Relationships between body size and biomass of aquatic insects

SUMMARY. Predictive equations were developed to estimate dry weight from body length measurements for forty-three taxa of aquatic insects. The inter-relationships between dry weight, body length and head capsule width of individuals grouped according to the eight major orders of aquatic insects were also examined. Regression analysis indicated that the relationship between biomass and body size was best expressed by a power equation, Y =_aX^b, rather than by linear or exponential equations. Changes in body length versus head capsule width were best expressed by linear equations, with three distinct relationships being observed. Body length estimated biomass better than head capsule width. Populations often species of insects collected from two different rivers generally did not differ significantly in their dry weight to body length relationships.     

Revised estimates for the biomass and production of zooplankton in Lake George, Uganda

The relationship of total body length to formalin dry weight for individuals of Thermo-cyclops hyalinus and Mesocyclops leuckarti, from the tropical Lake George, Uganda, is given and shows that previous estimates of individual biomass and, therefore, of zooplankton standing crop and production based on them, were too high. The annual mean standing crop of total Crustacea, in 1969–70 was 828 mg (dw) m^?2 and for T. hyalinus, the dominant species, 559 mg (dw) m^?2 Biomass tended to be higher in the mid-lake area than inshore. The annual mean production of T. hyalinus is now estimated to be 44 mg (dw) m^?2 day.     

Invertebrate drift lost to the sea during low flow conditions in a small coastal stream in Western Canada

The invertebrate drift leaving the lower end of a small coastal stream on the east coast of Vancouver Island was recorded during low flow conditions. 20,156 animals, weighing 0.96 g (dry weight), were collected in drift nets over a 5 day period in early summer. High and low drifting taxa are listed. Considerable daily variation in total captures occurred and was attributed to a few dominant taxa (primarily harpacticoid copepods, mites and chironomid larvae) exhibiting atypical drift patterns. 0.004% of the stream's invertebrate standing crop was estimated to be in the water column at any instant in time. The possible use of the outgoing animals as food for juvenile salmon in the estuary is discussed.     

Estimation in vivo of the body composition of the ewe by measuring the diffusion space of heavy water

Relationships for estimating body lipids, energy and proteins from the deuterium-oxide (D2O) diffusion space have been determined using 38 dry, pregnant or lactating ewes. The animals were fed as usual and had free access to water up to slaughter. They were injected with deuterium-oxide in the morning, half an hour to 3 hours after being fed the whole daily ration or half of it. Blood samples were collected between 1 and 24 h after injection. The deuterium-oxide content of blood water was determined by infra-red spectrophotometry. The ewes were slaughtered 24 h after injection and their body water, protein, ash and energy were chemically determined. Different blood samples were used to measure the deuterium-oxide diffusion space (theoretical initial concentration Co method). The closest relationship between measured body water (ECM) and D2O diffusion space (ECD2O) was found when the blood sample collected 8 h after injection was discarded. Ewe body composition was estimated using a linear relationship in which ewe body weight and D2O diffusion space were two independent variable (relationship number 5). The best ewe body weight to use was the weight measured at injection time. The estimation of body lipid was significantly affected by physiological status when slaughter weight and true body water, measured at slaughter, were used. The effect of this physiological status decreased when the water content of the digestive tract was taken into account and it was no longer significant when the water content of the uterus and conceptus was considered. Body composition could always be predicted by estimating the water content; the standard error was nearly 1.4 kg. However, the method was not accurate enough to obtain a significant effect of physiological status on lipid estimation. Thus, at present we have proposed identical equations for dry, pregnant or lactating ewes.     

Length–weight relationships of eight freshwater planktonic crustacean species in Japan

1. The relationships between body length and dry weight were examined for eight species of freshwater planktonic crustacea common in Japan: Eodiaptomus japonicus, Acanthodiaptomus pacificus, Daphnia galeata, D. similis, D. magna, Scapholeberis mucronata, Simocephalus exspinosus and Bosmina longirostris.
2. The relationships of two diaptomid species were similar and the approximate equation was ln W = 2.7 + 2.6*ln L , where L is prosome length (mm) and W is dry weight (μg). The carapace length–dry weight relationships in branchiopods were more variable, with the slope ranging from 1.9 to 2.9 and the intercept from 2.0 to 3.7.
3. The effects of food conditions on the relationship were examined in the laboratory, and the seasonal changes in the field were also studied.
4. Practical advice is presented for predicting crustacean weight from body length.     

