Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Short‐term effects of cyclone impact and long‐term recovery of tropical rain forest on Kolombangara, Solomon Islands

1 We evaluate the effects of large‐scale disturbance on tropical tree communities by examining the population dynamics of all individuals > 4.9 cm in diameter at breast height (d.b.h.) of 12 tree species over 30 years (1964–94) in lowland tropical rain forest on Kolombangara, Solomon Islands.
Sleeping Site Selection by the Golden‐handed Tamarin Saguinus midas midas: The Role of Predation Risk, Proximity to Feeding Sites, and Territorial Defence

Tamarin monkeys, of the genus Saguinus, spend over half their lives at arboreal sleeping sites. The decision as to which site to use is likely to have considerable fitness consequences. These decisions about sleeping sites by three troops of golden-handed tamarin Saguinus midas midas were examined over a 9-mo period at a rainforest site in French Guiana. Data are presented on the physical nature of sleeping sites, their number, position within home ranges, and pattern of use and reuse, aspects of behaviour at retirement and egress, and predation attempts on the study troops. Cumulative plot analysis indicated that a tamarin troop used 30-40 sleeping sites in a 100-day period, approximately half of which were used very infrequently, so that consecutive reuse was never greater than three nights. Sleeping trees were superior in architectural parameters and liana weight to non-sleeping trees. There were no more sleeping sites than expected within the home range boundary region of the tamarins or in areas of overlap with the home ranges of neighbouring troops. Tamarins selected sleeping sites nearest to the last feeding site of the day on 25% of occasions. The study troops engaged in a number of activities that may reduce predation risk; raptor attacks on the study troops over 9 mo were frequent but unsuccessful. Tamarins often visited a sleeping site several hours before arrival, and were more likely to visit a site before use if they had not used it recently. The decision to select a sleeping site therefore involved knowledge of the previous frequency of use of that site.
Genetic diversity and mixed reproduction in Eucypris virens (Crustacea: Ostracoda)

We report data on the coexistence of apomictic and amphimictic lineages of Eucypris virens within the same pond and discuss the role of intraspecific hybridation as a source of genetic variability. We describe the genetic structure of 36 populations of E. virens from Europe. Most (28) populations were made up of putative parthenogenetic females, in 8 populations from Spain and Sicily we found males. Using three polymorphic allozyme markers (MPI, PGM and GPI) we described at least 214 different multilocus genotypes (clones) in a total of 1151 analysed specimens and confirmed that parthenogenetic reproduction is apomictic. Most multilocus genotypes, 74 %, were limited to a single population indicating the absence of a single widespread 'clone'. In E. virens, genetic diversity was not affected by latitudinal dine or reproductive mode and was probably the result of several processes. Apomictic lineages were the likely result of at least two independent transitions from different sexual ancestors located in Southern Europe, in Central Spain and in Sicily. Transitions probably happened after the last glaciation. We found sympatric amphimictic and apomictic females in Extremadura (Western Spain) and reported evidence of gene flow between different lineages (intraspecific hybridation). Further genetic differentiation within and among populations reflects time of divergence and mutation accumulation. We found putative polyploid multilocus genotypes in all populations with males, further support for the coexistence of lineages with different reproductive modes. The presence of polyploid genotypes (14 %) is probably underestimated and this limits our ability to assess the role of hybridisation as a major route to parthenogenesis.
Contribution of bacteria to standing crop of coastal plankton1

Water samples were collected from coastal waters near Cape Lookout, N.C. , during March 1975 for direct count of bacteria and for adenosine triphosphate (ATP) analysis. Bacteria averaged 6.6 X 10/sup 5/ cells ml/sup -1/ and 0.09 . mu. /sup 3/ cell/sup -1/. Bacterial carbon was 4 to 25% of the ATP estimate of total plankton carbon. (auth)
Coastal upwelling may overwhelm the effect of sewage discharges in rocky intertidal communities of the Peruvian coast

