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This page shows you the most recent publications within this specialty of the MedWorm directory. This is page number 8.

Evolution of viviparity and uterine angiogenesis: vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) in oviparous and viviparous skinks.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
During pregnancy, uterine vasculature of live-bearing lizards proliferates to support embryonic growth and development. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the most potent of a suite of growth factors responsible for uterine vascularization in mammals. We have sequenced VEGF mRNA transcripts expressed in the uterus of oviparous and viviparous Australian skinks, and compared uterine VEGF expression in nonreproductive and late-reproductive Saiphos equalis, a fossorial viviparous skink. VEGF sequences differed between phylogenetic groups of skinks, rather than oviparous and viviparous skinks. Two transcripts were...
Source: Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B. Molecular and Developmental Evolution - August 11, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Murphy BF, Belov K, Thompson MB Tags: J Exp Zoolog B Mol Dev Evol Source Type: journals

Invasion Dynamics in Spatially Heterogeneous Environmentsemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
We present a general stochastic modeling framework to address how spatial heterogeneity and movement patterns determine establishment success, population growth, and rates of spatial spread. For dispersal‐limited populations, our analysis reveals that spatial heterogeneity increases the expected population growth rate and that local reproductive numbers determine establishment success. Higher dispersal rates decrease the expected population growth rate but can enhance establishment success, particularly when movement patterns are positively correlated with local reproductive numbers. We also find that several small, rand...
Source: The American Naturalist - August 11, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Quantifying the Adaptive Value of Learning in Foraging Behavioremail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The American Naturalist, Volume 0, Issue 0, Latest Articles. Abstract: The value of acquiring environmental information depends on the costs of collecting it and its utility. Foragers that search for patchily distributed resources may use experiences in previous patches to learn the habitat quality and adjust their behavior. We map the ecological landscape for the evolution of learning under a range of conditions, including both spatial and temporal heterogeneity. We compare the learning strategy with genetically fixed patch‐leaving rules and with strategies of foragers that have free and perfect information about ...
Source: The American Naturalist - August 11, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

A Self‐Organizing Model for Task Allocation via Frequent Task Quitting and Random Walks in the Honeybeeemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The American Naturalist, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page 000, Latest Articles. Abstract: Social insect colonies are able to quickly redistribute their thousands of workers between tasks that vary strongly in space and time. How individuals collectively track spatial variability is particularly puzzling because bees have access only to local information. This work presents and tests a model showing how honeybees solve their fundamental within‐nest spatial task‐allocation problem. The algorithm, which is self‐organizing and derived from empirical studies, couples two processes with opposing effects. Frequent task quittin...
Source: The American Naturalist - August 11, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Species Identity Cues in Animal Communicationemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
We examined whether male tropical lizards, Anolis gundlachi, responded more strongly to robots producing conspecific territorial advertisement displays than to robots producing equivalent displays of a novel heterospecific. Although this experiment was conducted under natural conditions in the field, at signaler‐receiver distances typical for animals at this locality, and with high statistical power, we found that lizards responded just as aggressively to a simulated rival performing a display they had never seen before as to the same rival performing a conspecific display. Our findings suggest that predicting how animal...
Source: The American Naturalist - August 11, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Notes and Comments Source Type: journals

Facultative versus Obligate Nitrogen Fixation Strategies and Their Ecosystem Consequencesemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The American Naturalist, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page 000, Latest Articles. Abstract: Symbiotic nitrogen (N) fixers are critical components of many terrestrial ecosystems. There is evidence that some N fixers fix N at the same rate regardless of environmental conditions (a strategy we call obligate), while others adjust N fixation to meet their needs (a strategy we call facultative). Although these strategies are likely to have qualitatively different impacts on their environment, the relative effectiveness and ecosystem‐level impacts of each strategy have not been explored. Using a simple mathematical model, we determi...
Source: The American Naturalist - August 11, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Effects of 5'-uridylic acid feeding on postprandial plasma concentrations of metabolites and metabolic hormones in pre-weaning goatsemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
5'-Uridylic acid (UMP), which is present at high concentrations in cow's colostrum, has been shown to cause a reduction in increased plasma levels of insulin and glucose after ingestion of milk replacer in pre-weaning calves. However, the precise mechanisms of UMP action have not been investigated, and its action has not been investigated in other pre-weaning ruminants. In order to demonstrate whether UMP causes changes in postprandial metabolic and hormonal parameters in pre-weaning goats, 11 Saanen kids were given milk replacer (twice a day) without (n = 5) or with (n = 6) UMP (1 g for each meal, 2 g/day for each head) f...
Source: Animal Science Journal - August 10, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Yoshihisa OHTANI, Yosuke KOBAYASHI, Tatsuyuki TAKAHASHI, Satoshi HAGA, Mutsuo TAKAGI, Takanori MASHIKO, Kazuo KATOH, Yoshiaki OBARA Source Type: journals