Dry weight and chemical composition (CHN) in relation to population density of cultivatedTisbe holothuriae (Copepoda,Harpacticoida)

The harpacticoid copepodTisbe holothuriae was cultivated at different densities in a running-water system. Dry weight and chemical composition (CHN) of both females and egg-sacs have been determined. Dry weight decreased significantly with increasing density from 3,48 to 1.94μg in egg-sacs, and from 10.80 to 6.58μg in females. Increasing density in both egg-sacs and females results in decrease of carbon, nitrogen and hydrogen contents, expressed as a percentage of dry weight of egg-sacs and females, respectively. Carbon decreases from 52.56 to 50.57% (egg-sacs) and 45.80 to 39.95% (⧫), nitrogen from 12.63 to 11.94% and 10.72 to 9.73% and hydrogen from 9.08 to 7.78% and 7.47 to 6.17%. The dry weight and elemental compositions of the egg-sacs varied in accordance with that of the females, however, a higher percentage of elemental content was observed in egg-sacs. The energy equivalents were calculated from the carbon content. This indicates that more energy was transferred from the maternal body into egg-sacs. The ratio of carbon to nitrogen did not show any marked variations; no clear relation appeared between C:N and density, indicating a relatively constant chemical composition in both females and egg-sacs.     

Changes in Germination and Seedling Traits of Sesame under Simulated Drought

Drought is considered one of the leading abiotic constraints to agricultural crop production globally. Present study was conducted to assess the effects of different drought treatments (viz. Control, 10% PEG, and 20% PEG) on seed germination, germination indices, seedling traits, and drought tolerance indices of sesame. Our results showed that maximum reduction in the studied parameters was observed at higher PEG concentration (i.e., 20% PEG). As compared to control, the drought treatments viz. 10% and 20% PEG decreased the values for germination indices, such as germination percentage, coefficient of variation of germination time, germination index, and seedling vigor index. Similarly, for seedling traits, the values were decreased for root length, shoot length, root shoot ratio, root fresh weight, shoot fresh weight, root dry weight and shoot dry weight under 10% and 20% PEG treatments significantly in comparison with control. Furthermore, relative to control, the values for drought tolerance indices, such as germination drought tolerance index, root length drought tolerance index, shoot length drought tolerance index, total seedling length drought tolerance index, root fresh weight drought tolerance index, shoot fresh weight drought tolerance index, total fresh weight drought tolerance index, root dry weight drought tolerance index, shoot dry weight drought tolerance index and total dry weight drought tolerance index were also reduced under 10% and 20% PEG treatments, respectively. Our results confirms that drought impact on seed germination and seedling traits could be quantified by using different indices which can further help to design drought adaptation and mitigation strategies. Based on these results it can be concluded that germination indices, seedling traits, and drought tolerance indices have great potential to simulate drought stress impacts on different crop traits thus they should be used in all kinds of stress related studies.     

Eco-physiological characteristic of some common caprellid species in the Possjet Bay (the Japan Sea)

Parameters of equations relating wet and dry body weight to length have been calculated for four species of caprellids from the Japan Sea (Possjet Bay), specifically Caprella cristibrachium, C. kroyeri, C. penantis, and C. bispinosa. A common equation was obtained for oxygen consumption rate in relation to body weight. It was shown that within the Order Amphipoda the metabolic rate of caprellids is 1.5 times lower than that of gammarids. The differences in the fecundity of gravid females of four species and females of one species in the spring and summer, respectively, are shown. At the same time the relationship between number of eggs per female and wet body weight of female is approximated by one equation. The equation obtained shows that caprellids represent an ecologically homogeneous group.     

Correlation of tooth size and body size in living hominoid primates, with a note on relative brain size in Aegyptopithecus and Proconsul.

Second molar length and body weight are used to test the correlation between tooth size and body size in living Hominoidea. These variates are highly correlated (r= 0.942, p less than 0.001), indicating that tooth size can be used in dentally unspecialized fossil hominoids as one method of predicting the average body weight of species. Based on tooth size, the average body weight of Aegyptopithecus zeuxis is estimated to have been beteen 4.5 and 7.5 kg, which is corroborated by known cranial and postcranial elements. Using Radinsky's estimates of brain size, the encephalization quotient (EQ) for Aegyptopithecus was between 0.65 and 1.04. A similar analysis for Proconsul africanus yields a body weight between 16 and 34 kg, and an EQ between 1.19 and 1.96.     

