Las lineas celulares han sido establecidas y conservadas segun los protocolos utilizados para las bovinos. Los ovocitos son obtenidos por puncion del complejo cumulos-ovocito (COC).desde ovarios de vacas recuperados del matadero. Cada ovocito es enucleado y fusionado con un fibroblasto aislado insertado bajo la zona pelucida. La fusion de membranas celulares es obtenida por choques electricos. En cuanto a la cronologia, observamos que al segundo dia se forma una etapa de dos blastomeras, al tercer dia morulas de 8 a 16 celulas, y desde el cuarto dia se ha diferenciado como blastocisto, el cual al septimo dia termina por eclosionar de la zona pelucida La obtencion de blastocistos embrionarios indica que es posible obtener embriones de pudu mediante clonaje heteroespecifico, aunque, el porcentaje de exito obtenido es relativamente bajo. Queda aun por verificar la viabilidad de los embriones asi obtenidos despues de la transferencia in utero

The phylogenetic position of Ixodes stilesi Neumann, 1911 (Acari: Ixodidae): morphological and preliminary molecular evidences from 16S rDNA sequences

The female of Ixodes stilesi Neumann, 1911 (Acari Ixodidae) is redescribed and the male and nymph are described from specimens collected from Pudu puda (Molina) (Artiodactyla: Cervidae) in Chile. Both sexes of I. stilesi have characteristics of the subgenera Ixodes Latreille, 1795 and Ixodiopsis Filippova, 1957. The females of I. stilesi are peculiar in having the combination of the sinuous scutum outline, rounded porose areas with distinct borders separated by the width of one area, slender and long palpi, and two subequal spurs on coxa I. The male is unique in having a combination of a posteriorly wrinkled marginal folder, a basis capituli longer than wide, a non-crenulate hypostome toothed portion, two spurs on coxa II to IV and the presence of a pseudoscutum. The nymph of I. stilesi has blunt anterior and posterior processes on palpal article I (characteristics of the subgenus Ixodiopsis and some Pholeoixodes Schulze, 1942) and a wing-shaped basis capituli with a prominent triangular cornua. Phylogenetic analyses based on 16S mitochondrial rDNA sequences of 12 Neotropical and two Australian Ixodes species, plus three argasids, were carried out to clarify the position of I. stilesi. The results of phylogenetic analyses and morphological characters indicate a close relationships between I. stilesi and two other Neotropical species of uncertain subgeneric status, I. neuquenensis Ringuelet, 1947 and I. sigelos Keirans, Clifford & Corwin, 1976.

TRANSPOSITION OF THE BICEPS TENDON TO REDUCE LATERAL SCAPULOHUMERAL LUXATION IN THREE SPECIES OF NONDOMESTIC RUMINANT

Open reduction of lateral luxation of the scapulohumeral joint was performed in a Mhorr gazelle (Gazella dama mhorr), a southern pudu (Pudu puda), and an Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) by transposition of the biceps brachii tendon lateral to the greater tubercle of the humerus. The ibex had a very large greater tubercle that required a second osteotomy to allow successful lateral transfer of the tendon. Although all three animals were non-weight bearing in the first 2-3 wk after surgery, ambulation improved at 3 wk and was almost normal by 6 wk after surgery. Postoperative follow-up of 8 yr, 7 mo, and 3 mo in the gazelle, pudu, and ibex, respectively, revealed normal ambulation with no gait deficits. The gazelle was euthanized 8 yr after surgery for unrelated disease and necropsy demonstrated mild to moderate degenerative joint disease. Similar lateral shoulder luxations in comparably sized, nondomestic ruminants, without concurrent fractures or significant joint abnormality, have a good prognosis for return to function after surgical reduction using a biceps tendon transposition.

Diet of Puma (Puma concolor, Carnivora: Felidae) in Coastal and Andean Ranges of Southern Chile

Between 1985 and 1999 we collected a total of 62 puma (Puma concolor) feces in two reserves located on the coastal range and on three national parks located in the Andean range, all in the Lake Region of southern Chile. The identification of 79 prey items showed that the puma diet in the southern rainforests was made up mainly of European hares (Lepus europaeus ; an exotic species), ungulates (chiefly the pudu deer; Pudu puda), rodents, birds and marsupials, in that order of importance. Except for the lowland site San Martín, the trophic ecology of pumas did not differ substantially among sites. At San Martín, in addition to hares, pumas hunted Black-necked swans (Cygnus melancoryphus) and coypu (Myocastor coypus). Although pumas preyed upon the largest prey available, the mean prey weight was of only 7.7 kg, much smaller than on other previous studies. European hares due to their high abundance, have replaced pudus as the main prey of pumas in the forests of the Lake Region. In order to maintain viable populations of pumas in the biologically most interesting coastal forests, it will be necessary to protect larger native forests that provide enough food and habitat for pumas.