Gene and haplotype polymorphisms of the Prion gene (PRNP) in Japanese Brown, Japanese native and Holstein cattleemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we genotyped for six bovine PRNP polymorphic sites including a 23-bp indel in the promoter, a 12-bp indel in the intron 1, two nonsynonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), octapeptide repeats in the coding region and a 14-bp indel in the 3'-untranslated region in 178 animals representing Japanese Brown, Kuchinoshima feral, Mishima, Japanese Shorthorn and Holstein. In 64 Japanese Brown cattle, three indel sites were polymorphic. All of the six sites were monomorphic in Kuchinoshima. The 23-bp and 12-bp indel sites were polymorphic in Mishima cattle. The 23-bp and 14-bp indel sites were polymorphic in...
Source: Animal Science Journal - August 10, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: George MSALYA, Takeshi SHIMOGIRI, Shin OKAMOTO, Kotaro KAWABE, Mitsuru MINEZAWA, Takao NAMIKAWA, Yoshizane MAEDA Source Type: journals

Human gestures trigger different attentional shifts in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) and humans (Homo sapiens).email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
To examine how gestural cues trigger shifts in attention, two chimpanzees and ten humans participated in a computer-controlled target-detection experiment. Before presenting the target at either a left or right location, a photograph of a human gesturing towards or away from the forthcoming target location was presented on a CRT display monitor. Humans exhibited faster response times in the trials in which the gestural cue signalled the target location (valid trials) as opposed to the opposite location (invalid trials) when the cue-target interval (stimulus onset asynchrony, SOA) was 100 ms but not when the SOA was 500...
Source: Animal Cognition - August 10, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Tomonaga M, Imura T Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: journals

Hox genes of the Japanese eel Anguilla japonica and Hox cluster evolution in teleosts.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Compared with other diploid teleosts (2n=48), anguilloid fish have a specialized karyotype (2n=38) and remarkable morphological variation, and represent one basal group species of teleosts. To investigate the Hox gene/cluster inventory in basal teleosts, a PCR-based survey of Hox genes in the Japanese eel (Anguilla japonica) was conducted with both gene-specific and homeobox-targeted degenerate primers. Our data provide evidence that at least 34 distinct Hox genes exist in the Japanese eel genome and that they represent eight Hox clusters. Duplication of Hox genes in the Japanese eel appears to be the result of the fis...
Source: Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B. Molecular and Developmental Evolution - August 9, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Guo B, Gan X, He S Tags: J Exp Zoolog B Mol Dev Evol Source Type: journals

Ontogeny of photophore pattern in the velvet belly lantern shark, Etmopterus spinax.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Bioluminescence is known to be of great ecological importance to a luminous organism but extremely few studies investigate the ontogeny of luminous capabilities. The photogenic pattern of the velvet belly lantern shark Etmopterus spinax was investigated over ontogeny (14.0-52.5cm total length) to determine the scaling of the surface area and the photophore density of different luminous zones as well as the ecological consequences of ontogenetic variations in bioluminescence efficiency. According to the luminous zone considered, different scaling patterns were found for the surface areas while the photophore densities o...
Source: Zoology - August 9, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Claes JM, Mallefet J Tags: Zoology (Jena) Source Type: journals

