无蹼壁虎冬眠期的生态及形态生理研究

本文观察研究了无蹼壁虎冬眠期的生态和形态生理状况。冬眠期无蹼壁虎喜在墙缝及岩缝中过冬。冬眠对体长和尾长无影响,而其体重显著减少。冬眠期温度的变化与冬眠活动关系密切。经过冬眠,其肥满度、脂肪体系数、肝系数平均明显减少,变化非常显著,而生殖腺系数的变化不显著。冬眠前雌性组肝脏和脂肪体的均重都大于雄性组。     

东方铃蟾冬眠时与禁食致死时肥满度及某些内脏器官的变化

东方铃蟾经过冬眠,其肥满度、躯体肥满度（雄体组无明显变化）、肝系数、生殖腺系数（雄体组无明显变化）平均明显减少,变化显著,而脂肪体系数变化极显著。禁食致死组与冬眠前后组比较,其肥满度、躯体肥满度、肝系数、生殖腺系数变化显著或极显著,其中禁食致死组的肝系数、雌性禁食组的躯体肥满度分别与冬眠后组的相比较,无明显变化。禁食致死组的脂肪体系数为零。冬眠前后及禁食致死时的睾丸均重几乎无变化,而卵巢均重则变化明显。     

东方铃蟾冬眠时与禁食致死时肥满度及某此内脏器官的变化

东方铃蟾经过冬眠,其肥满度,躯体肥满度,肝系数,生殖腺系数平均明显减少,变化显著,而脂肪体系数变化极显著。禁食致死组与冬眠前后组比较,其肥满度,躯体肥满度,肝系数,生殖腺系数变化显著或极显著,其中禁食致死组的肝系数,雌性禁食组的躯体肥满度分别与冬眠后组的相比较,无明显变化。     

黑斑蛙蛰眠前后形态生理生态变化初探

本文回归分析,表明黑斑蛙（Ｒａｎａ ｎｉｇｒｏｍａｃｕｌａｔａ）出蛰、入蛰时体长与体重、胴体重和体重与肝重、脂肪体重、生殖原重之间均存在非常显著的线性相关关系;通过对一些生理常数的显著性检验,右知蛰眠后的肥满度、脂肪体系数、肝系数显著减小,生殖腺系数啬非常显著,躯体肥满度无明显变化。     

金线蛙冬眠前后肥满度及部分内脏器官的变化

实验测定了金线蛙冬眠前后几项生理指标。结果表明,冬眠前后两性的肥满度及躯体肥满度变化均不显著,但两性的肝系数均显著下降;脂肪体系数和生殖腺系数的变化均表现两性差异。     

花背蟾蜍冬眠期几项生理常数间的关系

本文揭示了花背蟾蜍ＢｕｆｏｒａｄｄｅｉＳｔｒａｕｃｈ冬眠前、后雌性和雄性之体长、胴体重、肝重、脂肪体重以及生殖腺重与体重之间,均呈显著的正相关,回归系数ｔ检验表明,雌雄间差异显著,且冬眠期间雌性主要消耗物来自躯体和脂肪体,雄性来自躯体、肝脏和脂肪体。     

山地麻蜥深秋和晚春几项生理指标研究

山地麻蜥 (Ｅｒｅｍｉａｓｂｒｅｎｃｈｌｅｙｉ)是‘我国常见的小型爬行动物。鉴于对它们冬眠期的肥满度等的研究未见有报道 ,作者于 1 995年 1 0月～ 1 996年 5月、1 997年 1 0月～ 1 998年 5月对其肥满度、胴体肥满度、脂肪体系数、生殖腺系数进行了数理统计分析。现报道如下。1　材料与方法实验用麻蜥捕捉自徐州市南郊泉山的朝阳山坡上 ,1 995年 1 0月 2 4日捕回 4 4只 (雌性 2 3只 ,雄性2 1只 ) ,1 996年 4月 2 1日捕回 2 2只 (雌性 1 0只 ,雄性 1 2只 ) ;1 997年 1 0月 1 6日捕回 2 3只 (雌性 1 1只 ,雄性 1 2只 ) ,1 998年 4月 2 5日…     

