Food Abundance Research Articles

Interplay between the (Poly)phenol Metabolome, Gut Microbiome, and Cardiovascular Health in Women: A Cross-Sectional Study from the TwinsUK Cohort.

Dietary (poly)phenol consumption is inversely associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk in epidemiological studies, but little is known about the role of the gut microbiome in this relationship. In 200 healthy females, aged 62.0 ± 10.0 years, from the TwinsUK cohort, 114 individual (poly)phenol metabolites were measured from spot urine using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. The associations between metabolites, the gut microbiome (alpha diversity and genera), and cardiovascular scores were investigated using linear mixed models adjusting age, BMI, fibre, energy intake, family relatedness, and multiple testing (FDR < 0.1). Significant associations were found between phenolic acid metabolites, CVD risk, and the gut microbiome. A total of 35 phenolic acid metabolites were associated with the Firmicutes phylum, while 5 metabolites were associated with alpha diversity (FDR-adjusted p < 0.05). Negative associations were observed between the atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) risk score and five phenolic acid metabolites, two tyrosol metabolites, and daidzein with stdBeta (95% (CI)) ranging from -0.05 (-0.09, -0.01) for 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid to -0.04 (-0.08, -0.003) for 2-hydroxycinnamic acid (FDR-adjusted p < 0.1). The genus 5-7N15 in the Bacteroidetes phylum was positively associated with the same metabolites, including 3-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid, 3-(2,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid, 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid), 3-hydroxyphenylethanol-4-sulfate, and 4-hydroxyphenylethanol-3-sulfate)(stdBeta (95% CI): 0.23 (0.09, 0.36) to 0.28 (0.15, 0.42), FDR-adjusted p < 0.05), and negatively associated with the ASCVD score (stdBeta (95% CI): -0.05 (-0.09, -0.01), FDR-adjusted p = 0.02). Mediation analysis showed that genus 5-7N15 mediated 23.8% of the total effect of 3-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)propanoic acid on the ASCVD score. Coffee, tea, red wine, and several vegetables and fruits, especially berries, are the most abundant food sources of phenolic acids that have the strongest associations with CVD risk. We found that the gut microbiome, particularly the genus 5-7N15, partially mediates the negative association between urinary (poly)phenols and cardiovascular risk, supporting a key role of the gut microbiome in the health benefits of dietary (poly)phenols.

A simple definition of food resources for the highly polyphagous Lygus lineolaris (Hemiptera: Miridae) enables prediction of adult abundance.

Lygus lineolaris (Palisot de Beauvois) is a highly polyphagous herbivore with more than 300 known host plants. The high polyphagy has created logistical challenges for understanding its population dynamics. I hypothesized that the primary food resource of this species can be characterized simply, cutting across the multiple host plant species, and enabling a simpler understanding of its population dynamics. The food resource was defined as the apical buds and meristematic tissue and terminal flowers and young seeds. Adult abundance in a habitat was related to the relative abundance of food in the habitat, abundance on a host plant stem was related to the amount of food resource on the stem, and the rate of emigration was lower from host plant patches with higher amounts of food resources. These results suggest that the population dynamics of L. lineolaris depends less on the identity of the host plants and more on the amount of food resource the various host plant species provide.

