scholarly journals Ambient temperature correlates with geographic variation in body size of least horseshoe bats

2020 ◽  
Vol 66 (5) ◽  
pp. 459-465 ◽  
Author(s):  
Man Wang ◽  
Kelly Chen ◽  
Dongge Guo ◽  
Bo Luo ◽  
Weiwei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Primary Productivity ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Heat Conservation ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Horseshoe Bats

Abstract Geographic variation in body size is common within many animal species. The causes of this pattern, however, remain largely unexplored in most vertebrate groups. Bats are widely distributed globally owing to their ability of powered flight. Most bat species encounter a variety of climatic conditions across their distribution range, making them an ideal taxon for the study of ecogeographic patterns in body size. Here, we used adult least horseshoe bats, Rhinolophus pusillus, to test whether geographic variation in body size was determined by heat conservation, heat dissipation, climatic seasonality, or primary productivity. We measured body mass and head-body length for 246 adult bats from 12 allopatric colonies in China. We quantified the ecological conditions inhabited by each colony, including mean maximum temperature of the warmest month, mean minimum temperature of the coldest month, temperature seasonality, precipitation seasonality, and annual net primary productivity (ANPP). Body mass and head-body length, 2 of the most reliable indicators of body size, exhibited marked differences between colonies. After controlling for spatial autocorrelation, the mean minimum temperature of the coldest month explained most of the variation in body size among colonies, regardless of sex. The mean maximum temperature, climatic seasonality, and ANPP had limited power in predicting body size of males or females in comparison with mean minimum temperature. These results support the heat conservation hypothesis and suggest adaptive responses of body size to cold climates in cave-dwelling bats.

Geographic variation in body size of five Australian marsupials supports Bergmann’s thermoregulation hypothesis

2020 ◽  
Vol 101 (4) ◽  
pp. 1010-1020
Author(s):  
Alyson M Stobo-Wilson ◽  
Teigan Cremona ◽  
Brett P Murphy ◽  
Susan M Carthew
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Heat Dissipation ◽  
Geographic Range ◽  
Bergmann’S Rule ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Bergmann's Rule ◽  
Skull Length ◽  
Heat Conservation

Abstract Despite a large body of research, little agreement has been reached on the ultimate driver(s) of geographic variation in body size (mass and/or length). Here we use skull length measurements (as a surrogate for body mass) from five Australian marsupial species to test the primary hypotheses of geographic variation in body size (relating to ambient temperature, productivity, and seasonality). We used a revised articulation of Bergmann’s rule, wherein evidence for thermoregulation (heat dissipation or heat conservation) is considered supportive of Bergmann’s rule. We modeled the skull lengths of four Petaurid glider species and the common brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula) as a function of indices of ambient temperature, productivity, and seasonality. The skull length of Petaurus ariel, P. notatus, and the squirrel glider (P. norfolcensis), increased with increasing winter minimum temperature, while that of T. vulpecula decreased with increasing summer maximum temperature. The skull length of P. ariel decreased with indices of productivity, falsifying the productivity hypothesis. Only P. ariel met the hypothesis of seasonality, as skull length increased with increasing seasonality. Thermoregulation was the most consistently supported driver of geographic variation in body size, as we found evidence of either heat conservation or heat dissipation in four of the five species examined. We found the geographic range of the individual species and the climate space in which the species occurred was integral to understanding the species’ responses to climate variables. Future studies should use specimens that are representative of a species’ entire geographic range, encompass a variety of climatic regions, and use consistent methodologies and terminology when testing drivers of geographic variation in body size.

