The autumn activity patterns and time budgets of Forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) in captivity.

Activity patterns and time budgets play a crucial role in the successful farming and management of animals. In this study, the behavior patterns of 53 forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) were analyzed from October 2nd to 16th, 2021, throughout the day and night. The results showed a distinct dawn-dusk activity rhythm in the captive forest musk deer with a peak activity observed at dawn (07:00 - 10:00) and dusk (16:00 - 19:00). Additionally, there were smaller activity peaks lasting less than an hour during the nighttime (00:00 - 04:00). Comparing behavior ratios between peak and off-peak periods, it was evident that all behaviors, except rumination (RU), showed significant differences. Furthermore, no significant differences were found in the behavior ratios of the forest musk deer between the daytime and night-time. During the daytime, the percentages of time spent performing locomotion (32.87 ± 3.38%), feeding (14.43 ± 1.81%), and RU (5.62 ± 1.46%) were slightly higher compared to the night-time. Based on these findings, it is important to match the management strategies for musk deer farming with the animals' activity patterns and behavioral rhythms. Doing so can enhance farming outputs and contribute to the welfare of captive forest musk deer.

[Effect of Bmi-1 Expression on Chemotherapy Sensitivity in THP-1 Cells].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Bmi-1 expression on the chemosensitivity of THP-1 cells and its relative mechanism. METHODS: The pGenesil-2-Bmi-1 1 siRNA, p-MSCV-Bmi-1 plasmid was transfected into THP-1 cells to reduce or increase the expression of Bmi-1. The expression of Bmi-1 mRNA and protein was verified by PCR and Western blot. The effect of camptothecin (CPT) on the proliferation and chemosensitivity of THP-1 cells affected by Bmi-1 gene were detected by MTT assay. The expression of DNA double-strand breaks marker-γ-H2AX was detected by immunofluorescence assay. Mitochondrial membrane potential and apoptosis were observed by flow cytometry. The expression of Cytochrome C, Caspase 3, Bax and BCL-2 was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: Silencing Bmi-1 could inhibit proliferation and enhance the sensitivity of THP-1 cells to CPT, while overexpressed Bmi-1 could promote the cell proliferation and attenucate sensitivity of THP-1 cells to CPT. Silencing Bmi-1 could enhance CPT-induced DNA double-strand breaks, decrease mitochondrial membrane potential and promote CPT-induced apoptosis. While increasing Bmi-1 gene expression could attenuate CPT-induced DNA double-strand breaks, enhamce mitochondrial membrane potential and significantly reduce CPT-induced apoptosis of cells. CONCLUSION: Bmi-1 expression could influence the sensitivity of THP-1 cells to CPT, and its relative mechanism may relate to DNA double-strand breaks and endogenous apoptotic pathways.

[Effect of Bmi-1 on Multidrug Resistance in K562/ADR Cells and Its Mechanisms].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Bmi-1 gene silencing on drug resistance of leukemia cell K562/ADR and to explore its possible mechanism. METHODS: After two sequences of Bmi-1-siRNA were transfected into drug-resistant K562/ADR cells, the mRNA and protein expressions of Bmi-1 gene were detected. After Bmi-1 gene silencing the expression of P-gp and MDR1 were detected and the accumulation of doxorubicin in K562/ADR cells were detected by flow cytometry to determine the effect of Bmi-1 gene silencing on drug resistance of K562/ADR cells. The protein expression of NF-κB was analyzed after Bmi-1 gene silencing. Then after K562/ADR cells were treated with NF-κB inhibitor PDTC, the protein expression of P-gp and its functional changes were analyzed to determine the effect of NF-κB on drug resistance of leukemia cells. The protein expressions of PTEN, AKT and p-AKT after Bmi-1 gene silencing were detected and the effect of Bmi-1 gene silencing on PTEN/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway in drug-resistant cells was determined. After K562/ADR cells were treated with PI3K/AKT pathway inhibitor LY294002, the protein expressions of NF-κB and P-gp were analyzed to determine the regulation of AKT on the expression of NF-κB and P-gp. The protein expressions of AKT, p-AKT, NF-κB and P-gp were detected after the Bmi-1-siRNA transfected cells were treated by PTEN inhibitor BPV. Above-mentioned expression of mRNA was detected by RT-PCR, and the protein expression was detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The expression of Bmi-1 gene in K562/ADR cells decreased at both mRNA and protein levels and the doxorubicin accumulation increased after Bmi-1 gene silencing. The expression of MDR1/P-gp in Bmi-1-siRNA transfected cells was lower than that in K562/ADR cells (P＜0.05). After Bmi-1 gene silencing, the activity of NF-κB decreased. The activity of NF-κB and P-gp expression was inhibited and the function of P-gp in K562/ADR cells was reduced by using NF-κB inhibitor (PDTC). The protein expression of PTEN increased while the protein expression of p-AKT decreased after Bmi-1 gene silencing (P＜0.05). The protein expressions of p-AKT, P-gp and the activity of NF-κB were inhibited significantly by using PI3K/AKT inhibitor LY294002 (P＜0.05). After the Bmi-1-siRNA transfected cells were treated by PTEN inhibitor BPV, the activity of NF-κB and the protein expressions of P-gp were restored. CONCLUSION: Bmi-1 plays a key role in MDR-mediated multidrug resistance in K562/ADR cells, which may be mediated by activating PTEN/AKT pathway to regulate NF-κB.

