scholarly journals Growth rate and locomotor performance tradeoff is not universal in birds

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e8423
Author(s):  
Tao Zhao ◽  
Zhiheng Li

Though a tradeoff between growth rate and locomotor performance has been proposed, empirical data on this relationship are still limited. Here we statistically analyze the associations of growth rate and flight ability in birds by assessing how growth rate is correlated with three wing parameters of birds: flight muscle ratio, wing aspect ratio, and wing loading. We find that fast-growing birds tended to have higher flight muscle ratios and higher wing loadings than slow-growing birds, which suggests that fast-growing birds may have better takeoff performance, but lower efficiency in maneuvering flight. Accordingly, our findings suggest that the relationship between growth rate and flight ability is more complex than a simple tradeoff. Since the hindlimbs also contribute greatly to the locomotion of birds, future investigations on the relationship between growth rate and hindlimb performance will provide more insights into the evolution of birds.

1941 ◽  
Vol 5b (4) ◽  
pp. 337-343
Author(s):  
T. L. McHugh

The scale method of age determination has been used to study rates of growth of the Rocky Mountain whitefish, Prosopium williamsoni (Girard), which vary considerably in different localities, and can be correlated to some extent with altitude or temperature. A curve is given showing the relationship between growth of scale and body. Fast-growing individuals tend to maintain their superiority in growth rate throughout their existence. Slow-growing races live longer and eventually reach a maximum length similar to that of fast-growing fish.


1985 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 555-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. B. ROSLYCKY

Sensitivity to paraquat as function of growth varied considerably among 15 rhizobia from seven cross-inoculation groups and 13 agrobacteria from five different species. No relationship was evident between the sensitivity and the "fast-growing" or the "slow-growing" characteristics among the rhizobia. The agrobacteria were uniformly less sensitive. Maximum stabilized paraquat resistance induced by the adptations ranged from 200 μg paraquat∙mL−1 in Rhizobium lupini 112, to 20 000 μg paraquat∙mL−1 in Agrobacterium radiobacter R-590 and A. tumefaciens A6-K1. No relationship was found between the sensitivity and the adaptability. Identical lytic patterns with six bacteriophages confirmed the relationship between the adapted and parent cultures suggesting no genetic effect of paraquat on susceptibility to lysis. The bacteria-plant symbiont interaction, including nodulation, plant weight, vigor and color, was unaffected by the adaptations to paraquat resistance. Similarly, the adaptations exerted no effect on tumorigenicity of A. tumefaciens A6-K1. Key words: Rhizobia, agrobacteria, adaptation, herbicides, paraquat, N2-fixation


1973 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 315-318 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Ursino

Young trees from seedlots representing single tree progeny of white spruce and assessed as either fast- or slow-growing on the basis of shoot height, were allowed to photoassimilate 14CO2 and either 24 or 48 h later, the magnitude and distribution of 14C were determined. In comparison to the slow-growing plants 48 h after 14CO2 photoassimilation, the fast-growing spruce retained a higher percentage of the assimilated 14C and translocated less to the root. Differences in growth rate between the seedlots did not affect the partitioning of 14C between the 80% ethanol-soluble and -insoluble fractions.


1989 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 578-582 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Sinclair ◽  
Martin Alexander

The survival of six bacterial species that had different growth rates was tested in raw sewage and sewage that was rendered free of protozoa. When test bacteria were added to protozoa-free sewage at densities of approximately 105 to 106 cells/mL, five of the six species did not decline below 105 cells/mL. If protozoa were present, the population sizes of all test species were markedly reduced, but bacterial species able to grow faster in artificial media had the larger number of survivors. When the same bacteria were inoculated into protozoa-free sewage at densities of less than 103 cells/mL, only the three species able to grow quickly in artificial media increased in abundance. When the six species were inoculated at the same densities into sewage containing protozoa, the three slow-growing species were rapidly eliminated, and two of the three fast-growing species survived in detectable numbers. We suggest that in environments with intense protozoan predation, protozoa may alter the composition of the bacterial community by eliminating slow-growing bacteria.Key words: growth rate, predation, protozoa, sewage.


