scholarly journals Food limitation and low-density populations of sympatric hamster species in North China

2009 ◽  
Vol 78 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-75 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wenhua Xiong ◽  
Hong Liang ◽  
Xiaohui Yu ◽  
Lin Cong ◽  
Zhibin Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Food Restriction ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
North China ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Food Limitation ◽  
Low Density ◽  
Study Region ◽  
Condition Indices

Although food has been proposed as a possible factor on population regulation of small mammals, evidence of food restriction in field conditions is still lacking. Food restriction is generally thought to occur in high-density years of oscillating populations of small mammals. By using two body condition indices (muscle protein concentration and cleaned carcass index), we investigated variations of body condition of the greater long-tailed hamster (Tscherskia triton) and the striped hamster (Cricetulus barabensis) in the Raoyang County of the North China Plain during a population decline- and low-phase from 1998 to 2003. Our laboratory experiments showed that food restriction reduced muscle protein concentration and cleaned carcass index of greater long-tailed hamster. We found there were significant differences in body condition of hamsters over the six years. Both the muscle protein concentration and cleaned carcass index of T. triton were significantly and positively correlated with its yearly trap successes, which reflected yearly population densities. Muscle protein concentration of C. barabensis was positively correlated with the total yield of the wheat. This observation supported the hypothesis on the in-phase relation between food resources or availability and rodent abundances. During the four seasons, muscle protein concentration of two species was highest in autumn, and lowest in summer. These two body condition indices of wild T. triton in summer and in low phases were similar to 60% food restricted animals raised in the laboratory, but significantly lower than nonfood- restricted animals. Our results indicated that malnutrition occurred in summer when food was not abundant, and in low density years with low grain production (an index reflecting food abundance of rodents) in our study region. Therefore, we concluded that food limitation may play an important role in seasonal and inter-annual population fluctuation of these two hamster species.

scholarly journals Habitat and Sex Differences in Physiological Condition of Breeding Southwestern Willow Flycatchers (Empidonax Trailliiextimus)

The Auk ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 122 (4) ◽  
pp. 1261-1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jennifer C. Owen ◽  
Mark K. Sogge ◽  
Michael D. Kern
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Physiological Condition ◽  
Food Limitation ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Total Leukocyte Count ◽  
Insect Communities ◽  
Male And Female ◽  
Empidonax Traillii ◽  
Condition Indices ◽  
Beta Hydroxybutyrate

Abstract The Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus; here- after “flycatcher”) is a federally listed endangered species that breeds in densely vegetated riparian habitats dominated by native and exotic plants, including introduced monotypic saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima). Some workers have theorized that saltcedar is unsuitable habitat for the flycatcher, primarily because it generally supports a smaller and less diverse invertebrate community (the flycatcher's food base) than native habitats (e.g. Salix spp.). However, differences in insect communities between native and saltcedar habitats are not proof that saltcedar habitats are inferior. The only way to evaluate whether the habitats differ in dietary or energetic quality is to document actual food limitation or its manifestations. Measurements of an individual's body condition and metabolic state can serve as indicators of environmental stressors, such as food limitation and environmental extremes. We captured 130 flycatchers breeding in native and saltcedar habitats in Arizona and New Mexico and measured 12 variables of physiological condition. These variables included body mass, fat level, body condition index, hematocrit, plasma triglycerides, plasma free fatty acids and glycerol, plasma glucose and beta-hydroxybutyrate, plasma uric acid, total leukocyte count, and heterophil-to-lymphocyte ratio. We found substantial sex-based differences in the condition of male and female flycatchers. Ten of the 12 measures of physiological condition differed significantly between the sexes. In all cases where male and female condition differed (except mass), the differences suggest that males were in poorer condition than females. We found few habitat-based differences in flycatcher condition. Only 3 of the 12 physiological condition indices differed significantly between habitats. Our data show that, at least in some parts of the flycatcher's range, there is no evidence that flycatchers breeding in saltcedar habitats exhibit poorer nutritional condition or are suffering negative physiological affects. Diferencias entre Hábitats y Sexos en la Condición Fisiológica de Individuos Reproductivos en Empidonax traillii extimus

