南蝠对鸟的捕食及其对昆虫的选择

2005年11月和2006年5、7、9月在贵州兴义研究了南蝠(Iaio)的食性。通过对南蝠粪便分析,发现7、9和11月份,鸟的残留羽毛在粪便中占很大比例,尤其是在11月份,鸟的羽毛占了食物组成的82%(体积百分比,下同),结果证实南蝠是一种食鸟蝙蝠。但在5月份的粪便中未发现鸟毛,而鞘翅目所占比例很大(85%);7和9月份,鸟的羽毛和鞘翅目残遗物所占的比例相当(7月份分别为44.6%和48.7%;9月份分别为51.1%和43.4%)。5、7、9、11月份南蝠取食鸟类的比例逐渐增加,而对鞘翅目的取食则逐渐减少。除取食鞘翅目外,南蝠还捕食鳞翅目、半翅目、直翅目和膜翅目等昆虫。对比捕食区内潜在的食物,发现南蝠对部分昆虫表现出明显的选择性,说明南蝠为选择性捕食者。     

Fatty acid signatures of stomach oil and adipose tissue of northern fulmars (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Fulmarus glacialis</Emphasis>) in Alaska: implications for diet analysis of Procellariiform birds

Procellariiforms are unique among seabirds in storing dietary lipids in both adipose tissue and stomach oil. Thus, both lipid sources are potentially useful for trophic studies using fatty acid (FA) signatures. However, little is known about the relationship between FA signatures in stomach oil and adipose tissue of individuals or whether these signatures provide similar information about diet and physiology. We compared the FA composition of stomach oil and adipose tissue biopsies of individual northern fulmars (N = 101) breeding at three major colonies in Alaska. Fatty acid signatures differed significantly between the two lipid sources, reflecting differences in dietary time scales, metabolic processing, or both. However, these signatures exhibited a relatively consistent relationship between individuals, such that the two lipid sources provided a similar ability to distinguish foraging differences among individuals and colonies. Our results, including the exclusive presence of dietary wax esters in stomach oil but not adipose tissue, are consistent with the notion that stomach oil FA signatures represent lipids retained from prey consumed during recent foraging and reflect little metabolic processing, whereas adipose tissue FA signatures represent a longer-term integration of dietary intake. Our study illustrates the potential for elucidating short- versus longer-term diet information in Procellariiform birds using different lipid sources.     

Trophic ecology of the Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea before and during the breeding season in the region of Bejaia (Algeria)

The diet composition of the Grey Wagtail Motacilla cinerea of the Babor Range is followed by analysis of faecal samples (90 faeces) before and during the breeding season 2010. The Grey Wagtail's diet varies depending on the stage of the breeding cycle at the southern edge of their breeding area in North Africa (Bejaia). The diet consists predominantly of aquatic preys (51.79%), with Coleoptera being the most frequent constituent (n = 331, 45.5%). During the pre-laying period (February–March), the diet was variable (91 prey-taxa and H’ = 3,36 bits) and preys of medium size (5 to 8 mm) were most common. During the incubation period (April–May), preys were mainly aquatic (60%) and larger (20 to 32 mm). At the end of the breeding season (June–July), there was a greater occurrence of terrestrial preys (31 aquatic versus 30 terrestrial taxa).     

n-3多不饱和脂肪酸调节饮食诱导肥胖大鼠miRNA表达变化

目的：研究n-3多不饱和脂肪酸（polyunsaturated fatty acids,PUFA）饮食对饮食诱导肥胖大鼠的miR NA表达影响。方法：将10只饮食诱导肥胖（diet induced obese,DIO）大鼠随机分成两组：n-3PUFA添加组和安慰剂添加组（对照组）;每周记录两组老鼠的体重、体长和进食量。对外周血miR NA的表达并进行分析和预测。结果：两组老鼠Lee指数有统计学差异（P〈0.05）;与对照组相比,在n-3组的外周血单核细胞中,29个miR NA上调,31个下调;其中rno-miR-200和rno-miR-211的表达量上调,rno-miR-29b和rno-miR-92b的表达量下调,其靶基因预测结果与神经营养因子,脂肪细胞因子,趋化因子和胰岛素信号通路有关。结论：n-3PUFA能够调节DIO大鼠的miR NA水平,其中有些与脂肪代谢相关。     

