bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Interplay among energy metabolism, organ mass and digestive enzyme activity in the mouse-opossumThylamys elegans: the role of thermal acclimation
Authors: Nespolo Roberto F. , Bacigalupe Leonardo D. , Sabat Pablo , Bozinovic Francisco 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYThe potential for thermal acclimation in marsupials is controversial. Initial studies suggest that the thermoregulatory maximum metabolic rate (MMR)in metatherians cannot be changed by thermal acclimation. Nevertheless, recent studies reported conspicuous seasonality in both MMR and in basal metabolic rate (BMR). We studied the role of thermal acclimation in the Chilean mouse-opossum, Thylamys elegans, by measuring MMR and BMR before and after acclimation to cold or warm conditions. Following acclimation we also measured the mass of metabolically active organs, and the activity of a key digestive enzyme, aminopeptidase-N. No significant effect of thermal acclimation (i.e. between cold- and warm-acclimated animals) was observed for body mass, MMR, body temperature or factorial aerobic scope. However, the BMR of cold-acclimated animals was 30 % higher than for warm-acclimated individuals. For organ mass, acclimation had a significant effect on the dry mass of caecum, liver and kidneys only. Stepwise multiple regression using pooled data showed that 71 % of the variation in BMR is explained by the digestive organs. Overall, these results suggest that MMR is a rather rigid variable, while BMR shows plasticity. It seems that T. elegans cannot respond to thermal acclimation by adjusting its processes of energy expenditure (i.e. thermogenic capacity and mass of metabolically active organs). The lack of any significant difference in aminopeptidase-N specific activity between warm- and cold-acclimated animals suggests that this response is mainly quantitative (i.e. cell proliferation) rather than qualitative (i.e. differential enzyme expression). Finally, as far as we know, this study is the first to report the effects of thermal acclimation on energy metabolism, organ mass and digestive enzyme activity in a marsupial.
Oxygen transfer during aerobic exercise in a varanid lizardVaranus mertensiis limited by the circulation
Authors: Frappell Peter , Schultz Tim , Christian Keith 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYOxygen transfer during sustained maximal exercise while locomoting on a treadmill at 0.33 m s-1 was examined in a varanid lizard Varanus mertensi at 35 °C. The rate of oxygen consumption(V̇O2) increased with locomotion from 3.49±0.75 (mean ± S.D.) to 14.0±4.0 ml O2 kg-1 min-1. Ventilation(V̇E) increased, aided by increases in both tidal volume and frequency, in direct proportion to V̇O2. The air convection requirement(V̇E/V̇O2=27)was therefore maintained, together with arterial PaCO2 and PaO2. The alveolar—arterial PO2 difference(PAO2—PaO2)also remained unchanged during exercise from its value at rest, which was approximately 20 mmHg. Pulmonary diffusion for carbon monoxide(0.116±0.027 ml kg-1 min-1 mmHg-1) was double the value previously reported in V. exanthematicus and remained unchanged with exercise. Furthermore, exercise was associated with an increase in the arterial—venous O2 content difference(CaO2—CvO2),which was assisted by a marked Bohr shift in the hemoglobin saturation curve and further unloading of venous O2. During exercise the increase in cardiac output (Q̇tot) did not match the increase in V̇O2, such that the blood convection requirement(Q̇tot/V̇O2)decreased from the pre-exercise value of approximately 35 to 16 during exercise. Together, the results suggest that ventilation and O2transfer across the lung are adequate to meet the aerobic needs of V. mertensi during exercise, but the decrease in the blood convection requirement in the presence of a large arterial—venous O2content difference suggests that a limit in the transport of O2 is imposed by the circulation.
Fluid-dynamic characteristics of a bristled wing
Authors: Sunada S. , Takashima H. , Hattori T. , Yasuda K. , Kawachi K. 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYThrips fly at a chord-based Reynolds number of approximately 10 using bristled rather than solid wings. We tested two dynamically scaled mechanical models of a thrips forewing. In the bristled design, cylindrical rods model the bristles of the forewing; the solid design was identical to the bristled one in shape, but the spaces between the `bristles' were filled in by membrane. We studied four different motion patterns: (i) forward motion at a constant forward velocity, (ii) forward motion at a translational acceleration, (iii) rotational motion at a constant angular velocity and (iv)rotational motion at an angular acceleration. Fluid-dynamic forces acting on the bristled model wing were a little smaller than those on the solid wing. Therefore, the bristled wing of a thrips cannot be explained in terms of increased fluid-dynamic forces.
