scholarly journals Does Seston Quality Limit the Presence of Mussels on Wellington’s South Coast? FlowCAM investigation of seston particle type

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rata Pryor Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Mytilus Galloprovincialis ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Perna Canaliculus ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Cook Strait ◽  
Quality Diet

<p>Temperate rocky shores around the world are characterised by so-called ‘universal’ zonation. An interesting exception to this rule can be seen along the shores of Wellington’s South Coast where there is a virtual absence of mussels and poorly developed rocky shore intertidal community. Yet just kilometres away in Wellington Harbour there is a fully developed intertidal community, including extensive multi-species mussel beds. This thesis aims to determine if the quality of seston is limiting the presence of mussels on Wellington’s South Coast. We now have the technology to see what types of particles the mussels are selecting in low and high quality seston conditions using a FlowCAM that allows identification of particle types and their physical properties.  This study compared environmental data for Wellington Harbour (seston-rich) and the South Coast (seston-poor). These data included chlorophyll a, turbidity and suspended sediment concentrations and were collected by CTD and satellite remote sensing. Mussel feeding experiments took place under a high and low quality diet during summer, autumn and winter using Perna canaliculus and Mytilus galloprovincialis. The physiological responses recorded were clearance rate, absorption efficiency and net energy balance for individual mussels. Environmental variables recorded were total particulate matter, particulate organic matter and percent organic matter. Water samples were collected during the feeding experiments and processed using the FlowCAM. By comparing the control chambers to chambers that had mussels feeding in them it was possible to see what particles the mussels were selecting.  The environmental variables revealed that Wellington Harbour had a much higher quality seston whereas in Cook Strait the seston quality was too low for mussels to be able to inhabit, as the chlorophyll a concentrations did not reach the required levels for mussel growth. Perna canaliculus and Mytilus galloprovincialis both showed physiological responses that would allow them to grow in Cook Strait waters, both species had positive absorption efficiencies and net energy balances. These responses were greater in the high quality diet in the enriched pond water in Nelson during summer and winter. The FlowCAM analysis revealed an inter-specific difference in preferential particle selection, which varied as a function of site and season. With more particles being preferentially selected in the high quality diet compared to when the mussels were feeding on Cook Strait seawater. This new information of particle selection helps to determine why mussels are absent from Wellington’s South Coast and contributes to the extensive information on mussel feeding.</p>

scholarly journals Does Seston Quality Limit the Presence of Mussels on Wellington’s South Coast? FlowCAM investigation of seston particle type

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Rata Pryor Rodgers
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Mytilus Galloprovincialis ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Perna Canaliculus ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Cook Strait ◽  
Quality Diet

<p>Temperate rocky shores around the world are characterised by so-called ‘universal’ zonation. An interesting exception to this rule can be seen along the shores of Wellington’s South Coast where there is a virtual absence of mussels and poorly developed rocky shore intertidal community. Yet just kilometres away in Wellington Harbour there is a fully developed intertidal community, including extensive multi-species mussel beds. This thesis aims to determine if the quality of seston is limiting the presence of mussels on Wellington’s South Coast. We now have the technology to see what types of particles the mussels are selecting in low and high quality seston conditions using a FlowCAM that allows identification of particle types and their physical properties.  This study compared environmental data for Wellington Harbour (seston-rich) and the South Coast (seston-poor). These data included chlorophyll a, turbidity and suspended sediment concentrations and were collected by CTD and satellite remote sensing. Mussel feeding experiments took place under a high and low quality diet during summer, autumn and winter using Perna canaliculus and Mytilus galloprovincialis. The physiological responses recorded were clearance rate, absorption efficiency and net energy balance for individual mussels. Environmental variables recorded were total particulate matter, particulate organic matter and percent organic matter. Water samples were collected during the feeding experiments and processed using the FlowCAM. By comparing the control chambers to chambers that had mussels feeding in them it was possible to see what particles the mussels were selecting.  The environmental variables revealed that Wellington Harbour had a much higher quality seston whereas in Cook Strait the seston quality was too low for mussels to be able to inhabit, as the chlorophyll a concentrations did not reach the required levels for mussel growth. Perna canaliculus and Mytilus galloprovincialis both showed physiological responses that would allow them to grow in Cook Strait waters, both species had positive absorption efficiencies and net energy balances. These responses were greater in the high quality diet in the enriched pond water in Nelson during summer and winter. The FlowCAM analysis revealed an inter-specific difference in preferential particle selection, which varied as a function of site and season. With more particles being preferentially selected in the high quality diet compared to when the mussels were feeding on Cook Strait seawater. This new information of particle selection helps to determine why mussels are absent from Wellington’s South Coast and contributes to the extensive information on mussel feeding.</p>