A novel binary greater cane rat algorithm for feature selection

There is a surge in the application of population-based metaheuristic algorithms to find the optimal feature subset from high dimensional datasets. Many of these approaches cannot properly scale especially as they are expected to maintain two opposing goals: maximizing the accuracy of classification while at the same time minimizing the number of feature subsets selected. In this study, a novel binary greater cane rat algorithm (GCRA), inspired by intelligent nocturnal behavior of the GCR which significantly affects their foraging and mating activities. They leave trails to food sources, shelters, and water as they forage, and this information is kept by the dominant. Also, they split into male and female groups during mating season is during abundant food supply and near water source. This information is modeled into and effective method for selecting the optimal feature subset from high-dimensional datasets using two different approaches. Firstly, five variants of binary GCRA are developed using one each from the family of S-shaped, V-shaped, U-shaped, Z-shaped, and quadratic transfer functions to binarize the GCRA. Secondly, the threshold which maps a variable to 0 or 1 is used to develop a variant of GCRA. The performance of the six (6) variants were evaluated using 12 datasets with different dimensionalities. The experimental results show the stability of all the proposed methods as they generally performed competitively. However, the threshold version known as BGCRA showed better performance in yielding the highest accuracy of classification on 9 of the 12 datasets utilized in the study and performed second in selecting the least number of important feature sets. It also showed superiority over other variants in yielding the least average fitness values in 11 of 12 (91.6%) of the datasets used. Hence, the BGCRA was utilized for further comparative analysis against 5 other popular feature selection (FS) algorithms with outstanding performance in terms of producing the highest mean accuracy of classification on 91.6% (11 of 12) of the datasets, 100% least average fitness values, and 91.6% in selecting the least average number of significant features. The results were also validated by statistical tests which showed that the BGCRA is significantly superior compared to other methods.

Intraspecific Variability in Proteomic Profiles and Biological Activities of the Honey Bee Hemolymph.

Pollinator declines have raised major concerns for the maintenance of biodiversity and food security, calling for a better understanding of environmental factors that affect their health. Here we used hemolymph analysis to monitor the health status of Western honey bees Apis mellifera. We evaluated the intraspecific proteomic variations and key biological activities of the hemolymph of bees collected from four Egyptian localities characterized by different food diversities and abundances. Overall, the lowest protein concentrations and the weakest biological activities (cytotoxicity, antimicrobial and antioxidant properties) were recorded in the hemolymph of bees artificially fed sucrose solution and no pollen. By contrast, the highest protein concentrations and biological activities were recorded in bees that had the opportunity to feed on various natural resources. While future studies should expand comparisons to honey bee populations exposed to more different diets and localities, our results suggest hemolymph samples can be used as reliable indicators of bee nutrition.

Measuring habitat quality for waterbirds: A review.

Quantifying habitat quality is dependent on measuring a site's relative contribution to population growth rate. This is challenging for studies of waterbirds, whose high mobility can decouple demographic rates from local habitat conditions and make sustained monitoring of individuals near-impossible. To overcome these challenges, biologists have used many direct and indirect proxies of waterbird habitat quality. However, consensus on what methods are most appropriate for a given scenario is lacking. We undertook a structured literature review of the methods used to quantify waterbird habitat quality, and provide a synthesis of the context-dependent strengths and limitations of those methods. Our search of the Web of Science and Scopus databases returned a sample of 666 studies, upon which our review was based. The reviewed studies assessed habitat quality by either measuring habitat attributes (e.g., food abundance, water quality, vegetation structure), or measuring attributes of the waterbirds themselves (e.g., demographic parameters, body condition, behavior, distribution). Measuring habitat attributes, although they are only indirectly related to demographic rates, has the advantage of being unaffected by waterbird behavioral stochasticity. Conversely, waterbird-derived measures (e.g., body condition, peck rates) may be more directly related to demographic rates than habitat variables, but may be subject to greater stochastic variation (e.g., behavioral change due to presence of conspecifics). Therefore, caution is needed to ensure that the measured variable does influence waterbird demographic rates. This assumption was usually based on ecological theory rather than empirical evidence. Our review highlighted that there is no single best, universally applicable method to quantify waterbird habitat quality. Individual project specifics (e.g., time frame, spatial scale, funding) will influence the choice of variables measured. Where possible, practitioners should measure variables most directly related to demographic rates. Generally, measuring multiple variables yields a better chance of accurately capturing the relationship between habitat characteristics and demographic rates.

