Variation in the growth and survival of Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria chicks

The growth of Golden Plover Pluvialis apricaria chicks is modelled in detail for the first time. The pattern of growth is typical of postnatal development in waders, although the mean fledging time of 37 days is slower than would be expected from adult body weight. Bill length and weight at hatching had significant effects on the rate of weight gain shown by 2-day-old chicks, although this effect was not noticeable at 4 days of age. Chick survival was significantly affected by bill length, as a result of the variation in weight gain. The growth of older chicks was positively correlated with mean minimum temperature. The slow rate of growth exhibited by Golden Plover chicks is discussed in relation to breeding habitat and the effects of weather and hatchling biometrics.     

Seasonal body mass changes in Eurasian Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria staging in the Netherlands: decline in late autumn mass peak correlates with increase in raptor numbers

Eurasian Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria staging in the Netherlands during the non-breeding season show strikingly constant seasonal changes in body mass with a first mass peak in late November and December and a second peak in late April and May. Despite huge sample sizes, variations in this pattern over successive years in the 1990s and among age classes were minuscule. However, in contrast to the body mass levels at other times of the year, there was a marked decline in the winter peak mass of Golden Plovers from the 1970s/early 1980s to 1989–2000. The decrease, by an average of 29 g, was about half the extra mass previously stored in autumn. This additional mass is known to consist of fat and may be interpreted as an energy store − insurance − for sudden cold spells when a negative energy balance forces the birds to move south and stay in front of the frostline. As the rate of the mass increase in September–October showed no change from the 1980s to the 1990s, changes in food availability are unlikely to explain the long-term mass decline. Also, there were no differences in two factors known to influence energy expenditure and feeding rate, air temperature and rainfall. The one striking environmental change relevant to plovers was the steep increase in the occurrence of raptors in the northern Netherlands in the 1980s, notably Peregrine Falcons Falco peregrinus and Goshawks Accipter gentilis . We argue that the halving of the winter mass peak over a decade is consistent with the hypothesis that under increased risk of predation, birds lower their body mass in order to reduce individual vulnerability, a reduction that may be traded off against an increased risk of starvation.     

The ultrasonic responses of albino mouse pups to tactile stimuli

Tactile stimuli, like environmental temperature changes, can evoke ultrasonic responses from albino mouse pups. But the changes with age in the intensity of ultrasounds so produced follow a different pattern from those due to temperature changes. The responses begin with very high intensity pulses in the very young pups and then gradually decline with the age of the pups. The present report arises from a systematic study of this phenomenon, the results of which are discussed in relation to those of previous ones.     

Effects of age and parity on litter size and offspring sex ratio in golden hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus)

Golden hamsters that were mated repeatedly from 55 days of age produced 6-12 litters. Litter size at birth rose between the 1st and 2nd litters, peaked on the 3rd, and declined steadily after the 5th litter. Offspring sex ratio (% male) at birth followed a similar pattern: increasing between the 1st and 2nd litters, remaining high through the 3rd, and becoming increasingly female-biased thereafter. Weaning success decreased sharply after the 6th litter and most dams failed to raise any young to weaning after the 9th litter. These sequential effects on litter size, offspring sex ratio and weaning success were also observed in females mated once at different ages, but they occurred considerably later in life, i.e. increasing parity hastened the effects of advanced age. These age- and parity-related changes in litter composition are consistent with the Trivers-Willard hypothesis that physiologically-stressed females would skew offspring sex ratios to favour daughters. However, since the observed changes in sex ratio were probably due to differential prenatal mortality, their adaptive significance is unclear.     

西藏不同生态型区苹果品质评价及其对气象因子的响应

通过对西藏4个不同生态型区‘金冠’苹果果实品质相关指标进行测定,并对果实品质与主要气象因子进行相关性分析及回归分析,以确定西藏‘金冠’苹果栽培主要气象因子评价体系。结果显示,在西藏4个不同生态型区‘金冠’苹果品质差异显著,其中,林芝‘金冠’综合表现较好。在西藏高海拔地区,年均温、7月均温、昼夜温差、≥10℃年均积温、年日照时数、年降水量及海拔是影响‘金冠’果实品质的主要气象因子。其中,海拔2857.9 m、年均气温13.2℃、7月平均气温15.9℃、年均昼夜温差12.7℃、≥10℃年均积温2310.5℃、年均日照时数2532.6 h、年均降水量636.7 mm是‘金冠’苹果形成最佳果实品质的适应气象因子,并且在一定范围内,昼夜温差越大,果实品质越好。本研究建立了西藏‘金冠’苹果栽培主要气象因子评价体系,并提出昼夜温差是影响西藏高海拔地区‘金冠’苹果品质的最主要评价因子。     

