Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nestling competition, rather than supernormal stimulus, explains the success of parasitic brown-headed cowbird chicks in yellow warbler nests

Interspecific parasitic chicks are usually fed more than the smaller host young with whom they share the nest. This could be due to parasitic chicks having evolved exaggerated features that are preferred by the adults to the features present in their own young (the supernormal stimulus hypothesis). Alternatively, the success of parasitic chicks could be due to them being better competitors. We tested these hypotheses by studying the interaction between brown-headed cowbird chicks, Molothrus ater, and a common small host, the yellow warbler, Dendroica petechia. Parasitic chicks begged more intensively than the host's young and received most of the feeds. The relative height reached by the begging chicks of both species was the most important variable in determining their feeding success. Being larger and begging intensively, brown-headed cowbirds were better able to reach higher than the host's young, but at equal heights parasitic chicks were no better than the host's young at gaining feeds. It is suggested that the success of the brown-headed cowbirds when parasitizing yellow warblers is due to them physically out-competing the smaller young of their hosts, and not to them evoking a stronger response from the hosts by being a supernormal stimulus.
Comparison of two Odonata communities from a natural and a modified rainforest in Papua New Guinea

Abstract The Odonata fauna of Papua New Guinea is species-rich, but human population growth and resulting modification of primary rainforests may lead to a loss of valuable habitat and species diversity. In this study, I compared the odonate assemblages of a natural tropical rainforest and a modified forest in order to assess the loss that could result from human forest alteration. I collected odonates and recorded habitat use at both study sites for several weeks. The assemblages were compared with similarity indices, and total species richness was estimated using a jackknife procedure. The natural forest community, with 61 species, had both a higher diversity and evenness than the village community, with 38 species. Altogether I found 78 species of 13 families, of which 21 were shared between the two areas. Among the families with more than one species, Megapodagrionidae and Libellulidae had the highest similarity between the two sites, whereas Coenagrionidae and Platycnemididae had fairly dissimilar community composition. Three families occurred only in the natural forest. The most important habitats in the village were open sunny areas, artificial ditches, and small permanent creeks, compared to most running waters and the forest interior in the natural forest. Based on habitat preferences in the natural forest, species inhabiting temporary water sources under closed canopy rainforests are most vulnerable to forest modification. They comprised a third of the forest community, and I estimate that approximately 25% of natural rainforest species will disappear following human-induced forest alteration.
Effect of Age and Frequency of Exposure to Pesticides on the Nutritional Status of Egyptian Sprayers

The nutritional status of 30 Egyptian sprayers occupationally exposed to pesticides was assessed by a variety of blood chemistries and a number of other tests and measurements. The results showed that younger workers with a mean age of 14 years had poorer overall nutritional status with significantly lower (p<0.05) mean hemoglobin, plasma phospholipids, and retinol-binding protein concentrations compared with the corresponding mean values obtained for sprayers with a mean age of 33 years. Plasma retinol level correlated significantly (p<0.05) with age, body weight, plasma lipids, cholesterol, phospholipids, alanine amino transferase activity, and retinol-binding protein. Further, frequent exposure of the sprayers to pesticides led to a significant increase in the mean blood urea level, and to a decrease in the mean levels of plasma lipid and carotene.
cDNA and deduced protein sequence of acetylcholinesterase from the diamondback moth, Plutella xylostella (L.) (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)

The sequence of acetylcholinesterase (AChE) cDNA from the diamondback moth (DBM), Plutella xylostella (L.) was determined. A 2.3 kb partial cDNA sequence, containing an ORF encoding AChE precursor with 638 amino acid residues was obtained by primer walking. The deduced protein sequence showed the highest homology to AChE of the Colorado potato beetle (CPB) and the green rice leafhopper. The DBM AChE belongs to the Drosophila melanogaster Ace-orthologous insect AChE subfamily. A single AChE gene transcript (7.6 kb) was detected by Northern blot analysis. This is the first report of the complete coding sequence of AChE cDNA from a lepidopteran insect.
Effect of microencapsulated alachlor on South African sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) cultivars

