Annual variation in maternal age and calving date generate cohort effects in moose (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Alces alces</Emphasis>) body mass

A general feature of the demography of large ungulates is that many demographic traits are dependent on female body mass at early ages. Thus, identifying the factors affecting body mass variation can give important mechanistic understanding of demographic processes. Here we relate individual variation in autumn and winter body mass of moose calves living at low density on an island in northern Norway to characteristics of their mother, and examine how these relationships are affected by annual variation in population density and climate. Body mass increased with increasing age of their mother, was lower for calves born late in the spring, decreased with litter size and was larger for males than for female calves. No residual effects of variation in density and climate were present after controlling for annual variation in mother age and calving date. The annual variation in adult female age structure and calving date explained a large part (71–75%) of the temporal variation in calf body mass. These results support the hypotheses that (a) body mass of moose calves are affected by qualities associated with mother age (e.g. body condition, calving date); and (b) populations living at low densities are partly buffered against temporal fluctuations in the environment.     

Population characteristics predict responses in moose body mass to temporal variation in the environment

1. A general problem in population ecology is to predict under which conditions stochastic variation in the environment has the stronger effect on ecological processes. By analysing temporal variation in a fitness-related trait, body mass, in 21 Norwegian moose Alces alces (L.) populations, we examined whether the influence of temporal variation in different environmental variables were related to different parameters that were assumed to reflect important characteristics of the fundamental niche space of the moose. 2. Body mass during autumn was positively related to early access to fresh vegetation in spring, and to variables reflecting slow phenological development (low June temperature, a long spring with a slow plant progression during spring). In contrast, variables related to food quantity and winter conditions had only a minor influence on temporal variation in body mass. 3. The magnitude of the effects of environmental variation on body mass was larger in populations with small mean body mass or living at higher densities than in populations with large-sized individuals or living at lower densities. 4. These results indicate that the strongest influence of environmental stochasticity on moose body mass occurs towards the borders of the fundamental niche space, and suggests that populations living under good environmental conditions are partly buffered against fluctuations in environmental conditions.     

Variations in ergosterol content and ornithine decarboxylase activity of ectomycorrhizal root-soil systems

Influences of soil P fertilization on temporal changes in ergosterol content and ornithine decarboxylase (E.C. 4.1.1.17, ODC) activity were monitored in rhizosphere soil, non-rhizosphere soil and Pinus contorta roots ectomycorrhizal with Hebeloma crustuliniforme grown in a loamy sand. With addition of mycorrhizal inoculum to loamy sand, ODC activity mg^-1 root increased between 10% and 2 fold within 21 weeks of pianting. Inoculation also decreased root mass per seedling. Inoculation increased mycelia mass per root mass by up to 2 fold but no differences were observed for total seedling mass until 35 weeks. Intramatrical mycelia were detrimental to early plant growth, but inoculated seedlings had 1.7 times more root mass and 1.3 times more shoot mass at 35 weeks. Rhizosphere soil contained up to 5 times more mycelia and up to 6 times greater ODC activity than non-rhizosphere soil. Inoculation increased rhizophere metabolic activity and intramatrical mycelia mass. Their sensitivity to fungal inoculation, P fertilization and temporal trends may make the methods useful in studies of rhizosphere ecology and root-microbe relationships.     

Mechanisms for temporal tuning and filtering by postsynaptic signaling pathways

Networks of signaling pathways perform complex temporal decoding functions in diverse biological systems, including the synapse, development, and bacterial chemotaxis. This paper examines temporal filtering and tuning properties of synaptic signaling pathways as a possible substrate for emergent temporal decoding. A mass action kinetic model of 16 synaptic signaling pathways was used to dissect out the contribution of these pathways in linear cascades and when coupled to form a network. The model predicts two primary mechanisms of temporal tuning of pathways: a weighted summation of responses of pathways with different timings and the presence of biochemical feedback loop(s) with emergent dynamics. Regulatory inputs act differently on these two tuning mechanisms. In the first case, regulators act like a gain-control on pathways with different intrinsic tuning. In the case of feedback loops, the temporal properties of the loop itself are changed. These basic tuning mechanisms may underlie specialized temporal tuning functions in more complex signaling systems in biology.     

