Reproductive seasonality of the bush rat (Rattus fuscipes greyi) South Australia

1996 ◽  
Vol 23 (3) ◽  
pp. 317 ◽  
Author(s):  
RM White ◽  
DJ Kennaway ◽  
RF Semark

The reproductive seasonality of the bush rat (Rattus fuscipes greyi) was investigated in Scott Creek Conservation Park near Adelaide, South Australia, by catch and release trapping conducted at irregular intervals over a 4-year period in a population of higher density than previously reported for this species. A seasonal pattern in breeding activity was observed with the production of young in spring and summer (October-February) with a peak in December. There was seasonal variation in the testicular index of males with minimal values from April to June. Some animals may have retained the ability to mate throughout the year but there was no evidence of offspring surviving from any winter matings. Differences were seen in the timing and intensity of the non-breeding season between years. Possible causes of reproductive seasonality were seasonal changes in vegetative growth and the abundance of fungi and insects and predictive cues provided by seasonal changes in ambient temperature and photoperiod.

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Read

I examined the reproductive tracts from 244 harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, captured incidentally in commercial fishing operations in the Bay of Fundy during June to September, 1985–1988. Evidence from follicular growth and the development of corpora lutea suggests that ovulation and conception occur in late June. This interpretation is supported by subtracting the duration of gestation from estimated mean birth date, and also by seasonal changes in testicular mass. Six or 7 weeks of preimplantation pregnancy follows conception and foetuses are first detectable in early August. Gestation lasts for approximately 10.6 months and parturition occurs during mid-May. Females that fail to conceive during the breeding season must wait 12 months for another opportunity to mate. Estimates of pregnancy rate must account for the seasonal nature of reproduction. The observed pattern of reproductive seasonality may reflect seasonal variation in prey quality, and perhaps availability.


1973 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 651-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. E. Whitehead ◽  
E. H. McEwan

Plasma testosterone levels of reindeer increased from 1 ng/cm3 in August to 30–60 ng/cm3 in mid-September. By late October, when rutting activity had almost ceased, the testosterone concentration had declined to barely detectable levels. The seasonal pattern exhibited by caribou was similar except the peak levels associated with rutting occurred about 1 month later than reindeer. The seasonal changes in plasma testosterone levels of two hybrid calves were studied. Peak testosterone levels of 5 and 3.8 ng/cm3 were attained in late October.The influence of the endocrine glands on antler renewal and casting, and the rhythmic growth pattern exhibited by caribou and reindeer are discussed.


Author(s):  
Mayara P. Neves ◽  
Pavel Kratina ◽  
Rosilene L. Delariva ◽  
J. Iwan Jones ◽  
Clarice B. Fialho

AbstractCoexistence of ecomorphologically similar species in diverse Neotropical ecosystems has been a focus of long-term debate among ecologists and evolutionary biologists. Such coexistence can be promoted by trophic plasticity and seasonal changes in omnivorous feeding. We combined stomach content and stable isotope analyses to determine how seasonal variation in resource availability influences the consumption and assimilation of resources by two syntopic fish species, Psalidodon aff. gymnodontus and P. bifasciatus, in the Lower Iguaçu basin. We also tested the impact of seasonality on trophic niche breadth and diet overlap of these two dominant omnivores. Seasonal changes in resource availability strongly influenced the consumption and assimilation of resources by the two fish species. Both species exhibited high levels of omnivory, characterized by high diversity of allochthonous resources in the wet season. Terrestrial invertebrates were the main component of diet during this season. However, in the dry season, both species reduced their isotopic niches, indicating diet specialization. High diet overlap was observed in both seasons, but the isotopic niche overlap was smaller in the dry season. Substantial reduction in the isotopic niche of P. bifascistus and a shift toward aquatic invertebrates can facilitate coexistence during this season of resource shortage. Feeding plasticity allows omnivorous fish to adjust their trophic niches according to seasonality, promoting the exploitation of different resources during periods of greater resource diversity. This seasonal variation could be an important mechanism that contributes to the resource partitioning and coexistence of dominant omnivores in Neotropical streams.


1972 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Stoeckel ◽  
A. K. M. Alauddin Choudhury

SummaryAn analysis of the monthly distribution of births in two areas of Matlab Thana, East Pakistan, indicates that there is a seasonal variation in births different from what would be expected by chance. The highest proportion of births occur in the last three months of a year and the lowest proportion between May and July. Investigation into some of the environmental and social factors which might contribute to the seasonal pattern revealed the following: mean minimum monthly temperature 9 months before birth was inversely related to the number of births; all occupations had seasonal patterns different from what would be expected by chance and the business and mill-and-office occupations had distributions significantly different from each other; the distribution of births for all pregnancy orders was different from chance and the distribution for first order pregnancies was significantly different from those for third and fourth or higher orders.


Author(s):  
Belén Mora Garijo ◽  
Jonathan E. Katz ◽  
Aubrey Greer ◽  
Mia Gonzalgo ◽  
Alejandro García López ◽  
...  

AbstractSeveral diseases associated with erectile dysfunction (ED), such as type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary artery disease (CAD), are known to have seasonal variation, with increased incidence during winter months. However, no literature exists on whether this chronological-seasonal evolution is also present within ED symptomatology. We hypothesized ED would follow the seasonal pattern of its lifestyle-influenced comorbid conditions and exhibit increased incidence during winter months. In order to investigate the seasonal variation of ED in the United States between 2009 and 2019, Internet search query data were obtained using Google Trends. Normalized search volume was determined during the winter and summer seasons for ED, other diseases known to be significantly associated with ED (T2DM and CAD), kidney stones (positive control), and prostate cancer (negative control). There were significantly more internet search queries for ED during the winter than during the summer (p = 0.001). CAD and T2DM also had significantly increased search volume during winter months compared to summer months (p < 0.001 and p = 0.011, respectively). By contrast, searches for kidney stones were significantly increased in the summer than in the winter (p < 0.001). There was no significant seasonal variation in the relative search frequency for prostate cancer (p = 0.75). In conclusion, Google Trends internet search data across a ten-year period in the United States suggested a seasonal variation in ED, which implies an increase in ED during winter. This novel finding in ED epidemiology may help increase awareness of ED’s associated lifestyle risk factors, which may facilitate early medical evaluation and treatment for those at risk of both ED and cardiovascular disease.


