scholarly journals Transfer of cadmium from ants to ant-lions

1995 ◽  
Vol 6 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 133-138 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pekka Nuorteva
Keyword(s):  
Larval Development ◽  
Food Chain ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Parallel Difference ◽  
Ant Lion ◽  
Formica Aquilonia ◽  
Sparse Population ◽  
Harmful Effects

Ants have been found to bear exceptionally high loads of Cd and other metals, but are in general quite resistant to the toxic effects of Cd. Possible harmful effects caused to their predators by high Cd content have not been studied. Detection of a sparse population of ant-lions on a beach at Padva in Bromarv, offered the possibility to make some preliminary observations of such harmfull effects. AAS-analyses showed that free-living ant-lion larvae bear a Cd load of 4.5 ppm/dwt in young larvae, 8.5 ppm in old ones. This corresponded approximately to the level occurring in their most important food items in Padva (4.5 ppm mean for workers of Formica rufibarbis Fabricius and 6.1 ppm for foragers of F. fusca Linnaeus). The level of Cd in the single ant-lion imago caught (0.5 ppm) was clearly lower than in larvae. Among the Cdantagonistic metals, Cu showed levels in ant-lions two- or three-fold those found in ants, whereas no parallel difference existed for Zn levels. During larval development the level of the essential Cu diminished to half whereas the level of Zn increased two-fold. The fate of surplus cadmium in the food chain was followed experimentally by feeding a forest-living colony of Formica aquilonia Yarrow with 0.5 kg honey containing 600 mg CdCl2 This elevated the Cd content of surface workers up to a level1 O-f old that considered normal, 90-100 ppm (n = 4), and of the inside workers up to 5-fold, 36-61 ppm (n = 6). When surface workers were fed to ant-lion larvae ad libidum, larval Cd content rose in one week to the level of the food (87 ppm). When the feeding of ant-lion larvae was continued by feeding them inside workers for additional 4 weeks, these larvae showed a Cd level (49 ppm), similar to that of their food; then when the feeding had continued for 8 weeks, the level, however, rose to 120 ppm. All ant-lion larvae, including those with the highest Cd content, were fully active and showed no symptoms of disease. Artificial Cd-feeding had no clear effect on the Cu-levels in ants or ant-lions, but Zn responded by an increase from the natural level of 501-603 ppm to 560-1 200 ppm.

Biogenic Amines in Portuguese Traditional Foods and Wines

2006 ◽  
Vol 69 (9) ◽  
pp. 2293-2303 ◽  
Author(s):  
ISABEL M. P. L. V. O. FERREIRA ◽  
OLÍVIA PINHO
Keyword(s):  
Biogenic Amines ◽  
Diode Array ◽  
Fermented Foods ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Traditional Foods ◽  
High Intake ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Chromatographic Techniques ◽  
Mass Spectrometry Detector ◽  
And Storage

The presence of biogenic amines in foodstuffs is an important food safety problem because of the implication of these compounds in food intolerance and intoxication. The separation and quantification of biogenic amines in foods is normally performed by chromatographic techniques. This review contains descriptions of the quantification of biogenic amines in Portuguese traditional fermented and/or ripened foods and wines, including Protected Denomination of Origin cheeses, dry-cured sausages, and Portuguese wines (including Port wines), using different analytical methods based on high-pressure liquid chromatography (UV or diode array and/or fluorometric detectors) and gas chromatography (with a mass spectrometry detector). The evolution of biogenic amines during fermentation, ripening, aging, or storage of those products was also evaluated. Biogenic amine concentrations ranged widely within individual food items, and storage, transport, and handling conditions can influence to some extent the biogenic amines present and their concentrations. Traditional foods are an important part of the Portuguese diet, and a high intake of harmful amounts of biogenic amines from traditional Portuguese fermented foods is possible. However, extensive research is needed to extend the current limited database.

scholarly journals A mutualism without honeydew: what benefits forMelissotarsus emeryiants and armored scale insects (Diaspididae)?

