Assessing Greater Sage-Grouse Selection of Brood-Rearing Habitat Using Remotely-Sensed Imagery: Can Readily Available High-Resolution Imagery Be Used to Identify Brood-Rearing Habitat Across a Broad Landscape?

PubMed

Westover, Matthew; Baxter, Jared; Baxter, Rick; Day, Casey; Jensen, Ryan; Petersen, Steve; Larsen, Randy

2016-01-01

Greater sage-grouse populations have decreased steadily since European settlement in western North America. Reduced availability of brood-rearing habitat has been identified as a limiting factor for many populations. We used radio-telemetry to acquire locations of sage-grouse broods from 1998 to 2012 in Strawberry Valley, Utah. Using these locations and remotely-sensed NAIP (National Agricultural Imagery Program) imagery, we 1) determined which characteristics of brood-rearing habitat could be used in widely available, high resolution imagery 2) assessed the spatial extent at which sage-grouse selected brood-rearing habitat, and 3) created a predictive habitat model to identify areas of preferred brood-rearing habitat. We used AIC model selection to evaluate support for a list of variables derived from remotely-sensed imagery. We examined the relationship of these explanatory variables at three spatial extents (45, 200, and 795 meter radii). Our top model included 10 variables (percent shrub, percent grass, percent tree, percent paved road, percent riparian, meters of sage/tree edge, meters of riparian/tree edge, distance to tree, distance to transmission lines, and distance to permanent structures). Variables from each spatial extent were represented in our top model with the majority being associated with the larger (795 meter) spatial extent. When applied to our study area, our top model predicted 75% of naïve brood locations suggesting reasonable success using this method and widely available NAIP imagery. We encourage application of our methodology to other sage-grouse populations and species of conservation concern.

Ultradian activity rhythms in large groups of newly hatched chicks (Gallus gallus domesticus).

PubMed

Nielsen, B L; Erhard, H W; Friggens, N C; McLeod, J E

2008-07-01

A clutch of young chicks housed with a mother hen exhibit ultradian (within day) rhythms of activity corresponding to the brooding cycle of the hen. In the present study clear evidence was found of ultradian activity rhythms in newly hatched domestic chicks housed in groups larger than natural clutch size without a mother hen or any other obvious external time-keeper. No consistent synchrony was found between groups housed in different pens within the same room. The ultradian rhythms disappeared with time and little evidence of group rhythmicity remained by the third night. This disappearance over time suggests that the presence of a mother hen may be pivotal for the long-term maintenance of these rhythms. The ultradian rhythm of the chicks may also play an important role in the initiation of brooding cycles during the behavioural transition of the mother hen from incubation to brooding. Computer simulations of individual activity rhythms were found to reproduce the observations made on a group basis. This was achievable even when individual chick rhythms were modelled as independent of each other, thus no assumptions of social facilitation are necessary to obtain ultradian activity rhythms on a group level.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2006 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the tenth season (1997-2006) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the eighth season (1999-2006) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies In 2006, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from February 27, 2006 through to April 10, 2006 and a total of 240,568 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2004 egg source and included captive brood (40,982) and conventional (199,586) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2006 began May 15th, the first Chinook was captured on June 14, 2006 and the last Chinook was captured on September 27, 2006. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2006. A total of 534 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 205 natural origin fish and 329 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 33 natural and 120 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning and 397 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally. In 2006, no hatchery origin adult Chinook were transported and out planted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in under seeded habitat. In order to meet egg take goals for the conventional portion of the program, a determination was made that approximately 147 adults were needed for broodstock. As a result 16 (8 males and 8 females) of the 153 fish collected for broodstock were returned to the Lostine River to spawn naturally. Females that were spawned and provided the brood source were made up of 12 natural females and 45 supplementation females. One of these females tested positive for high levels of Bacterial Kidney Disease and consequently this females eggs were destroyed. The remaining females produced a total of 241,372 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 85.47% which yielded a total of 206,309 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,162 eggs per female. The brood year 2006 eggs will be incubated and reared at Lookingglass Hatchery until they are smolts in the spring of 2008. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2008.« less

Implementation of genetic conservation practices in a muskellunge propagation and stocking program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jennings, Martin J.; Sloss, Brian L.; Hatzenbeler, Gene R.; Kampa, Jeffrey M.; Simonson, Timothy D.; Avelallemant, Steven P.; Lindenberger, Gary A.; Underwood, Bruce D.

2010-01-01

Conservation of genetic resources is a challenging issue for agencies managing popular sport fishes. To address the ongoing potential for genetic risks, we developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to conserve genetic diversity of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in Wisconsin, and evaluated the extent to which the recommendations can be implemented. Although some details are specific to Wisconsin's muskellunge propagation program, many of the practical issues affecting implementation are applicable to other species and production systems. We developed guidelines to restrict future brood stock collection operations to lakes with natural reproduction and to develop a set of brood lakes to use on a rotational basis within regional stock boundaries, but implementation will require considering lakes with variable stocking histories. Maintaining an effective population size sufficient to minimize the risk of losing alleles requires limiting brood stock collection to large lakes. Recommendations to better approximate the temporal distribution of spawning in hatchery operations and randomize selection of brood fish are feasible. Guidelines to modify rearing and distribution procedures face some logistic constraints. An evaluation of genetic diversity of hatchery-produced fish during 2008 demonstrated variable success representing genetic variation of the source population. Continued evaluation of hatchery operations will optimize operational efficiency while moving toward genetic conservation goals.

Tucannon River Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, Annual Report 2002.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gallinat, Michael; Varney, Michelle

2003-05-01

This report summarizes the objectives, tasks, and accomplishments of the Tucannon River Spring Chinook Captive Broodstock Program during 2002. The WDFW initiated a captive broodstock program in 1997. The overall goal of the Tucannon River captive broodstock program is for the short-term, and eventually long-term, rebuilding of the Tucannon River spring chinook salmon run, with the hope that natural production will sustain itself. The project goal is to rear captive salmon selected from the supplementation program to adults, spawn them, rear their progeny, and release approximately 150,000 smolts annually into the Tucannon River between 2003-2007. These smolt releases, in combinationmore » with the current hatchery supplementation program (132,000 smolts) and wild production, are expected to produce 600-700 returning adult spring chinook to the Tucannon River each year from 2005-2010. The captive broodstock program collected fish from five (1997-2001) brood years (BY). As of January 1, 2003, WDFW has approximately 11 BY 1998, 194 BY 1999, 314 BY 2000, 447 BY 2001, and 300 BY 2002 (for extra males) fish on hand at LFH. The 2002 eggtake from the 1997 brood year (Age 5) was 13,176 eggs from 10 ripe females. Egg survival was 22%. Mean fecundity based on the 5 fully spawned females was 1,803 eggs/female. The 2002 eggtake from the 1998 brood year (Age 4) was 143,709 eggs from 93 ripe females. Egg survival was 29%. Mean fecundity based on the 81 fully spawned females was 1,650 eggs/female. The 2002 eggtake from the 1999 brood year (Age 3) was 19,659 eggs from 18 ripe females. Egg survival was 55%. Mean fecundity based on the 18 fully spawned fish was 1,092 eggs/female. The total 2002 eggtake from the captive brood program was 176,544 eggs. A total of 120,833 dead eggs (68%) were removed with 55,711 live eggs remaining for the program. As of May 1, 2003 we had 46,417 BY 2002 captive brood progeny on hand A total of 20,592 excess BY 01 fish were marked as parr (AD/CWT) and released during May 2002 into the Tucannon River (rkm 40-45). This allowed us to stay within our maximum allowed number (150,000) of smolts released. On August 20, 97 (21 1998 BY and 76 1999 BY) adult captive broodstock were determined to be in excess of eggtake goals and were outplanted into the Tucannon River at Panjab Bridge (rkm 74.5). Released fish were tagged with Monel jaw tags and radio transmitters were inserted into ten females for tracking and monitoring. Due to the low frequency of natural spawning by released fish, high mortality due to predation and illegal harvest, and high egg mortality in the hatchery during 2002, priority will be to release excess progeny as parr to stay within smolt release goals rather than release excess captive broodstock as adults. During April 2003, WDFW volitionally released 140,396 BY 2001 captive broodstock progeny smolts from Curl Lake Acclimation Pond into the Tucannon River. These fish were marked with agency-only wire tags and no fin clips in order to differentiate them from the supplementation fish (CWT/Right Red VIE/No Finclip). A total of 1,007 captive brood progeny smolts were PIT tagged to compare their outmigration with smolts from the supplementation program (1,010 tagged). Monitoring their survival and future releases to adult returns, along with future natural production levels, will determine the success or failure of this captive broodstock program.« less

Melanin-specific life-history strategies.

PubMed

Emaresi, Guillaume; Bize, Pierre; Altwegg, Res; Henry, Isabelle; van den Brink, Valentijn; Gasparini, Julien; Roulin, Alexandre

2014-02-01

The maintenance of genetic variation is a long-standing issue because the adaptive value of life-history strategies associated with each genetic variant is usually unknown. However, evidence for the coexistence of alternative evolutionary fixed strategies at the population level remains scarce. Because in the tawny owl (Strix aluco) heritable melanin-based coloration shows different physiological and behavioral norms of reaction, we investigated whether coloration is associated with investment in maintenance and reproduction. Light melanic owls had lower adult survival compared to dark melanic conspecifics, and color variation was related to the trade-off between offspring number and quality. When we experimentally enlarged brood size, light melanic males produced more fledglings but in poorer condition, and they were less often recruited in the local breeding population than those of darker melanic conspecifics. Our results also suggest that dark melanic males allocate a constant effort to raise their brood independently of environmental conditions, whereas lighter melanic males finely adjust reproductive effort in relation to changes in environmental conditions. Color traits can therefore be associated with life-history strategies, and stochastic environmental perturbation can temporarily favor one phenotype over others. The existence of fixed strategies implies that some phenotypes can sometimes display a "maladapted" strategy. Long-term population monitoring is therefore vital for a full understanding of how different genotypes deal with trade-offs.