scholarly journals Optimization of Plasmodium vivax sporozoite production from Anopheles stephensi in South West India

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ajeet Kumar Mohanty ◽  
Charles de Souza ◽  
Deepika Harjai ◽  
Prathamesh Ghavanalkar ◽  
Mezia Fernandes ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
South Asia ◽  
Plasmodium Vivax ◽  
Anopheles Stephensi ◽  
Parasite Development ◽  
Future Research ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Gametocyte Density ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
South West ◽  
Membrane Feeding

Abstract Background Efforts to study the biology of Plasmodium vivax liver stages, particularly the latent hypnozoites, have been hampered by the limited availability of P. vivax sporozoites. Anopheles stephensi is a major urban malaria vector in Goa and elsewhere in South Asia. Using P. vivax patient blood samples, a series of standard membrane-feeding experiments were performed with An. stephensi under the US NIH International Center of Excellence for Malaria Research (ICEMR) for Malaria Evolution in South Asia (MESA). The goal was to understand the dynamics of parasite development in mosquitoes as well as the production of P. vivax sporozoites. To obtain a robust supply of P. vivax sporozoites, mosquito-rearing and mosquito membrane-feeding techniques were optimized, which are described here. Methods Membrane-feeding experiments were conducted using both wild and laboratory-colonized An. stephensi mosquitoes and patient-derived P. vivax collected at the Goa Medical College and Hospital. Parasite development to midgut oocysts and salivary gland sporozoites was assessed on days 7 and 14 post-feeding, respectively. The optimal conditions for mosquito rearing and feeding were evaluated to produce high-quality mosquitoes and to yield a high sporozoite rate, respectively. Results Laboratory-colonized mosquitoes could be starved for a shorter time before successful blood feeding compared with wild-caught mosquitoes. Optimizing the mosquito-rearing methods significantly increased mosquito survival. For mosquito feeding, replacing patient plasma with naïve serum increased sporozoite production > two-fold. With these changes, the sporozoite infection rate was high (> 85%) and resulted in an average of ~ 22,000 sporozoites per mosquito. Some mosquitoes reached up to 73,000 sporozoites. Sporozoite production could not be predicted from gametocyte density but could be predicted by measuring oocyst infection and oocyst load. Conclusions Optimized conditions for the production of high-quality P. vivax sporozoite-infected An. stephensi were established at a field site in South West India. This report describes techniques for producing a ready resource of P. vivax sporozoites. The improved protocols can help in future research on the biology of P. vivax liver stages, including hypnozoites, in India, as well as the development of anti-relapse interventions for vivax malaria.

scholarly journals Diet Quality Is Associated with a High Newborn Size and Reduction in the Risk of Low Birth Weight and Small for Gestational Age in a Group of Mexican Pregnant Women: An Observational Study

Nutrients ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 1853
Author(s):  
María A. Reyes-López. ◽  
Carla P. González-Leyva ◽  
Ameyalli M. Rodríguez-Cano ◽  
Carolina Rodríguez-Hernández ◽  
Eloisa Colin-Ramírez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Low Birth Weight ◽  
Nutritional Status ◽  
Diet Quality ◽  
Gestational Age ◽  
Small For Gestational Age ◽  
Mexican Women ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Diet ◽  
Newborn Size

