scholarly journals Many species of the Carnivora consume grass and other fibrous plant tissues

2020 ◽  
Vol 150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan R. Franck ◽  
Arian Farid

Within the Carnivora order, the consumption of fibrous plant tissues (FPT), such as leaves and stems, is only known to serve the nutritional needs of eight species in the Ailuridae and Ursidae. Apart from the Ailuridae and Ursidae, the extent of FPT ingestion in the Carnivora is poorly understood. A literature search was conducted to compile studies containing evidence of FPT consumption in the Carnivora, primarily based on analyses of scats or gastrointestinal tracts. Among 352 studies, there was evidence of FPT consumption in any amount in 124 species, or 41%, of the Carnivora. Grass consumption was documented in 95 species, while ingestion of sedges, marine plants, bryophytes, conifers, and dicots was much less frequent. A few species showed evidence of consuming fungi or soil. Nine studies observed co-occurrences of intestinal parasites with grasses or sedges in the scats of the Carnivora, suggesting these abrasive or hairy plant tissues help to expel intestinal parasites. The relevance of consuming marine plants, bryophytes, conifers, dicots, fungi, or soil has also been underappreciated. Deliberate ingestion of FPT may be more widespread and important than previously realized in the Carnivora.

1970 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 7-12
Author(s):  
A Adejumoke ◽  
O Morenikeji

Studies were carried out in Ibadan City, South-West Nigeria between March and June 2011, to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in vegetables sold in various markets within the city. Fifty samples each of 5 different vegetable types, Cabbage (Brassica deracea), Lettuce (Lactus sativa), Carrot (Daucus carota), Cucumber and green leafy vegetables were bought randomly from five different markets and examined for parasites in the laboratory using sedimentation method. Results show that 29(11.6%) out of the 250 vegetable samples examined had intestinal parasites. The prevalence of intestinal parasites in these plant tissues was found to be 22.0% in Cabbage, 14.0% in Carrot, 12.0% in lettuce and 10.0% in Green leafy vegetables. No parasites were detected in the 50 cucumber samples. Intestinal parasites detected included ova of Ascaris lumbricoides (51.7%), Hookworm larvae (27.6%) and larvae of Strongyloides stercoralis (20.7%). This study shows a high prevalence of intestinal parasites on vegetables in Ibadan markets and the need for public enlightenment campaigns on the danger of consuming inadequately washed and raw vegetables.KEYWORDS: Intestinal parasites, vegetable, market, sedimentation technique, South-West Nigeria.


EUGENIA ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Andre E. Wowor ◽  
A. Thomas ◽  
J. A. Rombang

Plant life cycle requires adequate nutrient content in the planting media environment. Nutrients are naturally influenced by cyclical nutrition itself. Plants in the form of trees play a role in the synthesis of nutrients themselves. Trees play a role in absorbing nutrients in the soil and releasing nutrients through dead or harvested tissue, plant tissues that are most often canceled or killed because the weather is leaves. The nutritional needs of trees are different so the absorption, use and management of nutrients in trees is also different. The purpose of this study is to see the differences in species of Mahogany, Nantu and Matoa trees, which has the potential to contribute to the availability of nutrients. The method used in the study was a completely randomized design (CRD) with three replications. Analysis of nutrient N, P and K was carried out in the laboratory using extraction of perhydrol by wet ingestion of H2SO4+H2O2. The results of the research obtained, that the fresh leaf litter of the nantu tree is the most potential as a nutrient-contributing tree to the surface soil.


Agriculture ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (12) ◽  
pp. 643 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Gioia ◽  
Giada d’Errico ◽  
Martina Sinno ◽  
Marta Ranesi ◽  
Sheridan Lois Woo ◽  
...  

An extensive literature search was performed to review current knowledge about endophytic fungi isolated from plants included in the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) dossier. The selected genera of plants were Acacia, Albizia, Bauhinia, Berberis, Caesalpinia, Cassia, Cornus, Hamamelis, Jasminus, Ligustrum, Lonicera, Nerium, and Robinia. A total of 120 fungal genera have been found in plant tissues originating from several countries. Bauhinia and Cornus showed the highest diversity of endophytes, whereas Hamamelis, Jasminus, Lonicera, and Robinia exhibited the lowest. The most frequently detected fungi were Aspergillus, Colletotrichum, Fusarium, Penicillium, Phyllosticta, and Alternaria. Plants and plant products represent an inoculum source of several mutualistic or pathogenic fungi, including quarantine pathogens. Thus, the movement of living organisms across continents during international trade represents a serious threat to ecosystems and biosecurity measures should be taken at a global level.


