Holling's “hungry mantid” model for the invertebrate functional response considered as a Markov process. III. Stable satiation distribution

In this paper, we study an analytical model describing predatory behaviour. It is assumed that the parameter describing the predator's behaviour is its satiation. Using semigroup methods and compactness arguments we prove that a stable satiation distribution is reached if t. Furthermore, using a Trotter-Kato theorem we justify the transition to the much simpler problem that is obtained if the prey biomass tends to zero.     

Responses of Acilius sulcatus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) to chemical cues from perch (Perca fluviatilis)

In this study we tested the hypothesis that the presence of chemical stimuli from a hungry predator would initiate anti-predator responses, while stimuli from a satiated predator would not. We used chemical stimuli released from starved perch (Perca fluviatilis) and from satiated perch (predator). As prey we used adult Acilius sulcatus (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae). The reaction of the beetles to different predator conditions was tested during daytime. We also tested the reaction to starved perch during the night. A. sulcatus activity decreased when it was exposed to stimuli released from starved perch during daytime when visibility was poor, due to the presence of artificial vegetation. There was, however, no reaction to satiated perch under the same experimental conditions. These results indicate that A. sulcatus can discriminate between chemical cues from hungry and satiated fish predators. When visibility was good and the concentration of chemical cues was constant, the beetles did not react to starved perch in the daytime, but their activity decreased at night in response to stimuli released from starved perch. Visual as well as chemical cues seem to be important for detecting a potential predator. When visibility is good, beetles seem to rely on visual stimuli, while in darkness they seem to use chemical stimuli to detect the presence of predators. Received: 4 October 1996 / Accepted: 7 February 1997     

NUCB2/nesfatin-1对小鼠摄食行为的调控及机制

目的:探讨NUCB2/nesfatin-1对小鼠摄食行为的调控及机制。方法:利用侧脑室埋管,免疫组化染色等方法,探讨侧脑室和外周注射nesfatin-1对小鼠摄食行为的影响。结果:侧脑室注射不同剂量nesfatin-1(0.3μg,1μg,3μg),注药后4 h夜间进食量明显减少,且呈显著剂量依赖关系(t=2.61~4.78,P0.05~0.01),侧脑室注射3μg nesfatin-1,小鼠前3小时累积摄食量明显降低(t=8.69~10.73,P0.01),且持续降低12小时(t=2.64,P0.05),同时餐间间隔时间明显延长(t=2.66,P0.05),每分钟/1-4 h进食量明显降低(t=2.63,P0.05),且进食每克食物所用时间明显增加(t=3.02,P0.05)。在下丘脑弓状核,外侧区和背内侧核均有NUCB2/nesfatin-1免疫阳性神经元表达。皮下或腹腔注射nesfatin-1,小鼠进食量和进食行为均无显著改变(P0.05)。结论:中枢nesfatin-1可抑制小鼠摄食行为。     

Within-session changes in licking as a function of sucrose concentration in common marmosets

Common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) were allowed to lick sucrose solutions freely in 30-min sessions. We examined how the rate of licking changed in the course of a session and how the pattern of changes was affected by different concentrations (1%, 5%, and 25%) of solutions. The results showed that licking rates decreased monotonically regardless of the concentrations and that the decreasing patterns could be reasonably explained by exponential functions. The rates of decrease were slowest for the 5% solution and fastest for the 1% solution. The linear relation between the number of licks in a short interval and the cumulative number of licks before that interval, which was suggested by Aoyama (1996), did not always hold. The cumulative records of licking for individual sessions revealed that a break-and-run pattern of licking sometimes dominated after a licking rate slowed down, and that this pattern could disturb the linear relation.     