PeerJ ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. e3599 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Peeters ◽  
Imre Foldi ◽  
Danièle Matile-Ferrero ◽  
Brian L. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Building Material ◽  
Malpighian Tubules ◽  
Host Tree ◽  
Scale Insects ◽  
Suitable Host ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Armored Scale ◽  
Plant Hosts ◽  
Armoured Scale Insects ◽  
Harmful Effects

Mutualisms between ants and sap-sucking insects generally involve clear benefits for both partners: the ants provide protection in exchange for honeydew. However, a single ant genus associates with armoured scale insects (Diaspididae) that do not excrete honeydew. We studied three colonies ofMelissotarsus emeryiants from two localities in Mozambique. Vast numbers of the diaspididMorganella conspicuaoccupied galleries dug by the ants under the bark of living trees. Unlike free-livingM. conspicuaand other diaspidids,M. conspicualiving with ants are known to lack shields, likely because they gain protection against enemies and desiccation. Nevertheless, we documented the occurrence of rare individuals with shields inside ant galleries, indicating that their glands continue to secrete wax and proteins as building material. This is likely to constitute a significant portion of the ants’ diet, in addition to diaspidid exuviae and excretions from the Malpighian tubules. Indeed,Melissotarsusworkers cannot walk outside the galleries due to modified middle legs, forcing them to obtain all nourishment within the tree.Melissotarsusfounding queens, however, must locate a suitable host tree while flying, and acquire diaspidid crawlers. This mutualism involves ants that are highly specialised to chew through living wood, and diaspidids that can also live freely outside the bark. It is extremely widespread in Africa and Madagascar, recorded from 20 tree families, and harmful effects on plant hosts require rapid study.

scholarly journals Natural history of the lizard Enyalius brasiliensis (Lesson, 1828) (Leiosauridae) from an Atlantic Forest of southeastern Brazil

2004 ◽  
Vol 64 (2) ◽  
pp. 353-356 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Van Sluys ◽  
V. M. Ferreira ◽  
C. F. D. Rocha
Keyword(s):  
Natural History ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
The Other ◽  
Southeastern Brazil ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Insect Larvae ◽  
Lizard Species ◽  
Food Items ◽  
History Of ◽  
Forest Leaf Litter

Information on the ecology of lizard species from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest is scarce and almost nothing is known about the ecology of lizards of the genus Enyalius. In this study, we provide information about some aspects of the natural history of E. brasiliensis from an area of Atlantic Forest in Ilha Grande, RJ. Enyalius brasiliensis (N = 15) feeds mainly on arthropods. The most frequent food items were insect larvae, orthopterans, and ants; in terms of volume, larvae and termites were the most important food items; ants and termites were the most numerous prey categories. Two females were reproductive (one had 10 and the other, five vitellogenic follicles); the smallest measured 92.4 mm in SVL. Seven lizards were found on forest leaf litter. The other microhabitats used were vines, fallen logs, branches, and a crevice on a slope.

scholarly journals Validation of the Danish 7-day pre-coded food diary among adults: energy intake v. energy expenditure and recording length

2009 ◽  
Vol 102 (12) ◽  
pp. 1838-1846 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anja Biltoft-Jensen ◽  
Jeppe Matthiessen ◽  
Lone B. Rasmussen ◽  
Sisse Fagt ◽  
Margit V. Groth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Food Intake ◽  
Energy Expenditure ◽  
Energy Intake ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Food Diary ◽  
Dietary Survey ◽  
Limits Of Agreement ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Food Items ◽  
In The Beginning

Under-reporting of energy intake (EI) is a well-known problem when measuring dietary intake in free-living populations. The present study aimed at quantifying misreporting by comparing EI estimated from the Danish pre-coded food diary against energy expenditure (EE) measured with a validated position-and-motion instrument (ActiReg®). Further, the influence of recording length on EI:BMR, percentage consumers, the number of meal occasions and recorded food items per meal was examined. A total of 138 Danish volunteers aged 20–59 years wore the ActiReg® and recorded their food intake for 7 consecutive days. Data for 2504 participants from the National Dietary Survey 2000–2 were used for comparison of characteristics and recording length. The results showed that EI was underestimated by 12 % on average compared with EE measured by ActiReg® (PreMed AS, Oslo, Norway). The 95 % limits of agreement for EI and EE were − 6·29 and 3·09 MJ/d. Of the participants, 73 % were classified as acceptable reporters, 26 % as under-reporters and 1 % as over-reporters. EI:BMR was significantly lower on 1–3 consecutive recording days compared with 4–7 recording days (P < 0·03). Percentage consumers of selected food items increased with number of recording days. When recording length was 7 d, the number of reported food items per meal differed between acceptable reporters and under-reporters. EI:BMR was the same on 4 and 7 consecutive recording days. This was, however, a result of under-reporting in the beginning and the end of the 7 d reporting. Together, the results indicate that EI was underestimated at group level and that a 7 d recording is preferable to a 4 d recording period.