Brood Ball-Mediated Transmission of Microbiome Members in the Dung Beetle, Onthophagus taurus (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae)

PubMed Central

Estes, Anne M.; Hearn, David J.; Snell-Rood, Emilie C.; Feindler, Michele; Feeser, Karla; Abebe, Tselotie

2013-01-01

Insects feeding on plant sap, blood, and other nutritionally incomplete diets are typically associated with mutualistic bacteria that supplement missing nutrients. Herbivorous mammal dung contains more than 86% cellulose and lacks amino acids essential for insect development and reproduction. Yet one of the most ecologically necessary and evolutionarily successful groups of beetles, the dung beetles (Scarabaeinae) feeds primarily, or exclusively, on dung. These associations suggest that dung beetles may benefit from mutualistic bacteria that provide nutrients missing from dung. The nesting behaviors of the female parent and the feeding behaviors of the larvae suggest that a microbiome could be vertically transmitted from the parental female to her offspring through the brood ball. Using sterile rearing and a combination of molecular and culture-based techniques, we examine transmission of the microbiome in the bull-headed dung beetle, Onthophagus taurus. Beetles were reared on autoclaved dung and the microbiome was characterized across development. A ~1425 bp region of the 16S rRNA identified Pseudomonadaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, and Comamonadaceae as the most common bacterial families across all life stages and populations, including cultured isolates from the 3rd instar digestive system. Finer level phylotyping analyses based on lepA and gyrB amplicons of cultured isolates placed the isolates closest to Enterobacter cloacae, Providencia stuartii, Pusillimonas sp., Pedobacter heparinus, and Lysinibacillus sphaericus. Scanning electron micrographs of brood balls constructed from sterile dung reveals secretions and microbes only in the chamber the female prepares for the egg. The use of autoclaved dung for rearing, the presence of microbes in the brood ball and offspring, and identical 16S rRNA sequences in both parent and offspring suggests that the O. taurus female parent transmits specific microbiome members to her offspring through the brood chamber. The transmission of the dung beetle microbiome highlights the maintenance and likely importance of this newly-characterized bacterial community. PMID:24223880

Rumination mediates the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depression in patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Liu, Yansong; Yu, Xinnian; Yang, Bixiu; Zhang, Fuquan; Zou, Wenhua; Na, Aiguo; Zhao, Xudong; Yin, Guangzhong

2017-03-21

Overgeneral autobiographical memory has been identified as a risk factor for the onset and maintenance of depression. However, little is known about the underlying mechanisms that might explain overgeneral autobiographical memory phenomenon in depression. The purpose of this study was to test the mediation effects of rumination on the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depressive symptoms. Specifically, the mediation effects of brooding and reflection subtypes of rumination were examined in patients with major depressive disorder. Eighty-seven patients with major depressive disorder completed the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Ruminative Response Scale, and Autobiographical Memory Test. Bootstrap mediation analysis for simple and multiple mediation models through the PROCESS macro was applied. Simple mediation analysis showed that rumination significantly mediated the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depression symptoms. Multiple mediation analyses showed that brooding, but not reflection, significantly mediated the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depression symptoms. Our results indicate that global rumination partly mediates the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depressive symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder. Furthermore, the present results suggest that the mediating role of rumination in the relationship between overgeneral autobiographical memory and depression is mainly due to the maladaptive brooding subtype of rumination.

A meta-analysis of lesser prairie-chicken nesting and brood-rearing habitats: implications for habitat management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hagen, Christian A.; Grisham, Blake A.; Boal, Clint W.; Haukos, David A.

2013-01-01

The distribution and range of lesser prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has been reduced by >90% since European settlement of the Great Plains of North America. Currently, lesser prairie-chickens occupy 3 general vegetation communities: sand sagebrush (Artemisia filifolia), sand shinnery oak (Quercus havardii), and mixed-grass prairies juxtaposed with Conservation Reserve Program grasslands. As a candidate for protection under the Endangered Species Act, there is a need for a synthesis that characterizes habitat structure rangewide. Thus, we conducted a meta-analysis of vegetation characteristics at nest sites and brood habitats to determine whether there was an overall effect (Hedges' d) of habitat selection and to estimate average (95% CI) habitat characteristics at use sites. We estimated effect sizes (di) from the difference between use (nests and brood sites) and random sampling sites for each study (n = 14), and derived an overall effect size (d++). There was a general effect for habitat selection as evidenced by low levels of variation in effect sizes across studies and regions. There was a small to medium effect (d++) = 0.20-0.82) of selection for greater vertical structure (visual obstruction) by nesting females in both vegetation communities, and selection against bare ground (d++ = 0.20-0.58). Females with broods exhibited less selectivity for habitat components except for vertical structure. The variation of d++ was greater during nesting than brooding periods, signifying a seasonal shift in habitat use, and perhaps a greater range of tolerance for brood-rearing habitat. The overall estimates of vegetation cover were consistent with those provided in management guidelines for the species.

Evaluation of drone brood removal for management of Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) in colonies of Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in the northeastern United States.

PubMed

Calderone, N W

2005-06-01

The efficacy of drone brood removal for the management of Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman in colonies of the honey bee, A. mellifera L., was evaluated. Colonies were treated with CheckMite+ in the fall of 2002. The following spring, quantities of bees and brood were equalized, but colonies were not retreated. The brood nest of each colony consisted of 18 full-depth worker combs and two full-depth drone combs. Each worker comb had <12.9 cm2 of drone cells. Standard management practices were used throughout the season. Colonies were randomly assigned to one of two groups. In the control group, drone combs remained in place throughout the season. In the treatment group, drone combs were removed on 16 June, 16 July, 16 August, and 16 September and replaced with empty drone combs (16 June) or with drone combs removed on the previous replacement date. In the early fall, the average mite-to-bee ratio in the control group was significantly greater than the corresponding ratio in the treatment group. Drone brood removal did not adversely affect colony health as measured by the size of the worker population or by honey production. Fall worker populations were similar in the two groups. Honey production in treatment colonies was greater than or similar to production in control colonies. These data demonstrate that drone brood removal can serve as a valuable component in an integrated pest management program for V. destructor and may reduce the need for other treatments on a colony-by-colony basis.

Costs and Benefits to Pregnant Male Pipefish Caring for Broods of Different Sizes

PubMed Central

Sagebakken, Gry; Ahnesjö, Ingrid; Kvarnemo, Charlotta

2016-01-01

Trade-offs between brood size and offspring size, offspring survival, parental condition or parental survival are classic assumptions in life history biology. A reduction in brood size may lessen these costs of care, but offspring mortality can also result in an energetic gain, if parents are able to utilize the nutrients from the demised young. Males of the broad-nosed pipefish (Syngnathus typhle) care for the offspring by brooding embryos in a brood pouch. Brooding males can absorb nutrients that emanate from embryos, and there is often a reduction in offspring number over the brooding period. In this study, using two experimentally determined brood sizes (partially and fully filled brood pouches), we found that full broods resulted in larger number of developing offspring, despite significantly higher absolute and relative embryo mortality, compared to partial broods. Male survival was also affected by brood size, with males caring for full broods having poorer survival, an effect that together with the reduced embryo survival was found to negate the benefit of large broods. We found that embryo mortality was lower when the brooding males were in good initial condition, that embryos in broods with low embryo mortality weighed more, and surprisingly, that males in higher initial condition had embryos of lower weight. Brood size, however, did not affect embryo weight. Male final condition, but not initial condition, correlated with higher male survival. Taken together, our results show costs and benefits of caring for large brood sizes, where the numerical benefits come with costs in terms of both embryo survival and survival of the brooding father, effects that are often mediated via male condition. PMID:27243937

Cooperation, conflict, and crèching behavior in goldeneye ducks.

PubMed

Eadie, J M; Lyon, B E

1998-05-01

Crèching behavior, or brood amalgamation, results in offspring being reared by adults other than their genetic parents. Although a variety of hypotheses have been proposed to explain this behavior, most assume either that brood amalgamation is accidental (i.e., nonselected) or that adoption of young is selected for because of social benefits to the young and/or adopting parents. We propose, instead, that brood amalgamation is a function of two separate processes: brood desertion and brood adoption. To examine brood desertion, we develop a graphic model to predict when parents should abandon their young and we test this model experimentally for the Barrow's goldeneye (Bucephala islandica). As predicted, females deserted their offspring when the size of the brood was experimentally reduced. Brood adoption occurred when deserted ducklings joined other broods. However, the success of ducklings in doing so was strongly dependent on the availability of potential host broods and on the age of the recipient broods. Foreign ducklings were readily accepted into young broods (<10 d old) but invariably were rejected from old broods. We could detect no benefits or costs of brood adoption to the host females, contrary to the expectations of a social benefit hypothesis. Our experiments indicate that Crèching behavior is driven by selection on adults to abandon their brood when the benefits of continued investment are outweighed by the reduction in future reproduction and selection on deserted ducklings to join other broods to obtain parental care. Rather than a form of cooperative brood care, Crèching in goldeneyes is perhaps best considered as a form of reproductive parasitism, entailing parent-offspring conflict over brood desertion and intergenerational conflict over adoption of abandoned young.

Use and selection of brood-rearing habitat by Sage Grouse in south central Washington

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sveum, C.M.; Crawford, J.A.; Edge, W.D.