[Effect of Bmi-1 Silencing on the Proliferation of K562/ADM Cells in vitro and in vivo].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Bmi-1 gene silencing on the proliferation of K562/ADM cells in vitro and in vivo and to explore its possible molecular mechanism. METHODS: The small interference RNA (siRNA) sequences of Bmi-1 were transfected into K562/ADM cells for decreasing the expression of Bmi-1. The effect of Bmi-1 silencing on the proliferation of K562/ADM cells in vitro and in vivo was detected by using MTT method, cell colony-forming test and tumoriganicity of nude mice; the expression of Bmi-1, PTEN and PAKT proteins was detected by Wertern blot. The immunohistochemistry assay was used to analyze the expression of Bmi-1 and Ki-67. RESULTS: The Bmi-1 silencing could significantly inhibit the proliferation activity of K562/ADM cells, the cell colony-forming ability and tumorigenicity were reduced. LY294002 decreased p-AKT expression, cell colony-forming ability and tumorigenicity. Bpv reduced the PTEN expression but increased p-AKT expression and restored the colony-forming ability and tumorigenesis of K562/ADM-S1-Bpv cells. Bmi-1-siRNA dramatically suppressed the Bmi-1 and Ki-67 protein levels in xenograft tumor tissue. CONCLUSION: Bmi-1 can mediate the proliferation of K562/ADM cell, the PTEN/p-AKT might be involved in this pathway.

[Bmi-1-siRNA Regulates the Proliferation of K562 Leukemia Cells in vitro and in vivo by PTEN/pAKT Pathway].

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effect of Bmi-1 gene silence on the proliferation ability of K562 cells in vitro and in vivo, and to explore the relation of molecular mechanism between proliferation ability of K562 cells in vitro and in vivo with PTEN/pAKT signaling pathway. METHODS: The Bmi-1 small interference RNA (siRNA) sequences were transfected into K562 cells for decreasing Bmi-1 expression. The effect of Bmi-1 siRNA on the proliferation of K562 cells in vitro and in vivo was detected by MTT method and colony-forming test, the effect of Bmi-1 siRNA on the tumorogenicity of K562 cells was observed by subcutaneous inoculation of K562 cells, LY294002 and Bpv treated K562 cells in nude mice, the expression of Bmi-1, PTEN and pAKT proteins were detected by Western blot. RESULTS: The Bmi-1 siRNA could inhibit the proliferation activity, colony-forming and tumor-forming abilities of K562 cells. After the silence of Bmi-1 gene, the PTEN expression in Bmi-1 gene-silenced group was significantly enhanced. While the pAKT expression in Bmi-1 gene-silenced group was significantly reduced; after the K562 cells were treated with LY294002 (an inhibitor of pAKT), the pAKT expression colony-forming and tumor forming abilities were reduced in comparison with untreated K562 cells; after the K562-S1 cells were treated with Bpv (an inhibitor of PTEN), the PTEN expression decreased, while the pAKT expression, colony forming and tumor-forming abilities were restored. CONCLUSION: The Bmi-1 gene possibly involves in regulation of K562 proliferation in vivo and in vitro, the effect of PTEN/pAKT signaling pathway maybe one of molecular mechanisms mediating this regulation.

[Boldness of the alpine musk deer in captivity during non-mating season and its relationships with the musk secretion and reproduction succes]. / åœˆå »é©¬éºéžç¹æ®–å­£èŠ‚èƒ†é‡æ°´å¹³åŠä¸Žéºé¦™åˆ†æ³Œå’Œç¹æ®–æˆæ•ˆçš„å ³ç³».

