scholarly journals Anthropization Affects the Assembly of Bat-Bat Fly Interaction Networks

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel F. Ramalho ◽  
Ugo M. Diniz ◽  
Ludmilla M. S. Aguiar
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Site ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Interaction Networks ◽  
Hierarchical Assembly ◽  
Parasite Fitness ◽  
Bat Flies ◽  
Bat Fly ◽  
Structural Metrics

Increasing anthropization is detrimental to the natural environment and the quality of life, affecting populations, communities, and the relationships between organisms. One of the most unique relationships in the animal world is parasitism, which often involves tightly specialized interactions between pairs of species. Bat flies, for example, are obligate ectoparasites represented by two highly adapted dipteran families that usually parasite a single bat species or genus. Recent studies have shown that bat flies could carry pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, transmitting them among bat individuals in a colony. Because host roost characteristics can influence bat-fly parasitism, we aimed to assess whether the ecological networks between parasites and their host bats are influenced by the degree of habitat anthropization. Our hypothesis was that bat-fly interaction networks would be less specialized and more nested in highly anthropized sites. We collected bat fly individuals from bats captured at 21 sampling sites located in the Federal District of Brazil and quantified the amount of natural and anthropized area within a 3-km buffer from the sampling site. Areas consisting of agriculture, construction, mining, roads, or any man-made structure were considered anthropized. Sites presented different degrees of anthropization, with areas ranging from 100% anthropized to areas retaining full natural cover. We built bat-bat fly networks for each of the sites and excluded those with less than 0.7% of sampling completeness. We calculated key weighted structural metrics for each network, such as nestedness, specialization, and modularity. The effect of the reduction in natural cover on structural metrics was assessed through GLMMs, controlling for network size and ectoparasite diversity. Nestedness increased with the amount of anthropization, while specialization and modularity did not change and were overall high in all networks. This result suggests that anthropization may influence the assembly of bat-bat fly networks, leading to the emergence of a hierarchical assembly of interactions as parasites become less specialized and interact with a wider variety of hosts. Less specialized relationships could influence parasite fitness or even increase the likelihood of transmitting pathogens between populations of different bat species.

Extraverts Have Larger Social Network Layers

2011 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 161-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas V. Pollet ◽  
Sam G. B. Roberts ◽  
Robin I. M. Dunbar
Keyword(s):  
Social Network ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Outer Layer ◽  
Network Size ◽  
Emotional Intensity ◽  
Emotional Closeness ◽  
Network Layer ◽  
Network Layers ◽  
Social Network Size

Previous studies showed that extraversion influences social network size. However, it is unclear how extraversion affects the size of different layers of the network, and how extraversion relates to the emotional intensity of social relationships. We examined the relationships between extraversion, network size, and emotional closeness for 117 individuals. The results demonstrated that extraverts had larger networks at every layer (support clique, sympathy group, outer layer). The results were robust and were not attributable to potential confounds such as sex, though they were modest in size (raw correlations between extraversion and size of network layer, .20 < r < .23). However, extraverts were not emotionally closer to individuals in their network, even after controlling for network size. These results highlight the importance of considering not just social network size in relation to personality, but also the quality of relationships with network members.

Multivariate micropollutants analysis in marine waters

1995 ◽  
Vol 32 (9-10) ◽  
pp. 341-348
Author(s):  
V. Librando ◽  
G. Magazzù ◽  
A. Puglisi
Keyword(s):  
Multivariate Data Analysis ◽  
Partial Least Squares Regression ◽  
Environmental Chemistry ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Least Squares Regression ◽  
Organic Micropollutants ◽  
Suspended Material ◽  
The Difference

The monitoring of water quality today provides a great quantity of data consisting of the values of the parameters measured as a function of time. In the marine environment, and especially in the suspended material, increasing importance is being given to the presence of organic micropollutants, particularly since some are known to be carcinogenic. As the number of measured parameters increases examining the data and their consequent interpretation becomes more difficult. To overcome such difficulties, numerous chemometric techniques have been introduced in environmental chemistry, such as Multivariate Data Analysis (MVDA), Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Partial Least Squares Regression (PLSR). The use of the first technique in this work has been applied to the interpretation of the quality of Augusta bay, by measuring the concentration of numerous organic micropollutants, together with the classical water pollution parameters, in different sites and at different times. The MVDA has highlighted the difference between various sampling sites whose data were initially thought to be similar. Furthermore, it has allowed a choice of more significant parameters for future monitoring and more suitable sampling site locations.

