Diet Of Adult Females Research Articles

Climatic conditions cause complex patterns of covariation between demographic traits in a long-lived raptor.

Environmental variation can induce life-history changes that can last over a large part of the lifetime of an organism. If multiple demographic traits are affected, expected changes in climate may influence environmental covariances among traits in a complex manner. Thus, examining the consequences of environmental fluctuations requires that individual information at multiple life stages is available, which is particularly challenging in long-lived species. Here, we analyse how variation in climatic conditions occurring in the year of hatching of female goshawks Accipiter gentilis (L.) affects age-specific variation in demographic traits and lifetime reproductive success (LRS). LRS decreased with increasing temperature in April in the year of hatching, due to lower breeding frequency and shorter reproductive life span. In contrast, the probability for a female to successfully breed was higher in years with a warm April, but lower LRS of the offspring in these years generated a negative covariance among fecundity rates among generations. The mechanism by which climatic conditions generated cohort effects was likely through influencing the quality of the breeding segment of the population in a given year, as the proportion of pigeons in the diet during the breeding period was positively related to annual and LRS, and the diet of adult females that hatched in warm years contained fewer pigeons. Climatic conditions experienced during different stages of individual life histories caused complex patterns of environmental covariance among demographic traits even across generations. Such environmental covariances may either buffer or amplify impacts of climate change on population growth, emphasizing the importance of considering demographic changes during the complete life history of individuals when predicting the effect of climatic change on population dynamics of long-lived species.

The stable and radio-isotope chemistry of southeastern Utah Basketmaker II burials: dietary analysis using the linear mixing model SISUS, age and sex patterning, geolocation and temporal patterning

The Bayesian linear mixing model SISUS is used to reconstruct reliance on maize and intake of animal protein from the stable carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotope values of 149 directly dated Basketmaker II burials. Maize is the primary dietary staple. δ13C values are also enriched by intake of yucca and wild C4 plant foods but these resources are of minor importance in sampled diets. Animal protein intake is low and cottontail rabbits make the greatest contribution to female diets. Adolescent diets are indistinguishable from the diets of adult females and both groups are less reliant on artiodactyls than males. The δ13C and δ18O values of bone hydroxyapatite distinguish nursing infants and oxygen isotope values identify outsider adults relative to those local to the region where their deaths occurred. Most Utah Basketmaker II burials are contemporary with Black Mesa Lolomai phase occupations, postdating the Marsh Pass, AZ, White Dog phase. All burials in both studies were recovered from sheltered rather than open sites and reliance on maize does not increase over the temporal span of the Utah study, covering the two sigma range 415 BC–AD 322.

Blubber fatty acid profiles reveal regional, seasonal, age-class and sex differences in the diet of young Steller sea lions in Alaska

MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 338:269-280 (2007) - doi:10.3354/meps338269 Blubber fatty acid profiles reveal regional, seasonal, age-class and sex differences in the diet of young Steller sea lions in Alaska Carrie A. Beck1,2,*, Lorrie D. Rea1, Sara J. Iverson3, John M. Kennish2, Kenneth W. Pitcher1, Brian S. Fadely4 1Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation/Marine Mammals, 525 W. 67th Avenue, Anchorage, Alaska 99518, USA 2University of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Chemistry, 3211 Providence Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99508, USA 3Dalhousie University, Department of Biology, Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 4J1, Canada 4National Marine Mammal Laboratory, NOAA Fisheries, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, Washington 98115, USA *Email: charlotte_eischens@fishgame.state.ak.us ABSTRACT: Blubber fatty acid (FA) profiles of young Steller sea lions Eumetopias jubatus (<24 mo old; n = 477) were investigated to determine whether regional, seasonal, age-class and sex differences occur in the diets of these demographic groups. Blubber FA profiles of spring (March to May) pups differed significantly by region, probably reflecting regional differences in the diet of adult females, who provide their pups with milk. While there were statistically significant seasonal and age-class differences in both Prince William Sound (PWS) and SE Alaska (SEA), differences in FA profiles between sexes were only evident in the blubber of yearlings from PWS. Within SEA, blubber FA profiles of summer pups differed significantly from all other seasonal/age-class groups in that region. This is consistent with movements of female–pup pairs from rookeries to haul-outs and hence differences in female foraging. In SEA, seasonal differences in blubber FA composition were evident and similar between yearlings and pups. In contrast, there was a gradual change in the FA profile of pup blubber from summer to spring in PWS, which did not follow the same seasonal pattern of yearling profiles. These differences in FA profiles suggest either differences in the timing of weaning between the 2 areas or shifts in the diets of lactating females, or both. KEY WORDS: Fatty acids · Dietary intake · Eumetopias jubatus · Independent foraging Full text in pdf format PreviousNextExport citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 338. Online publication date: May 24, 2007 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2007 Inter-Research.