Olfactory sensitivity to changes in environmental [Ca2+] in the freshwater teleostCarassius auratus: an olfactory role for the Ca2+-sensing receptor?
Authors: Hubbard P. C. , Ingleton P. M. , Bendell L. A. , Barata E. N. , Canário A. V. M. 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYOlfactory sensitivity to changes in environmental Ca2+ has been demonstrated in two teleost species; a salmonid (Oncorhynchus nerka)and a marine/estuarine perciform (Sparus aurata). To assess whether this phenomenon is restricted to species that normally experience large fluctuations in external ion concentrations (e.g. moving from sea water to fresh water) or is present in a much wider range of species, we investigated olfactory Ca2+ sensitivity in the goldfish (Carassius auratus), which is a stenohaline, non-migratory freshwater cyprinid. Extracellular recording from the olfactory bulb in vivo by electroencephalogram (EEG) demonstrated that the olfactory system is acutely sensitive to changes in external Ca2+ within the range that this species is likely to encounter in the wild (0.05-3 mmol l-1). The olfactory system responded to increases in external calcium with increasing bulbar activity in a manner that fitted a conventional Hill plot with an apparent EC50 of 0.9±0.3 mmol l-1 (close to both ambient and plasma free [Ca2+]) and an apparent Hill coefficient of 1.1±0.3 (means ± S.E.M., N=6). Thresholds of detection were below 50 μmol l-1. Some olfactory sensitivity to changes in external [Na+] was also recorded, but with a much higher threshold of detection (3.7 mmol l-1). The olfactory system of goldfish was much less sensitive to changes in [Mg2+] and [K+]. Preliminary data suggest that Ca2+ and Mg2+ are detected by the same mechanism, although with a much higher affinity for Ca2+. Olfactory sensitivity to Na+ may warn freshwater fish that they are reaching the limit of their osmotic tolerance when in an estuarine environment. Olfaction of serine, a potent odorant in fish, was not dependent on the presence of external Ca2+ or Na+. Finally, the teleost Ca2+-sensing receptor (Ca-SR) was shown to be highly expressed in a subpopulation of olfactory receptor neurones by both immunocytochemistry and in situ hybridisation. The olfactory sensitivity to Ca2+ (and Mg2+) is therefore likely to be mediated by the Ca-SR. We suggest that olfactory Ca2+ sensitivity is a widespread phenomenon in teleosts and may have an input into the physiological mechanisms regulating internal calcium homeostasis.
Incubation temperature modulates post-hatching thermoregulatory behavior in the Madagascar ground gecko, Paroedura pictus
Authors: Blumberg Mark S. , Lewis Sean J. , Sokoloff Greta 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARY
All vertebrates regulate body temperature within narrow limits, regardless of their physiological capabilities. When do these limits develop, and can they be modified by manipulations of the developmental thermal environment? We addressed these questions by incubating the eggs of the Madagascar ground gecko, Paroedura pictus, at three temperatures and by assessing thermoregulatory behavior in hatchlings. Thermoregulatory behavior was assessed using a two-choice shuttle paradigm, and skin temperatures were measured non-invasively using infrared thermography. The shuttling behavior of hatchlings was systematically affected by the temperature at which they were incubated, and follow-up tests suggested that this effect persisted for at least three weeks post-hatching. The body temperature data from the shuttling experiment were used to model thermoregulatory behavior in a complex thermal environment; the model predicted systematic effects of incubation temperature on thermal preference. The specificity of the alteration in thermoregulatory behavior by incubation temperature is compelling and provides evidence for powerful pre-hatching influences on a fundamental, life-sustaining behavioral process.