1998-01-01

Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) brood-habitat use was examined during 1992 and 1993 at the Yakima Training Center in Yakima and Kittitas counties, Washington. During the 2 yr we followed 38 broods, of which 12 persisted to 1 August (x?? = approximately 1.5 chicks/brood). Food forb cover was greater at all brood locations than at random locations. Hens with broods in big sagebrush/bunchgrass habitat (Artemisia tridentata/Agropyron spicatum) selected for greater food forb cover, total forb cover, and lower shrub heights; broods in altered big sagebrush/bunchgrass habitats selected greater tall grass cover and vertical cover height; broods in grassland showed no preference for any measured vegetation characteristics. During the early rearing period (post-hatching-6 wk) each year, broods selected sagebrush/bunchgrass. Broods in 1993 made greater use of grasslands than in 1992 and selected grassland during the late brood-rearing period (7-12 wk). Broods selected for sagebrush/bunchgrass during midday, but 52% of brood locations in the afternoon were in grassland. Tall grass cover was greater at morning (0500-1000 h) and afternoon (1501-2000 h) brood locations than at midday (1001-1500 h) and random locations. Midday brood locations had greater shrub cover and height than morning and afternoon locations. Selection of habitat components was similar to the results of other studies, but habitat conditions coupled with a possible lack of 'alternate brood-rearing cover types resulted in low survival of chicks.

Brood size can influence maternal behaviour and chick's development in precocial birds.

PubMed

Aigueperse, Nadège; Pittet, Florent; de Margerie, Emmanuel; Nicolle, Céline; Houdelier, Cécilia; Lumineau, Sophie

2017-05-01

Mothers have a crucial influence on offspring development. Variations of maternal behaviour can be due to numerous parameters, for instance costs are related to the size of a brood/litter, which in turn can influence the level of mothers' investment in each offspring. Here we investigated the influence of brood size on the behaviour of Japanese quail mothers and chicks during the mothering period and on offspring development. We compared two types of broods: small broods of three chicks (N=9) and large broods of six chicks (N=9). Behavioural tests assessed chicks' social and emotional traits. Mothers of large broods emitted more maternal vocalisations at the beginning of the mothering period, but at the end they assumed more non-covering postures and trampled chicks more than mothers of small broods. Chicks in large broods huddled up more whereas chicks in small broods rested alone more frequently. Moreover, the social motivation of chicks in large broods was higher than that of chicks in small broods, although their emotional reactivity levels were similar. Our results evidence the importance of brood size for maintaining family cohesion and the influence of brood size on chicks' interactions with their siblings. We evaluated the influence of mothers and siblings on chicks' behavioural development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Factors limiting mallard brood survival in prairie pothole landscapes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krapu, Gary L.; Pietz, Pamela J.; Brandt, David A.; Cox, Robert R.

2000-01-01

In order to estimate mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) production from managed and unmanaged lands, waterfowl biologists need measurable predictors of brood survival. We evaluated effects of percent of seasonal basins holding water (WETSEAS), percent of upland landscape in perennial cover (PERNCOVER), rainfall (RAIN), daily minimum ambient temperature (TMIN), hatch date (HATCHDATE), brood age (BA; 0-7 or 8-30 days), age of brood females, and brood size on mallard brood survival in prairie pothole landscapes, and developed a predictive model using factors found to have significant effects. Sixteen of 56 radiomarked broods experienced total loss during 1,250 exposure days. Our final fitted model of brood survival contained only main effects of WETSEAS, HATCHDATE, and RAIN. Total brood loss during the first 30 days of exposure was 11.2 times more likely for broods hatched on areas with 59% WETSEAS. Total brood loss was 5.2 times more likely during rainy conditions than during dry periods, and the hazard of total brood loss increased by 5% for each 1-day delay in hatching between 17 May and 12 August. High survival of mallard broods in landscapes where most seasonal basins contain water underscores the importance of maintaining seasonal wetlands as a major component of wetland complexes managed for mallard production. Because early hatched broods have higher survival, we also suggest that waterfowl managers focus their efforts on enhancing nest success of early laid clutches, especially in wet years.

The use of the nest for parental roosting and thermal consequences of the nest for nestlings and parents.

PubMed

Nilsson, Jan-Åke; Nord, Andreas

2017-01-01

At temperate latitudes, altricial birds and their nestlings need to handle night temperatures well below thermoneutrality during the breeding season. Thus, energy costs of thermoregulation might constrain nestling growth, and low nocturnal temperatures might require resources that parents could otherwise have invested into nestlings during the day. To manipulate parental work rate, we performed brood size manipulations in breeding marsh tits ( Poecile palustris ). Nest box temperatures were always well above ambient temperature and increased with increasing brood size. In line with predictions, a large majority of females (but no males) made use of this benign environment for roosting. Furthermore, females tending enlarged broods, thereby having to work harder during the day, reduced their body temperature at night. This might have reduced nocturnal energy expenditure. Our finding that a higher proportion of enlarged, as compared to control, females continued to use the nest box as roosting sites even after a simulated predation event despite increased vulnerability to predation, further highlighting the need for energy conservation in this group. High nest box attendance and reduced body temperature in brood-reduced females may indicate that these females prioritised self-maintenance by initiating other costly physiological adjustments, e.g. moult, when relieved from parental work. We suggest that the energy demand for defending homeothermy is an element of the general trade-off between current and future reproduction, i.e. between daytime investment in food provisioning and the potential short- and long-term costs of a reduction in body temperature and increased predation risk. Even during summer at temperate latitudes, breeding birds need to use energy to maintain stable body temperature. Parents, thus, need to enter the night with sufficient body reserves to cover energy requirements for thermoregulation. As these resources could be used for feeding nestling during the day, adaptations to reduce the cost of thermoregulation would be selected for. We performed brood size manipulations, thereby increasing the need for nestling provisioning in marsh tits ( Parus palustris ). We found that females typically spent the night in the thermally benign environment of the nest box together with their brood. Females working hard during the day continued to roost in the nest box during the night despite an increase in the perceived risk of nest predation. Furthermore, these females reduced their body temperature at night, thereby reducing the gradient between ambient and body temperature, further reducing the cost of thermoregulation.

Brood size and its importance for nestling growth in the Biscutate Swift (Streptoprocne biscutata, Aves: Apodidae).

PubMed

Pichorim, M; Monteiro-Filho, E L A

2008-11-01

Many Apodidae, including Streptoprocne biscutata (Sclater, 1866), drop eggs from their nests during incubation. This is interpreted as nest site competition or accident. We provide evidence that egg ejection is deliberate and that this behaviour controls the brood size. Brood sizes were manipulated and nestling growth was measured to test the hypothesis that pairs can regulate brood size during incubation based on current ability to rear nestlings. Natural (control) broods with one, two and three nestlings, and manipulated (experimental) broods reduced to one and increased to two and three young were monitored. Growth rates were measured based on weight, and wing, tail and tarsus lengths of natural and manipulated broods. We compared the slopes of each measure's regression lines of the nestlings of each brood size by t-test. Nestling growth of control nests was similar and relatively little associated with brood size. In broods reduced to one nestling, weight, wing and tail had greater growth rates, and in broods increased to three nestlings growth rates were lower. Weight was most, and tarsus length least influenced by brood size. In general, nestling growth of manipulated nests was inversely proportional to brood size. The results suggest that pairs with larger clutches are in better physical conditions than others. Thus, in experimental broods, pairs are over or under-loaded because feeding activities increase or decrease and these changes affect the growth rate of the nestlings. The present study suggests that egg ejection can control brood size. This behaviour is probably stimulated by physical changes in the adult birds during incubation.

Brood rearing ecology of king eiders on the north slope of Alaska

USGS Publications Warehouse

Phillips, Laura M.; Powell, Abby N.

2009-01-01

We examined King Eider (Somateria spectabilis) brood survival in the Kuparak oil field in northern Alaska in 2002 and 2003 by monitoring hens with broods using radiotelemetry. We observed complete brood loss in eight of 10 broods. Broods survived less than 2 weeks on average, and most mortality occurred within 10 days of hatch. Distance hens traveled overland did not affect brood survival. Apparent King Eider brood survival in our study area was lower than reported for eider species in other areas. We recommend future studies examine if higher densities of predators in oil fields reduces King Eider duckling survival.

Behaviour patterns of Mallard Anas Platyrhynchos pairs and broods in Minnesota and North Dakota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pietz, P.J.; Buhl, D.A.

1999-01-01

Few studies have quantitatively examined Mallard behaviour in North America during the breeding season. We estimated diurnal time budgets of unmarked Mallard males, females, and broods from over 1,200 hours of observations at two study areas in western Minnesota and south-central North Dakota during 1988-91. Paired males spent less time feeding and more time alert than did females. Both pair members were engaged in the same behaviour about 67% of the time; the male was always most likely to be doing the same thing as the female, but when the male was resting on water or alert, the female was most likely to be feeding. Females with broods spent less time feeding and more time alert and in locomotion than did females without broods. Behaviour of brood females did not differ with brood age or size. Females temporarily left their broods alone 45 times - about once for each 11 hours of observation. Female absences ranged from 2 to >80 minutes (x>27 min); length of absence was not related to brood age or size. Broods of all ages (a few days old to near fledging) and sizes (1-10 ducklings) were left alone on land and water; broods mostly rested and fed during female absences. Brood females spent less time feeding and more time alert than did broods. Females and their broods were engaged in the same behaviour 6267% of the time; the female was always most likely to be doing the same behaviour as her brood, but when the female was resting on water, the brood was most likely to be feeding, and when the female was alert, the brood was most likely to be feeding (North Dakota site) or resting on land (Minnesota site). Daily activity patterns varied between sites for both pairs and broods. Feeding and resting behaviour showed opposite daily patterns, suggesting that time allocated to feeding constrained time spent resting. Differences between sites and years in time spent feeding by pairs and broods probably reflected varying water conditions and food availability. In light of these differences, we caution researchers against extrapolating from time budget data that are temporally or geographically limited.

Survival of wood duck and mallard broods in north-central Minnesota

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Ball, I.J.; Gilmer, D.S.; Cowardin, L.M.