This study was conducted in 2017 from July 1st to August 31st at Xinglongshan musk deer farm in the Xinglongshan National Nature Reserve of Gansu Province, where we recorded behaviors and locations of 29 captive musk deer using the integrated methods of focal sampling and all occurrence recording. Based on the location selection patterns under artificial stress, we defined the animal's stress level and quantified individuals' boldness by combination with the occupation time ratio at each level. Then, the effects of gender, age-class, and other factors on boldness were analyzed along with musk secretion and reproduction success. The results showed that musk deer in better health (1.731±0.347) were significantly bolder than those in ill health (0.915±0.789). Female musk deer (1.901±0.391) were significantly bolder than the males (1.035±0.120). The boldness of sub-adults (1.450±0.463) was higher than those of the adults (1.093±0.321) and the old (1.430±0.189). No significant difference in boldness was observed among three age-classes under the same gender. Deer living in groups (1.397±0.179) were not significantly bolder than those living alone (0.853±0.326). More individuals in groups, less boldness. Furthermore, there was negative correlation between male's boldness and musk secretion. The litter size had positive relationship with boldness. The non-pregnant percentage was strongly correlated to the boldness, namely the bolder females had lower non-pregnant ratio. Our results provide reference for forecasting the musk secretion and reproduction success of captive musk deer, and provide new ideas for the study of boldness in captive animals.

Recent Advances in the Development of Vaccines for Diabetes, Hypertension, and Atherosclerosis.

Vaccines are commonly used in the prevention of infectious diseases. The basic principle of vaccination is to use specific antigens, endogenous or exogenous to stimulate immunity against the specific antigens or cells producing them. Autoantigen or oligo vaccination has been used for disease animal models. More recently humanized monoclonal antibodies have been successfully used for the treatment of neoplastic disorders or familial hypercholesterolemia. Humanized monoclonal antibody therapy needs repeated injection, and the therapy is expensive. Therapeutic vaccination can lead to persistent immunized or immune tolerant against the therapeutic molecule(s) or site. However, immunization against those endogenous substances may also elicit persistent autoimmune reaction or destruction that do harm to health. Therefore, rigorous studies are needed before any clinical application. In this review, we briefly reviewed vaccines used in protection against common metabolic diseases including atherosclerosis, hypertension, and diabetes mellitus.

Temporal variation in the operational sex ratio and male mating behaviours in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus).

In polygynous species, sexual selection is mostly driven by male ability to monopolize access to females in oestrous. In ungulates, the operational sex ratio (OSR), i.e. the proportion of males to individuals ready to mate, varies throughout the peak rut, resulting from the temporal variation in the number of females in oestrous. But the way males adjust their mating tactics to maximise their access to females in oestrous (i.e. as OSR varies) is yet to be investigated. Using 15 years of behavioural observations in reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), we compared the relative importance of time within the rutting season (days to the peak-rut) and the OSR to explain the variation in the propensity (i.e. the frequency after controlling for the potential number of encounters) of young and adult dominant males to engage in four mating tactics: herding females, chasing other males, investigating female reproductive status, and courting females. Male-male agonistic behaviour was the most frequent mating behaviour, followed by herding. As predicted, dominant male mating tactics changed over the rutting season: first herding, then chasing other males, and finally investigating and courting females. In contrast to our prediction, we did not find support for the OSR theory. We noted some discrepancies in how young and adult dominant males adjusted their tactics during the mating season, adults being more efficient in timing and in performing their behaviour to maximise access to females in oestrous. The reported sequence of mating tactics may be more efficient than a static mating tactic to monopolize females in oestrous, regardless of the population composition.

Life-history trait plasticity and its relationships with plant adaptation and insect fitness: a case study on the aphid Sitobion avenae.

Phenotypic plasticity has recently been considered a powerful means of adaptation, but its relationships with corresponding life-history characters and plant specialization levels of insects have been controversial. To address the issues, Sitobion avenae clones from three plants in two areas were compared. Varying amounts of life-history trait plasticity were found among S. avenae clones on barley, oat and wheat. In most cases, developmental durations and their corresponding plasticities were found to be independent, and fecundities and their plasticities were correlated characters instead. The developmental time of first instar nymphs for oat and wheat clones, but not for barley clones, was found to be independent from its plasticity, showing environment-specific effects. All correlations between environments were found to be positive, which could contribute to low plasticity in S. avenae. Negative correlations between trait plasticities and fitness of test clones suggest that lower plasticity could have higher adaptive value. Correlations between plasticity and specialization indices were identified for all clones, suggesting that plasticity might evolve as a by-product of adaptation to certain environments. The divergence patterns of life-history plasticities in S. avenae, as well as the relationships among plasticity, specialization and fitness, could have significant implications for evolutionary ecology of this aphid.

