scholarly journals Immune responsiveness to phytohemagglutinin displays species but not sex differences in three anuran species

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhiqiang Zhang ◽  
Chenchen Jin ◽  
Kangshan Qu ◽  
Enrique Caviedes-Vidal
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Immune Responsiveness ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Bufo Gargarizans ◽  
Northern Regions ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
New Evidence ◽  
Pha Response

Phytohemagglutinin (PHA)-induced skin swelling response is widely used as a rough surrogate of integrative cell-mediated and innate immunity across multiple vertebrate taxa due to its simplification and feasibility. However, little is known whether there are sex and interspecific differences of immune responsiveness to PHA in ectotherms, especially for anurans. Therefore, we studied sex and species differences of PHA response in three anurans, Asiatic toads (Bufo gargarizans), Dark-spotted frogs (Pelophylax nigromaculatus) and Mongolian toads (Pseudepidalea raddei), captured in northern regions of Anhui Province (China). Footpad thickness was measured prior to (0 h) and after (6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h) a PHA injection and normalized against saline injection in the opposite footpad. Body mass was recorded at the beginning (0 h) and end of each assay (72 h). Results showed effects of PHA assay, sex and taxa on body mass. Relative maximum swelling response (PHAmax) ranged from 18.58–29.75%, 9.77 to 20.56% and 21.97 to 31.78% and its occurrence over time was apparent 10.6–19.72 h , 7.74–14.01 h and 17.39–23.94 h postinjection for Asiatic toads, Dark-spotted frogs and Mongolian toads, respectively. Finally, the magnitude or timing of PHAmax in Dark-spotted frogs was significantly thinner and faster than in Mongolian toads, and Asiatic toads had an in-between value, not different from the other two species. The magnitude of PHAmax was significantly positively correlated with the timing of PHAmax considering individuals altogether, but not when analyzed within species. Our results indicate that male and female anuran species respond similarly to PHA antigen stimulation, but the magnitude and timing of PHAmax is species-specific. Briefly, we provide new evidence for the suitability of PHA assay in non-model anuran species with different body sizes, and exhort the need to further investigate the nature of PHA assay at the hematological and histological levels in order to extend its application in ecoimmunological studies of amphibians.

scholarly journals Dry mass estimates of some tropical aquatic insects

1969 ◽  
pp. 133-141
Author(s):  
Claudia Cressa
Keyword(s):  
Regression Analysis ◽  
Power Function ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Aquatic Insects ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Head Capsule ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Exponential Equation ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Species Specific

Relationships of body mass and head capsule width were developed for Thraulodes sp., Haplohyphes sp. (Ephemeroptera), Leptonema sp., Phylloicus sp. Nectopsyche sp. (Trichoptera), and Anacroneuria sp. (Plecoptera). The organisms were collected with a Surber net (0.1296 m2 and 0.286 mm mesh size) on the Orituco river, Venezuela. The number of specimens used in the analysis for the species studied, was different (from 84 to 103 specimens). Regression analysis indicated that all relationships were best expressed by a power function rather than by linear or exponential equation. Analyses of the relationships reveal interspecific differences among insects of the same order. Species-specific relationships are recommended to be used whenever possible since, depending on the species, the underestimation of mass could be as much as 56%.

scholarly journals Effects of long-term preservation on amphibian body conditions: implications for historical morphological research

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3805 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guocheng Shu ◽  
Yuzhou Gong ◽  
Feng Xie ◽  
Nicholas C. Wu ◽  
Cheng Li
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Length ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
The Body ◽  
Morphological Data ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Morphological Research ◽  
Long Term Preservation