Stature and body mass estimation from skeletal remains in the European Holocene

Techniques that are currently available for estimating stature and body mass from European skeletal remains are all subject to various limitations. Here, we develop new prediction equations based on large skeletal samples representing much of the continent and temporal periods ranging from the Mesolithic to the 20th century. Anatomical reconstruction of stature is carried out for 501 individuals, and body mass is calculated from estimated stature and biiliac breadth in 1,145 individuals. These data are used to derive stature estimation formulae based on long bone lengths and body mass estimation formulae based on femoral head breadth. Prediction accuracy is superior to that of previously available methods. No systematic geographic or temporal variation in prediction errors is apparent, except in tibial estimation of stature, where northern and southern European formulae are necessary because of the presence of relatively longer tibiae in southern samples. Thus, these equations should bebroadly applicable to European Holocene skeletal samples.     

Disentangling plastic and genetic changes in body mass of Siberian jays

Spatial and temporal phenotypic differentiation in mean body size is of commonplace occurrence, but the underlying causes remain often unclear: both genetic differentiation in response to selection (or drift) and environmentally induced plasticity can create similar phenotypic patterns. Studying changes in body mass in Siberian jays (Perisoreus infaustus) over three decades, we discovered that mean body mass declined drastically (ca. 10%) over the first two decades, but increased markedly thereafter back to almost the initial level. Quantitative genetic analyses revealed that although body mass was heritable (h² = 0.46), the pronounced temporal decrease in body mass was mainly a product of phenotypic plasticity. However, a concomitant and statistically significant decrease in predicted breeding values suggests a genetic component to this change. The subsequent increase in mean body mass was indicated to be entirely due to plasticity. Selection on body mass was estimated to be too weak to fully account for the observed genetic decline in body mass, but bias in selection differential estimates due to environmental covariance between body mass and fitness is possible. Hence, the observed body mass changes appear to be driven mainly by phenotypic plasticity. Although we were not able to identify the ecological driver of the observed plastic changes, the results highlight the utility of quantitative genetic approaches in disentangling genetic and phenotypic changes in natural populations.     

The Old Ladies of the Seed Harvester ant Pogonomyrmex Rugosus: Foraging Performed by Two Groups of Workers

We examined temporal polyethism in Pogonomyrmex rugosus, predicting a pattern of decreasing age from foragers to nest maintenance workers to individuals that were recruited to harvest a temporary food source. Nest maintenance workers were younger than foragers, as indicated by their heavier mass and lower mandibular wear. In contrast, recruited foragers were similar in mass to foragers but they displayed higher mandibular wear, suggesting that they were at least as old as foragers. Longevity estimates for marked individuals of these two latter task groups showed mixed results. Higher mandibular wear of recruited foragers suggests that they did not follow the normal sequence for temporal polyethism, but rather that they functioned as seed-millers, which should more quickly abrade their dentition. This would be the first demonstration of specialist milling individuals in a monomorphic seed-harvester ant.     

Aneurysm of the superficial temporal artery presenting as a parotid mass

True aneurysms of the superficial temporal artery are rare and are associated with atherosclerosis. If the aneurysm occurs in the proximal portion of the superficial temporal artery, it may present as a parotid mass, encompass the facial nerve, and require superficial parotidectomy, as it did in this patient. Preoperative assessment with ultrasonography was the most useful diagnostic test because the aneurysm was thrombosed and was not visible by angiography. Thrombosed superficial temporal artery aneurysm should be in the differential diagnosis of parotid masses.     

