Reproduction affects flight activity in female and male Daubenton’s bats, Myotis daubentoni

2007 ◽  
Vol 85 (5) ◽  
pp. 653-664 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Dietz ◽  
E.K.V. Kalko
Keyword(s):  
Energy Demand ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Flight Activity ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Reproductive Condition ◽  
Small Individual ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Lactating Females

Nearly all mammals in the temperate zone breed in spring and summer when climatic conditions are favourable and food is abundant. Similar to other mammals, food requirements of female bats are particularly high during pregnancy and lactation and of males during spermatogenesis. Seasonal changes in energy demand and reproductive condition should therefore result in different foraging activity within and between sexes. This assumption was tested on 16 adult females and 13 adult males of the Palaearctic Daubenton’s bat, Myotis daubentoni (Kuhl, 1817), that were radio-tracked during pregnancy, lactation, and post-lactation periods. Pregnant females, as hypothesized, flew significantly longer (mean: 358.9 min; 70% of the night length) than males (mean: 228.5 min; 42.4% of the night length) during spring. In contrast, nightly flight time of lactating females decreased and was significantly less than that of pregnant females, but was similar to that of males during the same period. The longest flight times of males were registered during late summer when spermatogenetic activity is high. However, there were distinct differences in the use of foraging areas between female and male Daubenton’s bats. Female bats used small, individual foraging areas during pregnancy and lactation. The pattern was reversed in females after the young had been weaned and in males after they entered spermatogenesis. Overall, the results confirmed our proposition that flight activity reflects the higher energy demand and nutrition requirements in the different reproductive periods.

scholarly journals Thyroid hormone concentrations associated with age, sex, reproductive status and apparent reproductive failure in the Amazon river dolphin (Inia geoffrensis)

2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T R Robeck ◽  
R S Amaral ◽  
V M F da Silva ◽  
A R Martin ◽  
G A Montano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thyroid Hormone ◽  
Reference Intervals ◽  
Amazon River ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Serum Samples ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Inia Geoffrensis ◽  
Males And Females ◽  
Group Sex

AbstractThis study was conducted to characterize immunoreactive thyroid hormone concentrations in wild Amazon river dolphins, also called boto (Inia geoffrensis) by age group, sex, pregnancy and lactation status, and to determine if thyroid hormone concentration differences could be detected between pregnant females with and without successful parturition outcomes. Radioimmunoassays were used to analyse total T3 and total T4 in 182 serum samples collected from 172 botos living in the Mamirauá Sustainable Development Reserve, in the Brazilian Amazon from 2003 through 2015. Age significantly affected tT3 and tT4 concentrations in males, with values in immature males and females being significantly lower than those in adult males, whereas no age effects were noted between immature females and adult non-pregnant, non-lactating females. Significant sex differences were noted in tT3 concentrations between immature males and females and in tT4 concentrations between adult males and females. These resulted in significant differences in the tT3:tT4 ratio between males and females within the immature and adult groups. Lactating and non-pregnant adult females had significantly higher tT3 concentrations than pregnant females, and this difference was primarily driven by a 12% drop in tT3 concentrations during the last two-thirds of pregnancy. No differences in thyroid hormone concentrations were detected between females diagnosed as pregnant and later found to have or not have a live calf. These results are the first to define thyroid hormone reference intervals and normal physiological variations in a wild population of river dolphins.

MALE GRUNTS AS MEDIATORS OF SOCIAL INTERACTION WITH FEMALES IN WILD CHACMA BABOONS (PAPIO CYNOCEPHALUS URSINUS)

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (2) ◽  
pp. 221-242 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Interaction ◽  
Social Relationship ◽  
Vocal Behavior ◽  
Papio Cynocephalus ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Spatial Response ◽  
Lower Ranking ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Chacma Baboons

