Relationships among nutrition and reproduction and relevance for wild animals

This review discusses aspects of feeding ecology, nutrition, and dietary husbandry that are particularly relevant to reproductive success in wild animals. Emphasis has been placed on recently published literature. Special attention has been given to requirements for energy and protein and the unique roles of essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E. Information has been drawn from research with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, including the domestic and laboratory species that play such a large role in elucidating mechanisms connecting nutrition and reproduction. Zoo Biol 23:475–487, 2004. © 2004 Wiley-Liss, Inc.     

Langmuir adsorption isotherm forSulfolobus acidocaldarius on coal particles

Summary Sulfolobus acidocaldarius attachment to coal particles was observed in 20% coal slurry at 72°C and pH 2.0. The rate and extent of attachment were determined and the data fit the Langmuir adsorption model. The results compared qualitatively with selected adsorption data from other investigators forThiobacillus ferrooxidans.     

Coacervate-like microspheres from lysine-rich proteinoid

Microspheres form isothermally from lysine-rich proteinoid when the ionic strength of the solution is increased with NaCl or other salts. Studies with different monovalent anions and with polymers of different amino acid composition indicate that charge neutralization and hydrophobic bonding contribute to microsphere formation. The particles also form in sea water, especially if heated or made slightly alkaline. The microspheres differ from those made from acidic proteinoid but resemble coacervate dtoplets in some ways (isothermal formation, limited stability, stabilization by quinone, uptake of dyes). Because the constituent lysine-rich proteinoid is of simulated prebiotic origin, the study is interpreted to add emphasis to and suggest an evolutionary continuity for coacervation phenomena.     

Organic acid metabolism in Sclerotinia sclerotiorum

Summary Citrate synthase (EC 4.1.3.7), aconitate hydratase (EC 4.2.1.3), NADP specific isocitrate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.42), fumarate hydratase (EC 4.2.1.2) and malate dehydrogenase (EC 1.1.1.37) were detected in cell-free preparations of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) D By. grown on liquid glucose-salts medium in stationary culture. Isocitrate lyase (EC 4.1.3.1) was present when the fungus grew on a carbohydrate-free medium but was not detected when the cultures grew on the glucose-salts medium. The amount of oxalate in the culture filtrate declined as the specific activity of citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase in the mycelium declined. Increasing the initial pH of the medium resulted in an increase of the dicarboxylic acids in the culture filtrate and the specific activity of malate dehydrogenase in the mycelium. The specific reaction(s) leading to oxalic acid formation were not identified.     

Spatial Distribution of Biochemical Parameters Indicating Biomass and Community Composition of Microbial Assemblies In Estuarine Mud Flat Sediments

The spatial distribution of communities was examined in estuarine mud flat sediments by the biochemical analysis of the lipids and lipid components extracted from the sediments. Total phospholipid was used as a measure of total biomass, and fatty acids were used as indicators of community composition. Comparisons were made among 2- by 2-m (location) and 0.2- by 0.2-m (cluster) sampling plots by using a nested analysis of variance to design an optimal sampling strategy to define the microbial content of a large, relatively homogenous area. At two of the three stations, a 2- by 2-m plot was representative of the station, but 0.2- by 0.2-m areas were in no case representative of the station. The biomass measured by the extractable phospholipid and the total lipid palmitic acid showed excellent correlation with the fatty acid “signatures” characteristic of bacteria, but showed a lower correlation with the long-chain polyenoic fatty acids characteristic of the microfauna.     

Book Review: The Biology of Traditions. Models and Evidence. Edited by Dorothy M. Fragaszy and Susan Perry,Cambridge University Press,Cambridge, UK. 2003, xvii + 456 pp., $90.00 (hardback)

International Journal of Primatology -     

Spatial relations between shrubs and Prosopis glandulosa canopies

Abstract. Prosopis glandulosa, an arborescent legume, may act as a nurse plant that facilitates the establishment of other woody species. We hypothesized that attenuation of radiant energy and increased soil nutrients beneath P. glandulosa canopies facilitate establishment of subordinate shrubs and shrub cluster development. We determined the spatial distribution pattern of shrubs under P. glandulosa at three locations in southern Texas. Density of Celtis pallida, Zanthoxylum fagara, and total woody plants were comparable among the four cardinal directions at each location, which countered the prediction that shrub density would be greater on the north side of P. glandulosa canopies if attenuation of solar energy was a factor in cluster development. Total woody plant density increased with increasing P. glandulosa basal diameter, canopy radius, and height only at one location. Total woody plant density decreased with increasing total N in the upper 15 cm of soil at two of the three locations. Late in shrub cluster development, extraction of N from the soil and incorporation of N into plant tissue in dense shrub clusters may operate to inhibit further increases in subordinate shrub density.