Relationships among reproductive status, nutritional status, and food characteristics in a natural population of Peromyscus maniculatus

1991 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Millar ◽  
Xuhua Xia ◽  
Michael B. Norrie

We compared digestibility of consumed food, dimensions of the alimentary tract, body fat and body size in relation to sex and reproductive status of overwintered adult Peromyscus maniculatus to assess the applicability of these measures of food intake and nutritional status to natural populations. Nonbreeding females were smaller than other sex and reproductive categories, but they had the largest alimentary tracts and energy reserves for their size. Lactating females were large, but they had low energy reserves and only averaged-sized alimentary tracts. Nonbreeding males ate relatively poor quality foods, had the smallest alimentary tracts for their size, and had low energy reserves. Most of these patterns were interpretable based on the known biology of this population. We conclude that these measures can provide insights into intraspecific variation in food intake and nutritional status in natural populations of Peromyscus.


2014 ◽  
Vol 54 (9) ◽  
pp. 1190 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ilias Kyriazakis

A reduction in voluntary food intake is a common feature of infection with pathogens and is frequently referred to as pathogen-induced anorexia. Anorexia has been previously viewed either as an unavoidable consequence of infection or as an animal strategy that enables them to cope with the consequences of infection. Both approaches lead to certain expectations as far as the characteristics of anorexia are concerned. By linking anorexia to host immune response one should be able to make predictions about when and for how long anorexia would occur. By appreciating what an infected animal is trying to achieve through its feeding behaviour, one would be able to make predictions about the extent of anorexia on different quality foods. The thesis of the paper is that these approaches should no longer be viewed as mutually exclusive, but, by combining them, one should be able to make pathogen-induced anorexia more predictable. This is done in the development of a model that aims to predict the food intake of grazing sheep exposed to an abomasal parasite. The predictions of the model are consistent with the features and consequences of parasite-induced anorexia of sheep given access to moderate and high quality foods. However, there is a degree of uncertainty about the validity of predictions made by the model on anorexia seen on poor quality foods of low energy content. This is not a deficiency of the model developed but can be attributed to the lack of appropriate experiments against which model predictions can be tested.



2021 ◽  
pp. 51-57
Author(s):  
A. V. Keleinikova ◽  
O. N. Titova ◽  
I. A. Matinyan ◽  
N. N. Taran ◽  
A. I. Zubovich ◽  
...  

Objective. To assess nutritional status of children with undernutrition without chronic diseases.Patients and methods. Eighty one children without chronic diseases and with undernutrition aged 3 months to 17 years and 2 months, 41 boys (50.6 %), 40 girls (49.4 %), were examined. The anthropometry was assessed by WHO criteria. The complete blood count (n = 69), blood biochemistry (n = 62), insulin level and vitamin status were examined. Bioelectric impedance analysis (n = 58) and indirect respiratory calorimetry (n = 28) were performed. The food intake was assessed in 28 patients.Results. Mild undernutrition was diagnosed in 35 (43.2 %) children, moderate - in 30 (37 %), severe - in 16 (19,8 %) children. The stunting (Z-score height to age < -2) was revealed in 3 (3,7 %) children. Anemia was found in 4 (5.8 %) children, absolute lymphopenia - in 2 (2.9 %), hypoproteinemia in 8 (12.9 %), hypoalbuminemia - in 1 (1.5 %), hypocholesterolemia - in 7 (11.3 %), hypercholesterolemia - in 6 (9.7 %) children. None of children had hypoglycemia. Insulin was decreased in 9 (15.5 %) children. Deficiency of vitamin D was found in 11 (13.6 %) patients. Decrease of fat mass was found in 52 (89,7 %) patients, muscle mass - in 42 (72.4 %), active cell mass - in 18 (31 %), protein - in 37 (63.8 %), minerals - in 41 (70.7 %), total body water - in 36 (62.1 %) patients. Decrease of the phase angle (<4.4) was recorded in 13 (22,4 %) children. Resting energy expenditure was normal in 12 (42,8 %) patients. Carbohydrate oxidation rate was decreased in 20 (71,4 %) children, fat oxidation rate was increased in 15 (53,6 %), protein oxidation rate was normal in 15 (53,6 %) children. The food intake was characterized by low energy intake in 21 (75 %) children. Deficiency of protein, fat and carbohydrate intake were found in 42.9, 60.7 and 82.1 % patients, respectively. Low energy intake due to all macronutrients deficiency was revealed in 35.7 % children.Conclusion. Most children with undernutrition without chronic diseases have a decrease in fat and muscle body components, low energy value of diet and imbalance of macronutrients. Changes in resting metabolism were also revealed.



1986 ◽  
Vol 64 (9) ◽  
pp. 1981-1985 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Millar ◽  
Jim O. Schieck

The relative fat content of Peromyscus maniculatus from the Kananaskis Valley, Alberta, was examined in relation to age, sex, reproductive status, and season to test specific predictions related to the intrinsic regulation of energy reserves. Breeding adult males had a greater fat content than nonbreeding males, and females showed low levels of fat when lactating but not when simultaneously pregnant and lactating. These observations were consistent with the idea that energy reserves are regulated intrinsically. There were no seasonal or yearly differences in fat content. There was some evidence that deviations in environmental temperature from normal have proximate effects on fat content.



