Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Biology, Vol. 13, No. 2

Reviewer Acknowledgements for International Journal of Biology, Vol. 13, No. 2

Rheophytic Adaptation of Eurya Japonica Thunb. (Ternstroemiaceae)

Plants along rivers have narrow leaves to avoid the stress caused by the river’s flow during flooding. Plants that have undergone such morphological leaf modifications to adapt to rivers are called rheophytes. Some populations of Eurya japonica Thunb. (Ternstroemiaceae) were grown on riversides so that the comparative morphology and anatomy of leaves between riverside and inland (control) populations could be examined to confirm their rheophytic speciation. Our morphological and anatomical analyses revealed that the leaf of E. japonica in the riverside populations was significantly smaller than that of the inland populations due to the decreased number of cells; therefore, the pattern of rheophytic differentiation in riversides was not the stenophyllization but the miniaturization of the leaf. Moreover, our results indicated that this species in the riverside populations had thicker leaves and higher density of stomata than those of inland populations, suggesting that E. japonica had been morphologically modified in response to the light and water environments along the river.

Coinfection of Bartonella spp. and Borrelia Burgdorferi in Ixodes Scapularis Using PCR Assay, a Case Study in Nova Scotia

Coinfection of vector species can provide more insight into the complex relationship between zoonotic pathogens and its host. Ixodes scapularis (Say) or the deer-tick in particular is an important species in North America because of its exceptional ability as a vector that can transmit zoonotic diseases such as Lyme and Cat Scratch Disease (CSD). In recent years, many studies have suggested a possible link between the coinfection of Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme, with other tick-borne bacteria such as Bartonella spp., the causative agent of CSD, as partly responsible for the symptoms associated with Chronic Lyme Disease or Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome. This study investigates the prevalence of Bartonella spp. and Borrelia burgdorferi in Ixodes scapularis using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) assay to potentially find a link between the two of the most common tick-borne pathogens found in Nova Scotia. Standard PCR using primers targeted at the two bacterial species were conducted on 157 I. scapularis ticks collected in Nova Scotia. Overall, we found high prevalence for both bacteria at 75.16% for Bartonella spp. and 47.13% for B. burgdorferi with no significant differences between the sex of the ticks. Interestingly, all the ticks positive for B. burgdorferi were also positive for Bartonella spp. which implies that the coinfection rate between B. burgdorferi and Bartonella spp. is 47.13%. We report one of the highest coinfection rates for B. burgdorferi and Bartonella spp. in I. scapularis, consistent with the current trends of increasing tick presence in North America.

The Role of Sea-Whip Coral (Leptogorgia sp.) as Habitat of Temperate Near-Shore Fish of Gulf of Mexico Jetties

Many fish species use intercoastal jetties throughout their life cycle to migrate to and from the ocean into bays and estuaries. During migration, fish may encounter rock, algae, sand, sea-grass, and coral. Anecdotal information indicates that some migrating fish of intercoastal jetties preferentially select colonies of gorgonian coral (Leptogorgia spp.) vs. any other habitat when encountering a predator.  Since very little information exists regarding Leptogorgia, we focused our study in determining the importance of such coral as fish habitat.  Stationary field sampling was conducted seasonally to determine the abundance of these coral, the type of migrating fish, and the habitat they associated with.  Mesocosm studies were then conducted to determine whether Leptogorgia habitats are important to fish in the presence or absence of a predator.  Five different habitats were compared (rock, algae, sand, Leptogorgia, and seagrass) and 6 species of fish (sergeant major, pinfish, mangrove snapper, spotfin mojarra, pigfish, and red drum). In the field study component, more than 600 colonies of Leptogorgia were observed and 17 different fish species.  The most commonly observed fish were sergeant major, pinfish, mangrove snapper, and spotfin mojarra, however, sergeant majors were the most abundant species using coral as habitat.  The use of mesocosms showed that all fish species significantly selected for structured habitat over non-structured habitat (e.g. sand), but that the fish commonly called ‘sergeant major’ significantly (ANOVA; p ≤ 0.001) selected for Leptogorgia.

The Relationship Between Feeding Patch Quality and Fodder Species of Wild Elephants in the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh

We examined the relationship between the presence or absence of elephants in patches of land and the most common ecological factors, such as fodder species, water bodies, resting places, elephant movement trails, and soil types, across ten transect sites in the Teknaf Wildlife Sanctuary (TWS), Bangladesh. By ground-truthing 360 line transects and 1080 quadrate blocks, we recorded a total of 184 fodder species, including 71 monocotyledons, 58 dicotyledons, and 55 domesticated plant species. Three categories of domesticated fodder species were recorded that consisted of 13 cultivated crops, 24 vegetables, and 18 homestead garden plants. We also applied dung-pile dissection techniques to a total of 250 dung piles between August 2018 and July 2019. Highly statistically significant differences among the abundances of different fodder species and presence of elephants were found across different transect sites. The average fodder species density was found to be 3.44 plant species per site per km2, while the elephant density was 0.63 individuals per site per km2. A significant strong correlation was found between fodder species density and the number of elephants among the transect sites (P = 0.02). The numbers of ground-recorded fodder species were higher than those found in dung piles. The presence of elephants across transect sites was influenced not only by fodder species but also by other ecological factors, such as water bodies, resting places, movement trails, and soil types.

