Female reproductive biology of the southeastern crowned snake (Tantilla coronata)

1992 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-218 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raymond D. Semlitsch ◽  
Robert D. Aldridge

AbstractFemale Tantilla coronata reach sexual maturity in the spring of their third calendar of life (about 21 months of age) at about 150 mm snout-vent length. Vitellogenesis occurs in the spring, ovulation in June and oviposition in June and early July. Both ovaries are fully functional despite the lack of a functional left oviduct. The number of vitellogenic follicles is correlated with snout-vent length, however, the number of eggs or corpora lutea are not correlated with snout-vent length. Mean litter size and percent of females reproductive varied between years. The difference in the expected litter size between snakes with vitellogenic follicles and snakes with oviducal eggs or corpora lutea is due to atresia of vitellogenic follicles. Coelomic fat mass of adults showed a significant negative correlation during the course of vitellogenesis. Fat mass increased significantly following oviposition, however, some females had low coelomic reserves in late summer.

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zenghui Wang ◽  
Dongmei Wang ◽  
Linfang Huang

The contents of ferulic acid, senkyunolide A, butylidenephthalide, ligustilide, and n-butylphthalide were determined by UPLC analytical method; the correlation among the grade, average weight, and content was explored by correlation analysis and analysis of variance (ANOVA); the different commercial grades with average weight and content were revealed by principal component analysis (PCA) and then rationality analysis grade classification ofA. sinensis. The results showed that various commercial grades can be distinguished by PCA analysis. And there was significant negative correlation between the commodity grades and average weight, commodity, and the content of bioactive compounds, while the content of senkyunolide A had significant negative correlation with commodity grades (P<0.01). Average weight had no correlation with chemicals compounds. Additionally, there was significant positive correlation among the bioactive compounds (content of ferulic acid and phthalides) of different grades ofA. sinensis. The content of senkyunolide A, butylidenephthalide, and ligustilide had significant positive correlation with the content of ferulic acid. The content of ligustilide and butylidenephthalide had significant positive correlation with the content of senkyunolide A. The content of ligustilide had significant positive correlation with the content of butylidenephthalide. The basis of grades classification is related with the difference levels of the bioactive compounds.


2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 43-51
Author(s):  
G. N. Egbunike ◽  
J. Steinbach

488 gestations (309 Large White and 179 Landrace) and the size of all litters resulting from services which occurred between January 1967 and March 1970 were analysed. The mean gestation length was 113.96 days for the Large White and 113.74 days for the Landrace while the mean values for the litter size were 9.14 and 9.58 respectively. There was a significant negative correlation between these two traits in both breeds (P 0.01). A slight and non-significant seasonal effect (P 0.10) was shown with the highest and lowest gestation lengths being recorded in July (114.38 days) and in January and February (113.40 days). Breed effect and interaction between breed and season were also not significant.


Author(s):  
Marwa Abdel AAL ◽  
Mahmoud El Far ◽  
Nora Mohamed Sheta ◽  
Ahmed Fayyad ◽  
Eman El Desouky ◽  
...  

Various invasive and non-invasive methods have been used for measuring primary implant stability. Periotest damping device, and resonance frequency analysis (RFA) with the Osstell device have been classified as non-invasive methods.In this clinical randomized trial, a general correlation of primary implant stability was recorded using both the Osstell and Periotest device at the day of implant installation and 3 month after healing for the submerged and non submerged   loading protocols. The gender of included patients were investigated in the correlation of the two devices.Eighty completely edentulous patients were recruited, all patients were of age ranging from 50 to 69 years old. A single implant was installed in the midline of the completely edentulous mandible to improve retention of their lower denture. After implant installation, Implant Stability was recorded using the osstel and periotest device. Patients were then randomized into two groups using sealed envelopes; Submerged (S), and Non Submerged (NS). All ISQ and PTV were recorded at the day of implant installation, and 3 month after healing for both groups.When the ISQ was correlated to the (PTV), there was a moderate negative statistically significant correlation between the two readings, correlation coefficient= -0.466, p=0.000 . There tends to be a weak negative correlation between the two devices in the male group ,while there tends to be no correlation between the two devices in the female group After 3 month healing, there was no statistically significant correlation of the readings with in both groups ;NS and S ; Correlation coefficient =-0.014, -0.430, p=0.942, 0.052 respectively.   A strong negative statistically significant correlation between the two devices for the female group for both, NS and the S group. While there was no statistically significant correlation with in the male group for both groups.The present study concluded that there is a significant negative correlation between the two devices when recording primary implant stability, while this significance is lost after 3 month of loading when recording secondary implant stability. Gender would affect the implant stability recording, this would mainly due to the difference in bone density between the male and female group.


