scholarly journals Feeding ecology of Hypostomus punctatus Valenciennes, 1840 (Osteichthyes, Loricariidae) in a costal stream from Southeast Brazil

2010 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 569-574 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Mazzoni ◽  
CF. Rezende ◽  
LR. Manna
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Feeding Habit ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Feeding Preferences ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Southeast Brazil ◽  
Dry Seasons

In the present study we aimed to compare the feeding ecology of Hypostomus punctatus from a coastal stream from Southeast Brazil with data previously published for the same study site before environmental changes. Feeding preferences were assessed through a sample of 138 specimens (67 from the dry and 71 from the rainy season) using the Index of Alimentary Importance (IAi). We registered five different food items (detritus, plant fragments, Diatoms, Chloroficeae and Cianobacteries) composing the species diet. Detritus was the most abundant one both during the rainy and dry seasons (IAirainny = 90.34 and IAidry = 96.30). No significant differences were registered for the volume of food items consumed during the rainy and dry seasons. The Frequency of Occurrence analysis showed that four (detritus, plant fragments, Diatoms and Chloroficeae) among the five all other consumed ones, were always frequent. Comparing our own results with those available for the study site, we suggest that the feeding habit of H. punctatus has changed according to environmental changes and that the species diet is strongly dependent upon environmental conditions.

scholarly journals Feeding Ecology of Taruca (Hippocamelus antisensis) Populations during the Rainy and Dry Seasons in Central Peru

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Gazzolo ◽  
Javier Barrio
Keyword(s):  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
National Park ◽  
Grass Species ◽  
Food Items ◽  
The Andes ◽  
Northern Peru ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Intermediate Value ◽  
Adequate Management

Tarucas (Hippocamelus antisensis) live in rocky areas in the Andes, from northern Peru to northern Argentina. Microhistological analyses on their feeding ecology during the rainy and dry seasons were done at a National Park and a Landscape Reserve. The diet was diverse and more than 50 species were identified from the feces. Grass species were most often detected as eaten by taruca during the rainy season comprising near 70% of the consumed fragments with 35 plant species identified as eaten then. In the dry season, around 50 species were identified as eaten by tarucas, mostly dicotyledonous. The main species consumed in both seasons wereWerneria nubigena,Poa gymnantha,Senecio comosus, andEphedra americana. The ecological density was an intermediate value compared to other observed values in Peru. This is the first study to find the importance of grasses for tarucas, selected when soft, during the rainy season. A possible overlap with domestic ungulates’ diets should be explored, helping the conservation of taruca and generating an adequate management of the species and the ecosystem. There is a change in the palatable offer of food items during the rainy season, when most of the Gramineae species are tender.

scholarly journals Seasonal variation on diet of juvenile Elops saurus Linnaeus, 1766 (Ladyfish) in the Parnaiba River Delta

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiane Araujo Santos ◽  
Thamires Souza Gonçalves ◽  
Patricia Silva do Nascimento ◽  
Cézar Augusto Freire Fernandes ◽  
Francisca Edna de Andrade Cunha
Keyword(s):  
High Frequency ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
River Delta ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Dry Period ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Importance Index

Abstract: Aim Identify seasonal variations in the diet of juvenile living in the estuary of the Parnaíba River Delta. Methods Food items were identified through analysis of stomach contents, and later submitted to analysis by regular methods for Frequency of Occurrence (FO), Frequency Numerical (FN), Gravimetric Frequency (FW) and Relative Importance Index (IRI). Results Juvenile diet of Elops saurus that inhabit the lagoons in the Parnaíba delta was composed in order decreasing of importance by Osteichthyes (Teleostei), Insecta and Crustacea in addition to Polychaeta and Nematoda. It was also observed a high frequency of occurrence of fragments of plastics in the diet. In the rainy season, 17 items were recorded in the diet, whereas in the dry season only 7 items were present. Relative Importance Index showed high presence of the Teleostei fish (69.93%) on diet of E. saurus during the rainy season, whereas during the dry period the insects of the families Corixidae (43.25%) and Dysticidae (39.16%). Conclusions With the study it was possible to identify that juvenile are piscivorous in the rainy season when there is a higher availability of prey in the environment and insectivores in the dry season when it reduces the supply of food, indicating feeding flexibility to environmental alterations.

