scholarly journals Myrmecovory in Neotropical primates

Primates ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nadja I. Risch Ferreira ◽  
Manfred Verhaagh ◽  
Eckhard W. Heymann
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Cognitive Skills ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Tropical Rainforests ◽  
Neotropical Primates ◽  
Dominant Group ◽  
Selection Pressures ◽  
A Minor ◽  
Potential Food

AbstractAnts are the dominant group of animals in many habitats, particularly in tropical rainforests. High abundance and formation of large colonies convert them into a potential food source for a broad spectrum of animals. In this paper we review myrmecovory (consumption of ants) in Neotropical primates. Myrmecovory has been reported from 57 taxa (species + subspecies) out of 217 species of Neotropical primates, representing 18 out of 22 genera. The proportion of ants in the animal portion of the diet is highest amongst members of the genera Cebus, Sapajus, Cheracebus and Plecturocebus, but generally low in callitrichids, large pitheciids (Cacajao, Chiropotes) and atelids. Ants from seven subfamilies of Formicidae (out of 13 subfamilies found in the Neotropics) are consumed, including taxa with and without functional sting and with varying other defences. Foraging technics employed in myrmecovory range from picking ants from open substrates to extractive foraging involving the destruction of ant nests or shelters, but tool use has not been reported. We conclude that myrmecovory is widespread amongst Neotropical primates but on average contributes only a minor proportion of the diet. The diversity of foraging technics employed and lack of tool use in Neotropical primate myrmecovory, even for ants with functional stings and aggressive biting, suggests that tool use for myrmecovory in hominids has not evolved in response to ant defences but is a consequence of enhanced cognitive skills that evolved under other selection pressures.

Dropouts and Aftereffects: Examining General Accessibility to Virtual Environment Technology

2002 ◽  
Vol 46 (26) ◽  
pp. 2114-2118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay M. Stanney ◽  
Kelly S. Kingdon ◽  
Robert S. Kennedy
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Environments ◽  
Virtual Environment ◽  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
General Public ◽  
Dropout Rates ◽  
Environment Exposure ◽  
Oculomotor Disturbances ◽  
A Minor

Are current virtual environments (VEs) usable by the broad spectrum of people who may wish to utilize this technology? The current study, which examined over 1000 participants, indicates the answer to this question is a definitive ‘no’. Virtual environment exposure was found to cause people to vomit (1.1%), experience nausea (71%), disorientation (70%), and oculomotor disturbances (79%). Overall, 88% of participants reported some level of adverse symptomatology, ranging from a minor headache to vomiting and intense vertigo. These disturbances led 12% of those exposed to prematurely cease their interaction. Dropout rates as high as nearly 50% were found in exposures of 1 hr in length. In addition, long-term aftereffects were found, including headaches, drowsiness, nausea, and fatigue. These problems could substantially reduce the accessibility of VE technology by the general public and thus must be resolved if this technology is to be widely adopted.

Structure-activity relations and β-lactamase resistance

1980 ◽  
Vol 289 (1036) ◽  
pp. 197-205 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Broad Spectrum ◽  
Product Inhibition ◽  
Sulphur Atom ◽  
Chemical Modifications ◽  
Gram Negative ◽  
Structure Activity ◽  
Broad Spectrum Resistance ◽  
Structure Activity Relations ◽  
Minor Influence ◽  
A Minor

β-Lactam antibiotics resistant to β-lactamase degradation can be produced by many chemical modifications, but often at the expense of antibacterial activity. Substitution onto several positions in the molecule produces different and often selective resistance; for instance, heavily sterically hindered acyl groups give staphylococcal P-lactamase resistance to penicillins, and resistance to some enzymes from Gram-negative pathogens to both penicillins and cephalosporins. 6-α- or 7-α-substituents respectively confer a broad spectrum of resistance (e.g. cefoxitin), but changes at positions 2 or 3 have only a minor influence on enzyme susceptibility. Changes in the ring condensed with the β-lactam, such as changing ceph-3-em to ceph-2-em may greatly enhance stability. Small improvements can occur when the nuclear sulphur atom is oxidized, but a much better effect is obtained when it is replaced by another atom such as oxygen, as in clavulanic acid. This compound appears to have broad spectrum resistance which is actually due to susceptibility and subsequent product inhibition.

scholarly journals A Short Report on the Extent of Stone Handling Behavior Across Otter Species