Polyphyllin D induces apoptosis and differentiation in K562 human leukemia cells.

Polyphyllin D, a compound derived from Paris polyphylla rhizoma, demonstrated strong anticancer activities in a previous study. Our results demonstrated that polyphyllin D exerts a growth inhibitory effect by inducing apoptosis and differentiation in the human erythroleukemia cell line K562. Polyphyllin D induced apoptosis via the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway, as evidenced by the decreased Bcl-2 and Bcr/Abl expression levels, the disruption of MMP and increased Bax, cytochrome c and cleaved-caspase-3 levels. At a low dose, polyphyllin D increased CD14 expression on the surface of K562 cells and induced cells to differentiate into monocytes or mature macrophages. These data suggest that polyphyllin D has the potential to be a potent therapeutic agent for treating human chronic myelogenous leukemia.

Comparison of fitness traits and their plasticity on multiple plants for Sitobion avenae infected and cured of a secondary endosymbiont.

Regiella insecticola has been found to enhance the performance of host aphids on certain plants, but its functional role in adaptation of host aphids to plants is still controversial. Here we evaluate the impacts of R. insecticola infections on vital life-history traits of Sitobion avenae (Fabricius), and their underlying genetic variation and phenotypic plasticity on three plants. It was shown that effects of R. insecticola on S. avenae's fitness (i.e., developmental time and fecundity) were neutral on oat or wheat, but negative on rye. Infections of R. insecticola modified genetic variation that underlies S. avenae's life-history traits. This was demonstrated by comparing life-history trait heritabilities between aphid lines with and without R. insecticola. Moreover, there were enhanced negative genetic correlations between developmental time and fecundity for R. insecticola infected lines, and structural differences in G-matrices of life-history traits for the two types of aphid lines. In R. insecticola-infected aphid lines, there were increases in plasticities for developmental times of first and second instar nymphs and for fecundity, showing novel functional roles of bacterial symbionts in plant-insect interactions. The identified effects of R. insecticola infections could have significant implications for the ecology and evolution of its host populations in natural conditions.

Species Delimitation in the Genus Moschus (Ruminantia: Moschidae) and Its High-Plateau Origin.

The authenticity of controversial species is a significant challenge for systematic biologists. Moschidae is a small family of musk deer in the Artiodactyla, composing only one genus, Moschus. Historically, the number of species in the Moschidae family has been debated. Presently, most musk deer species were restricted in the Tibetan Plateau and surrounding/adjacent areas, which implied that the evolution of Moschus might have been punctuated by the uplift of the Tibetan Plateau. In this study, we aimed to determine the evolutionary history and delimit the species in Moschus by exploring the complete mitochondrial genome (mtDNA) and other mitochondrial gene. Our study demonstrated that six species, M. leucogaster, M. fuscus, M. moschiferus, M. berezovskii, M. chrysogaster and M. anhuiensis, were authentic species in the genus Moschus. Phylogenetic analysis and molecular dating showed that the ancestor of the present Moschidae originates from Tibetan Plateau which suggested that the evolution of Moschus was prompted by the most intense orogenic movement of the Tibetan Plateau during the Pliocene age, and alternating glacial-interglacial geological eras.

Acarbose treatment affects the serum levels of inflammatory cytokines and the gut content of bifidobacteria in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