Airborne bacteria concentrations and related factors at university laboratories, hospital diagnostic laboratories and a biowaste site

2011 ◽  
Vol 64 (3) ◽  
pp. 261-264 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sung Ho Hwang ◽  
Dong Uk Park ◽  
Kwon Chul Ha ◽  
Hyun Woo Cho ◽  
Chung Sik Yoon
Keyword(s):  
Sampling Site ◽  
Ventilation System ◽  
Airborne Bacteria ◽  
Gram Negative Bacteria ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Related Factors ◽  
P Values ◽  
Regular Control ◽  
Number Of Bacteria

AimsTo evaluate concentrations of airborne bacteria in university laboratories, hospital diagnostic laboratories, and a biowaste site in Seoul, Korea. To measure total airborne bacteria (TAB), the authors assessed sampling site, type of ventilation system, weather and detection of Gram-negative bacteria (GNB), indoors and outdoors.MethodAn Andersen one-stage sampler (Quick Take 30; SKC Inc) was used to sample air at a flow rate of 28.3 l/min for 5 min on nutrient medium in Petri dishes located on the impactor. A total of 236 samples (TAB, 109 indoor and nine outdoor; GNB, 109 indoor and nine outdoor) were collected three times in each spot from the 11 facilities to compare airborne bacteria concentrations.ResultsTAB concentrations ranged from undetectable to 3451 CFU/m3 (mean 384 CFU/m3), and GNB concentrations from undetectable to 394 CFU/m3 (mean 17 CFU/m3). TAB concentrations were high in window-ventilated facilities and facilities in which GNB were detected; concentrations were also high when it was rainy (all p values <0.05). TAB concentrations correlated significantly with GNB (r=0.548, p<0.01), number of bacteria species (r=0.351, p<0.01) and temperature (r=0.297, p<0.01). The presence of heating, ventilating, and air conditioning (HVAC), the number of TAB species and the detection of GNB affect TAB concentrations in laboratories.ConclusionsIt is recommended that special attention be given to regular control of indoor environments to improve the air quality of university and hospital laboratories.

Influence of different factors on the growth rate of young animals and the quality of beef

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-39
Author(s):  
V. N. Pristupa ◽  
D. S. Torosyan
Keyword(s):  
Experimental Studies ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Steppe Zone ◽  
Industrial Complex ◽  
Black And White ◽  
Dry Steppe ◽  
Intensive Rearing ◽  
Meat Productivity

The purpose of the work was to study and identify the main factors aff ecting the quantity and quality of beef produced and sold in the Southern Federal district. A comparative assessment of the growth, development, formation of meat productivity and quality of beef of young animals of beef, dual and dairy breeds with stall-pasture technology and intensive rearing in the industrial complex. Experimental studies have been carried out in farms in the Rostov region. The object of research was cows with calves of Kalmyk, Hereford, Aberdeen-Angus, Russian komolaya, Kazakh White-headed breeds, as well as young animals of the same breeds, in addition, Black-and-White and Swiss breeds. Removable live weight in Hereford steers at 18 months of age was 658,0 kg, and Aberdeen-Angus – 655,2 kg. Domestic steers of Kalmyk were 41–44 kg lower in live weight than their herdmates of two imported breeds. However, with intensive rearing at 18 months of age, steers of Kalmyk breed had a removable live weight of more than 613,7 kg and a carcass weight of 326 kg. The yield of hot carcass was 55,4 %, and the slaughter yield was 58,89 %, which was only 1–2 % lower than the world’s leading beef breeds. It has been found when analyzing the results of boning the half-carcasses of experimental steers that the biggest weight of half-carcasses and the content of muscle and fat tissue in them in absolute terms were in Hereford steers. Steers of Kalmyk breed took the third place in terms of weight of large-sized semi–fi nished products and signifi cantly lost to Aberdeen-Angus herdmates by 7,3 kg or 6,5 %, and Hereford steers by 9,2 kg or 8,3 %. The results obtained prove the expediency of using stallpasture technology in the dry-steppe zone of the Southern Federal district when rearing young animals for beef up to 350–400 kg live weight at 15 months of age and its subsequent intensive rearing under industrial technology, in order to obtain the live weight of more than 570 kg and produce cost-eff ective beef.