AbstractPrevious research has suggested that the quiet, tonal grunts given by female savanna baboons (Papio cynocephalus ursinus) function to mollify lower-ranking females and thereby facilitate friendly social interaction with them (Cheney et al., 1995). In a two-year study of wild chacma baboons, we assessed whether or not grunts given by adult males function similarly to facilitate heterosexual interaction. Two patterns of male vocal behavior initially suggested this function. First, males grunted more often when approaching females with which social interaction was potentially highly beneficial and/or unlikely (due to female evasion), i.e. estrus females and lactating females (particularly friend females); males rarely grunted when approaching pregnant females. Second, higher-ranking males grunted significantly more often than subordinates when approaching females in most reproductive states. In spite of these two patterns, however, male grunts had contrasting effects on the probability of supplanting a female and interacting affinitively with her. Supplanting of females was just as common when the approaching male grunted as when he did not. Instead, variance in supplanting was better explained by female avoidance of high-ranking and non-friend males than by the male's vocal behavior. Results suggest that male grunts themselves do not generally determine whether a supplant of the female occurs. Rather, the female's reproductive state and social relationship with the male (i.e. his 'friendship' status and/or rank) affect both the male's tendency to call to her and the female's tendency to move away from him. In contrast to supplanting, affinitive interaction occurred significantly more often when males grunted than when they silently approached females. Taken together, results suggest that a female chacma baboon's 'spatial' response to a male's approach ('stay or leave') depends upon her assessment of non-vocal factors, but her 'social' response ('interact or not') is influenced by the grunts given by the male.

scholarly journals A new clustering and visualization method to evaluate urban energy planning scenarios

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Torabi Moghadam ◽  
Silvia Coccolo ◽  
Guglielmina Mutani ◽  
Patrizia Lombardi ◽  
Jean Louis Scartezzini ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Urban Areas ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Planning Process ◽  
Energy Transition ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Energy Planning ◽  
Transition Strategies ◽  
Urban Energy ◽  
The City

The spatial visualization is a very useful tool to help decision-makers in the urban planning process to create future energy transition strategies, implementing energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies in the context of sustainable cities. Statistical methods are often used to understand the driving parameters of energy consumption but rarely used to evaluate future urban renovation scenarios. Simulating whole cities using energy demand softwares can be very extensive in terms of computer resources and data collection. A new methodology, using city archetypes is proposed, here, to simulate the energy consumption of urban areas including urban energy planning scenarios. The objective of this paper is to present an innovative solution for the computation and visualization of energy saving at the city scale.The energy demand of cities, as well as the micro-climatic conditions, are calculated by using a simplified 3D model designed as function of the city urban geometrical and physical characteristics. Data are extracted from a GIS database that was used in a previous study. In this paper, we showed how the number of buildings to be simulated can be drastically reduced without affecting the accuracy of the results. This model is then used to evaluate the influence of two set of renovation solutions. The energy consumption are then integrated back in the GIS to identify the areas in the city where refurbishment works are needed more rapidly. The city of Settimo Torinese (Italy) is used as a demonstrator for the proposed methodology, which can be applied to all cities worldwide with limited amount of information.

Planting Date Affects Survival and Height Growth of Hybrid Poplar

1986 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 164-169 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward A. Hansen
Keyword(s):  
Hybrid Poplar ◽  
Late Summer ◽  
Growing Season ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Planting Date ◽  
Planting Dates ◽  
Soil Frost ◽  
Growing Seasons ◽  
Poplar Cuttings ◽  
Energy Plantations

In this study I investigated the effects of planting date for soaked versus unsoaked cuttings of two hybrid poplar clones under irrigated versus unirrigated and weedy versus weed-free conditions. Cuttings were planted each year for 4 years. Survival at the end of the first growing season was generally greater than 90% for all planting dates. At the end of the second growing season survival for trees planted before July 16 was again generally more than 90%. However, cuttings planted from July 30 through August 27 showed a major decline in survival and survival of fall planted cuttings ranged from 6 to 90%. Mortality of late summer- or fall-planted cuttings occurred prior to the beginning of the second growing season and was attributed to frost heaving. The tallest trees were not those planted at the earliest possible dates (April in Rhinelander). Instead, the tallest trees at the end of the first and second growing seasons were those planted in early- and mid-May. This optimum planting period was the same regardless of clone, soaking, irrigation, or weed treatment. Actual optimum planting date would change with location and local climatic conditions. Some climatic indices may prove more universal in predicting when to plant. Although tentative, it appears that for best growth, unrooted hybrid poplar cuttings should be planted in soil warmer than 10 °C. Trees do not grow as well if planted immediately after soil frost leaves the ground. Key words: Energy plantations, plantation establishment, woody biomass, intensive culture, Populus.

scholarly journals Effects of life history stage and climatic conditions on fecal egg counts in plains zebras (Equus quagga) in the Serengeti National Park