2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (4) ◽  
pp. 427-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Philipp C. Muth ◽  
Anne Valle Zárate

Abstract. The effects of the increase of body weight of contemporary broilers during growth on functional meat quality and color characteristics of the chicken breast muscle are controversially debated. Therefore, male chickens (n = 264) of a fast-growing commercial broiler (Ross 308) and two slow-growing experimental meat-type chicken lines were compared at equal age and at similar body weight in order to investigate the effect of growth rate on selected functional breast meat traits and meat color. Additionally, the breast meat characteristics of birds with different growth profiles were compared within lines. When the body weight of commercial broilers reached about 40 to 60 % of their growth potential, they exhibited particularly high ultimate pH values compared with slow-growing lines. The ability of the meat of fast-growing broilers to retain water during cooking was impaired (5 to 16 percentage points increased cooking loss compared to slow-growing lines), which, in contrast to pH, was only marginally affected by body weight and/or age at slaughter. No unfavorable correlations of breast meat quality traits with the growth profile, represented by growth curve parameters derived from the Gompertz–Laird equation, were detected within any of the investigated chicken lines. It is noteworthy that the associations of ultimate pH and cooking loss with maximum growth speed indicate a non-linear relationship. Thus, some of the functional characteristics of breast meat of the fast-growing broiler resembled the white-striping defect described for poultry meat, but the hypothesis that selection on increased growth rates is detrimental for meat quality per se could not be confirmed. In fact, an elevated growth potential in particular, i.e., body weight at maturity, could have some beneficial effects for the water-holding capacity of breast meat, regardless of the genotypic growth rate.


BMC Genomics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pratima Chapagain ◽  
Brock Arivett ◽  
Beth M. Cleveland ◽  
Donald M. Walker ◽  
Mohamed Salem

Abstract Background Diverse microbial communities colonizing the intestine of fish contribute to their growth, digestion, nutrition, and immune function. We hypothesized that fecal samples representing the gut microbiota of rainbow trout could be associated with differential growth rates observed in fish breeding programs. If true, harnessing the functionality of this microbiota can improve the profitability of aquaculture. The first objective of this study was to test this hypothesis if gut microbiota is associated with fish growth rate (body weight). Four full-sibling families were stocked in the same tank and fed an identical diet. Two fast-growing and two slow-growing fish were selected from each family for 16S rRNA microbiota profiling. Microbiota diversity varies with different DNA extraction methods. The second objective of this study was to compare the effects of five commonly used DNA extraction methods on the microbiota profiling and to determine the most appropriate extraction method for this study. These methods were Promega-Maxwell, Phenol-chloroform, MO-BIO, Qiagen-Blood/Tissue, and Qiagen-Stool. Methods were compared according to DNA integrity, cost, feasibility and inter-sample variation based on non-metric multidimensional scaling ordination (nMDS) clusters. Results Differences in DNA extraction methods resulted in significant variation in the identification of bacteria that compose the gut microbiota. Promega-Maxwell had the lowest inter-sample variation and was therefore used for the subsequent analyses. Beta diversity of the bacterial communities showed significant variation between breeding families but not between the fast- and slow-growing fish. However, an indicator analysis determined that cellulose, amylose degrading and amino acid fermenting bacteria (Clostridium, Leptotrichia, and Peptostreptococcus) are indicator taxa of the fast-growing fish. In contrary, pathogenic bacteria (Corynebacterium and Paeniclostridium) were identified as indicator taxa for the slow-growing fish. Conclusion DNA extraction methodology should be carefully considered for accurate profiling of the gut microbiota. Although the microbiota was not significantly different between the fast- and slow-growing fish groups, some bacterial taxa with functional implications were indicative of fish growth rate. Further studies are warranted to explore how bacteria are transmitted and potential usage of the indicator bacteria of fast-growing fish for development of probiotics that may improve fish health and growth.


2000 ◽  
Vol 77 (12) ◽  
pp. 1783-1789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lauchlan H Fraser ◽  
J Philip Grime

The growth rate hypothesis, which states that fast-growing plants support more herbivores than slow-growing plants, was tested with 12 native and 1 naturalized British grasses using the grain aphid (Sitobion avenae). Five aphids were enclosed with grasses for two weeks in a growth chamber. After 2 weeks, fast-growing plants had 38 aphids, whilst slow-growing plants had 6, which supports the growth-rate hypothesis. When aphid numbers were analysed on plants according to "CSR" theory (Grime 1977, 1979), ruderals (R) had 54, competitors (C) had 18, and stress tolerators (S) had 6. This supports the predictions of CSR theory. Furthermore, aphid numbers increased significantly with grass growth rates and a mollusc palatability index, although this largely resulted from a single outlier, Poa annua. Aphid number was not affected by hairs on grasses. Finally, the effect of aphid feeding on grasses was tested. Generally, the greatest change in total and aboveground biomass of the grasses was found in the ruderals, whilst stress tolerators had the least amount of change.


