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Expanding on the foundation of Zeitschrift für Jagdwissenschaft in 1955, the European Journal of Wildlife Research (EJWR) continues to publish original research and reviews on all aspects of wildlife science regardless of the geographic region. Eighteen years after publication of the first issue of EJWR, we briefly reflect on the journal’s profile and prospects. Our target audience includes researchers, wildlife biologists, forestry and game management professionals, wildlife veterinarians, and other specialists, but we also aim at providing a resource of relevant information and scientific debate for practitioners and every person interested in wildlife science. With ecosystems being at the highest level of pressure due to land use change and other effects of the global crisis, the journal is in a key position to communicate relevant research to the scientific community around the world.

This comprehensive species-specific chapter covers all aspects of the mammalian biology, including paleontology, physiology, genetics, reproduction and development, ecology, habitat, diet, mortality, and behavior. The economic significance and management of mammals and future challenges for research and conservation are addressed as well. The chapter includes a distribution map, a photograph of the animal, and a list of key literature.

The European Observatory of Wildlife (EOW) as part of the ENETWILD project aims progressively developing integrated wildlife monitoring (population abundance and pathogens). The present report shows how to link the wildlife population monitoring (by camera trapping) and wildlife disease surveillance at European scale, by using environmental sampling over 15 study areas of the EOW from 10 Countries (4 study areas in 4 countries will be incorporated next). We specifically focused on multi-host pathogens Mycobacterium tuberculosis Complex (bacteria, MTC), and Hepatitis E virus (HEV). The aims of this trial were, first, to evaluate the harmonized implementation of a simple field sampling protocol for detecting zoonotic pathogens in environmental samples (standing water) through a network of wildlife professionals at European level. Secondly, we got insights for future improved strategies of wildlife integrated monitoring through environmental sampling. This trial prioritized the inclusion of a diverse array of study areas and a simple sampling approach rather than complex protocols and illustrated. We evidenced the importance of supporting such a coordinate network of wildlife professionals to progressively improve strategies, protocols, the general design, sampling, target matrix, selected pathogens, preservation and transport of samples, analytical techniques, and sample and data flow. We discuss specific results on pathogens, remarking the detection of the MTC in certain areas.

A global genome database of all of Earth’s species diversity could be a treasure trove of scientific discoveries. However, regardless of the major advances in genome sequencing technologies, only a tiny fraction of species have genomic information available. To contribute to a more complete planetary genomic database, scientists and institutions across the world have united under the Earth BioGenome Project (EBP), which plans to sequence and assemble high-quality reference genomes for all 1.5 million recognized eukaryotic species through a stepwise phased approach. As the initiative transitions into Phase II, where 150,000 species are to be sequenced in just four years, worldwide participation in the project will be fundamental to success. As the European node of the EBP, the European Reference Genome Atlas (ERGA) seeks to implement a new decentralised, accessible, equitable and inclusive model for producing high-quality reference genomes, which will inform EBP as it scales. To embark on this mission, ERGA launched a Pilot Project to establish a network across Europe to develop and test the first infrastructure of its kind for the coordinated and distributed reference genome production on 98 European eukaryotic species from sample providers across 33 European countries. Here we outline the process and challenges faced during the development of a pilot infrastructure for the production of reference genome resources, and explore the effectiveness of this approach in terms of high-quality reference genome production, considering also equity and inclusion. The outcomes and lessons learned during this pilot provide a solid foundation for ERGA while offering key learnings to other transnational and national genomic resource projects.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.Biodiversity genomicsThe application of genomic methods to research biodiversity.BUSCOA bioinformatic method (Benchmarking Universal Single-Copy Orthologues) used to e

Data S1. Serum proteomics analysis; Data S2. Analysis of immunoglobulin proteins differentially represented in TB+ elephants when compared to TB− animals; Data S3. Gene Ontology (GO) annotations for non-immunoglobulin proteins; Data S4. Most significant pathways identified by Reactome analysis of non-immunoglobulin proteins; Data S5. Protein sequence alignment between M. tuberculosis P9WNK5|ESXB_MYCTU ESAT-6-like protein EsxB and identified mycobacterial proteins with predicted antigen binding regions to immunoglobulin proteins.