Responses of lactating ewes, offered fresh herbage indoors and when grazing, to supplements containing differing protein concentrations

1988 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 403-415 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. D. Penning ◽  
R. J. Orr ◽  
T. T. Treacher
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
Milk Protein ◽  
Fish Meal ◽  
Soya Bean ◽  
Protein Supplements ◽  
Bean Meal ◽  
Soya Bean Meal ◽  
Lamb Growth ◽  
Daily Milk

ABSTRACTThe responses to supplements differing in protein concentration and degradability were measured in lactating ewes and their twin lambs when offered fresh ryegrass either cut or grazed. Housed Scottish Halfbred ewes, offered fresh-cut grass ad libitum received no supplement (N) or supplements with barley and maize starch (B); barley and soya-bean meal (S); barley, soya-bean meal and fish meal (SF) or barley and fish meal (F) in weeks 2 to 7 of lactation. By feeding supplements, herbage organic-matter (OM) intake was depressed (2·00 v. 1·74 kg/day). Mean daily milk yield was increased when protein supplements were given and, because milk protein concentration was higher for supplement F and similar for all other diets, mean daily milk protein output increased with increasing fish meal in the diet. Milk yields were N 2·55, B 2·59, S 3·17, SF 3·15 and F 3·17 kg/day. Total milk solids and fat concentrations were also higher for S, SF and F than N or B. Lambs from ewes supplemented with protein grew faster and the ewes generally lost less weight and body condition compared with unsupplemented ewes.At pasture, Masham ewes grazed at herbage allowances of either 4 (L) or 10 (H) kg OM per day and received no supplement (N) or supplements B or F, for the first 6 weeks of lactation and then, in weeks 7 to 12, grazed without supplements. For NL, BL, FL, NH, BH and FH respectively lamb growth rates from birth to 6 weeks were 235, 242, 274, 267, 286 and 302 g/day; from birth to 12 weeks were 210, 209, 249, 255, 275 and 287 g/day and losses in ewe body-condition score from birth to 12 weeks were 1·28, 1·22, 1·06, 0·97, 0·62 and 0·76.It is concluded that protein supplements increased milk yield and lamb growth rates and that the response tended to be greater with fish meal.

Overload-induced androgen receptor expression in the aged rat hindlimb receiving nandrolone decanoate

2003 ◽  
Vol 94 (3) ◽  
pp. 1153-1161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Won Jun Lee ◽  
Joseph McClung ◽  
G. A. Hand ◽  
James A. Carson
Keyword(s):  
Androgen Receptor ◽  
Muscle Mass ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Receptor Expression ◽  
Receptor Protein ◽  
Nandrolone Decanoate ◽  
Muscle Weight ◽  
Aged Rat ◽  
Androgen Receptor Protein

This study's purpose was to examine whether functional overload with nandrolone decanoate (ND) administration increased muscle mass and steroid receptor concentration in aged rat soleus (Sol) and plantaris (Plan) muscle. ND (6 mg/kg body wt) was administered once a week for 4 wk, whereas control rats received sesame seed oil injections. Functional overload of the hindlimb Sol and Plan was induced by synergistic gastrocnemius muscle ablation at the beginning of the fourth week. Adult (5 mo of age) and aged rats (25 mo of age) were randomly assigned to four groups: control, overload, control-ND, and overload-ND. Seven days of functional overload increased adult Sol muscle mass 27%, whereas the aged Sol muscle mass did not change. The aged overloaded Sol muscle receiving ND significantly increased muscle weight by 35% and total muscle protein by 24%. Aged Plan muscle did not increase muscle weight with overload or ND treatment. Androgen receptor protein was induced by ND treatment and functional Ov, and combining the two treatments induced Sol androgen receptor protein concentration above either alone. Sol glucocorticoid receptor protein concentration increased in overload groups of both ages. ND administration can increase aged Sol muscle mass and protein content after 7 days of functional overload, and the cooperative induction of androgen receptor may be important for this response.

scholarly journals Can Body Condition and Somatic Indices be Used to Evaluate Metal-Induced Stress in Wild Small Mammals?