The role of the frontal ganglion in locust feeding and moulting related behaviours
Authors: Zilberstein Yael , Ayali Amir 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYIn the desert locust, Schistocerca gregaria, the frontal ganglion(FG) plays a key role in control of foregut movements, and constitutes a source of innervation to the foregut dilator muscles. In this work we studied the generation and characteristics of FG motor outputs in two distinct and fundamental behaviours: feeding and moulting. The FG motor pattern was found to be complex, and strongly dependent on the locust's physiological and behavioural state. Rhythmic activity of the foregut was dependent on the amount of food present in the crop; animals with food in their crop demonstrated higher FG burst frequency than those with empty crop. A very full gut inhibited the FG rhythm altogether. When no feeding-related foregut pattern was observed, the FG motor output was strongly correlated with the locust's ventilation pattern. This ventilation-related rhythm was dominant in pre-moulting locusts. During the moult, synchronization with the ventilation pattern can be transiently switched off, revealing the endogenous(feeding-related) FG pattern. This presumably happens during vigorous air swallowing, and could also be induced experimentally. Our findings suggest that the FG central pattern generator can be modulated to generate a variety of motor outputs under different physiological conditions and behavioural contexts.
Post-prandial blood flow to the gastrointestinal tract is not compromised during hypoxia in the sea bassDicentrarchus labrax
Authors: Axelsson Michael , Altimiras Jordi , Claireaux Guy 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYThe hypothesis that the increase in post-prandial splanchnic blood flow will be reduced during hypoxia to prioritise blood flow to other organs was tested by measuring cardiac output and gut blood flow during a stepwise hypoxic challenge (five steps, from 20.6 to 3.9 kPa, 5 min of exposure to each level) before and after feeding (equivalent to 2.9% of body mass). Splanchnic blood flow, both absolute and relative to cardiac output, increased after feeding. Mean post-prandial gut blood flow increased by 71% (from 9.6±1.6 to 14.9±1.6 ml min-1 kg-1, means± S.E.M.). Before feeding, gut blood flow was 24.0% of cardiac output,and this increased significantly 24 h after feeding to 34.0%. The absolute post-prandial increase in gut blood flow (5.3±0.9 ml min-1kg-1) was paralleled by an increase in cardiac output(5.4±2.1 ml min-1 kg-1). Hypoxia decreased gut blood flow significantly from 9.6±1.6 to 3.7±1.1 ml min-1 kg-1, corresponding to a decrease in relative gut blood flow from 24 % to 13%. Contrary to our initial hypothesis, and although post-prandial absolute blood flow decreases during hypoxia, the relative proportion of cardiac output reaching the gut did not decrease (34.6%pre-hypoxia versus 26.7% during hypoxia), unlike the situation in non-feeding fish. We propose that, following feeding, relative gut blood flow is maintained because splanchnic hyperaemia occurs as a result of the release of local factors; consequently the reflex vasoconstriction of the gastrointestinal vasculature during hypoxia is not as effective in decreasing gut blood flow as it was before feeding because local hyperaemia out-competes the reflex regulation.
Adaptive mechanisms of intracellular calcium homeostasis in mammalian hibernators
Authors: Wang Shi Qiang , Lakatta Edward G. , Cheng Heping , Zhou Zeng Quan 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYIntracellular Ca2+ homeostasis is a prerequisite for a healthy cell life. While cells from some mammals may suffer dysregulation of intracellular Ca2+ levels under certain deleterious and stressful conditions, including hypothermia and ischemia, cells from mammalian hibernators exhibit a remarkable ability to maintain a homeostatic intracellular Ca2+ environment. Compared with cells from non-hibernators, hibernator cells are characterized by downregulation of the activity of Ca2+ channels in the cell membrane, which helps to prevent excessive Ca2+ entry. Concomitantly, sequestration of Ca2+ by intracellular Ca2+ stores, especially the sarcoplasmic/endoplasmic reticulum, is enhanced to keep the resting levels of intracellular Ca2+ stable. An increase in stored Ca2+ in heart cells during hibernation ensures that the levels of Ca2+messenger are sufficient for forceful cell contraction under conditions of hypothermia. Maintenance of Na+ gradients, viaNa+—Ca2+ exchangers, is also important in the Ca2+ homeostasis of hibernator cells. Understanding the adaptive mechanisms of Ca2+ regulation in hibernating mammals may suggest new strategies to protect nonhibernator cells, including those of humans, from Ca2+-induced dysfunction.