Duckling survival in wood duck (Aix sponsa) and mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) broods was estimated from data obtained from 71 radio-marked brood hens on a study area in north-central Minnesota. Radio-marked hens produced 30 broods during the study, and 41 hens already leading broods were captured and radio-marked. Production estimates based on brood size counts were inflated by about 38 percent for wood ducks and 30 percent for mallards if total-brood losses were not taken into account. Mortality during the first 2 weeks of life was most severe, accounting for 86 percent of total recorded mortality in wood ducks and 70more » percent in mallards. Rearing success was about 41 percent for wood ducks and 44 percent for mallards. Duckling survival was negatively correlated with distance of overland travel by young broods. Wood ducks had a shorter hen-brood bond than mallards, and presence of the hen appeared to affect duckling survival less in wood duck broods than in mallards.« less

The influence of temperature and photoperiod on the timing of brood onset in hibernating honey bee colonies

PubMed Central

Härtel, Stephan; Steffan-Dewenter, Ingolf

2018-01-01

In order to save resources, honey bee (Apis mellifera) colonies in the temperate zones stop brood rearing during winter. Brood rearing is resumed in late winter to build up a sufficient worker force that allows to exploit floral resources in upcoming spring. The timing of brood onset in hibernating colonies is crucial and a premature brood onset could lead to an early depletion of energy reservoirs. However, the mechanisms underlying the timing of brood onset and potential risks of mistiming in the course of ongoing climate change are not well understood. To assess the relative importance of ambient temperature and photoperiod as potential regulating factors for brood rearing activity in hibernating colonies, we overwintered 24 honey bee colonies within environmental chambers. The colonies were assigned to two different temperature treatments and three different photoperiod treatments to disentangle the individual and interacting effects of temperature and photoperiod. Tracking in-hive temperature as indicator for brood rearing activity revealed that increasing ambient temperature triggered brood onset. Under cold conditions, photoperiod alone did not affect brood onset, but the light regime altered the impact of higher ambient temperature on brood rearing activity. Further the number of brood rearing colonies increased with elapsed time which suggests the involvement of an internal clock. We conclude that timing of brood onset in late winter is mainly driven by temperature but modulated by photoperiod. Climate warming might change the interplay of these factors and result in mismatches of brood phenology and environmental conditions. PMID:29844964

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene and Drone Brood

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Honey bees have been bred to express high levels of varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH), which is the removal of mite-infested pupae from capped worker brood. This hygienic behavior is a complex interaction of bees and brood in which brood cells sometimes are inspected, and then brood is either removed (...

Polygyny and its fitness consequences for primary and secondary female pied flycatchers

PubMed Central

Huk, Thomas; Winkel, Wolfgang

2006-01-01

In polygynous species with biparental care, the amount of paternal support often varies considerably. In the pied flycatcher (Ficedula hypoleuca), females mated with monogamous males receive more male assistance during the nestling phase than females mated with bigynous males, as the latter have to share their mates with another female. Bigynous males, however, give more support to their primary broods than to their secondary broods. Using a long-term dataset (31 years), the present study revealed that direct reproductive success, i.e. number of fledglings, was lower in females that mated with bigynous males, especially in secondary broods without male assistance, than in females that mated with monogamous males. Secondary broods with male assistance were more affected than primary broods. Female survival was independent of mating status. In primary broods, a delayed compensation for inferior direct reproductive success was found in terms of the number of grandoffspring, a phenomenon that did not occur in secondary broods. Delayed compensation in primary broods refers to indirect effects, i.e. good genes. According to the sexy son hypothesis, genetically superior (i.e. sexy) males may have sons with a higher number of broods belonging to a polygynous breeding status than do sons from broods with a monogamous father. This was indeed the case for sons descending from primary broods, but not for sons descending from secondary broods. PMID:16769641

Food poisoning associated with ingestion of wild wasp broods in the upstream region of the Lancang river valley, Yunnan province, China.

PubMed

Jiang, Li; Huang, Tian

2018-04-01

Food poisoning due to wild wasp broods ingestion has long been noted in the upstream region of the Lancang river valley, Yunnan province, China. This study describes the epidemiological and clinical features of the poisoning and possible causes. Surveillance data collected between 2008 and 2016 were analyzed to produce demographic data on patients, information on clinical presentations, wasp species identification, and estimations of possible risk factors for symptomatic cases. Eleven poisoning events were associated with the ingestion of wild wasp broods, including 46 exposed persons with 31 symptomatic living cases and 8 deceased cases that were reported in the Yunnan province between 2008 and 2016. Poisoning cases were only detected in the upstream region of the Lancang river valley in the autumn. The severity of the symptoms was correlated with an evident dose-effect relationship regarding the quantity ingested. The mean latent period from wild wasp broods ingestion to the onset of the symptoms was 10 h for symptomatic living cases and 7 h for deceased cases, respectively. Both gastrointestinal and neurological symptoms were commonly observed in the poisoning cases. The toxin source may be indirectly caused by the wasp broods due to the prevalence of local poisonous plants, such as Tripterygium wilfordii Hook F, Tripterygium hypoglaucum Hutch and Vaccinium bracteatum Thunb. Educational programs at the start of wasp harvest season in September in the high-risk area should be carried out to reduce the incidence of poisonings. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Observations on the removal of brood inoculated with Tropilaelaps mercedesae (Mesostigmata: Laelapidae) and the mite’s reproductive success in Apis mellifera colonies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

This study assessed the response of Apis mellifera to brood deliberately infested with Tropilaelaps mercedesae. The reproductive success of T. mercedesae in mite-inoculated and naturally infested brood was also compared. The presence of T. mercedesae inside brood cells significantly affected brood ...

A comparison of two waterfowl brood survey techniques

Treesearch

Mark A. Rumble; Lester D. Flake

1982-01-01

Aerial surveys, brood beat outs, road surveys, and brood observations have been used to estimate numbers of waterfowl broods (M. E. Anderson, unpubl. reps., South Dakota Dep. Game, Fish, and Parks Fed. Aid Proj. W-17-R-7 and 8,1953, 1955; Bennett 1967). M. C. Hammond (unpubl. rep., U.S. Bur. Sport Fish and Wildl., 1970) summarized several brood survey techniques and...

Habitat selection and movements of Piping Plover broods suggest a tradeoff between breeding stages

USGS Publications Warehouse

Wiltermuth, Mark T.; Anteau, Michael J.; Sherfy, Mark H.; Pearse, Aaron T.

2015-01-01

In precocial birds, adults select breeding areas using cues associated with habitat characteristics that are favorable for nesting success and chick survival, but there may be tradeoffs in habitat selection between these breeding stages. Here we describe habitat selection and intra-territory movements of 53 Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) broods (320 observations) during the 2007–2008 breeding seasons on mainland- and island-shoreline habitats at Lake Sakakawea, North Dakota, USA. We used remotely sensed habitat characteristics to separately examine habitat selection and movements at two spatiotemporal scales to account for potential confounding effects of nest-site selection on brood-rearing habitat used. The scales used were (1) the entire brood-rearing period within available brood-rearing areas and (2) 2-day observation intervals within age-specific discrete habitat selection choice sets. Analyses at both scales indicated that broods selected areas which were non-vegetated, moderately level, and nearer to the shoreline. Rate of brood movement increased with age up to 5 days, then stabilized; broods that hatched >50 m away from the shoreline moved toward the shoreline. Brood movements were greater when they were in vegetated areas, when the brood-rearing area was of greater topographic complexity, and when broods aged 6–25 days were further away from the shoreline. Using inferences from our results and those of previously published work, we postulate how a potential tradeoff in habitat selection between nesting and brood-rearing can contribute to an ecological trap in a novel habitat. This work, in the context of published works, suggests that plover breeding habitat is a complex of both nesting and brood-rearing habitats and provides a basis for making remotely sensed abundance estimates of suitable breeding habitat for Piping Plovers.

Management implications of brood division in Golden-winged Warblers: Chapter 10

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, Sean M.; Streby, Henry M.; Andersen, David E.

2016-01-01

Brood division in the postfledging period is a common avian behavior that is not well understood. Brood division has been reported in Golden-winged Warblers (Vermivora chrysoptera), but it is not known how common this behavior is, whether males and females exhibit different strategies related to parental care and habitat use, or how brood division might influence management strategies. We radiomarked fledglings and monitored divided broods of Golden-winged Warblers from fledging until independence from parental care at three sites in the western Great Lakes region from 2010 to 2012 to assess differences in strategies between male and female parents and to consider possible management implications. Male - and female-reared sub-broods exhibited different space use during the dependent post-fledging period despite similar fledgling survivial, cover-type use, and microhabitat use. By independence, female-reared sub-broods traveled over twice as far from the nest (mean = 461 ± 81) SE m) as male-reared sub-broods (164 ± 41 m). Additionally, female-reared sub-broods traveled over three times as far from the natal patch edge (35 ± 72 m) as male-reared sub-broods (108 ± 36 m). Without accounting for differential space use by male- and female-reared sub-broods, we would have reported broods traveling 292 (± 46 m) from the nest and 214 (± 40m) from the natal patch edge - distances that do not reflect how far females move sub-broods. Parental strategies differ between sexes with regard to movement patterns, and we recommend incorporating the differences in space use between sexes in future management plans for Golden-winged Warblers  and other species that employ brood division. Specifically, management actions might be most effective when they are applied at spatial scales large enough to incorporate the habitat requirements of both sexes throughout the entire reproductive season. 

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF EGRET AND HERON BROOD REDUCTION.