Efficacy of Butanolic Fraction of Cocos Nucifera's Root Aqueous Extract on Induced Anemia Treatment

Cocos nucifera was a coastal plant whose roots were used in pharmacopoeia to treat anemia in Benin. The aqueous extract from its roots stimulated the synthesis of hemoglobin. The aim of this work was to test in vivo the efficacy of the butanolic fraction of the extract in the treatment of anemia. Methods: Wistar rats were anemic with phenylhydrazine for two days. From D2 to D15, some were treated by gavage with the butanolic fraction of the aqueous extract of Cocos nucifera roots at the dose of 40 mg or 60 mg / kg of body weight / day, others were treated with vitafer (an anti-anemic drug) or with distilled water. The rats blood were collected on days D0, D2, D7, D10 and D15 for the complete blood count and the osmotic resistance of the red blood cells. Results: On D2, phenylhydrazine significantly lowered the hemoglobin level and the number of red blood cells, which were respectively corrected on D10 and D15 by the fraction of extract with release of hypochromic macrocytes. However, the effect was slower than that of the crude extract, was not specific to erythropoiesis because it also stimulated thrombopoiesis and was not dose-dependent. Conclusion: The butanolic fraction of the aqueous extract of Cocos nucifera roots corrected anemia by stimulation of hematopoiesis. The observed biological activity would probably be linked to anthocyanins which are mainly isolated by butanol. These results contribute to a better knowledge of bioactive compounds of our antianemic plants.

Ants Can Expect the Size of the Next Element in a Geometric Sequence of Increasing or Decreasing Shapes, Only If This Sequence Is Present

Having shown that the ant Myrmica sabuleti can expect the following number in an arithmetic sequence of increasing or decreasing numbers, we here investigated on their ability in expecting the size of the following element in an increasing or decreasing geometric sequence of shapes, otherwise identical. We found that the ants could anticipatively correctly increment or decrement a geometric sequence when tested in the presence of the learned sequence, but not without seeing the sequence in its learned sequential order. Such a behavior, i.e. perfectly choosing the next element of a sequence when in presence of that sequence but not otherwise, seems appropriate for the use of encountered cues while foraging and returning to the nest.

Ants Can Anticipatively and Correctly Increment the Last Quantity of a Learned Arithmetic Sequence

It has previously been shown that Myrmica sabuleti ant workers trained to an increasing (1 to 4) or decreasing (5 to 2) arithmetic sequence can expect that the next quantity will be larger or smaller. Here we show that they anticipate the exact next quantity by correctly incrementing the last quantity of the learned sequence by +1 or -1 and not by +2 or -2. Correctly anticipating the following quantity in an arithmetic sequence may result from the ants’ ability of acquiring conditioning, of memorizing lived events, and of perceiving the running time.

Phenotypic Correlation Between Body Measurements in Saudi Sheep in Qassim Region

Identify the genetic resources of the sheep and characterize these breeds accurately are very important to enhance the good performances of sheep and expand the knowledge of the differences among those breeds. Body measurements therefore, are perfect indicators to make definition for each breed. The present study is part of a wide one to definite of phenotypic characteristics in local breeds of sheep in Qassim region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data were collected from three breeds in Qassim region, Noemi, Najdi and Hari. Najdi is the biggest breed of the sheep breeds in Saudi Arabia and it is the main breed in Najd region. Noemi is taking the second size breed of the sheep breeds in Saudi Arabia. Hari is the smallest breed of sheep breeds in Saudi Arabia, it is the main breed in Hejaz and Assir regions, which belong to the sheep with coarse hair, and thick tail strain. Eight body measurements traits were studied, Wither heights (WH), Rum heights (RH), Body length (BL), Head length (HL), Heart girth (HG), Muzzle diameter (MD), Cannon circumference (CC) and Cannon length (CL).  The correlations coefficients among all studied traits were moderate to high and highly significant. The highest correlation coefficient was found between RH and WH traits (0.872), and the lowest one was found between CC and HG traits (0.214). The correlations coefficients between relative traits can help us to understand the similarity among studied traits and can be used in the future in selection program.

Efficacy of Butanolic Fraction of Cocos Nucifera's Root Aqueous Extract on Induced Anemia Treatment

Cocos nucifera was a coastal plant whose roots were used in pharmacopoeia to treat anemia in Benin. The aqueous extract from its roots stimulated the synthesis of hemoglobin. The aim of this work was to test in vivo the efficacy of the butanolic fraction of the extract in the treatment of anemia. Methods: Wistar rats were anemic with phenylhydrazine for two days. From D2 to D15, some were treated by gavage with the butanolic fraction of the aqueous extract of Cocos nucifera roots at the dose of 40 mg or 60 mg/kg of body weight/day, others were treated with vitafer (an anti-anemic drug) or with distilled water. The rats blood were collected on days D0, D2, D7, D10 and D15 for the complete blood count and the osmotic resistance of the red blood cells. Results: On D2, phenylhydrazine significantly lowered the hemoglobin level and the number of red blood cells, which were respectively corrected on D10 and D15 by the fraction of extract with release of hypochromic macrocytes. However, the effect was slower than that of the crude extract, was not specific to erythropoiesis because it also stimulated thrombopoiesis and was not dose-dependent. Conclusion: The butanolic fraction of the aqueous extract of Cocos nucifera roots corrected anemia by stimulation of hematopoiesis. The observed biological activity would probably be linked to anthocyanins which are mainly isolated by butanol. These results contribute to a better knowledge of bioactive compounds of our antianemic plants.