LOW TESTOSTERONE LEVELS IN ADULTS IN CENTRAL ASIA REGIONS

Relevance: At the moment, there is a significant decrease in testosterone levels around the world compared to the last century, today the abundance of benefits and harmful cheap food is increasing, a man less and less has to make efforts to be full and satisfy his basic desires and needs, which naturally leads to less movement and less desire for something. The observation of testosterone indicators around the world and indicates to us a clear decrease in the level of the main sex hormone of men in the region of 20-30% compared to the last century, there is a large number of guesses and assumptions why this happens. In this article, we will examine the main reasons for lowering the hormone in the regions of central Asia, since most people in this environment are predisposed to low testosterone levels due to weak promotion of male health.

Increased Food Resources Help Eastern Oyster Mitigate the Negative Impacts of Coastal Acidification.

Oceanic absorption of atmospheric CO2 results in alterations of carbonate chemistry, a process coined ocean acidification (OA). The economically and ecologically important eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) is vulnerable to these changes because low pH hampers CaCO3 precipitation needed for shell formation. Organisms have a range of physiological mechanisms to cope with altered carbonate chemistry; however, these processes can be energetically expensive and necessitate energy reallocation. Here, the hypothesis that resilience to low pH is related to energy resources was tested. In laboratory experiments, oysters were reared or maintained at ambient (400 ppm) and elevated (1300 ppm) pCO2 levels during larval and adult stages, respectively, before the effect of acidification on metabolism was evaluated. Results showed that oysters exposed to elevated pCO2 had significantly greater respiration. Subsequent experiments evaluated if food abundance influences oyster response to elevated pCO2. Under high food and elevated pCO2 conditions, oysters had less mortality and grew larger, suggesting that food can offset adverse impacts of elevated pCO2, while low food exacerbates the negative effects. Results also demonstrated that OA induced an increase in oyster ability to select their food particles, likely representing an adaptive strategy to enhance energy gains. While oysters appeared to have mechanisms conferring resilience to elevated pCO2, these came at the cost of depleting energy stores, which can limit the available energy for other physiological processes. Taken together, these results show that resilience to OA is at least partially dependent on energy availability, and oysters can enhance their tolerance to adverse conditions under optimal feeding regimes.

Post-fledging survival of Tengmalm’s owl offspring in boreal forests: Interactive effects of varying dynamics of main prey and habitat composition

The knowledge about the mortality rate of offspring is crucial for estimating bird population dynamics and conserving species with declining populations. Parents of predatory birds provide food for their offspring during the post-fledging dependency period, which is frequently described as essential due to inexpert flying skills. Using radio telemetry, we studied fledglings’ probability of dying by starvation and predation in Tengmalms’ owls (Aegolius funereus). Nestlings (21 and 39) from 10 and 14 broods in 2019 and 2021, respectively, were equipped with leg-mounted tags and monitored throughout the post-fledging dependency period in west-central Finland. In total, 28 out of 60 fledglings did not survive the post-fledging dependency period (12 died due to starvation, and 16 were predated). The fledglings’ probability of dying by starvation and predation was 3.7 and 2.4 times higher, respectively, in the decreasing (2019) than during the increasing (2021) abundance of main foods (voles), showing that prey availability is essential for survival during the post-fledging dependency period. The probability of starvation increased with augmenting agricultural lands in the home range and increasing precipitation after fledging, which indicated that parent owls avoided hunting in open areas and during rainy nights. The predation rate during the post-fledging dependency period increased with augmenting cover of old-growth forests in the home range. This result suggested that coverage of old-growth forests is nowadays so small in the study area that they act as ecological traps for newly-fledged owlets. The reason is that the main avian enemies of Tengmalm’s owls’ (goshawks and Ural owls) also prefer old-growth forests for breeding and hunting.