PubMed

Mock, Douglas W; Parker, Geoffrey A

1986-05-01

Data from great egrets and great blue herons were used to test a fundamental assumption of Lack's brood-reduction hypothesis, that mortality is brood-size dependent. This was confirmed for the largest brood sizes (4 and 3), which, in egrets, also have the highest sib-fighting rates. Broods of one, however, experienced paradoxically high mortality, especially early in the season. The hypothesis is advanced that parents desert unprofitably small broods when sufficient time remains for production of a larger brood. A simple game-theory model shows that this parental desertion may hinge primarily on the overall costs of renesting. Egret brood reduction caused by sibling aggression (siblicide) occurred later than less aggressive forms of brood reduction. The inclusive fitness of senior broodmates is maximized by the successful fledging of all sibs, and the physical superiority of seniors (in food-handling for herons; food-handling and aggression for egrets) usually suffices to guarantee their own welfare in brood competitions. Finally, it is shown that the last chick in asynchronously hatching broods represents two kinds of reproductive value (RV) to the parents-"extra RV" (obtained despite the survival of elder sibs) and "insurance RV" (obtained only when at least one elder sib dies first)-which can be distinguished from field data. This approach can be used in comparisons with other asynchronous species for partitioning the fitness contributions of marginal offspring. © 1986 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Opportunistic brood theft in the context of colony relocation in an Indian queenless ant

PubMed Central

Paul, Bishwarup; Paul, Manabi; Annagiri, Sumana

2016-01-01

Brood is a very valuable part of an ant colony and behaviours increasing its number with minimum investment is expected to be favoured by natural selection. Brood theft has been well documented in ants belonging to the subfamilies Myrmicinae and Formicinae. In this study we report opportunistic brood theft in the context of nest relocation in Diacamma indicum, belonging to the primitively eusocial subfamily Ponerinae. Pupae was the preferred stolen item both in laboratory conditions and in natural habitat and a small percentage of the members of a colony acting as thieves stole about 12% of the brood of the victim colony. Stolen brood were not consumed but became slaves. We propose a new dimension to the risks of relocation in the form of brood theft by conspecific neighbours and speculate that examination of this phenomenon in other primitively eusocial species will help understand the origin of brood theft in ants. PMID:27796350

Opportunistic brood theft in the context of colony relocation in an Indian queenless ant.

PubMed

Paul, Bishwarup; Paul, Manabi; Annagiri, Sumana

2016-10-31

Brood is a very valuable part of an ant colony and behaviours increasing its number with minimum investment is expected to be favoured by natural selection. Brood theft has been well documented in ants belonging to the subfamilies Myrmicinae and Formicinae. In this study we report opportunistic brood theft in the context of nest relocation in Diacamma indicum, belonging to the primitively eusocial subfamily Ponerinae. Pupae was the preferred stolen item both in laboratory conditions and in natural habitat and a small percentage of the members of a colony acting as thieves stole about 12% of the brood of the victim colony. Stolen brood were not consumed but became slaves. We propose a new dimension to the risks of relocation in the form of brood theft by conspecific neighbours and speculate that examination of this phenomenon in other primitively eusocial species will help understand the origin of brood theft in ants.

Explaining the relation between pathological gambling and depression: Rumination as an underlying common cause.

PubMed

Krause, Kristian; Bischof, Anja; Lewin, Silvia; Guertler, Diana; Rumpf, Hans-Jürgen; John, Ulrich; Meyer, Christian

2018-05-30

Background and aims Symptoms of pathological gambling (SPG) and depression often co-occur. The nature of this relationship remains unclear. Rumination, which is well known to be associated with depression, might act as a common underlying factor explaining the frequent co-occurrence of both conditions. The aim of this study is to analyze associations between the rumination subfactors brooding and reflection and SPG. Methods Participants aged 14-64 years were recruited within an epidemiological study on pathological gambling in Germany. Cross-sectional data of 506 (80.4% male) individuals with a history of gambling problems were analyzed. The assessment included a standardized clinical interview. To examine the effects of rumination across different levels of problem gambling severity, sequential quantile regression was used to analyze the association between the rumination subfactors and SPG. Results Brooding (p = .005) was positively associated with the severity of problem gambling after adjusting for reflection, depressive symptoms, and sociodemographic variables. Along the distribution of problem gambling severity, findings hold for all but the lowest severity level. Reflection (p = .347) was not associated with the severity of problem gambling at the median. Along the distribution of problem gambling severity, there was an inverse association at only one quantile. Discussion and conclusions Brooding might be important in the development and maintenance of problem gambling. With its relations to depression and problem gambling, it might be crucial when it comes to explaining the high comorbidity rates between SPG and depression. The role of reflection in SPG remains inconclusive.

Cryptic extended brood care in the facultatively eusocial sweat bee Megalopta genalis.

PubMed

Quiñones, A E; Wcislo, W T

As a result of different brood cell provisioning strategies, nest-making insects may differ in the extent to which adults regularly provide extended parental care to their brood beyond nest defense. Mass-provisioning species cache the entire food supply needed for larval development prior to the oviposition and typically seal the brood cell. It is usually assumed that there is no regular contact between the adult(s) and brood. Here, we show that the bee, Megalopta genalis , expresses a form of cryptic brood care, which would not be observed during normal development. Following experimental injections of different provisioning materials into brood cells, foundresses reopened manipulated cells and the brood were aborted in some cases, implying that the foundresses assessed conditions within the cells. In aborted cells, foundresses sometimes laid a second egg after first removing dead larvae, previously stored pollen and contaminants. Our results show that hygienic brood care can be cryptic and hence may be more widespread than previously believed, lending support to the hypothesis that extended parental care is a preadaptation toward eusociality.

Male death resulting from hybridization between subspecies of the gypsy moth, Lymantria dispar

PubMed Central

Higashiura, Y; Yamaguchi, H; Ishihara, M; Ono, N; Tsukagoshi, H; Yokobori, S; Tokishita, S; Yamagata, H; Fukatsu, T

2011-01-01

We explored the origin of all-female broods resulting from male death in a Hokkaido population of Lymantria dispar through genetic crosses based on the earlier experiments done by Goldschmidt and by testing for the presence of endosymbionts that are known to cause male killing in some insect species. The mitochondrial DNA haplotypes of the all-female broods in Hokkaido were different from those of normal Hokkaido females and were the same as those widely distributed in Asia, including Tokyo (TK). Goldschmidt obtained all-female broods through backcrossing, that is, F1 females obtained by a cross between TK females (L. dispar japonica) and Hokkaido males (L. dispar praeterea) mated with Hokkaido males. He also obtained all-male broods by mating Hokkaido females with TK males. Goldschmidt inferred that female- and male-determining factors were weakest in the Hokkaido subspecies and stronger in the Honshu (TK) subspecies. According to his theory, the females of all-female broods mated with Honshu males should produce normal sex-ratio broods, whereas weaker Hokkaido sexes would be expected to disappear in F1 or F2 generations after crossing with the Honshu subspecies. We confirmed both of Goldschmidt's results: in the case of all-female broods mated with Honshu males, normal sex-ratio broods were produced, but we obtained only all-female broods in the Goldschmidt backcross and obtained an all-male brood in the F1 generation of a Hokkaido female crossed with a TK male. We found no endosymbionts in all-female broods by 4,′6-diamidino-2-phenylindole (DAPI) staining. Therefore, the all-female broods observed in L. dispar are caused by some incompatibilities between Honshu and Hokkaido subspecies. PMID:20628417

Go East for Better Honey Bee Health: Apis cerana Is Faster at Hygienic Behavior than A. mellifera.

PubMed

Lin, Zheguang; Page, Paul; Li, Li; Qin, Yao; Zhang, Yingying; Hu, Fuliang; Neumann, Peter; Zheng, Huoqing; Dietemann, Vincent

2016-01-01

The poor health status of the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, compared to its Eastern counterpart, Apis cerana, is remarkable. This has been attributed to lower pathogen prevalence in A. cerana colonies and to their ability to survive infestations with the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. These properties have been linked to an enhanced removal of dead or unhealthy immature bees by adult workers in this species. Although such hygienic behavior is known to contribute to honey bee colony health, comparative data of A. mellifera and A. cerana in performing this task are scarce. Here, we compare for the first time the removal of freeze-killed brood in one population of each species and over two seasons in China. Our results show that A. cerana was significantly faster than A. mellifera at both opening cell caps and removing freeze-killed brood. The fast detection and removal of diseased brood is likely to limit the proliferation of pathogenic agents. Given our results can be generalized to the species level, a rapid hygienic response could contribute to the better health of A. cerana. Promoting the fast detection and removal of worker brood through adapted breeding programs could further improve the social immunity of A. mellifera colonies and contribute to a better health status of the Western honey bee worldwide.

Go East for Better Honey Bee Health: Apis cerana Is Faster at Hygienic Behavior than A. mellifera

PubMed Central

Li, Li; Qin, Yao; Zhang, Yingying; Hu, Fuliang; Neumann, Peter; Zheng, Huoqing; Dietemann, Vincent

2016-01-01

The poor health status of the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera, compared to its Eastern counterpart, Apis cerana, is remarkable. This has been attributed to lower pathogen prevalence in A. cerana colonies and to their ability to survive infestations with the ectoparasitic mite, Varroa destructor. These properties have been linked to an enhanced removal of dead or unhealthy immature bees by adult workers in this species. Although such hygienic behavior is known to contribute to honey bee colony health, comparative data of A. mellifera and A. cerana in performing this task are scarce. Here, we compare for the first time the removal of freeze-killed brood in one population of each species and over two seasons in China. Our results show that A. cerana was significantly faster than A. mellifera at both opening cell caps and removing freeze-killed brood. The fast detection and removal of diseased brood is likely to limit the proliferation of pathogenic agents. Given our results can be generalized to the species level, a rapid hygienic response could contribute to the better health of A. cerana. Promoting the fast detection and removal of worker brood through adapted breeding programs could further improve the social immunity of A. mellifera colonies and contribute to a better health status of the Western honey bee worldwide. PMID:27606819

Flow currents and ventilation in Langstroth beehives due to brood thermoregulation efforts of honeybees.