2016 ◽  
Vol 88 (3 suppl) ◽  
pp. 1699-1709 ◽  
Author(s):  
MARLUCI M. REBELATO ◽  
GLÁUCIA M.F. PONTES ◽  
ALEXANDRO M. TOZETTI

ABSTRACT This study aimed to describe the reproductive biology of populations of Thamnodynastes hypoconia in subtemperate wetlands based on macroscopic analyses of their gonads. We analyzed 101 specimens from the southernmost regions of Brazil. The males had a greater snout-vent length, but the females reached sexual maturity with a greater body size. The reproductive cycle of the females was seasonal, with secondary vitellogenesis occurring between the winter and spring (May-October). Based on macroscopic analysis of gonads, data suggests that males have a continuous reproductive cycle. Parturition occurs between the late summer and early fall (January-April). The clutch size ranged between 4 and 16 embryos and showed no relationship with the female's body size. The recorded reproductive frequency of T. hypoconia is low (38 %) compared to other phylogenetically related species. Conversely, the studied populations appear to have a high reproductive success because it is an abundant species in the study site.


1955 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 115-119 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. ECKSTEIN ◽  
THOMAS McKEOWN

SUMMARY In twenty-nine guinea-pigs examined on the 65th day of their first pregnancy, litter size was positively correlated with maternal weight at conception. This association was independent of maternal age; there was no significant correlation between size and age after correction for weight. Similar results were obtained in 113 animals reported by Ibsen 1928]: a substantial positive correlation between litter size and weight (0·43) was independent of both age and parity, but there was only a trivial correlation with age (0·07), and a negative correlation with parity (−0·16) after correction for weight. Correlations between number of corpora lutea and weight (0·32, after correction for age) and between number of corpora and age (−0·17, after correction for weight) in twenty-eight of the twenty-nine animals, suggest that the association between litter size and weight is determined mainly by a positive correlation between weight and the number of ova produced.


2013 ◽  
Vol 61 (7) ◽  
pp. 558 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen C. McKillup ◽  
Ruth V. McKillup

Many species of grasstree, genus Xanthorrhoea, flower profusely after fire, but little is known about responses to fire by northern Australian species. After noticing flowering in an unburnt population of Xanthorrhoea latifolia (A.Lee) Bedford subsp. latifolia in central Queensland, we tested the hypotheses that (1) X. latifolia latifolia flowers annually in the absence of fire and (2) fire has no effect on the percentage flowering. Flowering in the absence of fire consistently occurred every February–April (late summer–autumn) from 2006 to 2008. A manipulative experiment with two treatments, namely (1) burnt in spring 2009 and (2) an unburnt control, showed that the percentage flowering did not differ significantly between treatments in 2009 (before the experimental treatment was burnt) or from 2010 to 2012. There was a significant negative correlation between the percentage flowering and rainfall before each flowering season. This population may be extremely resilient to fire. Flowering occurred with or without fire, plants resprouted after fire and mortality in the burnt treatment was 2.75%. Our findings emphasise that every species within a ‘fire-dependent’ or ‘fire-tolerant’ genus cannot be assumed to respond in the same way to fire; some may require fire management at the population level.


1961 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-161 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Hancock ◽  
G. J. R. Hovell