Blackcap Warblers Maintain Digestive Efficiency by Increasing Digesta Retention Time on the First Day of Migratory Stopoveremail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
We examined migratory blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) after they performed a northward flight across the Sahara Desert in spring, and we subjected them to a 5‐d artificial stopover. Body mass (mb) changes over the 5‐d period resembled the typical mass change pattern of blackcaps stopping over naturally, with a small increase on the first day and a subsequent peak in the rate of mb gain on day 2 of the stopover. By day 5 of the stopover, the rate of mb gain had decreased to the point that it was not significantly different from that on day 1, presumably because the digestive tract had been rebuilt by this time. The same ...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 7, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Limited Access to Food and Physiological Trade‐Offs in a Long‐Distance Migrant Shorebird. I. Energy Metabolism, Behavior, and Body‐Mass Regulationemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page 000, Latest Articles. Abstract Previous experiments showed reduction of basal metabolic rate (BMR) in birds facing energetic challenges. We alternately exposed two groups of red knots (Calidris canutus) to either 6 h or 22 h of food availability for periods of 22 d. Six h of access to food led to a 6%–10% loss of body mass over the first 8 d, with nearly all of the birds' daily energy expenditures supported by body nutrient stores during the first 2 d. Birds responded by increasing feeding behavior and food intake, but the response was slow. There were ...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 7, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Temporal and Spatial Covariation of Gender and Oxidative Stress in the Galápagos Land Iguana Conolophus subcristatusemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we investigate the interpopulation and intersex variation in oxidative damage and plasma antioxidant capacity in the Galápagos land iguana, Conolophus subcristatus, over a 3‐yr study to evaluate what factors (e.g., season, food availability, reproductive activity) can explain levels and patterns of oxidative damage and of plasma antioxidant capacity. Our results indicate that (1) males showed lower levels of oxidative damage, higher levels of plasma antioxidant capacity, and better body condition than females and (2) significant interactions exist among patterns of oxidative damage across sexes, sampling ...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 6, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Trace classical conditioning in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): what do they learn?email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
There are two main memory systems: declarative and procedural memory. Knowledge of these two systems in fish is scarce, and controlled laboratory studies are needed. Trace classical conditioning is an experimentally tractable model of declarative memory. We tested whether rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) can learn by trace conditioning and form stimulus-stimulus, as opposed to stimulus-response, associations. We predicted that rainbow trout trained by trace conditioning would show appetitive behaviour (conditioned response; CR) towards the conditioned stimulus (CS; light), and that the CR would be sensitive to deval...
Source: Animal Cognition - August 5, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Nordgreen J, Janczak AM, Hovland AL, Ranheim B, Horsberg TE Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: journals

Selective Fatty Acid Mobilization from Adipose Tissues of the Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus mongolicus) during Food Deprivationemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page 000, Latest Articles. Abstract Avian response to fasting has been examined intensively in penguins (Aptenodytes spp.) adapted to long‐term food deprivation but less in species experiencing shorter fasts. Thus, the selectivity in (i) incorporating different fatty acids (FA) from diet into total lipids of white adipose tissue (WAT) and liver and (ii) mobilizing FA from these tissues was examined in pheasants Phasianus colchicus mongolicus fed or fasted for 4 d. Dietary FA were selectively incorporated into intra‐abdominal and subcutaneous WAT having a s...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 5, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Low Metabolism and Inactive Lifestyle of a Tropical Rain Forest Bird Investigated via Heart‐Rate Telemetryemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Physiological and Biochemical Zoology, Volume 0, Issue 0, Page 000, Latest Articles. Abstract Birds in the lowland tropical rain forest are expected to have low energy turnover. Here, we used heart rate telemetry to estimate nighttime resting metabolic rate (RMR), daily energy expenditure (DEE), and locomotor activity of a small, long‐lived tropical rain forest–understory bird, the spotted antbird (Hylophylax naevioides). Heart rate was linearly related to oxygen consumption in respirometry measurements that encompassed 96% of heart rates measured in wild birds. Heart rates in the wild ranged from 260 beats/min a...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 5, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Female effect on antlers of pampas deer (Ozotoceros bezoarticus)email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
R. Ungerfeld, J. P. Damián, M. Villagrán, and S. X. González-Pensado - Size and bone mineralization of deer antlers are related to testosterone concentrations, and antler cast is observed after withdrawal of testosterone concentration. Our objectives were...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - August 5, 2009 Category: Zoology Source Type: journals

Parasitism, mercury contamination, and stable isotopes in fish-eating double-crested cormorants: no support for the co-ingestion hypothesisemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
S. A. Robinson, M. R. Forbes, and C. E. Hebert - Mercury and parasitism have been positively correlated in free-ranging birds. One proposed explanation is that mercury reduces host immunity, resulting in a greater susceptibility to...
Source: Canadian Journal of Zoology - August 5, 2009 Category: Zoology Source Type: journals