Table S1. Summary of the distributions of the proportion of the population harvested each year and supporting data. Figure S1. Histogram and probability density of the estimated proportion of the population harvested each year, autocorrelation and trace plots. Table S2. Summary of the estimated distributions of abundance and supporting data at each site. The Geweke test was -0.557 (P=0.577) for the wild boar and 1.085 (P=0.278) for the red deer models. Figure S2. Histogram and probability density of the abundance estimated at each site, autocorrelation and trace plots of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations. Table S3. Summary of the estimated distributions and supporting references for the sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tests. Figure S3. Histogram and probability density of the estimated sensitivity and specificity of the diagnostic tests employed, autocorrelation and trace plots of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations. Table S4. Summary of the estimated distributions of the true prevalence by host species and supporting data at each study site. Figure S4. Histogram and probability density of the estimated true prevalence at each site, autocorrelation and trace plots of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations. Figure S5. Histogram and probability density of the estimated probability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex excretion from infected wild boar and red deer, autocorrelation and trace plots of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations. Table S5. Summary of the estimated distributions of the R0 by host species at each study site. Figure S6. Histogram and probability density of the estimated R0 by host species at each study site, autocorrelation and trace plots of the Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulations. For intelligibility, only R0 estimates <200 were plotted. Table S6. Probability of animal tuberculosis being a single-host or multi-host disease at each site. Probabilities derived from the 100,000 estimates of the R0 of Mycobacterium t

Tuberculosis is a major global concern. Tuberculosis in wildlife is a risk for zoonotic transmission and becoming one of the challenges for conservation globally. In elephants, the number of cases is likely rising. The aim of this study was to identify proteins related to tuberculosis infection in elephants, which could then be used for the development of diagnostic tools and/or vaccines. A serum proteomics approach was used to characterize differentially represented proteins in response to Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Asian elephants (Elaphas maximus). Blood samples were collected from eight elephants, four of which were antibody positive for tuberculosis and four were antibody negative. Proteomics analysis identified 26 significantly dysregulated proteins in response to tuberculosis. Of these, 10 (38%) were identified as immunoglobulin and 16 (62%) as non-immunoglobulin proteins. The results provided new information on the antibody response to mycobacterial infection and biomarkers associated with tuberculosis and protective response to mycobacteria in Asian elephants. Protective mechanisms included defense against infection (Alpha-1-B glycoprotein A1BG, Serpin family A member 1 SERPINA1, Transthyretin TTR), neuroprotection (TTR), and reduced risks of inflammation, infections, and cancer (SERPINA1, Keratin 10 KRT10). Using a translational biotechnology approach, the results provided information for the identification of candidate diagnostic, prognostic, and protective antigens for monitoring and control of tuberculosis in Asian elephants.

The 2018 outbreak of myxomatosis in the Iberian hare (Lepus granatensis) has been hypothesized to originate from a species jump of the rabbit-associated myxoma virus (MYXV), after natural recombination with an unknown poxvirus. Iberian hares were long considered resistant to myxomatosis as no prior outbreaks were reported. To provide insights into the emergence of this recombinant virus (ha-MYXV), we investigated serum samples from 451 Iberian hares collected over two time periods almost two decades apart, 1994–1999 and 2017–2019 for the presence of antibodies and MYXV-DNA. First, we screened all serum samples using a rabbit commercial indirect ELISA (iELISA) and then tested a subset of these samples in parallel using indirect immunofluorescence test (IFT), competitive ELISA (cELISA) and qPCR targeting M000.5L/R gene conserved in MYXV and ha-MYXV. The cut-off of iELISA relative index 10 = 6.1 was selected from a semiparametric finite mixture analysis aiming to minimize the probability of false positive results. Overall, MYXV related-antibodies were detected in 57 hares (12.6%) including 38 apparently healthy hares (n = 10, sampled in 1994–1999, none MYXV-DNA positive, and n = 28 sampled in 2017–2019 of which four were also ha-MYXV-DNA positive) and 19 found-dead and ha-MYXV-DNA-positive sampled in 2018–2019. Interestingly, four seronegative hares sampled in 1997 were MYXV-DNA positive by qPCR, the result being confirmed by sequencing of three of them. For the Iberian hares hunted or live trapped (both apparently health), seroprevalence was significantly higher in 2017–2019 (13.0%, CI95% 9.2–18.2%) than in 1994–1999 (5.4%, CI95% 3.0–9.6%) (p = .009). Within the second period, seroprevalence was significantly higher in 2019 compared to 2017 (24.7 vs 1.7% considering all the sample, p = .007), and lower during the winter than the autumn (p < .001). While our molecular and serological results show that Iberian hares have been in contact with MYXV or an antigenically sim

