Japanese Yew (Taxus) poisoning of wild ungulates in Utah during the winter of 2022-2023.

Taxus is a genus of coniferous shrubs and trees, commonly known as the yews, in the family Taxaceae. All species of yew contain taxine alkaloids, which are ascribed as the toxic principles. Anecdotally, free ranging ruminants such as antelope, deer, elk, and moose have been regarded as tolerant to yew. Herein several cases of intoxication of deer, elk, and moose by yew from the state of Utah in the winter of 2022-2023 are documented. Ingestion of yew was documented by three means among the poisoned cervids; plant fragments consistent with yew were visually observed in the rumen contents, chemical analysis, and subsequent detection of the taxines from rumen and liver contents, and identification of exact sequence variants identified as Taxus species from DNA metabarcoding. Undoubtedly, the record snowfall in Utah during the winter of 2022-2023 contributed to these poisonings.

De novo chromosome-length assembly of the mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) genome.

The mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) is an ungulate species that is distributed in a range from western Canada to central Mexico. Mule deer are an essential source of food for many predators, are relatively abundant, and commonly make broad migration movements. A clearer understanding of the mule deer genome can improve our knowledge of its population genetics, movements, and demographic history, aiding in conservation efforts. Their large population size, continuous distribution, and diversity of habitat make mule deer excellent candidates for population genomics studies; however, few genomic resources are currently available for this species. Here, we sequence and assemble the mule deer genome into a highly contiguous chromosome-length assembly for use in future research using long-read sequencing and Hi-C technologies. We also provide a genome annotation and compare demographic histories of the mule deer and white-tailed deer using the pairwise sequentially Markovian coalescent model. We expect this assembly to be a valuable resource in the continued study and conservation of mule deer.