Estimation of body condition in harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (9) ◽  
pp. 1962-1966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Read
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Direct Measure ◽  
Phocoena Phocoena ◽  
Indirect Measures ◽  
Lactating Females ◽  
Residual Values

I examined the body condition of 220 harbour porpoises (Phocoena phocoena) killed incidentally in commercial fishing operations in the Bay of Fundy between July and September, 1985–1988. Condition was assessed using a direct measure (blubber mass) and two indirect measures (blubber thickness and girth). To compare condition among porpoises of different sizes, each measure was regressed against an appropriate measure of body size, and the residuals of these regressions were used as indices of condition. Mean residuals of blubber mass varied significantly among both reproductive classes and sampling years. Calves and nonlactating mature females had greater mean residual values for blubber mass than immature porpoises and mature males; lactating females possessed intermediate levels. Porpoises sampled in 1987 had greater mean residual blubber mass than porpoises sampled in other years. Although the residuals of girth and blubber thickness demonstrated similar trends to those of blubber mass, they were poorly correlated with the residuals of blubber mass and are not robust indices of condition in harbour porpoises.

scholarly journals Intensive vehicle traffic impacts morphology and endocrine stress response in a threatened amphibian

Oryx ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 182-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hugo Cayuela ◽  
Ludivine Quay ◽  
Adeline Dumet ◽  
Jean-Paul Léna ◽  
Claude Miaud ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
The Body ◽  
Amphibian Conservation ◽  
Natural Habitats ◽  
Vehicle Traffic ◽  
Individual Level ◽  
Bombina Variegata ◽  
The Individual

AbstractAmphibians are considered to be the most threatened group of vertebrates. Among the multiple factors involved in their decline, habitat loss and alteration as a result of human activities is a major threat. At the individual level the effects of habitat alteration are potentially multiple, including a range of morphological and physiological responses. Analysing and understanding these responses is therefore a critical challenge for amphibian conservation. We examined the influence of intensive vehicle traffic (motorbikes and trucks on unpaved pathways) on the body size and condition and on the production of glucocorticoids (i.e. corticosterone) in the yellow-bellied toad Bombina variegata. In particular, we tested the hypothesis that intensive vehicle traffic has a negative influence on body size and body condition, and postulated that it also increases corticosterone production. Using morphometric data and saliva samples collected from four populations in France, we found that intensive vehicle traffic is associated with a decrease in body size and body condition in both males and females. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that corticosterone production was lower in both sexes in populations experiencing intensive vehicle traffic. We suggest that measures should be applied to reduce vehicle traffic intensity on unpaved pathways during toad breeding activity. This is critical for B. variegata, for which man-made ruts and residual puddles could mitigate the loss of natural habitats.

Postnatal growth and allometry of harbour porpoises from the Bay of Fundy

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 122-130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Read ◽  
Krystal A. Tolley
Keyword(s):  
Growth Rates ◽  
Growth Curves ◽  
Postnatal Growth ◽  
The Body ◽  
Harbour Porpoise ◽  
Body Region ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Commercial Fisheries ◽  
Phocoena Phocoena ◽  
Thoracic Region

We described patterns of growth and allometry from observations of 203 female and 198 male harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, killed in commercial fisheries in the Bay of Fundy between 1985 and 1993. Gompertz growth curves were used to predict length, mass, and girth at physical maturity. Asymptotic sizes and growth rates were greater in females for all three characters. The pattern of allometry was consistent between sexes, but varied according to body region. The characters in the head and thoracic regions exhibited negative allometry, but those in the posterior of the body were isometric. Most characters showed the same growth rates for the two sexes, except those in the thoracic region, for which females exhibited faster growth than males. These results are consistent with those of several other studies of the harbour porpoise in which faster growth and larger sizes are attained by females.

Reproductive seasonality in harbour porpoises, Phocoena phocoena, from the Bay of Fundy

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (2) ◽  
pp. 284-288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew J. Read
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Variation ◽  
Seasonal Changes ◽  
Birth Date ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Corpora Lutea ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Follicular Growth ◽  
Phocoena Phocoena ◽  
Reproductive Seasonality ◽  
Duration Of Gestation

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.