scholarly journals The role of riverine forests for food supply for the omnivorous fish Brycon opalinus Cuvier, 1819 (Characidae) in the Serra do Mar, Southeast Brazil

2008 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 321-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
LM. Gomiero ◽  
AG. Manzatto ◽  
FMS. Braga
Keyword(s):  
Animal Origin ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Trophic Relations ◽  
Serra Do Mar ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Southeast Brazil ◽  
Insect Order ◽  
Intestinal Length ◽  
Terrestrial Environments ◽  
Three Rivers

The purpose of this study was to characterize the diet of the fish Brycon opalinus (Characidae) seasonally and locally, allowing for the determination of its food items and trophic relations with the aquatic and terrestrial environments. The study area encompasses three rivers (Paraibuna, Ipiranga and Grande) in the basin of the Paraibuna, southeast Brazil. Twelve monthly collections were made from January to December 2004. The degree of stomachic repletion and of accumulated visceral fat was analyzed, as was the intestinal length in each class of total length. The frequency of occurrence and the degree of food preference (DFP) of the food items of Brycon opalinus were determined by separating the vegetal and animal items, autochthonous and allochthonous, by insect order and vegetal family consumed. The frequency of occurrence of items of animal origin was found to be equivalent to that of vegetal origin, thus characterizing the omnivorism of Brycon opalinus feeding.

scholarly journals Effects of Depth and Seasons on the Physicochemical and Bacteriological Quality of Selected Well Water Samples in Awka Urban, Anambra State, Nigeria

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-28
Author(s):  
M. U. Orji ◽  
S. C. Onuorah ◽  
M. O. Ifemeje ◽  
O. R. Umeh
Keyword(s):  
Water Samples ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Salmonella Typhi ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Well Water ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Proteus Vulgaris ◽  
Anambra State ◽  
Dry Seasons

Background: The people of Awka urban show an increasing trend of using well water resulting to unreliable and quality-compromised water supply. Aim: Effects of depth and seasons on the physicochemical and bacteriological quality of selected well water samples in Awka urban, Anambra State was conducted to determine their quality and suitability for domestic uses. A total of thirty shallow and deep well water samples were collected during the rainy and dry seasons. Methods: Physicochemical analysis was carried out using standard analytical methods. The total bacterial count was determined by dilution method. Results: Some of the physicochemical parameters (PH, dissolved oxygen, nitrate, cadmium, lead and arsenic) exceeded the World Health Organization maximum containment levels indicating that the samples were unfit for domestic uses. The bacterial counts ranged from 2.66 to 3.26 logcfu/ml during the rainy season and 2.54 to 3.20 logcfu/ml during the dry season. The total coliform counts also exceeded the W.H.O levels. Citrobacter freundii, Shigella flexneri, Serratia marcescens, Proteus vulgaris, Vibrio cholerae, Salmonella typhi, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis were isolated during both seasons and identified using standard analytical procedures. The bacterium that had the highest frequency of occurrence during the rainy season was Citrobacter freundii (16.55%) while Salmonella typhi had the highest frequency of occurrence during the dry season (17.69%) respectively. Proteus vulgaris had the least frequency of occurrence 5.41% and 4.62% during the rainy and dry seasons respectively. The results were analyzed statistically using two-way analysis of variance. Higher bacterial counts were recorded in rainy season and shallow wells than dry season and deeper wells. Conclusion: The presence of these bacteria above admissible limits showed that the water lacked proper water management services and may be harmful to humans. There is therefore a need to monitor the well water quality by employing better sanitary practices and subjecting the waters through various forms of water treatments before use to help prevent disease outbreak.

scholarly journals Condition Factor, Food and Feeding Habit of Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus (Siluriformes: Bagridae) from Lower River Benue, Makurdi, Nigeria

2019 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Edem, Edem Thomas ◽  
Odey, Christopher Ogamode
Keyword(s):  
Food Habits ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Good Health ◽  
Feeding Habit ◽  
Natural Food ◽  
Frequency Of Occurrence ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Food And Feeding

