The Diet of the Nestling Noisy Scrub-Bird, Atrichornis Clamosus.

1984 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 553 ◽  
Author(s):  
GT Smith ◽  
MC Calver

The diet of nestling noisy scrub-birds, Atrichornis clamosus, was determined from observations at 12 nests and from examination of 718 faecal sacs. Nestlings were fed invertebrates of 18 orders plus a few small vertebrates. There was no significant difference in the proportions of the various taxa as determined from observational and faecal sac data. The most common prey from the combined data were Araneida (35%), Orthoptera (29%), larvae (13%), Blattodea (7%), Hymenoptera (4%), Chilopoda (3%), and Lumbricidae (2%). There were significant differences between the proportions of the main prey items between years, within years and within territories. There were no significant differences in the type of prey fed at different ages. The data suggest that the female noisy scrub-bird is a generalist predator when feeding her young.

2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 223-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Andrews-Rudd ◽  
C. Farmer-Day ◽  
H.M. Clayton ◽  
J.M. Williams ◽  
D.J. Marlin

Although stirrups may be considered an essential part of equestrian equipment, there is little research describing their use and function. The aim of the present study was to compare stirrup lengths chosen for flatwork by novice and experienced riders, and to measure the associated leg position and knee angles. Ten novice and ten experienced riders, with kinematic markers attached to their greater trochanter, lateral femoral epicondyle, and lateral fibular malleolus, mounted three horses and a mechanical horse. The riders selected an appropriate stirrup length for flatwork by adjusting the unnumbered stirrup leathers. Stirrup length was measured and expressed as a percentage of the rider’s leg length measured from the greater trochanter to the floor when standing. Lateral photographs were taken from both sides with the riders mounted on each horse in a standing position. The kinematic markers were digitised to measure knee angle and ankle position relative to the hip in the anteroposterior direction. Within riders, there was no significant difference in stirrup length between the three live horses or between the mechanical horse and live horse. Experienced riders consistently selected a significantly longer stirrup length as a percentage of their leg length compared with novice riders (combined data for live horses and mechanical horse; P=0.005). Experienced riders demonstrated a significantly larger knee angle (combined data for live horses and mechanical horse) compared with novice riders (118±8° and 109±7°, respectively; P=0.016). Novice riders had a significantly larger knee angle on the mechanical horse compared with the live horse (115±9° versus 107±9°, respectively; P=0.003). The relatively longer stirrup length selected by experienced riders is thought to reflect the development of an independent seat, which implies the ability to move the legs independently of the pelvis. The chair seat adopted by novice riders on the mechanical horse could be considered counter to improving their equitation skills.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (3) ◽  
pp. R677-R683 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Brownbill ◽  
D. Mahendran ◽  
D. Owen ◽  
P. Swanson ◽  
K. L. Thornburg ◽  
...  

We tested two hypotheses: 1) that fibrin-containing fibrinoid-filled denudations of the syncytiotrophoblast may provide a route for paracellular diffusion and 2) that placentas from women who had elevated maternal serum alphafetoprotein (MSAFP) in midgestation had raised permeability to AFP and greater denudation than in normal pregnancy. We measured AFP and creatinine clearance across term placental cotyledons from the above groups and used light microscope morphometric analysis to determine the volume density of fibrin-containing fibrinoid deposits. There was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of AFP and creatinine clearance or volume density of fibrin-containing fibrinoid deposits. The combined data showed a significant ( P < 0.05) positive correlation between creatinine clearance, but not AFP clearance, and volume density of fibrin-containing fibrinoid. We conclude that syncytiotrophoblast denudations, with associated fibrinoid, do provide a route for diffusion of small hydrophilic solutes, but that other anatomic features of the placenta are rate limiting for transfer of AFP and similarly sized molecules.


Forests ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 1107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hui Yang ◽  
Biqin Mo ◽  
Mengxia Zhou ◽  
Tongbin Zhu ◽  
Jianhua Cao

Soil organic carbon (SOC) mineralization is closely related to carbon source or sink of terrestrial ecosystem. Understanding SOC mineralization under plum plantation is essential for improving our understanding of SOC responses to land-use change in karst rocky desertification ecosystem. In this study, 2-year, 5-year, and 20-year plum plantations and adjacent abandoned land dominated by herbs were sampled, and a 90-day incubation experiment was conducted to investigate the effect of plum plantations with different ages on SOC mineralization in subtropical China. Results showed that: (1) Plum plantation significantly decreased SOC content compared with abandoned land, but there was no significant difference in SOC content among plum plantations with different ages. Oppositely, the accumulative SOC mineralization (Ct) and potential SOC mineralization (C0) showed different responses to plum plantation ages. (2) The dynamics of the SOC mineralization were a good fit to a first-order kinetic model. Both C0 and Ct in calcareous soil of this study was several- to 10-folds lower than other soils in non-karst regions, indicating that SOC in karst regions has higher stability. (3) Correlation analysis revealed that both Ct and C0 was significantly correlated with soil calcium (Ca), suggesting an important role of Ca in SOC mineralization in karst rocky desertification areas. In conclusion, a Ca-rich geological background controls SOC mineralization in karst rocky desertification areas.