The Effect of Temperature on Growth and Mineral Nutrition of Fruits of Apple, with Special Reference to Calcium

Growth and mineral composition of fruits in potted trees were studied at two temperatures (19 and 24°C) in two experiments with Golden Delicious and one with Cox's Orange Pippin under a controlled environment. In Golden Delicious the high temperature promoted fruit growth markedly, but in Cox's Orange Pippin the stimulation was much less pronounced. The levels of K, N, Mg, and P (expressed as amounts per fruit) were increased at the higher temperature. This increase was almost completely the result of differences in fruit growth. With respect to Ca the high temperature reduced Ca influx in one Golden Delicious experiment and had hardly any effect in the other, but favoured influx in Cox's Orange Pippin. In one Golden Delicious experiment the temperature was raised 7 weeks after blossoming, which resulted in a temporary drop of Ca. When the same temperature change was applied 4 weeks earlier, Ca continued to increase. It is assumed that mineral influx occurs via the xylem during the first few weeks after fruit set and via the phloem throughout. The results are discussed in terms of differences in mobility in the phloem for the various minerals and of a shift in the ratio between xylem and phloem movement induced by differences in the growth rate of the fruits.     

Density-dependence and winter weather as factors affecting the size of a population of Golden Plovers Pluvialis apricaria

The results of annual censuses of a Golden Plover population in the Peak District, covering 24 years, are analysed. A strong density-dependent effect of the population in the previous year explained 26.7% of the variation in population growth. An additional 15.3% of the variation was accounted for by the severity of winter weather, as measured by mean monthly air temperature for November to February. There was no significant effect of weather during the breeding season upon Golden Plover population size, implying that any effects which spring and summer temperature or rainfall may have upon fledging success are masked by other factors. The importance of these results is discussed in the light of work on other wader species, and possible declines in Golden Plover numbers.     

Spatial and temporal patterns in age structure of Golden Eagles wintering in eastern North America

The behavior of wildlife varies seasonally, and that variation can have substantial demographic consequences. This is especially true for long-distance migrants where the use of landscapes varies by season and, sometimes, age cohort. We tested the hypothesis that distributional patterns of Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) wintering in eastern North America are age-structured (i.e., birds of similar ages winter together) through the analysis of 370,307 images collected by motion-sensitive trail cameras set over bait during the winters of 2012–2013 and 2013–2014. At nine sites with sufficient data for analysis, we documented 145 eagle visits in 2012–2013 and 146 in 2013–2014. We found significant between-year variation in age structure of wintering eastern Golden Eagles, driven largely by annual differences in the proportion of first-winter birds. However, although many other species show spatial structure in wintering behavior, our analysis revealed no latitudinal organization among age cohorts of wintering eastern Golden Eagles. The lack of age-related latitudinal segregation in wintering behavior does not exclude the possibility that these eagles have sex-based or other types of dominance hierarchies that could result in spatial or temporal segregation. Alternatively, other mechanisms such as food availability or habitat structure may determine the distribution and abundance of Golden Eagles in winter.     

The effects of force‐fledging and premature fledging on the survival of nestling songbirds

Despite the broad consensus that force‐fledging of nestling songbirds lowers their probability of survival and therefore should be generally avoided by researchers, that presumption has not been tested. We used radiotelemetry to monitor the survival of fledglings of Ovenbirds Seiurus aurocapilla and Golden‐winged Warblers Vermivora chrysoptera that we unintentionally force‐fledged (i.e. nestlings left the nest in response to our research activities at typical fledging age), that fledged prematurely (i.e. nestlings left the nest earlier than typical fledging age), and that fledged independently of our activities. Force‐fledged Ovenbirds experienced significantly higher survival than those that fledged independent of our activities, and prematurely fledged Ovenbirds had a similarly high survival to those that force‐fledged at typical fledging age. We observed a similar, though not statistically significant, pattern in Golden‐winged Warbler fledgling survival. Our results suggest that investigator‐induced force‐fledging of nestlings, even when deemed premature, does not necessarily result in reduced fledgling survival in these species. Instead, our results suggest that a propensity or ability to fledge in response to disturbance may be a predictor of a higher probability of fledgling survival.     