Effect of structurally related flavonoids from Zuccagnia punctata Cav. on Caenorhabditis elegans

2014 ◽  
Vol 60 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Romina E. D’Almeida ◽  
María R. Alberto ◽  
Phillip Morgan ◽  
Margaret Sedensky ◽  
María I. Isla
Keyword(s):  
Caenorhabditis Elegans ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Egg Hatching ◽  
C Elegans ◽  
Therapeutic Drugs ◽  
Aerial Parts ◽  
Free Living Nematode ◽  
Development Processes ◽  
Anthelmintic Effect

AbstractZuccagnia punctata Cav. (Fabaceae), commonly called jarilla macho or pus-pus, is being used in traditional medicine as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and to relieve muscle and bone pain. The aim of this work was to study the anthelmintic effects of three structurally related flavonoids present in aerial parts of Z. punctata Cav. The biological activity of the flavonoids 7-hydroxyflavanone (HF), 3,7-dihydroxyflavone (DHF) and 2´,4´-dihydroxychalcone (DHC) was examined in the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans. Our results showed that among the assayed flavonoids, only DHC showed an anthelmintic effect and alteration of egg hatching and larval development processes in C. elegans. DHC was able to kill 50% of adult nematodes at a concentration of 17 μg/mL. The effect on larval development was observed after 48 h in the presence of 25 and 50 μg/mL DHC, where 33.4 and 73.4% of nematodes remained in the L3 stage or younger. New therapeutic drugs with good efficacy against drug-resistant nematodes are urgently needed. Therefore, DHC, a natural compound present in Z. punctata, is proposed as a potential anthelmintic drug.

Bears and ants: myrmecophagy by brown bears in central Scandinavia

1999 ◽  
Vol 77 (4) ◽  
pp. 551-561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon E Swenson ◽  
Anna Jansson ◽  
Raili Riig ◽  
Finn Sandegren
Keyword(s):  
Ursus Arctos ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Brown Bears ◽  
Plant Foods ◽  
Clear Cutting ◽  
Carpenter Ants ◽  
Formica Aquilonia ◽  
Formica Lugubris ◽  
Selection Of

To determine general patterns of myrmecophagy in bears, we tested hypotheses regarding selection of ant species, factors important to bears when selecting ant species, factors influencing seasonal use of ants, and foraging behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in central Sweden. Ants were an important food for these bears, constituting 12, 16, and 4% of fecal volume in spring, summer, and autumn, respectively. Ants were abundant, 30.5-38.5 tonnes per bear, and bears excavated 8-33% (mean 23%) of the mounds of red forest ants annually. Carpenter ants (Camponotus herculeanus) were highly preferred. Among mound-building red forest ants, the Formica aquilonia/polyctena complex was preferred over Formica exsecta and Formica lugubris. The ants selected by bears had high digestible energy and low formic acid content and behaved passively when the colony was disturbed. Colony size and density may also have influenced the selection of ants. Seasonal use of ants was related not to the availability of pupae or the quality of plant foods but probably to the availability of other foods. Bears consumed only a small proportion of the ants, 4000-5000, each time they opened a mound, probably because of rapidly increasing difficulty in capturing them after the colony was attacked. Eurasian brown bears feed more on ants than North American bears do, perhaps because of greater availability of large colonies of red forest ants. Carpenter ants may have been especially available in our study area following intensive clear-cutting.

Applied Anthropology in Latin America

1943 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 33-35
Author(s):  
Charles Loomis
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Latin America ◽  
Economic Structure ◽  
Applied Anthropology ◽  
Food Shortage ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Food Items ◽  
The Social

Just how acute the food shortage in Peru is may be a disputed question but there is no disagreement concerning the existence of a shortage in many important food items. Also there is no lack of agreement concerning the proposition which all good sociologists or anthropologists would propound; namely, that the matter of alleviating the situation involves human problems deeply rooted in the social and economic structure of Peru. These are not greatly different from those reported for El Oro Province in Ecuador discussed below. To deal with them intelligently technicians trained in the social sciences and experience in administrating action programs in Latin America are needed.