2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (10) ◽  
pp. 1402 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. V. Albuquerque ◽  
A. F. Navia ◽  
T. Vaske ◽  
O. Crespo ◽  
F. H. V. Hazin

Trophic relationships of large pelagic predators can determine the structure and dynamics of oceanic food webs. The feeding habits and trophic ecology of five large pelagic fish (Acanthocybium solandri, Coryphaena hippurus, Elagatis bipinnulata, Thunnus albacares and Thunnus atlanticus) in the Saint Peter and Saint Paul Archipelago were evaluated to determine whether there is a trophic-niche overlap or resource partitioning among them. Eighty prey items found in 1528 stomachs were identified and grouped into Cephalopoda, Cnidaria, Crustacea, Gastropoda, Teleostei and Tunicata. Exocoetidae and Scombridae were the main prey in the diet of Acanthocybium solandri. In C. hippurus, Cheilopogon cyanopterus and Exocoetus volitans were the most important prey items, whereas C. cyanopterus was the main prey for T. albacares. Thunnus atlanticus consumed a great proportion of invertebrate species, with shrimps of Sergestidae family being particularly important. The gastropod Cavolinia sp. was the most important prey for E. bipinnulata. The five species had a high trophic specialisation and a high trophic level (&gt;4.4), whereas most dietary overlaps were consistently low. The most important factor for diet dissimilarity was the consumption of Exocoetidade. All species were classified as top predators with varied diets, indicating their structural and functional importance in the food web of the Archipelago.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Alphonse Laya ◽  
Benoît B. Koubala

Vitamin E and carotenoids belong to a group of bioactive compounds that have an important effect on human health. The present study aims to investigate for the first time the concentration of vitamin E, α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol, and β-carotene in edible cassava leaves during different ages. The analysis was performed using colorimetry and high-performance liquid chromatograph (HPLC) methods. A significant difference was found among α-, γ-, and δ-tocopherol concentrations in leaves; γ- and α-tocopherol isomer contents were the predominant in amount, respectively. Among the leaves, AD variety harvested at 6 months after planting (MAP) was the highest in total vitamin E (222 μgα-TE/g). However, the highest γ-tocopherol content (2782 μg/100g) and the content of biologically active vitamin E (1244 μg/100g) were found in EN variety at 6MAP, whereas the highest value (42 μg/g) of β-carotene was found in AD variety at 12MAP. Total vitamin E and tocopherol isomers composition varied among varieties and seasons as did β-carotene. The effects of varieties and harvest ages on the biosynthesis regulation of these compounds were confirmed by principal component analysis (F1x F2: 74.34%). Edible cassava leaves can be considered as sources of vitamin E for natural dietary antioxidant during different ages, and the best time to harvest EN and AD varieties is at 6MAP on the basis of α-tocopherol equivalent or content of biologically active vitamin E content, and EN and AD varieties performed the overall best. Thus, the edible cassava leaves are among the leafy vegetables that could be helpful to suggest as a part of daily meal for health benefits and pharmaceutical purposes.


1984 ◽  
Vol 62 (1) ◽  
pp. 23-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marie Meunier ◽  
Jean Bédard

The diet of savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) nestlings was monitored at Îsle Verte, Québec, during the 1980 breeding season. Adults carried exclusively arthropods to the nest. The main prey types found were Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera larvae, larval and adult Diptera and Homoptera. The proportion of different prey types in the diet varied during the season but there was no close relationship between temporal changes in the indices of prey abundance in the habitat and the type of prey chosen by the adult birds. Both the type and size of prey brought to the nest changed with the age and number of nestlings (aged 4–10 days). The proportion of Homoptera in the diet decreased sharply with age while that of Lepidoptera and Diptera increased. Adults feeding broods of four brought a larger proportion of large prey items (Lepidoptera and Hymenoptera larvae) than those feeding broods of a lesser size; to these they brought a larger proportion of smaller items such as Diptera and adult Lepidoptera. Males and females brought the same major prey types to the nest but not in the same proportions.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vida Hojati ◽  
Reza Babaei Savasari