Analyses of Vegetation Used by Long-tailed Macaque (&lt;i&gt;Macaca fascicularis&lt;/i&gt; Raffles 1821) in Tinjil Island

Tinjil Island is a semi-natural breeding facility for long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis) managed by Primate Research Center, IPB University, located at the southern of Java Island and surrounded by the Indian Ocean. Long-tailed macaques are considered frugivorous even though they are well-known for their flexible diet. This study aims to analyse the vegetation supporting the population of long-tailed macaques. Data were collected from six tracks using square sampling plots with the size of 20 m x 20 m for trees as the main plot, inside the main plot were square subplots consisting of 10 m x 10 m for poles, 5 m x 5 m for saplings, and 2 m x 2 m for seedlings. The Important Value Index (IVI) was calculated for each level of vegetation. Hanjuang (Dracaena elliptica) dominated the seedlings with 29.35%, followed by Kampis (Hernandia peltata) with 18.73%, and Kalapari (Pongamia pinnata) with 13.73%. Hanjuang (Dracaena elliptica) also dominated the saplings with 26.83%, followed by Pancal (Syzygium antisepticum) with 19.19%, and Laban (Vitex pubescens) with 12.30%. The poles were dominated by Ki Cau (Dolichandrone spathacea) as high as 59.28%, while Waru (Thespesia populnea) and Ki Ciat (Ficus septica) dominated at 40.47% and 36.15%, respectively. Kampis (Hernandia peltata) dominated the trees with 39.28%, followed by Ki Ara (Ficus glomerata) with 35.56%, and Ki Langir (Dysoxylum amooroides) with 28.70%. Species found on Tinjil Island are mostly Moraceae (9.84%) and Fabaceae (9.84%), followed by Malvaceae (8.20%), Euphorbiaceae (4.92%), Myrtaceae (4.92%), and Anacardiaceae (4.92%). The vegetation in Tinjil Island supports the livelihood of long-tailed macaques on the island because they have an abundance of food and staple food such as figs to help them fulfil the energy needed to survive and reproduce.

Good times bad times — Unfavorable breeding conditions, more than divorce, lead to increased parental effort and reduced physiological condition of northern gannets

Decreased productivity in long-lived bird species is linked to prey depletion in marine ecosystems. Seabirds, however, exhibit behavioral flexibility at individual level to prevent this outcome. One such strategy to alleviate any impact on fitness would be to divorce from their partners. Although changing mates and increasing foraging effort have been shown to increase or maintain reproductive success, how the behavioral flexibility affects fundamental physiological parameters remains to be elucidated. Here, we compared physiological components (nutritional status, muscle damage and oxidative stress) of northern gannets (Morus bassanus) in relation to their partnership status and foraging effort. Specifically, we used a cross-sectional data set (at the population level) of three contrasted years to compare retained and changed mates. We predicted that mate change is a stressful event with impacts on health condition and those effects are higher during unfavorable years with food depletion. Our study showed that gannets changing mate increase parental effort only during years of low food abundance, with consequences on health condition (increased body mass loss, higher protein catabolism and higher oxidative damage during chick rearing period). Ultimately, our study suggests that partnership decision is not likely to reduce the long-term quality and the fitness of parents. Reproduction during harsh conditions would however likely be one of the primary causes of individual quality loss and fitness decline in this long-lived bird species.

Fruit abundance may fine‐tune timing of reproduction of the Chilean Elaenia (Elaenia chilensis), a long‐distance migratory bird in South America

Timing of reproduction has a great impact on the breeding success of birds because a mismatch with the moment when environmental conditions are warm or when food is most plentiful can reduce nestling survival and increase the energetic cost of parental care. Consequently, birds synchronize gonadal maturation with the most favourable environmental conditions, using photoperiod changes throughout the year as an initial proximal cue. Additionally, non‐photic cues, such as temperature and food abundance, may be necessary to fine‐tune reproductive timing. However, the influence of non‐photic cues on finely tuning reproductive timing is not yet fully understood for migratory birds. Here, we evaluate how much non‐photic cues influence the reproductive timing of the Chilean Elaenia Elaenia chilensis, a long‐distance migrant that reproduces in the Andean–Patagonian Forest. We assessed associations of mean temperature, ripe fruit and arthropod abundances with the number of nests in the laying period, and also with the number of nests with hatchlings. In both analyses we used cross‐correlations and partial least squares path modelling. Mean temperature was not consistently associated with the breeding phenology of Chilean Elaenias. The increase in number of nests in the laying period was preceded by the increase in caterpillar abundance and coincided with the increase in ripe fruit abundance. The timing of nests with hatchlings matched with the timing of highest ripe fruit abundance. Both types of food could contribute to the beginning of reproduction of birds and be used as proximal cues by Chilean Elaenias. Ripe fruits would also be beneficial for nestling growth because parents feed them with fruits, and might potentially play an ultimate role in reproduction. Because ripe fruit abundance was related to the egg‐laying and hatching stages, it may be the main cue used by Chilean Elaenias to fine‐tune reproductive timing. These findings allow advances in our understanding of the importance of non‐photic cues in the reproductive phenology of migratory birds and also generalize our knowledge among regions and taxa, as most studies on this topic focus on the Northern Hemisphere.