In coastal productive environments, such as upwelling systems, sewage effluents might represent an important input of nutrients affecting intertidal community development and structure. Using descriptive and experimental approaches, the community spatial variation and early succession in relation to a point-source effluent discharge in a rocky intertidal of an upwelling affected area (Ancon Bay, Peru) was analysed. The relative contribution of herbivory to the observed patterns was also analysed. Dissolved nutrient concentrations, macroalgal isotopic signatures and N content revealed a significant input of nutrients at the outfall, although this contribution was not reflected in the algal assemblage, but in higher abundances of mytilids, ophiuroids and limpets. Cover of most sessile organisms (biofilm, Ulva spp., mytilids and barnacles) varied among sites throughout early succession, and grazers only enhanced the cover of the red algae Gelidium spp. Differences in succession patterns could not be attributed to discharge effects. The results of this study suggest that the community development is bottom-up controlled in the entire bay, which is likely to be due to the upwelling that operates at larger temporal and spatial scales. If so, nutrient input derived from coastal upwelling may sometimes overwhelm the role of anthropogenic nutrient loadings in shaping intertidal communities.
Epileptic activity in neuronal cells, induced by mercuric chloride and cadmium chloride in terrestrial slug Semperula maculata: fine structure investigated by histology and histochemistry

Although the central nervous system (CNS) of gastropods has been used as a model for studying neurocommunications and related immunohistochemical studies, there is scanty information on histochemical alterations in neuronal cells due to metal pollution. This study was designed to investigate neuronal alterations in cerebral ganglia intoxicated with mercuric chloride (HgCl2) and cadmium chloride (CdCl2)in terrestrial gastropods slug S. maculata. Histochemically acidic and neutral mucosubstances of neuronal cells were found directly proportional to exposure duration. The glycogen moiety in the neuronal cells was significantly decreased. Hyperplasia was found to be significant in neuronal cell with increased nuclear diameter. Histomorphological and neurochemical alterations were more prominent following HgCl2 than CdCl2 intoxication.
Effect of food deprivation on the ambulatory movement of the Colorado potato beetle, Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Modification of dispersal behaviour is a common response of insects to food and water deprivation. The literature suggests that different insects respond with different strategies: changing walking parameters, switching dispersal mode (walking to flight or vice versa), or changing the host searching path. The goal of this study was to add to the limited literature on the subject by investigating, whether the walking parameters of adult male Colorado potato beetles, Leptinotarsa decemlineata (Say) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), change in response to food and water deprivation. Observations on the distance walked, the travel speed, and the frequency of walking bouts were carried out in laboratory arenas using motion monitoring equipment. Summer and overwintered beetles were exposed to short starvation periods (2, 4, 8, 24 h) and two ranges of long starvation periods (1, 2, 4, 8 days and 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 days). Only the longest food deprivation periods of 16 and 32 days significantly reduced the walking distance, speed, and frequency of walking bouts of summer beetles. No changes were observed with overwintered beetles. The tolerance of the beetles without access to water to the different periods of food deprivation was similar to that for beetles with water except after a starvation period of 32 days, when the travel speed of summer beetles was significantly reduced by 33%. The absence of increased walking parameters found in this study and earlier observations of increased flight frequency suggest that the strategy of summer beetles will be to change the dispersal mode from walking to flight and/or to change the walking host searching path. The same results of this study and earlier observations of a decrease in the mean frequency of daily flights suggest that the strategy of overwintered L. decemlineata, exposed to food deprivation, will be to change the host search walking path rather than the walking parameters themselves.
Shells of Patella aspera as ‘islands’ for epibionts