PubMed

Sudarsan, Rangarajan; Thompson, Cody; Kevan, Peter G; Eberl, Hermann J

2012-02-21

Beekeepers universally agree that ensuring sufficient ventilation is vital for sustaining a thriving, healthy honeybee colony. Despite this fact, surprisingly little is known about the ventilation and flow patterns in bee hives. We take a first step towards developing a model-based approach that uses computational fluid dynamics to simulate natural ventilation flow inside a standard Langstroth beehive. A 3-D model of a Langstroth beehive with one brood chamber and one honey super was constructed and inside it the honeybee colony was distributed among different clusters each occupying the different bee-spaces between frames in the brood chamber. For the purpose of modeling, each honeybee cluster was treated as an air-saturated porous medium with constant porosity. Heat and mass transfer interactions of the honeybees with the air, the outcome of metabolism, were captured in the porous medium model as source and sink terms appearing in the governing equations of fluid dynamics. The temperature of the brood that results from the thermoregulation efforts of the colony is applied as a boundary condition for the governing equations. The governing equations for heat, mass transport and fluid flow were solved using Fluent(©), a commercially available CFD program. The results from the simulations indicate that (a) both heat and mass transfer resulting from honeybee metabolism play a vital role in determining the structure of the flow inside the beehive and mass transfer cannot be neglected, (b) at low ambient temperatures, the nonuniform temperature profile on comb surfaces that results from brood incubation enhances flow through the honeybee cluster which removes much of the carbon-dioxide produced by the cluster resulting in lower carbon-dioxide concentration next to the brood, (c) increasing ambient (outside) air temperature causes ventilation flow rate to drop resulting in weaker flow inside the beehive. Flow visualization indicates that at low ambient air temperatures the flow inside the beehive has an interesting 3-D structure with the presence of large recirculating vortices occupying the space between honey super frames above the honeybee clusters in the brood chamber and the structure and strength of the flow inside and around the honeybee clusters changes as we increase the ambient air temperature outside the beehive. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survival of juvenile ring-necked ducks on wetlands of different pH

USGS Publications Warehouse

McAuley, D.G.; Longcore, J.R.

1988-01-01

Brood and duckling survival of ring-necked ducks (Aythya collaris) was examined in relation to wetland water chemistry in eastcentral Maine during 1983-85. Daily survival rates (DSR) of broods and ducklings were determined for 381 ducklings from 64 broods by counts of each brood at 6-10-day intervals during broodrearing. Twelve of 64 females lost entire broods. Only 176 of 381 (46%) ducklings survived to fledge. Brood survival for the 45-day rearing period was 0.7731; duckling survival was 0.3707. Young ducklings (25 days) ducklings (0.9818/day) (P = 0.002). Survival rates of broods and ducklings did not differ among wetlands of high and low alkalinities. Brood survival did not differ among wetlands of different pH, but DSR of ducklings was lower (0.9763/day) on low-pH (6.1) wetlands (0.9816/day) (P = 0.049). Class lIb-III (25-45 days old) ducklings from the lowest-pH wetlands(6.5) had the highest DSR (0.9856) (P = 0.009).

Brood amalgamation in the Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis: process and function

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanctot, Richard B.; Gill, Robert E.; Tibbitts, T.L.; Handel, Colleen M.

1995-01-01

Alloparental care in birds generally involves nonbreeding adults that help at nests or breeding adults that help raise young in communal nests. A less often reported form involves the amalgamation of broods, where one or more adults care for young that are not their own. We observed this phenomenon among Bristle-thighed Curlew Numenius tahitiensis broods in western Alaska during 1990–1992. Amalgamation of broods generally involved the formation of temporary and extended associations. Temporary associations were formed by the incidental convergence of broods soon after they left their nests. During this period, parents defended distinct brood-rearing areas, were antagonistic to conspecifics and remained together for less than 3 days. Extended associations formed when chicks were 1–2 weeks old. Here, parents and their broods occupied distinct, but adjacent, brood-rearing areas and moved around as a unit. Whether a brood participated in either temporary or extended associations or remained solitary appeared to depend on brood density in the immediate area and on hatching date. When chicks were 3–4 weeks old, aggregations of up to ten broods formed wherein young mixed and parents defended a common brood-rearing area. All broods (n = 48) that survived to fledging joined such aggregations. Alloparental care involved only antipredator defence and was not associated with activities such as feeding and brooding. Most female parents abandoned their broods shortly after the young could fly and when aggregations were forming. The female parent of a pair always deserted its young before or on the same day as the male parent and, in every aggregation, one or two males continued to tend young for about 5 days longer than other male parents. In most cases, adults deserted the young 2–6 days before the young departed the area when about 38 days old. Bristle-thighed Curlews also formed temporary associations with American and Pacific Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica and Pluvialis fulva, Whimbrel Numenius phaeopus, Bar-tailed Godwit Limosa lapponica, Western Sandpiper Cal-idris mauri and Long-tailed Skua Stercorarius longicaudus. Curlews and other larger bodied species commonly attack-mobbed predators together, whereas smaller bodied species generally gave alarm calls and circled the predators. For all species, the intensity of antipredator defence by attending adults gradually decreased as young became older and aggregations formed. We suggest that amalgamation of broods among Bristle-thighed Curlew enhances predator defence, aids in the process of flock formation for migrating young, and allows females and some males to desert their young earlier.

Movements and habitat use of mallard broods in northeastern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mauser, D.M.; Jarvis, R.L.; Gilmer, D.S.

1994-01-01

To increase recruitment of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), wildlife managers must understand the habitat and space needs of mallard broods. During 1989-90, we examined the movements, home range, and habitat use of 27 radio-marked mallard broods on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, California. Twelve of the 27 broods made 22 relocation movements (>1,000 m in 24 hr) in the first week (n = 6) and after the fourth (n = 16) week of life. Mean home range size was 0.93 km2 (SE = 0.25) and did not differ between years (P = 0.26). Brood-rearing females selected seasonally flooded wetlands with a cover component and avoided open or permanently flooded habitats. In 1989, broods hatched in permanent wetlands were less successful in fledging (P = 0.006) radio-marked ducklings than broods from seasonal wetlands, suggesting habitat availability or movement to preferred habitats may affect duckling survival.

Variation in body mass of wild canvasback and redhead ducklings

USGS Publications Warehouse

Austin, Jane E.; Serie, Jerome R.

1994-01-01

We assessed variation in body mass of ducklings in single- and mixed-species broods of wild Canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria) and Redheads (Aythya americana) 20-50 days old. Body mass of canvasback ducklings was not affected by year and season (early vs. late hatch date) despite changes in water conditions. Mean body mass of male and female Canvasbacks did not differ in Class IIA but did differ in older age classes. Within-brood differences in body mass tended to be higher in Class IIA ducklings (6-7% of mean body mass for Canvasbacks, 9-11% in Redheads) and generally declined to 4-6% in Class IIC and older ducklings. Some within-brood differences were as high as 20-30% of mean body mass. Tests to assess sources of within-brood variation (age, sex, and season) in body mass for Canvasbacks were inconclusive. Variation within broods was generally less than that among broods for both Canvasbacks and Redheads. The lack of differences in duckling body mass between single- and mixed-species broods for any age class, sex, or species suggests that mass was not affected by interspecific brood parasitism.

Hygienic behavior in the stingless bees Melipona beecheii and Scaptotrigona pectoralis (Hymenoptera: Meliponini).

PubMed

Medina, L M; Hart, A G; Ratnieks, F L W

2009-05-19

Hygienic behavior, a trait that may confer resistance to brood diseases in the honey bee Apis mellifera, was studied in two species of stingless bees in Mexico. Eight colonies each of Melipona beecheii and Scaptotrigona pectoralis were tested for hygienic behavior, the removal of dead or diseased brood, by freeze killing a comb of sealed cells containing pupae. Both species detected and removed dead brood. However, removal rates differed between species. In M. beecheii colonies, workers took 2-9 days to remove 100% of the dead brood (4.4 +/- 2.0 days, mean +/- SD), while S. pectoralis removed all dead brood in less than 3 days (2.3 +/- 0.6 days, mean +/- SD). We conclude that hygienic behavior is not unique to A. mellifera, and is not solely an adaptation for the reuse of brood cells as occurs in honey bees but not stingless bees. Although stingless bees do not reuse brood cells, space is limited. The removal of dead brood may be necessary to allow new cells to be constructed in the same place.

Avian Incubation Patterns Reflect Temporal Changes in Developing Clutches

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Incubation conditions for eggs influence offspring quality and reproductive success. One way in which parents regulate brooding conditions is by balancing the thermal requirements of embryos with time spent away from the nest for self-maintenance. Age related changes in embryo thermal tolerance would thus be expected to shape parental incubation behavior. We use data from unmanipulated Black-capped Chickadee (Poecile atricapillus) nests to examine the temporal dynamics of incubation, testing the prediction that increased heat flux from eggs as embryos age influences female incubation behavior and/or physiology to minimize temperature fluctuations. We found that the rate of heat loss from eggs increased with embryo age. Females responded to increased egg cooling rates by altering incubation rhythms (more frequent, shorter on- and off- bouts), but not brood patch temperature. Consequently, as embryos aged, females were able to increase mean egg temperature and decrease variation in temperature. Our findings highlight the need to view full incubation as more than a static rhythm; rather, it is a temporally dynamic and finely adjustable parental behavior. Furthermore, from a methodological perspective, intra- and inter-specific comparisons of incubation rhythms and average egg temperatures should control for the stage of incubation. PMID:23840339

Aggressive behavior of the male parent predicts brood sex ratio in a songbird

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Szász, Eszter; Garamszegi, László Zsolt; Hegyi, Gergely; Szöllősi, Eszter; Markó, Gábor; Török, János; Rosivall, Balázs

2014-08-01

Brood sex ratio is often affected by parental or environmental quality, presumably in an adaptive manner that is the sex that confers higher fitness benefits to the mother is overproduced. So far, studies on the role of parental quality have focused on parental morphology and attractiveness. However, another aspect, the partner's behavioral characteristics, may also be expected to play a role in brood sex ratio adjustment. To test this hypothesis, we investigated whether the proportion of sons in the brood is predicted by the level of territorial aggression displayed by the father, in the collared flycatcher ( Ficedula albicollis). The proportion of sons in the brood was higher in early broods and increased with paternal tarsus length. When controlling for breeding date and body size, we found a higher proportion of sons in the brood of less aggressive fathers. Male nestlings are more sensitive to the rearing environment, and the behavior of courting males may often be used by females to assess their future parental activity. Therefore, adjusting brood sex ratio to the level of male aggression could be adaptive. Our results indicate that the behavior of the partner could indeed be a significant determinant in brood sex ratio adjustment, which should not be overlooked in future studies.