Tuberculosis epidemic situation in the Khabarovsk Krai: status and trends

2021 ◽  
Vol 87 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-24
Author(s):  
K.P. Topalov ◽  
◽  
O.L. Karpenko ◽  
E.G. Kovalyova ◽  
◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Khabarovsk Krai ◽  
Its Regions ◽  
Status And Trends ◽  
The Russian Federation ◽  
Far Eastern ◽  
Statistical Indicators ◽  
Tuberculosis Care

The article presents an overview of the data of statistical observation of the Khabarovsk Krai, the Russian Federation and the Far Eastern Federal District (Okrug) on tuberculosis; their significance for assessing the epidemic situation and the quality of anti-tuberculosis care in these territories in 2002–2019 is studied. The dynamics of statistical indicators for 18 years is given using the methodology for calculating rank values. The dependence of the incidence of tuberculosis on the population density in the constituent entities of the country, the Far Eastern Federal District and its regions has been determined

Seasonal variation of bat-flies (Diptera: Streblidae) in four bat species from a tropical dry forest

Mammalia ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 82 (2) ◽  
pp. 133-143 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria B. Salinas-Ramos ◽  
Alejandro Zaldívar-Riverón ◽  
Andrea Rebollo-Hernández ◽  
L. Gerardo Herrera-M
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Tropical Dry Forest ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Significant Information ◽  
Bat Flies ◽  
Host Parasite Interactions ◽  
Dry Seasons ◽  
Bat Fly ◽  
Host Parasite ◽  
Wet And Dry Seasons

AbstractSeasonality of climate promotes differences in abundance and species composition of parasites, affecting host-parasite interactions. Studies have reported seasonal variation in bat-flies, which are obligate bat ectoparasites. We characterized the bat-fly load of three insectivores [Pteronotus davyi(Gray),Pteronotus parnellii(Gray) andPteronotus personatus(Wagner)] and one nectarivorous [Leptonycteris yerbabuenae(Martínez and Villa-R.)] bat species in a tropical dry forest to test the existence of seasonality in response to the availability of resources during the wet and dry seasons. We collected 3710 bat-fly specimens belonging to six species and two genera from 497 bats. Most of the ectoparasite load parameters examined (mean abundance, mean intensity, richness, etc.), including comparisons among reproductive conditions and sex of the host, were similar in both seasons. Prevalence was the parameter that varied the most between seasons. The six bat-fly species were found in all bat species exceptP. personatus. The latter species andL. yerbabuenaehad four and five bat-fly species in the wet and dry seasons, respectively. This study provides significant information of ectoparasites ecology in relation to seasonality, contributes to the understanding of host-parasite relationships in tropical dry forests and discusses the relevance of the abiotic and biotic factors that could impact host-parasite interactions.

scholarly journals Hyperparasitism in caves: bats, bat flies and ectoparasitic fungus

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katrine Jensen ◽  
Luísa Rodrigues ◽  
Thomas Pape ◽  
Anders Garm ◽  
Sergi Santamaria ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soft Tissues ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Common Species ◽  
Unique Case ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Entire Life ◽  
Bat Flies ◽  
Starting Point ◽  
Bat Fly ◽  
Peculiar Case

Bat flies (Nycteribiidae) of the order Diptera are highly specialized bloodsucking ectoparasites living on bats. The life-cycle of the bat flies emphasizes their obligate relationship with their hosts as they spend almost their entire life on bats. Upon mating, the female bat fly carries the larvae internally until the 3rd-instar when it deposits the larvae on the ceiling of the roost occupied by bats. The larvae then form a puparium. After 3-4 weeks the adult bat fly emerges from the puparium and starts searching for a host bat to colonize. Some of these ectoparasitic bat flies themselves are infected with an ectoparasitic fungus of the genus Arthrorhynchus (Laboulbeniales). Ascospores of the fungi attach themselves to the cuticle of the bat fly and develop a very conspicuous haustorium that penetrates into the soft tissues from where it presumably extract nutrition from the hemolymph of the bat flies. This interaction converts the fungus into a hyperparasite. Both the parasite and hyperparasite are obligates and cannot live separate from their hosts. This peculiar case of hyperparasitism remains highly unknown. The bat flies were collected in caves of Portugal, in maternity and hibernation bat seasons, and in the autumn migration period. The most common species of cave-dwelling bat species in Portugal is Miniopterus schreibersii, frequently parasitized with Nycteribia schmidlii and Penicillidia conspicua bat flies. We have studied the prevalence of the Laboulbeniales of the genus Arthrorhynchus in natural populations of bat flies. The site and position of the fungus on male and female bat flies unveils the mechanism of fungal transmission among bat flies, indicating that it occurs during mating behavior. This study is the starting point towards the understanding of this unique case of fungus-insect-vertebrate hyperparasitism interaction. See Suppl. material 1.