PLoS ONE ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. e66399 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolas Tête ◽  
Clémentine Fritsch ◽  
Eve Afonso ◽  
Michaël Coeurdassier ◽  
Jean-Claude Lambert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Induced Stress

scholarly journals Exercise May Promote Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy via Enhancing Leucine-Sensing: Preliminary Evidence

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Zhao ◽  
Jason Cholewa ◽  
Huayu Shang ◽  
Yueqin Yang ◽  
Xiaomin Ding ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Synthesis ◽  
Resistance Exercise ◽  
Aerobic Exercise ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
Muscle Hypertrophy ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Muscle Protein Synthesis ◽  
Muscle Fibers ◽  
Mtor Signaling ◽  
Treadmill Running

Several studies have indicated a positive effect of exercise (especially resistance exercise) on the mTOR signaling that control muscle protein synthesis and muscle remodeling. However, the relationship between exercise, mTOR activation and leucine-sensing requires further clarification. Two month old Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to aerobic exercise (treadmill running at 20 m/min, 6° incline for 60 min) and resistance exercise (incremental ladder climbing) for 4 weeks. The gastrocnemius muscles were removed for determination of muscle fibers diameter, cross-sectional area (CSA), protein concentration and proteins involved in muscle leucine-sensing and protein synthesis. The results show that 4 weeks of resistance exercise increased the diameter and CSA of gastrocnemius muscle fibers, protein concentration, the phosphorylation of mTOR (Ser2448), 4E-BP1(Thr37/46), p70S6K (Thr389), and the expression of LeuRS, while aerobic exercise just led to a significant increase in protein concentration and the phosphorylation of 4E-BP1(Thr37/46). Moreover, no difference was found for Sestrin2 expression between groups. The current study shows resistance exercise, but not aerobic exercise, may increase muscle protein synthesis and protein deposition, and induces muscle hypertrophy through LeuRS/mTOR signaling pathway. However, further studies are still warranted to clarify the exact effects of vary intensities and durations of aerobic exercise training.

EFFECTS OF FEEDING AND FOOD DEPRIVATION ON OXYGEN CONSUMPTION, MUSCLE PROTEIN CONCENTRATION AND ACTIVITIES OF ENERGY METABOLISM ENZYMES IN MUSCLE AND BRAIN OF SHALLOW-LIVING (SCORPAENA GUTTATA) AND DEEP-LIVING (SEBASTOLOBUS ALASCANUS) SCORPAENID FISHES

1993 ◽  
Vol 181 (1) ◽  
pp. 213-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. H. Yang ◽  
G. N. Somero
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Metabolic Rate ◽  
Food Deprivation ◽  
Enzyme Activities ◽  
Protein Concentration ◽  
White Muscle ◽  
Muscle Protein ◽  
Metabolism Enzymes ◽  
Red Muscle ◽  
Ad Libitum

The effects of feeding and fasting were examined on the deep-living short-spine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) and the confamilial shallow-living spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena guttata) to determine whether the low metabolic rate of the deeper-living species was in part a consequence of food deprivation in its habitat. Laboratory acclimation for periods of 90–115 days under either ad libitum feeding or complete fasting did not lead to similar rates of respiration in individuals of the two species held under identical conditions. Respiration of fish fed ad libitum was 52 % (S. guttata) or 68 % (S. alascanus) higher than for fasted fish of the same species. Furthermore, the metabolic rates of freshly collected specimens of S. alascanus resembled those of laboratory-fasted fish. In white skeletal muscle, both total protein concentration and the activities of four enzymes of ATP metabolism, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) and pyruvate kinase (PK) of glycolysis, malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and citrate synthase (CS, a citric acid cycle indicator), were lower in S. alascanus than in S. guttata. Within a species, protein concentration and activities of the four enzymes in white muscle, but not in brain, were higher in fed than in starved fish, although these differences were greater in S. alascanus than in S. guttata. During fasting, LDH and PK activity in white muscle of S. alascanus decreased much more than MDH and CS activity; decreases in enzyme activities in red muscle were smaller than those in white muscle. Activities of enzymes in white skeletal muscle of field-collected S. alascanus generally resembled those of the fasted specimens. In contrast, red muscle of field- collected S. alascanus, compared with that of either fed or starved laboratory-held specimens, had a highly glycolytic poise (high LDH and PK activities relative to MDH and CS activities), which may suggest that muscle enzyme activities in the field-collected fish reflect adaptation to the low oxygen level in its adult habitat, the oxygen minimum layer. The strong correlations found between tissue biochemical properties and respiration rate allow us to develop a predictive index for metabolic rate from simple biochemical analyses, e.g. white muscle protein content or CS activity. We conclude that the low metabolic rate of S. alascanus is due to at least four depth-related factors: reduced abundance of food, low temperature, low ambient oxygen concentration and darkness, which may select for reduced locomotory activity.