Stingless bees (Melipona subnitida) adjust brood production rather than foraging activity in response to changes in pollen stores.

PubMed

Maia-Silva, Camila; Hrncir, Michael; Imperatriz-Fonseca, Vera Lucia; Schorkopf, Dirk Louis P

2016-10-01

Highly eusocial bees (honey bees and stingless bees) sustain their colonies through periods of resource scarcity by food stored within the nest. The protein supply necessary for successful brood production is ensured through adjustments of the colonies' pollen foraging according to the availability of this resource in the environment. In honey bees Apis mellifera, in addition, pollen foraging is regulated through the broods' demand for this resource. Here, we investigated the influence of the colony's pollen store level on pollen foraging and brood production in stingless bees (Melipona subnitida). When pollen was added to the nests, colonies increased their brood production and reduced their pollen foraging within 24 h. On the other hand, when pollen reserves were removed, colonies significantly reduced their brood production. In strong contrast to A. mellifera; however, M. subnitida did not significantly increase its pollen foraging activity under poor pollen store conditions. This difference concerning the regulation of pollen foraging may be due to differences regarding the mechanism of brood provisioning. Honey bees progressively feed young larvae and, consequently, require a constant pollen supply. Stingless bees, by contrast, mass-provision their brood cells and temporary absence of pollen storage will not immediately result in substantial brood loss.

Competition with a host nestling for parental provisioning imposes recoverable costs on parasitic cuckoo chick's growth.

PubMed

Geltsch, Nikoletta; Hauber, Márk E; Anderson, Michael G; Bán, Miklós; Moskát, Csaba

2012-07-01

Chicks of the brood parasitic common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) typically monopolize host parental care by evicting all eggs and nestmates from the nest. To assess the benefits of parasitic eviction behaviour throughout the full nestling period, we generated mixed broods of one cuckoo and one great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus) to study how hosts divide care between own and parasitic young. We also recorded parental provisioning behaviour at nests of singleton host nestlings or singleton cuckoo chicks. Host parents fed the three types of broods with similar-sized food items. The mass of the cuckoo chicks was significantly reduced in mixed broods relative to singleton cuckoos. Yet, after the host chick fledged from mixed broods, at about 10-12 days, cuckoo chicks in mixed broods grew faster and appeared to have compensated for the growth costs of prior cohabitation by fledging at similar weights and ages compared to singleton cuckoo chicks. These results are contrary to suggestions that chick competition in mixed broods of cuckoos and hosts causes an irrecoverable cost for the developing brood parasite. Flexibility in cuckoos' growth dynamics may provide a general benefit to ecological uncertainty regarding the realized successes, failures, and costs of nestmate eviction strategies of brood parasites. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Facility Operation and Maintenance and Monitoring and Evaluation, 1999 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Lofy, Peter T.

2002-11-01

This is the second annual report of a multi-year, multi-agency project to restore spring chinook salmon populations in the Grande Ronde River Basin (Grande Ronde Endemic Chinook Salmon Program--GRESCP). The Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR) operates adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Supplementation using conventional and captive broodstock techniques is being used to increase natural production and restore fisheries in these two streams. Statement of Work Objectives formore » 1999: (1) Participate in development and continued implementation of the comprehensive multi year operations plan for the Grande Ronde Endemic Supplementation Program. (2) Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2000. (3) Monitor adult endemic spring chinook salmon populations and collect broodstock. (4) Plan detailed Monitoring and Evaluation for future years. (5) Monitor population abundance and characteristics and local environmental factors that may influence abundance and run timing of Grande Ronde River spring chinook populations. (6) Participate in Monitoring and Evaluation of the captive brood component of the Program to assure this component is contributing to the Program. (7) Participate in data collection for incidentally-caught bull trout and summer steelhead and planning for recovery of summer steelhead populations. (8) Document accomplishments and needs to permitters, comanagers, and funding agencies. (9) Communicate project results to the scientific community.« less

Management of bacterial kidney disease in Chinook Salmon hatcheries based on broodstock testing by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay: A multiyear study

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munson, A. Douglas; Elliott, Diane G.; Johnson, Keith

2010-01-01

From the mid-1980s through the early 1990s, outbreaks of bacterial kidney disease (BKD) caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum continued in Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in Idaho Department of Fish and Game (IDFG) hatcheries despite the use of three control methods: (1) injection of returning adult fish with erythromycin to reduce prespawning BKD mortality and limit vertical transmission of R. salmoninarum, (2) topical disinfection of green eggs with iodophor, and (3) prophylactic treatments of juvenile fish with erythromycin-medicated feed. In addition, programs to manage BKD through measurement of R. salmoninarum antigen levels in kidney tissues from spawning female Chinook salmon by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were tested over 13–15 brood years at three IDFG hatcheries. The ELISA results were used for either (1) segregated rearing of progeny from females with high ELISA optical density (OD) values (usually ≥0.25), which are indicative of high R. salmoninarum antigen levels, or (2) culling of eggs from females with high ELISA OD values. The ELISA-based culling program had the most profound positive effects on the study populations. Mortality of juvenile fish during rearing was significantly lower at each hatchery for brood years derived from culling compared with brood years for which culling was not practiced. The prevalence of R. salmoninarum in juvenile fish, as evidenced by detection of the bacterium in kidney smears by the direct fluorescent antibody test, also decreased significantly at each hatchery. In addition, the proportions of returning adult females with kidney ELISA OD values of 0.25 or more decreased 56–85% for fish reared in brood years during which culling was practiced, whereas the proportions of ELISA-negative adults increased 55–58%. This management strategy may allow IDFG Chinook salmon hatcheries to reduce or eliminate prophylactic erythromycin-medicated feed treatments. We recommend using ELISA-based management of BKD in Chinook salmon hatcheries where it is a concern.

Adaptation at Specific Loci. II. Demographic and Biochemical Elements in the Maintenance of the Colias Pgi Polymorphism.

PubMed

Watt, W B

1983-04-01

Demographically oriented sampling in the wild and biochemical study of allozymes in the laboratory have been used to probe maintenance of the phosphoglucose isomerase polymorphism of Colias butterflies.-The several alleles at this locus show negative or no covariation among their frequencies in the wild. This rules out Wahlund effects as a cause of observations of heterozygote excess at this locus in broods that fly as single cohorts. Unusually heavy mortality among adults, due to drought stress or other causes, can preclude manifestation of differential survivorship among phosphoglucose isomerase genotypes. In broods composed of overlapping cohorts, heterozygote deficiency, apparently due to Wahlund effects in time as cohorts of different survivorship experience mix, can be found. Heterozygotes at this locus fly under a broader range of weather conditions than other genotypes.-Previously detected kinetic differentiation among the genotypes extends in greater magnitude to the glycolytic reaction direction, as well as to a broader range of test conditions than examined before. The heterozygote 3/4 is strikingly heterotic for several measures of kinetic functional effectiveness. Other heterozygotes are sometimes heterotic, more often intermediate (but not exactly so, nor additive in any sense) in properties between homozygotes.-Predictions are made from the biochemical analysis and from the insects' thermal ecology concerning distributions of the genotypes in the wild. Some agree with facts already established. Others are tested and confirmed from data already on hand. Still others are to be tested as reported in an accompanying paper.-All available evidence points to a combination of heterozygote advantage and fluctuating-environment selection as responsible for maintaining this polymorphism. There is considerable evidence for the operation of protein-structural constraint on the range of adaptations possible at this locus.

Fishers' knowledge and seahorse conservation in Brazil

PubMed Central

Rosa, Ierecê ML; Alves, Rômulo RN; Bonifácio, Kallyne M; Mourão, José S; Osório, Frederico M; Oliveira, Tacyana PR; Nottingham, Mara C

2005-01-01

From a conservationist perspective, seahorses are threatened fishes. Concomitantly, from a socioeconomic perspective, they represent a source of income to many fishing communities in developing countries. An integration between these two views requires, among other things, the recognition that seahorse fishers have knowledge and abilities that can assist the implementation of conservation strategies and of management plans for seahorses and their habitats. This paper documents the knowledge held by Brazilian fishers on the biology and ecology of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi. Its aims were to explore collaborative approaches to seahorse conservation and management in Brazil; to assess fishers' perception of seahorse biology and ecology, in the context evaluating potential management options; to increase fishers' involvement with seahorse conservation in Brazil. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews made during field surveys conducted in fishing villages located in the States of Piauí, Ceará, Paraíba, Maranhão, Pernambuco and Pará. We consider the following aspects as positive for the conservation of seahorses and their habitats in Brazil: fishers were willing to dialogue with researchers; although captures and/or trade of brooding seahorses occurred, most interviewees recognized the importance of reproduction to the maintenance of seahorses in the wild (and therefore of their source of income), and expressed concern over population declines; fishers associated the presence of a ventral pouch with reproduction in seahorses (regardless of them knowing which sex bears the pouch), and this may facilitate the construction of collaborative management options designed to eliminate captures of brooding specimens; fishers recognized microhabitats of importance to the maintenance of seahorse wild populations; fishers who kept seahorses in captivity tended to recognize the condtions as poor, and as being a cause of seahorse mortality. PMID:16336660

Fishers' knowledge and seahorse conservation in Brazil.