Design, limitations and sustained metabolic rate: lessons from small mammals
Authors: Bacigalupe Leonardo D. , Bozinovic Francisco 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYPhysiological limitations affect an organism's capacity to acquire and expend energy over long periods of activity. These limitations could be related to the central machinery used for acquiring, processing and allocating energy, or by the energy-consuming machinery. Another possibility is that the capacities of central and peripheral organs and tissues are co-adjusted,implying an optimized design. Given the important consequences that rates of energy expenditure have on many ecological aspects of animal life, we need to understand which factors impose ceilings on sustained metabolic rate. Ceilings on sustainable energy expenditure represent the limit below which all the activities performed by an individual must occur. There have been many studies of design constraints on energy budgets, but the different procedures used to identify the type of physiological limitation do not necessarily resolve which factors actually impose metabolic ceilings in small mammals, which precludes a clear understanding of the ecological and evolutionary consequences of design constraints on energy budgets. We propose that the following steps are necessary to identify the physiological limits on sustained metabolic rate:(1) combining peak energy demands to differentiate a central limitation from a peripheral limitation; (2) pushing the animals to their physiological limits(e.g. asymptotic food intake); (3) testing for a central excess capacity (if the limit is set peripherally), or a peripheral excess capacity (if there is a central limitation); (4) utilizing different levels of energy demand to test for symmorphosis.
Magnetite-based magnetoreception in birds: the effect of a biasing field and a pulse on migratory behavior
Authors: Wiltschko Wolfgang , Munro Ursula , Wiltschko Roswitha , Kirschvink Joseph L. 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYTo test the hypothesis that single domain magnetite is involved in magnetoreception, we treated Australian silvereyes Zosterops l. lateralis with a strong, brief pulse designed to alter the magnetization of single domain particles. This pulse was administered in the presence of a 1 mT biasing field, either parallel to the direction of the biasing field (PAR group) or antiparallel (ANTI group). In the case of magnetoreceptors based on freely moving single domain particles, the PAR treatment should have little effect, whereas the ANTI treatment should cause remagnetization of the magnetite particles involved in a receptor and could produce a maximum change in that receptor's output for some receptor configurations. Migratory orientation was used as a criterion to assess the effect on the receptor. Before treatment, both groups preferred their normal northerly migratory direction. Exposure to the biasing field alone did not affect their behavior. Treatment with the pulse in the presence of the biasing field caused both the PAR and the ANTI birds to show an axial preference for the east—west axis, with no difference between the two groups. Although these results are in accordance with magnetite-based magnetoreceptors playing a role in migratory orientation, they do not support the hypothesis that single domains in polarity-sensitive receptors are free to move through all solid angles. Possible interpretations, including other arrangements of single domains and superparamagnetic crystals, are discussed.
Serotonergic modulation of nonspiking local interneurones in the terminal abdominal ganglion of the crayfish
Authors: Nagayama Toshiki 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARY
The modulatory effect of serotonin on local circuit neurones forming the uropod motor control system of the crayfish Procambarus clarkiiGirard was analysed electrophysiologically. Bath application of 10 μmol l-1 serotonin caused a decrease in the tonic spike activity of the exopodite reductor motor neurone. The inhibitory effect of serotonin on the motor neurone was dose-dependent and its spike discharge was completely suppressed for long periods by 1 mmol l-1 serotonin perfusion. Nonspiking local interneurones in the terminal abdominal ganglion showed either a membrane depolarization (N=6) or hyperpolarization(N=9) of 10-30 mV in amplitude when 100 μmol l-1serotonin was perfused for 3-5 min. By contrast, spiking local interneurones and intersegmental ascending interneurones showed no observable excitatory responses to the perfusion of serotonin but instead some showed a small membrane hyperpolarization of 2-5 mV. These results indicate that the nonspiking interneurones could contribute substantially to the level of tonic excitation of the uropod motor neurones.
Sensory stimulation elicited depolarizing or hyperpolarizing potentials in the nonspiking interneurones and excitatory postsynaptic potentials (EPSPs)and spikes in the spiking interneurones. The sensory responses of spiking interneurones increased during bath application of serotonin and were reduced after 20-30 min of washing with normal saline. In the nonspiking interneurones, the amplitude of both depolarizing and hyperpolarizing potentials increased without any direct correlation with the serotonin-mediated potential change. This effect of serotonin was long-lasting and continued to enhance the responses of the nonspiking interneurones after washing. This postserotonin enhancement persisted for over 1 h.