2020 ◽  
Vol 119 (10) ◽  
pp. 3401-3413
Author(s):  
Peter A. Seeber ◽  
Tetiana A. Kuzmina ◽  
Alex D. Greenwood ◽  
Marion L. East
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
National Park ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Life History Stage ◽  
Gastrointestinal Parasite ◽  
Serengeti Ecosystem ◽  
Life History Stages ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Host Life

Abstract In wildlife, endoparasite burden can be affected by host life history stage, environmental conditions, host abundance, and parasite co-infections. We tested the effects of these factors on gastrointestinal parasite infection in plains zebras (Equus quagga) in the Serengeti ecosystem, Tanzania, using fecal egg counts of two nematode families (Strongylidae and Ascarididae) and the presence/absence of cestode (Anoplocephalidae) eggs. We predicted higher egg counts of Strongylidae and Ascarididae, and increased likelihood of Anoplocephalidae infection in individuals (1) during energetically costly life history stages when resource allocation to immune processes may decrease and in young zebras after weaning because of increased uptake of infective stages with forage, (2) when climatic conditions facilitate survival of infective stages, (3) when large zebra aggregations increase forage contamination with infective stages, and (4) in individuals co-infected with more than one parasite group as this may indicate reduced immune competence. Strongylidae egg counts were higher, and the occurrence of Anoplocephalidae eggs was more likely in bachelors than in band stallions, whereas Ascarididae egg counts were higher in band stallions. Strongylidae and Ascarididae egg counts were not increased in lactating females. Strongylidae egg counts were higher in subadults than in foals. Regardless of sex and age, Ascarididae infections were more likely under wet conditions. Co-infections did not affect Strongylidae egg counts. Ascarididae egg counts in adult females were higher when individuals were co-infected with Anoplocephalidae. We present evidence that parasite burdens in plains zebras are affected by life history stage, environmental conditions, and co-infection.

scholarly journals Actividad reproductiva y dieta de Hemidactylus frenatus (Sauria: Gekkonidae) en el norte de Colombia

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (36) ◽  
pp. 459
Author(s):  
Jorge A. Díaz-Pérez ◽  
Alcides C. Sampedro-Marín ◽  
Martha P. Ramírez-Pinilla
Keyword(s):  
Diet Composition ◽  
Sampling Period ◽  
Reproductive Activity ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Ecological Aspects ◽  
Environmental Availability ◽  
Hemidactylus Frenatus

Despite its success as an invasive species, little is known about the ecological aspects of the gekkonid lizard Hemidactylus frenatus in Colombia. In the present study the size at maturity, sexual dimorphism, reproductive activity, and diet composition of a population of this species in an urban locality of Northern Colombia were determined. We conducted eleven samplings from September 2011 to August 2012 in buildings of the municipality of Sincelejo. A total of 264 specimens H. frenatus were captured, 112 were adult females, 133 adult males and 19 juveniles. Males reach sexual maturity at a smaller size (snout-vent length) than females (males: 35.7 mm; females: 42.7 mm), also they are larger and have proportionally larger heads and mouths than females. Males were reproductive throughout the year; although testicular volume varied significantly between samples, this variation was not associated with body size and precipitation in the study area. Reproductive adult females were found during all the sampling period. Females have an invariable clutch size of two eggs and we found no differences in the diameter and weight of eggs in each oviduct. The diet of H. frenatus is varied, with Diptera, Hemiptera and Formicidae being the prey types with the greatest relative importance values. Individuals of both sexes consume a similar volume and number of prey. Thus, the studied population of H. frenatus has continuous reproductive activity and a generalist-opportunistic feeding behavior. The climatic conditions of the study area, environmental availability of prey and intrinsic features of this species appear to be responsible for their abundance and colonizing success in this and other localities.

scholarly journals Two software tools for facilitating the choice of ground source heat pumps by stakeholders and designers

2019 ◽  
Vol 111 ◽  
pp. 06023 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michele De Carli ◽  
Amaia Castelruiz Aguirre ◽  
Angelo Zarrella ◽  
Lucia Cardoso ◽  
Sarah Noyé ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Optimal Solution ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Design Tool ◽  
Detailed Calculation ◽  
Ground Source Heat Pumps ◽  
Ground Source ◽  
Support Decision Making