Effects of Measurement Duration on the Determination of Basal Metabolic Rate and Evaporative Water Loss of Small Marsupials: How Long Is Long Enough?email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
We examined the time course for measurement of basal metabolic rate (BMR; measured as O2 consumption and CO2 production) and standard evaporative water loss (EWL) for six species of small marsupial to determine the minimum time required to achieve basal/standard values. There was a highly significant effect of measurement duration on measured physiological variables with values for O2 consumption, CO2 production, and EWL decreasing with time for all species. The time required to attain values statistically indistinguishable from minimal differed significantly between species, but in general O2 consumption rate reached basa...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 4, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Honorary Lifetime Membership Award: Robert T. Paineemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The American Naturalist, Volume 174, Issue 3, Page iii, September 2009.
Source: The American Naturalist - August 4, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

Inter‐ and Intrasexual Variation in Aging Patterns across Reproductive Traits in a Wild Red Deer Populationemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The American Naturalist, Volume 174, Issue 3, Page 342-357, September 2009. Abstract: In polygynous species, adult mortality is generally higher in males than in females, and theory predicts that this should result in the evolution of faster rates of senescence in males. Detailed investigations of sex differences in patterns of aging across the many and varied phenotypic characteristics associated with successful reproduction in wild populations of polygynous vertebrates are currently lacking. Here, we use longitudinal data collected from a wild red deer population to compare aging patterns across a range of life‐h...
Source: The American Naturalist - August 4, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

An epidemiological survey on pigs showing symptoms of infectious enteric diseases and dyspepsia in Japanemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Diarrhea in pigs has the potential to have a serious economic impact on the swine industry. Previously, we suggested that the likely cause of the presence of non-infectious diarrhea in pigs characterized by lactate accumulation was dyspepsia. In this experiment, the prevalence of enteropathogens and hyper-lactate accumulation in feces of piglets in 4 distinct growth stages was examined. The feces were collected when veterinarian experts recognized abnormalities in sporadic outbreaks. Prevalence of enteropathogens in diarrheal feces was 100% in fattening pigs (FP), 75% in weaning pigs (WP), 50% in suckling pigs (SP), and 42...
Source: Animal Science Journal - August 3, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Kazunari USHIDA, Akio KISHIMOTO, Shong-Ji PIAO, Mitsugi ITOH, Akira SHIGA, Nobuo NAKANISHI, Takamitsu TSUKAHARA Source Type: journals

Reaching around barriers: the performance of the great apes and 3-5-year-old children.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Inhibitory control has been suggested as a key predictive measure of problem-solving skills in human and nonhuman animals. However, there has yet to be a direct comparison of the inhibitory skills of the nonhuman apes and their development in human children. We compared the inhibitory skills of all great ape species, including 3-5-year-old children in a detour-reaching task, which required subjects to avoid reaching directly for food and instead use an indirect reaching method to successfully obtain the food. We tested 22 chimpanzees, 18 bonobos, 18 orangutans, 6 gorillas and 42 children. Our sample included chimpanzee...
Source: Animal Cognition - August 3, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Vlamings PH, Hare B, Call J Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: journals

Chelicerae as male grasping organs in scorpions: sexual dimorphism and associated behaviour.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Specialised structures that enable males to grasp females during sexual interactions are highly susceptible to selection and thus diverge relatively rapidly over evolutionary time. These structures are often used to test hypotheses regarding sexual selection such as sexually antagonistic co-evolution and sexual selection by female choice. In the present study, we determine whether there is a relationship between a novel record of scorpion sexual dimorphism, the sexual dimorphism of chelicerae (CSD), and the presence of the mating behaviour termed "cheliceral grip" (CG). The presence of both traits in the order Scorpion...
Source: Zoology - August 3, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Carrera PC, Mattoni CI, Peretti AV Tags: Zoology (Jena) Source Type: journals

Limited Access to Food and Physiological Trade‐Offs in a Long‐Distance Migrant Shorebird. II. Constitutive Immune Function and the Acute‐Phase Responseemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
This study investigates changes in constitutive immune function and the acute‐phase response in shorebirds (red knots) faced with limited access time to food. We separated birds into two experimental groups receiving either 6 h or 22 h of food access and measured constitutive immune function. After 3 wk, we induced an acute‐phase response, and after 1 wk of recovery, we switched the groups to the opposite food treatment and measured constitutive immune function again. We found little effect of food treatment on constitutive immune function, which suggests that even under resource limitation, a baseline level of immune ...
Source: Physiological and Biochemical Zoology - August 3, 2009 Category: Zoology Tags: article Source Type: journals