A high-quality diet during pregnancy may have positive effects on fetal growth and nutritional status at birth, and it may modify the risk of developing chronic diseases later in life. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between diet quality and newborn nutritional status in a group of pregnant Mexican women. As part of the ongoing Mexican prospective cohort study, OBESO, we studied 226 healthy pregnant women. We adapted the Alternated Healthy Eating Index-2010 for pregnancy (AHEI-10P). The association between maternal diet and newborn nutritional status was investigated by multiple linear regression and logistic regression models. We applied three 24-h recalls during the second half of gestation. As the AHEI-10P score improved by 5 units, the birth weight and length increased (β = 74.8 ± 35.0 g and β = 0.3 ± 0.4 cm, respectively, p < 0.05). Similarly, the risk of low birth weight (LBW) and small for gestational age (SGA) decreased (OR: 0.47, 95%CI: 0.27–0.82 and OR: 0.55, 95%CI: 0.36–0.85, respectively). In women without preeclampsia and/or GDM, the risk of stunting decreased as the diet quality score increased (+5 units) (OR: 0.62, 95%IC: 0.40–0.96). A high-quality diet during pregnancy was associated with a higher newborn size and a reduced risk of LBW and SGA in this group of pregnant Mexican women.

scholarly journals Lightweight males of Podisus nigrispinus (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) neglect lightweight females due low reproductive fitness

2016 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. I. A. Pereira ◽  
R. B. Silva ◽  
W. S. Tavares ◽  
J. B. Malaquias ◽  
J. C. Zanuncio
Keyword(s):  
Stink Bugs ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Gossypium Hirsutum L ◽  
Nymphal Stage ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Food Shortages ◽  
Quality Diet ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Heteroptera Pentatomidae ◽  
Coleoptera Tenebrionidae

Abstract Sexual choice by male stink bugs is important because females that experience food shortages lay fewer eggs with lower viability compared with well-fed females. In this study, we investigated whether Podisus nigrispinus (Dallas) (Heteroptera: Pentatomidae) males fed with a low-quality diet during its nymphal stage show selectivity for sexual partners resulting in high-quality progeny. Lightweight males and females were obtained from nymphs fed weekly with Tenebrio molitor L. (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) pupae. By contrast, heavyweight males and females were fed three times a week and received an extra nutritional source: cotton leaves, Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae). Lightweight males preferred to mate with heavy females (77.78 ± 14.69%), whereas heavyweight males did not discriminated between light or heavyweight females. Females mated with lightweight males showed similar levels of reproduction to those mated with heavyweight males. The results provide an indication of the importance of male and female body weight for sexual selection in Asopinae stink bugs.

scholarly journals Nutritional depletion of total mixed rations by red-winged blackbirds and projected impacts on dairy cow performance

2018 ◽  
Vol 85 (3) ◽  
pp. 273-276
Author(s):  
James C. Carlson ◽  
Randal S. Stahl ◽  
John J. Wagner ◽  
Terry E. Engle ◽  
Shelagh T. DeLiberto ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition Score ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Nutritional Composition ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Energy Fraction ◽  
Feeding Experiments ◽  
Cow Performance ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Nutritional Depletion

This Research Communication describes an investigation of the nutritional depletion of total mixed rations (TMR) by pest birds. We hypothesized that species-specific bird depredation of TMR can alter the nutritional composition of the ration and that these changes can negatively impact the performance of dairy cows. Blackbirds selected the high energy fraction of the TMR (i.e., flaked corn) and reduced starch, crude fat and total digestible nutrients during controlled feeding experiments. For Holsteins producing 37·1 kg of milk/d, dairy production modeling illustrated that total required net energy intake (NEI) was 35·8 Mcal/d. For the reference TMR unexposed to blackbirds and the blackbird-consumed TMR, NEI supplied was 41·2 and 37·8 Mcal/d, and the resulting energy balance was 5·4 and 2·0 Mcal/d, respectively. Thus, Holsteins fed the reference and blackbird-consumed TMR were estimated to gain one body condition score in 96 and 254 d, and experience daily weight change due to reserves of 1·1 and 0·4 kg/d, respectively. We discuss these results in context of an integrated pest management program for mitigating the depredation caused by pest birds at commercial dairies.

scholarly journals Decision Trees for Predicting the Physiological Responses of Rabbits

