scholarly journals Influence of environmental variability on the body condition of the mangrove horseshoe crab Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda from Banyuasin Estuarine, South Sumatra, Indonesia

2020 ◽  
Vol 30 ◽  
pp. 37-46
Author(s):  
Nita P. Sari ◽  
Noviantrio Gulo ◽  
Miftahun Najah ◽  
Fauziyah .
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Horseshoe Crab ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Sampling Site ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Marine Conservation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Condition Indices

The body conditions indices were useful to determine an individual's well-being, and favorable food availability indicating a good environmental condition. The conditions of the mangrove horseshoe crab (Carcinoscorpius rotundicauda) might be related to several environmental parameters. The study's aim was to analyze the key environmental parameters affecting the body condition of C. rotundicauda found in Banyuasin Estuary Waters. The sampling was conducted in July 2019 in Banyuasin Estuary Waters.  The data of weight and prosomal width for C. rotundicauda were used to estimate the body conditions indices (relative condition factor). While the environmental parameters data were recorded for each sampling site. The backward stepwise regression was used to determine the key environmental parameters affecting the body condition indices. The best-fitted model (adjusted R2 = 91.9%; F = 60.102; p < 0.05) indicated several environmental parameters (salinity, pH, seafloor temperature, clay and silt contents) significantly affecting the body condition indices. Changes in the key environmental parameters could generate changes in the availability of favorable food for C. rotundicauda. The result also can be used as baseline data for determining the marine conservation areas as well as horseshoe crab management plan.

Colony growth and pup condition of the New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) on the Kaikoura coastline compared with other east coast colonies

2006 ◽  
Vol 33 (6) ◽  
pp. 497 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. J. Boren ◽  
C. G. Muller ◽  
N. J. Gemmell
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Colony Growth ◽  
The Body ◽  
Fur Seal ◽  
Seal Population ◽  
Condition Indices ◽  
New Zealand Fur Seal ◽  
Breeding Seasons

Abstract.Since its near extermination by sealing, the New Zealand fur seal (Arctocephalus forsteri) has been recolonising areas of its former range throughout New Zealand and Australia. This study examined fur seal population growth over four breeding seasons spanning 2002–05 at the Ohau Point and Lynch’s Reef colonies in Kaikoura and the Horseshoe Bay and Te Oka Bay colonies on Banks Peninsula, on the east coast of New Zealand. Estimates of pup numbers were made using mark–recapture techniques and condition indices were used to assess the body condition of pups in each colony. We found that the Ohau Point and Te Oka Bay colonies are growing exponentially (32% and 47% per annum respectively), reaching nearly 600 pups at Ohau Point and 300 pups at Te Oka Bay, whereas Horseshoe Bay appears stable. Pups born at Ohau Point are consistently heavier and in better condition than their Banks Peninsula counterparts despite the faster rate of growth observed at Te Oka Bay. An El Niño event in 2003 coincided with a drop in mass and condition at the Banks Peninsula colonies, but not at the Kaikoura colony. This discrepancy between colonies in response to environmental conditions suggests that colony-specific variables at Kaikoura may provide more favourable conditions for rearing pups than on Banks Peninsula.

scholarly journals Body mass index and glucose variations during the night in free-ranging Artibeus planirostris (Chiroptera: Phyllostomidae)

2019 ◽  
Vol 36 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luane Maria Melo Azeredo ◽  
Monique Silva Ximenes ◽  
Kleytone Alves Pereira ◽  
Maria Paula Aguiar Fracasso ◽  
Luiz Carlos Serramo Lopez
Keyword(s):  
Blood Glucose ◽  
Body Mass ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
The Body ◽  
Energy Reserve ◽  
Glucose Levels ◽  
Reproductive Phase ◽  
Condition Indices ◽  
Positive Correlations ◽  
Free Ranging

Body condition is an important measure to estimate the energy reserve of an organism. Scientists frequently use body condition indices (BCIs) with morphometric measures but direct measurements, such as blood glucose, seem to be more reliable. We observed oscillations in the body condition and glucose indexes of individuals of Artibeusplanirostris (Spix, 1823) during 13 nights in the field. We assume that if glucose levels are proportional to feeding state and body condition is a measure of energy reserve, blood glucose and BCI should be positively correlated and both are expected to increase during the night as the bats leave their diurnal roost to feed. To test this, we examined the relationship between blood glucose levels, BCI and reproductive phase of free flying male bats (n = 70) for 12 hours after sunset for 13 nights. Bats were captured in Reserva Biológica de Guaribas (Paraíba, Brazil) using mist nets. Blood glucose was analyzed with a portable glucometer. Supporting our assumptions, the number of hours after sunset and BCI presented significant positive correlations with glucose levels in A.planirostris. Reproductive phase did not present a significant correlation with any other variables. As we predicted, glucose level can be used as proxy for morphometric BCI and it can be measured with a simple portable glucometer. The increase both in glucose and BCI around the night can be explained by the efficient assimilation of nutrients present in fruits ingested by bats and the quick metabolism that increases the levels of glucose (an other nutrients) in blood, increasing the body mass.