For promoting the diffusion of GSHP and making the technology more accessible to the general public, in the H2020 research project “CHeap and Efficient APplication of reliable Ground Source Heat exchangers and PumpS” (acronym Cheap-GSHPs) a tool for sizing these systems has been developed, as well as a Decision Support System (DSS) able to assist the user in the preliminary design of the most suitable configuration. For all these tools a common platform has been carried out considering climatic conditions, energy demand of buildings, ground thermal properties, heat pump solutions repository, as well as renewable energy database to use in synergy with the GSHPs. Since the aims of the tools are different, there are different approaches. The design tool is mainly addressed to designers. The calculation may be done in two ways: with a simplified method based on the ASHRAE approach and with a detailed calculation based on the numerical tool CaRM (Capacity-Resistance method). The DSS final aim is to support decision-making, by providing the stakeholders at all the level with a series of scenario. The Cheap-GSHPs project has developed a DSS tool aimed at accelerating the decision-making process of designers and building owners as well as increasing market share of the Cheap-GSHPs technologies. Hence the DSS generates different possible solutions based on a defined general problem, identifying the optimal solution. Both tools are presented in the paper, showing the potentialities provided by both software.

scholarly journals A European Database of Building Energy Profiles to Support the Design of Ground Source Heat Pumps

Energies ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 2496 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Carnieletto ◽  
Borja Badenes ◽  
Marco Belliardi ◽  
Adriana Bernardi ◽  
Samantha Graci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heat Pump ◽  
Energy Demand ◽  
Residential Buildings ◽  
Building Energy ◽  
Heat Pumps ◽  
Climatic Conditions ◽  
Ground Source Heat Pumps ◽  
Heating And Cooling ◽  
Energy Profiles ◽  
Ground Source

The design of ground source heat pumps is a fundamental step to ensure the high energy efficiency of heat pump systems throughout their operating years. To enhance the diffusion of ground source heat pump systems, two different tools are developed in the H2020 research project named, “Cheap GSHPs”: A design tool and a decision support system. In both cases, the energy demand of the buildings may not be calculated by the user. The main input data, to evaluate the size of the borehole heat exchangers, is the building energy demand. This paper presents a methodology to correlate energy demand, building typologies, and climatic conditions for different types of residential buildings. Rather than envelope properties, three insulation levels have been considered in different climatic conditions to set up a database of energy profiles. Analyzing European climatic test reference years, 23 locations have been considered. For each location, the overall energy and the mean hourly monthly energy profiles for heating and cooling have been calculated. Pre-calculated profiles are needed to size generation systems and, in particular, ground source heat pumps. For this reason, correlations based on the degree days for heating and cooling demand have been found in order to generalize the results for different buildings. These correlations depend on the Köppen–Geiger climate scale.

scholarly journals Pregnancy Induced Ocular Changes and Associated Risk of Ocular Medications

2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 12-19
Author(s):  
G Kaur ◽  
DM Isac ◽  
S Thomas ◽  
J Koshy
Keyword(s):  
Optic Neuritis ◽  
Tear Film ◽  
Treatment Modalities ◽  
Pituitary Tumours ◽  
Pseudotumour Cerebri ◽  
Pregnant Females ◽  
Induced Hypertension ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Ocular Changes ◽  
Harmful Effects

Pregnancy is associated with various ocular changes which can be either physiological or pathological or modification in pre existing conditions. These changes are mostly transient, however some can become permanent. Physiological ocular changes include change in ocular adenexa, tear film composition, cornea, refraction and intraocular pressure. Pathological ocular changes occur as a result of pregnancy induced hypertension, pseudotumour cerebri, vascular occlusive disorders and amniotic fluid embolism. Some of the pre-existing ocular conditions worsen during pregnancy which include diabetic retinopathy, grave’s disease, toxoplasmosis, pituitary tumours, meningioma and uveal tumours. Others show improvement in pregnancy such as uveitis, optic neuritis and multiple sclerosis. Yet others are associated with exacerbations during postpartum period as optic neuritis. Knowledge of these changes is important for both ophthalmologists and gynaecologists for proper management of these patients. Also the treatment modalities for various disorders differ between pregnant and non pregnant females. The ophthalmic medications should be used cautiously during pregnancy and lactation to avoid harmful effects in the mother and the fetus. The materials published in Pubmed, Google Scholar webpages and standard books have been used for preparing this paper.

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