Measurements of historical specimens are widely applied in studies of taxonomy, systematics, and ecology, but biologists often assume that the effects of preservative chemicals on the morphology of amphibian specimens are minimal in their analyses. We compared the body length and body mass of 182 samples of 13 live and preserved (up to 10 years) anuran species and found that the body length and body mass of preserved specimens significantly decreased by 6.1% and 24.8%, respectively, compared to those measurements of their live counterparts. The changes in body length and mass also exhibited highly significant variations between species. Similarly, there were significant differences in shrinkage of body length and body mass between sexes, where males showed greater shrinkage in body length and body mass compared to females. Preservation distorted the magnitude of the interspecific differences in body length observed in the fresh specimens. Overall, the reduction in body length or mass was greater in longer or heavier individuals. Due to the effects of preservation on amphibian morphology, we propose two parsimonious conversion equations to back-calculate the original body length and body mass of studied anurans for researchers working with historical data, since morphological data from preserved specimens may lead to incorrect biological interpretations when comparing to fresh specimens. Therefore, researchers should correct for errors due to preservation effects that may lead to the misinterpretation of results.

scholarly journals Bark traits, decomposition and flammability of Australian forest trees

2017 ◽  
Vol 65 (4) ◽  
pp. 327 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saskia Grootemaat ◽  
Ian J. Wright ◽  
Peter M. van Bodegom ◽  
Johannes H. C. Cornelissen ◽  
Veronica Shaw
Keyword(s):  
Forest Tree ◽  
Remarkable Feature ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Eucalypt Plantations ◽  
Physical Traits ◽  
Key Driver ◽  
Multiple Species ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
First Time ◽  
Different Tissues

Bark shedding is a remarkable feature of Australian trees, yet relatively little is known about interspecific differences in bark decomposability and flammability, or what chemical or physical traits drive variation in these properties. We measured the decomposition rate and flammability (ignitibility, sustainability and combustibility) of bark from 10 common forest tree species, and quantified correlations with potentially important traits. We compared our findings to those for leaf litter, asking whether the same traits drive flammability and decomposition in different tissues, and whether process rates are correlated across tissue types. Considerable variation in bark decomposability and flammability was found both within and across species. Bark decomposed more slowly than leaves, but in both tissues lignin concentration was a key driver. Bark took longer to ignite than leaves, and had longer mass-specific flame durations. Variation in flammability parameters was driven by different traits in the different tissues. Decomposability and flammability were each unrelated, when comparing between the different tissue types. For example, species with fast-decomposing leaves did not necessarily have fast-decomposing bark. For the first time, we show how patterns of variation in decomposability and flammability of bark diverge across multiple species. By taking species-specific bark traits into consideration there is potential to make better estimates of wildfire risks and carbon loss dynamics. This can lead to better informed management decisions for Australian forests, and eucalypt plantations, worldwide.

scholarly journals Environmental correlates and energetics of winter flight by bats in southern Alberta, Canada

2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (12) ◽  
pp. 829-836 ◽  
Author(s):  
B.J. Klüg-Baerwald ◽  
L.E. Gower ◽  
C.L. Lausen ◽  
R.M. Brigham
Keyword(s):  
Heat Loss ◽  
Barometric Pressure ◽  
Myotis Lucifugus ◽  
Energetic Cost ◽  
Cold Temperatures ◽  
Bat Activity ◽  
Environmental Correlates ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Winter Activity ◽  
Species Specific

Winter activity of bats is common, yet poorly understood. Other studies suggest a relationship between winter activity and ambient temperature, particularly temperature at sunset. We recorded echolocation calls to determine correlates of hourly bat activity in Dinosaur Provincial Park, Alberta, Canada. We documented bat activity in temperatures as low as −10.4 °C. We observed big brown bats (Eptesicus fuscus (Palisot de Beauvois, 1796)) flying at colder temperatures than species of Myotis bats (genus Myotis Kaup, 1829). We show that temperature and wind are important predictors of winter activity by E. fuscus and Myotis, and that Myotis may also use changes in barometric pressure to cue activity. In the absence of foraging opportunity, we suggest these environmental factors relate to heat loss and thus the energetic cost of flight. To understand the energetic consequences of bat flight in cold temperatures, we estimated energy expenditure during winter flights of E. fuscus and little brown myotis (Myotis lucifugus (Le Conte, 1831)) using species-specific parameters. We estimated that winter flight uses considerable fat stores and that flight thermogenesis could mitigate energetic costs by 20% or more. We also show that temperature-dependent interspecific differences in winter activity likely stem from differences between species in heat loss and potential for activity–thermoregulatory heat substitution.