中华蟾蜍入蛰时和出蛰时几项生理常数间的关系研究

本文探讨了中华蟾蜍入蛰时和出蛰时的体长与体重,胴体重,体重与肝重,脂肪体重,生殖腺重之间的关系。统计学处理表明中华蟾蜍的体长与体重,胴体重,体重与肝重,脂肪体重,生殖腺重之间均有非常显著的线性相关关系。     

花背蟾蜍冬眠生态学的初步研究

本文报道了辽宁北镇县城东河滩沙地止的花背蟾蜍冬眠生态习性。经过冬眠、种群结构无明显变化。肥满度、睾丸大小亦无明显变化;脂肪体系数显著减少;雌性生殖腺系数和输卵管相对体重百分数均显著增加。蟾蜍在当地10月下旬入眠,冬眠洞多在具一定坡度、背风向阳处。第二年4月中旬醒眠出洞,遇雨出洞锐增。     

珠海城区臭鼩肥满度的性二态及其与气象因子的关系

肥满度被广泛用于动物生长状况与环境、生存、繁殖等方面的研究。对2017年6月—2019年3月在广东省珠海市城区采集的328只臭鼩Suncus murinus肥满度进行分析,以期发现亚热带城市环境中臭鼩肥满度与性别、季节及气象因子的关系及其变化规律。结果显示:1)雄性肥满度(3.32)显著高于雌性;春季怀孕雌性(2.62)比未怀孕雌性(2.31)具有更高的肥满度。2)雄性和怀孕雌性肥满度在季节间的差异有统计学意义,雄性在春季和夏季的肥满度较高,分别为3.48和3.41,而怀孕雌性的肥满度仅在春季较高,未怀孕雌性的肥满度无明显的季节变化。3)雄性肥满度与气象因子无显著相关性,未怀孕雌性肥满度与季月平均降水量呈显著正相关,怀孕雌性肥满度与季月平均温度呈显著负相关。个体大的雄性在对食物等资源的竞争中更具优势,因此具有更高的肥满度。臭鼩肥满度的变化与种群密度及食物资源可利用性有关。不同性别、不同生理状况(怀孕/未怀孕)的个体在不同季节获得资源的能力不同,其肥满度表现出明显的性二态及季节性波动。     

金线蛙入蛰时几项生理常数间的关系研究

本文经统计学分析处理,表明金钱蛙（Ｒａｎａｐｌａｎｃｙｉ）入蛰时的体长与体重、胴体重和体重与肝重、脂肪体重、生殖腺重之间均存在非常显著的线性相关关系。     

The relationship between body and gonadal weights of the dusky leaf monkey (Presbytis obscura)

Data from 25 male and 44 female free-ranging dusky leaf monkeys, Presbytis obscura,are analyzed. In a male the mean total testicular weight, 5.82 g, represents 0.078% of the mean adult body weight, 7.39 kg. The mean total ovarian weight, 0.52 g, represents 0.008% of the mean female adult body weight, 6.47 kg. A moderate degree of sexual dimorphism thus exists in this species, female body weight representing 88% that of the male. No seasonal variation in the adult body weight or total gonadal weight of either sex occurs. Only in males is there a strong positive correlation between left and right gonadal weight, and no correlation exists between the total gonadal weight and the estimated age of either male or female adults. Among adults, only females evince a significant positive correlation between total gonadal weight and body weight. No marked change in total ovarian weight occurs during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, or lactation.     