In this study we examined the epibiont assemblage on shells of the living limpet Patella aspera. Limpets were collected at two sites at each of the nine islands of the Azores, totalling 707 individuals examined. Shells were measured and all the epibiota identified to the lowest taxonomic resolution possible. 190 taxa were recorded, of which 97% were algae, including 17 new records for the Azores. Only five shells were devoid of fouling organisms. The assemblage was dominated by a few algal taxa, whereas the majority of species occurred on less than 10% of the shells. A significant and positive relationship was generally found between basibiont size (shell length) and epibiota richness. The strength (slope) of the relationship, however, varied between islands and sites. These results suggest that a range of processes operating at multiple spatial scales influenced epibiont assemblages. Many features identified in these assemblages resemble, in many ways, those examined in island biogeography, suggesting that basibionts may be considered as ‘islands’ and may provide a suitable model system to test ecological hypotheses about ecosystems that are not so amenable to experimentation.
PRENATAL DIFFERENTIATION OF MONOAMINE-CONTAINING NEURONS IN THE LOCUS COERULEUS OF THE RABBIT: A HISTOFLUORESCENCE STUDY

The time of appearance and increase of catecholamine fluorescence in the locus coeruleus (LC) of the rabbit fetus (from the 12th to 27th day of gestation) were studied by using the Falck-Hillarp method. No catecholamine fluorescence was detected in the brain of the 12th and 13th days on gestation. On the 15th day, catecholamine fluorescence could be found in the LC neurons. Thereafter the number of these neurons and the intensity of fluorescence in each was increasing gradually. On the 19th day, fluorescent fibers could be discerned in the neuropil extending rostrally from this nucleus. On the 27th day, the most intense fluorescence was observed in the neurons of all present specimens and many fluorescent fibers with varicosities were found in the neuropil. It is concluded that histofluorescence becomes recognizable in the LC one day later than in both the substantia nigra and cell groups of A1-A3, that catecholamine synthesis in LC neurons may have started in the early fetal life such as on the 15th day of gestation, and that these neurons may store a significant amount of catecholamine before birth.
Development and Current Status of Bacillus thuringiensis for Control of Defoliating Forest Insects

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a naturally occurring bacterium that is now widely used for control of spruce budworm and several other defoliating forest insects in Canada. It took more than 25 years of research and development to bring Bt from first experimental use in the early 1960s into full operational use in the mid 1980s. Critical to this process was the adoption of HD-1 for commercial use, the standardization of formulations based on international units, and the development of higher potency products. An increase in product potency from 4 BIU/L in the early 1970s to 16.9 BIU/L in the mid 1980s, concomittant with improvements in formulation and application technology, reduced treatment costs while at the same time improving reliability of efficacy. A shift in political climate pushed Bt into operational use by 1985. Since then, Bt has been used in more than half of all spruce budworm control programs. The use of high-potency formulations (12.7 to 16.9 BIU/L) applied undiluted at 30 BIU in 2.4 L/ha .
Reproductive Activity, Diet, and Microhabitat Use in Bolitoglossa nicefori (Caudata: Plethodontidae)

Abstract Bolitoglossa nicefori is a terrestrial salamander only known from its original description. We report the discovery of two populations of this species; analyze annual reproductive activity, diet, and microhabitat use of one population; and compare this information with that known for other species of Bolitoglossa. Sexually mature males ranged between 29 and 50 mm standard length and females between 39 and 75 mm. Histological analyses of testes and ducts revealed the presence of sperm through the year, indicating continuous reproductive activity for males. Adult females were captured year-round; however, reproductive females were observed only during the driest months of the year (November to February), indicating that females have a seasonal reproductive activity. The contents of 89 stomachs were analyzed, and perch height, type of vegetation, and substrate type were registered. The diet of this population consists of 13 items, with ants and coleopterans accounting for 87% of food ingested by the different age and sex classes. Ants represent 58% of the diet, reflecting their greater availability in this microhabitat. Intra- and intersexual differences in diet were not found. Bolitoglossa nicefori exhibited both terrestrial and arboreal behaviors related to temperature and humidity conditions during the daily cycle. Mature nonreproductive females, males, and juveniles were found perching from 0–60 cm above the ground on Araceae bushes that predominate in the study area, whereas reproductive females were always found within the leaf litter. Life-history features of B. nicefori are determined by environmental conditions; however, they follow common trends shared with other species of Bolitoglossa.
Wide-band mixing DACs with high spectral purity