Reproductive parameters of wild female Rhinopithecus roxellana

On the basis on 6 years of observation, we estimated the reproductive parameters of a Golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) group in the Qinling Mountains, China. We observed 88 births in 47 females from 2001 to 2006. Two methods were used to calculate the birthrate. The first method is based on the number of births observed in a year, giving 0.49+/-0.07 (mean+/-SD), and the second method is based on the female-years of observation, giving 0.49+/-0.17 births per female per year in this troop. The mean interbirth interval is 21.88+/-6.01 months (mean+/-SD). The mortality of infant born between 2002 and 2005 was 22.4%. The interbirth intervals of females that had lost an infant before the age of 6 months were significantly shorter than that of females whose infants survived for more than 6 months. A female usually gives birth once every 2 years if the previous offspring survives to a weaning age of 5-6 months, or will give birth in the next year if the previous young dies before reaching an age of 6 months. Births were significantly concentrated during March to May of each year. The mean birth date was on April 14, median was April 12; and the standard deviation was 13.98 days. Birth peak occurs 6-7 months after mating peak. From observations on 15 individuals that gave birth for the first time, we concluded that the wild female Golden snub-nosed monkeys in Qinling Mountains start giving birth at an age of 5 or 6 years. We suggest that the seasonal reproductive pattern is an adaptive response to the availability of seasonal food. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that these reproductive characteristics are a result of adaptation to the seasonality of mountain climate and food resources.     

Microviscosity of plasmalemmas in rose petals as affected by age and environmental factors

The microviscosity of the plasmalemma of protoplasts isolated from rose (Rosa hyb. cv. Golden Wave) petals was measured by fluorescence depolarization. The plasmalemma's microviscosity was found to increase in petals which were allowed to age on cut flowers or after isolation as well as in isolated protoplasts aged in an aqueous medium. Increasing the temperature of the cut flowers or the isolated protoplasts enhanced the increase of the microviscosity of the protoplast plasmalemma. The mole ratio of free sterol to phospholipid was greater in protoplasts isolated from old flowers or in protoplasts aged after isolation than in protoplasts isolated from younger flowers. Microviscosity was greatest when protoplasts were aged at pH 4.4 and in the presence of Ca²⁺. Artificial alterations of the sterol to phospholipid ratio in the protoplasts, induced by treatment with liposomes, caused similar changes in their measured microviscosity.

These findings strongly suggest that the increase in the petal plasmalemma microviscosity with age is associated with an increase in the sterol to phospholipid ratio which results, at least partially, from the activity of endogenous phospholipases.

     

Diurnal Activity Pattern of Golden Jackal (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Canis aureus</Emphasis> Linn.) in an Urban Landscape of Kolkata,India

The Golden jackal is known to have a wide distribution range and has been put under “Least Concern” category in the IUCN (ver 3.1) Red Data Book. However, the species once quite common along with the Bengal Fox in the eighteenth and nineteenth century of Kolkata has faced serious challenge due to land use and land cover changes in their urban habitats. As such, the Golden jackal has become “locally endangered” in the city of Kolkata, India. Kolkata, one of the largest cities in India, with population density of 14,112,536 is one such example where the land use change is profound. The Tollygunge Club, Kolkata is a social club with restricted entry at the heart of the city of Kolkata and harbours a healthy breeding population of the Golden jackal (Canis aureus Linn.). The present study focuses on the adaptability of the jackals to human proximity and its capacity to switch to natural food (fruits and leaves of available plants in the club, molluscs etc.) present in the club when the club refuse is not available. Their diurnal activity has been studied. These animals show diurnal activity in the open terrains of the club as they are least threatened by the humans. Only few intraspecific and interspecific (with the stray dogs in the club premises) conflicts have been noticed. In is interesting to note that at the heart of a city, in an urban area, such social clubs with restricted entry can provide suitable habitat to sustain a healthy breeding populations of the animals which are showing constant decline in their population due to change in land use pattern.     

Virulence Pattern of Venturia inaequalis Field Isolates and Corresponding Differential Resistance in Malus x domestica

All commercially important apple cultivars are susceptible in the field to scab caused by Venturia inaequalis. The scope of this study was to investigate variation in virulence in Venturia inaequalis populations towards commercial apple cultivars. For this purpose, primary lesions were sampled in orchards with different varietal compositions and diversities. The virulence pattern of monosporic isolates, obtained by isolation of single conidia, was assessed by cross inoculations of the cv. Ananas Reinette, Boskoop, Glockenapfel, Golden Delicious, Gravenstein, James Grieve, Jonathan, Maigold, Reinette de Champagne, Spartan and Yellow Transparent. All cultivars were susceptible to some isolates and resistant to others. No cultivar behaved the same way, which suggests the presence of differential resistance in each cultivar and corresponding virulence in some isolates. Isolates from a monoculture of Golden Delicious consisted mainly of a pathotype that was virulent to Golden Delicious but not to other cultivars. In the samples from cultivar mixtures, virulence pattern variation was considerable. The results give further evidence of the existence of a large pool of differential and ephemeral resistances in Malus, which were overcome by the local scab populations during co‐evolution.     