Investigating the species-specific association between anuran calling phenology and air temperature

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Wong
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Air Temperature ◽  
Management Strategies ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Interspecific Variation ◽  
Northern Ontario ◽  
Anuran Species ◽  
Calling Behaviour ◽  
Survival And Development ◽  
Species Specific

Climate change has been associated in phenological shifts for a variety of taxa. Amphibians, specifically the order Anura (frogs and toads), are considered particularly vulnerable due to their sensitivity to anthropogenic and environmental change. Previous research has documented shifts in the timing of anuran breeding that can be attributed, in part, to climate change, with potential implications for reproduction, survival, and development. This study aims to investigate how air temperature is associated with anuran calling phenology. I will examine the temporal trends in spring and summer air temperature in a lake in northern Ontario, Canada. and quantify seasonal patterns of calling anuran species using acoustic monitoring over a four-month period. I predict that there will be interspecific variation in peak calling associated with air temperature. Additionally, I expect to find asymmetrical association between air temperature and anuran species’ calling behaviour – wherein prolonged breeding species will have a larger optimal temperature range for calling compared to explosive breeding species. The findings of this research will aid in future conservation and provide insight for management strategies of anurans in Canada in response to anticipated climate warming.

scholarly journals An elephant-sized Late Triassic synapsid with erect limbs

Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 363 (6422) ◽  
pp. 78-80 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomasz Sulej ◽  
Grzegorz Niedźwiedzki
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Rapid Growth ◽  
Late Triassic ◽  
Mammalian Evolution ◽  
Limb Bones ◽  
Stem Group ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Latest Eocene

Here, we describe the dicynodontLisowicia bojani, from the Late Triassic of Poland, a gigantic synapsid with seemingly upright subcursorial limbs that reached an estimated length of more than 4.5 meters, height of 2.6 meters, and body mass of 9 tons.Lisowiciais the youngest undisputed dicynodont and the largest nondinosaurian terrestrial tetrapod from the Triassic. The lack of lines of arrested growth and the highly remodeled cortex of its limb bones suggest permanently rapid growth and recalls that of dinosaurs and mammals. The discovery ofLisowiciaoverturns the established picture of the Triassic megaherbivore radiation as a phenomenon restricted to dinosaurs and shows that stem-group mammals were capable of reaching body sizes that were not attained again in mammalian evolution until the latest Eocene.

scholarly journals Mechanics of evolutionary digit reduction in fossil horses (Equidae)

2017 ◽  
Vol 284 (1861) ◽  
pp. 20171174 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brianna K. McHorse ◽  
Andrew A. Biewener ◽  
Stephanie E. Pierce
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Bone Geometry ◽  
Continuous Measure ◽  
Positive Allometry ◽  
Load Bearing ◽  
Beam Analysis ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Major Trend ◽  
The Cost

Digit reduction is a major trend that characterizes horse evolution, but its causes and consequences have rarely been quantitatively tested. Using beam analysis on fossilized centre metapodials, we tested how locomotor bone stresses changed with digit reduction and increasing body size across the horse lineage. Internal bone geometry was captured from 13 fossil horse genera that covered the breadth of the equid phylogeny and the spectrum of digit reduction and body sizes, from Hyracotherium to Equus . To account for the load-bearing role of side digits, a novel, continuous measure of digit reduction was also established—toe reduction index (TRI). Our results show that without accounting for side digits, three-toed horses as late as Parahippus would have experienced physiologically untenable bone stresses. Conversely, when side digits are modelled as load-bearing, species at the base of the horse radiation through Equus probably maintained a similar safety factor to fracture stress. We conclude that the centre metapodial compensated for evolutionary digit reduction and body mass increases by becoming more resistant to bending through substantial positive allometry in internal geometry. These results lend support to two historical hypotheses: that increasing body mass selected for a single, robust metapodial rather than several smaller ones; and that, as horse limbs became elongated, the cost of inertia from the side toes outweighed their utility for stabilization or load-bearing.

