Energy reserves of parasitoids depend on honeydew from non‐hosts

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EDITORIAL

Olver, M. D. &; Kuyper, M. A. 1978. Breeding biology of the Whitebreasted Cormorant in Natal. Ostrich 49:25-30.

From 1972–1975 Whitebreasted Cormorants Phalacrocorax carbo bred at the Cedara Dam, Natal, South Africa (29 32S, 30 17E), and from 1973 they fished for food at Midmar Dam, 5 km away and carried the food back to the nestlings. Breeding occurred from April to October and was preceded by a period of courtship. Nesting material was collected by the males and the nests built by the females. The mean clutch size for 1972–1973 was 3,1. Both parents incubated the eggs and guarded the nest and chicks. Growth of the chicks was studied in 1972–1973. The mean number of chicks reared was 1,6 per nest although seven nests contained three nestlings. At 28 days they left the nest when alarmed, but could not fly until 49 days old. The average flying age appeared to be about 53 days. The height of the nests above the ground seemed to determine the nest leaving age. Of the 186 eggs laid in the 60 nests observed over two years, 74% hatched. Fledging success was 52% of eggs laid and 69% of eggs hatched. Chick mortality seemed to be caused mainly by falling from the nests and dying of starvation.     

Reproductive measures and chick provisioning of Cory's Shearwater Calonectris diomedea borealis in the Azores

Capsule Timing of breeding influenced wing-length at fledging, and egg size may be an indicator of fledging weight and the amount of food received by chicks.

Aims To investigate chick growth, temporal patterns of chick food provisioning and the importance of indices of parental condition or quality, egg size and hatching date, to predict nestling body mass and wing-length at fledging, and compare breeding and chick feeding characteristics between colonies in the northeast Atlantic.

Methods A survey of Cory's Shearwater nests was carried out at Vila islet. A sample of 52 chicks, ringed and weighed at hatching, was selected to study chick growth and food provisioning.

Results Hatching success (51%) was much lower than fledging success (87%). Both hatching date and egg size contributed to explain wing-length at fledging, but hatching date, which was negatively correlated with wing-length at fledging, had the most important contribution (22%). There was some indication that egg size may explain variation in fledging weight and the amount of food received by chicks. Food delivery and feeding frequency of chicks varied throughout the chick development stage and three phases were distinguished: (1) 0–29 days, the highest feeding frequency values and a linear increase in food delivery; (2) 30–69 days, an oscillation in food delivery and medium feeding frequencies; (3) 70–90+ days, a sharp decrease in both food delivery and feeding frequency.

Conclusion Variation in food availability did not seem sufficient to override the overall importance of indices of parental quality in determining reproductive measures and chick provisioning. Breeding and feeding characteristics were similar between colonies in the northeast Atlantic, with variability in chick provisioning higher further south.     

A spectrophotometric technique for measuring particle ingestion by black fly larvae

A spectrophotometric technique was developed to provide insight into the feeding behavior of Simulium vittatum Zetterstedt (Diptera: Simuliidae) larvae. Larvae were exposed to water insoluble Neon Red particles (NRP) (DayGlo^®) in a controlled current. The insoluble particles were available for capture by the cephalic fans of the larvae and subsequent ingestion. The length of gut occupied by the particles after a given exposure time was determined by visual inspection and measured with the aid of a dissecting microscope. Larvae were then homogenized in acetone to solubilize the particles. After filtration, the quantity of pigmented particles in the alimentary tract of the larvae was determined using spectrophotometric analysis. The quantity of particles per unit length of the alimentary tract was calculated. Experiments were conducted to determine the ideal concentration of NRP for obtaining an accurate measure of ingestion without interfering with normal larval feeding behavior. Larval mortality following ingestion of insecticidal proteins produced by Bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis was used as an indirect measure of feeding behavior for these experiments. A concentration of 15 p.p.m. of NRP in the larval medium was the highest concentration used that did not interfere with larval mortality following exposure to the insecticidal proteins. Additional experiments demonstrated that components of the experimental matrix did not interfere with NRP absorbance. The final experiment revealed that the consumption of NRP and insecticidal proteins by larvae was influenced by clay and cellulose in the larval medium.     

FEEDING ENTRAINMENT OF DAILY RHYTHMS OF LOCOMOTOR ACTIVITY AND CLOCK GENE EXPRESSION IN ZEBRAFISH BRAIN

Light and feeding cycles strongly synchronize daily rhythms in animals, which may, as a consequence, develop food anticipatory activity (FAA). However, the light/food entraining mechanisms of the central circadian oscillator remain unknown. In this study, we investigate the existence of FAA in seven groups of zebrafish subjected to a light/dark (LD) cycle or constant light (LL) and different feeding regimes (random, fasting, and feeding in the middle of the light phase or dark phase). The aim was to ascertain whether the daily rhythm of behavior and clock gene (per1 and cry1) expression in the zebrafish brain was entrained by the light and feeding regime. The results revealed that FAA developed in zebrafish fed daily at a fixed time, under LD and under LL. Zebrafish displayed locomotor activity mostly during the daytime, although the percentage of activity during the light phase varied depending on feeding time (ranging from 93.2% to 63.1% in the mid-light and mid-dark fed groups, respectively). However, the different feeding regimes failed to modify the daily rhythm of per1 and cry1 expression in the zebrafish brain under LD (approximate acrophases [peak times] at ZT22 and ZT4, respectively; lights-on =?ZT0). Under LL, per1 and cry1 expression did not show significant daily rhythmicity, regardless of the feeding regime. These findings indicate that, although schedule-fed zebrafish developed FAA as regards locomotor activity, feeding had little effect on clock gene expression in whole brain homogenates, suggesting the feeding-entrainable oscillator may be located elsewhere or at specific brain sites. (Author correspondence: jasanchez@um.es)     

