Androgenic influences on body size and composition of adult rhesus monkeys

The effects of daily treatment with testosterone propionate (TP, 2 mg/kg) and dihydrotestosterone propionate (DHTP, 2 mg/kg) were examined in rhesus monkeys in three experiments. In experiments 1 and 2, males and females gonadectomized in infancy, and female pseudohermaphrodites produced by prenatal exposure to TP or DHTP and gonadectomized postpubertally, were studied in conjunction with intact males (IM). The IM group was heavier in adulthood than the three gonadectomized groups, which did not differ in body weight from each other. Genetic males had greater crown-rump length than genetic females. Treatment of the gonadectomized groups with TP produced large increases in body mass (averaging approximately 50%) that were attributable to accretion of lean tissue. This effect did not differ significantly between males and females. In experiment 3, additional groups of males that had been castrated as infants were given daily injections with DHTP or oil. The DHTP treatment resulted in increases in body size that were not different from those seen following TP treatment. When TP and DHPT treatments were discontinued, body weights and dimensions reverted to base-line values. Increased body size induced by TP and DHTP was accomplished without reliable increases in food intake. Because testosterone (T) is metabolized to dihydrotestosterone (DHT), while DHT cannot be converted to T, these results show that both T and DHT are effective anabolic hormones in rhesus.

Download Full-text

Bigger Males, Bigger Females? Pigeons’ Sexual Size Dimorphism

Annual Research & Review in Biology ◽

10.9734/arrb/2020/v35i1030286 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 20-24

Author(s):

P. M. Parés- Casanova ◽

A. Kabir

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Size ◽

Sexual Size Dimorphism ◽

Wing Length ◽

Rensch’S Rule ◽

Size Dimorphism ◽

Rensch's Rule ◽

Neck Thickness ◽

Males And Females ◽

Domestic Pigeons

Sexual dimorphism, defined as phenotypic differences between males and females, is a common phenomenon in animals. In this line, Rensch’s rule states that sexual size dimorphism increases with increasing body size when the male is the larger sex and decreases with increasing average body size when the female is the larger sex. Domesticated animals offer excellent opportunities for testing predictions of functional explanations of Rensch’s theory. Pigeon breeds encounters many different functional purposes and selective constraints, which could influence strongly their morphology. The aim of this paper is to examine, for first time, Rensch’s rule among domestic pigeons. It was compiled a database of 12 quantitative traits (body weight, body height, beak thickness, beak length, neck length, neck thickness, wing length, rump width, tail length, tarsus length, tarsus thickness and middle toe length) for males and females of 11 different domestic pigeon breeds: Bangladesh Indigenous, Racing Homer, Turkish Tumbler, Indian Lotan, Kokah, Mookee, Indian Fantail, Bokhara Trumpeter, Bombai, Lahore and Hungarian Giant House; Rock Pigeon (Columba livia) was also considered as wild relative for comparative purposes. Comparative results between males and females showed that only body weight, wing length and neck thickness were consistent with Rensch’s rule. The rest of trait did not present correlations. Among domestic pigeons, there can appear different expressions of dimorphism according to each trait, so it must be considered that Rensch’s rule vary when considering other traits than body weight.

Download Full-text

Chronically altered body protein levels following lateral hypothalamic lesions in rats

AJP Regulatory Integrative and Comparative Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajpregu.1996.270.4.r738 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 270 (4) ◽

pp. R738-R743 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

M. D. Hirvonen ◽

R. E. Keesey

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Food Restriction ◽

The Body ◽

Lean Tissue ◽

Body Protein ◽

Protein Mass ◽

Protein Levels ◽

Reduced Body ◽

Irreversible Reduction ◽

Body Weights

Rats maintaining reduced body weights after lesions of the lateral hypothalamus (LH; LH rats) are characterized by smaller body protein masses. Two experiments were conducted to determine whether this reduced protein mass is actively defended. In the first, it was found that LH rats induced to overeat and restore body weight to the level of nonlesioned controls markedly increased their body fat without significantly increasing body protein. That is, LH rats at normal body weights were notably obese. In the second experiment, body protein losses produced by food restriction in LH rats were both relatively small and proportionally the same as those seen in similarly restricted nonlesioned controls. These observations demonstrate that LH rats retain the capacity for preserving body protein when challenged by either under- or overnutrition. The apparently irreversible reduction in the body protein mass thus appears to be the result of a specific lean tissue downregulation induced by LH damage.