Observations on 287 thunder-storms made at highfield house, near Nottingham, during the last nine years

1851 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 957-957
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Tabular Form ◽  
The Hours ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Atmospheric Phenomena ◽  
Rotatory Motion

The thunder-storms referred to in this communication are recorded in a tabular form., arranged according to their dates. In this table are given the date; the hour of the commencement of the storm; the mean height of the barometer to tenths of an inch; whether it is rising, stationary, or falling; the direction of the wind before the storm, during its continuance, and after its cessation; the maximum temperature on the day of the storm and on the day after; the minimum temperature on the night before and on the night after; and general remarks on the storms. This table is followed by remarks on particular storms recorded in it. In conclusion the author gives the results of his observations with reference to the number of storms in each year; the number in each month, with the hours at which they mostly occur in particular months; the number that have occurred with a rising, stationary, or falling barometer; the number in respect to the direction of the wind and of the current in which the storms moved; the number of storms that have occurred at the various heights of the maximum, and also of the minimum thermometer; the number in which the peculiar breeze that suddenly springs up on the commencement of thunder-storms has been well marked; the change in the direction of some of these storms, and indications of rotatory motion; and finally, the different atmospheric phenomena which have accompanied these storms.

scholarly journals Temperature Change and Its Elevation Dependency in the Source Region of the Yangtze River and Yellow River

2014 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chongyi E ◽  
Hongchang Hu ◽  
Hong Xie ◽  
Yongjuan Sun
Keyword(s):  
Temperature Change ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Yangtze River ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Source Region ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Climatic Data ◽  
The Yangtze River ◽  
Extreme Minimum Temperature ◽  
The Mean

The study of temperature change and its elevation dependency in the source region of the Yangtze River and Yellow River have been insufficient owing to the lack of adequate observation stations and long-term climatic data. In this study five temperature indices of 32 stations from 1961 to 2007 in and near the source region are used. The 32 stations all have experienced significant warming; the warming amplitudes are higher than the mean warming amplitude of the Qinghai-Tibetan plateau. The warming amplitudes and the numbers of stations showing significant warming trends in mean minimum temperature and extreme minimum temperature are higher than that of the mean maximum temperature and extreme maximum temperature. The elevation dependency of climatic warming and the amount of significant warming stations are not obvious; the influence of human activity and urbanization may be higher. The warming amplitudes of 26 stations above 3000 m tend to be uniform, and there is no significant law at 6 stations below 3000 m. On the contrary, the ratio of stations showing significant warming in minimum temperature above 4000 m is far less than that of the stations below 4000 m.

Bioclimate of Jericho in Palestine

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Jehad Ighbareyeh
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Thermal Model ◽  
Arid Regions ◽  
Dead Sea ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Stone Age ◽  
The Earth ◽  
Latitudinal Belt ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Very High

 Jericho is an ancient Canaanite Palestinian city and one of the oldest cities in history, which dates back to more than 10.000 BC (Stone Age). It is located near to the Jordan River, north of the Dead Sea, and north of Jerusalem. Moreover, it considered the lowest area in the earth and has a unique climatic zone. during the study period (1975-1995), was utilized the Salvador Rivas Martinez scale to classify the bioclimate of the earth to analysis the climate and bioclimate data, which was obtained from one station from Palestinian Meteorology Department (Jericho station). The results revealed that the mean monthly temperature was 22.4 0C, mean maximum temperature was 34.8 0C, mean monthly minimum temperature was 15.3 0C, the value of the annual ombrothermic index was 0.6, the compensated thermicity index is very high around 1209/1209 and the simple continentality index was 16.7. The bioclomate of Jericho is located within the zones of the thermal model under the inframediterranean basin, the dry and arid regions. Jericho is belong to Mediterranean desertic-oceanic, the latitudinal belt as subtropical, while continentality is oceanic-low eu-oceanic.

scholarly journals Comparison of Dolphins' Body and Brain Measurements with Four Other Groups of Cetaceans Reveals Great Diversity

2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 235-257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sam H. Ridgway ◽  
Kevin P. Carlin ◽  
Kaitlin R. Van Alstyne ◽  
Alicia C. Hanson ◽  
Raymond J. Tarpley
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Brain Volume ◽  
Brain Size ◽  
The Other ◽  
Vascular Networks ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Brain Mass ◽  
Endocranial Volume

