scholarly journals Sensitivity in the antioxidant system of discus fish (Symphysodon spp.) to cold temperature: evidence for species-specific cold resistance

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shi-Rong Jin ◽  
Bin Wen ◽  
Zai-Zhong Chen ◽  
Jian-Zhong Gao ◽  
Lei Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Cold Resistance ◽  
Cold Treatment ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Continuous Sequence ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Subordinate Function

ABSTRACTThe discus fish (Symphysodon spp.) is an endemic species of the Amazon that is among the most popular ornamental fish around the world, and is usually used as the model animal for studying the diversification of Amazon fish. Here, a comparative analysis of two species of discus fish, i.e., S. haraldi and S. aequifasciatus, based on several antioxidant indexes was conducted, to test the hypothesis that cold resistance might correlate with the diversification of discus fish. We set up a continuous sequence of three temperature programs, namely cooling (28 °C to 14 °C; -1 °C/h), cold maintenance (14 °C for 12 h) and recovery (14 °C to 28 °C; +1 °C/h). Subordinate function (SF) combined with principal component analysis (PCA) showed that the cold hardiness of S. haraldi during cold treatment was in the order of cooling > cold maintenance ≈ recovery, but the cold hardiness of S. aequifasciatus during cold treatment was in the order of cold maintenance > cooling > recovery. Specifically, the lowest cold hardiness was observed in S. aequifasciatus during recovery, indicating that cold stress resulted in more seriously oxidative stress in S. aequifasciatus than in S. haraldi. Overall, these results show a significant interspecific variation, indicating the correlation between environmental adaptation and the diversification of discus fish.

scholarly journals Supercooling and Cold Hardiness in Sour Cherry Germplasm: Vegetative Tissue

2004 ◽  
Vol 129 (5) ◽  
pp. 682-689 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.M. Mathers
Keyword(s):  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Prunus Avium ◽  
Cold Resistance ◽  
Germplasm Collection ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Sour Cherry ◽  
Early Spring ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
Average Decrease ◽  
Cold Hardy

Knowledge of the level of cold hardiness and how hardiness is inherited in sour cherry is essential to germplasm collection and cultivar development. Twig samples of two sweet cherries (Prunus avium L.), 12 sour cherries (P. cerasus L.), and one ground cherry (P. fruticosa Pall.) of diverse geographic origins were collected in Jan. 1990 and monthly from Aug. 1990 to Mar. 1991, preconditioned to induce maximum cold resistance, and subjected to freeze tests and differential thermal analysis. Low temperature exotherms (LTEs) were detected in all stems of P. cerasus investigated and correlated to xylem incipient injury temperatures (ITs) from December to February (r = 0.84, P ≤ 0.01). March had the best correlation of LTEs to xylem ITs with r = 0.84, P ≤ 0.01. LTEs were strongly correlated to phloem-cambium ITs in November, representing the acclimation period. The correlation coefficient (r) for the phloem-cambium ITs and the twig LTEs during November was 0.68, significant at P ≤ 0.01. Cortical tissue and vegetative bud injuries were not correlated to the stem LTEs. Xylem ITs were selected for evaluating the cold resistance of sour cherry in December to March and phloem-cambium ITs were selected for November. The degree of supercooling and hardiness of the phloem-cambium in late fall and early spring appears significant in determining the stem hardiness and commercial range of P. cerasus. Phloem-cambium tissue, expressed the most rapid deacclimation response. The average decrease in hardiness for the phloem-cambium, xylem, and cortical tissues between February and March was 4 °C, 0.32 °C, and 2.14 °C, respectively. Principal component (PC) analyses of the phloem-cambium and cortical tissues depicted gradations between minimum survival temperatures of the two presumed progenitor species of sour cherry, i.e., sweet cherry and ground cherry. The first principal component (PC1), which accounted for 61% of the total variance, was used to separate among cultivars and seedlings. Cultivars and seedlings at the negative end of PC1 exhibited hardier phloem-cambium tissue at critical injury times, October, December, January, and March than cultivars and seedlings at the positive end of the PC1 axis. Cultivars and progeny of crosses of northern origin parents showed hardiness values more comparable to ground cherry than did selections of less-cold-hardy parents suggesting that cold is a major selective force, contributing to sour cherry population variation.

