Compounds for beavers - harmful animals like mice ravaging the Gulf marsh

Rodent pests that weigh only 10 pounds are devastating the swamp south of the United States recently, destroying the Mississippi River swamp ecosystem with a level of danger just behind their strength. storm Rita and Katrina. The beaver was last encountered by their molecular science, including the project of Professor Athula B. Attygalle (molecular chemistry expert and mass spectrometry of the Public Institute). technology in Hoboken, New Jersey) with a team of scientists from Cornell University and the University of Iowa.

The biology of the beaver allows reproduction at a very fast rate, making it a difficult animal to control if released in the wild. A beaver averages 5 beaver children per litter, but occasionally gives birth to 13 baby beavers.The female beaver can be conceived only 2 days after birth, which means a beaver can reproduce 3 litters per year .

According to a report by journalist Chris Kirkham (Louisiana), a wildlife research team recorded the beaver data saying that in the 1930s, 20 beavers brought to Loisiana gave birth to a number. giant - about 20 million - after only two decades.

According to Kirkham, although beavers are brought to parts of the country, the warm climate in Louisiana facilitates the breeding process. Already threatened by the intrusion of saline water, the swamp must also deal with the beaver's voracious habits when the roots play a vital role in sustaining the gnawing marsh.

(Photo: iStockphoto / Per Jørgensen) Professor Attygalle and his fellow biologists - Professor Thomas Eisner and Professor Steven Finckbeiner - believe they have found alternative chemical compounds for trapping freedom or poisoning is harmful to the ecosystem in solving the problem of controlling the number of beaver flocks.

Attygale said that some volatile compounds such as terpenoids, fatty alcohols, fatty acids and some of their esters have been detected in soluble fluids taken from the anal glands of the beaver. These compounds are very attractive to beavers , so when used strategically, they will be very helpful in an effort to control the development of the marine benthic colony which is easily destroyed. ruin.

The main component of terpenoid was discovered as (E, E) -farnesol and its esters by comparison of the gas chromatography, electronic ionization (EI) and large chemical ionization (CI) spectra. of them with authentic compounds. The large EI spectrum of four farnesol isomers is quite similar, but the algorithm software ChemStation (Agilent) and GC-MS Solution (Shimadzu) are still capable of distinguishing natural compounds from the role (E, E). - Isomer when high quality spectral library is compiled from reference samples used in research. Similarly, esters identified as esters of (E, E) -farnesol. In contrast to the EI spectrum, the CI spectrum of isomers (E, E) and (E, Z) are very different from the isomer (Z, E) and (Z, Z).

Furthermore, the infrared spectrum of isomers (E, E) is also different from those of the other three isomers in the 2962-2968 cm-1 and 2918-2922 cm-1 groups, which show the prolonged movement of CH ₃ and CH groups. ₂ asymmetric. Finally, the memorization index of farnesol and farnesyl ester isomers determined from real samples is used for validation.

For years, EA McIlhenny has been heavily criticized for bringing this rodent from South America to Avery Island since the 1930s . At that time, McIlhenny wanted to expand the fur trade in Louisiana so he brought beavers from South America to his hometown on Avery Island and the story continued from there. But a storm swept through the beaver beach and brought them back to the wild.

The story exists for decades and is passed down through family members. Five years ago, a historian hired by the McIlhenny family found documents that McIlhenny actually bought beaver from a fur dealer in St Bernard in 1938. In his interview Kirkham journalist wrote: According to the historian and manager Shane Bernard of the McIlhenny family, McIlhenny actually left the beaver, not the storm.

Kirkham said: 'I believe the story has been changed. Everyone knows that oral stories or folk tales can be changed when they are passed down from generation to generation. '

While federal agencies are looking for a variety of poisoning measures, no measures are taken for a long time because they all affect other species. The study of Professor Attygalle and his assistants offers an environmentally friendly bait technique to entice beavers to traps; thereby bringing them away from the coast and vulnerable swamps.