BACKGROUND: The effects of acarbose add-on therapy on gut microbiota and inflammatory cytokines were investigated in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Ninety-five DM patients were randomly allocated to two groups: 59 to Group A who received antidiabetic treatment that included acarbose 150 mg/day, and 36 to Group B who received similar treatment to Group A but without acarbose. Forty-five healthy volunteers were selected as a control group. Serum concentrations of inflammatory cytokines were determined by ELISA, and the contents of 16S rDNA of gut bacteria were determined by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. General linear analysis for repeated measurements was used to analyze trend differences between the two diabetic groups. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of antidiabetic treatment, the gut contents of Bifidobacterium longum and Enterococcus faecalis were significantly increased in both diabetes groups. The increase of Bifidobacterium longum (P = 0.004) and the decrease of lipopolysaccharides (LPS) (P < 0.001) and prothrombin activator inhibitor-1 (P = 0.003) were more significant in Group A. Decreases of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 and LPS were more significant in patients whose HbA1c decrease was ≥1%, but there were no significant differences in the changes of other cytokines and gut bacteria between patients with HbA1c <7% and ≥7%. Pearson correlation analysis showed that changes of Enterococcus faecalis were negatively correlated with LPS, while multiple linear regression analysis showed a positive correlation of Bifidobacterium longum with acarbose treatment and the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol concentration. CONCLUSIONS: Acarbose treatment can increase the content of gut Bifidobacterium longum in type 2 diabetes mellitus patients and decrease some inflammatory cytokines independently of its antihyperglycemic effects.

[Inhibitory effect of alantolactone on the proliferation of K562/ADR cells and its mechanism].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the inhibitory effect of alantolactone on the proliferation of adriamycin-resistant human chronic myelogenous leukemia cell line K562/ADR cells and its mechanism. METHODS: K562/ADR cells were treated with various concentrations of alantolactone (0, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 µmol/L) for different time points. Cell viability was analyzed with MTT assay. The effect of alantolactone on the apoptosis of K562/ADR cells was measured by flow cytometry. The expression of apoptosis-related proteins after treatment with alantolactone was analyzed using Western blot. RESULTS: Alantolactone could effectively inhibit the proliferation of K562/ADR cells in dose- and time- dependent manner, the IC50 value of alantolactone treatment of K562/ADR cells for 24 h was 4.7 µmol/L (P<0.05). Flow cytometric analysis displayed that the apoptotic rates were 1.35%, 16.91%, 29.61% and 46.26%, respectively, after treatment with alantolactone at 0, 2.5, 5 and 7.5 µmol/L. Meanwhile, the expression of Bcl-2 and BCR-ABL proteins were significantly decreased and that of Bax, cytochrome C, cleaved-caspase-9, cleaved-caspase-3 and cleaved-PARP increased by alantolactone treatment. CONCLUSION: Alantolactone had obvious inhibitory effect on the proliferation of K562/ADR cells through the caspase dependent mitochondrial(or intrinsic)apoptotic pathway.

Growth inhibition effects of isoalantolactone on K562/A02 cells: caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways, S phase arrest, and downregulation of Bcr/Abl.

Isoalantolactone, a sesquiterpene lactone, is the active component of Inula helenium (Compositae). It has been reported that isoalantolactone has the capacity to inhibit tumor cell growth through induction of apoptosis. The purposes of this study were to evaluate the effects of isoalantolactone on the human erythroleukemia drug-resistant cell line K562/A02 and to provide evidence of its function as a potent therapeutic agent in patients with chronic myelogenous leukemia with the Bcr/Abl phenotype. Our results showed that isoalantolactone significantly inhibited K562/A02 cell growth by downregulating Bcr/Abl expression. Isoalantolactone also induced apoptosis via increase generation of reactive oxygen species, modulation of the protein levels of Bcl-2 family members, caspase activation, poly ADP-ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and release of cytochrome c. We also observed that isoalantolactone inhibited proliferation by inducing cell cycle arrest in the S phase. Taken together, all these findings support that growth inhibition effects of isoalantolactone on K562/A02 cells may be mediated through caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways, S phase arrest, and downregulation of Bcr/Abl.

Bmi-1-shRNA inhibits the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells by blocking the G1/S phase through decreasing cyclin D1 and increasing p21/p27 levels.

B lymphoma Mo-MLV insertion region 1 (Bmi-1) is highly expressed in a variety of cancers and has been shown to regulate cell proliferation. The INK4a/ARF tumor suppressor gene locus is one of the major targets of Bmi-1. In the present study, we chose two lung adenocarcinoma cell lines, A549 cells (without INK4a locus) and SPC-A1 cells (with INK4a locus), to investigate if the small hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of Bmi-1 could inhibit the proliferation of lung adenocarcinoma cells, and to delineate the possible mechanism underlying Bmi-1 modulation of cell proliferation. We also investigated the potential pathway underlying Bmi-1 regulation of lung adenocarcinoma cell proliferation in different genetic backgrounds. To this end, we used shRNA to knockdown Bmi-1 expression in lung adenocarcinoma cells, which led to inhibition of cell growth, colony formation in vitro, and tumorigenesis in vivo. In addition, phosphorylated Akt and cyclin D1 expression were downregulated, p21 and p27 levels were upregulated, and p16 expression remained unchanged in SPC-A1 cells. These data indicate that Bmi-1 might modulate the growth of lung adenocarcinoma cells in an INK4a-p16 independent pathway.