scholarly journals Composition of Bird Nests is a Species-Specific Characteristic

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 132-153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lucia E. Biddle ◽  
Robyn E. Broughton ◽  
Adrian M. Goodman ◽  
D. Charles Deeming
Keyword(s):  
Geographic Location ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Nest Size ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Adult Bird ◽  
Composition Structure ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
And Function ◽  
Insight Into

Bird nests represent an extended phenotype of individuals expressed during reproduction and so exhibit variability in composition, structure and function. Descriptions of nests based on qualitative observations suggest that there is interspecific variation in size and composition but there are very few species in which this has been confirmed. For these species, data of the amounts of different materials indicate that nest construction behaviour is plastic and affected by a variety of factors, such as prevailing temperature, geographic location, and availability of materials. The lack of data on nest composition is hampering our understanding of how nests achieve their various functions and how different species solve the problem of building a nest that will accommodate incubation and allow successful hatching of eggs. This study deconstructed nests of four species of the Turdidae, four species of the Muscicapidae, and six species of the Fringillidae and quantified the size of the nests and their composition. These data were used to test: (1) whether nest size correlated with adult bird mass; (2) whether it was possible to distinguish between species on the basis of their nest composition; and (3) whether, within a species, it was possible to distinguish between the cup lining and the rest of the nest based on composition. Most but not all nest dimensions correlated with bird mass. Principal component analysis revealed species differences based on nest composition and discriminant analysis could distinguish cup lining from the outer nest based on material composition. Intraspecific variation in composition varied among species and in general fewer types of material were found in the cup lining than the outer nest. These data provide insight into how nests are constructed by the different species and in conjunction with studies of the mechanical, thermal and hydrological properties of a nest, will begin to reveal how and why individual species select particular combinations of materials to build a nest.

scholarly journals Seminal Plasma: Relevant for Fertility?

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4368
Author(s):  
Heriberto Rodriguez-Martinez ◽  
Emilio A. Martinez ◽  
Juan J. Calvete ◽  
Fernando J. Peña Vega ◽  
Jordi Roca
Keyword(s):  
Seminal Plasma ◽  
Current Knowledge ◽  
Inorganic Ions ◽  
Vitro Fertilization ◽  
Dna And Rna ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
Sexual Glands ◽  
Species Specific

Seminal plasma (SP), the non-cellular component of semen, is a heterogeneous composite fluid built by secretions of the testis, the epididymis and the accessory sexual glands. Its composition, despite species-specific anatomical peculiarities, consistently contains inorganic ions, specific hormones, proteins and peptides, including cytokines and enzymes, cholesterol, DNA and RNA—the latter often protected within epididymis- or prostate-derived extracellular vesicles. It is beyond question that the SP participates in diverse aspects of sperm function pre-fertilization events. The SP also interacts with the various compartments of the tubular genital tract, triggering changes in gene function that prepares for an eventual successful pregnancy; thus, it ultimately modulates fertility. Despite these concepts, it is imperative to remember that SP-free spermatozoa (epididymal or washed ejaculated) are still fertile, so this review shall focus on the differences between the in vivo roles of the SP following semen deposition in the female and those regarding additions of SP on spermatozoa handled for artificial reproduction, including cryopreservation, from artificial insemination to in vitro fertilization. This review attempts, including our own results on model animal species, to critically summarize the current knowledge of the reproductive roles played by SP components, particularly in our own species, which is increasingly affected by infertility. The ultimate goal is to reconcile the delicate balance between the SP molecular concentration and their concerted effects after temporal exposure in vivo. We aim to appraise the functions of the SP components, their relevance as diagnostic biomarkers and their value as eventual additives to refine reproductive strategies, including biotechnologies, in livestock models and humans.