The microencapsulated formulation of alachlor is becoming increasingly popular for use on sunflower in South Africa, where it is registered for use at a rate of 1.54 to 1.92 kg ai ha−1. Some injury symptoms, apparently herbicide induced, have been observed on sunflower where this herbicide has been applied in the field. The response of 22 commercially available sunflower cultivars was tested in a glasshouse experiment using both a sand (10% clay, 0.24% C) and a sandy loam soil (20% clay, 0.52% C). Five rates of alachlor (0, 0.5, 1, 2 and 4 times the recommended application rate for each of these soils) were applied and leached into the soil after planting. At harvest plant height, above-ground biomass and seedling survival rate were determined. Results indicated that cultivars differed with respect to alachlor tolerance, but that behaviour was modified by soil type. All effects were far more pronounced on the sandy soil, despite a lower recommended application rate. Plant height was affected by increasing application rate to a far greater degree than dry mass. Although the application rate for this herbicide was lower on the sandy soil, plant growth was significantly reduced at the recommended rate of application for this soil (1.536 kg ai ha−1). Seedling survival rates were reduced at the recommended application rate on both soils, although the effect was far more pronounced on the sand soil. The results indicated that despite the lower recommended application rate of microencapsulated alachlor on sandy soils a far greater degree of herbicide damage to sunflower can be expected on these soils due to increased availability to crop roots. These findings in part explain some of the problems found on sunflower where this formulation of alachlor has been applied.
Fitness effects of two facultative endosymbiotic bacteria on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, and the blue alfalfa aphid, A. kondoi

The effects of two bacterial endosymbionts, designated PASS and PAR, were evaluated on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris) (Hemiptera:Aphididae), in which they occur facultatively, and on the blue alfalfa aphid, A. kondoi Shinji, in which these bacteria have not been found in natural populations. Subclones of pea aphids and blue alfalfa aphids, derived from parent aphid clones that did not contain PASS or PAR, were infected with one or both bacteria, generating PASS‐ and/or PAR‐positive subclones with minimal genetic differences from the parent clones. Under laboratory conditions at 20 °C, PAR consistently reduced the fecundity (by between 19 and 60%) of subclones derived from three different parent pea aphid clones on bur clover, Medicago hispida Gaertn. PAR had intermediate effects on pea aphids reared on sweet pea, Lathyrus odoratus L. , and had no significant effect on pea aphids on alfalfa, Medicago sativa L. The effect of PASS was either neutral or negative, depending on parent clone as well as host plant. Also at 20 °C, PASS reduced fecundity (70–77%) and longevity (40–48%), and increased the age of first reproduction (by up to 1.5 days) of blue alfalfa aphid reared on alfalfa and clover. PAR had a less dramatic effect (e.g., 30–39% reduction in fecundity) on these traits of blue alfalfa aphid. In contrast, PAR and PASS increased the fitness of pea aphid subclones of one parent clone reared for three generations at 25 °C on each of the three test plants. Without facultative bacteria, fecundity of the parent clone was reduced to a mean total of < 6 offspring per adult at this elevated temperature, but with PASS or PAR, mean total fecundity of its subclones was > 35. However, this ameliorative effect of facultative bacteria at 25 °C was not found for two other sets of parent clones and their derived subclones. Alate production in pea aphids was significantly increased in large populations of two PASS‐ and PAR‐positive subclones relative to their parent clones. Attempts to transmit PASS or PAR horizontally, i.e., from aphid to aphid via feeding on host plants (bur clover), were unsuccessful.
Tree community dynamics in a humid savanna of the Côte-d'Ivoire: modelling the effects of fire and competition with grass and neighbours.