We compared mature dolphins with 4 other groupings of mature cetaceans. With a large data set, we found great brain diversity among 5 different taxonomic groupings. The dolphins in our data set ranged in body mass from about 40 to 6,750 kg and in brain mass from 0.4 to 9.3 kg. Dolphin body length ranged from 1.3 to 7.6 m. In our combined data set from the 4 other groups of cetaceans, body mass ranged from about 20 to 120,000 kg and brain mass from about 0.2 to 9.2 kg, while body length varied from 1.21 to 26.8 m. Not all cetaceans have large brains relative to their body size. A few dolphins near human body size have human-sized brains. On the other hand, the absolute brain mass of some other cetaceans is only one-sixth as large. We found that brain volume relative to body mass decreases from Delphinidae to a group of Phocoenidae and Monodontidae, to a group of other odontocetes, to Balaenopteroidea, and finally to Balaenidae. We also found the same general trend when we compared brain volume relative to body length, except that the Delphinidae and Phocoenidae-Monodontidae groups do not differ significantly. The Balaenidae have the smallest relative brain mass and the lowest cerebral cortex surface area. Brain parts also vary. Relative to body mass and to body length, dolphins also have the largest cerebellums. Cortex surface area is isometric with brain size when we exclude the Balaenidae. Our data show that the brains of Balaenidae are less convoluted than those of the other cetaceans measured. Large vascular networks inside the cranial vault may help to maintain brain temperature, and these nonbrain tissues increase in volume with body mass and with body length ranging from 8 to 65% of the endocranial volume. Because endocranial vascular networks and other adnexa, such as the tentorium cerebelli, vary so much in different species, brain size measures from endocasts of some extinct cetaceans may be overestimates. Our regression of body length on endocranial adnexa might be used for better estimates of brain volume from endocasts or from endocranial volume of living species or extinct cetaceans.

scholarly journals Comparing precipitation and temperature trends between inland and coastal locations

2019 ◽  
Vol 60 ◽  
pp. C109-C126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joshua Hartigan ◽  
Shev MacNamara ◽  
Lance M Leslie
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Southern Oscillation ◽  
Power Spectra ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
P Value ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
The Past ◽  
The Mean

Motivated by the Millennium Drought and the current drought over much of southern and eastern Australia, this detailed statistical study compares trends in annual wet season precipitation and temperature between a coastal site (Newcastle) and an inland site (Scone). Bootstrap permutation tests reveal Scone precipitation has decreased significantly over the past 40 years (p-value=0.070) whereas Newcastle has recorded little to no change (p-value=0.800). Mean maximum and minimum temperatures for Newcastle have increased over the past 40 years (p-values of 0.002 and 0.015, respectively) while the mean maximum temperature for Scone has increased (p-value = 0.058) and the mean minimum temperature has remained stable. This suggests mean temperatures during the wet season for both locations are increasing. Considering these trends along with those for precipitation, water resources in the Hunter region will be increasingly strained as a result of increased evaporation with either similar or less precipitation falling in the region. Wavelet analysis reveals that both sites have similar power spectra for precipitation and mean maximum temperature with a statistically significant signal in the two to seven year period, typically indicative of the El-Nino Southern Oscillation climate driver. The El-Nino Southern Oscillation also drives the Newcastle mean minimum temperature, whereas the Scone power spectra has no indication of a definitive driver for mean minimum temperature. References R. A., R. L. Kitching, F. Chiew, L. Hughes, P. C. D. Newton, S. S. Schuster, A. Tait, and P. Whetton. Climate change 2014: Impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability. Part B: Regional aspects. Contribution of Working Group II to the Fifth Assessment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Technical report, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2014. URL https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar5/wg2/. Bureau of Meteorology. Climate Glossary-Drought. URL http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/glossary/drought.shtml. K. M. Lau and H. Weng. Climate signal detection using wavelet transform: How to make a time series sing. B. Am. Meteorol. Soc., 76:23912402, 1995. doi:10.1175/1520-0477(1995)0762391:CSDUWT>2.0.CO;2. M. B. Richman and L. M. Leslie. Uniqueness and causes of the California drought. Procedia Comput. Sci., 61:428435, 2015. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2015.09.181. M. B. Richman and L. M. Leslie. The 20152017 Cape Town drought: Attribution and prediction using machine learning. Procedia Comput. Sci., 140:248257, 2018. doi:10.1016/j.procs.2018.10.323.

