The black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) in north Australia: juvenile mortality and longevity

2000 ◽  
Vol 48 (1) ◽  
pp. 91 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Vardon ◽  
Christopher R. Tidemann
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Life Table ◽  
Small Mammals ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Northern Territory ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Size Data ◽  
Flying Fox

Mortality rates for juvenile black flying-fox (Pteropus alecto) are presented from data collected in the Northern Territory of Australia (12˚24′–13˚03′S) between 1992 and 1998. Forearm size data were used to construct a two-stage life table for each sex. Mortality rates from birth to adult size (170 mm) varied between sexes, between camp-sites and between years, and ranged from 0.43 to 0.80. Overall, the mortality rates from birth to adult size were 0.70 for females (n = 846) and 0.63 for males (n = 990). These rates represent annual juvenile mortality rates of 0.57 for females and 0.47 for males, given that females reach adult size at 14.8 months of age and males at 16.3 months of age. The maximum age of P. alecto recorded in this study was 4.5 years. The mean lifespan of females reaching adulthood would need to be seven years for a stable population size to be maintained, but may be shorter given that the mortality rates may have been over-estimated. The mortality rates and lifespan of P. alecto are not unusual amongst Chiroptera or small mammals in general.

Demographic indications of decline in the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) on the Atherton Tablelands of northern Queensland

2008 ◽  
Vol 35 (5) ◽  
pp. 417 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Fox ◽  
Jon Luly ◽  
Catlin Mitchell ◽  
Jenny Maclean ◽  
David A. Westcott
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Table ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Mammal Species ◽  
Lack Of Information ◽  
Extended Longevity ◽  
Management And Conservation ◽  
Age Estimates ◽  
Flying Fox

A lack of information about the spectacled flying fox (Pteropus conspicillatus) makes management and conservation of this vulnerable species difficult. The analysis of population dynamics using life-history traits and life tables is widely used in planning for the conservation and management of wildlife. In the present study, the first life table for any species of bat is provided and age estimates derived from counts of annual increments in tooth cementum rings are used to assess population trends and life-history traits in the spectacled flying fox on the Atherton Tablelands in north Queensland. As a result of high mortality, longevity was much shorter than expected from a theoretical basis. Life-table analyses suggest that the population experienced a 16% decrease during the 2 years of study. Absence of extended longevity to compensate for low reproductive output and delayed sexual maturity in ‘slow end’ mammal species such as P. conspicillatus reduces the window of opportunity for females to reproduce and adapt to changes in mortality rates. This study suggests that spectacled flying fox populations are sensitive to increased mortality and that reducing mortality rates should be the primary goal in conservation planning for P. conspicillatus.

Retrospective analysis of mortality within 30 days of systemic anticancer therapy and comparison with a previous audit at an Australian Regional Cancer Centre

2021 ◽  
pp. 107815522110160
Author(s):  
Bernadatte Zimbwa ◽  
Peter J Gilbar ◽  
Mark R Davis ◽  
Srinivas Kondalsamy-Chennakesavan
Keyword(s):  
Checkpoint Inhibitors ◽  
Anticancer Therapy ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Feedback Process ◽  
Time To Death ◽  
Cancer Centre ◽  
Haematology Patients ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Regional Cancer Centre ◽  
Mean Time

Purpose To retrospectively determine the rate of death occurring within 14 and 30 days of systemic anticancer therapy (SACT), compare this against a previous audit and benchmark results against other cancer centres. Secondly, to determine if the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), not available at the time of the initial audit, impacted mortality rates. Method All adult solid tumour and haematology patients receiving SACT at an Australian Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) between January 2016 and July 2020 were included. Results Over a 55-month period, 1709 patients received SACT. Patients dying within 14 and 30 days of SACT were 3.3% and 7.0% respectively and is slightly higher than our previous study which was 1.89% and 5.6%. Mean time to death was 15.5 days. Males accounted for 63.9% of patients and the mean age was 66.8 years. 46.2% of the 119 patients dying in the 30 days post SACT started a new line of treatment during that time. Of 98 patients receiving ICI, 22.5% died within 30 days of commencement. Disease progression was the most common cause of death (79%). The most common place of death was the RCC (38.7%). Conclusion The rate of death observed in our re-audit compares favourably with our previous audit and is still at the lower end of that seen in published studies in Australia and internationally. Cases of patients dying within 30 days of SACT should be regularly reviewed to maintain awareness of this benchmark of quality assurance and provide a feedback process for clinicians.

scholarly journals The Ancestry of a Sample of Sequences Subject to Recombination

Genetics ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 151 (3) ◽  
pp. 1217-1228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carsten Wiuf ◽  
Jotun Hein
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Distance ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Upper Bound ◽  
Recombination Rate ◽  
Common Ancestor ◽  
Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
Sequence Length ◽  
Most Recent Common Ancestor ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time