凹唇壁蜂成蜂体重与取食对其飞行能力的影响

凹唇壁蜂Osmia excavata Alfken被广泛应用于我国北方果树的传粉, 而其飞行能力是影响其传粉效率的重要因素。本研究通过飞行磨吊飞试验, 评估了凹唇壁蜂雌蜂和雄蜂飞行能力的差异以及取食对其飞行能力的影响。结果表明, 凹唇壁蜂雌蜂体重（116.30 mg）显著大于雄蜂（59.80 mg） (P<0.001), 雌蜂的最大飞行速度（3.44 km/h）显著大于雄蜂（2.36 km/h）, 雄蜂的飞行距离和最大飞行速度与其飞行前体重成显著的正相关性, 雌蜂的飞行时间与其飞行前体重成显著正相关性, 而雌蜂的平均飞行速度与其体重成显著负相关性; 雌蜂的日平均飞行距离为0.23 km, 根据雌蜂以巢为中心, 采集花粉繁殖后代的生物学习性, 蜂巢之间的放置距离应少于100 m。取食蜂蜜后, 雌雄壁蜂的飞行距离、 飞行时间、 最大飞行速度均有提高的趋势, 建议在田间应用时, 可在蜂巢附近放置蜂蜜或种植其他蜜源植物给初羽化的凹唇壁蜂提供食物补充能量。本研究明确了雌、 雄壁蜂的飞行能力和出茧后补充食物对于壁蜂飞行的促进作用, 为有效地利用凹唇壁蜂进行传粉提供了理论依据。     

Patterns of sexual dimorphism from birth to senescence

Sexual dimorphism is expressed as median of the female values in percent of the median of the male values, of 4 length measurements, 3 circumferences, and 5 measurements of corpulence respectively fat. Data were obtained from a cross-sectional sample of more than 41.000 German subjects, aged from birth to age 62. The pattern of sexual dimorphism is similar in the length measurements. Girls are shorter at birth, but they increase in length at higher rates than boys and even temporarily overgrow the boys up to age 12. Thereafter, males show an obvious growth advantage leading to some 6 to 9% more length in adult males. In contrast, female circumferences are always smaller, from birth to senescence. Though, the differences between the sexes are low in circumferences, up to age 13, sexual dimorphism increases to 17% in the thoracic circumference at adulthood. Sexual dimorphism in weight and BMI is comparably with that in length measurements while subcutaneous fat and total body fat content are always higher in females. The results highlight that sexual dimorphism develops at different pace in the various components of the body and that it associates with a sex specific growth tempo.     

Unexpected long-term protection of adult offspring born to high-fat fed dams against obesity induced by a sucrose-rich diet

Background

Metabolic and endocrine environment during early life is crucial for metabolic imprinting. When dams were fed a high fat diet (HF diet), rat offspring developed hypothalamic leptin resistance with lean phenotype when weaned on a normal diet. Interestingly, when grown on the HF diet, they appeared to be protected against the effects of HF diet as compared to offspring of normally fed dams. The mechanisms involved in the protective effect of maternal HF diet are unclear.

Methodology/Principal Findings

We thus investigated the impact of maternal high fat diet on offspring subjected to normal or high palatable diet (P diet) on metabolic and endocrine parameters. We compared offspring born to dams fed P or HF diet. Offspring born to dams fed control or P diet, when fed P diet exhibited a higher body weight, altered hypothalamic leptin sensitivity and metabolic parameters suggesting that maternal P diet has no protective effect on offspring. Whereas, maternal HF diet reduces body weight gain and circulating triglycerides, and ameliorates corpulence index of offspring, even when subjected to P diet. Interestingly, this protective effect is differently expressed in male and female offspring. Male offspring exhibited higher energy expenditure as mirrored by increased hypothalamic UCP-2 and liver AdipoR1/R2 expression, and a profound change in the arcuate nucleus astrocytic organization. In female offspring, the most striking impact of maternal HF diet is the reduced hypothalamic expression of NPY and POMC.

Conclusions/Significance

HF diet given during gestation and lactation protects, at least partially, offspring from excessive weight gain through several mechanisms depending upon gender including changes in arcuate nucleus astrocytic organization and increased hypothalamic UCP-2 and liver AdipoR1/2 expression in males and reduced hypothalamic expression of NPY and POMC in females. Taken together our results reveal new mechanisms involved in the protective effect of maternal HF diet.     