Variation and seasonal changes in hoverfly species: interactions between temperature, age and genotype

Eristalis tenax L. and E. intricarius L. are two hoverflies which vary considerably in colour pattern. Whilst much of the phenotypic variation in both species is due to genetic variation at major gene loci, there are interactions with pupal temperature and with age of adult. Low pupal temperatures produce, on average, darker abdominal patterns in E. tenax , although the effect is hard to pick out in natural populations. Changes of pattern with age convert a bimodal autumn population to a unimodal post-hibernation population in the following spring. Hair colour is also made darker by cold treatment. Pupal treatments have a strong effect on hair colouration in E. intricarius. High temperatures inhibit the production of black hairs on the thorax, but not all the genotypes are equally sensitive to temperature. Seasonal fluctuations in colour pattern frequencies are detectable in E. intricarius. In three Eristalis species that have been studied so far, the interactions between genotype, age and temperature operate in quite different ways. The temperature responses may be relevant to theories of thermal melanism, although the colour pattern polymorphisms are, more obviously, examples of Batesian mimicry.     

Long-Term Health Effects of Neutering Dogs: Comparison of Labrador Retrievers with Golden Retrievers

Our recent study on the effects of neutering (including spaying) in Golden Retrievers in markedly increasing the incidence of two joint disorders and three cancers prompted this study and a comparison of Golden and Labrador Retrievers. Veterinary hospital records were examined over a 13-year period for the effects of neutering during specified age ranges: before 6 mo., and during 6–11 mo., year 1 or years 2 through 8. The joint disorders examined were hip dysplasia, cranial cruciate ligament tear and elbow dysplasia. The cancers examined were lymphosarcoma, hemangiosarcoma, mast cell tumor, and mammary cancer. The results for the Golden Retriever were similar to the previous study, but there were notable differences between breeds. In Labrador Retrievers, where about 5 percent of gonadally intact males and females had one or more joint disorders, neutering at <6 mo. doubled the incidence of one or more joint disorders in both sexes. In male and female Golden Retrievers, with the same 5 percent rate of joint disorders in intact dogs, neutering at <6 mo. increased the incidence of a joint disorder to 4–5 times that of intact dogs. The incidence of one or more cancers in female Labrador Retrievers increased slightly above the 3 percent level of intact females with neutering. In contrast, in female Golden Retrievers, with the same 3 percent rate of one or more cancers in intact females, neutering at all periods through 8 years of age increased the rate of at least one of the cancers by 3–4 times. In male Golden and Labrador Retrievers neutering had relatively minor effects in increasing the occurrence of cancers. Comparisons of cancers in the two breeds suggest that the occurrence of cancers in female Golden Retrievers is a reflection of particular vulnerability to gonadal hormone removal.     

Spatio‐temporal variation of biotic factors underpins contemporary range dynamics of congeners

Species’ ranges are complex often exhibiting multidirectional shifts over space and time. Despite the strong fingerprint of recent historical climate change on species’ distributions, biotic factors such as loss of vegetative habitat and the presence of potential competitors constitute important yet often overlooked drivers of range dynamics. Furthermore, short‐term changes in environmental conditions can influence the underlying processes of local extinction and local colonization that drive range shifts, yet are rarely considered at broad scales. We used dynamic state‐space occupancy models to test multiple hypotheses of the relative importance of major drivers of range shifts of Golden‐winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera) and Blue‐winged Warblers (V. cyanoptera) between 1983 and 2012 across North America: warming temperatures; habitat changes; and occurrence of congeneric species, used here as proxy for biotic interactions. Dynamic occupancies for both species were most influenced by spatial relative to temporal variation in temperature and habitat. However, temporal variation in temperature anomalies and biotic interactions remained important. The two biotic factors considered, habitat change and biotic interactions, had the largest relative effect on estimated extinction rates followed by abiotic temperature anomalies. For the Golden‐winged Warbler, the predicted presence of the Blue‐winged Warbler, a hypothesized competitor, most influenced extinction probabilities, contributing to evidence supporting its role in site‐level species replacement. Given the overall importance of biotic factors on range‐wide dynamic occupancies, their consideration alongside abiotic factors should not be overlooked. Our results suggest that warming compounds the negative effect of habitat loss emphasizing species’ need for habitat to adapt to a changing climate. Notably, even closely related species exhibited individual responses to abiotic and biotic factors considered.     