scholarly journals Pre-release processes influencing short-term mortality of glass eels in the French eel (Anguilla anguilla, Linnaeus 1758) stocking programme

2015 ◽  
Vol 73 (1) ◽  
pp. 150-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. Josset ◽  
T. Trancart ◽  
V. Mazel ◽  
F. Charrier ◽  
L. Frotté ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Anguilla Anguilla ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
The Body ◽  
European Eel ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Good Body Condition ◽  
Short Term Mortality ◽  
Glass Eels

Abstract The decline in the European eel has led the European Union to require that its Member States establish an Eel Management Plan, which includes a set of measures to help preserve and restore the wild eel populations. Stocking has been conducted in France since 2011 as part of this Management Plan. This stocking programme is based on a protocol designed by the French National Museum of Natural History and includes an assessment of the short-term (15 d after release) mortality and three recapture surveys at 6, 12, and 36 months after release. The present study aims to assess the different processes influencing the short-term mortality to provide recommendations to reduce mortality and increase the efficiency of the releases. A linear model was built to examine the different variables selected modelling. The resulting model explained 56.4% of the total deviance; the main factor in terms of explained deviance was the operation (31.2%), which actually includes a number of handling parameters. The other factors influencing the short-term mortality were the release year, the fishmonger that provided the glass eels, the duration of stalling (period of captivity) before release, the body condition, the marking, and the type of mortality test. It appears that some of these variables could be adjusted to reduce the short-term mortality. For instance, selecting the most suitable release sites to stock or selecting glass eels with good body condition, adjusting the duration of stalling, or limiting the marking should help reduce short-term mortality.

scholarly journals Relative condition factor: Le Cren's legacy for fisheries science

2020 ◽  
Vol 32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Éder André Gubiani ◽  
Renata Ruaro ◽  
Vinícius Ricardo Ribeiro ◽  
Úrsula Morgana Gomes de Santa Fé
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Condition Factor ◽  
Relative Weight ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Scientometric Analysis ◽  
Aquatic Environments ◽  
Relative Condition Factor ◽  
Length Relationship ◽  
Thomson Reuters

Abstract: Aim In this paper we present a scientometric analysis aimed at to assess and quantify the contribution of Le Cren’s condition factor and the main ideas advanced by ‘Le Cren, 1951’ to studies on the health of individuals or populations in aquatic environments. Specifically, we addressed the following questions: (i) what are the temporal and spatial citation trends of ‘Le Cren, 1951’?; (ii) Which journals cited ‘Le Cren, 1951’ most frequently?; (iii) In which types of aquatic environments and organisms have Le Cren’s condition factor been most commonly applied?; (iv) Which of the main applications addressed in ‘Le Cren, 1951’ have been most frequently used by fisheries scientists?; (v) Which of the methods (i.e., Quételet’s index or body mass index, Fulton’s condition factor, Le Cren’s condition factor, relative weight, residual index and scaled mass index) used to estimate condition factor identified in the papers that cited ‘Le Cren, 1951’ have been most frequently used? In addition, the main criticisms of the use of the relative condition factor are discussed. Methods We carried out a scientometric analysis on the papers published from 1951 to December 2015 that cited Le Cren’s article. The papers were obtained from the Thomson Reuters database (ISI Web of Knowledge, apps.isiknowledge.com) in May 2016. Results In total, 1128 papers were assessed. The number of citations increased significantly over time. Most citations occurred in two journals (Journal of Fish Biology and Journal of Applied Ichthyology). Most of papers were carried out in marine environments. In addition, we show that Le Cren's paper has been cited mainly in articles that estimate the condition factor or the weight-length relationship of populations. Finally, we emphasize that the relative condition factor proposed by Le Cren in 1951 is still the main method used to estimate the body condition of an individual or population. Conclusions Le Cren's significant contribution to animal well-being is undeniable, and we emphasize that among the methods identified in the papers that cited ‘Le Cren, 1951’ that estimated body condition, the relative condition factor proposed by Le Cren in 1951 is still the most commonly used method.

