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The Eurasian Scops Owl Otus scops is a migratory owl whose population is declining throughout a large part of its breeding range, due to intensification of farming practices and land-use changes. For this reason, it is considered Europe's most threatened owl species. Scops Owl is one of several raptor species that are difficult to sex, due to limited morphological differences between the sexes. A reliable method of sexing Scops Owls through biometric measurements would facilitate the study of their sex-related survival, movements and behaviour characteristics, improving their conservation management. In the current study, we developed a cost-effective and accurate method of sexing Scops Owls, based on discriminant analysis of morphometrics. A sample of 105 birds were captured, sexed using genetic methods and had biometric measures taken. A generalised linear model was built to evaluate the biometric measures that are statistically linked to sex. The best model selected three variables: wing length, tail length and weight. The results of the model were used to derive model scores, and the probability of male and female to be correctly identified was predicted. The discriminant function provides an accurate method of sexing Scops Owls in the hand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The genetics of the prion protein gene (PRNP) play a crucial role in determining the relative susceptibility to transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs) in several mammalian species. To determine the PRNP gene variability in European red deer (Cervus elaphus), roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) and chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), the PRNP open reading frame from 715 samples was analysed to reveal a total of ten single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). In red deer, SNPs were found in codons 15, 21, 59, 78, 79, 98, 136, 168 and 226. These polymorphisms give rise to 12 haplotypes, and one of which is identical to the PRNP of American wapiti (Rocky Mountain elk, Cervus elaphus nelsoni). One silent mutation at codon 119 was detected in chamois and no SNPs were found in roe deer. This analysis confirmed that European wild ruminants have a PRNP genetic background that is compatible with TSE susceptibility, including chronic wasting disease. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European Union has implemented breeding programmes to increase scrapie resistance in sheep. A similar approach can be applied also in goats since the K222 allele provides a level of resistance equivalent to that of ARR in sheep. The European Food Safety Authority stated that breeding for resistance could be offered as an option for Member States to control classical scrapie in goats. We assessed the impact of different breeding strategies on PRNP genotype frequencies using a mathematical model that describes in detail the evolution of K222 in two goat breeds, Chamois Coloured and Saanen. Different patterns of age structure and replacement rate were modelled as factors affecting response to selection. Breeding for scrapie resistance can be implemented in goats, even though the initial K222 frequencies in these breeds are not particularly favourable and the rate at which the resistant animals increase, both breeding and slaughtered for meat production, is slow. If the goal is not to achieve the fixation of resistance allele, it is advisable to carry out selection only until a desired frequency of K222-carriers has been attained. Nucleus selection vs. selection on the overall populations is less expensive but takes longer to reach the desired output. The programme performed on the two goat breeds serves as a model of the response the selection could have in other breeds that show different initial frequencies and population structure. In this respect, the model has a general applicability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]