Forty-eight sows were inseminated into the uterus with semen (sperm fraction) diluted to 20 ml. with an egg-yolk glucose phosphate (YPG) diluent to contain 10·0 × 109, 1·0 × 109 and 0·1 × 109 spermatozoa. In 24 sows (120 ml. group) insemination of the 20 ml. diluted semen was followed by the intra-uterine insemination of 100 ml. YPG diluent, alone. The success of insemination was judged at autopsy from ova recovered 2-4 days after insemination (Experiment A) or from counts of foetuses present 25 days after insemination (Experiments B and C). In Experiment A the numbers of ‘cleaved’ ova were recorded before fixation: the numbers of ova judged to be ‘fertilised’ were counted in preparations of fixed and stained ova. For 24 sows inseminated with 20 ml. semen alone at the three dosage levels (10·0 × 109, 1·0 × 109 and 0·1 × 109 spermatozoa) the percentages of ‘cleaved’ and ‘fertilised’ ova were 78·5 and 80·9; 83·5 and 81·2; 24·6 and 19·8. For sows inseminated with the same sperm numbers in 20 ml. semen followed by 100 ml. diluent, the percentages were 41·5 and 43·9; 44·2 and 36·2; 24·6 and 6·7. Comparison of numbers of sows with some ova cleaved (or ‘fertilised’) and sows with none cleaved (or ‘fertilised’) showed no significant differences in sow fertility between treatments.Comparison of numbers of sows with all ova cleaved (or ‘fertilised’) and sows with none cleaved (or ‘fertilised’) shows that inseminations with the 20 ml. volume, alone, were of significantly higher fertility than those inseminated with 120 ml.Estimates of fertility based on the examination of unfixed ova differed in 9 sows from estimates based on the examination of fixed and stained ova. In one sow some uncleaved ova were shown to be pronucleate after fixation and staining. Morphologically abnormal ova were identified in 6 sows; most of these abnormal ova showed multinucleate blastomeres. These abnormal ova were found only in sows inseminated with not more than 1·0 × 109 spermatozoa.Counts of the numbers of spermatozoa on fixed ova showed that these tended to decline as the number of spermatozoa inseminated declined. Comparing sows inseminated with the same number of spermatozoa there tended to be fewer spermatozoa on ova from sows inseminated with 120 ml. than on ova from sows inseminated with 20 ml.Of 13 sows in Experiment B inseminated with 20 ml. semen containing 10·0 × 109 spermatozoa, 9 had foetuses present at autopsy 25 days later (11·6 foetuses per sow).Of 17 sows in Experiment C inseminated with 20 ml. semen containing 1·0 × 109 spermatozoa, 7 had foetuses present at autopsy 25 days later (7·1 foetuses per sow).The difference in pregnancy rate for the two groups is not statistically significant.Differences in litter size between the two groups of sows are explainable by differences in ovulation rate between the two groups (group B, 18·2 corpora lutea per sow, group C, 13·4 corpora lutea per sow).


2011 ◽  
Vol 27 (3) ◽  
pp. 785-790
Author(s):  
K. Fischer ◽  
K.P. Brüssow ◽  
H. Schlegel ◽  
M. Wähner

High numbers of live born and vital piglets are required for an effective piglet production. It has been reported that embryonic losses in swine can be as high as 20 to 50%. Generally, up to 30% of embryonic losses are considered within the normal biological range. The aim of our study was first to determine embryonic and fetal losses in sows of the German Landrace breed, and second to identify sows, which are able to realize high numbers of intact embryos and fetuses in combination with low rates of embryonic and fetal losses. This study was conducted on a commercial farrow-finish operation and involved 64 gilts. Gilts were synchronized for ovulation and inseminated artificially (AI) twice at fixed times. Pregnant gilts were slaughtered on Day 30 (n=34) and Day 80 (n=30) after second AI. Corpora lutea (CL) and embryos/fetuses (E/F) were counted. The length of uterine horns was measured. Based on the difference between the number of CL and the number of E/F, embryonic and fetal losses were 36.9 and 37.9%, respectively. The results obtained regarding the number of CL, the number E/F (intact and total), the rate of embryonic or fetal losses and uterine space per E/F underwent a cluster analysis. The results show that several gilts are able to realize high numbers of intact E/F in combination with low rates of losses and limited uterine space per E/F. Numbers of 15 to 20 intact fetuses on day 80 of pregnancy are considered as a minimum for an adequate litter size at the end of pregnancy. In this study only 35% of gilts at Day 30 and 37% of gilts at Day 80 demonstrate this potential. Cluster analysis is a useful mathematical tool which helps to assess results of embryonic and fetal losses and to group gilts according to their performance. As a consequence cluster analysis provides clues which gilts or family structures should be analyzed more intensively.


2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (2) ◽  
pp. 229-233 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maria Regina Teixeira Araújo ◽  
Roberto Flávio Silva Pecoits–Filho ◽  
João Egidio Romão Junior ◽  
Emil Sabbaga ◽  
Marcello Machado Marcondes ◽  
...  