Asynchronous temporal variation among sites in condition of two carabid species

Abstract.  1. It is generally assumed that generalist predatory carabids are food limited, and the degree of food limitation can vary in space and time, but there are only a few studies that investigate whether or not temporal variation in insect condition is synchronised among sites.
2. In this paper temporal and spatial variation in four fitness-related traits – body mass corrected for size, body size, fat content, and fecundity – of two carabid species, Pterostichus cupreus (L.) and Pterostichus melanarius (Ill.), differing in overwintering strategy, lifespan, diet, and habitat breadth were studied.
3. Interactions between temporal and spatial variation for the fitness-related traits were found for both species. Temporal changes in food limitation were not synchronised among sites, and fitness-related traits were not generally higher on some sites than on others.
4. There was an effect of study year on body mass, fat content, and fecundity for both species, suggesting that temporal environmental variation over large areas is more important than the spatial environmental variation within a year.
5. Within a time period, most different fitness-related traits, except body size, were positively correlated to each other among individuals of the same species. The fitness-related traits of females and males of the same species were generally positively correlated. However, despite the fact that the food resources of the two species overlap, there was no correlation in fitness-related traits between the two species.     

Temporal patterns of seed set and decelerating fitness returns on female allocation in Zigadenus paniculatus (Liliaceae), an andromonoecious lily

I describe temporal patterns of seed production in the andromonoecious lily Zigadenus particulatus. Fruit set per flower and seed set per fruit declined through time within plants. Hand pollination experiments showed that this was not due to increasing pollen limitation. Nutrient supplementation had little effect on seed output, but leaf clipping reduced seed production, especially in late-blooming flowers, and removal of early-blooming flowers increased seed set by later flowers. Thus, the temporal pattern of seed output was due to declining availability of photosynthates. Plants with larger bulbs produced larger inflorescences, a greater proportion of hermaphrodite flowers, more fruits per hermaphrodite flower, and more seeds per fruit, but lost a greater fraction of their initial bulb mass as a consequence of fruiting. After controlling for the effects of bulb mass, plants with larger inflorescences produced a greater proportion of male flowers, and plants with more hermaphrodite flowers produced fewer fruits per hermaphrodite flower and fewer seeds per fruit. Thus, the female fitness gain curve was decelerating. The temporal decline in seed output provides a partial explanation for the parallel decline in allocation to pistils. However, a complete explanation for the pattern of gamete packaging requires an understanding of factors controlling male, as well as female, fitness.     

Enlargement of the temporalis muscle and alterations in the lateral cranial vault

The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that increasedmasticatory muscle accompanied morphologic changes in the temporalbone and squamosal suture. Ten mice deficient for the proteinmyostatin (Mstn –/–) had significantly increasedskeletal muscle mass and were compared with nine controls (Mstn+/+). Variables measured include linear and areal metrics describingtemporal size and temporal bone shape as well as the extentof the area of the squamosal suture that overlaps, or bevels,with parietal bones. Mstn–/– mice showed significantlylarger temporalis muscles. Their temporal bones showed significantlydecreased size as well as decreased beveling of the squamosalsuture. These decreases were absolute as well as relative andwere not restricted to either vertical or horizontal axes. Theincreased masticatory musculature of Myostatin-null mice hada shrinking effect on the temporal aspect of the cranium. Theseresults are inconsistent with the interpretation that increasedtemporalis mass induces morphologic changes in temporal bonethat compensate for putative increases in compressive forcestransduced at this region. Rather than increase in the areaof overlap between two calvarial bones, potential increase inbiomechanical loading along the temporal squama led to a smallerbevel which would presumably weaken this joint. It is unclearwhy this is so. Either compressive forces are not anabolic tosuture beveling or they do upregulate growth of the suture bevel,with compression not being the primary loading regime at thissuture.     

Developmental expression of drop-dead is required for early adult survival and normal body mass in Drosophila melanogaster

In Drosophila melanogaster, mutations in the gene drop-dead (drd) result in early adult lethality, with flies dying within 2 weeks of eclosion. Additional phenotypes include neurodegeneration, tracheal defects, starvation, reduced body mass, and female sterility. The cause of early lethality and the function of the drd protein remain unknown. In the current study, the temporal profiles of drd expression required for adult survival and body mass regulation were investigated. Knockdown of drd expression by UAS-RNAi transgenes and rescue of drd expression on a drd mutant background by a UAS-drd transgene were controlled with the Heat Shock Protein 70 (Hsp70)-Gal4 driver. Flies were heat-shocked at different stages of their lifecycle, and the survival and body mass of the resulting adult flies were assayed. Surprisingly, the adult lethal phenotype did not depend upon drd expression in the adult. Rather, expression of drd during the second half of metamorphosis was both necessary and sufficient to prevent rapid adult mortality. In contrast, the attainment of normal adult body mass required a different temporal pattern of drd expression. In this case, manipulation of drd expression solely during larval development or metamorphosis had no effect on body mass, while knockdown or rescue of drd expression during all of pre-adult (embryonic, larval, and pupal) development did significantly alter body mass. Together, these results indicate that the adult-lethal gene drd is required only during development. Furthermore, the mutant phenotypes of body mass and lifespan are separable phenotypes arising from an absence of drd expression at different developmental stages.     