The molecular mechanism underlying the reduction in abdominal fat accumulation by licorice flavonoid oil in high fat diet-induced obese ratsemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Licorice (Glycyrrhiza glabra) has been widely used in traditional medicines, and its flavonoid oil (LFO) decreases abdominal adipose tissue weight in mammals. In the present study, we investigated the molecular mechanisms underlying the decrease in abdominal adipose tissue weight by LFO. LFO significantly decreased the mRNA levels of rate-limiting enzymes in the hepatic fatty acid synthetic pathway, whereas LFO significantly increased the mRNA levels of a rate-limiting enzyme in the hepatic fatty acid oxidative pathway. LFO significantly decreased the mRNA levels of sterol regulatory element-binding protein-1c (SREBP-1c) (...
Source: Animal Science Journal - August 2, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Kazuhisa HONDA, Hiroshi KAMISOYAMA, Yuji TOMINAGA, Shinichi YOKOTA, Shin HASEGAWA Source Type: journals

Display of a peer's face picture enhances the preference for a pen in preference testing in cowsemail this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Using preference testing, we investigated the effect of a brush and a peer's face picture on the welfare of breeding beef cows. Four cows were used in experiment 1 and another four cows were used in experiment 2. An experimental barn consisted of two 3.5 square-meter pens, and a corridor measuring 1.6 m wide and 1.3 m long. During the experiment, either side of the pens were treated. In experiment 1, straw bedding was placed in a treated pen (condition B) in the first two trials, a brush was added in the treated pen (condition BB) in the next two trials, and a peer's face picture was displayed in the treated pen (condition...
Source: Animal Science Journal - August 2, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Shigeru NINOMIYA, Shusuke SATO Source Type: journals

Electric organ morphology and function in the lesser electric ray, Narcine brasiliensis.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The lesser electric ray, Narcine brasiliensis, is a small, demersal ray capable of generating electricity through its main and accessory electric organs. Although closely related to the large piscivorous torpedo rays, it differs in size, habitat, and prey. Based on these differences, we hypothesized that the main electric organs are used for predator defense rather than feeding and that the accessory electric organs, specific to this species, are used for intraspecific communication. We found that the mass of the main and accessory electric organs were both significantly smaller in females than in males. Whereas the ma...
Source: Zoology - August 1, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Macesic LJ, Kajiura SM Tags: Zoology (Jena) Source Type: journals

Why do gorillas make sequences of gestures?email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Great ape gestures have attracted considerable research interest in recent years, prompted by their flexible and intentional pattern of use; but almost all studies have focused on single gestures. Here, we report the first quantitative analysis of sequential gesture use in western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), using data from three captive groups and one African study site. We found no evidence that gesture sequences were given for reasons of increased communicative efficiency over single gestures. Longer sequences of repeated gestures did not increase the likelihood of response, and using a sequence was seldom i...
Source: Animal Cognition - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Genty E, Byrne RW Tags: Anim Cogn Source Type: journals