大肠息肉的危险因素分析

目的：探讨大肠息肉在人群中的年龄、性别、病理类型的分布,并探讨体质量指数、吸烟饮酒、血脂水平、相关疾病、饮食习惯及运动状况对大肠息肉发生的影响。方法：选择2011年4月至2013年4月在海军总医院进行电子结肠镜检查的542例患者,将结肠镜检查发现大肠息肉并住院治疗的患者纳入息肉组,将内镜检查无明显异常的患者纳入对照组。比较两组患者的体质量指数、吸烟饮酒、血脂水平、相关疾病、饮食习惯及运动状况等。结果：大肠息肉人群中男性多于女性,40岁以上高发,超重及肥胖者达55．56％;经常饮酒、较少进食蔬菜、水果、粗纤维食物、运动量少及患有高脂血症、高血压、糖尿病、脂肪肝、胆系疾病者易发大肠息肉。结论：高体质量指数、吸烟、高血脂水平、相关疾病、不良饮食习惯、运动量小是大肠息肉发生的危险因素。     

n-3多不饱和脂肪酸调节饮食诱导肥胖大鼠miRNA表达变化(英文)

目的:研究n-3多不饱和脂肪酸(polyunsaturated fatty acids,PUFA)饮食对饮食诱导肥胖大鼠的miR NA表达影响。方法:将10只饮食诱导肥胖(diet induced obese,DIO)大鼠随机分成两组:n-3PUFA添加组和安慰剂添加组(对照组);每周记录两组老鼠的体重、体长和进食量。对外周血miR NA的表达并进行分析和预测。结果:两组老鼠Lee指数有统计学差异(P0.05);与对照组相比,在n-3组的外周血单核细胞中,29个miR NA上调,31个下调;其中rno-miR-200和rno-miR-211的表达量上调,rno-miR-29b和rno-miR-92b的表达量下调,其靶基因预测结果与神经营养因子,脂肪细胞因子,趋化因子和胰岛素信号通路有关。结论:n-3PUFA能够调节DIO大鼠的miR NA水平,其中有些与脂肪代谢相关。     

Establishing macroecological trait datasets: digitalization,extrapolation, and validation of diet preferences in terrestrial mammals worldwide

Ecological trait data are essential for understanding the broad‐scale distribution of biodiversity and its response to global change. For animals, diet represents a fundamental aspect of species’ evolutionary adaptations, ecological and functional roles, and trophic interactions. However, the importance of diet for macroevolutionary and macroecological dynamics remains little explored, partly because of the lack of comprehensive trait datasets. We compiled and evaluated a comprehensive global dataset of diet preferences of mammals (“MammalDIET”). Diet information was digitized from two global and cladewide data sources and errors of data entry by multiple data recorders were assessed. We then developed a hierarchical extrapolation procedure to fill‐in diet information for species with missing information. Missing data were extrapolated with information from other taxonomic levels (genus, other species within the same genus, or family) and this extrapolation was subsequently validated both internally (with a jack‐knife approach applied to the compiled species‐level diet data) and externally (using independent species‐level diet information from a comprehensive continentwide data source). Finally, we grouped mammal species into trophic levels and dietary guilds, and their species richness as well as their proportion of total richness were mapped at a global scale for those diet categories with good validation results. The success rate of correctly digitizing data was 94%, indicating that the consistency in data entry among multiple recorders was high. Data sources provided species‐level diet information for a total of 2033 species (38% of all 5364 terrestrial mammal species, based on the IUCN taxonomy). For the remaining 3331 species, diet information was mostly extrapolated from genus‐level diet information (48% of all terrestrial mammal species), and only rarely from other species within the same genus (6%) or from family level (8%). Internal and external validation showed that: (1) extrapolations were most reliable for primary food items; (2) several diet categories (“Animal”, “Mammal”, “Invertebrate”, “Plant”, “Seed”, “Fruit”, and “Leaf”) had high proportions of correctly predicted diet ranks; and (3) the potential of correctly extrapolating specific diet categories varied both within and among clades. Global maps of species richness and proportion showed congruence among trophic levels, but also substantial discrepancies between dietary guilds. MammalDIET provides a comprehensive, unique and freely available dataset on diet preferences for all terrestrial mammals worldwide. It enables broad‐scale analyses for specific trophic levels and dietary guilds, and a first assessment of trait conservatism in mammalian diet preferences at a global scale. The digitalization, extrapolation and validation procedures could be transferable to other trait data and taxa.     