Low-temperature protein metabolism: seasonal changes in protein synthesis and RNA dynamics in the Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna Strebel 1908
Authors: Fraser Keiron P. P. , Clarke Andrew , Peck Lloyd S. 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARY
Protein synthesis is a fundamental and energetically expensive physiological process in all living organisms. Very few studies have examined the specific challenges of manufacturing proteins at low ambient temperatures. At high southern latitudes, water temperatures are continually below or near freezing and are highly stable, while food availability is very seasonal. To examine the effects of low temperature and a highly seasonal food supply on protein metabolism, we have measured wholebody protein synthesis, RNA concentrations, RNA:protein ratios and RNA translational efficiencies in the Antarctic limpet Nacella concinna at four times of the year. From summer to winter, protein synthesis rates decreased by 52%, RNA concentrations decreased by 55% and RNA:protein ratios decreased by 68%, while RNA translational efficiencies were low and very variable. Protein synthesis rates in N. concinna approached those measured in temperate mussels, while RNA:protein ratios were considerably higher than in temperate species. Interspecific comparisons show that species living at low temperatures have elevated RNA:protein ratios, which are probably needed to counteract a thermally induced reduction in RNA translational efficiency. Calculations using theoretical energetic costs of protein synthesis suggest that Antarctic species may allocate a larger proportion of their metabolic budget to protein synthesis than do temperate or tropical species.
Nitric oxide regulation of the central aortae of the toad Bufo marinus occurs independently of the endothelium
Authors: Broughton Brad R. S. , Donald John A. 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARY
Nitric oxide (NO) signalling pathways were examined in the lateral aortae and dorsal aorta of the cane toad Bufo marinus. NADPH diaphorase histochemistry and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) immunohistochemistry found no evidence for endothelial NOS in the endothelium of toad aortae, but it could be readily demonstrated in rat aorta that was used as a control. Immunohistochemistry using a specific neural NOS antibody showed the presence of neural NOS immunoreactivity in the perivascular nerves of the aortae. The anatomical data was supported by in vitro organ bath physiology,which demonstrated that the vasodilation mediated by applied acetylcholine(10-5 mol l-1) was not dependent on the presence of the vascular endothelium; however, it was significantly reduced in the presence of a neural NOS inhibitor, vinyl-L-NIO (10-4 mol l-1). In addition, atropine (10-6 mol l-1) (a muscarinic receptor inhibitor), L-NNA (10-4 mol l-1) (a NOS inhibitor) and ODQ (10-5 mol l-1) (an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase) abolished the vasodilatory effect of applied acetylcholine. In conclusion, we propose that an endothelial NO system is absent in toad aortae and that NO generated by neural NOS in perivascular nerves mediates vasodilation.
The effects of lipid location on non-invasive estimates of body composition using EM-SCAN technology
Authors: Unangst Edward T. , Merkley Lance A. 
Published: April 2021

SUMMARYWe evaluated the effect of lipid location on body-composition estimation accuracy using electromagnetic scanning (EM-SCAN), a non-invasive [total body electrical conductivity (TOBEC)] method. Molds were constructed that simulated a `general' small mammal, either 93% lean/7% lipid (control) or 82% lean/18%lipid (lipid-location groups). In the 18% lipid molds, we varied the location of the fat; simulating all the fat in the head, tail or midsection or simulating homogenous distribution. Comparisons were made between the EM-SCAN output of each lipid-location group, and multiple-regression techniques were performed to derive body-composition estimation equations for both lipid mass(ML) and fat-free mass (MFF). Device output varied significantly for all lipid-location groups even though all groups contained 18% body fat, showing a lipid-location effect on device output. Calibration equations derived for each lipid-location condition estimated both ML and MFF accurately,but an independent equation was required for each lipid-location condition. In situations where species significantly vary body fat content and location, for example during hibernation or reproductive periods, we suggest deriving a calibration equation that is more representative of the actual body composition to improve ML and MFFestimation accuracy using non-invasive EM-SCAN methods.