Prevalence of viremia and oral shedding of rhesus rhadinovirus and retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesvirus in large age-structured breeding groups of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta).email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
We performed a cross-sectional study to estimate the prevalence of 2 gamma-2-herpesviruses, rhesus rhadinovirus (RRV) and retroperitoneal fibromatosis herpesvirus (RFHV), in breeding colonies of rhesus macaques. Of 90 animals selected for sampling, 73 (81%) were positive for RRV, which was detected only in blood in 22 (24%), only in saliva in 15 (16%), and in both blood and saliva in 36 (40%). Detection of RRV DNA in blood and saliva was significantly higher in animals younger than 2 y. In comparison, RFHV was detected in 40 (44%) of the 90 animals: only in blood in 5 (6%), only in saliva in 26 (29%), and in both blood...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: White JA, Todd PA, Yee JL, Kalman-Bowlus A, Rodgers KS, Yang X, Wong SW, Barry P, Lerche NW Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Inadvertent propagation of factor VII deficiency in a canine mucopolysaccharidosis type I research breeding colony.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Issues of cost and genetics can result in inbreeding of canine genetic disease colonies. Beagles often are used to maintain such colonies, providing stock for outcrosses. Factor VII (FVII) deficiency is a hemostatic disorder found at increased frequency in beagles and has been characterized at the DNA level. Deficiency of FVII presents obstacles in colonies founded with beagles. An initial finding of a FVII-deficient pup from a longstanding colony prompted us to evaluate FVII deficiency fully in this colony. Current and archival records and tissues were used to reconstruct the colony pedigree, assess the contribution f...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Carlstrom LP, Jens JK, Dobyns ME, Passage M, Dickson PI, Ellinwood NM Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Cloning of the full-length cDNA of porcine antithrombin III and comparison with its human homolog.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The objective of this study was to clarify the functions of porcine ATIII through comparison with human ATIII. We cloned porcine ATIII and compared its important functional sites with those of human ATIII. The full-length cDNA of porcine ATIII was cloned by screening a porcine liver cDNA library, and the ATIII activities of 23 pigs were determined. The full-length cDNA of porcine ATIII spanned 1498 bp and encoded 463 amino acids. Porcine ATIII shared 87.67% nucleotide identity and 89.06% amino acid identity with human ATIII. Complete identity was found at active center Arg393-Ser394, and remarkably high similarities were f...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Chen Y, Tan W, Qin S, Zhang J, Bu H, Li Y, Lu Y, Cheng J Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Immune response to and histopathology of Campylobacter jejuni infection in ferrets (Mustela putorius furo).email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Campylobacter jejuni is 1 of the most common enteric bacterial pathogens worldwide. The mechanisms of pathogenesis remain obscure, in part because of limitations of small animal models. Young ferrets develop diarrhea when fed C. jejuni, but their pathology and the immune response after infection have not been examined in detail. In the present study, we examined the pathogenesis of C. jejuni CG8421 and associated immune responses in ferrets. After oral infection with C. jejuni CG8421, 86.7% of the animals developed diarrhea and inflammatory responses that were similar to those seen in human infection. Pronounced histop...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Nemelka KW, Brown AW, Wallace SM, Jones E, Asher LV, Pattarini D, Applebee L, Gilliland TC, Guerry P, Baqar S Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Cyclosporine-induced gingival overgrowth in New Zealand White rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus).email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
A high incidence of gingival overgrowth occurred in a group of New Zealand White rabbits receiving daily cyclosporine (15 mg/kg IM) while on a retinoblastoma study. Over the course of 2 mo, rabbits presented with clinical signs of ptyalism (4 of 18 rabbits), inappetence (3 of 18), or both (3 of 18); facial dermatitis and erythema occurred secondary to ptyalism. Reducing the dose of cyclosporine to 10 mg/kg led to complete resolution of clinical signs in all but 2 rabbits, which then received azithromycin (62.5 mg PO once daily for 7 d), a common treatment for cyclosporine-induced gingival overgrowth in other species. A...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Jean SM, Sharma P, Taylor D, Mook D Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Temporal changes of angiopoietins and Tie2 expression in rat lungs after monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
In this study, we evaluated the temporal expression of angiopoietin (Ang) 1, Ang2, and their receptor (Tie2) as well as VEGF, endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS), and heme oxygenase 1 (HO1) in the monocrotaline-induced PH model. Histologic evaluation showed pathologic vascular remodeling in the arteries of lung sections 1 wk after monocrotaline treatment. Protein levels of Ang1, Ang2, eNOS, iNOS, HO1, and VEGF were increased 1 wk after monocrotaline treatment but Tie2 protein levels were decreased 2 wk afterward. These results suggest that Ang2 mediates vascular remodeling in PH by decreasing Tie...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Cho YJ, Han JY, Lee SG, Jeon BT, Choi WS, Hwang YS, Roh GS, Lee JD Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Altered sleep patterns and physiologic characteristics in spontaneous dwarf rats.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
This study aimed to describe the sleep pattern and physiologic characteristics of these rats compared with normal-sized adult rats. Because growth hormone can attenuate the upregulation of ceruloplasmin expression caused by acute inflammation, we also assessed the basal levels of serum ceruloplasmin in these animals. At 90 d of age, body weight and length were significantly lower in dwarf rats relative to normal rats. Dwarves had lower concentrations of serum testosterone and growth hormone, but progesterone was unchanged. Corticosterone levels did not differ between groups. During the light period, the percentage of sleep...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Andersen ML, Lee KS, Guindalini C, Leite WA, Bignotto M, Tufik S Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Isoproterenol-induced myocardial injury and diastolic dysfunction in mice: structural and functional correlates.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The objective of this study was to determine whether a simple, noninvasive method involving administration of isoproterenol could be used to produce myocardial injury and cardiac dysfunction in the mouse heart with a low incidence of mortality. Adult Swiss-Webster mice were injected with isoproterenol (100 mg/kg SC) once daily for 5 d. Myocardial histology and left ventricular (LV) function were assessed 10 to 14 d after the last isoproterenol injection in 14 surviving isoproterenol-treated mice and 15 saline-treated control mice. Left ventricular systolic and diastolic pressures were evaluated in vitro by means of isovolu...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Brooks WW, Conrad CH Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Decreased growth factor expression through RNA interference inhibits development of mouse preimplantation embryos.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Mitogenic growth factors play an important role in cellular development and differentiation. The purpose of this study was to assess the extent to which epidermal growth factor (EGF) and transforming growth factor alpha (TGFalpha) and their cognate receptor (EGFR) are crucial for normal preimplantation embryo development. We used RNA interference to decrease expression of growth factors in preimplantation mouse embryos. We microinjected 1-cell mouse embryos individually with short interfering RNA (siRNA) specific to EGF, TGFalpha, and EGFR and then analyzed temporal and spatial gene expression patterns at different sta...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Dadi TD, Li MW, Lloyd KC Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Pulmonary inflammation and airway hyperresponsiveness in a mouse model of asthma complicated by acid aspiration.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Several studies have indicated a strong association between asthma and aspiration of stomach contents. However, the complex association between these inflammatory processes has not been studied extensively in animal models. In the present study, we developed an animal model to evaluate the inflammatory cell, chemokine, and airway responses to asthma complicated by aspiration. The model was produced by sensitizing mice to cockroach allergens from house-dust extracts. Mice with asthma-like airway responses then were inoculated intratracheally with either an acidic solution or saline. Acid aspiration increased airway hype...
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Nemzek JA, Kim J Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