Humid savannas are often made of woody groves ground relationships between individuals, and has a and grassy patches in which a few woody individuals relatively weak effect. Competition for water in the upper develop. A simulation model has been built to explore (1) horizons of the soil should be more efficient at limiting the role of dispersal and individual growth in community clump development. The average fire regime cannot structure; (2) the role of local-neighbourhood competition prevent these savannas from being invaded by trees. Only on seedling and adult survival; (3) the interaction between a combination of strong competition between individuals fire and vegetation structure. and episodic fierce burning should regulate tree density in To study local interactions and neighbourhood relation- the long term. ships, computations were performed at the individual
Factors influencing tissue turnover during winter in perennial ryegrass‐dominated swards

Despite low net grass growth rates in Ireland between mid-November and February, tissue continuously turns over as new leaves are produced and older leaves senesce. The effects of closing swards from grazing on three dates in autumn (1 September, 20 September and 10 October) on tissue turnover in a perennial ryegrass sward during the winter were examined at two sites in the north-east and south of Ireland. Leaf extension and senescence rates were greater in the south than in the north-east, and were greatest on the earliest closing date at both sites. Leaf appearance and extension rates at both sites were closely correlated with accumulated daily air temperature above 6°C and mean soil temperature. Site-specific factors also influenced tissue flux, possibly including grazing intensity at closing and density of tillers of perennial ryegrass. Swards in the autumn with high herbage masses [>2000 kg dry matter (DM) ha−1 approximately] and high leaf area index (LAI; about 2·5 and above) had the greatest leaf senescence rates and the greatest declines in herbage mass during the winter. Leaf senescence rates per tiller in high LAI swards were correlated positively with amount of leaf per tiller and also the proportion of green leaf in the second youngest expanding leaf lost to senescence. As potentially a complex of interactive factors influences tissue flux in winter, it is proposed that the data from this study be used in conjunction with other data to construct a dynamic model to predict more reliably optimum closing date in autumn for herbage utilization in winter.
Population differences in stable carbon isotope ratio of Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud.: relationship to environment, climate of origin, and growth potential

Stable carbon isotope composition (δ13C) was used to examine genetic and environmental variation in water-use efficiency of 11 Pinus contorta Dougl. ex Loud. populations from western Canada. Sapwood cores from 20-year-old saplings established at three sites in British Columbia, and shoots of greenhouse-grown, first-year seedlings, were analyzed. δ13C values of whole sapwood and isolated cellulose were correlated at r = 0.990 (p << 0.0001, n = 10). There were genetic differences in δ13C among populations. A population from the wet Pacific coast (P. contorta var. contorta) stood out from the others, which were all from the drier continental interior (P. contorta var. latifolia Engelm). This population had the highest indicated water-use efficiency. δ13C values of most populations increased from the wettest to the driest site with no significant change in ranking. Mean yield (stem volume) of the P. contorta var. latifolia populations was positively correlated with δ13C. Population differences at the seedling.
Development of genome-wide SNP assays for rice

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are the most abundant form of genetic variation in eukaryotic genomes. SNPs may be functionally responsible for specific traits or phenotypes, or they may be informative for tracing the evolutionary history of a species or the pedigree of a variety. As genetic markers, SNPs are rapidly replacing simple sequence repeats (SSRs) because they are more abundant, stable, amenable to automation, efficient, and increasingly cost-effective. The integration of high throughput SNP genotyping capability promises to accelerate genetic gain in a breeding program, but also imposes a series of economic, organizational and technical hurdles. To begin to address these challenges, SNP-based resources are being developed and made publicly available for broad application in rice research. These resources include large SNP datasets, tools for identifying informative SNPs for targeted applications, and a suite of custom-designed SNP assays for use in marker-assisted and genomic selection, association and QTL mapping, positional cloning, pedigree analysis, variety identification and seed purity testing. SNP resources also make it possible for breeders to more efficiently evaluate and utilize the wealth of natural variation that exists in both wild and cultivated germplasm with the aim of improving the productivity and sustainability of agriculture.
Size and Function of Mammalian Testes in Relation to Body Size