Temporal variation in density dependent body growth of a large herbivore

Temporal variation both due to density dependent and density independent processes affect performance and vital rates in large herbivores. Annual fluctuations in climate affect foraging conditions and thus body growth of large herbivores during the short growing season in alpine habitats. Also, high animal densities on summer ranges may increase competition for food and reduce body mass gain. Yet, little is known about interactive effects of density and climate on alpine summer ranges, and the time scales these processes operate on. In this fully replicated landscape‐scale experiment, we kept domestic sheep at high and low densities over nine grazing seasons in an alpine habitat, and tested the relative role of density and annual variation for lamb body mass gain during summer and whether effects of density and annual variation interacted. We found that lambs at high density gained less mass over the summer season than lambs at low density. At short time scales the density effect interacted with annual fluctuations in body growth. We documented a long‐term temporal trend in body mass, consistent with the hypothesis that grazing effects affect habitat differentially at high and low density over years. At high density lamb autumn body mass declined during the first three grazing seasons and then stabilized, whereas body mass slightly increased over years at low density. This long‐term trend suggests accumulative density dependent effects from a biomass or quality reduction, and hence delayed food competition at high density and possibly facilitation at low density. Our experiment provides new insight into how density dependent effects on performance of a large herbivore depend on temporal scale of observation.     

Responses of litter invertebrate communities to litter manipulation in a Japanese conifer plantation

We examined how the litter invertebrate communities were affected by the temporal changes in the mass and structural complexity of the litter resources by adding and removing litter on the forest floor of a temperate conifer plantation (Cryptomeria japonica) in Japan. We showed that litter mass and depth in the litter-addition (L+) plots changed rapidly into a steady-state condition similar to those in the control plots, mainly due to accelerated decomposition processes during the rainy season. Higher area-based densities of litter invertebrates in the L+ plots, similar mass-based densities between the L+ and control plots, and significant positive correlations between litter mass and the number of individuals implied that the abundance of litter invertebrates would be governed by litter mass rather than by the litter depth. Many litter invertebrates including detritivores were collected even in the litter-removal (L−) area. The relative abundances of invertebrate predators collecting pitfall traps were higher in the L− plots and lower in the L+ plots compared to those in the control plots, whereas those collecting Tullgren funnels were higher in the L+ plots than in the control plots. In the L+ plots, the range of variation in the community compositions among the samples decreased significantly over time in response to a drastic decrease in litter mass, in contrast to the control plots, which showed a relatively constant community composition during the study period. Our litter manipulation experiment reveals some of the mechanisms responsible for maintaining an equilibrium state of forest-floor litter mass and for the responses of litter invertebrate communities to temporal changes in the litter.     

A computational strategy to analyze label-free temporal bottom-up proteomics data

Biological systems are in a continual state of flux, which necessitates an understanding of the dynamic nature of protein abundances. The study of protein abundance dynamics has become feasible with recent improvements in mass spectrometry-based quantitative proteomics. However, a number of challenges still remain related to how best to extract biological information from dynamic proteomics data, for example, challenges related to extraneous variability, missing abundance values, and the identification of significant temporal patterns. This paper describes a strategy that addresses these issues and demonstrates its values for analyzing temporal bottom-up proteomics data using data from a Rhodobacter sphaeroides 2.4.1 time-course study.     