In a context of disease emergence and faced with the ever-growing evidence of the role of wildlife in the epidemiology of transmissible diseases, efforts have been made to develop wildlife disease surveillance (WDS) programs throughout Europe. Disease monitoring is ideally composed of “numerator data” (number of infected individuals) and “denominator data” (size of the target population). Too often however, information is available for only one. Hence, there is a need for developing integrated and harmonized disease and population monitoring tools for wildlife: integrated wildlife monitoring (IWM). IWM should have three components. Passive disease surveillance improves the likelihood of early detection of emerging diseases, while active surveillance and population monitoring are required to assess epidemiological dynamics, freedom of disease, and the outcome of interventions. Here, we review the characteristics of ongoing WDS in Europe, observe how pathogens have been ranked, and note a need for ranking host species, too. Then, we list the challenges for WDS and draw a roadmap for stepping up from WDS to IWM. There is a need to integrate and maintain an equilibrium between the three components of IWM, improve data collection and accessibility, and guarantee the adaptability of these schemes to each epidemiological context and temporal period. Methodological harmonization and centralization of information at a European level would increase efficiency of national programs and improve the follow-up of eventual interventions. The ideal IWM would integrate capacities from different stakeholder; allow to rapidly incorporate relevant new knowledge; and rely on stable capacities and funding.

Hybridisation between domestic and wild taxa can pose severe threats to wildlife conservation, and human-induced hybridisation, often linked to species' introductions and habitat degradation, may promote reproductive opportunities between species for which natural interbreeding would be highly unlikely. Using a biome-specific approach, we examine the effects of a suite of ecological drivers on the European wildcat's genetic integrity, while assessing the role played by protected areas in this process. We used genotype data from 1217 putative European wildcat samples from 13 European countries to assess the effects of landcover, disturbance and legal landscape protection on the European wildcat's genetic integrity across European biomes, through generalised linear models within a Bayesian framework. Overall, we found European wildcats to have genetic integrity levels above the wildcat-hybrid threshold (ca. 83%; threshold = 80%). However, Mediterranean and Temperate Insular biomes (i.e., Scotland) revealed lower levels, with 74% and 46% expected genetic integrity, respectively. We found that different drivers shape the level of genetic introgression across biomes, although forest integrity seems to be a common factor promoting European wildcat genetic integrity. Wildcat genetic integrity remains high, regardless of landscape legal protection, in biomes where populations appear to be healthy and show recent local range expansions. However, in biomes more susceptible to hybridisation, even protected areas show limited effectiveness in mitigating this threat. In the face of the detected patterns, we recommend that species conservation and management plans should be biome- and landscape-context-specific to ensure effective wildcat conservation, especially in the Mediterranean and Temperate Insular biomes.