Association of melanocortin 4 receptor gene variation with satiation and gastric emptying in overweight and obese adults

Melanocortin 4 receptor (MC4R) has a major role in energy homeostasis. The rs17782313 polymorphism, mapped 188 kb downstream from MC4R, has been associated with satiety, higher body mass index (BMI) and total calorie intake in adults. To assess the association of rs17782313 with gastric functions, satiation, or satiety, we studied 178 predominantly Caucasian overweight and obese people: 120 females, 58 males; mean BMI 33.4 ± 5.3 kg/m² (SD); age 37.7 ± 11.2 years. Quantitative traits assessed were gastric emptying (GE) of solids and liquids; fasting and postprandial gastric volume; satiation by maximum tolerated volume and 4 symptoms by 100-mm visual analog scales (VAS); and satiety by ad libitum buffet meal. Associations of genotype and quantitative traits were assessed by analysis of covariance (using gender and BMI as covariates), based on a dominant [TC (n = 72) − CC (n = 12) vs. TT (n = 94)] genetic model. rs17782313(C) was associated with postprandial satiation symptoms (median Δ total VAS 26.5 mm, p = 0.036), reduced proportion of solid GE at 2 h (median Δ 6.7 %, p = 0.008) and 4 h (median Δ 3.2 %, p = 0.006), and longer t_½ (median Δ 6 min, p = 0.034). Associations of rs17782313 with obesity may be explained by reduced satiation and GE. The role of MC4R mechanisms in satiation and gastric function deserves further study.     

Central nesfatin-1 reduces the nocturnal food intake in mice by reducing meal size and increasing inter-meal intervals

Nesfatin-1 is well established to reduce food intake upon brain injection in rats, while in mice its anorexigenic action and brain expression are largely unexplored. We characterized the influence of intracerebroventricular (icv) and peripheral (intraperitoneal, ip, subcutaneous, sc) injection of nesfatin-1 on dark phase ingestive behavior using an automated feeding monitoring system and co-localized NUCB2/nesfatin-1 immunoreactivity in the associated brain areas. Nesfatin-1 (0.3, 1 or 3 μg/mouse, icv) caused a dose-related reduction of 4-h dark phase food intake by 13%, 27%, and 46% respectively. Nesfatin-1 (3 μg/mouse, icv) action had a 2-h delayed onset, 82% peak inhibition occurring at 3-4 h post-injection and was long lasting (30% reduction for 12 h period post-injection). Nesfatin-1 (3 μg/mouse, icv)-treated mice had a 46% lower meal frequency associated with 2-times longer inter-meal intervals and a 35% reduction in meal size compared to vehicle during the 1-4 h post-injection (p < 0.05). NUCB2/nesfatin-1-immunopositive neurons were found in hypothalamic (supraoptic, paraventricular, arcuate, dorsomedial, lateral) and brainstem (dorsal vagal complex) feeding regulatory nuclei. When injected peripherally, neither food intake nor feeding microstructure parameters were altered. These results demonstrate that NUCB2/nesfatin-1 is prominently expressed in mouse hypothalamus and medulla and acts in the brain to curtail the dark phase feeding by inducing satiation and satiety indicated by reduced meal size and prolonged inter-meal intervals respectively. The lack of nesfatin-1 effect when injected peripherally at a 23-times higher dose indicates a primarily central site of the anorexigenic action for nesfatin-1 in mice.     

Can non-native smallmouth bass, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Micropterus dolomieu</Emphasis>, be swamped by hatchery fish releases to increase juvenile Chinook salmon, <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oncorhynchus tshawytscha</Emphasis>, survival?

One of the strategies that can be used to reduce predation impacts to valued fish species is by swamping predators with more prey than they can eat. We examined whether this approach was viable by calculating the maximum bioenergetic consumption potential of non-native smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu on fall Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha juveniles in the Yakima River throughout the spring between 1998 and 2002 and comparing those estimates to previously published estimates of fall Chinook salmon consumption. We found that the smallmouth bass population consumed fall Chinook salmon well below their bioenergetic potential. However, individual smallmouth bass that were piscivorous were eating other food items at a level near satiation. Furthermore, the maximum consumption potential was relatively low prior to mid-April, and then increased substantially to a peak in May. Predation mortality to hatchery fall Chinook salmon could be reduced within a year by releasing hatchery fall Chinook salmon that will emigrate quickly prior to mid-April, when predation potential is still very low. However, attempting to swamp predators with hatchery Chinook salmon to benefit naturally produced Chinook salmon poses uncertain benefits to natural origin fish and likely unacceptable costs to hatchery fish. Considerable swamping is occurring by other naturally produced fish species in the Yakima River such as dace Rhinichthys spp., mountain whitefish Prosopium williamsoni, and crayfish Pacificastus spp. Therefore, it is important to consider impacts to these non-target species because they could have indirect predation impacts on Chinook salmon.     