Effect of antiandrogen cyproterone acetate on the development of the antler cycle in Southern pudu (Pudu puda)

The antler cycle of pudu is similar to other cervids, but unlike most boreal deer, male Southern pudu (Pudu puda) exhibits two seasonal peaks of LH and testosterone. In that respect, pudu is similar to roe deer. Whereas the antler cycle in some deer species, such as roe deer or white-tailed deer, is very sensitive to variation of testosterone, in other cervids, such as fallow deer or reindeer, a blockade of androgens with cyproterone acetate (CA) has little or no effect on the timing of the antler casting. In order to test the sensitivity of pudu antlers to variations of androgens, CA (administered 2x weekly at 50 mg/buck) was injected intramuscularly for 3 weeks in 5 adult male pudu, starting February 19 (late summer). Four other males of similar age served as controls. The experiment was performed at the University of Concepcion, Chile, latitude 36.6 degreeS. Blood samples were taken once a week between January 19 and April 3. In CA-treated bucks, the antlers were cast approximately 3 weeks after the initiation of CA treatment and a new antler growth began almost immediately. The antlers reached about 5 cm in length, before ceasing to grow at the end of April, when they became mineralized and were subsequently polished. CA had no effect on the already declining levels of LH. Plasma levels of testosterone in controls increased from February 15, whereas in CA-treated bucks remained depresses until March 21. It is concluded that similarly to white-tailed deer, the antler cycle of Southern pudu is very sensitive to manipulation of androgen levels.

Concentrations of insulin-like growth factor-I in adult male white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus): associations with serum testosterone, morphometrics and age during and after the breeding season

Our understanding of insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) in cervids has been limited mostly to its effects on antler development in red deer ( Cervus elaphus), roe deer ( Capreolus capreolus), fallow deer ( Dama dama), and pudu ( Pudu puda). Although IGF-I has been found to play a critical role in reproductive function of other mammals, its role in reproduction of deer is unknown. The objectives of the present study were to determine if serum levels of IGF-I change during the breeding season, assess whether age influences serum IGF-I, compare levels of IGF-I measured during and following the breeding season, and determine if IGF-I is associated with body and antler characteristics in free-ranging adult, male white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus). We collected serum and morphometric data from hunter-harvested and captured white-tailed deer to investigate these objectives. Mean level of serum IGF-I during the breeding season was 63.6 ng/ml and was greatest in deer between 2.5 and 5.5 years old (57.4–79.9 ng/ml). Levels of serum IGF-I decreased by approximately 40% as the breeding season progressed, but levels were less in deer following the breeding season (34.6 ng/ml). Both body and antler size were associated positively with IGF-I when controlling for age. Serum testosterone was also associated positively with IGF-I. Levels of serum testosterone during the breeding season generally increased with age from 4.82 (1.5 years old) to 18.79 ng/dl (5.5 years old), but decreased thereafter. These data suggest that IGF-I may be an important hormone in breeding, male white-tailed deer.

Pudu, the smallest deer of the world: 10 years of endocrine studies of Southern Pudu (Pudu puda) in Chile

The first ten years of research on pudu physiology and behavior concentrated on the investigation of hormone profiles in males. Basic and seasonal levels of LH, FSH, testosterone, prolactin, IGF-1, cortisol and triiodothyronine were determined. The seasonal fluctuations of reproductive and other hormones are related to the reproductive and the antler cycles and the social rank of individual males. In addition, basal and poststimulatory levels of cortisol, growth hormone (GH), LH, FSH and testosterone were reported after ACTH and GnRH challenge tests. Most blood levels of hormones in male pudu are in the low range often less than half of hormonal levels of another small cervid, the roe deer. Pudu responds quickly to simulated stress and GnRH elicits a vigorous increase of LH and T in the dominant males. The next phase of our research is now concentrated on the reproductive physiology of the female pudu, where a delayed implantation of the embryo is suspected.

Non-random distribution of the pericentromeric heterochromatin in meiotic prophase nuclei of mammalian spermatocytes.

The central or peripheral distribution of condensed chromatin (CC) was studied in pachytene spermatocyte nuclei in Mus domesticus, 2n = 40; Pudu puda, 2n = 70; Ctenomys opimus, 2n = 26 and Octodon degus, 2n = 58. Species were chosen according to the morphological characteristics of their chromosomal complements and in particular, the terminal or medial chromosomal localisation of the pericentromeric constitutive heterochromatin. Counts were made by defining the areas corresponding to peripheral and central location in each nuclear section from a series. The null hypothesis (i.e. random distribution of CC) was rejected. In the nuclear sections of Mus domesticus and Pudu puda, 69% and 74% of CC, respectively, was found in the peripheral nuclear space, while in those of Octodon degus and Ctenomys opimus, 69% and 65% of CC, respectively, was found in the central nuclear space. We estimate that if the CC measured in spermatocyte nuclei corresponds mainly to pericentromeric constitutive heterochromatin, the distribution found is consistent with that expected in accordance with the nuclear architecture model for meiocytes (Fernández-Donoso, 1982; Fernández-Donoso & Berrios, 1985). This model proposes a peripheral nuclear localisation for pericentromeric heterochromatin of telocentric bivalents and a relatively central nuclear localisation for pericentromeric heterochromatin of metacentric bivalents. We also discuss some of the biological consequences that could arise from the conservation of such distributions.