Background and Objective: The feeding habit as well as the condition factor of Chrysichthys nigrodigitatus from lower river Benue was studied between July 2015 and September 2015. Materials and Methods: The natural food of the fish in the Lower River Benue was studied from stomach contents of the fish. A total of 100 stomachs were randomly examined and analyzed using two methods; the frequency of occurrence and point methods. About 92 had food items while 8 were empty. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test for significant difference at 95% confidence limit in the food eaten by these species and also the degree of stomach fullness. Results: Food items encountered using frequency of occurrence method include fish parts (47.62%), seeds (40.49%), sand/mud (30.09%), detritus (30.95%), digested food (29.76%), insect parts (27.38%), mollusk (25.00%) and algae (22.62%). Conclusion: C. nigrodigitatus had a euryphagous food habits and based on condition factor the fish were in good health.

Distribution, feeding behaviour, and condition of Cape horse mackerel early life stages, Trachurus capensis, under different environmental conditions in the northern Benguela upwelling ecosystem

2014 ◽  
Vol 72 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-557 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. J. Geist ◽  
A. Kunzmann ◽  
H. M. Verheye ◽  
A. Eggert ◽  
A. Schukat ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dissolved Oxygen ◽  
Feeding Ecology ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Early Life ◽  
Early Life History ◽  
Horse Mackerel ◽  
Larval Phase ◽  
Recruitment Success ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Variable Recruitment

Abstract Early life history (ELH) traits are key to understand variable recruitment success and hence the stock size of marine fish. One of the currently most puzzling ecosystems in this regard is the northern part of the Benguela Current upwelling system off Namibia. Here, populations of the formerly dominant pelagic species, sardine and anchovy, failed to recover during the last three decades after a dramatic decline. In contrast, Cape horse mackerel, Trachurus capensis, maintained a constant population size. Warming of the system and shoaling of hypoxic zones together with feedback loops within an altered foodweb are discussed to be responsible for this regime shift. In this study, we address the role of larval traits for the successful performance of the T. capensis population under the present environmental conditions with the focus on feeding ecology. We investigated seasonal variations of the geographical distribution, growth rate, feeding ecology, and nutritional condition of their ELH stages and examined relationships with water temperature, dissolved oxygen concentration, and micro-zooplankton composition. T. capensis' ELH stages showed a wide spatial and seasonal distribution, a preference for higher water temperatures (18–21°C) and presence over a wide range of dissolved oxygen concentrations (0.13–6.35 ml O2 l−1). Feeding success was high and mainly different groups of Copepoda were targeted, which were strongly size selected. The high dietary importance of micro-copepods during large parts of the larval phase indicates successful exploitation of this food source, which has increased in abundance during the last decade. It also explains observed best nutritional conditions at temperatures between 18 and 21°C, since these small copepods are commonly associated with warmer temperatures. Altogether, these traits enhance the species' probability to encounter suitable environments for the survival of their ELH stages, which is likely to lead to their high recruitment success in the northern Benguela ecosystem.

scholarly journals Structure of pond vegetation of a vereda in the Brazilian Cerrado

Rodriguésia ◽  
2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 721-729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzana Neves Moreira ◽  
Arnildo Pott ◽  
Vali Joana Pott ◽  
Geraldo Alves Damasceno-Junior
Keyword(s):  
Water Depth ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Life Form ◽  
Mato Grosso ◽  
Relative Cover ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Measured Water ◽  
Mato Grosso Do Sul ◽  
New Occurrences