scholarly journals Preparation and administration of medicaments body weight of animals and drug dosage

2018 ◽  
pp. 024-030
Author(s):  
Tagesu Abdisa
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Drug Dosage ◽  
Visual Observation ◽  
The Body ◽  
Measurement Tool ◽  
Automatic Balance

The body condition of a livestock is generally assessed by visual observation. The references to an animal being too thin, in good fl esh, or obese all relate to the animal’s weight. Therefore, the weight of an animal can be used as a measurement tool to determine its well-being, or the presence of problems which may threaten the health of the horse. The weight of small animalsand poultry may be carried out by balance by automatic balance machine several methods can be used to determine the body weight of livestock in an approximate scale.

scholarly journals Changes in Health Indicators of Welfare in Group-Housed Shelter Cats

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronika Vojtkovská ◽  
Eva Voslářová ◽  
Vladimír Večerek
Keyword(s):  
Optimal Condition ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Health Indicators ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The Body ◽  
Respiratory Sounds ◽  
Upper Respiratory Tract ◽  
Welfare Indicators ◽  
Abnormal Posture

The aim of this study was to detect changes in health-oriented welfare indicators of shelter cats housed in a shelter by means of long-term monitoring of health indicators of welfare in a population of group-housed cats in a private, no-kill shelter in the Czech Republic. The cat population housed in a large group was monitored for 1 year. The data recording took place at 2-week intervals. A total of 220 cats were evaluated using a protocol containing eight health-oriented welfare indicators: body condition, third eye visibility, eye discharge, eye irritation, nose discharge, the presence of pathologically induced respiratory sounds, coat condition, and lameness and abnormal posture. The assessment was performed based on the observation by two trained evaluators. The cats' condition was rated on a 5-point scale for each indicator, where the optimal condition was represented by the score of 1 and a severe deterioration by the score of 5 for the given indicator, except for the body condition indicator, where the optimal condition was represented by the score of 3. A deterioration in the score in at least one of the indicators during the stay in the shelter was recorded in 52 (41.6%) of 125 cats that were assessed at least twice. The effect of the LOS, sex and age on the scores for each health indicator was examined via a linear mixed model analysis, as this method allows for handling of dependencies in the data of repeated measurements. The effect of predictors on the third eye visibility scores was not found. The age of cats predicted the coat condition and body condition scores. The LOS predicted scores of the abnormal posture and lameness indicator and scores of a composite index composed of indicators related to upper respiratory tract disease. The results suggest that despite the fact that some improvement of health was documented during the cats' stay in the shelter, there were a non-negligible number of animals experiencing a permanent or long-term deterioration in health. Efforts to minimize the undesirable factors contributing to the deterioration of well-being of cats during their stay in a shelter should be made.

scholarly journals Influence of environmental variability and age on the body condition of small pelagic fish in the Gulf of Lions

2015 ◽  
Vol 529 ◽  
pp. 219-231 ◽  
Author(s):  
P Brosset ◽  
F Ménard ◽  
JM Fromentin ◽  
S Bonhommeau ◽  
C Ulses ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Pelagic Fish ◽  
The Body ◽  
Small Pelagic Fish ◽  
Gulf Of Lions

scholarly journals Haemosporidian parasites prevalence associated with physical conditioning of avian species from the Brazilian Cerrado

2020 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. e50
Author(s):  
Paulo Vitor Alves Ribeiro ◽  
Camilla Queiroz Baesse ◽  
Vitor Carneiro de Magalhães Tolentino ◽  
Marco Miguel de Oliveira ◽  
Maria Júlia Rodrigues da Cunha ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Dioxide ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Bird Species ◽  
Parasite Prevalence ◽  
Blood Parasite ◽  
The Body ◽  
Avian Species ◽  
Blood Parasites ◽  
Brazilian Cerrado ◽  
Condition Indices

Blood parasites can infect myriad avian species and thereby affect the fitness and survival of their hosts. There is wide interspecific variation in parasite prevalence related to biological, ecological, and evolutionary host factors. This study aimed to determine the blood parasite prevalence in avian species from the Brazilian Cerrado and to investigate the associations among biomass, body condition, and blood parasitism. A total of 1,098 blood smears from 549 individuals (56 species) collected in four forest fragments were analyzed. Of these, 109 (19.85%) individuals from 33 species were infected: 13 (2.36%) were positive for Haemoproteus and 103 (18.76%) for Plasmodium. There was co-infection between both genera of parasites in 7 individuals. Among bird species, prevalence ranged from zero to 100%. There were significant positive correlations between prevalence and biomass and the body condition index. Hemosporid vectors track their hosts by carbon dioxide detection. Since large organisms emit more carbon dioxide, our results suggest that larger birds may be more susceptible to hemosporid vectors. Additionally, species with higher body condition indices can be more tolerant to parasites, possibly because they have more energy reserves. This study showed that species with higher biomass and body condition indices were associated with higher blood parasite prevalence, a finding that suggests these factors are efficient predictors to explain the interspecific variations. This information could be important for the understanding parasite-host relationships and useful for bird conservation programs.

