Osteolysis in Trichinella spiralis infected vs noninfected rats

1. Based upon the present inability to describe the mechanism by which calcification takes place, and the unexplored metabolism of calcium during trichinosis, studies of rat bone involvement were undertaken. 2. Significant (P less than 0.05) differences were found in experimental (Trichinella spiralis infected) rat femurs vs those of noninfected rats. 3. Analysis by atomic absorption spectroscopy, dry femur weight, and tensile stress resistance indicated an overall reduction in calcium content. 4. This calcium reduction is due to active cyst calcification. 5. Results confirming this finding revealed significant (P less than 0.05) differences at days 60-80 postinfection (the beginning of cyst calcification.     

Consciousness in dolphins? A review of recent evidence

For millennia, dolphins have intrigued humans. Scientific study has confirmed that bottlenose dolphins are large-brained, highly social mammals with an extended developmental period, flexible cognitive capacities, and powerful acoustic abilities including a sophisticated echolocation system. These findings have led some to ask if dolphins experience aspects of consciousness. Recent investigations targeting self-recognition/self-awareness and metacognition, constructs tied to consciousness on some accounts, have analyzed the dolphin’s ability to recognize itself in a mirror or on a video as well as to monitor its own knowledge in a perceptual categorization task. The current article reviews this work with dolphins and grapples with some of the challenges in designing, conducting, and interpreting these studies as well as with general issues related to studying consciousness in animals. The existing evidence does not provide a convincing case for consciousness in dolphins. For productive scientific work on consciousness in dolphins (and other animals including humans), we need clearer characterizations of consciousness, better methods for studying it, and appropriate paradigms for interpreting outcomes. A current focus on metamemory in animals offers promise for future discovery in this area.     

Extreme heatwave drives topography-dependent patterns of mortality in a bed-forming intertidal barnacle,with implications for associated community structure

Heatwave frequency and intensity will increase as climate change progresses. Intertidal sessile invertebrates, which often form thermally benign microhabitats for associated species, are vulnerable to thermal stress because they have minimal ability to behaviourally thermoregulate. Understanding what factors influence the mortality of biogenic species and how heatwaves might impact their ability to provide habitat is critical. Here, we characterize the community associated with the thatched barnacle, Semibalanus cariosus (Pallass, 1788), in British Columbia (BC), Canada. Then, we investigate what site-level and plot-level environmental factors explained variations in barnacle mortality resulting from an unprecedented regional heatwave in BC, Canada. Furthermore, we used a manipulative shading experiment deployed prior to the heatwave to examine the effect of thermal stress on barnacle survival and recruitment and the barnacle-associated community. We identified 50 taxa inhabiting S. cariosus beds, with variations in community composition between sites. Site-scale variables and algal canopy cover did not predict S. cariosus mortality, but patch-scale variation in substratum orientation did, with more direct solar irradiance corresponding with higher barnacle mortality. The shading experiment demonstrated that S. cariosus survival, barnacle recruitment, and invertebrate community diversity were higher under shades where substratum temperatures were lower. Associated community composition also differed between shaded and non-shaded plots, suggesting S. cariosus was not able to fully buffer acute thermal stress for its associated community. While habitat provisioning by intertidal foundation species is an important source of biodiversity, these species alone may not be enough to prevent substantial community shifts following extreme heatwaves. As heatwaves become more frequent and severe, they may further reduce diversity via the loss of biogenic habitat, and spatial variation in these impacts may be substantial.     

Aging and reproductive performance in langur monkeys (Presbytis entellus)

Analysis of data on age and reproductive performance in 16 captive female Hanuman langurs (Presbytis entellus) shows that adult females under the age of 6 years and over the age of 19 years had the lowest rates of reproductive success as measured by the production of viable young that survived beyond 30 days of age. With the possible exception of one female, females over the age of 19 years experienced a variety of idiosyncratic reproductive problems but did not experience a true menopause as defined by total cessation of menstrual cycles. There was no support for the hypothesis that langur monkey females have evolved a lengthy postreproductive period.