Non-food Species Research Articles

Differential Use of Forest Patches by the Military Macaw Ara militaris (Psittacidae) in Coastal Tropical Forests of Jalisco, Mexico

Bahia de Banderas in Jalisco, Mexico, contains important vegetation areas for the maintenance and nesting of Military Macaws Ara militaris. However, the forests of the region are not used randomly by Military Macaws across the landscape. This study aimed to evaluate differences in floristic composition, diversity and structure among forest patches used by the macaws for nesting/ roosting or for feeding, and at sites from which the macaws are absent. Field sampling was conducted in 16 plots of 1,000m2 of tropical subdeciduous forest. Statistically significant differences were found in the floristic composition between patches used and avoided by Military Macaws. The used areas were approximately twice as diverse as the avoided areas. The forests at used sites presented a great abundance of species registered as part of their diet, in addition to non-food species such as Oxandra lanceolata, a tree that may be an important component of macaw habitat. In contrast, the dominant species in avoided areas are those associated with disturbed areas and do not provide food for Military Macaws. Our results indicate that Military Macaws select forest fragments in response to disturbance, using forest patches that offer suitable opportunities for nesting and feeding.—Flores-Lopez, E., Montero-Castro, J.C., Monterrubio-Rico, T.C., Ibarra-Manriquez, G., Lopez-Toledo, L. & Carlos Bonilla-Ruz, C. (2020). Differential use of forest patches by the Military Macaw Ara militaris (Psittacidae) in coastal tropical forests of Jalisco, Mexico. Ardeola, 67: 423-432.

Photosynthetic and Growth Responses of Arundo donax L. Plantlets Under Different Oxygen Deficiency Stresses and Reoxygenation.

Promotion of nonfood species production to marginal, degraded lands abandoned by mainstream agriculture is affected by extremes of water availability (droughts and floods), which have increased in frequency and intensity and account for severe yield reduction. Arundo donax L., known as giant cane or giant reed, spontaneously grows in different kinds of environments with limitation to low temperature and is thus widespread in temperate and hot areas around the world. Moreover, this perennial rhizomatous grass has been recognized as a leading candidate crop in the Mediterranean for lignocellulosic feedstock due to its high C3 photosynthetic capacity, positive energy balance and low agroecological management demand. In this study, the photosynthetic performance and growth response of A. donax to waterlogging and submergence stress following a time course as well as their respective re-oxygenation were analyzed under reproducible and controlled environment conditions. Results of growth response showed that biomass production was strongly conditioned by the availability of oxygen. In fact, only waterlogged plants showed similar growth capacity to those under control conditions, while plants under submergence resulted in a dramatic reduction of this trait. The simultaneous measurements of both gas exchanges and chlorophyll fluorescence highlighted an alteration of both stomatal and non-stomatal photosynthetic behaviors during a short/medium period of oxygen deprivation and re-oxygenation. Photosynthetic CO2 uptake was strictly related to a combination of stomatal and mesophyll diffusional constrains, depending on the severity of the treatment and exposure time. Conditions of waterlogging and hypoxia revealed a slight growth plasticity of the species in response to prolonged stress conditions, followed by a fast recovery upon reoxygenation. Moreover, the rapid restoration of physiological functions after O2 deprivation testifies to the environmental plasticity of this species, although prolonged O2 shortage proved detrimental to A. donax by hampering growth and photosynthetic CO2 uptake.

Arundo donax L. response to low oxygen stress

Production of nonfood species is promoted to marginal, degraded lands abandoned by mainstream agricultural, where extremes in water availability (droughts and floods) have increased frequency and intensity and account for severe reductions in yields. A metabolic analysis of anoxic and hypoxic stress response was performed in a time-course experiment on Arundo donax L., a perennial rhizomatous grass identified as a leading candidate crop for lignocellulosic feedstock in the Mediterranean environment, due to its positive energy balance, and low ecological/agro-management demands. Tolerance to oxygen deprivation was determined after reoxygenation. Giant reed displayed time-dependent reduction in absolute growth and alterations in the derived physiological attributes under low oxygen stress. Our results show that although giant reed's responses to anoxic and hypoxic treatments share a common energy crisis related to the anaerobic metabolism, they differ in terms of ADH activity and related gene response. In leaves and roots tissues, the expression of this anaerobic gene was strongly enhanced under anoxia, whereas the ADH expression under submergence condition was relatively low. The activity profiles of ADH were not completely reflected in the expression patterns in either tissue. A high basal activity of the enzyme was recorded in both leaves and roots in normoxic tissues. In leaves, the treatments did not significantly affect ADH activity, remaining relatively stables at low levels during the time-course experiment. A different pattern of ADH was observed in roots, with a stronger, albeit transient, induction in both oxygen deficiency treatments.