• A submitted manuscript is the author's version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers.
Sex, Dominance, and Microhabitat use in Wintering Black‐Capped Chickadees: A Field Experiment

I studied foraging patterns of Black—capped Chickadees (Parus articapillus) wintering in flocks in poplar forests of central Alberta, Canada. Females exploited highest and outermost tree parts, while males (which socially dominate females) foraged low and close to trunks. Females spent more time probing and found fewer prey per probe than males, but both sexes had similar feeding rates. I temporarily removed all eight males from three flocks, females foraged lower and closer to trunks than in three control flocks. Experimental females spent less time probing than controls, but had similar feeding rates. When captive males were released, they returned to their flock and experimental females shifted back to their initial foraging behavior. The results show that sex—specific foraging patterns in this population were affected by avoidance by females of microhabitats used mostly by dominant males. I suggest that predator avoidance makes the tree parts exploited by males more profitable.
Monitoring the environmental impacts and consent compliance of freshwater fish farms

Strategies for monitoring the chemical and biological impacts of freshwater land-based and cage fish farms in the West of Scotland are described and the results of monitoring are presented. The compliance of land-based farms with discharge consents is discussed. The impact of fish farming on receiving water chemistry was found to be limited, but effects on benthic invertebrate communities in both running waters and lochs were more readily detectable, although generally localized in the immediate vicinity of the farm. The benthic fauna of a stream receiving wastes from a land-based farm recovered within 19 months of the discharge ceasing. At a vacated cage site in a loch, severe impact on the sediments was still evident after more than 3 years. Problems in monitoring for consent compliance are discussed and the need for closer liaison between the industry and regulatory bodies is emphasized.
Estimating abundance and spatial distribution patterns of the bubble crab Dotilla fenestrata (Crustacea: Brachyura)

The bubble crab Dotilla fenestrata forms very dense populations on the sand flats of the eastern coast of Inhaca Island, Mozambique, making it an interesting biological model to examine spatial distribution patterns and test the relative efficiency of common sampling methods. Due to its apparent ecological importance within the sandy intertidal community, understanding the factors ruling the dynamics of Dotilla populations is also a key issue. In this study, different techniques of estimating crab density are described, and the trends of spatial distribution of the different population categories are shown. The studied populations are arranged in discrete patches located at the well-drained crests of nearly parallel mega sand ripples. For a given sample size, there was an obvious gain in precision by using a stratified random sampling technique, considering discrete patches as strata, compared to the simple random design. Density average and variance differed considerably among patches since juveniles and ovigerous females were found clumped, with higher densities at the lower and upper shore levels, respectively. Burrow counting was found to be an adequate method for large-scale sampling, although consistently underestimating actual crab density by nearly half. Regression analyses suggested that crabs smaller than 2.9 mm carapace width tend to be undetected in visual burrow counts. A visual survey of sampling plots over several patches of a large Dotilla population showed that crab density varied in an interesting oscillating pattern, apparently following the topography of the sand flat. Patches extending to the lower shore contained higher densities than those mostly covering the higher shore. Within-patch density variability also pointed to the same trend, but the density increment towards the lowest shore level varied greatly among the patches compared.
Oxidative stability of chilled chicken meat after feeding of selected plants