1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (10) ◽  
pp. 1700-1706 ◽  
Author(s):  
Weixing Tan ◽  
Terence J. Blake

To determine how different mechanisms of drought tolerance contribute to growth rate under drought, this study compared four full-sib black spruce (Picea mariana (Mill.) B.S.P.) families which differed in growth rate when soil water became limiting, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, and water relations responses to drought. Repeated drought cycles were imposed by withholding soil water in a nursery and physiological responses were measured near the end of the first and third cycle. The most vigorous family under drought had greater osmotic adjustment and maintained higher rates of net photosynthesis during the first cycle of drought and resumed higher rates of photosynthesis sooner upon stress relief, compared with two slow-growing families. Pressure–volume analysis of drought-stressed shoot tissues indicated that the fast-growing family exhibited a larger degree of elastic enhancement (i.e., decrease in bulk modulus of elasticity), which would explain its higher turgor pressure, compared with the two less vigorous families. However, family differences in gas exchange and water relations largely diminished when seedlings were exposed to repeated cycles of drought. Therefore, fast-growing black spruce families under drought may gain selective growth advantage by a better ability to tolerate, rather than postpone, momentary dehydration. Short-term screening trials could be used to detect drought tolerant genotypes in black spruce. Key words: drought, family variation, photosynthesis, Picea mariana, stomatal conductance, water relations.


1993 ◽  
Vol 50 (12) ◽  
pp. 2574-2580 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johan Hammar ◽  
Per Larsson ◽  
Maris Klavins

Two extreme growth fractions of introgressed sympatric populations of the Arctic char (Salvelinus alpinus) species complex from Lake Blåsjön, northern Sweden, were sampled for individual concentrations of persistent pollutants originating from atmospheric deposition. Slow growing char (dwarfs) had significantly higher levels of SPCB (sum of PCB congeners found) and p,p-DDE (dominating DDT-compound) than fast growing char (normals). Besides demonstrating a highly divergent growth pattern the introgressed populations also inhabit a great range of depths, and the seasonal food consumption rates may differ between extreme growth fractions, although the same major invertebrates (introduced Mysis relicta and Pallasea quadrispinosa) are consumed over the year. However, of the life history parameters differing in late spring, individual growth rate was the most important factor explaining the variation in the levels of the pollutants studied. The results support the hypothesis of a biomass "dilution" of pollutants in fish, illustrated by lower levels in fast growing char and higher levels in the slow-growing dwarfs. Individuals with alternative growth strategies in sympatric conspecific communities thus provide unique opportunities to study growth rate as a variable influencing levels of persistent pollutants in fish.


2010 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Hassanzadeh ◽  
Mohammad Maddadi ◽  
Sarra Mirzaie ◽  
Keramat Assasie ◽  
Hamid Moayyedian

In order to investigate the relationship between carbon dioxide tensions in the venous blood of young chickens and ascites susceptibility, one hundred dayold chickens from two pure broiler breeder lines differing in susceptibility to ascites syndrome were obtained and reared at low environmental temperature. Weekly, blood samples were taken for the determination of blood gas parameters and plasma thyroid hormone levels. Dead birds were examined for lesions of ascites daily and all survived birds were autopsied at the end of the trials. In cold conditioning, the cumulative incidence of right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) and ascites was 78% (39/50) in fast-growing (line A) and 50% (25/50) in slow-growing (line B) chickens, confirming that line A chickens had higher susceptibility to ascites than line B chickens. At 12 days of age, the mean pCO2tension was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in the venous blood of line A than line B chickens. During the experiment, the majority of line A and line B chickens showing RVH and ascites exhibited pCO2tensions equal to, or exceeding 50 mmHg at 12 days of age. Additionally, fast-growing chickens showed significantly lower plasma T3 and T4 concentrations than slow-growing chickens. In conclusion, our data indicate that carbon dioxide pressure in the venous blood of early postnatal broiler chickens could be used as a valuable predictor in the selection of birds susceptible to pulmonary hypertension and ascites. The function of thyroid hormones should also be taken into consideration in further selection procedures for meat-type chickens.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document