Evaluation of tree and shrub resources of the Eurasian beaver (Castor fiber L.) and changes in beaver foraging strategy after resources depletion

The results of comparative analysis of tree and shrub resources quantitative characteristics in the active and abandoned beaver habitats within the territory of the Tadenka River basin, Prioksko-Terrasny Nature Reserve, where beavers have been dwelling for more than 60 years, are presented. Using one-way ANOVA analysis with the settlement type (active or abandoned) as a factor, it was shown that long-term foraging by beaver leads to a decrease in the species richness of trees (P = 0.068). Different hypotheses of the impact produced by beaver selective foraging on various forest layers (overstorey and undestorey) are discussed. Factors promoting thinning and changes in the age structure of the overstorey and undestorey are considered. There were observed changes in the species composition, accompanied by an increase in the proportion of low preference and nonfood species. The conclusion is made that, if the foraging zone does not exceed 50 m at the beginning of habitat utilization, it extends up to 165 m in the absence of predators when the habitat is used repeatedly. This observation is confirmed by Fisher’s exact test (P = 0.005), Yates’ chisquared test (P = 0.002), and the likelihood ratio test (P = 0.0002). In the case of beavers recolonizing their abandoned habitats with unrecovered food resources in the Tadenka River basin, a distant zone within 50 to 165 m from the bank becomes the main zone for tree-shrub foraging.

Asparagusic acid

Asparagusic acid (1,2-dithiolane-4-carboxylic acid) is a simple sulphur-containing 5-membered heterocyclic compound that appears unique to asparagus, though other dithiolane derivatives have been identified in non-food species. This molecule, apparently innocuous toxicologically to man, is the most probable culprit responsible for the curious excretion of odorous urine following asparagus ingestion. The presence of the two adjacent sulphur atoms leads to an enhanced chemical reactivity, endowing it with biological properties including the ability to substitute potentially for α-lipoic acid in α-keto-acid oxidation systems. This brief review collects the scattered data available in the literature concerning asparagusic acid and highlights its properties, intermediary metabolism and exploratory applications.

Noble biomass: restore, recycle, profit using cork oak (Quercus suber L.)

Land use changes over recent decades have led to serious decline in natural ecosystems, in particular the Mediterranean forests. This is due mainly to uncontrolled urbanisation causing agricultural land to be abandoned or to become partially polluted. In such areas, forest restoration appears the most appropriate remedy, in particular, by using native species with high ecological and economic values, such as cork oak. This species can be used for noble biomass production, that is biomass not addressed for energy production but mainly for industrial purposes. This work describes a case study located in central Italy, which is characterised by the integration of forest restoration with water-saving management for irrigation purposes, based on the use of effluents from a phytodepuration plant. By joining thematic maps with a map of topographic wetness index (TWI) a suitable site was selected in the municipality of Tuscania for a cork oak plantation. An irrigation scheme, useful for maximising the growth rate of cork oak and consequently for maximising the economic profits retrievable from the plantation, was determined based on the estimated potential evapotranspiration using Thornthwaite’s equation, the soil type and the available wastewater. An economic analysis showed that the total cost of the works might be amortised within the first stripping of gentle cork or even before, for example, if cork oak was cultivated in conjunction with an economically relevant non-food species. In this case study, the advantages of dyeing species were analysed. Results show that an integrated forest restoration and wastewater

GUIDELINES FOR THE REGULATION OF GENETICALLY ENGINEERED ANIMALS

The FDA has been regulating genetically engineered (GE) animals under the new animal drug provisions of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act or the Act) since producers of these animals first approached the agency in the mid-1990s, although it did not issue a final Guidance for Industry clarifying its statutory authority until 2009 (Regulation of Genetically Engineered Animals Containing Heritable rDNA Constructs: http://www.fda.gov/downloads/AnimalVeterinary/GuidanceComplianceEnforcement/GuidanceforIndustry/UCM113903.pdf). The regulatory trigger that enables the regulation of these animals under the new animal drug provisions of the Act is the definition of a drug as “an article (other than food) that is intended to affect the structure or any function of the body of man or other animals.” The products of modern biotechnology (such as spliced recombinant DNA) are technically the “articles” that must be approved, but for shorthand, we often refer to the regulation of “genetically engineered” animals. For the purpose of the guidance, FDA defined “genetically engineered (GE) animals” as those animals modified by rDNA techniques, including all progeny that contain the modification. The term GE animal can refer both to an animal with a heritable rDNA construct or its residues and to an animal with a nonheritable rDNA construct (e.g. a construct intended as therapy for a disease in that animal). If the agency engages in an “action,” such as an approval, obligations under the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) are triggered, such that the agency must perform an environmental assessment to determine whether a significant impact is likely to occur on the environment of the United States. If not, the agency issues a Finding of No Significant Impact (FONSI). If a significant impact is likely to occur as the result of an agency action, the agency must engage in a more complex process to characterise that impact in an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). This regulation is consistent with the Coordinated Framework for the Regulation of Biotechnology, a policy that was first issued by issued by the Office of Science and Technology Policy [51 Fed Reg 23,302 (1986)] of the United States Government. It describes the interagency mechanism for “sharing scientific information related to biotechnology,” and states that, to the extent possible, jurisdiction of the products of biotechnology lies with a single agency. Where more than one agency will review a particular product, “the policy establishes a lead agency and consolidated or coordinated reviews.” Consistent with this policy, FDA has leveraged, and intends to continue to leverage, the expertise of other agencies in the review of GE animal-related applications. Under certain conditions, based on risk, the agency may not enforce the premarket approval requirement for some GE animals. In general, these include GE animals of non-food species that are regulated by other government agencies or entities, such as GE animals of non-food species that are raised and used in contained and controlled conditions such as GE laboratory animals (e.g. mice, rats, some model fish) used in research institutions. In addition, on a case-by-case basis, the agency may consider exercising enforcement discretion for GE animals of very low risk, non-food species GE animals, such as the Zebra danio aquarium fish genetically engineered to fluoresce in the dark (GloFish). An exemption from the prohibition on introducing an unapproved new animal drug in interstate commerce is provided for in the regulations covering “investigations,” which allow for lawful research to occur, including the shipping of GE animals or their gametes from the sponsor of an investigation to other qualified investigators. These and other responsibilities are outlined in GFI 187, as are recommendations for the submission of data to be reviewed by CVM’s hierarchical risk-based review, and will be the subject of this talk.

