Seasonal patterns of bison diet across climate gradients in North America

AbstractNorth American plains bison (Bison bison) have been reintroduced across their former range, yet we know too little about their current diet to understand what drove their past migrations as well as observed continental-scale variation in weight gain and reproduction. In order to better understand the seasonal diets of bison at the continental scale, bison fecal material was collected monthly from April to September in 2019 across 45 sites throughout the conterminous United States. Fecal material was analyzed for dietary quality using near infrared spectroscopy and dietary composition with DNA metabarcoding. As observed in previous research, dietary quality peaked in June and was on average greatest for sites with cold, wet climates. Yet, in April, dietary quality was highest in warmer regions, likely reflecting earlier phenology of plants in southern than northern regions. Independent of climate and season, bison that consumed more warm-season grasses had lower dietary protein concentrations. Interpreting the relative abundance of sequences from different plant species as the relative intake of protein from those species, only 38% of bison protein intake came from grasses. An equal amount of dietary protein came from legumes (38%) and 22% from non-leguminous forbs. Seasonal shifts in bison diet were also clear, in part, following the phenology of functional groups. For example, cool-season grass protein intake was highest in May, while legume protein intake was highest in August. Comparing data taken in June and September 2018 in a previous study with corresponding data in 2019, on average, June [CP] was 20% higher in 2019 than 2018, while September [CP] did not differ between years. Dietary functional group composition was generally similar in amounts and relationships with climate between years, yet in September 2019, legumes contributed 20% more protein and warm-season grasses 14% less than in September 2018. In all, this research demonstrates that bison consistently rely on eudicots for protein with the functional group composition of their diet in some ways consistent across space and time, but also spatially and temporally variable. The early-season inversion of plant quality gradients would have been a strong driver of migratory behavior for large numbers of bison optimizing protein intake. As most bison currently experience protein deficiency, optimizing protein intake under current non-migratory conditions will require increasing the relative abundance of high-protein species such as N2-fixing species.

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Community Organisation, Biogeography and Seasonality of Ants in an Open Forest of South-eastern Queensland

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo96069 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 45 (5) ◽

pp. 523 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

C. Vanderwoude ◽

A. N. Andersen ◽

A. P. N. House

Keyword(s):

Species Richness ◽

Relative Abundance ◽

Functional Group ◽

Group Composition ◽

Ant Communities ◽

Ant Community ◽

South Eastern ◽

Community Organisation ◽

Eucalypt Forest ◽

Eastern Australia

The biogeography and structure of ant communities were examined over a 12-month period at a dry open eucalypt forest in south-eastern Queensland. Three sites were monitored, each with a distinct long-term burning history: burned annually since 1952, burned periodically since 1973, and unburned since 1946. A total of 89 species from 42 genera was recorded over all trapping periods, with the richest genera being Iridomyrmex, Camponotus and Pheidole, each with eight species. Site species richness was 74, 63 and 43, respectively, at the annually burned, periodically burned and the unburned site. We compared the ant community in this forest with those at other forested sites in eastern Australia. Overall, the south-eastern Queensland community was located on the overlap between the Bassian and Torresian zones (not dominated by either element), while the functional-group composition resembled those of both tropical savannas and cool-temperate woodlands. There were readily discernible differences between sites in terms of biogeographical and functional-group composition; and between the unburned site and both burned sites in terms of abundance and species richness. The relative abundance of Iridomyrmex spp. increased with burning frequency while the relative abundance of Bassian species decreased with burning frequency. Species richness and abundance at the burned sites were similar, but substantially higher than at the unburned site. The community characteristics of the three sites were readily distinguishable, indicating that ant communities may play a valuable role in detecting ecological changes in forested landscapes in south- eastern Queensland.

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Association between lean mass and dietary protein intake in postmenopausal women

Bone Abstracts ◽

10.1530/boneabs.5.p279 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Vladyslav Povoroznyuk ◽

Nataliia Dzerovych ◽

Roksolana Povorooznyuk

Keyword(s):

Postmenopausal Women ◽

Lean Mass ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

Protein Intake ◽

Dietary Protein Intake

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Faculty Opinions recommendation of Dietary protein intake and risk of type 2 diabetes: results from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study and a meta-analysis of prospective studies.