scholarly journals Internal Proportions of The Body Composition in Members of the Female National Tennis Team of Poland

2018 ◽  
Vol 2 (73) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Jagiello ◽  
Wladislaw Jagiello
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Height ◽  
The Body ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Tennis Players ◽  
National Team ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Total Body

Contemporary anthropological research confirms the fact that body composition is one of the basic elements differentiating athletes from persons not practising sport. Among athletes representing various branches of sport there are also significant differences in their body composition. Internal proportions of the body composition of an athlete, or a selected group of athletes, is an especially important yet little researched issue of sports anthropology. This problem is still topical in sports games, especially in tennis. Therefore, the aim of the study was to determine internal proportions of the body composition of female tennis players from the Polish national team in comparison to persons who do not practice sport professionally. The study involved female athletes of the Polish national tennis team (n = 10). The study was carried out in a training camp from 28 September to 9 October 2002 in Zakopane — Centre of Sports Preparation. Athletes’ age was 16—20 (18.1 ± 1.4) years, and the training experience 8—12 years (10.5 ± 1.8). The mean body height for the group members was 171.9 ± 6.7 cm and the mean body mass 59.7 ± 6.3 kg. The results of research by Piechaczek et al. (1996) constituted the reference point for the results of measurements of Polish tennis representatives. The authors studied 153 female students of Warsaw Technical University aged 20.2 ± 1.09 years. They were randomly chosen students of the first and the second year of various departments at this university. The mean body height of the students was 166.2 ± 6.2 cm and the mean body mass 57.4 ± 7.72 kg. Anthropometric measurements were taken using standard instruments (Drozdowski, 1998). The analysis involved 11 somatic features which determined three so-called factors of body composition: length (m1), stoutness (m2) and obesity (m3). The assessment of proportions of the body composition was made by means of Perkal’s natural indices (1953) with Milicerowa’s modifications (1956). We determined the following: composition factors (m), index of total body size (M), internal proportions of the body composition, evenness of composition, the code of internal proportions; also the assessment of internal proportions of the body composition within each of the factors.Taking into consideration the mean values of the studied somatic features in the control group and the comparative group we found differences in their body composition. The representatives of the Polish national tennis team showed substantially longer upper and lower limbs, and the body height was greater. They also had much greater forearm perimeter and shorter pelvic width. As to the total body size, the tennis players slightly exceeded the students (M = 0.24). The total body size (M) resulted from high values of length features (m1 = 1.01), low ones of stoutness (m2 = –0.39) and medium ones of obesity (m3 = 0.1). The value of the intragroup variability index (harmony of composition) amounted to 1.4 and the code of internal proportions of tennis players’ body composition — to 6—2—4. The proportions of internal features of the stoutness index (natural indices of features within a factor) showed the advantage of the forearm perimeter (1.62) and elbow width (0.36). The knee width (–1.30) and pelvic width (–0.60) were disproportionate to the total value of this factor. The input of features characterizing the length factor was relatively proportional.Keywords: tennis, training, body composition, internal proportions.

Size Matters: Body Size is Correlated with Longevity in Speckled Cockroaches (Nauphoeta cineria).

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sami Badwan ◽  
James Harper
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Time Of Death ◽  
Large Size ◽  
The Status ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Individual Body