Leaf choice in black-and-white snub-nosed monkeys Rhinopithecus bieti is related to the physical and chemical properties of leaves

Abstract To understand the effects of the chemical and physical properties of plant leaves on food choice in Rhinopithecus bieti, we collected mature leaves of nine food and five non-food plant species at the southernmost part of the species's range. Chemical properties such as fat, ash, crude protein (CP), total phenolics (TP), and fiber content including neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), lignin, celluloses and hemicelluloses, and physical toughness were measured. R. bieti tended to choose leaves with lower fiber content, higher ash, a higher ratio of CP/ADF, and lower toughness. No difference was found for fat, crude protein, total phenolics, hemicelluloses and lignin between food and non-food leaves. Even though the ratio of CP/ADF is generally regarded as a good indicator for colobine food choice, the difference in the ratio of CP/ADF between food and non-food leaves was only the result of differences in ADF. Since positive correlations were found between ADF and toughness from all leaves (both food and non-food species), and toughness of leaves was likely easier for R. bieti to sense than fiber content via mastication, the toughness of leaves may function as a predictor of food choice in this species.

Climate change and the koalaPhascolarctos cinereus: water and energy

We studied two groups of koalas during a drought in central Queensland to investigate potential impacts of climatic variability on the physiology and behaviour of this species. The tree use, water turnover, field metabolic rate and diet of koalas during autumn and spring were compared to a similar study of koalas in summer and winter, also in central Queensland, to generate a seasonal picture of the response of koalas to climatic variation. We also compared the microclimate temperature of a range of food and non-food tree species against daily ambient temperatures, to examine the benefit to koalas of using of non-food species. Field metabolic rate, adjusted for body mass, was significantly higher in spring than autumn and there was no difference between males and females. Neither females with pouch young nor those with back young had significantly different FMR to that of females without young, confirming that koalas may compartmentalize energy demands during lactation. Estimations of theoretical water Influx, determined from FMR of koalas, were generally lower than water flux determined by tritiated water turnover.This mismatch could indicate that koalas are able to modify their assimilation of energy from browse in order to maximize water intake.Temperature was generally lower in non-food trees used by koalas in daytime than in the food trees, which were generally used at night. Leaf moisture may influence tree selection during periods of extremely high or low temperature, but the physical attributes of trees, such as their capacity to buffer koalas against extremes of ambient temperature, appear to be important to selection by koalas. We conclude that koalas adapt their behaviour, using shady trees during the day, but might also employ physiological adaptations, to access sufficient water for evaporative cooling during periods of hot, dry weather.

Forest fragmentation and primates' survival status in non‐reserved forests of the ‘Kampala area’, Uganda

AbstractPrevious primate studies have concentrated on the effects of forest disturbance on primate populations residing mainly in natural forest reserves. The present study was conducted in 20 non‐reserved forest patches in the ‘Kampala area’, a forest‐savanna‐agricultural mosaic, to investigate the effects of forest fragmentation on the distribution and survival status of arboreal primates in the patches. Mpanga Forest Reserve, as the nearest to the forest patches, was used as a control. Primate census data revealed that the black‐and‐white colobus (Colobus guereza) was restricted in its distribution while redtail monkeys (Cercopithecus ascanius schmidti) were cosmopolitan. There was no significant relationship between forest patch size and red‐tail population size, number of groups and group density decreased. Of the trees sampled, 70% were food species while 30% were nonfood species. Basal area of food tree species significantly increased with forest patch size (R2 = 0.5885) but its relationship with red‐tail population size and group density (B = −0.42784, R2 = 0.18305, P > 0.05) was not significant.