Faculty Opinions – Post-Publication Peer Review of the Biomedical Literature ◽

10.3410/f.726740450.793525145 ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Mikael Fogelholm

Keyword(s):

Type 2 Diabetes ◽

Cohort Study ◽

Prospective Studies ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

Protein Intake ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Dietary Protein Intake ◽

Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study

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Base Temperatures for Seedling Growth and Their Correlation with Chilling Sensitivity for Warm-Season Grasses

Crop Science ◽

10.2135/cropsci2003.0874 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 43 (3) ◽

pp. 874 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

I. C. Madakadze ◽

K. A. Stewart ◽

R. M. Madakadze ◽

D. L. Smith

Keyword(s):

Seedling Growth ◽

Warm Season ◽

Chilling Sensitivity ◽

Warm Season Grasses

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Dietary Intake, Nutritional Adequacy, and Food Sources of Protein and Relationships with Personal and Family Factors in Spanish Children Aged One to < 10 Years: Findings of the EsNuPI Study

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu13041062 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (4) ◽

pp. 1062

Author(s):

Casandra Madrigal ◽

María José Soto-Méndez ◽

Ángela Hernández-Ruiz ◽

Teresa Valero ◽

Federico Lara Villoslada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Dietary Protein ◽

Total Protein ◽

Dairy Products ◽

Protein Intake ◽

Meat Products ◽

Food Sources ◽

Animal Origin ◽

Total Protein Intake ◽

Fish And Shellfish ◽

Milk And Dairy Products

Diet in the first years of life is an important factor in growth and development. Dietary protein is a critical macronutrient that provides both essential and nonessential amino acids required for sustaining all body functions and procedures, providing the structural basis to maintain life and healthy development and growth in children. In this study, our aim was to describe the total protein intake, type and food sources of protein, the adequacy to the Population Reference Intake (PRI) for protein by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and the Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) by the Institute of Medicine (IoM). Furthermore, we analyzed whether the consumption of dairy products (including regular milk, dairy products, or adapted milk formulas) is associated with nutrient adequacy and the contribution of protein to diet and whole dietary profile in the two cohorts of the EsNuPI (in English, Nutritional Study in the Spanish Pediatric Population) study; one cohort was representative of the Spanish population from one to < 10 years old (n = 707) (Spanish reference cohort, SRS) who reported consuming all kinds of milk and one was a cohort of the same age who reported consuming adapted milk over the last year (including follow-on formula, growing up milk, toddler’s milk, and enriched and fortified milks) (n = 741) (adapted milk consumers cohort, AMS). The children of both cohorts had a high contribution from protein to total energy intake (16.79% SRS and 15.63% AMS) and a high total protein intake (60.89 g/day SRS and 53.43 g/day AMS). We observed that protein intake in Spanish children aged one to < 10 years old was above the European and international recommendations, as well as the recommended percentages for energy intakes. The main protein sources were milk and dairy products (28% SRS and 29% AMS) and meat and meat products (27% SRS and 26% AMS), followed by cereals (16% SRS and 15% AMS), fish and shellfish (8% in both cohorts), eggs (5% SRS and 6% AMS), and legumes (4% in both cohorts). In our study population, protein intake was mainly from an animal origin (meat and meat products, milk and dairy products, fish and shellfish, and eggs) rather than from a plant origin (cereals and legumes). Future studies should investigate the long-term effect of dietary protein in early childhood on growth and body composition, and whether high protein intake affects health later in life.

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Surface Chemical Heterogeneity of Low Rank Coal Characterized by Micro-FTIR and Its Correlation with Hydrophobicity

Minerals ◽

10.3390/min11030239 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (3) ◽

pp. 239

Author(s):

Wei Wang ◽

Long Liang ◽

Yaoli Peng ◽

Maria Holuszko

Keyword(s):

Surface Chemistry ◽

Functional Group ◽

Group Composition ◽

Contact Angles ◽

Low Rank ◽

Surface Chemical ◽

Carbonyl Groups ◽

Low Rank Coal ◽

Different Types ◽

Aliphatic Carbon

Micro-Fourier transform infrared (micro-FTIR) spectroscopy was used to correlate the surface chemistry of low rank coal with hydrophobicity. Six square areas without mineral impurities on low rank coal surfaces were selected as testing areas. A specially-designed methodology was applied to conduct micro-FTIR measurements and contact angle tests on the same testing area. A series of semi-quantitative functional group ratios derived from micro-FTIR spectra were correlated with contact angles, and the determination coefficients of linear regression were calculated and compared in order to identify the structure of the functional group ratios. Finally, two semi-quantitative ratios composed of aliphatic carbon hydrogen, aromatic carbon hydrogen and two different types of carbonyl groups were proposed as indicators of low rank coal hydrophobicity. This work provided a rapid way to predict low rank coal hydrophobicity through its functional group composition and helped us understand the hydrophobicity heterogeneity of low rank coal from the perspective of its surface chemistry.

