Flies fight famine

Introduction. Poverty causes people to have a limitation in the supply of food needed to meet energy and protein adequacy for families including children under five. Method. Sample is children ages 24-59 months toddler. Number of samples 11690 (Riskesdas 2010), which can be analyzed along with 6796 consumption data. Deficient in energy consumption occur if <80% rate of nutrient adequacy (RDA) which is recommended by age group, whereas the protein deficit when <80% RDA. Results. Based on the average percent of the consumption of energy and protein to RDA ( recommended adequacy rate ) found the energy as much as 101.8%, and protein to 142.9% in urban and 93.1% average energy, and 126.8% of protein in rural areas, with the Kruskal-Wallis difference was significant at p=0.000. however was found also by grouping according to the percent of the average age of the energy adequacy of the recommended protein that is between the age group 24-35 months for 99.4% of energy, and protein 139.4%. In the age group 36-47 months 101.9% of energy, and protein 141.1%. While in the 48-59 month age group 88.9% of energy, and 122.1% protein. Conclusion. the mean of the consumption of energy, protein and fat children aged 24-59 months in urban areas than in rural areas superiors. The toddler age group 48-59 months has energy consumption, and low protein than other groups. Recommendation. Children 48-59 months of age, is the age of the growth and development of intelligence. Necessary, coordination of action across programs, such as health promotion, cash transfers (BLT Programme), education curriculum, and others, can load messages Nutrition Guide for Balance

Adults and larvae of the ground beetle Pterostichus cupreus L. were reared at 3 feeding regimes in the laboratory to assess how food availability affects fitness correlates in different developmental stages. Adults were collected from 3 localities in early spring at emergence from overwintering. Origin of adults was recorded to investigate differences in response to food level among localities. The importance of food availability for adult mortality, fecundity, wing muscle development, egg size, larval growth rate and mortality, and pupal weight was assessed. Overwintering mortality at 2 food levels was estimated in 2 experiments, in 1994–1995 on young adults and in 1995–1996 on 1-yr-old adults. Fecundity of adults and body mass increased markedly with feeding rate. Feeding by adults provides most resources for reproduction in P. cupreus . The relationship between food supply and fecundity in the laboratory was affected by the origin of the beetles, suggesting that poor teneral conditions in the field are not compensated by better conditions later in development. Pupal weight, which is a function of larval growth, decreased with decreasing food availability. Mortality of adults and larvae was not affected by food availability, and prewinter food levels did not affect overwintering mortality. Egg size was unaffected by food availability and wing musculature did not increase with decreasing food availability, giving no indication of a trade-off between fecundity and migratory capacity. A nondestructive measure of adult feeding rate was developed by relating body mass and size to observed energy reserves (measured as fat bodies) in dissected beetles.

The objects of the investigation were to describe the process of maturation of the ovaries, to clear up the question of the relation between copulation and sexual maturity, and to determine whether any relation exists between weight and sexual maturity.The locusts used were of the transiens phase. They were kept at temperatures between 32°C. and 37°C. and relative humidities between 50 per cent, and 70 per cent.The maturation of the ovaries was followed, and is divided into four stages distinguished chiefly by the sizes of the eggs.It is shown that the average number of ovarioles per female does not change significantly with age.The numbers of ovarioles in the two ovaries of an individual often shows asymmetry, which probably increases with age.Some of the ovarioles are small. The percentage small ovarioles increases with development of the eggs. Variation between individuals in the total number of ovarioles also increases with age.The number of egg rudiments per ovariole was calculated for different ages and stages. The differences were not significant. It is concluded that new rudiments are produced during the oviposition period.It was found that when the food supply was relatively short, female locusts became mature and oviposited if allowed to pair, but did not mature if males were not present. With abundant food, unmated females matured, but more slowly than mated ones and fecundity was reduced. It is concluded that under unfavourable conditions pairing may be necessary for maturation of the ovaries.Average weights of female locusts in each of the four stages were compared. Locusts in stages III and IV, i.e., those which are mature, were found to be significantly heavier than those in stages I and II. The average weight of a number of stage I locusts 13–18 days old (whose development had been retarded by unsuitable conditions) was also found to be significantly less than that of a number of stage III locusts of the same age. It is concluded that weight depends primarily on the development of the ovaries.The relation between weight and age was investigated. Rate of increase of weight is rapid at first, is reduced for about two days, then increases again and maintains its value until the weight is about 2 gms. During the oviposition period it fluctuates irregularly.It is shown that if conditions are unfavourable to maturation the weight rises to a certain value, after which it remains constant, or falls. The fall was best seen in stage II locusts over 14 days old.There is little relation between weight and egg-size in stages I and II, but in stages III and IV the relation is closer. Rate of increase of weight with egg-size is at first low, but above an egg-length of about 4·5 mm. the rate of increase of weight becomes greater. It is suggested that this is because early growth of the eggs is due to transference of fat from the fat body and later stages to the laying down in the eggs of substances derived directly from the food.Estimates were made of water and fat content of locusts of various ages. Percentage water falls rather rapidly in the first few days of adult life after which it remains approximately constant. Percentage fat rises to a maximum at about 14 days, then falls slowly. Most of the increase in weight during maturation is due to water intake.