2005 ◽  
Vol 134 (2) ◽  
pp. 341-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. R. AL-AJAM ◽  
A. R. BIZRI ◽  
J. MOKHBAT ◽  
J. WEEDON ◽  
L. LUTWICK

Mucormycosis is a fairly rare fungal infection caused by ubiquitous fungi of the order Mucorales and primarily affects immunocompromised hosts. A series of 16 cases of invasive mucormycosis admitted to three referral centres in Beirut, Lebanon between 1981 and 1999 is described. It includes 12 patients with rhinocerebral, three with cutaneous, and one with pulmonary infection. Onset of symptoms occurred in the summer and autumn in 15 out of 16 patients, showing a statistically significant seasonal variation (P=0·007) A recent report of 19 patients from Tel Aviv describes a strikingly similar seasonal pattern. Studies on atmospheric concentration of Mucorales spores in the Eastern Mediterranean are lacking. Weather pattern analysis in Beirut revealed clustering of onset of invasive mucormycosis at the end of a dry, warm period, which begins around May and ends in October. Mucormycosis incidence appears to be seasonal in the Eastern Mediterranean.


1998 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 408-412 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Retamal C. ◽  
Derek Humphreys

OBJECTIVE: To review the estimated suicide rates for the Region Metropolitan, the main socio-political center in Chile, for the period 1979-1994, and to determine whether they follow a seasonal pattern. METHOD: Data available for the period 1979-94 at the Forensic Services in Chile was analyzed using ANOVA. RESULTS: It was register 5.386 suicides. While the "warm" months (October, November, December & January) concentrated 39.0% of cases, the so called "cold" months reported 28,7%. This contrast is made even clearer by the month-to-month analysis, showing the highest suicide rate in December (10.9%) against the lowest rate in June (7.0%). Further statistical analysis revealed these differences to be significant. CONCLUSION: The study shows that in Chile, representing as it does the Southern Hemisphere, the suicide rates tend to present a seasonal variation as has elsewhere been determined for in the North Hemisphere.


Author(s):  
T J Hine ◽  
N B Roberts

The seasonal variation of serum 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 and 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D has been investigated. Blood was taken from 27 healthy volunteers, aged 21–44 years old at 3 monthly intervals over a period of 1 year. A scrolling monthly programme with 12 quarterly (3 month) time periods was developed. A summer associated increase in 25-hydroxy vitamin D3 was significantly correlated with but lagged behind by 2 months, the increase in recorded sunlight hours. However, four individuals showed no seasonal rise but maintained constant concentrations throughout the year within the established reference range. Serum 1,25-dihydroxy vitamin D showed marked intra-individual variability with no seasonal pattern although the highest concentration (180 pmol/L) was observed in the winter and no concentration greater than 108 pmol/L in the summer.


2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 209-212
Author(s):  
Magdalena Maria Ostrowska ◽  
Ewa Szulc-Mysińska ◽  
Dagna Bobilewicz ◽  
Marta Faryna

Vitamin D deficiency, which is a global health problem, may result in numerous diseases, such as rickets in children and osteoporosis and osteomalacia in adults. The occurrence of the above-mentioned disorders is promoted by the wintertime and higher latitudes. The aim of the study was to compare the concentrations of vitamin D (25-OH) in hospitalized patients and outpatients in different seasons of the year (summer and winter), as well as in dialysis patients in December and May. The Roche test for the quantitativedetermination of total vitamin D (25-OH) was used in the study. The range from 30 to 80 ng/ml was accepted as the optimum concentration. In hospitalized patients and outpatients, both in summer and winter mean concentration of vitamin D (25-OH) reached the values below 30 ng/ml in over 80% of the patients. Only in the hospitalized patient group mean concentration of vitamin D (25-OH) in the summer was significantly higher than in the winter (p=0.0016). In the dialysis patients mean concentration of vitamin (25-OH) in May was significantly higher than in December (p=0.0085) and the percent of the results below 30 ng/ml amounted to 96.39% in December and 77.27% in May. In conclusion, the 25(OH)D concentrations in the whole population under study are lower than those recommended and undergo periodical seasonal changes in hospitalized patients.


2003 ◽  
Vol 46 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Lúcia Vendel ◽  
Sabine Granado Lopes ◽  
César Santos ◽  
Henry Louis Spach

Studies were carried out on fish assemblages in a tidal flat. Samples were obtained monthly at low tide of the half moon in the tidal flat of Paranaguá Bay, Brazil, with two seine nets, one with a 1 mm mesh, 30 m in length and 3 m in height and another with a 10 mm mesh, 65 m in length and 2 m in height. A total of 8,890 fish were captured, comprising 24 families and 53 species. The most abundant species were Harengula clupeola and Atherinella brasiliensis, which represented 63.4% of the total, capture. A seasonal tendency was observed in the abundance of fishes, with less fishes being captured during winter and part of spring. The number of species showed a seasonal pattern, with the gradual decrease through winter and a marked increase in summer. The community structure index indicated seasonal changes in the assemblage. The faunistic similarities between months separated the 12 months into four major groups. The seasonal pattern was apparent in the numerically dominant species and the Cluster Analysis revealed five main groups.


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