Influence of preliminary information about the mass on anticipatory muscle activity during the catching of a falling object

A heavy or light object fell into the cup held between the thumb and the index finger of a sitting subject. The anticipatory muscle activity and the grip force applied to the cup depended on the object mass, whereas the temporal parameters, such as the moment of the start and the duration of muscle activity and the moment of the maximum grip force remained unchanged. Preliminary verbal information about the object mass sufficed for the predictive programming of adequate muscle activity and grip force. Without this information, i.e., when the mass of the falling object was unknown, the anticipatory activity was planned in expectation of a heavy weight.     

Lipidomic Analysis of Chlamydomonas reinhardtii under Nitrogen and Sulfur Deprivation

Chlamydomonas reinhardtii accumulates lipids under complete nutrient starvation conditions while overall growth in biomass stops. In order to better understand biochemical changes under nutrient deprivation that maintain production of algal biomass, we used a lipidomic assay for analyzing the temporal regulation of the composition of complex lipids in C. reinhardtii in response to nitrogen and sulfur deprivation. Using a chip-based nanoelectrospray direct infusion into an ion trap mass spectrometer, we measured a diversity of lipid species reported for C. reinhardtii, including PG phosphatidylglycerols, PI Phosphatidylinositols, MGDG monogalactosyldiacylglycerols, DGDG digalactosyldiacylglycerols, SQDG sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerols, DGTS homoserine ether lipids and TAG triacylglycerols. Individual lipid species were annotated by matching mass precursors and MS/MS fragmentations to the in-house LipidBlast mass spectral database and MS2Analyzer. Multivariate statistics showed a clear impact on overall lipidomic phenotypes on both the temporal and the nutrition stress level. Homoserine-lipids were found up-regulated at late growth time points and higher cell density, while triacyclglycerols showed opposite regulation of unsaturated and saturated fatty acyl chains under nutritional deprivation.     

Saved by the pulse? Separating the effects of total and temporal food abundance on the growth and reproduction of bumble bee microcolonies

The loss of flower-rich habitat in agricultural landscapes is a key factor contributing to bumble bee declines across Europe and North America. Yet, agricultural intensification has not only altered flower abundance in the landscape, but also affected when flowers are available during the season (e.g., mass-flowering crops). While we know that both total pollen and nectar as well as temporal availability can impact bumble bee colony success (growth and reproductive output), we have yet to understand how these two factors combined might manifest. We designed an experiment to decouple the effects of total food abundance and its temporal availability on bumble bee microcolony development by exposing them to either constant or pulsed food availability at a high and low ration level. Microcolonies provided constant, high-rations of food grew the most, while those fed variable, but high rations gained less mass over the course of the experiment. Regardless of the temporal presentation of food, microcolonies fed low rations gained little mass over the experiment. Reproductive output was greatest in microcolonies fed high rations, regardless of the temporal availability of food, while those given low rations produced on average 27% fewer drones. This study highlights the importance of food abundance for both colony growth and reproduction, regardless of how food is presented (e.g., constantly or in a pulse). Together, these results indicate that increasing total food abundance will have the greatest, positive impact on colony fitness.     

Evolution of sex-biased maternal effects in birds: I. Sex-specific resource allocation among simultaneously growing oocytes

Females in species that produce broods of multiple offspring need to partition resources among simultaneously growing ova, embryos or neonates. In birds, the duration of growth of a single egg exceeds the ovulation interval, and when maternal resources are limited, a temporal overlap among several developing follicles in the ovary might result in a trade-off of resources among them. We studied growth of oocytes in relation to their future ovulation order, sex, and overlap with other oocytes in a population of house finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) where strongly sex-biased maternal effects are favoured by natural selection. We found pronounced differences in growth patterns between oocytes that produced males and females. Male oocytes grew up to five times faster and reached their ovulation size earlier than female oocytes. Early onset and early termination of male oocytes' growth in relation to their ovulation resulted in their lesser temporal overlap with other growing ova compared with female oocytes. Consequently, ovulation mass of female but not male oocytes was strongly negatively affected by temporal overlap with other oocytes. In turn, mass of male oocytes was mostly affected by the order of ovulation and by maternal incubation strategy. These results provide a mechanism for sex-biased allocation of maternal resources during egg formation and provide insights into the timing of the sex-determining meiotic division in relation to ovulation in this species.