We have assessed the allometric relationship between mass of testes and body mass using data from 133 mammalian species. The logarithmically transformed data were fitted by a regression ( r 2 = 0.86) that is described by the power function: Y = 0.035X0. 72, where Y is mass of both testes in grams and X is body mass in grams. The slopes and intercepts of the allometric relationship for rodents alone (62 species) and primates alone (28 species) do not differ significantly from the relationship for the 133 species all taken together. Smaller mammals must allocate a greater proportion of body mass and of energy expenditure to testicular tissue than larger mammals; according to our allometric equation the testes of a 10 g mammal should comprise 1.8 percent of body mass, whereas testes of a 10,000 kg mammal amount to only 0.04 percent. Among the smallest mammals, the range of relative testes size is great; the testes of some rodents are as large as 8 percent of body mass, whereas others are as small as 0.15 percent. The energy cost for growth, maintenance, and production by mammalian testes is proportional to mass of testes and is, therefore, in most cases negligible. Among mammals in general we found no correlation between size of the testes and their location (abdominal or scrotal) in the body, or between size of testes and body form and mode of locomotion (terrestrial, aquatic, aerial). A functional relationship exists in many mammals between relative size of testes and mating system. Testes are relatively small in single-male breeding systems (monogamy or cases of extreme polygyny in which a single male does all the breeding). Testes are relatively large in multi-male breeding systems (promiscuous or polygynous systems where several different males mate with each female at the same estrus). In these cases, the evolution of large testes can be attributed to high copulatory frequency and sperm production and the competition among sperm of different males for fertilization of the same female. Size of testes has undoubtedly evolved in each species in response to a variety of additional factors beyond the first-order influence of body size. Tests of further hypotheses (for example, degree of seasonality of mating) that may explain the additional variability in size of testes should be performed. This should involve multivariate analyses of large data sets or simpler analyses that use data sets restricted to animals of similar body size, lower-level taxon, mating system, etc.
The effects of dietary supplementation with Yucca schidigera extract or fractions thereof on nitrogen metabolism and gastrointestinal fermentation processes in the rat

Yucca schidigera was fractionated with butan-1-ol, yielding a butanol-extractable (BE) fraction, containing all the in vitro antimicrobial activity, and the aqueous, non-butanol-extractable (NBE) fraction. Four groups of five female rats (12 weeks old) were allowed ad libitum access to diets supplemented with water (control) or 200 mg kg -1 total Y. schidigera (TOT) or its fraction equivalent of NBE or BE for 64 days. The effects of the fractions and their interactions in the TOT treatment were analysed according to the factorial experimental structure by two-way ANOVA. NBE reduced serum urea (-50%, P = 0.019) and ammonia (-46%, P = 0.037) concentrations, serum/urine concentration quotients of urea (-79%, P = 0.009) and ammonia (-57%, P = 0.002). NBE also reduced hindgut acetate/propionate (-12%, P = 0.007) but increased faecal ammonia concentration (+87%, P = 0.039). BE reduced hindgut indoles (-25%, P = 0.023) and interacted synergystically with NBE in the TOT treatment to further reduce hindgut acetate/propionate by 6% (P = 0.006). NBE increased (+27%, P = 0.002) and BE decreased (-57%, P = 0.005) hindgut urease activity levels, resulting in essentially no change (+4%) in the TOT treatment. The in vitro antimicrobial activity of Y. schidigera is an unlikely explanation for most of its effects in vivo because these are caused by NBE and in vitro antimicrobial activity is exclusive to BE. Sarsasapogenin and smilagenin were also exclusive (>98%) to BE and cannot account for the effects of Y. schidigera on N metabolism.
DISTRIBUTION AND ACTIVATION OF LYSOSOMAL ENZYME ACTIVITIES IN SUBCELLULAR COMPONENTS OF NORMAL AND SCRAPIE‐AFFECTED MOUSE BRAIN