Abstract This is the first report on aquatic macrophytes in ponds of veredas (palm swamps) in the Cerrado (Brazilian savanna). We studied a pond in a vereda in Terenos, Mato Grosso do Sul state, central-western Brazil, during drought and flood periods to assess plant community structure and the relationship between species distribution and water depth. Sampling was carried out in five permanent transects, along which we placed sampling units of 1 m2 quadrats every 5 m. We estimated visually the relative cover of each species, bare ground, dead matter, and exposed water. We also measured water depth. We recorded 77 species of 49 genera and 31 families. The number of species varied between seasons, and in the rainy season the amphibious life form was predominant. The richest families were Poaceae (15 species), Cyperaceae (11), Asteraceae (4) and Lentibulariaceae (4). The richest genera were Rhynchospora (4), Utricularia (4), Eleocharis (4), Aeschynomene (3), Bacopa (3), Ludwigia (3) and Panicum (3). We found six new occurrences for the cerrado. Eleocharis acutangula had the highest relative cover (rainy and dry seasons), followed by Bacopa reflexa (rainy season), Paspalum lenticulare (rainy and dry seasons), Leersia hexandra (rainy and dry seasons), and Sagittaria rhombifolia (rainy season). Some species were distributed mainly at shallower depths, others occurred in deeper water, whereas some species varied greatly in terms of depth. Heliotropium filiforme and Ludwigia nervosa were found only in the dry season. In the rainy season, as expected, the exclusive species were mostly true aquatics.

scholarly journals Pathological transitions in myelin membranes driven by environmental and multiple sclerosis conditions

2018 ◽  
Vol 115 (44) ◽  
pp. 11156-11161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rona Shaharabani ◽  
Maor Ram-On ◽  
Yeshayahu Talmon ◽  
Roy Beck
Keyword(s):  
Multiple Sclerosis ◽  
Phase Transition ◽  
Lipid Composition ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Structural Changes ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Hexagonal Phase ◽  
Structural Phase ◽  
Structural Modifications ◽  
Transition Points

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an autoimmune disease, leading to the destruction of the myelin sheaths, the protective layers surrounding the axons. The etiology of the disease is unknown, although there are several postulated environmental factors that may contribute to it. Recently, myelin damage was correlated to structural phase transition from a healthy stack of lamellas to a diseased inverted hexagonal phase as a result of the altered lipid stoichiometry and low myelin basic protein (MBP) content. In this work, we show that environmental conditions, such as buffer salinity and temperature, induce the same pathological phase transition as in the case of the lipid composition in the absence of MBP. These phase transitions have different transition points, which depend on the lipid’s compositions, and are ion specific. In extreme environmental conditions, we find an additional dense lamellar phase and that the native lipid composition results in similar pathology as the diseased composition. These findings demonstrate that several local environmental changes can trigger pathological structural changes. We postulate that these structural modifications result in myelin membrane vulnerability to the immune system attacks and thus can help explain MS etiology.

scholarly journals A three-dimensional view on biodiversity changes: spatial, temporal, and functional perspectives on fish communities in the Baltic Sea

2018 ◽  
Vol 75 (7) ◽  
pp. 2463-2475 ◽  
Author(s):  
Romain Frelat ◽  
Alessandro Orio ◽  
Michele Casini ◽  
Andreas Lehmann ◽  
Bastien Mérigot ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Baltic Sea ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Environmental Changes ◽  
Temporal Dynamics ◽  
Marine Ecosystem ◽  
Fish Communities ◽  
The Baltic Sea ◽  
Functional Richness ◽  
Holistic Understanding ◽  
The Baltic

Abstract Fisheries and marine ecosystem-based management requires a holistic understanding of the dynamics of fish communities and their responses to changes in environmental conditions. Environmental conditions can simultaneously shape the spatial distribution and the temporal dynamics of a population, which together can trigger changes in the functional structure of communities. Here, we developed a comprehensive framework based on complementary multivariate statistical methodologies to simultaneously investigate the effects of environmental conditions on the spatial, temporal and functional dynamics of species assemblages. The framework is tested using survey data collected during more than 4000 fisheries hauls over the Baltic Sea between 2001 and 2016. The approach revealed the Baltic fish community to be structured into three sub-assemblages along a strong and temporally stable salinity gradient decreasing from West to the East. Additionally, we highlight a mismatch between species and functional richness associated with a lower functional redundancy in the Baltic Proper compared with other sub-areas, suggesting an ecosystem more susceptible to external pressures. Based on a large dataset of community data analysed in an innovative and comprehensive way, we could disentangle the effects of environmental changes on the structure of biotic communities—key information for the management and conservation of ecosystems.

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