In most insects dependent on food resources that deplete seasonally, mechanisms exist to protect against starvation. Insects overcome periods of food depletion using diapause-associated physiological mechanisms, such as increased energy resources in fat bodies and suppression of metabolism. Because autophagy supplies energy resources through the degradation of intracellular components, we hypothesized that it might be an additional strategy to combat starvation during overwintering. In this study, we measured the abundance of the proteins involved in the signaling pathway of autophagy during overwintering in adults of the bean bug Riptortus pedestris (Fabricius) (Hemiptera: Alydidae), which must withstand the periodic depletion of its host plants from late fall to early spring. Although the levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid receptor-associated protein (GABARAP) markedly increased after the cessation of food supply, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) and target of rapamycin (TOR) were not found to be associated with food depletion. Thus, food depletion appears to induce autophagy independent of AMPK and TOR. The GABARAP levels significantly increased universally when the food supply ceased, irrespective of the diapause status of adults and low-temperature conditions. In overwintering diapause adults under seminatural conditions, the GABARAP levels significantly increased during early spring. Thus, autophagy appears to assist the survival of the bean bugs under natural conditions of food deficiency.

Research on the anatomical and physiological characteristics of bees (the state of fat body, hypopharyngeal glands) in connection with changes in natural and climatic conditions (soil composition, prolonged droughts, prolonged rains, cold weather, environmental disasters) impoverishment of fodder base for bees due to the decrease of sown areas of honey crops leading to the use of bees’ feeding, is relevant. The research aims to study the influence of food protein on the development of hypopharyngeal glands, fat body and life expectancy of honeybees. The zootechnical (the setting of the scientific research, the feeding of the bee families, the power of the bee families, productivity), ethological (orientation in the bee-entrance area), micrometrical (physiological and morphological characteristics of the parts of the bee’s body), microscopic (analysis of hypopharyngeal glands and fat body of bees) and statistical (biometric data processing) methods were used in the study. The significant difference in their degree of development depending on the carbohydrate or protein feeding was identified. After feeding sugar syrup to bees, signs of protein malnutrition and the state of development of hypopharyngeal glands corresponding to the І-ІІ degrees were noted. Alveoli of hypopharyngeal glands were reduced, and underdeveloped, with marked spaces, whereas after feeding protein food in the form of sugar syrup with bee pollen the bees had well-developed hypopharyngeal glands. The alveoli of the hypopharyngeal glands of the researched bees filled out, grew milky, with no space between them, and were able to produce larval food. Such a state of the glands’ development corresponds to the ІV degree of the development of hypopharyngeal glands. The research results indicate that the development of the fat body of bees happens at a young age when bees consume protein food the most. It has been proven that protein feeding of the bee colonies of experimental groups contributed to the better development of hypopharyngeal glands in both old and young bees, which resulted in better provision of food for larvae and more active development of the bee colonies. Protein feeding of bees in early spring under conditions of limited supply of protein food contributes to the production of larger larvae, which in turn contributes to the production of more complete bees