IN MICE affected with the scrapie agent, there is a progressive increase in the activities of brain B-glucuronidase and deoxyribonuclease during the course of the incubation period (MILLSON, 1965). However, a further lysosomal enzyme, acid phosphatase, presents an interesting contrast in being unaltered in activity even in clinically-affected scrapie mice (SLATER, 1965; MILLSON, 1965). WHITTAKER (1959) has shown that this enzyme appears to have a subcellular location in guinea pig brain which differs from that of other lysosomal enzymes, and experiments reported here suggest that a similar situation exists in mouse brain. Two further lysosomal enzymes, N-acetylglucosaminidase and p-galactosidase, have now been studied in an attempt to find out whether acid phosphatase is unique in its behaviour. Several other questions remain to be answered: firstly, is the subcellular distribution of lysosomal enzyme activities altered in scrapie brain; secondly, is the fragility of lysosomal particles affected in scrapie brain or is there merely an overall increase in the number or size of the lysosomes; thirdly, is there a direct association between the scrapie agent and lysosomes? The present paper represents an attempt to answer these questions; some of the material has already been presented in a preliminary form (MILLSON and HUNTER, 1965).
Distribution of the Gynogenetic Fish, Poecilia formosa , with Remarks on the Evolution of the Species

The species Poecilia formosa (as defined by morphological characters) is considered to be native to certain waters from the southern tip of Texas to the Laguna de Tampamachoco at the mouth of the Rio Tuxpan in eastern Mexico. Although widely distributed in the coastal lagoons, it is not present in all parts of the intervening streams. Three areas of present occurrence are considered to be due to human activity. Distribution of congeneric species in eastern Mexico is given, and evidence is presented that P. formosa arose by hybridization between P. latipinna and P. mexicana. Maternal inheritance, sibling tissue compatibility, and clonal population structure are now considered to be characteristic of the species as a whole. Although P. formosa is often stated to be an allfemale species, males are now known from four different populations, and one fertile laboratory-born male is here reported. Evidence is presented that the species arose relatively recently in the coastal lagoons, whence it spread coastwise and upstream. The native distribution of the species can be explained on the basis of present-day biological and
Human milk fat substitutes: Advances and constraints of enzyme-catalyzed production

The production of triacylglycerols (TAGs) with similar structures to the human milk fat TAGs is only possible using sn-1,3 regioselective lipases as biocatalysts. The advances on the processes currently performed for the production of human milk fat substitutes (HMFS), namely the biocatalysts used, the best operation conditions, reactor types and operation modes, as well as the major drawbacks of these enzymatic systems, are addressed in this article.
A Preliminary Paper on Costaria with Description of a New Species

In the latter part of last July, I found on the shores of Monterey Bay a few imperfect specimens of one of the Laminariacexe which seemed to me at once to be different from anything described in the literature accessible in the Hopkins Sea Side Laboratory. It was evidently a Costaria, but the two described species of Costaria have five narrow ribs, while this plant had one broad one. A few days later I collected the same plant a mile further east near the steamship landing at Monterey. In the course of a week or so two of the Stanford students who were dredging for the zoologist of the Hopkins Laboratory brought me several fragments of the same Costaria. These fragments had been brought up by the dredge a half-mile from the shore from a depth of about fifty feet. A systematic search showed that the plant was quite common, at least in one part of the bay, growing in large clusters attached to rocks twenty to thirty feet from the shore, in eight to fifteen feet of water. As one looked at it waving back and forth in eight or ten feet of water he would take it at once to be Dictyoneuron Calijornicuzm Rupr. , which is abundant all along the Californian coast. I obtained a large number of plants, many of which were in fruit. A careful search along the shore of other parts of the bay, and also of the neighboring ocean, has so far failed to reveal any trace of the plant. I am informed that specimens have been sent to at least one of the leading phycologists of the United States, and he referred it to Costaria costata (Turn.) (C. Turueri Grev.). The specimens sent must have been very imperfect indeed to give one such an impression as will be seen by comparing C. costata (Turn.) with this plant. GENERAL DESCRIPTION. -The plant is of an olive-green color, and varies in shape from oblong to lanceolate linear.