The effect of feeding of lemon balm ( Melissa officinalis , L) and combination of yarrow ( Achillea millefolium L) and hawthorn ( Crataegus oxyacantha L) on oxidative stability and sensory properties of produced poultry meat was investigated. Sixty one-day-old commercial broiler chicks (ROSS 308) were used in our experiment, divided into 3 groups, and fed 41 days, as follows: control (K) was fed with standard diet without supplementation of plants; second group (M) was fed with standard diet supplemented with grounded lemon balm in concentration 2 % per 1 kg; and third group was fed with standard diet supplemented with grounded yarrow (2 %) and hawthorn (1 %). Results showed that supplementation with lemon balm, and mainly combination of yarrow and hawthorn in the diet significantly caused reduction of lipid oxidation processes in thigh meat during chilling storage of samples. In addition, supplementation of plants in the diet had positive effect on sensory quality of meat of broiler chickens. doi:10.5219/38
Abomasal Nematodes in Goats Slaughtered at Different Abattoir of Thakurgaon District, Bangladesh

Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE BN-BD MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 A study was carried out to estimate the prevalence, species composition and worm burden of abomasal nematodes of goats slaughtered at different abattoir of Thakurgaon district from November 2009 to April 2010 . During the study period, 250 abomasum of goats were examined according to standard procedures. Two species of nematodes were identified in goats abomasum with an overall prevalence of 74.00% ( n = 250). The specific prevalence rate for Haemonchus contortus (58.00%) was higher than Trichostrongylus axie (16.00%). In this study, prevalence of abomasal nematodes in relation to age, sex, breed and nutritional status of the goats were also observed. There was no statistically significant difference observed the risk factor sex in relation to the prevalence of abomasal nematodes. However, there was statistically significant difference ( p < .001) observed among the risk factors (age, breed and nutritional status) in relation to the prevalence and worm count of two abomasal nematodes. In general, a high infection rate with abomasal nematodes was observed in goats during the study period. Findings suggested that higher worm burden per animal found in Haemochus contortus (6.02 ± 0.0928) and lower in Trichostrongylus axie (0.04 ± 0.14). From this study it was concluded that Haemochus contortus is more susceptible for geo-climatic condition in research area. Keywords : Abomasal nematodes; Prevalence; Goats; Thakurgaon. © 2012 JSR Publications. ISSN: 2070-0237 (Print); 2070-0245 (Online). All rights reserved. doi: http://dx.doi. org/10.3329/jsr.v4i2. 7475 J. Sci. Res. 4 (2), 491-497 (2012)
AN ASSESSMENT OF IN VIVO ESTROGENIC ACTIVITY OF BUTYL BENZYL PHTHALATE AND ITS PRINCIPAL MAMMALIAN METABOLITES

Butyl benzyl phthalate (BBP) has been reported to exhibit weak estrogenic activity in a number of in vitro assays. The monoester metabolites of BBP have been shown to lack estrogenic activity in vitro. This work has evaluated the estrogenic activity of BBP in vivo by examining the ability of BBP and its primary monoester metabolites to stimulate uterine growth in sexually immature female rats. BBP has been administered by both oral and subcutaneous (sc) routes to address the possible differences in systemic exposure patterns and to analyze the pharmacokinetics. Groups of 6 immature female rats were administered BBP or its monoester metabolites daily for 3 days at a range of dose levels up to a maximum tolerated dose (MTD). Twenty-four hours after the last dose, the uteri were excised and weighed. Estradiol benzoate (EB, 0.5 1g/animal/day) was administered sc as a positive control. In all experiments, EB administration increased absolute and relative uterine weights by 3.4to 4.0-fold. BBP dosed orally at 56– 2240 mg/kg/day had no effects on absolute or relative uterine weight. Monobutyl phthalate (1–1000 mg/kg/day) or monobenzyl phthalate (50–1000 mg/kg/day) dosed orally did not increase absolute or relative uterine weight, although the latter produced a small decrease at highest dose levels. BBP dosed sc at 0.5– 5000 mg/kg/day had no effects on uterine weight. In a pharmacokinetic study, the levels of BBP and its monoester metabolites were measured in blood, plasma, and urine over a 24-h period following administration of BBP to immature female