Alopecia: possible causes and treatments, particularly in captive nonhuman primates.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
PMID: 19712570 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Comparative Medicine - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Kessler MJ Tags: Comp Med Source Type: journals

A new species of kalophrynus with a unique male humeral spine from peninsular malaysia (amphibia, anura, microhylidae).email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
A new microhylid, Kalophrynus yongi, Is described from the Cameron Highlands of Peninsular Malaysia. Morphologi cally, the new species differs from all known congeners by having a very stout forelimb with a humeral spine in males. Acoustically, it resembles K. baluensis and K. heterochirus and sharply differs from K. interlineatus, K. pleurostigma, K. palmatissimus, and K. nubicola. PMID: 19719411 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Matsui M Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Teratodiplogaster fignewmani gen. nov., sp. nov. (Nematoda: Diplogastridae) from the Syconia of Ficus racemose in Australia.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
During the course of a survey of fig-associated nematodes in eastern Australia, we discovered an unusual diplogastrid nematode that we describe herein as Teratodiplogaster fignewmani gen. nov., sp. nov. This nematode was isolated as adults and juveniles from the syconia of Ficus racemose in Queensland and Western Australia. It is presumed to be associated with the agaonid fig wasp, Ceratosolen fusciceps, for dispersion to new phase-B sycones. Teratodiplogaster fignewmani gen. nov., sp. nov. was inferred to be the sister taxon to the genus Parasitodiplogaster based upon molecular phylogeny using nearly full-length seque...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Kanzaki N, Giblin-Davis RM, Davies K, Ye W, Center BJ, Thomas WK Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