The potential of growol as healthy traditional food: a mini review

This study aimed to describe the benefits of growol as a healthy traditional food is made from fermented cassava. Cassava is a popular and abundant nutritional food in Indonesia, and it can be used as a healthy alternative to rice due to its high carbohydrate content. Cassava is also used in the production of growol, healthy traditional food prepared through a fermentation process. Stripping, cutting, soaking (fermentation), pressing, grinding, steaming and moulding are all steps in the process of making growol. Besengek tempeh, pentho and kethak are commonly served as side dishes. In the fermentation process, lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is used, which is good for digestion and may prevent diarrhoea. Growol is useful for patients with diabetes and dyslipidemia since it contains a lot of minerals, fibre, and carbohydrates, and has a low glycemic index. In addition to its health benefits, growol is quite inexpensive, making it affordable to the general public. Growol's popularity, on the other hand, is declining, owing to young people's dislike of its sour and bland flavour. In fact, further innovations are required to increase its popularity through an efficient processing method. Growol flour, bakpia growol, and sweet growol are examples of innovative processing methods for this traditional food. This study aimed to describe the benefits of growol as a healthy traditional food.

Do females of Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida renest after offspring desertion?

In species with biparental care, one parent may relieve him-/herself of the costs of parental care by deserting and leaving the mate to care for the offspring. Offspring desertion by a single parent, usually the female, occurs in many bird species, especially in Charadriiformes. The reasons for desertion are still being debated, and compelling evidence for the benefits and costs to either sex is not yet handed. The benefits of desertion for the deserter may include renesting with a new mate shortly after desertion. Therefore, desertion may enhance individual lifetime reproductive success. In Whiskered Tern Chlidonias hybrida almost all females desert, about half of females desert during chick-rearing period, the other half during the post-fledging period. Based on intensive fieldwork over a 4-year study, we investigated whether Whiskered Tern females remated and renested after desertion. We assumed that favourable conditions, such as an extended breeding season and food abundance resulting in a high breeding success would prompt most females to renest after desertion. In contrast to this expectation, however, only 5% of females that deserted during chick-rearing period (2 out of 41) remated and renested in the study area. About 50 days elapsed between the initiations of the first and second clutch by these two females. Females also participated in courtship behaviour after desertion (without renesting). We thus estimate that 15% (6 out of 41) of females that deserted during chick-rearing period were subsequently involved in some kind of breeding activity. Therefore, renesting does not seem to be a major direct benefit for deserting Whiskered Tern females. Females of this species probably benefit from desertion in other ways, but these have yet to be discovered.

The effect of the temperature on local differences in the sex ratio of Mallards Anas platyrhynchos wintering in an urban habitat

In Mallard, as in other ducks of the northern hemisphere, males outnumber females in wintering flocks and the temperature seems to be one of the most important factors shaping the sex ratio at a given site. In this study, we checked the influence of winter harshness on the sex ratio of Mallards overwintering in urban waterbodies with an emphasis on differences at the local scale within a single town. Our study shows that in harsh winter seasons, there was a lower share of males among wintering Mallards. It seems that females, despite their smaller body size and higher specific metabolic rate, found favourable conditions in the urban area during cold weather. Towns are characterized by a milder winter climate than rural areas, moreover birds profit from the supplementary feeding by humans. In severe weather conditions, females remained in urban waterbodies together with their paired mate, whereas unpaired males possibly left the town in search of sites with less competition, as they occupy a lower position in the flock hierarchy than paired individuals. We also found such differences on a local scale, with the proportion of males decreasing with decreasing temperature. Obtained results suggest that the sex- and status-dependent response to even a slight temperature change during the winter period is probably the most important factor shaping the variation in the proportion of male and female Mallards in flocks, at least in areas with a high abundance of anthropogenic food, which is likely to weaken competition between the sexes for resources.