Abstract. Food demands of the predatory carabid Notiophilus biguttatus F. and their fulfilment were studied in the laboratory and field. In the laboratory, larval consumption, growth, adult body size and egg production were established for different regimes of temperature and food, the springtail Orchesella cincta. Temperature strongly influenced feeding rate of larvae and adults and consequently growth and oviposition rates. Accordingly, growth rate and ovi‐position rate increased with prey supply. Prey supply also had an effect on fat content, but the number of ripe eggs in the ovaries was related neither to temperature nor to prey supply. Adult body size was affected by temperature during the larval period but more so by food supply. Dissection of field fresh females showed them to bear eggs for the whole year, except in late winter/early spring and in July. Fat content was low in spring and, from July on, high in summer and autumn. Survivorship during starvation differed widely between samples and seemed to be related to reproductive status rather than to fat content. Samples of beetles and springtails from eleven pine plantations revealed for the beetles significant differences in fat content and body size, the latter ranging between the maximum and minimum value obtained in the laboratory. Conclusions about food limitation based on body size and fat content were not corroborated by a relationship of these indices with springtail density.

Comparative Autecology of the Lizard Cnemidophorus Tigris in Different Parts of Its Georgraphic Range

Hypertrehalosaemic peptides in the honeybee ( Apis mellifera): purification, identification and function

Long-term experiments were conducted to study the progression of vitellogenic cycles in Rana tigrina (an annual breeder) having different foraging backgrounds and held under conditions of weekly or daily food supply and in presence or absence of abdominal fat bodies. They were autopsied in June to assess fecundity. In nature an adult R. tigrina produces on an average 4,000 eggs/100 g body mass (b.m.) And spawns in June-July following monsoon rains. Weekly feeding from July to next breeding season, June resulted in a significant decrease in both fecundity (1700 eggs/100 g body b.m.) And mean size of eggs, compared to well-fed or wild-caught frogs. The abdominal fat bodies were barely seen in frogs fed weekly throughout, whereas in frogs fed weekly from July-December but daily from January onwards, the fat bodies became noticeable (1% of b.m.) And number and mean size of eggs increased significantly over those fed weekly throughout. Frogs captured in January possessed enlarged fat bodies (5% of b.m.), depicting a good foraging history. Maintenance of these frogs on a weekly feeding regimen led to an exhaustion of fat stores. They produced less number of eggs (2, 000/100 g b.m.) As compared to wild frogs but of normal size, whereas daily feeding slowed down a depletion of fat body mass and also significantly increased fecundity (3,000/100 g b.m.) Over the weekly fed individuals. Sham operation or fat body ablation in October or February had no significant effect on total fecundity per se (3,000-3,500 eggs/100 g b.m.) Compared to that of wild-caught frogs. However, eggs were significantly smaller due to fat body ablation despite daily feeding. The study shows that food abundance/fat bodies influence egg size and number in R. tigrina and that a direct or indirect functional relationship exists between fat body and ovarian cycles that are characteristically inverse to each other. J. Exp. Zool. 286:487-493, 2000.

Lipid composition of fat body and its contribution to the maturing oöcytes in Pyrrhocoris apterus

An adequate food supply is widely recognized as a necessary condition for social development as well as a basic human right. Food deficits are especially common among semi-subsistence farming households in eastern and southern Africa and farm productivity is widely regarded as the locus for enhancing household food outcomes. However, knowledge gaps surrounding benefits associated with climate smart, productivity-enhancing technologies require attention. This study evaluates benefits associated with sustainable intensification farm management practices (crop residue retention, minimum tillage, manure application and use of herbicides, pesticides, fertilizer, and improved seeds) for household calorie and protein supplies and demonstrates their scope across households with high-, moderate- and low- likelihoods of calorie and protein deficits. Household-level calorie and protein deficits were estimated from survey data on food production, acquisition and consumption for households in Ethiopia and Mozambique. Multinomial logistic models were used to identify drivers of household food deficit status and logistic model trees established “rules of thumb” to classify households by food deficit status as low, moderate or high likelihood. In Ethiopia, especially wet seasons were associated with a high likelihood of a food deficit while especially dry seasons were associated with a high likelihood of food deficit in Mozambique. The practices associated with sustainable intensification and related technologies substantially enhanced food outcomes in groups with a high- and a low-likelihood of food deficit, and associated benefits were high for the best-off households. Benefits associated with sustainable intensification technologies were not observed for households with a moderate likelihood of a food deficit and some technologies even increased risk. The sustainable intensification practices assessed here were associated with improved food outcomes yet benefits were limited in scope for households of intermediate status. Thus, there is a need to expand the technical options available to reduce food deficit.