scholarly journals Welfare Assessment and Identification of the Associated Risk Factors Compromising the Welfare of Working Donkeys (Equus asinus) in Egyptian Brick Kilns

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (9) ◽  
pp. 1611
Author(s):  
Shaaban F. Farhat ◽  
Amy K. McLean ◽  
Hamdy F. F. Mahmoud
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Working Hours ◽  
The Body ◽  
P Value ◽  
Economic Activities ◽  
Brick Kilns ◽  
Equus Asinus ◽  
Associated Risk Factors ◽  
And Behavior

Donkeys are a cornerstone in human existence, having played an important role throughout history in different economic activities, such as working in brick kilns in Egypt. This study was conducted from January 2017 to the end of April 2017 in the El-Saf brick kilns, which are located to the south of the Giza Governorate and 57 Km away from Cairo. Physical clinical health and behavior data were collected from 179 donkeys spanning over a random sample of 20 brick kilns selected from the El-Saf brick kilns. Behavioral, physical health, harness, and environmental parameters were assessed and recorded. The study found that 80 ± 3% (n = 179) of kiln donkeys have some type of wound, and the most serious wound is a beating wound (49 ± 3.7%), which is caused by drivers hitting the donkeys. The drivers are mostly children, who have insufficient knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively communicate with their donkeys and no motivation to enhance the welfare of these equids. Other wounds are related to the harness, such as the breeching (10 ± 2.2%), saddle (43 ± 3.7%), neck collar (40 ± 3.6%), and shaft of the cart (12 ± 2.4%). A poor body condition was seen in 56 ± 3.7% of kiln donkeys. A correlation in terms of the prevalence of wounds was found between the body condition (p-value < 0.01) and/or cleanliness of the harness. There was a negative association between the body condition and wound prevalence in brick kilns (Pearson coefficient of correlation −0.71). The physical enviromental factors that affect the body condition of working donkeys are the working hours of donkeys/day, the number of donkeys in a kiln, the distance from loading to the oven, and the concentrated food/donkey (p-value < 0.01). These three variables can explain 78.85% of the variability in body conditions based on a 1–5 scale. In addition to health parameters, behavior parameters, such as the donkeys’ general attitude, reaction to observers, and chin contact are associated with the body condition (p-value < 0.01). As a consequence, it is important for the owners of working donkeys to pay attention to their body condition in order to avoid compromising their body condition and welfare.

scholarly journals Analysis of body condition indices reveals different ecotypes of the Antillean manatee

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
D. N. Castelblanco-Martínez ◽  
D. H. Slone ◽  
S. S. Landeo-Yauri ◽  
E. A. Ramos ◽  
A. Alvarez-Alemán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Linear Models ◽  
The Body ◽  
Non Invasive ◽  
Coastal Marine ◽  
Conservation Actions ◽  
Biometric Measurements ◽  
Condition Indices ◽  
West Indian Manatee ◽  
Antillean Manatees

AbstractAssessing the body condition of wild animals is necessary to monitor the health of the population and is critical to defining a framework for conservation actions. Body condition indices (BCIs) are a non-invasive and relatively simple means to assess the health of individual animals, useful for addressing a wide variety of ecological, behavioral, and management questions. The Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) is an endangered subspecies of the West Indian manatee, facing a wide variety of threats from mostly human-related origins. Our objective was to define specific BCIs for the subspecies that, coupled with additional health, genetic and demographic information, can be valuable to guide management decisions. Biometric measurements of 380 wild Antillean manatees captured in seven different locations within their range of distribution were obtained. From this information, we developed three BCIs (BCI1 = UG/SL, BCI2 = W/SL3, BCI3 = W/(SL*UG2)). Linear models and two-way ANCOVA tests showed significant differences of the BCIs among sexes and locations. Although our three BCIs are suitable for Antillean manatees, BCI1 is more practical as it does not require information about weight, which can be a metric logistically difficult to collect under particular circumstances. BCI1 was significantly different among environments, revealing that the phenotypic plasticity of the subspecies have originated at least two ecotypes—coastal marine and riverine—of Antillean manatees.

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