Abstract In this article we discuss the ancestry of sequences sampled from the coalescent with recombination with constant population size 2N. We have studied a number of variables based on simulations of sample histories, and some analytical results are derived. Consider the leftmost nucleotide in the sequences. We show that the number of nucleotides sharing a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) with the leftmost nucleotide is ≈log(1 + 4N Lr)/4Nr when two sequences are compared, where L denotes sequence length in nucleotides, and r the recombination rate between any two neighboring nucleotides per generation. For larger samples, the number of nucleotides sharing MRCA with the leftmost nucleotide decreases and becomes almost independent of 4N Lr. Further, we show that a segment of the sequences sharing a MRCA consists in mean of 3/8Nr nucleotides, when two sequences are compared, and that this decreases toward 1/4Nr nucleotides when the whole population is sampled. A measure of the correlation between the genealogies of two nucleotides on two sequences is introduced. We show analytically that even when the nucleotides are separated by a large genetic distance, but share MRCA, the genealogies will show only little correlation. This is surprising, because the time until the two nucleotides shared MRCA is reciprocal to the genetic distance. Using simulations, the mean time until all positions in the sample have found a MRCA increases logarithmically with increasing sequence length and is considerably lower than a theoretically predicted upper bound. On the basis of simulations, it turns out that important properties of the coalescent with recombinations of the whole population are reflected in the properties of a sample of low size.

Variation within and between Rivers in Adult Size and Sea Age at Maturity of Anadromous Brown Trout, Salmo trutta

1991 ◽  
Vol 48 (6) ◽  
pp. 1015-1021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan Henning L'Abée-Lund
Keyword(s):  
Brown Trout ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Age At Maturity ◽  
Migration Distance ◽  
Spawning Area ◽  
Brown Trout Salmo Trutta ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
The Mean

I compared adult size and sea age at sexual maturity among nine populations of anadromous brown trout, Salmo trutta, in two Norwegian rivers to determine the extent of inter- and intrariverine variations. Variation in the mean length of spawners and in the mean sea age at sexual maturity were mainly dependent on the variations found within rather than between rivers. Mean lengths and mean age at maturity of males increased significantly with increasing altitude of the spawning area and with migration distance in freshwater. In females, positive significant correlations were found with mean lengths and altitude of the spawning area and with mean sea age at maturity and both spawning site altitude and migration distance. Mean lengths and ages of males and females were not significantly correlated with the rate of water discharge in the streams during spawning. The size of gravel substrate for spawning was of minor importance in explaining interpopulation variation in mean female size. The increase noted in mean length and in mean sea age at maturity of both males and females is probably an adaptation to greater energy expenditure to reach the uppermost natal spawning areas.

Demography and Group Structure in Wedgecapped Capuchin Monkeys, Cebus Olivaceus

Behaviour ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 104 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 202-232 ◽  
Author(s):  
John G. Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Sex Ratio ◽  
Life Table ◽  
Group Structure ◽  
Age Distribution ◽  
Capuchin Monkeys ◽  
Demographic Parameters ◽  
Adult Size ◽  
Sex Composition ◽  
Cebus Olivaceus ◽  
Age And Sex

AbstractThe extent to which population demography determines the age and sex composition of primate groups was examined using data from a population of wedge-capped capuchin monkeys Cebus olivaceus in central Venezuela. Demographic parameters were derived from censuses of individually recognized, aged, and sexed individuals living in nine groups over a ten year period. Animals were aged by extrapolation from census data. Animals of both sexes were classed as infants during their first year, and juveniles until they reached six years of age. Females reach sexual maturity at this time, while males were classed as subadults until they reached full adult size at age 12. Adulthood lasts at least 30 years in females, at least 24 years in males. Age-sex class specific mortality and fecundity rates generated a life table which indicated that the population was increasing (r = 0.087) between 1977 and 1986. The age and sex composition of the nine groups was described annually. On average, non-adults made up 60% of a group, with this percentage increasing with group size. There were more females than males in all groups in all years. The strong female-biased adult sex ratio (1:4.4) was a consequence of a biased birth sex ratio (1:1.9), higher female than male survivorship especially between the ages of 3 and 7 when males were dispersing, and a pronounced sexual bimaturism. The stable age distribution derived from the life table successfully predicted the observed average distribution of age-sex categories in groups. This suggests that the group structure of Cebus olivaceus groups is not a consequence of intragroup social interactions, but results from demographic parameters.

scholarly journals Effective population size: the effects of sex, genotype, and density on the mean and variance of offspring numbers in the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum

1980 ◽  
Vol 36 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Wade
Keyword(s):  
Population Size ◽  
Effective Population Size ◽  
Tribolium Castaneum ◽  
Black Body ◽  
Body Colour ◽  
Effective Population ◽  
Flour Beetle ◽  
Colour Mutant ◽  
Mean And Variance ◽  
The Mean

SUMMARYIn this paper I present the results of an experimental study of the effects of genotype and density on the mean and variance of offspring numbers in both sexes of the flour beetle, Tribolium castaneum. From the observed variance in offspring numbers the effective population size at several different densities is estimated using the methods of Crow & Morton (1955).I found that both the mean and variance of offspring numbers varied with genotype and density. In general, males were more variable in offspring numbers than females and this variability increased with density. Individuals homozygous for the black body colour mutant, b/b, were less variable in offspring numbers than + / + individuals, but the latter produced more offspring at most densities. As density increased, + / + individuals became more variable in offspring numbers whereas b/b individuals were less sensitive in this regard. These findings are discussed in relation to the ecology of selection at the black and closely linked loci.