V - The development of Haliotis Tuberculata , with special reference to organogenesis during torsion

1937 ◽  
Vol 228 (552) ◽  
pp. 219-268 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Nervous System ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
Larval Development ◽  
Retractor Muscle ◽  
Larval Life ◽  
Free Living ◽  
Larval Stages ◽  
Haliotis Tuberculata ◽  
New Interpretation ◽  
Selection Of

Investigation of the development of Haliotis tuberculata , Linnaeus, was undertaken as a natural sequel to an examination of the bionomics and anatomy of Haliotis (Crofts 1929, p. 159). It is an attempt to elucidate the organogenesis during the changing larval habits, in the hope of adding to the scanty ontogenetical evidence available towards solving the problems of gastropod evolution. Excellent accounts of the embryonic phase, including patiently worked out details of the cleavage and of gastrulation, have been published for Crepidula (Conklin 1897), Patella (Patten 1886; Wilson 1904; and Smith 1935), Trochus (Robert 1902), Physa (Wierzejski 1905), Dentalium (Wilson 1904). The only comprehensive accounts of gastropod larval development already published are of Paludina (Erlanger 1891; Tonniges 1896; Drummond 1902; Andersen 1924) and of Patella (Patten 1886; Smith I935). The accounts of Paludina elucidate the details of development of the coelom and its derivatives. The viviparous habit and consequent loss of free larval life in Paludina , however, make it a very unsuitable example of gastropod development. Evolutionary stages are more likely to be traced from the development of less specialized gastropods, an adequate selection of whose free-living larval stages can be obtained. The larval development of Patel, Acmaea, Trochus and Haliotis has been described, in varying completeness for the different genera. Patten’s work on Patella coerulea (1886) gives a description only of the beginning of organogenesis. After a lapse of fifty years a more detailed account of the development of P. vulgata has been given by Smith (1935). This work gives a new interpretation of the development of the mesoderm, of the muscles and of the nervous system. The dorsal retractor muscle of the larva, which Patten indicated for P. coerula , is shown in P. vulgata to be placed asymmetrically and torsion takes place “ under the action” of this muscle.

scholarly journals Aspekty medyczno-prawne dotyczące żywienia w kontekście bezpieczeństwa ekologicznego żywności

2021 ◽  
pp. 66-67
Author(s):  
Julia Świerżewska ◽  
Salomea Kaszczewska ◽  
Wojtek Młodziejewski
Keyword(s):  
Food Chain ◽  
Health Hazard ◽  
Raw Material ◽  
Safety Control ◽  
Safety Requirements ◽  
Harmful Substances ◽  
Harmful Effects ◽  
New System ◽  
Take All

They know better all the features and risks of their business, and therefore they must be responsible for their safety. Implementation of the main elements of the new food safety control system in Ukraine takes place through the implementation of a permanent procedure based on the HACCP principles [1−3]. Now, entrepreneurs must identify potential hazards and risks of the production process and capacities, as well as take all necessary measures to minimize them. Together with greater responsibility the entrepreneurs receive more freedom. For example, the state cannot require the factory to have light walls above 1.8m. The quality is a subjective and personal concept, and safety requirements must prevent the harmful effects of products on the health of the consumer. At the same time, Ukrainians need to know what they are consuming. Therefore, lawmakers are currently working on a draft law on providing information to consumers about food. The new system to which Ukraine passes allows a clear distinction to be drawn between liabilities for causing harm due to the consumption of a dangerous product. According to the concept of the food chain «from the lawn to the table», the quality of the product must be baked at each stage of the commodity circulation, and each businessman is responsible for the safety of the food within its activities: the manufacturer − within the limits of production, the carrier − within the scope of transportation, the store − within storage and sale. Consequently, at each point of the food chain, the entrepreneur knows where the raw material or product came from and where it comes next. If the customer receives a health hazard product, this system helps to identify: who is responsible for causing harm. In this chain, there should be feed for productive animals. The draft law «On Safety and Hygiene of Forms» has already been developed and registered. If the feed contains harmful substances, they will continue to enter our body through products made from animal meat.

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