Factors affecting antler investment in Iberian red deer

2012 ◽  
Vol 52 (9) ◽  
pp. 867 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. A. Gómez ◽  
F. Ceacero ◽  
T. Landete-Castillejos ◽  
E. Gaspar-López ◽  
A. J. García ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Red Deer ◽  
Good Method ◽  
The Body ◽  
Allometric Relationship ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Iberian Red Deer ◽  
Mineral Deposition ◽  
Antler Growth

Antler constitutes such a costly trait that the skeleton of the deer undergoes a process similar to osteoporosis to meet the high demands of mineral deposition in the antler. The allometric relationship between antler and body size is one of the oldest known. However, no study has assessed the proportion that antlers constitute with regard to the skeleton (from which most of the material is drawn), nor which factors influence this investment. To assess this, we studied 171 males (aged 1–5 years), determined their antler and bodyweights and scored their body condition. Then we calculated antler investment as antler weight relative to estimated skeletal weight. Results showed that antler investment in males ≥2 years old (i.e. excluding yearlings) depended on age rather than the whole bodyweight or body condition. Antler investment increased from 6% in yearlings to 35% in 5-year-old males, with a mean of 19%. A GLMM showed that in males ≥2 years old, within age, the heavier the male and the better the body condition at the start of antler growth, the greater the investment in antlers. In yearlings, antler investment did not depend on bodyweight or body condition. In conclusion, antler weight relative to skeleton weight is a good method to assess antler investment. This investment is influenced by age and, in males ≥2 years old, also by bodyweight or condition at the start of antler growth.

scholarly journals Implications of density-dependent juvenile growth for compensatory recruitment regulation of haddock

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (3) ◽  
pp. 356-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Tara Marshall ◽  
Kenneth T Frank
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
The United States ◽  
The Body ◽  
Bay Of Fundy ◽  
Compensatory Mechanism ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Positive Correlation ◽  
Dependent Growth ◽  
Adult Abundance

Data from bottom trawl surveys conducted by Canada and the United States were used to describe temporal trends in the length of haddock ages 1-4 on the southwestern Scotian Shelf (SWSS) and Bay of Fundy. From 1970 to 1995, the length of juvenile (age-1) haddock on the SWSS was negatively correlated with the abundance of adults (age-4+). Within year-classes temporal trends in juvenile length persisted through to the adult stage such that year-classes that were small(large) at age-1 were small(large) at age-4. These two results were combined with the positive correlation observed between recruitment and the body size characteristics of haddock on the SWSS in a conceptual model of compensatory recruitment regulation. In the model high adult abundance decreases growth of juveniles leading to smaller-sized adults and subsequently lower recruitment. Conversely, low adult abundance results in increased growth of juveniles leading to larger adults and higher recruitment. Density-dependent growth of juveniles, combined with the positive correlation between recruitment and adult body size, constitutes a compensatory mechanism for adjusting future haddock recruitment according to present adult abundance.

The Body Size of Headstarted and Wild Juvenile European Pond Turtles (Emys orbicularis)

2017 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 161
Author(s):  
Sławomir Mitrus ◽  
Bartłomiej Najbar ◽  
Adam Kotowicz ◽  
Anna Najbar
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
The Body ◽  
Emys Orbicularis

scholarly journals First record of Pachycrocuta brevirostris (Gervais, 1850) from Ukraine on the background of the European occurrence of the species

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Marciszak ◽  
Yuriy Semenov ◽  
Piotr Portnicki ◽  
Tamara Derkach
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
First Record ◽  
The Body ◽  
Crocuta Crocuta ◽  
Early Pleistocene ◽  
Eastern Asia ◽  
South Eastern

AbstractCranial material ofPachycrocuta brevirostrisfrom the late Early Pleistocene site of Nogaisk is the first record of this species in Ukraine. This large hyena was a representative of the Tamanian faunal complex and a single specialised scavenger in these faunas. The revisited European records list ofP.brevirostrisdocumented the presence of this species in 101 sites, dated in the range of 3.5–0.4 Ma. This species first disappeared in Africa, survived in Europe until ca. 0.8–0.7 Ma, and its last, relict occurrence was known from south-eastern Asia. The main reason of extinction ofP.brevirostrisprobably was the competition withCrocuta crocuta. The cave hyena was smaller, but its teeth were proportionally larger to the body size, better adapted to crushing bones and slicing meat, and could also hunt united in larger groups.

scholarly journals Insect body size changes under future warming projections: a case study of Chironomidae (Insecta: Diptera)

Hydrobiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rungtip Wonglersak ◽  
Phillip B. Fenberg ◽  
Peter G. Langdon ◽  
Stephen J. Brooks ◽  
Benjamin W. Price
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Ambient Temperature ◽  
Wing Length ◽  
The Body ◽  
Mesocosm Experiments ◽  
Future Warming ◽  
Increasing Temperature ◽  
Emergence Date ◽  
Average Body