Download Full-text

Prediction of body weights of Nellore sheep under field condition

Indian Journal of Animal Research ◽

10.18805/ijar.6701 ◽

2015 ◽

Author(s):

M. Rani ◽

B. Ekambaram ◽

B. Punya Kumari

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Length ◽

Age Groups ◽

The Body ◽

Coefficient Of Determination ◽

Regression Equations ◽

Body Weights ◽

Chest Girth ◽

Males And Females ◽

Nellore Sheep

Data on 1350 Nellore sheep of 2, 4, 6 and 8-teeth age, reared under field conditions in 12 mandals of Chittoor district of Andhra Pradesh were utilized for development of prediction equations and study the phenotypic association among body measurements and body weights. The coefficients of correlation between body weight with the height at withers, chest girth, paunch girth, hip width and body length were positive and high in magnitude in both males and females in majority of the age groups studied. Step-down regression equations were fitted to predict the body weight based on biometrical measurements at different ages. The height at withers, chest girth, paunch girth, hip width and body length have contributed significantly to the expression of body weights at the majority of the ages studied. High coefficient of determination (R2) value was observed in males at 6 and 8-teeth age as 88 per cent, while in females 50 per cent at 2-teeth age.

Download Full-text

Avian Egg Morphometrics - Allometric Models of Egg Volume, Clutch Volume and Shape

Australian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1071/zo9940307 ◽

1994 ◽

Vol 42 (3) ◽

pp. 307 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

PD Olsen ◽

RB Cunningham ◽

CF Donnelly

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Size ◽

Sexual Dimorphism ◽

Clutch Size ◽

Egg Volume ◽

Simple Power ◽

Wide Range ◽

Body Weights ◽

Body Sizes ◽

Simple Power Function

This paper describes three comprehensive new models of the allometric relationships between egg volume, clutch volume and shape, and body weight. Mean egg dimensions, clutch sizes and adult body weights were obtained for 326 species, mainly of four bird types: raptors (including owls), shorebirds, frogmouths (including nightjars), and storks (including the New World vultures). These are groups in which there is a wide range of body sizes and of sexual dimorphism in body size (in direction and degree). Female body weight alone accounted for 92% of the variation in egg volume. Sexual dimorphism in body size, phylogenetic relationship, and clutch size were significant contributors to the model of egg volume; their addition increased the explained variance to over 98%. The model was curvilinear (quadratic) in form, rather than linear as assumed in previous models. Larger species laid smaller eggs than expected under a simple power function. For the fitted model, within bird types, generic groupings had parallel curvilinear slopes but differing intercepts. Between bird types, the slopes differed. Clutch volume was scaled to body weight; all the bird types had a common slope, which was curvilinear. Body weight and dimorphism accounted for 89.5% of the variation in clutch volume. For all bird types, eggs became proportionally longer in shape as body weight increased, according to a simple power law. The relevance of these relationships to hypotheses on the evolution and adaptive significance of sexual dimorphism and to the trade-off between egg size and clutch size is discussed briefly.

Download Full-text

The size and endocrine activity of the pituitary in mice selected for large or small body-size

Genetics Research ◽

10.1017/s001667230000327x ◽

1962 ◽

Vol 3 (3) ◽

pp. 428-443 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

R. G. Edwards

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Size ◽

Small Body ◽

Large Body ◽

Primary Response ◽

Endocrine Activity ◽

Body Weights ◽

Mouse Pituitary ◽

Highly Correlated ◽

Thyroid Secretion

Mice of two strains, N and C, were used in studies on body-size, pituitary size, and endocrine potency of the pituitary. Strain N had been selected for large (NL) and small (NS) body-size; strain C had also been selected for large body-size (CL) but had been crossed to an outbred strain segregating pituitary dwarfism.Pituitary weights and body-weights were highly correlated, the regression lines being common in NL and NS mice. Female pituitaries were considerably heavier than male pituitaries in CL mice. In relation to body-weight, CL pituitaries were consistently heavier than those of NL or NS mice.No differences were detected in the unit potency of gonadotrophins in the pituitaries of NL and NS mice as estimated by the uterine response of immature outbred mice to subcutaneous injections of pituitary tissue. The uptake of 131I into the thyroid was comparable in NL and NS mice per unit of body-weight, and the thyroid secretion rate was also similar using animals of the same body-weight. Immature mice of both lines responded by increased growth to injections of growth hormone or fresh mouse pituitary, though the response was greater in NS than in NL mice.The primary response to selection has probably been in the size of the pituitary rather than in its unit potency. The interrelationships between body-size, body components, organ size and endocrine levels are discussed.