The Caspian bent-toed gecko,Tenuidactylus caspius, is one of the most common nocturnal lizards of Iran with widespread distribution especially in the northern provinces. This research was done in order to study the diet and sexual dimorphism of this species in Sari County from 5 May to 20 October. During this research, 40 specimens of them including 20 males and 20 females were studied for diet and 140 specimens including 70 adult males and 70 adult females were studied for sexual dimorphism. Prey items identified were insects that belong to 15 species of 8 families and 6 orders. The most common prey items wereCulex pipiensandMusca domestica. There is no significant difference between diets of males and females. Results show that the adult males in addition of having the apparent femoral and preanal pores are heavier than females and have larger body, head, and tail length.


2015 ◽  
Vol 95 (3) ◽  
pp. 487-491
Author(s):  
Min He ◽  
Xiaoxia Liang ◽  
Kaiyu Wang ◽  
Haibo Pu ◽  
Yaodong Hu ◽  
...  

He, M., Liang, X., Wang, K., Pu, H., Hu, Y., Ye, G., Li, X. and Liu, L. 2015. Age-related development and histomorphological observation of bursa of Fabricius in yellow quails. Can. J. Anim. Sci. 95: 487–491. The purpose of this study was to observe the age-related development and histomorphological changes in the bursa of Fabricius (BF) in Chinese yellow quails. One hundred and twenty Chinese yellow quails were divided into 12 groups. After dissecting, the weight, length, width and index analysis of the BF were determined, and histomorphological observation was performed using hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining at different ages. The weight of the BF gradually increased with age from 0 to 5 wk, reached a peak at 5 wk (100.23±6.47), then decreased quickly from 5 to 9 wk (63.21±3.90) and decreased slowly after 9 wk (P<0.05). The length of the BF was greater at 5 wk old than at 0 wk old (11.00±2.45 vs. 5.00±1.15, P<0.05), and there was no significant difference after 5 wk of age (P>0.05). The width of the BF was similar to the length. The organ index was higher at 1 wk of age compared with 5 wk of age (1.25±0.11 vs. 0.71±0.05, P<0.05) and reached its maximum from 0 to 36 wk of age. Histomorphological analysis revealed the different development stages of the BF at different ages. We detected the age-related development of the BF in Chinese yellow quails and observed the histomorphological modifications. This study may help increase our understanding of the quail's immune system and provide a basis for immunization research in Chinese yellow quails.


2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 537 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gizelle Willows ◽  
Darron West

Behavioral finance shows us that individuals do not always behave rationally, owing to certain behavioural biases. A certain bias known as overconfidence has been found to incite increased trading frequency which in turn, reduces the overall return earned. Behavioral biases manifest differently amongst men and women of different ages. Men and more overconfident and women are more risk averse, whilst the young hold more volatile portfolios and the more experienced display fewer of these biases. A sample of 19,021 individual investors from a South African investment house was analysed over five years in order to draw conclusions on the trading behaviour, returns earned and variances in these returns earned by men and women of different ages. The results showed women over the age of 60 years earning statistically significantly higher returns than men and older investors having lower variances in return. For investors of younger ages, no statistically significant difference in the returns earned by men and women are noted, however men were found to have higher variances of returns. Whilst the trading frequency of men is statistically significantly higher than women for the total sample of investors; this result is not consistent amongst the different age-groupings analysed.


2019 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiyang Zhao ◽  
Yanyan Pan ◽  
Xiaona Pei ◽  
Fuwei Wang ◽  
Chenglu Wang ◽  
...  

Abstract Tree height and diameter at breast height of 30 half-sib Larix kaempferi families were analyzed at different ages. Analysis of variance revealed a significant difference in growth among dif­ferent families. Phenotypic variation coefficients of the traits tree height and diameter at breast height among families of different ages ranged from 11.04 % to 31.74 % and 19.01 % to 19.83 %, respectively. Average heritability of tree height and diameter at breast height ranged from 0.87 to 0.96 and 0.93 to 0.96, respectively. Significant positive correlations were obser­ved among all traits at different ages. By the method of multip­le-traits comprehensive, six families (L18, L12, L8, L3, L25 and L20) were selected as being elite using a 20 % selection ratio at 12 years of age. Average values of these elite families were 11.15 % and 16.83 % higher than the total average for height and diameter at breast height, and genetic gains were 10.53 % and 15.79 %, respectively. Forty five elite individual plants were selected using a 5 % selection ratio which were 23.47 % and 24.90 % higher than the overall average for height and diame­ter at breast height, respectively.


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