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 15-22
Author(s):  
Elisa Bandini
Keyword(s):  
Tool Use ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Potential Functions ◽  
Play Behavior ◽  
Stone Tool ◽  
Short Report ◽  
Selection Pressures ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Macaque Species

Animal stone-handling behavior (SH) has been recorded in detail only in primates, mainly across macaque species. The purpose(s) of SH are still unknown, yet various hypotheses have been suggested, including that it is a misdirected behavior when hungry and/or a play behavior that aids individuals' motor and stone tool-use development. SH has also been observed across both wild and captive otter species, but no overview report of the extent of this behavior across otter species has been published yet. To fill this gap in the literature, we contacted wild and captive otter researchers and keepers to enquire directly on SH in the species they work with. We accepted anecdotal reports in this first review of the behavior. Using the reports and anecdotes thus obtained, we compiled the first list of otter species that show SH. We found that most (10 out of 13) of currently known otter species practice SH. Therefore, similarly to macaques, SH is also common in otters and occurs in the majority of species. Future studies should focus on replicating these findings and further investigating the potential functions and selection pressures of SH in otters and other animal species.

The Genus Chenopodium: A Potential Food Source

2013 ◽  
pp. 3-31
Author(s):  
Eulogio de la Cruz Torres ◽  
Guadalupe Palomino Hasbach ◽  
Juan Manuel García Andrade ◽  
Cristina Mapes Sánchez ◽  
Josefina González Jiménez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Potential Food Source ◽  
Potential Food

Invertebrates as a Potential Food Source of Brown Bears on the Deosai Plateau, Northern Pakistan

2004 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-19 ◽  
Author(s):  
O.B. Kok . ◽  
C.R. Haddad . ◽  
D.J. Van Niekerk . ◽  
H.J.B. Butler . ◽  
M.A. Nawaz .
Keyword(s):  
Food Source ◽  
Northern Pakistan ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Potential Food Source ◽  
Potential Food

Seed predation by birds shortly after a wildfire in a Corsican pine forest

2006 ◽  
Vol 15 (1) ◽  
pp. 81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jean-Claude Thibault ◽  
Roger Prodon
Keyword(s):  
Seed Predation ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Pine Forest ◽  
Potential Food Source ◽  
Coal Tit ◽  
Large Numbers ◽  
Seed Eating ◽  
Parus Ater ◽  
Burnt Areas ◽  
Potential Food

We examined the response of birds to a severe summer wildfire in a Corsican pine forest during the first months following the disturbance. Only seed-eating species visited the burnt areas in large numbers. While certain trunks or branches were still burning, numerous birds, among them the coal tit Parus ater and the Corsican nuthatch Sitta whiteheadi, were attracted by the large amount of pine seeds made available by the opening of the cones under the action of heat. The number of seed-harvesting birds declined afterwards. We discuss how seed hoarding by tits and nuthatches enabled these resident birds to survive during the first winter after the fire in a burnt environment where seeds remained the only potential food source.

scholarly journals Critically endangered blonde capuchins fish for termites and use new techniques to accomplish the task

2011 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 532-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Souto ◽  
Camila B. C. Bione ◽  
Monique Bastos ◽  
Bruna M. Bezerra ◽  
Dorothy Fragaszy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Tool Use ◽  
Critically Endangered ◽  
Neotropical Primates ◽  
New Techniques ◽  
Capture Success ◽  
Varied Diet ◽  
Manual Skills

We report the spontaneous modification and use of sticks to fish for termites, above the ground, in wild blonde capuchins ( Cebus flavius ). These critically endangered Neotropical primates inhabit remnants of the Atlantic Forest. They used two previously undescribed techniques to enhance their termite capture success: nest tapping and stick rotation. The current ecologically based explanation for tool use in wild capuchins (i.e. terrestrial habits and bipedalism) must be viewed cautiously. Instead, remarkable manual skills linked to a varied diet seem important in promoting tool use in different contexts. The repertoire of tool-using techniques employed by wild capuchins has been expanded, highlighting the behavioural versatility in this genus.

Chemical composition and microbiological assays of marine algae Enteromorpha spp. as a potential food source

2005 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-88 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Aguilera-Morales ◽  
M. Casas-Valdez ◽  
S. Carrillo-Domı́nguez ◽  
B. González-Acosta ◽  
F. Pérez-Gil
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Marine Algae ◽  
Food Source ◽  
Potential Food Source ◽  
Microbiological Assays ◽  
Potential Food
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