Characterization of buccal motor programs elicited by a cholinergic agonist applied to the cerebral ganglion of Aplysia californica

Applying the non-hydrolyzable cholinergic agonist carbachol (CCh) to the cerebral ganglion of Aplysia elicits sustained, regular bursts of activity in the buccal ganglia resembling those seen during biting. The threshold for bursting is 10^2–4 M. Bursting begins after a 2 to 5 min delay. The burst frequency increases over the first 5 bursts, reaching a plateau value of 3 per minute. Bursting is maintained for over 10 min. Some of the effects of CCh may be attributed to its ability to depolarize and fire CBI-2, a command-like neuron in the cerebral ganglion that initiates biting. CBI-2 is also depolarized by ACh, and by stimulating peripheral sensory nerves. Excitation of CBI-2 caused by carbachol is partially blocked by the muscarinic antagonist atropine. We examined whether CCh-induced bursting is modified in ganglia taken from Aplysia that previously experienced treatments inhibiting feeding, such as satiation, head shock contingent or non-contingent with food, and training animals with an inedible food. No treatment consistently and repeatedly affected the latency, the peak burst period, the length of time that bursting was maintained, or the threshold CCh concentration for eliciting bursting. However, there was a decrease in the rate of the buildup of the buccal ganglion program in previously satiated animals.     

Factors affecting post-dispersal seed survival in a tropical forest

Summary Using the subcanopy tree Faramea occidentalis in Panama, I studied post-dispersal seed survival as a function of five characteristics describing seed locations. By simultaneously considering distance from a conspecific adult, size of the nearest conspecific adult, leaf litter quantity, proximity to logs or tree trunks, and whether or not the seed was in a gap, I was able to analyze the influences of individual factors, as well as the interactions among factors. Seed survival was significantly less in treefall gaps than in the forest understory. Seed survival was also influenced by the size of the nearest adult but in a complex interaction with distance to an adult. For seeds beneath adults, survival decreased with increasing tree size, while for seeds away from adults, survival was independent of the size of the nearest conspecific adult. Distance did not directly affect seed survival, nor did the quantity of leaf litter or the proximity to a tree trunk or a log. In a separate analysis, the relationship between distance and seed survival was consistent over four years, suggesting that single cohort studies may provide accurate insights into the consequences of dispersal. In contrast, the spatial locations of surviving seeds were not consistent over the four-year period. Transects with high survival one year did not tend to have high survival in other years, and the locations of surviving seeds in any particular year could not be predicted from the knowledge of where seeds survived in other years. While survival is patchy within a year, the locations of patches shift from year to year.     

Predicting and testing functional responses: An example from a tardigrade–nematode system

Numerous studies have empirically measured consumer functional responses or theoretically developed response models, but whether these models can quantitatively predict observed data has hardly been tested. We perform such a test for the terrestrial predator–prey system Macrobiotus richtersi (Tardigrada)–Acrobeloides nanus (Nematoda). For two different size classes of A. nanus, we report a functional response as measured in the laboratory and quantitatively compare it to predictions of three models with different degrees of complexity: (1) the disc equation which does not include satiation effects; (2) the steady-state satiation (SSS) equation which assumes a constant level of predator satiation; and (3) the satiation model which accounts for prey depletion and increasing predator satiation over the course of the experiments. We parameterized these models with data that were measured independently of the functional response experiments. In both prey-size classes, the predictions of the satiation model matched the observations best, and the match came close to that of logistic regressions fitted to the observations. Thus, the parameterized satiation model seems to include the most important determinants of the functional response in our focal system. For understanding functional responses, we need more studies that compare data to independently derived model predictions.