scholarly journals In Search of Species-Specific SNPs in a Non-Model Animal (European Bison (Bison bonasus))—Comparison of De Novo and Reference-Based Integrated Pipeline of STACKS Using Genotyping-by-Sequencing (GBS) Data

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2226
Author(s):  
Sazia Kunvar ◽  
Sylwia Czarnomska ◽  
Cino Pertoldi ◽  
Małgorzata Tokarska
Keyword(s):  
Reference Genome ◽  
De Novo ◽  
Bos Taurus ◽  
Model Organism ◽  
Genotyping By Sequencing ◽  
Model Organisms ◽  
European Bison ◽  
Model Animal ◽  
Pcr Duplicates ◽  
Species Specific

The European bison is a non-model organism; thus, most of its genetic and genomic analyses have been performed using cattle-specific resources, such as BovineSNP50 BeadChip or Illumina Bovine 800 K HD Bead Chip. The problem with non-specific tools is the potential loss of evolutionary diversified information (ascertainment bias) and species-specific markers. Here, we have used a genotyping-by-sequencing (GBS) approach for genotyping 256 samples from the European bison population in Bialowieza Forest (Poland) and performed an analysis using two integrated pipelines of the STACKS software: one is de novo (without reference genome) and the other is a reference pipeline (with reference genome). Moreover, we used a reference pipeline with two different genomes, i.e., Bos taurus and European bison. Genotyping by sequencing (GBS) is a useful tool for SNP genotyping in non-model organisms due to its cost effectiveness. Our results support GBS with a reference pipeline without PCR duplicates as a powerful approach for studying the population structure and genotyping data of non-model organisms. We found more polymorphic markers in the reference pipeline in comparison to the de novo pipeline. The decreased number of SNPs from the de novo pipeline could be due to the extremely low level of heterozygosity in European bison. It has been confirmed that all the de novo/Bos taurus and Bos taurus reference pipeline obtained SNPs were unique and not included in 800 K BovineHD BeadChip.

scholarly journals Global Tree Taper Modelling: A Review of Applications, Methods, Functions, and Their Parameters

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 913
Author(s):  
Serajis Salekin ◽  
Cristian Higuera Catalán ◽  
Daniel Boczniewicz ◽  
Darius Phiri ◽  
Justin Morgenroth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Measurement Techniques ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Modern Times ◽  
Taper Function ◽  
Complex Functions ◽  
Artificial Neural Network Ann ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Simple Equations ◽  
Taper Equations

Taper functions are important tools for forest description, modelling, assessment, and management. A large number of studies have been conducted to develop and improve taper functions; however, few review studies have been dedicated to addressing their development and parameters. This review summarises the development of taper functions by considering their parameterisation, geographic and species-specific limitations, and applications. This study showed that there has been an increase in the number of studies of taper function and contemporary methods have been developed for the establishment of these functions. The reviewed studies also show that taper functions have been developed from simple equations in the early 1900s to complex functions in modern times. Early taper functions included polynomial, sigmoid, principal component analysis (PCA), and linear mixed functions, while contemporary machine learning (ML) approaches include artificial neural network (ANN) and random forest (RF). Further analysis of the published literature also shows that most of the studies of taper functions have been carried out in Europe and the Americas, meaning most taper equations are not specifically applicable to tropical tree species. Developing well-conditioned taper functions requires reducing the variation due to species, measurement techniques, and climatic conditions, among other factors. The information presented in this study is important for understanding and developing taper functions. Future studies can focus on developing better taper functions by incorporating emerging remote sensing and geospatial datasets, and using contemporary statistical approaches such as ANN and RF.

scholarly journals Super Cooling Point Phenotypes and Cold Resistance in Hyles euphorbiae Hawk Moths from Different Climate Zones

Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 207
Author(s):  
Hana Daneck ◽  
Matthias Benjamin Barth ◽  
Martin Geck ◽  
Anna K. Hundsdoerfer
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Cold Hardiness ◽  
Cold Treatment ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Frost Tolerance ◽  
Cold Sensitivity ◽  
Cold Hardy ◽  
Hyles Euphorbiae