南极磷虾种群生物学研究进展III-摄食

鉴于南极磷虾在南极食物网中所处的关键地位,其摄食活动对南大洋海洋生态系统有着极为重要的影响。南极磷虾食物组成因季节、空间等不同而存在差异,且摄食对象的分类和鉴别也存在着较大困难,选食机制目前尚有不同意见。本文从摄食对象、摄食方式、选食机制及摄食率等方面对近百年来南极磷虾摄食生态学研究进行了总结和归纳,以期为国内外学者开展相关研究提供基础信息,并为进一步开展其摄食生态学研究提供科学思路。     

Unexpected similarity in RBC DHA and AA levels between bottlenose dolphins and humans

BackgroundThe Omega-3 Index [red blood cell (RBC) content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA)+docosahexaenoic acid (DHA)] is inversely related to risk of cardiovascular disease in humans. In the U.S., the average Omega-3 Index is about 4–6% of RBC fatty acids, whereas in Japan it is 9–10%. The range of physiologically-possible levels for the Omega-3 Index in other mammals is unknown.ObjectiveTo compare the RBC fatty acid composition of a common piscivorous mammal, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), with that of (U.S.) humans, and to examine the extent to which dietary fatty acid patterns were reflected in RBCs.MethodsRBCs were isolated from routine blood samples collected from 35 healthy dolphins at two display facilities and were analyzed by gas chromatography. For humans, historic, deidentified RBC fatty acid data from our laboratory were used (n=11,329; mean age 58).ResultsThe mean Omega-3 Index of the dolphins was 19.9% compared with 6.0% for humans. EPA levels were 15.3% vs 1.2%, respectively, but DHA levels were virtually identical (4.6% vs 4.8%). Linoleic acid (LNA) levels were much lower in dolphins vs humans (0.5% vs 12.5%) whereas arachidonic acid (ARA) levels were similar (12.3% vs 14.5%). In a subgroup of humans with an Omega-3 Index in the >99.2 percentile, the mean index was similar to that of the dolphins. Based on an analysis of their food, the dolphins consumed about 60 g of EPA+DHA per day as compared to about 0.1 g in humans.ConclusionDolphins have an Omega-3 Index that is (only) 3–4× higher than that of U.S. adults despite their intake of EPA+DHA being about 165× higher (as a percent of kcal). RBC, EPA and LNA levels are relatively more reflective of dietary intakes than are DHA and ARA levels. The mechanisms by which certain fatty acid levels appear to be fixed and others may vary in RBC membranes are unknown.     

A Redox-resistant Sirtuin-1 Mutant Protects against Hepatic Metabolic and Oxidant Stress

Sirtuin-1 (SirT1), a member of the NAD⁺-dependent class III histone deacetylase family, is inactivated in vitro by oxidation of critical cysteine thiols. In a model of metabolic syndrome, SirT1 activation attenuated apoptosis of hepatocytes and improved liver function including lipid metabolism. We show in SirT1-overexpressing HepG2 cells that oxidants (nitrosocysteine and hydrogen peroxide) or metabolic stress (high palmitate and high glucose) inactivated SirT1 by reversible oxidative post-translational modifications (OPTMs) on three cysteines. Mutating these oxidation-sensitive cysteines to serine preserved SirT1 activity and abolished reversible OPTMs. Overexpressed mutant SirT1 maintained deacetylase activity and attenuated proapoptotic signaling, whereas overexpressed wild type SirT1 was less protective in metabolically or oxidant-stressed cells. To prove that OPTMs of SirT1 are glutathione (GSH) adducts, glutaredoxin-1 was overexpressed to remove this modification. Glutaredoxin-1 overexpression maintained endogenous SirT1 activity and prevented proapoptotic signaling in metabolically stressed HepG2 cells. The in vivo significance of oxidative inactivation of SirT1 was investigated in livers of high fat diet-fed C57/B6J mice. SirT1 deacetylase activity was decreased in the absence of changes in SirT1 expression and associated with a marked increase in OPTMs. These results indicate that glutathione adducts on specific SirT1 thiols may be responsible for dysfunctional SirT1 associated with liver disease in metabolic syndrome.