Fitness traits and underlying genetic variation related to host plant specialization in the aphid Sitobion avenae.

Sitobion avenae (F.) is an important cereal pest worldwide that can survive on various plants in the Poaceae, but divergent selection on different host plants should promote the evolution of specialized genotypes or host races. In order to evaluate their resource use strategies, clones of S. avenae were collected from oat and barley. Host-transfer experiments for these clones were conducted in the laboratory to compare their fitness traits. Our results demonstrated that barley clones had significantly lower fecundity and tended to have longer developmental times when transferred from barley to oat. However, oat clones developed faster after they were transferred to barley. Clones from oat and barley had diverged to a certain extent in terms of fecundity and developmental time of the nymphs. The separation of barley clones and oat clones of S. avenae was also evident in a principal component analysis. Barley clones tended to have higher broad-sense heritabilities for fitness traits than oat clones, indicating the genetic basis of differentiation between them. Barley clones showed significantly higher extent of specialization compared to oat clones from two measures of specialization (i.e., Xsp and Ysp). Therefore, barley clones were specialized to a certain extent, but oat clones appeared to be generalized. The fitness of S. avenae clones tended to increase with higher extent of specialization. The evolution toward ecological specialization in S. avenae clones, as well as the underlying genetic basis, was discussed.

[Ecological characteristics of preferred habitat of reindeer of Daxing'an Mountain forest area Northeast China in summer].

In July and August of 2012 and 2013, habitat selection and use patterns of reindeer were studied using both line and strip-transect surveys. Twenty-three habitat factors were measured and compared in known reindeer range areas in northwestern China. A total of 72 sampling sites were designated as being used by reindeer, and 162 sites were designated as unused control plots. The results indicated that, compared to the non-used habitat plots, reindeer selected summer habitats with higher values in altitude (26.9 ± 0.8 m), arbor canopy (17.9% ± 2.4%), arbor DBH (35.5 ± 2.1 cm), arbor height (8.2 ± 0.5 m), arbor density (6.9 ± 0.5 ind · 400 m(-2)) and stump quan- tity (1.3 ± 0.2 ind · 400 m(-2)), and with a lower shrub height (54.2 ± 2.0 cm). Moreover, reindeer also selected habitats at intermediate positions of intermediate slope gradient, which provided good water accessibility, more distance from human disturbance and herder influence, but bad concealment and lee condition. Results of the principal component analysis showed that the disturbance intensity (i. e. residential dispersion, anthropogenic-disturbance dispersion), arbor characteristics (arbor height and arbor density, arbor DBH and arbor canopy), geography characteristics (i. e. slope position, slope aspect and soil moisture), food abundance (ground-plant cover and shrub cover), openness (concealment and lee condition) and slope gradient were the most important factors influencing the habitat selection of reindeer in summer. In summary, the summer habitat selection of reindeer is a multidimensional process, through which reindeer adapt according to their ecological needs of food resources, safety and anti-predation. Furthermore, the pattern of habitat selection of reindeer showed that reindeer in China has not yet been domesticated, and reindeer populations and their core habitats should be conserved from intensive disturbance.

Mitochondrial genome of the Alpine musk deer Moschus chrysogaster (Artiodactyla: Ruminantia: Moschidae).

The Alpine musk deer (Moschus chrysogaster) is an endangered species, which is distributed on the plateau and mountains, mainly in Neimenggu, Ningxia, Qinghai, Gansu, Sichuan, Tibet, Yunnan, Xinjiang, and other places. In this study, we determined the complete mitochondrial genome of M. chrysogaster. The circle genome was 16,354 bp and consists of 13 protein-coding genes, 22 transfer RNA genes, 2 ribosomal RNA genes and 1 control region (CR). The CR was located between the tRNA(Pro) and tRNA(Phe) genes and is 924 bp in length. Overall base composition of the complete mitochondrial DNA was 34.0% A, 28.0% T, 25.1% C, and 12.9% G. The M. chrysogaster mitochondrial genome had 21 tRNA genes folded in the typical cloverleaf structure, with a unique exception of tRNA(Ser).