AbstractChironomids are a useful group for investigating body size responses to warming due to their high local abundance and sensitivity to environmental change. We collected specimens of six species of chironomids every 2 weeks over a 2-year period (2017–2018) from mesocosm experiments using five ponds at ambient temperature and five ponds at 4°C higher than ambient temperature. We investigated (1) wing length responses to temperature within species and between sexes using a regression analysis, (2) interspecific body size responses to test whether the body size of species influences sensitivity to warming, and (3) the correlation between emergence date and wing length. We found a significantly shorter wing length with increasing temperature in both sexes of Procladius crassinervis and Tanytarsus nemorosus, in males of Polypedilum sordens, but no significant relationship in the other three species studied. The average body size of a species affects the magnitude of the temperature-size responses in both sexes, with larger species shrinking disproportionately more with increasing temperature. There was a significant decline in wing length with emergence date across most species studied (excluding Polypedilum nubeculosum and P. sordens), indicating that individuals emerging later in the season tend to be smaller.

scholarly journals Relation of Automated Body Condition Scoring System and Inline Biomarkers (Milk Yield, β-Hydroxybutyrate, Lactate Dehydrogenase and Progesterone in Milk) with Cow’s Pregnancy Success

Sensors ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 1414
Author(s):  
Ramūnas Antanaitis ◽  
Vida Juozaitienė ◽  
Dovilė Malašauskienė ◽  
Mindaugas Televičius ◽  
Mingaudas Urbutis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Lactate Dehydrogenase ◽  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Milk Yield ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Body Condition Score ◽  
The Body ◽  
Time Analyzer ◽  
Condition Score ◽  
Pregnancy Status ◽  
Body Condition Scoring

The aim of the current study was to evaluate the relation of automatically determined body condition score (BCS) and inline biomarkers such as β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), milk yield (MY), lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and progesterone (mP4) with the pregnancy success of cows. The cows (n = 281) had 2.1 ± 0.1. lactations on average, were 151.6 ± 0.06 days postpartum, and were once tested with “Easy scan” ultrasound (IMV imaging, Scotland) at 30–35 d post-insemination. According to their reproductive status, cows were grouped into two groups: non-pregnant (n = 194 or 69.0% of cows) and pregnant (n = 87 or 31.0% of cows). Data concerning their BCS, mP4, MY, BHB, and LDH were collected each day from the day of insemination for 7 days. The BCS was collected with body condition score camera (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden); mP4, MY, BHB, and LDH were collected with the fully automated real-time analyzer Herd Navigator™ (Lattec I/S, Hillerød, Denmark) in combination with a DeLaval milking robot (DeLaval Inc., Tumba, Sweden). Of all the biomarkers, three differences between groups were significant. The body condition score (BCS) of the pregnant cows was higher (+0.49 score), the milk yield (MY) was lower (−4.36 kg), and milk progesterone in pregnant cows was (+6.11 ng/mL) higher compared to the group of non-pregnant cows (p < 0.001). The pregnancy status of the cows was associated with their BCS assessment (p < 0.001). We estimated that cows with BCS > 3.2 were 22 times more likely to have reproductive success than cows with BCS ≤ 3.2.

scholarly journals Potential host ranges of three Asian larval parasitoids of Drosophila suzukii

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kent M. Daane ◽  
Xingeng Wang ◽  
Brian N. Hogg ◽  
Antonio Biondi
Keyword(s):  
Body Size ◽  
Host Species ◽  
Classical Biological Control ◽  
Developmental Time ◽  
The Body ◽  
Phylogenetic Position ◽  
Egg Load ◽  
Drosophila Suzukii ◽  
Larval Parasitoids ◽  
Female Body Size

AbstractAsobara japonica (Hymenoptera: Braconidae), Ganaspis brasiliensis and Leptopilina japonica (Hymenoptera: Figitidae) are Asian larval parasitoids of spotted wing drosophila, Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae). This study evaluated these parasitoids’ capacity to attack and develop from 24 non-target drosophilid species. Results showed that all three parasitoids were able to parasitize host larvae of multiple non-target species in artificial diet; A. japonica developed from 19 tested host species, regardless of the phylogenetic position of the host species, L. japonica developed from 11 tested species; and G. brasiliensis developed from only four of the exposed species. Success rate of parasitism (i.e., the probability that an adult wasp successfully emerged from a parasitized host) by the two figitid parasitoids was low in hosts other than the three species in the melanogaster group (D. melanogaster, D. simulans, and D. suzukii). The failure of the figitids to develop in most of the tested host species appears to correspond with more frequent encapsulation of the parasitoids by the hosts. The results indicate that G. brasiliensis is the most host specific to D. suzukii, L. japonica attacks mainly species in the melanogaster group and A. japonica is a generalist, at least physiologically. Overall, the developmental time of the parasitoids increased with the host’s developmental time. The body size of female A. japonica (as a model species) was positively related to host size, and mature egg load of female wasps increased with female body size. We discuss the use of these parasitoids for classical biological control of D. suzukii.

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