Seasonality and growth in tropical freshwater ectotherm vertebrates: Results from 1-year experimentation in the African gray bichir, giraffe catfish, and the West African mud turtle.

Growth in ectotherm vertebrates is strongly rhythmed by seasonal variation in environmental parameters. To track the seasonal variation in ancient times in a continental and tropical context, we aim to develop a method based on the use of the growth rate of fossil ectotherm vertebrates (actinopterygians and chelonians) influenced by seasonal environmental fluctuations they experienced in their lifetime. However, the impact of environmental parameters on growth, positive or negative, and its intensity, depends on the taxa considered, and data are scarce for tropical species. For 1 year, an experiment was conducted to better understand the effect of seasonal variation in environmental parameters (food abundance, temperature, and photoperiod) on the somatic growth rate of three species of tropical freshwater ectotherm vertebrates: the fishes Polypterus senegalus and Auchenoglanis occidentalis and the turtle Pelusios castaneus. Mimicking seasonal shifts expected to be experienced by the animals in the wild, the experiment highlighted the preponderant effect of food abundance on the growth rate of those three species. Water temperature variation had a significant effect on the growth rate of Po. senegalus and Pe. castaneus. Moreover, the photoperiod demonstrated no significant effect on the growth of the three species. The duration of application of starvation or cool water conditions, ranging from 1 to 3months, did not affect the growth rate of the animals. However, Pelusios castaneus showed a temporary sensitivity to the return of ad libitum feeding or of warm water, after a period of starvation or cool water, by a period of compensatory growth. Finally, this experiment revealed, in the three species, fluctuations in the growth rate under controlled and constant conditions. This variation, similar to the variation in precipitation and temperature observed in their native environment, could be linked to a strong effect of an internal rhythm controlling somatic growth rate.

Carbon capture and utilization: More than hiding CO2 for some time

Carbon capture and utilization: More than hiding CO2 for some time

Immunity and Growth Plasticity of Asian Short-Toed Lark Nestlings in Response to Changes in Food Conditions: Can It Buffer the Challenge of Climate Change-Induced Trophic Mismatch?

Passerine nestlings frequently suffer from sub-optimal food conditions due to climate change-induced trophic mismatch between the nestlings and their optimal food resources. The ability of nestlings to buffer this challenge is less well understood. We hypothesized that poor food conditions might induce a higher immune response and lower growth rate of nestlings, and such physiological plasticity is conducive to nestling survival. To test this, we examined how food (grasshopper nymphs) abundance affects the expression of interferon-γ (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), interleukin-1 β (IL-1β) genes, plasma IGF-1 levels, body mass, and fledging rates in wild Asian short-toed lark (Alaudala cheleensis) nestlings. Linear mixed models revealed that nymph biomass significantly influenced the expression of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β genes, and the level of plasma IGF-1. The expressions of IFN-γ, TNF-α, and IL-1β genes were negatively correlated with nymph biomass and plasma IGF-1 level. Plasma IGF-1 level, nestling body mass growth rate, was positively correlated with nymph biomass. Despite a positive correlation between the nestling fledge rate and nymph biomass, more than 60% of nestlings fledged when nymph biomass was at the lowest level. These results suggest that immunity and growth plasticity of nestlings may be an adaptation for birds to buffer the negative effects of trophic mismatch.