Estimation of genetic variation in residual variance in female and male broiler chickens

In breeding programs, robustness of animals and uniformity of end product can be improved by exploiting genetic variation in residual variance. Residual variance can be defined as environmental variance after accounting for all identifiable effects. The aims of this study were to estimate genetic variance in residual variance of body weight, and to estimate genetic correlations between body weight itself and its residual variance and between female and male residual variance for broilers. The data sets comprised 26 972 female and 24 407 male body weight records. Variance components were estimated with ASREML. Estimates of the heritability of residual variance were in the range 0.029 (s.e. = 0.003) to 0.047 (s.e. = 0.004). The genetic coefficients of variation were high, between 0.35 and 0.57. Heritabilities were higher in females than in males. Accounting for heterogeneous residual variance increased the heritabilities for body weight as well. Genetic correlations between body weight and its residual variance were -0.41 (s.e. = 0.032) and -0.45 (s.e. = 0.040), respectively, in females and males. The genetic correlation between female and male residual variance was 0.11 (s.e. = 0.089), indicating that female and male residual variance are different traits. Results indicate good opportunities to simultaneously increase the mean and improve uniformity of body weight of broilers by selection.     

Postcanine tooth size in female primates

The results of many allometric studies of postcanine tooth size in mammals have not corresponded to expectations of tooth size based on energy requirements and dental function. The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between postcanine occlusal surface area, body size, and the metabolic demands of pregnancy and lactation in female primates. Tooth and body sizes from 38 primate species were taken from the literature to test two hypotheses: 1) females should have relatively larger teeth than males in order to masticate additional food for the energetic costs of reproduction; 2) taxa with the largest neonatal size (a measure of average metabolic costs of pregnancy and lactation) should have females with a greater degree of relative dental enlargement. The results show that relatively large female teeth are not found consistently in primate species. Females have less occlusal surface area than expected on the basis of the male tooth and body size regression in 21% of the species, and there is no correlation between relative female tooth size and relative newborn size across higher primate taxa. The degree of female dental enlargement is most closely related to degree of sexual dimorphism in body weight. The correlation between degree of body weight dimorphism and relatively larger postcanine teeth in females than in males is 0.87 in the 38 species. Species that are monomorphic in weight tend to be monomorphic in tooth size even though females apparently require more food than males.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Sex differences in ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced lipid peroxidation and nephrotoxicity in mice

Since male A/J mice are much more susceptible to both acute and subacute nephrotoxicity and the carcinogenic effect of ferric nitrilotriacetate than female mice, sex differences in the lipid peroxidation level after ferric nitrilotriacetate use were examined. The effects of orchiectomy and testosterone were also investigated. Male and female A/J mice were given a single intraperitoneal injection of ferric nitrilotriacetate (3 mg of iron/kg of body weight) and then thiobarbituric acid reactivity was determined in the liver and the kidney. Only male mice showed high thiobarbituric acid reactivity after 30 min, with the kidney showing higher activity than the liver. Castrated male mice showed a reduction in thiobarbituric acid reactivity, whereas testosterone-pretreated castrated male or testosterone-pretreated female mice showed increased thiobarbituric acid reactivity. In addition, daily intraperitoneal injections of ferric nitrilotriacetate resulted in the death of all normal male mice within 6 days, whereas all female and castrated male mice survived 3 months of treatment. Thus, male and female mice showed differences in ferric nitrilotriacetate-induced toxicity as reflected in the degree of lipid peroxidation and mortality.     

Growth and liver morphology after long-term ethanol consumption of rats

Ethanol was administered to female and male Wistar rats by mixing it with their drinking water. Ethanol concentrations were gradually increased up to either 8% or 15%. Female rats receiving 8% ethanol in their drinking water consumed 5-13 g, males 4-10 g daily. The ethanol/total food caloric intake percentages were 13 to 20% and 9 to 15% for female and male rats, respectively. There was no difference in body weight and relative liver weight between treated rats and their controls. Female and male rats receiving 15% of ethanol in their drinking water consumed 8-14 g ethanol per kg body weight per day. The percentages of ethanol/total food caloric intake were stabilized at about 25% for both sexes. Growth of the rats differed only slightly from controls; a tendency for a higher increase of body weight of the control rats was found. No difference in relative liver weight between ethanol-treated and control rats was observed. Microscopic examinations revealed that the ethanol treatment resulted in fat accumulation in the liver cells. A proliferation of the Smooth Endoplasmic Reticulum (SER) was more marked in the 15% dosed rats than in the 8% dosed rats and more distinct in female rats than in male rats in both dosage groups.