Diet of Teius oculatus (Sauria, Teiidae) in southern Brazil (Dom Feliciano, Rio Grande do Sul)

We analyzed stomach contents of 58 specimens of Teius oculatus (D'Orbigny &amp; Bibron, 1837) (20 adult males, 17 adult females and 21 juveniles) captured in Dom Feliciano, RS, Brazil, to evaluate diet composition and sexual and ontogenetic variations in prey consumption. Diet was composed of 15 prey categories, all arthropods. Orthoptera was the most frequent prey type. Quantitatively, termites were the most important prey item (59.5%). There were no significant differences between the diets of adult males and females. Ontogenetic differences were found, mainly concerning volume of prey consumed. Adult lizards ingested significantly larger prey than juveniles (U = 170.00; p &lt; 0.001). Juveniles, although having a comparatively less diverse diet (10 prey types) consumed a larger number of items (45.7% of total). Diet similarity was higher between juveniles and adult males (Ojk = 0.97) and prey diversity was higher in the diet of adult females (H' = 2.65). Based on importance value index the most important item in the diet of T. oculatus was Orthoptera. We conclude that T. oculatus in Dom Feliciano has a relatively generalized diet and it is an opportunist lizard, feeding on arthropods, mainly insects.

Age and diet influence the composition of venom from the endoparasitic wasp Pimpla turionellae L. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae)

Venom from the endoparasitic wasp Pimpla turionellae L. (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) was found to contain a complex mixture of biogenic amines, noradrenalin, phospholipase B, and several proteins and peptides. The amount of noradrenalin and serotonin was found to be highest in venom from newly emerged wasps and decreased with age. Histamine was detected in minute amounts in comparison to the other venom components, and declined with increasing age of the parasitoids. Total peptides and proteins detected by reversed-phase HPLC increased with host age. Old-aged (30-33 days after emergence) wasps contained 2-fold more phospholipase B than young (<10 days [d] old) or medium-aged (10-22-d-old) females. Increases in phospholipase B alone, however, did not account for all changes in total venom protein because by 40 days after emergence, the levels of this enzyme began to decline while the amount of total protein was higher than in younger wasps. For all venom components detected, the amount present in the venom sharply decreased following host exposure. This was presumed to be the result of venom depletion associated with envenomation. Consistent with this view were the modest increases in venom components in wasps displaying a decreased rate of parasitization. When adult females were offered honey alone or in combination with feeding on hosts, no significant changes in venom composition were observed, with the exception of noradrenalin, which was found to be 5 times higher in concentration in wasps fed honey only. These results suggest that wasp age and incidence of parasitism are more important features influencing the composition of venom than the diet of adult females.

Reconstructing Avian Diets Using Stable-Carbon and Nitrogen Isotope Analysis of Egg Components: Patterns of Isotopic Fractionation and Turnover