“How Little Progress”? A Political Economy of Postcolonial Nutrition

SummaryLong-term undernutritional stress is often a feature of sheep and beef cattle production, but has only become a major feature of dairy cattle husbandry in the United Kingdom in recent winters when food was short and expensive. An experiment was carried out to study the effects of long-term underfeeding during pregnancy and early lactation on some blood constituents, milk yield and composition and body weight of dairy cattle. Two groups of cattle were fed at 60 and 40% of the estimated requirements for maintenance and pregnancy or lactation for 13 weeks before and 13 weeks after calving, and one group was fed at the maintenance level only for the same period. A control group was fed at 100% of estimated requirements for this period. All groups were subsequently fed at the control level for a further 24 weeks.The experiment showed that cows undergoing long-term nutritional deprivation were able to maintain concentrations of blood constituents within narrow limits; the concentrations of such constituents as glucose or non-esterifled fatty acid did not reflect energy deficit or surplus. The animals remained clinically healthy during the underfeeding and recovery periods. The results suggest that debility occurring under field conditions in association with reduced food supply may be due to a multiplicity of factors or to severe imbalance of specific nutrients, rather than to energy or protein deficit alone.There was a difference in efficiency of utilization of energy of 19% between cows in the most severely underfed groups which maintained lactation and those which were not able to maintain lactation. There was evidence that this difference in efficiency was detectable within a few weeks of the start of the period of reduced nutrition. Animals which were less affected in the early stages of food deprivation were also those which maintained the advantage through the deprivation and recovery periods.

Experiment 1. At 32°C and with a plentiful food supply the testes of Anolis carolinensis injected with 25 μg FSH for 11 days grow in the absence of fat bodies. The same dosage of FSH did not influence fat body weight in the sham‐operated animals.Experiment 2. Animals injected with FSH for 25 days and given either one mealworm/day, one worm every five days, or no food did not differ significantly in body weight from one another. The livers and fat bodies of those groups receiving one mealworm/day or one every five days were drastically reduced in size. The liver fat content was significantly greater in the adiposectomized group than in the sham‐operated group. The testes were greatly reduced in animals treated with saline and given one mealworm every five days or no food. The FSH‐treated groups had significantly larger testes than the saline‐treated groups and the initial control group. It is suggested that (1) in the absence of fat bodies the liver stores fat, (2) FSH may induce thirst or inhibit body water loss or both, and (3) conditions of insufficient diet may inhibit testes growth by shutting off or decreasing gonadotropin secretion.

Viviparous squamates offer opportunities for exploring the importance of past maternal resources (yolk) and current resources (placentotrophy) to support embryonic growth during gestation, and to optimize offspring fitness. Both thermal and nutritional environment of the mother during gestation may be expected to be important in determining offspring fitness. Using a two-way factorial design, we have investigated possible interactions between food intake and thermal environment during gestation in the viviparous skink Niveoscincus metallicus . Among the females given restricted basking opportunities, fewer females gave birth, there was a significant increase in gestation length, and relative clutch mass was reduced due to smaller neonatal size; none of these parameters were influenced by nutritional status. Neonates from mothers given restricted basking opportunities were lighter, had shorter snout-vent lengths (SVL), and smaller fat bodies than neonates from mothers given optimal basking opportunities; their postnatal growth rate (over eight weeks) was also significantly lower and they showed a reduced incidence of basking behavior. There were interaction effects between thermal regime and food supply for neonate SVL and neonatal fat body weight. Sprint speed within 24 hours of birth was significantly increased in neonates from mothers given restricted thermal opportunities; however, for weeks 1-8 postnatally, there were no differences in sprint speed in offspring from any of the treatments. These results suggest that, contrary to our initial hypothesis, females maintained in nutritionally favorable conditions are unable to compensate for the gestational effects of a thermally poor environment. We now suggest that in Niveoscincus metallicus facultative placentotrophy may allow mothers to improve offspring fitness by increasing neonatal fat body size.