Parallel expression profiling of barley–stem rust interactions

The dominant barley stem rust resistance gene Rpg1 confers resistance to many but not all pathotypes of the stem rust fungus Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt). Transformation of Rpg1 into susceptible cultivar Golden Promise rendered the transgenic plants resistant to Pgt pathotype MCC but not to Pgt pathotype QCC. Our objective was to identify genes that are induced/repressed during the early stages of pathogen infection to elucidate the molecular mechanisms and role of Rpg1 in defense. A messenger ribonucleic acid expression analysis using the 22K Barley1 GeneChip was conducted in all pair-wise combinations of two isolines (cv. Golden Promise and Rpg1 transgenic line G02-448F-3R) and two Pgt pathotypes (MCC and QCC) across six time points. Analysis showed that a total of 34 probe sets exhibited expression pattern differences between Golden Promise (susceptible) and G02-448F-3R (resistant) infected with Pgt-MCC. A total of 14 probe sets exhibited expression pattern differences between Pgt-MCC (avirulent) and Pgt-QCC (virulent) inoculated onto G02-448F-3R. These differentially expressed genes were activated during the early infection process, before the hypersensitive response or fungal growth inhibition occurred. Our analysis provides a list of candidate signaling components, which can be analyzed for function in Rpg1-mediated disease resistance.     

Domain-specific regulation of recombination in Caenorhabditis elegans in response to temperature, age and sex

It is generally considered that meiotic recombination rates increase with temperature, decrease with age, and differ between the sexes. We have reexamined the effects of these factors on meiotic recombination in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans using physical markers that encompass >96% of chromosome III. The only difference in overall crossover frequency between oocytes and male sperm was observed at 16°. In addition, crossover interference (CI) differs between the germ lines, with oocytes displaying higher CI than male sperm. Unexpectedly, our analyses reveal significant changes in crossover distribution in the hermaphrodite oocyte in response to temperature. This feature appears to be a general feature of C. elegans chromosomes as similar changes in response to temperature are seen for the X chromosome. We also find that the distribution of crossovers changes with age in both hermaphrodites and females. Our observations indicate that it is the oocytes from the youngest mothers—and not the oldest—that showed a different pattern of crossovers. Our data enhance the emerging hypothesis that recombination in C. elegans, as in humans, is regulated in large chromosomal domains.     

Wintering Golden Eagles on the coastal plain of South Carolina

Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are rare winter residents in eastern North America, with most found along the Appalachian Mountains and few reported on the coastal plain of the Carolinas. We used remote cameras baited with wild pig (Sus scrofa) and white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) carcasses to detect, age, and individually identify Golden Eagles on the U.S. Department of Energy's Savannah River Site on the coastal plain of South Carolina. We identified eight individual Golden Eagles during the winters of 2013–2014 and 2014–2015, with one detected during both winters. We detected eagles for 19 and 66 calendar days during the winters of 2013–2014 and 2014–2015, respectively, with two adult eagles detected for 30 and 31 calendar days in 2014–2015. Eagles typically scavenged on carcasses for a few days, left, and then returned when cameras were baited with another carcass, suggesting they had remained in the area. These observations suggest that large tracts of forests on the coastal plain may be important wintering areas for some Golden Eagles and, further, that other areas in the coastal plain of the southeastern United States may also harbor wintering eagles. Identification of wintering areas of Golden Eagles in the east will be an important step in the conservation of this protected species, and camera traps baited with carcasses can be an effective tool for such work.     

Changes in mRNA and Protein during Ripening in Apple Fruit (Malus domestica Borkh. cv Golden Delicious)

Poly(A)⁺ RNA was extracted from cortical tissue of apple fruit (Malus domestica Borkh. cv Golden Delicious), and in vitro translation products were analyzed by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. As fruit internal ethylene concentration increased from a basal level of 0.0 to 0.1 microliter per liter to 1 to 5 microliters/liter, substantial changes in the pattern of in vitro translation products were observed. More subtle changes were observed as fruit continued to ripen and internal ethylene concentration increased to 80 to 100 microliters/liter. Overall, the levels of at least six mRNAs were found to increase, while one mRNA decreased. Analysis of proteins extracted from ripening fruit indicated that the level of at least three proteins increased with ripening.