The spurge hawkmoth Hyles euphorbiae L. (Sphingidae) comprises a remarkable species complex with still not fully resolved taxonomy. Its extensive natural distribution range covers diverse climatic zones. This predestinates particular populations to cope with different local seasonally unfavorable environmental conditions. The ability of the pupae to overcome outer frosty conditions is well known. However, the differences between two main ecotypes (‘euphorbiae’ and ‘tithymali’) in terms of the inherent degree of frost tolerance, its corresponding survival strategy, and underlying mechanism have not been studied in detail so far. The main aim of our study was to test the phenotypic exhibition of pupae (as the relevant life cycle stadia to outlast unfavorable conditions) in response to combined effects of exogenous stimuli, such as daylight length and cooling regime. Namely, we tested the turnout of subitan (with fast development, unadapted to unfavorable conditions) or diapause (paused development, adapted to unfavorable external influences and increased resistance) pupae under different conditions, as well as their mortality, and we measured the super cooling point (SCP) of whole pupae (in vivo) and pupal hemolymph (in vitro) as phenotypic indicators of cold acclimation. Our results show higher cold sensitivity in ‘tithymali’ populations, exhibiting rather opportunistic and short-termed cold hardiness, while ‘euphorbiae’ produces a phenotype of seasonal cold-hardy diapause pupae under a combined effect of short daylight length and continuous cold treatment. Further differences include the variability in duration and mortality of diapause pupae. This suggests different pre-adaptations to seasonal environmental conditions in each ecotype and may indicate a state of incipient speciation within the H. euphorbiae complex.

Investigating the species-specific association between anuran calling phenology and air temperature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Wong
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Survival And Development ◽  
Species Specific

Climate change has been associated in phenological shifts for a variety of taxa. Amphibians, specifically the order Anura (frogs and toads), are considered particularly vulnerable due to their sensitivity to anthropogenic and environmental change. Previous research has documented shifts in the timing of anuran breeding that can be attributed, in part, to climate change, with potential implications for reproduction, survival, and development. This study aims to investigate how air temperature is associated with anuran calling phenology. I will examine the temporal trends in spring and summer air temperature in a lake in northern Ontario, Canada. and quantify seasonal patterns of calling anuran species using acoustic monitoring over a four-month period. I predict that there will be interspecific variation in peak calling associated with air temperature. Additionally, I expect to find asymmetrical association between air temperature and anuran species’ calling behaviour – wherein prolonged breeding species will have a larger optimal temperature range for calling compared to explosive breeding species. The findings of this research will aid in future conservation and provide insight for management strategies of anurans in Canada in response to anticipated climate warming.

scholarly journals Reaching Natural Growth: Light Quality Effects on Plant Performance in Indoor Growth Facilities

Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 1273
Author(s):  
Camilo Chiang ◽  
Daniel Bånkestad ◽  
Günter Hoch
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Field Trial ◽  
Light Quality ◽  
Plant Traits ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Biomass Productivity ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Plant Responses ◽  
Natural Ecosystems ◽  
Species Specific

To transfer experimental findings in plant research to natural ecosystems it is imperative to reach near to natural-like plant performance. Previous studies propose differences in temperature and light quantity as main sources of deviations between indoor and outdoor plant growth. With increasing implementation of light emitting diodes (LED) in plant growth facilities, light quality is yet another factor that can be optimised to prevent unnatural plant performance. We investigated the effects of different wavelength combinations in phytotrons (i.e., indoor growth chambers) on plant growth and physiology in seven different plant species from different plant functional types (herbs, grasses and trees). The results from these experiments were compared against a previous field trial with the same set of species. While different proportions of blue (B) and red (R) light were applied in the phytotrons, the mean environmental conditions (photoperiod, total radiation, red to far red ratio and day/night temperature and air humidity) from the field trial were used in the phytotrons in order to assess which wavelength combinations result in the most natural-like plant performance. Different plant traits and physiological parameters, including biomass productivity, specific leaf area (SLA), leaf pigmentation, photosynthesis under a standardised light, and the respective growing light and chlorophyll fluorescence, were measured at the end of each treatment. The exposure to different B percentages induced species-specific dose response reactions for most of the analysed parameters. Compared with intermediate B light treatments (25 and/or 35% B light), extreme R or B light enriched treatments (6% and 62% of B respectively) significantly affected the height, biomass, biomass allocation, chlorophyll content, and photosynthesis parameters, differently among species. Principal component analyses (PCA) confirmed that 6% and 62% B light quality combinations induce more extreme plant performance in most cases, indicating that light quality needs to be adjusted to mitigate unnatural plant responses under indoor conditions.