Download Full-text

The Composition of the Blood of the Shore Crab, Carcinus Moenas (Pennant), in Relation to Sex and Body Size

Journal of Experimental Biology ◽

10.1242/jeb.36.3.495 ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 36 (3) ◽

pp. 495-500

Author(s):

A. B. GILBERT

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Size ◽

Frequency Distribution ◽

Reproductive Activity ◽

Ionic Concentration ◽

Shore Crab ◽

Protein Nitrogen ◽

Body Weights ◽

Total Ionic Concentration

1. The influence of sex and body weight on the concentration of the non-protein nitrogen (N.P.N.) in the blood of Carcinus moenas was investigated. 2. Blood N.P.N. decreased with body size in both sexes until a minimum was reached at a body weight of about 35 g. Thereafter it increased with increasing body weight. 3. For body weights less than 35 g. males had higher N.P.N. values than females; above this weight male values were lower. Statistically these differences were highly significant. 4. Frequency distribution of reproductive activity with body size showed peaks which correspond with those for total ionic concentration (Gilbert, 1959a, b) and with the troughs for N.P.N. 5. Results of the present work have been discussed in relation to those reported earlier for conductivity, total O.P., chloride and sulphate (Gilbert, 1959a, b).

Download Full-text

Evaluation of Growth Curve Models for Body Weight in American Mink

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani10010022 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

pp. 22

Author(s):

Duy Ngoc Do ◽

Younes Miar

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Growth Curve ◽

Model Comparison ◽

American Mink ◽

Growth Curves ◽

Information Criterion ◽

Selection Response ◽

Growth Curve Models ◽

Body Weights ◽

Males And Females

Modelling the growth curves of animals is important for optimizing the management and efficiency of animal production; however, little is known about the growth curves in American mink (Neovison vison). The study evaluated the performances of four three-parameter (Logistic, Gompertz, von Bertalanffy, and Brody), four four-parameter (Richards, Weibull, Bridges, and Janoscheck) and two polynomial models for describing the growth curves in mink. Body weights were collected from the third week of life to the week 31 in 738 black mink (373 males and 365 females). Models were fitted using the nls and nlsLM functions in stats and minpack.lm packages in R software, respectively. The Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC) were used for model comparison. Based on these criteria, Logistic and Richards were the best models for males and females, respectively. Four-parameter models had better performance compared to the other models except for Logistic model. The estimated maximum weight and mature growth rate varied among the models and differed between males and females. The results indicated that males and females had different growth curves as males grew faster and reached to the maximum body weight later compared to females. Further studies on genetic parameters and selection response for growth curve parameters are required for development of selection programs based on the shape of growth curves in mink.

Download Full-text

Canaries in the coal mine: a cross-species analysis of the plurality of obesity epidemics

Proceedings of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences ◽

10.1098/rspb.2010.1890 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 278 (1712) ◽

pp. 1626-1632 ◽

Cited By ~ 91

Author(s):

Yann C. Klimentidis ◽

T. Mark Beasley ◽

Hui-Yi Lin ◽

Giulianna Murati ◽

Gregory E. Glass ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Epigenetic Factors ◽

Viral Pathogens ◽

The Past ◽

Species Analysis ◽

Body Weights ◽

Dramatic Rise ◽

Males And Females ◽

Varying Environments ◽

Over Time

A dramatic rise in obesity has occurred among humans within the last several decades. Little is known about whether similar increases in obesity have occurred in animals inhabiting human-influenced environments. We examined samples collectively consisting of over 20 000 animals from 24 populations (12 divided separately into males and females) of animals representing eight species living with or around humans in industrialized societies. In all populations, the estimated coefficient for the trend of body weight over time was positive (i.e. increasing). The probability of all trends being in the same direction by chance is 1.2 × 10 −7 . Surprisingly, we find that over the past several decades, average mid-life body weights have risen among primates and rodents living in research colonies, as well as among feral rodents and domestic dogs and cats. The consistency of these findings among animals living in varying environments, suggests the intriguing possibility that the aetiology of increasing body weight may involve several as-of-yet unidentified and/or poorly understood factors (e.g. viral pathogens, epigenetic factors). This finding may eventually enhance the discovery and fuller elucidation of other factors that have contributed to the recent rise in obesity rates.