瓯江口凤鲚生长、死亡和最适开捕体长

根据2015、2018—2020年瓯江口水域渔业资源监测调查资料, 对1359尾凤鲚的体长、全长和体重等生物学信息进行测定, 利用体长频率分布估算凤鲚种群生长、死亡参数等。结果表明, 瓯江口凤鲚体长为5.2—21.9 cm; 体长和体重的关系式W=0.0035×L_3.0783。用ELEFAN技术拟合的von Bertalanffy生长方程的各参数为L_∞=26.60 cm, k=0.47及t₀=–0.55 a; Z=2.30, M=1.00, F=1.30, E=0.567, 表明资源处于过度开发状态; 凤鲚的首次捕捞体长L_c=15.35 cm, 对应首次捕捞平均年龄为1.28 a, 小于临界年龄(1.36 a)和体重生长的拐点年龄(1.85 a),表明当前渔业主要捕捞对象为幼鱼和补充群体, 无法保证资源的有效补充。在瓯江口凤鲚目前的资源状态下, 应努力降低捕捞死亡率, 并加强对凤鲚栖息环境的保护, 而对目前以小型化和低龄化为主的凤鲚群体, 以控制开捕体长为主, 根据Beverton-Holt动态模型...     

Population characteristics of Gammarus pulex (L.) from five English streams

Gammarus pulex were sampled from five English streams during April 1992. The population density, number of precopula pairs and incidence of parasitic infection were recorded, and the biomass was estimated from subsamples by relating body area to dry weight. Physical and chemical measurements were taken from each stream. The abundance and standing crop biomass differed significantly between streams, probably due to the influence of pollutants or the physical structure of the stream bed. The size of individual G. pulex also differed significantly between streams, although there was no obvious causal explanation for this. Few individuals were visibly parasitised in any of the populations. Males were significantly larger than females, both in precopula pairs and in the general populations. The sex ratio differed between populations and may explain inter-stream differences in the relationship between precopula male and female size.     

Population features of Microphrys bicornutus Latreille, 1825 (Brachyura, Majidae) from Isla Margarita, Venezuela

The aim of this study is to characterize the population biology (sex ratio, size structure, relative growth of reproductive characters and realised fecundity) of the crab Microphrys bicornutusfrom Isla Margarita, Venezuela. Nearly 100 crabs were collected and fixed monthly during 1998. In the laboratory, crabs were sexed and measured: maximum carapace length, chelae length, chelae and abdomen width for females and first pleopod length for males. Additionally, 96 ovigerous females were collected to determine fecundity. The following measurements were taken for each female: body wet weight (BWW), body dry weight (BDW), egg wet weight (EWW), egg dry weight (EDW) and number of eggs (NE). The following determinations were made: relative fecundity (RF) = NE/BDW and reproductive output (RO) = (EDW/ BDW) × 100. Relative size at the onset of maturity (RSOM) was calculated as minimum ovigerous female/female's maximum size. The results indicate that the sex ratio is nearly 1:1 during the entire year. Ovigerous females and moulted males and females were observed throughout the year. Size frequency distribution and size at the onset of sexual maturity, estimated by relative growth of the sexual secondary characters and RSOM value, differed from those estimated in studies done in Jamaica and Buchuaco, Venezuela.     

Beak and radula growth in Octopus vulgaris

The dry weight and the crest length of the upper and lower beak, the length of the radula ribbon, the average width of the base of the six proximal and distal rachidian teeth as well as the total number of these teeth have all been related to the live body weight of octopuses between 1.1 and 4440 g. From any one of these parameters it is possible to estimate the size and approximate age of the animal.     