Breeding Systems of Spinifex Hopping Mice (Notomys-Alexis) and Plains Rats (Pseudomys-Australis) - a Test for Multiple Paternity Within the Laboratory

1992 ◽  
Vol 40 (1) ◽  
pp. 13 ◽  
Author(s):  
WG Breed ◽  
M Adams
Keyword(s):  
Breeding System ◽  
Multiple Paternity ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Breeding Systems ◽  
Testis Size ◽  
Laboratory Conditions ◽  
Set Up

This study was carried out as part of a broader investigation into the factors that determine interspecific variation in testis size amongst conilurine rodents. The hypothesis proposed is that the huge differences in absolute and relative testis size between the spinifex hopping mouse (Notomys alexis) and the plains rat (Pseudomys australis) relate to differences in breeding system. One aspect of a species' breeding system, the capacity for multiple paternity, was assessed under laboratory conditions for each species. Allozyme markers were used to set up appropriate trios consisting of one female cohabiting with two mates of different genotypes and to assess the paternity of the resultant pups that were born. Multiple paternity within a single litter was not recorded for hopping mice but was observed occasionally in plains rats, a result consistent with the hypothesis under test.

scholarly journals Quantification of 27 yolk steroid hormones in seven shrubland bird species: interspecific patterns of hormone deposition and links to life history, development, and predation risk

2019 ◽  
Vol 97 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-12 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Merrill ◽  
S.J. Chiavacci ◽  
R.T. Paitz ◽  
T.J. Benson
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Predation Risk ◽  
Steroid Hormones ◽  
High Performance ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
American Robin ◽  
Nestling Development ◽  
Yolk Steroids

Steroid hormones play critical organizational and activational roles during vertebrate development, impacting everything from sexual differentiation to metabolic activity. For oviparous species such as birds, these hormones are transferred from female to egg during follicle maturation, and differences in relative and absolute concentrations of the steroid hormones may reflect differences in life history, developmental, and ecological conditions. Prior work on yolk steroid hormones has focused on a handful of candidate hormones (e.g., testosterone, androstenedione, and corticosterone), but we used high-performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectroscopy (LC–MS–MS) to quantify 27 yolk steroids from the eggs of seven shrubland bird species (American Robin, Turdus migratorius Linnaeus, 1766; Brown-headed Cowbird, Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783); Brown Thrasher, Toxostoma rufum (Linnaeus, 1758); Eastern Towhee, Pipilo erythrophthalmus (Linnaeus, 1758); Field Sparrow, Spizella pusilla (A. Wilson, 1810); Gray Catbird, Dumetella carolinensis (Linnaeus, 1766); Northern Cardinal, Cardinalis cardinalis (Linnaeus, 1758)). In addition to comparing steroid profiles across species, we conducted exploratory analyses to determine how the hormones clustered using a principal component (PC) approach and if PCs were correlated with aspects of egg resources (relative egg size, proportion yolk), life-history traits (embryonic and nestling development speed), and nest-predation risk (daily survival rate (DSR)). We documented substantial interspecific variation in both absolute and proportional endocrine profiles. PCAs indicated that glucocorticoids generally clustered together (PC1), but other classes of steroids did not. PC2 and PC3 strongly covaried with egg resources, DSR, and development speed, suggesting that they reflect adaptive patterns of maternal hormone deposition.

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