Download Full-text

EXTERNAL CHARACTERIZATION OF FOUR INDIGENOUS HELMETED GUINEA FOWL VARIETIES (Numida meleagris galeata Pallas 1882) IN NIGERIA

Nigerian Journal of Animal Production ◽

10.51791/njap.v16i.1916 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 16 ◽

pp. 47-54

Author(s):

K. L. Ayorinde

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Genetic Improvement ◽

Guinea Fowl ◽

Entire Population ◽

Black And White ◽

Numida Meleagris ◽

Body Weights ◽

Males And Females ◽

Black Pearl

The physical characteristics of 338 indigenous helmeted guinea fowls at 28 and 52 weeks of age were described. Four main colour types or varieties recognised were Ash (Lavender), Black, Pearl (Grey) and pure White. Body weights averaged 1.15 ± 0.03kg and 1.34 ± 0.05kg at 28 and 52 weeks of age respectively for the guinea cocks and 1.07 æ 0.04kg and 1.29 æ 0.06kg at 28 and 52 weeks respectively for the guinea hens. The overall mean body weight for the entire population was 1.1 ± 0.4kg at 28 weeks of age and 1.31 ± 0.07kg at 52 weeks of age. Body weights were significantly (P<.05) bigger at end of laying (52 weeks) than at pointof lay. The males at each age and in each variety also had larger body weights than the females. The guinea cocks had slightly longer body (43.1 vs 42.6cm), keel (14.8 vs 14.4cm), wing (20.3 vs 20.2cm), shank (8.4 vs 7.9cm), drum stick (13.1vs 12.4cm), thigh (9.9 vs 9.6cm), toes and claws, wattle (3.0 vs 2.6cm), jhelmet (3.7 vs 3.2cm), beak (2.7 vs 2.5cm) and larger body girth (30.3 vs 29.4cm) than the guinea hens. About 21.14 and 24.16% of the neck of the males and females respectively were devoid of feathers. Colour of the naked portion of the neck was bluish-black and bear long hair like filoplumes on the dorsalregion. The colour of the beak was light brown in all the birds. All the Black and White birds had light brown shanks while 28.9 and 37.5% of the Ash and Pearl birds, respectively had partly brown and partly grey shank. 62.5 and 28.6% of the Pearl and Ash birds respectively, had brown shanks while 42.6% of the Ash birds had grey shank. The colour of the wattle was red in all the birds. The great variation in the various parameters measured and weighed suggests that they can probably be used in selection and hence genetic improvement of the local helmeted guinea fowl.

Download Full-text

Encephalization of The Koala, Phascolarctos cinereus.

Australian Mammalogy ◽

10.1071/am98315 ◽

1998 ◽

Vol 20 (3) ◽

pp. 315

Author(s):

C. De Miguel ◽

M. Henneberg

Keyword(s):

Body Weight ◽

Body Size ◽

Brain Size ◽

South Australia ◽

Allometric Equation ◽

Brain Weight ◽

Phascolarctos Cinereus ◽

Weight Relationship ◽

Body Weights

Brain size relative to body size is considered to be an indicator of variously defined 'braininess' (=encephalization). Indices of encephalization are based on the ratio of the animal's actual brain size to its expected brain size calculated from an allometric equation derived from a brain size I body weight relationship in a series of taxa Freshly collected data on brain and body weights of 27 adult koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) from South Australia are analysed here. Sex- averaged brain weight in this sample is 19.2 g and body weight is 8.0 kg. General equations for mammals produce encephalization values for the koala well below the mammalian average: EQ=38.9% ac- cording to Jerison's equation (1973), EQ= 49.7% applying Eisenberg's equation (1981) and EQ= 35.3% using Martin's equation (1990). When a 'basal' insectivore line is used, the koala appears to be progressive: IP =155.9% according to Stephan's equation (1972) and ICC= 131.7% using Martin's equation (1990). Use of 'basal' marsupial lines also indicates progressive encephalization of the koala: Pl=l l6.5% according to Pirlot's equation (1981}, E=108.4% following Nelson and Stephan's equation (1982) and E=107.9% using Haight and Nelson's equation (1987). These new results are clearly higher than the indices for the koala reported earlier by other authors (Nelson and Stephan 1982; Haight and Nelson 1987). It follows that choice of samples and equations influences conclusions regarding encephalization of a species.

Download Full-text