The effects of seasonality on host–bat fly ecological networks in a temperate mountain cave

Parasitology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 144 (5) ◽  
pp. 692-697 ◽  
Author(s):  
KARINA D. RIVERA-GARCÍA ◽  
CÉSAR A. SANDOVAL-RUIZ ◽  
ROMEO A. SALDAÑA-VÁZQUEZ ◽  
JORGE E. SCHONDUBE
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Rainy Season ◽  
Ecological Networks ◽  
Host Interactions ◽  
Bat Flies ◽  
Bat Fly ◽  
Low Prevalence ◽  
Host Parasite

SUMMARYChanges in the specialization of parasite–host interactions will be influenced by variations in host species composition. We evaluated this hypothesis by comparing the composition of bats and bat flies within a roost cave over one annual. Five bat and five bat fly species occupied the cave over the course of the study. Bat species composition was 40% different in the rainy season compared with the dry–cold and dry–warm seasons. Despite the incorporation of three new bat species into the cave during the rainy season, bat fly species composition was not affected by seasonality, since the bats that arrived in the rainy season only contributed one new bat fly species at a low prevalence. Bat–bat fly ecological networks were less specialized in the rainy season compared with the dry–cold and dry–warm seasons because of the increase of host overlap among bat fly species during this season. This study suggests that seasonality promote: (1) differences in host species composition, and (2) a reduction in the specialization of host–parasite ecological networks.

On Ensuring the Quality of Life in the Innovative Economy of St. Petersburg from the Strategic Perspective

2021 ◽  
Vol 27 (11) ◽  
pp. 890-899
Author(s):  
V. V. Okrepilov ◽  
N. L. Gagulina
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Strategic Planning ◽  
Regional Economics ◽  
Federal District ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Planning System ◽  
Innovative Development ◽  
Methodological Basis ◽  
Innovative Economy

Aim. The presented study aims to analyze quality-of-life estimates obtained for St. Petersburg using a theoretical and methodological approach developed based on the concept of the qualitydriven economy.Tasks. The authors consider the concept of the quality of life in the context of the Strategy of socio-economic development of St. Petersburg until 2035; measure and analyze quality-of-life indicators based on the concept of the quality-driven economy.Methods. A major part of this study is based on the methodology of the general scientific philosophical approach and uses such methods of interdisciplinary research as modeling, system analysis, and others. The quality of life is measured on the theoretical and methodological basis of the quality-driven economy using the methodology developed at the Institute of Problems of Regional Economics (IPRE) of the Russian Academy of Sciences.Results. Ensuring a high quality of life for the population of the region is a priority goal of the functioning and development of the economy of St. Petersburg. To this end, it is crucial to use strategic opportunities for economic growth and regional development in achieving the social well-being of the region’s population. Different views on the understanding of the quality of life as the main strategic priority of the innovative development of St. Petersburg are analyzed, and quality-of-life estimates are obtained for St. Petersburg, the Northwestern Federal District (NWFD), and the Russian Federation as a whole. The role of St. Petersburg in enhancing the competitiveness of the economy of the Northwestern Federal District and Russia in the context of innovative development is shown.Conclusions. Quality of life is an integral part of the strategic planning system in the innovative economy of St. Petersburg. The quality-driven economy provides a reliable theoretical and methodological basis for making allowance for the quality of life at the highest levels of regional government. The analysis based on the results of calculations shows a correlation between the system of quality indicators of the methodology for measuring the quality of life to increase regional management efficiency developed at the IPRE RAS and several indicators of the strategic planning system of socioeconomic development in St. Petersburg. Thus, the application of quality-driven economy principles in the innovative economy of St. Petersburg makes it possible not only to set the initial conditions for achieving the necessary quality of life, but also to develop a mechanism that would ensure the achievement of this goal in the future.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document