Background: A relationship between body size and longevity has long been appreciated within eukaryotes, especially vertebrates. Introduction: In general, large size is associated with increased longevity among species of mammals and birds but is associated with decreased longevity within individual species such as dogs and mice. In this study, we examined the relationship between measures of individual body size and longevity in a captive population of speckled cockroaches (Nauphoeta cineria). Method: Newly molted adults of both sexes were removed from a mass colony housed in multiple terraria and housed individually with food and water provided ad libitum for the duration of their lifespan. Thrice weekly, the status (i.e. live/dead) of individual cockroaches was noted for the duration of the study. Individuals found dead were weighed and measured to obtain body mass and morphometric measures and the age at the time of death was recorded. The relationship between body size and lifespan was assessed. Result: Contrary to what is commonly seen within vertebrates, large cockroaches were longer-lived than their smaller counterparts. Specifically, body mass, body length and pronotum width were all significantly correlated with the age at death in a mixed population of males and females (n = 94). In addition, we found that the longevity of a historically larger population in terms of both body mass and body length were significantly longer-lived than the population used in this study. Conclusion: These data indicate there is a significant interaction between body size and aging in this species and that increased size results in a survival advantage. There is evidence in the literature indicating that a positive relationship between size and longevity may be common in insects.

scholarly journals Biases and Model Agreement in Projections of Climate Extremes over the Tropical Pacific

2011 ◽  
Vol 15 (24) ◽  
pp. 1-36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah E. Perkins
Keyword(s):  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
General Circulation ◽  
Coupled Model ◽  
Climate Extremes ◽  
General Circulation Models ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Climate Indices ◽  
Temperature And Precipitation ◽  
Return Levels ◽  
The Mean

Abstract Using the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 3 (CMIP3) general circulation models (GCMs), projections of a range of climate extremes are explored for the western Pacific. These projections include the 1-in-20-yr return levels and a selection of climate indices for minimum temperature, maximum temperature, and precipitation, and they are compared to corresponding mean projections for the Special Report on Emission Scenarios (SRES) A2 scenario during 2081–2100. Models are evaluated per variable based on their ability to simulate current extremes, as well as the overall daily distribution. Using the standardized evaluation scores for each variable, models are divided into four subsets where ensemble variability is calculated to measure model uncertainty and biases are calculated in respect to the multimodel ensemble (MME). Results show that higher uncertainty in projections of climate extremes exists when compared to the mean, even in those subsets consisting of higher-skilled models. Higher uncertainty exists for precipitation projections than for temperature, and biases and uncertainties in the 1-in-20-yr precipitation events are an order of magnitude higher than the corresponding mean. Poorer performing models exhibit a cooler bias in the mean and 1-in-20-yr return levels for maximum and minimum temperature, and ensemble variability is low among all subsets of mean minimum temperature, especially the lower-skilled subsets. Higher-skilled models project 1-in-20-yr precipitation return levels that are more intense than in the MME. The frequency of temperature extremes increase dramatically; however, this is explained by the underpinning small temperature range of the region. Although some systematic biases occur in the higher- and lower-skilled models and omitting the poorer performers is recommended, great care should be exercised when interpreting the reduction of uncertainty because the ensemble variability among the remaining models is comparable and in some cases greater than the MME. Such results should be treated on a case-by-case basis.

scholarly journals Modeling the Historical Temperature in the Province of Laguna Using Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 327-339
Author(s):  
Kemuel III Quindala ◽  
Diane Carmeliza Cuaresma ◽  
Jonathan Mamplata
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Minimum Temperature ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Daily Maximum ◽  
Uhlenbeck Process ◽  
Local Setting ◽  
Proposed Model ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Historical Temperature ◽  
Major Factors

The behavior of temperature is one of the major factors in the study of climate change which has already invited a lot of researchers and policymakers. These studies help in deciding the best adaptation and mitigation strategy. However, there are little studies on the progression of climate change in a local setting, such as in a municipal or provincial level. This study explored to model, using regression, the daily temperature in the province of Laguna. The daily maximum and minimum temperature from 1960 to 2018 were modeled using the classical Ornstein-Uhlenbeck (OU) process with additive seasonality. The model showed that the province saw an increase of $1.16^\circ$C (resp. $0.55^\circ$C) in the mean daily minimum (resp. maximum) temperature from 1960 to 2018. It was also found that minimum temperature showed a steadier increase than maximum temperature, which poses threats to agricultural activities. Consistent with other international predictions, there was a $0.02^\circ$C annual increase in 1960 to a $0.05^\circ$C starting in 2010.  The proposed model can be used by authorities in designing and creating adaptive measures that would be more effective to the province of Laguna.

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