Because eggs are composed of nutrients that are ultimately derived from the diet of adult females, the relative abundance of naturally-occurring stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen in eggs should be related to those in their diet and this may form the basis of a method for tracing diets. Before such dietary reconstructions can be established, however, it is necessary to know how isotopic signatures change (or fractionate) from the diet during the synthesis of various egg components. In this study, stable-carbon and nitrogen isotopic fractionation factors between diet and whole yolk, lipid-removed yolk, albumen, and shell membranes of eggs of captively-raised Mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica), Prairie Falcons (Falco mexicanus), Peregrine Falcons (Falco peregrinus), and Gyrfalcons (Falco rusticolis) were established. In addition, carbon isotope fractionation patterns between diet and eggshell carbonate and yolk lipid were determined for quail, Mallards and falcons. On average, yolk, albumen and membranes were enriched in 15 N relative to diet for all birds by 3.4‰, a value typical of processes associated with protein synthesis. For quail and Mallards, albumen, membranes, and shell carbonate were enriched in 13 C relative to diet by 1.5, 3.6, and 14.9‰, respectively, and whole yolk was depleted in 13 C by 2.6‰ due to the presence of yolk lipids. Falcons showed lower carbon diet-tissue fractionation for all tissues (albumen: +0.9, whole yolk: -1.9, membranes: +2.7, carbonate: +11.2‰) and this may be due to a greater reliance on dietary lipids vs. carbohydrates for the synthesis of egg components or on fractionation differences associated with fermentation of carbohydrates. Patterns of isotopic fractionation between diet and Mallard eggs were not influenced by clutch order. A diet-switch experiment using quail indicated that albumen, shell membrane and shell carbonate values reflect diet integrated over 3-5 days and yolk over eight days prior to laying. Because birds were fed ad libitum, these data provide baseline data on fractionation patterns for birds optimally mobilizing nutrients from diet to egg components. These values may differ for those wild birds that rely more heavily on endogenous reserves.

Seasonal Diets of the Denali Caribou Herd, Alaska

Food habits of the Denali (formerly McKinley) herd of barren-ground caribou (Rangifer tarandus granti) were studied during 1978-80 in Denali National Park, Alaska, with emphasis on diets of adult females. Data from fecal analyses, field observations, and forage digestibilities were combined to estimate diets. Spring (late May to July) diets contained primarily Salix leaves (41%), lichens (25%), forbs (16%), and graminoids (12%). Summer (mid-July to mid-August) diets were similar, containing about 46% Salix leaves, 17% lichens, 10% forbs, 10% graminoids, and 12% mushrooms. In contrast, autumn (mid-September to mid-October) diets consisted primarily of lichens (43%) with less proportions of forbs (9%). graminoids (14%), mushrooms (10%), and mosses (5%). Winter (mid-November to early May) diets consisted largely of lichens (62%) and small proportions of Vaccinium vitis-idaea (6%), forbs (7%), graminoids (11%), and mosses (10%).Key words: caribou, Denali National Park, diets, fecal analysis, food habits, Rangifer

Prostaglandins in the cabbage looper, Trichoplusia ni

Low levels of prostaglandin (PG)-like compounds were detected by radioimmunoassay in reproductive tissues of Trichoplusia ni adults. A 3-fold increase in PGE 2-equivalents was found in mated female reproductive tissues. A PGF 2 x -like compound was found in reproductive tissue of mated females with a 2-fold increase over that in virgin females. Injected PGE 1, PGE 2 and PGF 2 x had no effect on levels of Z-7 dodecenyl acetate ( Z-7-12: Ac) in pheromone-producing glands or oviposition of virgin female T. ni. No significant in calling behaviour were observed in virgin females injected with prostaglandin when compared with control virgin females. N-acetyl- p-aminophenol (NAPAP), a prostaglandin-synthetase inhibitor, in the diet of adult females did not alter calling behaviour of virgin or mated females. NAPAP in the larval diet lengthened larval stadia and slightly increased calling by mated females, but did not reduce oviposition after mating. Levels of Z-7-12:Ac in pheromone-producing glands of virgin and mated females were not affected by NAPAP in diets of larvae or adults.

Modifications of Adult Olive Fruit Fly Diet to Control the Production of Mottled Eggs and to Increase Fecundity1

The addition of 0.25% Vanderzant’s vitamin mixture and 0.05% cholesterol to the sucrose and yeast hydrolysate diet of adult females of Dacus oleae (Gmelin) can both inhibit the production of mottled eggs and increase fecundity. Yeast hydrolysate renders the diet unpalatable and deliquescent, but an upper limit of ca. 23% by weight results in optimal egg production. Two dry diets were developed. Neither contained an antibiotic and both were readily prepared. Each diet prevented the production of mottled eggs, maintained hatchability at over 75%, and out-performed the standard, wet-mixed, fresh-egg-yolk diet when measured by the average number of eggs per female per day (standard diet, 9.4; diet 14,12.2; and diet 15,14.2).