2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (11) ◽  
pp. 213-223
Author(s):  
Meirina Dwi Larasati ◽  
Nurul Dwi Anggriyani ◽  
Susi Tursilowati ◽  
Ria Ambarwati ◽  
Yuniarti Yuniarti


2020 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 237-248
Author(s):  
Valeria Senigaglia ◽  
Lars Bejder

Marine wildlife tourism attractions often use food rewards to ensure close-up encounters with freeranging animals. In Bunbury, Western Australia, the Dolphin Discovery Centre (DDC) conducts a foodprovision program where bottlenose dolphins (N = 22; between 2000 and 2018) are offered food rewards to encourage their visitation at a beach in front of the DDC. We used historical records on individual beach visits by adult female dolphins collected by the DDC from 2000 to 2018 to develop generalized mixed effects models (GLMM) to test whether the frequency of beach visitation was influenced by their reproductive status (pregnant, lactating, nonreproductive) or climatic events (El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases) that could affect prey availability. We also quantified the behavioral budget of dolphins during food-provisioning sessions and documented intra- and interspecific aggressive behaviors using individual focal follows collected in 2017–2018. Provisioned females spend most of the time resting within the interaction area (66.3%) and aggressive interactions arise as a consequence of dominance behavior over food access. Visitation rates were most influenced by reproductive status with pregnant and lactating females visiting the provisioning area more frequently (z = 2.085, p = 0.037 and z = 2.437, p = 0.014, respectively). Females that frequently visit the provisioning area expose their dependent calves to regular human interactions at an early age when they are more susceptible to behavioral conditioning. Such experiences could cause the loss of awareness towards humans and promote maladaptive behaviors such as begging that increase risk of entanglement in fishing gear, boat strikes, and propeller injuries.



2019 ◽  
Vol 178 (10) ◽  
pp. 1519-1527 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Sila ◽  
Ivana Trivić ◽  
Ana Močić Pavić ◽  
Tena Niseteo ◽  
Sanja Kolaček ◽  
...  


Author(s):  
Morenike Oluwatoyin Folayan ◽  
Olanrewaju Ibigbami ◽  
Maha El Tantawi ◽  
Brandon Brown ◽  
Nourhan M. Aly ◽  
...  

An online survey was conducted to identify factors associated with financial insecurity, food insecurity and poor quality of daily lives of adults in Nigeria during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. The associations between the outcome (experience of financial loss, changes in food intake and impact of the pandemic on daily lives) and the explanatory (age, sex, education level, anxiety, depression, HIV status) variables were determined using logistic regression analysis. Of the 4439 respondents, 2487 (56.0%) were financially insecure, 907 (20.4%) decreased food intake and 4029 (90.8%) had their daily life negatively impacted. Males (AOR:0.84), people who felt depressed (AOR:0.62) and people living with HIV -PLHIV- (AOR:0.70) had significantly lower odds of financial insecurity. Older respondents (AOR:1.01) had significantly higher odds of financial insecurity. Those depressed (AOR:0.62) and PLHIV (AOR:0.55) had significantly lower odds of reporting decreased food intake. Respondents who felt anxious (AOR:0.07), depressed (AOR: 0.48) and who were PLHIV (AOR:0.68) had significantly lower odds of reporting a negative impact of the pandemic on their daily lives. We concluded the study findings may reflect a complex relationship between financial insecurity, food insecurity, poor quality of life, mental health, and socioeconomic status of adults living in Nigeria during the COVID-19 pandemic.



2020 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Ferretti ◽  
Scott R McWilliams ◽  
Niels C Rattenborg ◽  
Ivan Maggini ◽  
Massimiliano Cardinale ◽  
...  

Synopsis Little is known about how songbirds modulate sleep during migratory periods. Due to the alternation of nocturnal endurance flights and diurnal refueling stopovers, sleep is likely to be a major constraint for many migratory passerine species. Sleep may help to increase the endogenous antioxidant capacity that counteracts free radicals produced during endurance flight and reduces energy expenditure. Here, we investigated the relationship between sleep behavior, food intake, and two markers of physiological condition—the amount of energy reserves and oxidative status—in two migratory songbird species, the garden warbler (Sylvia borin) and the whitethroat (Sylvia communis). In garden warblers, birds with high energy stores were more prone to sleep during the day, while this condition-dependent sleep pattern was not present in whitethroats. In both species, birds with low energy stores were more likely to sleep with their head tucked in the feathers during nocturnal sleep. Moreover, we found a positive correlation between food intake and the extent of energy reserves in garden warblers, but not in whitethroats. Finally, we did not find significant correlations between oxidative status and sleep, or oxidative status and energy stores. Despite our study was not comparative, it suggests that different species might use different strategies to manage their energy during stopover and, additionally, it raises the possibility that migrants have evolved physiological adaptations to deal with oxidative damage produced during migration.



1992 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 820-824 ◽  
Author(s):  
David O. Ribble ◽  
John S. Millar

We examined the effects of sibling matings upon reproductive performance among inbred and outbred laboratory colonies of Peromyscus maniculatus. The inbred colony was founded by 12 females collected from one locality in Alberta and bred for 20 generations, with 35–45 pairs each generation. The outbred colony consisted of first-generation mice born of wild-caught females from diverse areas in Alberta. Consistent with theoretical expectations, there were no differences in reproductive performance between sibling and control (outbred) pairs within the inbred colony of mice. In contrast, sibling pairs had significantly fewer young per litter than control pairs within the outbred colony. Reproductive performance measures (proportion breeding, days from pairing to first litter, number of litters, and total number of offspring produced) were also significantly lower among sibling pairs from the outbred colony than among sibling pairs from the inbred colony. Lastly, we predicted that reproductive performance of the control pairs from the outbred colony would be less than that of control pairs from the inbred colony, due to outbreeding depression. Contrary to our predictions, average litter survival rates were greatest among the outbred colony control pairs. We suggest that the benefits of inbreeding or outbreeding extend broadly across the inbreeding–outbreeding continuum in natural populations of northern Peromyscus.



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