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Thyroxine, Triiodothyronine and Reverse-Triiodothyronine Concentrations in Blood Plasma in Relation to Lactational Stage, Milk Yield, Energy and Dietary Protein Intake in Estonian Dairy Cows

Acta Veterinaria Scandinavica ◽

10.1186/bf03548480 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 38 (4) ◽

pp. 339-348 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

T. Tiirats

Keyword(s):

Blood Plasma ◽

Dairy Cows ◽

Milk Yield ◽

Dietary Protein ◽

Protein Intake ◽

Dietary Protein Intake ◽

Reverse Triiodothyronine ◽

In Blood Plasma

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Herbicides for Postemergence Control of Annual Grass Weeds in Seedling Forage Grasses

Weed Science ◽

10.1017/s0043174500072088 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 37 (3) ◽

pp. 375-379 ◽

Cited By ~ 12

Author(s):

Thomas J. Peters ◽

Russell S. Moomaw ◽

Alex R. Martin

Keyword(s):

Warm Season ◽

Big Bluestem ◽

Forage Grasses ◽

Annual Grass ◽

Cool Season ◽

Intermediate Wheatgrass ◽

Green Foxtail ◽

Annual Grasses ◽

Large Crabgrass ◽

Warm Season Grasses

The control of three summer annual grass weeds with herbicides during establishment of forage grasses was studied near Concord and Mead, NE, in 1984, 1985, and 1986. Three cool-season forage grasses, intermediate wheatgrass, tall fescue, and smooth bromegrass, and two warm-season grasses, big bluestem and switchgrass, were included. The control of three major summer annual grasses, green foxtail, barnyardgrass, and large crabgrass, was excellent with fenoxaprop at 0.22 kg ai/ha. Slight to moderate injury to cool-season forage grasses and severe injury to warm-season grasses were evident. Sethoxydim at 0.22 kg ai/ha and haloxyfop at 0.11 kg ai/ha controlled green foxtail and large crabgrass, but not barnyardgrass. Sulfometuron-treated big bluestem and switchgrass plots had the best forage stand frequencies and yields and, at the rate used, sulfometuron satisfactorily controlled green foxtail but only marginally controlled barnyardgrass and large crabgrass.

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Seasonal and temperature effects on mycorrhizal activity and dependence of cool- and warm-season tallgrass prairie grasses

Canadian Journal of Botany ◽

10.1139/b92-201 ◽

1992 ◽

Vol 70 (8) ◽

pp. 1596-1602 ◽

Cited By ~ 46

Author(s):

S. P. Bentivenga ◽

B. A. D. Hetrick

Keyword(s):

Tallgrass Prairie ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Warm Season ◽

Growing Season ◽

Cool Temperature ◽

Cool Season ◽

Fungal Activity ◽

Prairie Grasses ◽

Vesicular Arbuscular ◽

Warm Season Grasses

Previous research on North American tallgrass prairie grasses has shown that warm-season grasses rely heavily on vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis, while cool-season grasses are less dependent on the symbiosis (i.e., receive less benefit). This led to the hypothesis that cool-season grasses are less dependent on the symbiosis, because the growth of these plants occurs when mycorrhizal fungi are inactive. Field studies were performed to assess the effect of phenology of cool- and warm-season grasses on mycorrhizal fungal activity and fungal species composition. Mycorrhizal fungal activity in field samples was assessed using the vital stain nitro blue tetrazolium in addition to traditional staining techniques. Mycorrhizal activity was greater in cool-season grasses than in warm-season grasses early (April and May) and late (December) in the growing season, while mycorrhizal activity in roots of the warm-season grasses was greater (compared with cool-season grasses) in midseason (July and August). Active mycorrhizal colonization was relatively high in both groups of grasses late in the growing season, suggesting that mycorrhizal fungi may proliferate internally or may be parasitic at this time. Total Glomales sporulation was generally greater in the rhizosphere of cool-season grasses in June and in the rhizosphere of the warm-season grasses in October. A growth chamber experiment was conducted to examine the effect of temperature on mycorrhizal dependence of cool- and warm-season grasses. For both groups of grasses, mycorrhizal dependence was greatest at the temperature that favored growth of the host. The results suggest that mycorrhizal fungi are active in roots when cool-season grasses are growing and that cool-season grasses may receive benefit from the symbiosis under relatively cool temperature regimes. Key words: cool-season grasses, tallgrass prairie, vesicular–arbuscular mycorrhizae, warm-season grasses.

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