♦ Objective To establish a relationship between peritoneal transport membrane pattern, analyzed by the peritoneal equilibration test (PET), and drained volume using icodextrin (7.5% Ico) and glucose (3.86% Glu) solutions. ♦ Design Thirty peritoneal dialysis patients were submitted to a standard 4-hour PET and divided into 4 transport categories based on dialysate-to-plasma ratio of creatinine (D/Pcr) and dialysate ratio of glucose at 4 and zero hours of the dwell (D4/D0). Patients were asked to perform exchanges for 2 consecutive nights in 10-hour dwells (2 L 3.86% Glu solution on the first night, and 2 L 7.5% Ico solution on the second night). The drained volume was measured and dialysate samples from the overnight exchanges were obtained for β2-microglobulin (B2M) levels. ♦ Results PET classification using D/Pcr showed that 46.6% of the patients were high and high-average transporters, or 23.3% when D4/D0 was used. In spite of this difference, both methods showed significant correlation ( p = 0.0001, r = 0.862). The mean drained volumes were similar for both solutions (for 3.86% Glu, 2696 ± 369 mL; for 7.5% Ico, 2654 ± 424 mL). The high and high-average transport patients classified by D4/D0 achieved a higher ultrafiltration with 7.5% Ico than with 3.86% Glu ( p = 0.0235). When classified by D/Pcr, the difference was not significant ( p = 0.2243). In the low and low-average transport patients classified by D/Pcr, we observed a significantly lower ultrafiltration when 7.5% Ico was used compared to 3.86% Glu solution ( p = 0.0197). Using D4/D0, we saw a tendency toward lower ultrafiltration ( p = 0.0719) in the same group. We then correlated the PET results and the difference between drained volume with 7.5% Ico and 3.86% Glu solution [ΔV (I–G)]. We found a significant negative correlation between D4/D0 and ΔV (I–G) ( p = 0.002, r = –0.5390), and a positive correlation between D/Pcr and ΔV (I–G) ( p = 0.005, r = 0.4932). The levels of B2M obtained with 7.5% Ico were higher than those obtained with 3.86% Glu solution (for 7.5% Ico, 9.47 ± 6.71 μg/vol; for 3.86% Glu, 7.29 ± 4.91 μg/vol; p = 0.004). Furthermore, we found significant correlation between the total amount of B2M obtained with 7.5% Ico solution and D4/D0 ( p < 0.0001, r = –0.4493), and D/Pcr ( p < 0.0001, r = 0.5431). ♦ Conclusion Mean drained volume was similar between the two solution groups. High transporters, as defined by D4/D0, achieved higher ultrafiltration with 7.5% Ico than with 3.86% Glu solution. This is most likely due to the higher number of small pores in the peritoneal membrane. Low transporters, as classified by D/Pcr, achieved lower ultrafiltration with 7.5% Ico than with 3.86% Glu solution. The ΔV (I–G) and the PET results showed significant correlation, confirming that high transporters have a higher ultrafiltration volume with 7.5% Ico. The total B2M mass obtained with 7.5% Ico was greater than with 3.86% Glu solution and significantly higher in the high transport patients, indicating a larger number of small pores. Thus, the ΔV (I–G) could give us an idea of the peritoneal transport pattern in peritoneal dialysis patients.


2016 ◽  
Vol 59 (1) ◽  
pp. 145-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewa Kuźnicka ◽  
Witold Rant ◽  
Aurelia Radzik-Rant ◽  
Małgorzata Kunowska-Slósarz ◽  
Marek Balcerak

Abstract. A herd of sheep (40 heads) was divided into two equal groups: group 1 was kept under an overhead shelter and group 2 in a warm barn. The effect of maintenance on ewe's reproductive performance, corpora lutea and corpora lutea of pregnancy rate, as well as the concentration of plasma progesterone and estradiol in peripheral blood was investigated. At the first laparoscopy fewer corpora lutea than during the following one were observed (P ≤ 0.01). In sheep kept under the overhead shelter, a greater number of corpora lutea were noted. More corpora lutea of pregnancy were observed in group 1 than in the group from the barn. On the first day after mating the average level of progesterone was 190 pg mL−1, and after 2 weeks it increased to more than 300 pg mL−1 (P ≤ 0.01). The positive correlation between the number of corpora lutea of pregnancy and progesterone concentration (P ≤ 0.01) and the negative correlation (P ≤ 0.01) with number of corpora lutea of pregnancy, as well as between the litter size and estradiol concentration, were observed. Harsh environmental conditions did not cause a significant decrease of the reproduction performance of ewes kept under the overhead shed.


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