1964 ◽  
Vol 96 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 130-130
Author(s):  
A. J. McGinnis ◽  
R. Kasting

In biochemical studies of resistance of plants to insects knowledge of the nutritional needs of the insect is required. Some methods that have been developed or were adapted from studies with large animals are displayed.Larvae of the pale western cutworm, Agrotis orthogonia Morr., have been reared on diets prepared from wheat sprouts that have been lyophilized and ground to a fine meal. Diets may be prepared by adding water (two parts) to the meal (one part), packaging in aluminum foil, and storing in the frozen state. By lyophilization, other plant tissues have also been preserved successfully for periods up to one year. The lyophilized tissue provides a uniform dietary medium that can be readily extracted or supplemented in nutritional studies.


Author(s):  
John S. Gardner ◽  
W. M. Hess

Powdery mildews are characterized by the appearance of spots or patches of a white to grayish, powdery, mildewy growth on plant tissues, entire leaves or other organs. Ervsiphe cichoracearum, the powdery mildew of cucurbits is among the most serious parasites, and the most common. The conidia are formed similar to the process described for Ervsiphe graminis by Cole and Samson. Theconidial chains mature basipetally from a short, conidiophore mother-cell at the base of the fertile hypha which arises holoblastically from the conidiophore. During early development it probably elongates by polar-tip growth like a vegetative hypha. A septum forms just above the conidiophore apex. Additional septa develop in acropetal succession. However, the conidia of E. cichoracearum are more doliform than condia from E. graminis. The purpose of these investigations was to use scanning electron microscopy (SEM) to demonstrate the nature of hyphal growth and conidial formation of E. cichoracearum on field-grown squash leaves.


Author(s):  
Y. R. Chen ◽  
Y. F. Huang ◽  
W. S. Chen

Acid phosphatases are widely distributed in different tisssues of various plants. Studies on subcellular localization of acid phosphatases show they might be present in cell wall, plasma lemma, mitochondria, plastid, vacuole and nucleus. However, their localization in rice cell varies with developmental stages of cells and plant tissues. In present study, acid phosphatases occurring in root cap are examined.Sliced root tips of ten-day-old rice(Oryza sativa) seedlings were fixed in 0.1M cacodylate buffer containing 2.5% glutaraldehyde for 2h, washed overnight in same buffer solution, incubated in Gomori's solution at 37° C for 90min, post-fixed in OsO4, dehydrated in ethanol series and finally embeded in Spurr's resin. Sections were doubly stained with uranyl acetate and lead citrate, and observed under Hitachi H-600 at 75 KV.


Author(s):  
R.E. Crang ◽  
M. Mueller ◽  
K. Zierold

Obtaining frozen-hydrated sections of plant tissues for electron microscopy and microanalysis has been considered difficult, if not impossible, due primarily to the considerable depth of effective freezing in the tissues which would be required. The greatest depth of vitreous freezing is generally considered to be only 15-20 μm in animal specimens. Plant cells are often much larger in diameter and, if several cells are required to be intact, ice crystal damage can be expected to be so severe as to prevent successful cryoultramicrotomy. The very nature of cell walls, intercellular air spaces, irregular topography, and large vacuoles often make it impractical to use immersion, metal-mirror, or jet freezing techniques for botanical material.However, it has been proposed that high-pressure freezing (HPF) may offer an alternative to the more conventional freezing techniques, inasmuch as non-cryoprotected specimens may be frozen in a vitreous, or near-vitreous state, to a radial depth of at least 0.5 mm.


Author(s):  
Janet H. Woodward ◽  
D. E. Akin

Silicon (Si) is distributed throughout plant tissues, but its role in forages has not been clarified. Although Si has been suggested as an antiquality factor which limits the digestibility of structural carbohydrates, other research indicates that its presence in plants does not affect digestibility. We employed x-ray microanalysis to evaluate Si as an antiquality factor at specific sites of two cultivars of bermuda grass (Cynodon dactvlon (L.) Pers.). “Coastal” and “Tifton-78” were chosen for this study because previous work in our lab has shown that, although these two grasses are similar ultrastructurally, they differ in in vitro dry matter digestibility and in percent composition of Si.Two millimeter leaf sections of Tifton-7 8 (Tift-7 8) and Coastal (CBG) were incubated for 72 hr in 2.5% (w/v) cellulase in 0.05 M sodium acetate buffer, pH 5.0. For controls, sections were incubated in the sodium acetate buffer or were not treated.


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