scholarly journals Interspecific differences of stridulatory signals in three species of bark beetles from the genus Polygraphus Er. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae) inhabiting the island of Sakhalin

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan Andreevich Kerchev
Keyword(s):  
Host Plant ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Bark Beetles ◽  
Acoustic Signals ◽  
Interval Number ◽  
Host Plant Species ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Conspecific Interactions

Stridulatory signals are involved in conspecific interactions between bark beetles (Coleoptera: Curculionidae, Scolytinae). In this study, we compared the qualitative profiles of acoustic signals in three species from the genus Polygraphus Er. Sympatry can be periodically observed in two of them – P. proximus and P. subopacus. Sporadically they occur on the same plants. P. nigrielytris colonize distinctly different host plant species; however, on the island of Sakhalin it inhabits the same biotopes. The purpose of the study is to identify species-specific parameters and the extent of differences in stridulatory signals of these species. Airborne signals produced during the contact of males of the same species were experimentally recorded. Among tested parameters of stridulatory signals, as the most species-specific were noted: chirp duration, interchirp interval, number of tooth-strikes per chirp, and intertooth-strike interval.

scholarly journals Relative skull size as one of the factors limiting skull shape variation in passerines

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Oksana Shatkovska ◽  
Maria Ghazali
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Shape Variation ◽  
Absolute Size ◽  
Terrestrial Locomotion ◽  
Skull Shape ◽  
Skull Size ◽  
Dietary Preferences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Body Sizes ◽  
Biomechanical Constraints

Despite a considerable interest of researchers to the issue of variation in skull shapes of birds and factors influencing it, some drivers associated with the design features of an entire bird body, which are important for both successful terrestrial locomotion and flight, are overlooked. One of such factors, in our opinion, is relative skull size (skull length in relation to body mass), which can affect the position of the body's center of gravity. We tested effects of relative skull size, allometry (i.e. absolute skull size), and diet on variation in skull shape. The study was conducted on 50 songbird species with a wide range of body mass (8.3g to 570g) and dietary preferences (granivores, insectivores/granivores, insectivores, omnivores). Skull shape was analyzed using 2D geometric morphometrics. We revealed that similar patterns of skull shape occur among passerines with different body sizes and diets. The relative skull size predicted skull shape to a similar extent and with a similar pattern as the absolute size. In our opinion, the effect of the relative skull size on skull shape variation is likely due to biomechanical constraints related to flight.

Influence of Freshwater Migration on the Reproductive Patterns of Anadromous Populations of Cisco (Coregonus artedii) and Lake Whitefish (C. clupeaformis)

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (2) ◽  
pp. 335-345 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yvan Lambert ◽  
Julian J. Dodson
Keyword(s):  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Lake Whitefish ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Predominant Role ◽  
Reproductive Patterns ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Survival And Reproduction ◽  
Coregonus Artedii ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Species Specific

We tested the hypothesis that differences in the cost of freshwater migration are responsible for the different reproductive patterns exhibited by the Eastmain River (James Bay) populations of anadromous cisco and lake whitefish, as predicted by species-specific migration costs that result in interspecific differences in energy allocation to growth, survival, and reproduction. In the Eastmain River, cisco spawn at a younger age and a smaller size, have a shorter life span and show a higher fecundity and a higher mortality than lake whitefish. Assuming that the two populations are stable (being only lightly exploited), the two species spawn at an age that maximizes their lifetime fecundity. Either juvenile (between three and age at maturity) and/or adult mortality is of major importance in moulding the observed age at maturity but adult mortality may play a predominant role. Adult mortality is associated with migration, an obligatory cost representing a major proportion of the energy loss experienced by reproductive individuals. The difference in the energy cost of migration between the two species suggests that migration may play a predominant role in producing the different reproductive patterns of cisco and lake whitefish in the Eastmain River and that within the physiological and size constraints of each species, these patterns represent optimal adaptations maximizing fitness.

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