A comparison of the effects of body condition and short-term food restriction on the feeding behaviour of sheep

1996 ◽  
Vol 1996 ◽  
pp. 174-174
Author(s):  
A.M. Sibbald
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Feeding Behaviour ◽  
Food Restriction ◽  
Term Effect ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Daily Food ◽  
Long Term Effect ◽  
Single Meal

Voluntary food intake is generally inversely related to body condition or fatness in mature sheep (Foot, 1972). Since the intake of pelleted diets by housed sheep consists of a number of discrete feeding bouts or 'meals' (e.g. Bermudez et al., 1989), the relatively long-term effect of body condition on intake will be achieved through changes in feeding behaviour at the level of a single meal. The aim of this experiment was to compare the effects of body condition and short-term food restriction on meal patterns in sheep, to investigate the mechanism by which body condition influences daily food intake.

Comparing three body condition indices in amphibians: a case study of yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata

2010 ◽  
Vol 31 (4) ◽  
pp. 558-562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rodica Plăiaşu ◽  
Tibor Hartel ◽  
Raluca Ioana Băncilă ◽  
Dan Cogălniceanu ◽  
Joost Smets
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Quality Parameters ◽  
Direct Measurements ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Bombina Variegata ◽  
Condition Indices ◽  
Three Body

AbstractBody condition is important because it is correlated with population and habitat quality parameters. Since the direct measurements are either lethal or unreliable, a wide range of non-lethal body condition indices has been proposed. The aim of our study was to apply and compare three body condition indices (Fulton's index, relative body condition mass index and residual index) using body size indicator – body mass data for 24 populations of the yellow bellied toad (Bombina variegata). The condition index should be independent of body size indicator, in this case snout vent length (SVL). Therefore we tested all three indices for the statistical independence of SVL and for the normality of distribution. Fulton's index violated the independence assumption, whereas the relative body condition mass index did not have a normal distribution. Residual index was found both independent of SVL and normally distributed. Moreover, the residual index highlighted biological significant differences on the basis of altitude and season. Our results recommend the residual index as a useful tool in amphibian monitoring and conservation.

Evaluating body condition in small mammals

2001 ◽  
Vol 79 (6) ◽  
pp. 1021-1029 ◽  
Author(s):  
A I Schulte-Hostedde ◽  
J S Millar ◽  
G J Hickling
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Isotope Dilution ◽  
Condition Index ◽  
Dry Mass ◽  
Fat Content ◽  
Body Water ◽  
Deer Mice ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Neotoma Cinerea

Body condition (energy reserves) can have important fitness consequences. Measuring condition of live animals is typically done by regressing body mass on measures of body size and using the residuals as an index of condition. The validity of this condition index was evaluated by determining whether it reflected measured fat content of five species of small mammals (yellow-pine chipmunks (Tamias amoenus Allen), bushy-tailed wood rats (Neotoma cinerea Ord), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus Ord), red-backed voles (Clethrionomys gapperi Vigors), and meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus Ord)). We also determined whether body water could predict fat content, enabling the use of hydrogen-isotope dilution for estimating condition. For all five species, condition estimates weakly predicted fat content and more accurately predicted variation in lean dry mass and water content. The relationship between body water and fat content was inconsistent among the five species, discouraging against the general use of isotope dilution in these animals. Although ecologically important, these indices are best interpreted as explaining variation in all constituents of body composition.

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