[Background]: Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTC) that causes the chronic infectious disease- tuberculosis (TB), often presents with a complicated epidemiological pattern where the transmission chain may include humans, domestic animals and wildlife, including elephants. TB has been reported globally in both captive and wild elephants. The One Health approach might be the most effective way of understanding the shared MTC infection dynamics in captive and wild animals like Asian elephants. This systematic review accumulates evidence on occurrence, transmission pathways, and preventive measures of TB in elephants from a One Health perspective., [Results]: The prevalence of TB reported in elephant populations ranges from 0 to 23.33% and high prevalence's are reported for elephants that are in close proximity to infected humans. The risk of elephant to human infection transmission increased significantly with exposure duration and contact with infected elephants. Some studies described the plausible TB transmission to captive elephants from other animals (wild and domestic), suggesting inter- and intra-species transmission. The results of this systematic review based on 27 relevant published works, suggest three overarching interrelated transmission pathways for M. tuberculosis infections in Asian elephants- i) humans and elephants, ii) other animals (wild or domestic) and elephants and iii) unclear sources of infection., [Conclusions]: The progress made with new TB diagnostic tools provides multiple methods to choose from. However, lack of harmonization of TB testing in elephants and their human contacts remains a challenge to prevent TB in those animals. Routine TB screening among elephants and caretakers by setting up an occupational health program for early diagnosis of infection through combined efforts of public health, veterinary medicine, and occupational health experts is suggested. This implies the need for a One Health approach to elephant TB control. This review reveals the need for more research on Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex transmission pathways at the human-animal interface.

Bagaza virus emerged in Spain in 2010 and was not reported in other countries in Europe until 2021, when the virus was detected by molecular methods in a corn bunting and several red-legged partridges in Portugal. Sequencing revealed high similarity between the 2021 strains from Portugal and the 2010 strains from Spain.

The contribution of wildlife species to pathogen maintenance in multi-host communities has seldom been quantified. To assess the relative contribution of the main wildlife hosts of animal tuberculosis (TB) to its maintenance, we estimated the basic reproduction number (R0) of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in wild boar and red deer at 29 sites in the Iberian Peninsula. Host abundance and true TB prevalence were estimated for each species at each site by sampling from distributions incorporating the uncertainty in the proportion of the population harvested each year, sensitivity, and specificity of the diagnostic methods, while excretion of mycobacteria was estimated using site-occupancy models. The distributions of these parameters were then used to estimate, at each site, the R0,wild boar (range 0.1 – 55.9, average 8.7, standard deviation 11.8), and the R0,red deer (0.1 – 18.9, 2.2, 3.9). Animal TB is maintained in epidemiological scenarios ranging from any single species acting as a maintenance host (the wild boar in 18 sites and the red deer in 5), to facultative multi-host disease (6 sites). The prevalence of TB in the red deer is likely an important driver of the epidemiology in multi-host communities. The wild boar was the main maintenance host of TB in most of the study sites and could have an epidemiological role linking the wildlife multi-host community and livestock.

Understanding the factors that contribute to the generation of reproductively isolated forms is a fundamental goal of evolutionary biology. Cryptic species are an especially interesting challenge to study in this context since they lack obvious morphological differentiation that provides clues to adaptive divergence that may drive reproductive isolation. Geographical isolation in refugial areas during glacial cycling is known to be important for generating genetically divergent populations, but its role in the origination of new species is still not fully understood and likely to be situation dependent. We combine analysis of 35,434 single‐nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with environmental niche modeling (ENM) to investigate genomic and ecological divergence in three cryptic species formerly classified as the field vole (Microtus agrestis ). The SNPs demonstrate high genomic divergence (pairwise F ST values of 0.45–0.72) and little evidence of gene flow among the three field vole cryptic species, and we argue that genetic drift may have been a particularly important mechanism for divergence in the group. The ENM reveals three areas as potential glacial refugia for the cryptic species and differing climatic niches, although with spatial overlap between species pairs. This evidence underscores the role that glacial cycling has in promoting genetic differentiation and reproductive isolation by subdivision into disjunct distributions at glacial maxima in areas relatively close to ice sheets. Future investigation of the intrinsic barriers to gene flow between the field vole cryptic species is required to fully assess the mechanisms that contribute to reproductive isolation. In addition, the Portuguese field vole (M. rozianus ) shows a high inbreeding coefficient and a restricted climatic niche, and warrants investigation into its conservation status.