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (11) ◽  
pp. 994
Author(s):  
Patrícia Ferreira Ponciano Ferraz ◽  
Yamid Fabián Hernández-Julio ◽  
Gabriel Araújo e Silva Ferraz ◽  
Raquel Silva de Moura ◽  
Giuseppe Rossi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Decision Trees ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Physiological Responses ◽  
Rapid Evaluation ◽  
Production Environment ◽  
Experimental Database ◽  
Tree Models ◽  
Data Points

The thermal environment inside a rabbit house affects the physiological responses and consequently the production of the animals. Thus, models are needed to assist rabbit producers in decision-making to maintain the production environment within the zone of thermoneutrality for the animals. The aim of this paper is to develop decision trees to predict the physiological responses of rabbits based on environmental variables. The experiment was performed in a rabbit house with 26 rabbits at eight weeks of age. The experimental database is composed of 546 observed data points. Sixty decision tree models for the prediction of respiratory rate (RR, mov.min−1) and ear temperature (ET, °C) of rabbits exposed to different combinations of dry bulb temperature (tdb, °C) and relative humidity (RH, %) were developed. The ET model exhibited better statistical indices than the RR model. The developed decision trees can be used in practical situations to provide a rapid evaluation of rabbit welfare conditions based on environmental variables and physiological responses. This information can be obtained in real time and may help rabbit breeders in decision-making to provide satisfactory environmental conditions for rabbits.

scholarly journals On the biology of Mytilicola intestinalis (Steuer)

1951 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 223-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. R. Hockley
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Mytilus Galloprovincialis ◽  
South Coast ◽  
Biological Association ◽  
Copepod Parasite ◽  
Marine Biological ◽  
Gulf Of Trieste ◽  
Marine Biological Association ◽  
Sea Coast ◽  
North Sea Coast

The copepod parasite Mytilicola intestinalis was first described by Steuer (1902) from the gut of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lam.) in the Gulf of Trieste. Monod & Dollfus in 1932 recorded the same species from M. edulis from Marseilles. In 1939 the parasite was first recorded on the German North Sea coast by Caspers near Cuxhaven, and in 1947 by Ellenby from Blyth, Northumberland. It is now widespread along the English south coast in M. edulis, but the distribution still shows some irregularities that are discussed in this paper.I am grateful to Prof. J. E. G. Raymont for facilities at University College, Southampton, and for the use of a research table at Plymouth; to Mr F. S. Russell, F.R.S., and the staff of the Plymouth Laboratory of the Marine Biological Association for their assistance; and to Dr D. P. Wilson for facilities to collect at Exmouth. Dr H. A. Cole and Mr J. N. R. Grainger have kindly given me information from their papers not yet published. Dr D. J. Crisp and Dr H. G. Stubbings have assisted by sending me several samples of mussels, and I am grateful also for information received from several other friends named in the text.

Diet intake and endurance performance in Kenyan runners

2004 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 249-253 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dirk L Christensen
Keyword(s):  
Endurance Performance ◽  
Essential Amino Acids ◽  
The Body ◽  
Physiological Adaptation ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Optimal Functioning ◽  
Elite Level ◽  
Quality Diet ◽  
And Performance ◽  
Diet Intake

AbstractTraining and competing at elite as well as sub-elite level requires an optimal functioning of the body. This review looks at the case of the Kenyan runners, who consume a relatively high-quality diet based on vegetable sources with maize and kidney beans as the staple foods. The diet is high in carbohydrate and total protein, but low to borderline in a few essential amino acids. The timing of diet intake – immediately after training sessions – is optimal for skeletal muscle glycogen resynthesis that is enhanced without the help of insulin up to 60 min after cessation of exercise. Whether the total energy intake of the Kenyan runners is adequate is debatable. However, chronic undernutrition is not possible for athletes who engage in daily high-quality and -quantity physical exercise throughout most of the year. It is suggested that Kenyan runners participate in well-controlled, laboratory studies to investigate the quality of local foods and performance, as well as possible physiological adaptation mechanisms among athletes with a high habitual energy turnover.

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