Comparative Analysis of the Feeding Habits of Two Species of Arizona Blind Snakes, Leptotyphlops h. humilis and Leptotyphlops d. dulcis

1974 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 153 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fred Punzo
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Guanling Xu ◽  
Wei Xing ◽  
Tieliang Li ◽  
Min Xue ◽  
Zhihong Ma ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt) and Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) are two important commercial fish in China, and the feeding habits of them are very different. Diets and feeding habits are two significant factors to affect the gastrointestinal microbiota in fish. The intestinal microbiota has been reported to play a key role in nutrition and immunity. However, it is rarely reported about the relationship between the intestinal microbiota and feeding habits/diets on different Acipenseridae fish. This study is to comparative analysis of gut microbial community in two different Acipenseridae fish fed with the same diet/the same fish with different diets in order to realize the effects of different feeding habits/diets on the intestinal microflora of fish. Results: According to the experimental objectives, BL and BH groups were Beluga sturgeon (Huso huso) fed with low fishmeal diet and high fishmeal diet, respectively. SH group represented Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baeri Brandt) fed with the same diet as BH group. After 16 weeks feeding trial, the intestinal microbiota was examined by 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology. On the phylum level, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes were significantly higher in BL group than BH group, and Cyanobacteria showed the opposite trend. Compared with BH group, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were significantly increased in SH group, whereas Cyanobacteria were clearly decreased. At the genus level, Pseudomonas and Citrobacter in BL group were significantly higher comparing with BH group, while Bacillus, Luteibacter, Staphylococcus and Oceanobacillus was lower in BH group than SH group. Conclusions: Alpha and beta diversities indicated that the intestinal microflora were significant difference between Siberian sturgeon and Beluga sturgeon when they fed with the same diet. Meanwhile, Beluga sturgeon fed with low fishmeal diet can increase the species diversity of intestinal microbiota than it fed high fishmeal diet. Therefore, feeding habits clearly affected the gastrointestinal microbiota of sturgeons. Moreover, the impact of changes in food on the gut microbiota of sturgeons should be taken into consideration during the process of sturgeon aquaculture.


The Condor ◽  
2003 ◽  
Vol 105 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-267 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bettina Mahler ◽  
Lidia S. Araujo ◽  
Pablo L. Tubaro

Abstract Carotenoid pigmentation in birds' plumage is considered an honest indicator of phenotypic quality, and thus a target of sexual selection. But carotenoids also fulfill essential physiological functions, and therefore, carotenoids should only appear in plumage if they are in excess of those needed physiologically. We explored the presence of carotenoid-based plumage coloration in columbids and its association with diet and sexual dichromatism using a comparative analysis. We found that carotenoid plumage pigmentation appeared three times independently in doves, and that these events were always associated with frugivorous feeding habits. This suggests that expression of carotenoid-based plumage color in granivorous species may be constrained by the scarcity of carotenoids in their diet. However, more than half of the frugivorous species lack carotenoid-pigmented plumage, indicating that rich dietary sources of these compounds are a necessary but not sufficient cause for their expression in plumage. Analyzing 12 pairs of sister taxa, we found that plumage dichromatism was neither associated with the amount of carotenoid pigment present in the plumage nor with the sexual dimorphism in carotenoid-pigmented plumage. Although the presence of carotenoid-based plumage coloration has been related to sexual selection in several taxa, we failed to show such an association in columbids. Correlación de la Expresión de Pigmentos Carotenoides en el Plumaje de Palomas con la Dieta y la Selección Sexual Resumen. Los pigmentos carotenoides en el plumaje de las aves son considerados indicadores honestos de la calidad fenotípica y, por lo tanto, objetos de selección sexual. Sin embargo, los carotenoides también cumplen funciones fisiológicas esenciales, por lo cual aquellos que se expresan en el plumaje deberían estar en exceso de los utilizados a nivel fisiológico. Exploramos la presencia de carotenoides en el plumaje de las palomas y su asociación con la dieta y el dicromatismo sexual usando un análisis comparativo. Encontramos que el plumaje carotenoide apareció tres veces independientemente en palomas, y que estos eventos estaban siempre asociados a frugivoría. Esto sugiere que la expresión de carotenoides en el plumaje de especies granívoras puede estar restringida por la escasez de estos pigmentos en la dieta. Sin embargo, más de la mitad de las especies frugívoras carecen de plumaje carotenoide, indicando que alimentos ricos en este compuesto son una causa necesaria pero no suficiente para su expresión en el plumaje. Analizando 12 pares de taxa hermanos, encontramos que el dicromatismo no estaba asociado ni a la cantidad de pigmentos carotenoides presentes en el plumaje ni al dimorfismo sexual de plumaje carotenoide. Aunque la presencia de plumaje carotenoide ha sido relacionada con la selección sexual en numerosos grupos, no encontramos una asociación similar en palomas.


2007 ◽  
Vol 177 (4S) ◽  
pp. 398-398
Author(s):  
Luis H. Braga ◽  
Joao L. Pippi Salle ◽  
Sumit Dave ◽  
Sean Skeldon ◽  
Armando J. Lorenzo ◽  
...  
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