厦门海域两头中华白海豚体内铁的含量

铁是动物体的必需元素,是血红蛋白和肌红蛋白中氧的携带者。动物体内的含铁化合物主要为血红蛋白、肌红蛋白（Mb）、转铁蛋白、含铁血黄素和含铁酶（王夔,1992）。铁与水生哺乳动物的潜水能力密切相关。Wright和Davis（2006）对威德尔海豹（Leptonychotes weddellii）的研究表明,Mb是水生哺乳动物最重要的储氧部位,在胃肠吸收后状态下Mb从正常水平降低7％时,有氧潜水限度（Aerobic Dive Limit,ADL）下降39％;Mb增加两倍时,ADL则增加30％。     

瓣结鱼的年龄和生长的研究

瓣结鱼全年均可形成新轮,新轮出现高峰期为４月。其生长特点是属于均匀生长类型,体长与鳞长呈直线关系,体长和体重指数关系,回归求得Ｂｅｒｔａｌａｎｆｆ个体生长方程参数Ｌ∞,Ｗ∞,Ｋ,Ｔ０分别为７０,４３,５９６１．５０,０．２２３１,０．０２２４,体重生长拐点年龄为４．９５龄,该拐点体重为１７６８．２３ｇ,瓣结鱼第１,２龄生长较为迅速。     

Zur Biologie des Planktons des Königshafens (Nordsylter Wattenmeer)

From May 1979 on, the following parameters were measured at a station in the inlet of Königshafen near List (Island of Sylt): temperature, salinity, mesozooplankton (>76 µm), chlorophyll-a, seston dry weight, oxygen and phytoplankton-nutrients (NH₄-N, NO₂-N, NO₃-N, PO₄-P, SiO₃-Si). A multiple regression analysis showed the interrelationships between the parameters measured. Tidal influences on zooplankton and seston dry weight could be observed. At low tide, the amount of zooplankton (not counting the harpacticoid copepods) declines and the number of harpacticoid copepods rises as does the seston dry weight too. The chlorophyll-a content is a function of the phytoplankton-nutrients. An increase in chlorophyll-a leads to a decrease in nitrogen and silicate concentrations. Phosphate, due possibly to a sewage inlet into the Königshafen, is not a limiting factor. The availability of nutrients is influenced by temperature, salinity and the tidal cycle. The amount of oxygen is dependent on water temperature and seston dry weight. High water temperatures and a high seston content lead to a decrease in oxygen concentrations.     

鲫耳石重量与年龄的关系及其在年龄鉴定中的作用

耳石重量在年龄组间重叠较少,大小相近的个体,年龄大的,即生长慢的耳石重量比年龄小的,即生长快的大,不同龄组之间耳石重量有显著差异（P＜0．05）,按年龄组在耳石重量与相应的体长作图,可初步判断观测年龄的可靠性,分析耳石重量频率分布能分离出体长相近,年龄不同的个体,其结构与耳石年轮观测的基本一致,耳石重量与年龄呈显著线性正相关（P＜0．05）,用耳石重量与年龄关系估算的年龄从耳石上直接读取的年龄无显著差异（P＞0．05）,文中对耳石重量直接用于确定鱼类年龄的可能性作了分析和探讨。     

Developmental response of carp,Cyprinus carpio,larvae fed different foods or starved

Synopsis The developmental interval, body length, dry and wet weight were determined in carp larvae during the first 2 weeks of exogenous feeding. Six feeding groups were reared at 26°C; four groups received different artificial diets, whereas zooplankton-fed larvae and unfed larvae served as controls. It was found that larval developmental rate can be modified by the type of food. The diet affects the relationship between developmental step and weight. The effect of diet on the relationship between development and length becomes manifest at older steps (after longer feeding the same diet). A threshold point, after which satisfactory results of feeding artificial diets to carp larvae can be expected, depends not only on body size but also on the degree of development.     

Crop size as an index of chick provisioning in the Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus

After being fed by their parents, Greater Flamingo chicks store food in their crops, which protrude outwards. We allocated the crop profiles of chicks to four categories to assess the relationship between body mass and crop profile variation, and so determine whether crop size can be used as an accurate index of the amount of food ingested, and to determine the timing and frequency of provisioning. We registered changes in body mass and crop fullness in eight chicks captured with turgid crops and kept in captivity until constant mass was achieved. The meal mass ingested by the chicks during each parental feeding was around 18% of net chick mass and varied greatly with crop profile. Mean transition times between the four crop profile categories ranged from 6 to 14 h. Between 1998 and 2009, 34% of chicks caught for ringing in a breeding colony had empty crops. From crop profiles recorded during the handling of chicks, it was estimated that approximately one‐third of the chicks were fed in the evening and another third during the night. Our results have implications for the estimation of body condition indexes because body mass should be free of the influence of the mass of the food in the crop.