DNA barcoding in photosymbiotic species of diplosoma (ascidiacea: didemnidae), with the description of a new species from the southern ryukyus, Japan.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Partial sequences of the cytochrome c oxldase subunlt I (COI) gene were determined for six species of the genus Diplosoma (Ascldlacea, Dldemnldae) to develop tools for species identification. Because each Diplosoma species has distinctly different COI haplotype(s), the gene sequence seems to be usable for species discrimination in this ascldlan genus. The phylogenetic hypothesis supported by the COI data is congruent with the distribution of character states of the retractor muscle. in this paper, we describe a new Diplosoma species harboring symbiotic cyanophytes, found on Mlyakojima Island, Ryukyu Archipelago, Japan....
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Hirose M, Hirose E Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Differential Gene Expression in the Hypopharyngeal Glands of Worker Honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) Associated with an Age-Dependent Role Change.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Associated with the age-dependent role change of worker honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) from nurse bees to foragers, some structural and functional changes occur in the hypopharyngeal glands (HPGs): nurse bee HPGs are well developed and synthesize major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs), while forager HPGs shrink and synthesize alpha-glucosldase, which converts nectar into honey. To identify candidate genes involved in the structural and functional HPG changes associated with the age-dependent role change of worker honeybees, we searched for genes whose expression in the HPGs depends on the role of workers, by using different...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Ueno T, Nakaoka T, Takeuchi H, Kubo T Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Temporal and spatial dynamics of a lower-intertidal lancelet population in the seto inland sea, Japan.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The population dynamics of Branchiostoma japonicum, formerly known as B. belcheri, were Investigated from September 2003 to August 2005 in the intertidal zone at Takehara (Hiroshima Prefecture), Seto Inland Sea, Japan. The intertidal population appeared from spring to autumn and disappeared during winter. A laboratory experiment showed that exposure to temperatures below 1 degrees C for 2 hours resulted in severe mortality. This low temperature corresponds to the minimum temperature in sediments in the study area. This result suggested either that the intertldal population collapses in winter because of low temperature...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Saito H, Mimura K, Kawai K, Lmabayashi H Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Limited Overwater Dispersal and Genetic Differentiation of the Snake-Eyed Skink (Cryptoblepharus nigropunctatus) in the Oceanic Ogasawara Islands, Japan.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The genetic differentiation and speciation of lizards on oceanic islands may be affected by their rate of overwater dispersal. Cryptoblepharus is one of the most geographically widespread scincid lizards throughout the Indo-Pacific and Australian regions. Cryptoblepharus nigropunctatus is the northernmost species of the genus, dwelling on several small Pacific islands. To examine the colonization history of this lizard, mitochondrial 16S rDNA and D-loop sequences were compared among populations of the Ogasawara Islands consisting of four island groups (the Muko-Jima, Chichijima, Haha-jima, and Kazan groups), and an iso...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Hayashi F, Shima A, Horikoshi K, Kawakami K, Segawa RD, Aotsuka T, Suzuki T Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Ayu (Plecoglossus altivelis) in a Contact Zone Between Amphidromous and Landlocked Forms: Genetic Analyses of Populations in the Yodo River System.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
The migratory fish ayu, Plecoglossus altivelis, has two forms: an amphldromous form found throughout the Japanese Islands and a landlocked form found In Lake Blwa. Because Lake Blwa Is one of the sources of the Yodo River, which flows Into Osaka Bay, It Is likely that there has been contact between the two forms within the Yodo River system. To examine the effects of such contact, 573 ayu were collected from the Yodo River system and several other rivers and compared through an extensive investigation of mlcrosatellite genotyping. Multivarlate and individual admixture analyses of microsatellite data showed that samples...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Takeshima H, Lguchi K, Nishida M Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Genetic Diversity of the MHC Class-II DQA Gene in Brown Bears (Ursus arctos) on Hokkaido, Northern Japan.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
To investigate genetic diversity of a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) gene in the brown bear (Ursus arctos) population on Hokkaido Island, northern Japan, we cloned and sequenced parts of exon 2 and intron 2 of the MHC class-II DQA gene from 32 brown bears. According to strict criteria for allele identification established by mammalian MHC nomenclature committees, four DQA types (Urar-DQA*01 to Urar-DQA*04) were identified. Of the four, however, Urar-DQA*04 had a 12-bp deletion not detected in a cDNA analysis, indicating that this is a pseudogene at a distinct locus generated by gene duplication. The nucleotide ...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Goda N, Mano T, Masuda R Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals

Larval cannibalism and pupal defense against cannibalism in two species of tenebrionid beetles.email this articleEmail this article to a colleague. save this article to My ClippingsSave this article to My Clippings. discuss this articleDiscuss or comment on this article.
Cannibalism of pupae by larvae has been documented In many species of Insects, but the features of larval cannibalism and pupal defensive mechanisms against larval cannibalism have been largely Ignored. Pupae of tenebrionld beetles rotate their abdominal segments in a circular motion in response to the tactile stimulation of appendages, including legs, antennae, maxillary pulps, and wings. When the pupal abdominal rotation responses of Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas atratus were completely blocked by transecting the ventral nerve cord (VNC) of the pupae, the appendages of the paralytic pupae became initial, major target...
Source: Zoological Science - July 31, 2009 Category: Zoology Authors: Ichikawa T, Kurauchi T Tags: Zoolog Sci Source Type: journals