Des colonies de vacances juives au service de la régénération physique : l’exemple de la Colonie scolaire (1927-1939)

As early as 1927, the directors of the association &#8220;La Colonie Scolaire&#8221;, of Zionist sensibility, organized vacation camps in Berck-sur-Mer for needy Jewish children. Hygienism and eugenics, in vogue in French society during the interwar period, were the main objectives of these camps, which were also oriented towards the transmission of Jewish culture. Physical activities and collective games in the open air, accompanied by abundant food and regular medical care, were used to form a healthy generation that was aware of its origins.

Energy landscapes of Kodiak brown bears: a comparison of accelerometer and global positioning system-derived estimates

Within optimal foraging theory animals should maximize their net energy gain while minimizing energetic costs. Energetic expenditure in wild animals is therefore key to measure proxies of fitness. Accelerometers are an effective tool to study animal movement-based energetics, but retrieval of the device is usually required and often difficult. Accelerometers measure movement across three axes (x, y, and z) and can be calibrated to measures of oxygen consumption from captive animals, providing estimates of overall energy expenditure. Measuring energetic expenditures using a global positioning system (GPS) approach could provide an alternative method to study energetic ecology. This technique uses locomotor speeds across a range of slopes from successive GPS locations, which can be linked to the energy expenditure from captive individuals. We compared accelerometer and GPS methods of energetic expenditures in free-roaming brown bears (Ursus arctos) on the Kodiak Archipelago, Alaska, USA. We then applied the GPS method to examine how multiple factors influenced brown bear movement-based daily energetic expenditures (MDEE). We found that while the two energetic measurements differed (Wilcoxon signed rank test: V = 2116, p < 0.001), they were positively correlated (r = 0.82, p < 0.001). The GPS method on average provided 1.6 times greater energy estimates than the accelerometer method. Brown bears had lower MDEE during periods of high food abundance, supporting optimal foraging theory. Reproductive status and age did not influence MDEE, however movement rates had a positive linear relationship. Energetic ecology is important for understanding drivers of animal movements. Data from GPS collars can provide useful information on energetic expenditures, but should be validated for the specific taxa, ecosystem, and GPS sampling rate used. Additionally, while movement-based estimates of energy expenditure can elucidate the mechanisms driving habitat use decisions, they may not fully reflect an animal’s overall energy demands. Brown bear movement-based energetic expenditure was influenced by food abundance and movement rates, which highlighted the importance of access to prime foraging sites to enhance energetic efficiency.

Life Histories Vary with Primary Productivity in the Northern Gulf of Mexico

Human activities have increased nutrient delivery to aquatic ecosystems around the world, spurring primary productivity, and leading to the establishment and expansion of oxygen-limited “dead zones.” How will marine animals respond to these changing conditions? To address that question, we take a space-for-time approach and compare the traits of different marine invertebrates along a primary productivity gradient in the northern Gulf of Mexico. Previous studies have found that life history traits can be sensitive to prevailing environmental conditions. Using Holocene death assemblages collected from -20 meters offshore Alabama and Florida, we test the hypothesis that bivalve egg size, and bryozoan reproductive mode, vary with primary productivity. Based on previous studies, we expect populations in areas with an abundance of food to exhibit the following characteristics: 1) cupuladriid bryozoans will exhibit greater frequencies of clonal to aclonal reproduction; and 2) bivalves will produce smaller eggs due to greater juvenile survivorship and fecundity selection. We found that Discoporella depressa colonies show low frequencies of clonal reproduction overall, but that percent clonality was greater in coastal Alabama than Florida. Cupuladria colonies showed higher proportions of clonal reproduction, whereas Reussirella doma colonies exhibited exclusively aclonal reproduction. Egg size is positively correlated with the earliest stage of larval shell growth (PI size) in marine bivalves. Nucula proxima larval shell size varied inversely with primary productivity; larval shells were larger in Florida than Alabama. Preliminary live-dead results in both regions show limited evidence of change over time, in contrast with previous analyses of other bivalve species in the region. These space-for-time case studies highlight ways in which benthic marine invertebrates may respond to future anthropogenic driven changes in primary production in the coastal ocean.