Lamb survival in two hill flocks

1959 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 85-91 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. F. Purser ◽  
G. B. Young
Keyword(s):  
Birth Weight ◽  
Survival Rate ◽  
Age Structure ◽  
Maternal Age ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Lamb Survival

The effects of birth weight, maternal age and parity on survival of single lambs have been studied in a Blackface and a Welsh Mountain flock.In both flocks the maximum survival rate was found to occur among lambs with birth weights just above the mean. Mortality increased as lambs' birth weight increased or decreased from the optimum, but was especially heavy at the lower extreme of the range of birth weights.Mortality decreased with age of dam to 14·3% for lambs from 4- to 6-year-old Blackface ewes and to 9·4% for lambs of 3- to 4-year-old Welsh ewes. Ewes having their first lambs gave mortality rates twice as great as for the mature ewes in the same flocks. The lower chances of survival of first born lambs irrespective of dam's age accounts for the apparent trend of mortality with maternal age in the Blackface.Changes in mortality rates associated with variation in lamb's birth weight and with the age structure of the ewe flock were estimated. Possible means of improvement of survival rate are discussed.

scholarly journals The influence of microhabitat on the population dynamics of four herbaceous species in a semiarid area of northeastern Brazil

2016 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 45-54 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. A. Silva ◽  
J. M. F. F. Santos ◽  
J. R. Andrade ◽  
E. N. Lima ◽  
U. P. Albuquerque ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Annual Rainfall ◽  
Herbaceous Species ◽  
Forest Fragment ◽  
Experimental Station ◽  
Over Time

Abstract Variation in annual rainfall is considered the most important factor influencing population dynamics in dry environments. However, different factors may control population dynamics in different microhabitats. This study recognizes that microhabitat variation may attenuate the influence of climatic seasonality on the population dynamics of herbaceous species in dry forest (Caatinga) areas of Brazil. We evaluated the influence of three microhabitats (flat, rocky and riparian) on the population dynamics of four herbaceous species (Delilia biflora, Commelina obliqua, Phaseolus peduncularis and Euphorbia heterophylla) in a Caatinga (dry forest) fragment at the Experimental Station of the Agronomic Research Institute of Pernambuco in Brazil, over a period of three years. D. biflora, C. obliqua and P. peduncularis were found in all microhabitats, but they were present at low densities in the riparian microhabitat. There was no record of E. heterophylla in the riparian microhabitat. Population size, mortality rates and natality rates varied over time in each microhabitat. This study indicates that different establishment conditions influenced the population size and occurrence of the four species, and it confirms that microhabitat can attenuate the effect of drought stress on mortality during the dry season, but the strength of this attenuator role may vary with time and species.

scholarly journals Plasmapheresis in the treatment of myasthenia gravis: retrospective study of 26 patients

2004 ◽  
Vol 62 (2b) ◽  
pp. 391-395 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosana Carandina-Maffeis ◽  
Anamarli Nucci ◽  
José F.C. Marques Jr ◽  
Eduardo G. Roveri ◽  
Beatriz H.M. Pfeilsticker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Retrospective Study ◽  
Side Effects ◽  
Myasthenia Gravis ◽  
Plasma Exchange ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Motor Deficit ◽  
Myasthenic Crisis ◽  
Clinical Hospital ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Mean Time

We analyzed the experience of Unicamp Clinical Hospital with plasma exchange (PE) therapy in myasthenia gravis (MG). About 17.8 % of a totality of MG patients had PE performed: 26 cases, 19 women and seven men. The mean age-onset of MG was 28 years, extremes 11 and 69. Minimum deficit observed in the group was graded IIb (O & G) or IIIa (MGFA scale). One patient had prethymectomy PE. In seven the procedures were performed due to myasthenic crisis and in 18 patients due to severe myasthenic symptoms or exacerbation of previous motor deficit. Two patients were also submitted to chronic PE considering refractoriness to other treatments. Twenty-six patients had 44 cycles of PE and 171 sessions. The mean number of sessions was 3.9 (SD ± 1.4) each cycle; median 5, extremes 2 and 6. The mean time by session was 106,5 minutes (SD ± 35.2); median 100.5 (extremes of 55 and 215). The mean volume of plasma exchanged in each session was 2396 ml (SD ± 561); median 2225 (extremes 1512 and 4500). Side effects occurred: reversible hypotension (seven cases), mild tremor or paresthesias (seven cases). Infection and mortality rates due to PE were zero. All patients had immediate benefit of each PE cycle and usually they also received prednisone or other immunosuppressors. Good acceptance of the procedure was observed in 80.7% of patients.

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