Role of SCN in Daily Rhythms of Plasma Glucose,FFA, Insulin and Glucagon

The daily changes in plasma glucose, FFA, insulin and glucagon concentrations in rats under 12 hr-12 hr light-dark conditions, and the role of the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) of the hypothalamus in these changes were examined. In sham-operated rats, the four parameters showed significant daily rhythms. However, after bilateral lesions of the SCN, daily rhythms could not be detected in these parameters under the present experimental conditions. Furthermore, after the SCN lesions the plasma glucose concentration remained at the minimum level of that in sham-operated rats, while the plasma insulin and glucagon concentrations reduced to approximately the mean level and about half the minimum level of sham-operated rats, respectively, and the FFA concentration lowered to somewhat below the minimum level. Gradual increase in the plasma insulin concentration at the end of the light period was observed in intact rats even after starvation for 24 hr. These findings suggest that the SCN is essential for generation of the daily changes in the plasma glucose, FFA, insulin and glucagon concentrations and also that it plays critical roles in regulation of the secretion of pancreatic hormones. The gradual increase in the plasma insulin level observed at the end of the light period is discussed in connection with initiation of spontaneous feeding behaviour.     

Role of Corpus Allatum on the Modulation of Feeding Rhythm in the Semilooper Caterpillar,Achaea Janata (L)

A circadian feeding rhythm which may be entrained by photoperiod was found in fifth instarcaterpillars of the lepidopteran, Achaea Janata (L.). AUatectomy reduced the amount of food consumed; this consumption was significantly lower during the fifth instar in both allatectomized and sham-operated insects. An apparent circadian feeding pattern appeared on day 2 in the sham-operated caterpillars. Topical application of the anti-allatin, Precocene-II (50μg/animal) also reduced leaf consumption significantly compared to the respective controls, although these controls maintained the same apparent circadian feeding rhythm on day 2.     

An Altered Method of Feeding RNAi That Knocks Down Multiple Genes Simultaneously in the Nematode Caenorhabditis elegans

In reverse genetics, RNA interference (RNAi) which is substitutable for gene-disruption, is an outstanding method for knockdown of a gene’s function. In Caenorhabditis elegans, feeding RNAi is most convenient, but this RNAi is not suitable for knockdown of multiple genes. Hence, we attempted to establish an efficient method of feeding RNAi for multiple knockdown. We produced bacteria yielding three distinct double-stranded RNAs bound to one another, and fed those bacteria to C. elegans. Quantitative RT-PCR and observation of phenotypes indicated that our method is much more efficient than the traditional one. Our method is useful for investigating genes’ functions in C. elegans.     

斑点叉尾和杂交鲟幼鱼昼夜摄食节律和胃肠排空时间的研究

采用一次饱食投喂(将一昼夜分为8个时间段,每个时间段作为一个处理组,每天每个处理组饱食投喂一次)和分段式连续投喂(将一昼夜分为8个时间段,每天每个实验缸连续投喂8次)两种方法研究斑点叉尾和杂交鲟幼鱼的昼夜摄食节律,同时研究它们在摄食后24h内胃和全肠的排空时间。结果显示,在两种投喂方式下,斑点叉尾均表现出24h 一周期的摄食节律,两个日摄食率高峰值均出现在06：00和18：00(P<0.05)。杂交鲟在一次饱食投喂下表现出24h一周期的摄食节律,高峰值分别出现在11：00、17：00和05：00,在分段式连续投喂时表现出48h 一周期的摄食节律,高峰值分别出现在11：00、17：00和36：00。在摄食后1-9h 内,斑点叉尾的胃内含物比率急剧降低(P<0.05),并在24h 时出现极低值(P<0.05),而1-9h 内全肠内含物比率迅速升高(P<0.05),在9h时达到最大(P<0.05),在24h出现极低值(P<0.05)。在摄食后1-7h内,杂交鲟的胃内含物比率迅速下降(P<0.05),在24h 时出现极低值(P<0.05),1-7h 内肠内含物比率迅速升高(P<0.05),24h 时呈现极低值(P<0.05)。结果表明,两种实验鱼表现出不同的昼夜摄食节律,该节律受各自胃肠排空时间的影响,也受投喂时间的影响。研究建议,在斑点叉尾和杂交鲟幼鱼的养殖中宜在光线较弱的清晨(05：00-06：00)和黄昏(17：00-18：00)进行投喂。