PubMed

Rosa, Ierecê Ml; Alves, Rômulo Rn; Bonifácio, Kallyne M; Mourão, José S; Osório, Frederico M; Oliveira, Tacyana Pr; Nottingham, Mara C

2005-12-08

From a conservationist perspective, seahorses are threatened fishes. Concomitantly, from a socioeconomic perspective, they represent a source of income to many fishing communities in developing countries. An integration between these two views requires, among other things, the recognition that seahorse fishers have knowledge and abilities that can assist the implementation of conservation strategies and of management plans for seahorses and their habitats. This paper documents the knowledge held by Brazilian fishers on the biology and ecology of the longsnout seahorse Hippocampus reidi. Its aims were to explore collaborative approaches to seahorse conservation and management in Brazil; to assess fishers' perception of seahorse biology and ecology, in the context evaluating potential management options; to increase fishers' involvement with seahorse conservation in Brazil. Data were obtained through questionnaires and interviews made during field surveys conducted in fishing villages located in the States of Piauí, Ceará, Paraíba, Maranhão, Pernambuco and Pará. We consider the following aspects as positive for the conservation of seahorses and their habitats in Brazil: fishers were willing to dialogue with researchers; although captures and/or trade of brooding seahorses occurred, most interviewees recognized the importance of reproduction to the maintenance of seahorses in the wild (and therefore of their source of income), and expressed concern over population declines; fishers associated the presence of a ventral pouch with reproduction in seahorses (regardless of them knowing which sex bears the pouch), and this may facilitate the construction of collaborative management options designed to eliminate captures of brooding specimens; fishers recognized microhabitats of importance to the maintenance of seahorse wild populations; fishers who kept seahorses in captivity tended to recognize the condtions as poor, and as being a cause of seahorse mortality.

Adaptation at Specific Loci. II. Demographic and Biochemical Elements in the Maintenance of the Colias Pgi Polymorphism

PubMed Central

Watt, Ward B.

1983-01-01

Demographically oriented sampling in the wild and biochemical study of allozymes in the laboratory have been used to probe maintenance of the phosphoglucose isomerase polymorphism of Colias butterflies.—The several alleles at this locus show negative or no covariation among their frequencies in the wild. This rules out Wahlund effects as a cause of observations of heterozygote excess at this locus in broods that fly as single cohorts. Unusually heavy mortality among adults, due to drought stress or other causes, can preclude manifestation of differential survivorship among phosphoglucose isomerase genotypes. In broods composed of overlapping cohorts, heterozygote deficiency, apparently due to Wahlund effects in time as cohorts of different survivorship experience mix, can be found. Heterozygotes at this locus fly under a broader range of weather conditions than other genotypes.—Previously detected kinetic differentiation among the genotypes extends in greater magnitude to the glycolytic reaction direction, as well as to a broader range of test conditions than examined before. The heterozygote 3/4 is strikingly heterotic for several measures of kinetic functional effectiveness. Other heterozygotes are sometimes heterotic, more often intermediate (but not exactly so, nor additive in any sense) in properties between homozygotes.—Predictions are made from the biochemical analysis and from the insects' thermal ecology concerning distributions of the genotypes in the wild. Some agree with facts already established. Others are tested and confirmed from data already on hand. Still others are to be tested as reported in an accompanying paper.—All available evidence points to a combination of heterozygote advantage and fluctuating-environment selection as responsible for maintaining this polymorphism. There is considerable evidence for the operation of protein-structural constraint on the range of adaptations possible at this locus. PMID:17246121

Prolactin stress response does not predict brood desertion in a polyandrous shorebird.

PubMed

Kosztolányi, András; Küpper, Clemens; Chastel, Olivier; Parenteau, Charline; Yılmaz, K Tuluhan; Miklósi, Adám; Székely, Tamás; Lendvai, Adám Z

2012-05-01

One of the fundamental principles of the life-history theory is that parents need to balance their resources between current and future offspring. Deserting the dependent young is a radical life-history decision that saves resources for future reproduction but that may cause the current brood to fail. Despite the importance of desertion for reproductive success, and thus fitness, the neuroendocrine mechanisms of brood desertion are largely unknown. We investigated two candidate hormones that may influence brood desertion in the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus: prolactin ('parental hormone') and corticosterone ('stress hormone'). Kentish plovers exhibit an unusually diverse mating and parental care system: brood desertion occurs naturally since either parent (the male or the female) may desert the brood after the chicks hatch and mate with a new partner shortly after. We measured the hormone levels of parents at hatching using the standard capture and restraint protocol. We subsequently followed the broods to determine whether a parent deserted the chicks. We found no evidence that either baseline or stress-induced prolactin levels of male or female parents predicted brood desertion. Although stress-induced corticosterone levels were generally higher in females compared with males, individual corticosterone levels did not explain the probability of brood desertion. We suggest that, in this species, low prolactin levels do not trigger brood desertion. In general, we propose that the prolactin stress response does not reflect overall parental investment in a species where different parts of the breeding cycle are characterized by contrasting individual investment strategies. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Eider females form non-kin brood-rearing coalitions

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ost, M.; Vitikainen, E.; Waldeck, P.; Sundstrom, L.; Lindstrom, K.; Hollmen, Tuula E.; Franson, J.C.; Kilpi, Mikael

2005-01-01

Kin selection is a powerful tool for understanding cooperation among individuals, yet its role as the sole explanation of cooperative societies has recently been challenged on empirical grounds. These studies suggest that direct benefits of cooperation are often overlooked, and that partner choice may be a widespread mechanism of cooperation. Female eider ducks (Somateria mollissima) may rear broods alone, or they may pool their broods and share brood-rearing. Females are philopatric, and it has been suggested that colonies may largely consist of related females, which could promote interactions among relatives. Alternatively, shared brood care could be random with respect to relatedness, either because brood amalgamations are accidental and nonadaptive, or through group augmentation, assuming that the fitness of all group members increases with group size. We tested these alternatives by measuring the relatedness of co-tending eider females in enduring coalitions with microsatellite markers. Females formed enduring brood-rearing coalitions with each other at random with respect to relatedness. However, based on previous data, partner choice is nonrandom and dependent on female body condition. We discuss potential mechanisms underlying eider communal brood-rearing decisions, which may be driven by the specific ecological conditions under which sociality has evolved in this species.

Woodcock brood ecology in Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dwyer, T.J.; Derleth, E.L.; McAuley, D.G.

1982-01-01

Captures of 102 American woodcock (Philohela minor) broods, including 338 chicks, from 1977 to 1980 provided data on age-related production by breeding females and on growth and survival of chicks. Although broods of second-year females are smaller and hatch at slightly later dates and the growth of the chicks is slower than that of broods of after-second-year hens, we could detect no difference in survival of the chicks. Yearly variation in the sex ratio of fledged young was probably the result of selection for or against larger female chicks during different environmental conditions. Broodmates associate with each other throughout the summer, and there are differences in habitat preferences between young (1-5 days old) and older (> 5 days old) broods. Older broods prefer more open, mature forest stands with fewer trees per hectare.

Hot spots in the bee hive

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Bujok, Brigitte; Kleinhenz, Marco; Fuchs, Stefan; Tautz, Jürgen

2002-06-01

Honeybee colonies (Apis mellifera) maintain temperatures of 35-36°C in their brood nest because the brood needs high and constant temperature conditions for optimal development. We show that incubation of the brood at the level of individual honeybees is done by worker bees performing a particular and not yet specified behaviour: such bees raise the brood temperature by pressing their warm thoraces firmly onto caps under which the pupae develop. The bees stay motionless in a characteristic posture and have significantly higher thoracic temperatures than bees not assuming this posture in the brood area. The surface of the brood caps against which warm bees had pressed their thorax were up to 3.2°C warmer than the surrounding area, confirming that effective thermal transfer had taken place.

Northern bobwhite breeding season ecology on a reclaimed surface mine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Brooke, Jarred M.; Tanner, Evan P.; Peters, David C.; Tanner, Ashley M.; Harper, Craig A.; Keyser, Patrick D.; Clark, Joseph D.; Morgan, John J.

2017-01-01

Surface coal mining and subsequent reclamation of surface mines have converted large forest areas into early successional vegetative communities in the eastern United States. This reclamation can provide a novel opportunity to conserve northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus). We evaluated the influence of habitat management activities on nest survival, nest-site selection, and brood resource selection on managed and unmanaged units of a reclaimed surface mine, Peabody Wildlife Management Area (Peabody), in west-central Kentucky, USA, from 2010 to 2013. We compared resource selection, using discrete-choice analysis, and nest survival, using the nest survival model in Program MARK, between managed and unmanaged units of Peabody at 2 spatial scales: the composition and configuration of vegetation types (i.e., macrohabitat) and vegetation characteristics at nest sites and brood locations (i.e., microhabitat). On managed sites, we also investigated resource selection relative to a number of different treatments (e.g., herbicide, disking, prescribed fire). We found no evidence that nest-site selection was influenced by macrohabitat variables, but bobwhite selected nest sites in areas with greater litter depth than was available at random sites. On managed units, bobwhite were more likely to nest where herbicide was applied to reduce sericea lespedeza (Lespedeza cuneata) compared with areas untreated with herbicide. Daily nest survival was not influenced by habitat characteristics or by habitat management but was influenced by nest age and the interaction of nest initiation date and nest age. Daily nest survival was greater for older nests occurring early in the breeding season (0.99, SE < 0.01) but was lower for older nests occurring later in the season (0.08, SE = 0.13). Brood resource selection was not influenced by macrohabitat or microhabitat variables we measured, but broods on managed units selected areas treated with herbicide to control sericea lespedeza and were located closer to firebreaks and disked native-warm season grass stands than would be expected at random. Our results suggest the vegetation at Peabody was sufficient without manipulation to support nesting and brood-rearing northern bobwhite at a low level, but habitat management practices improved vegetation for nesting and brood-rearing resource selection. Reproductive rates (e.g., nest survival and re-nesting rates) at Peabody were lower than reported in other studies, which may be related to nutritional deficiencies caused by the abundance of sericea lespedeza. On reclaimed mine lands dominated by sericea lespedeza, we suggest continuing practices such as disking and herbicide application that are targeted at reducing sericea lespedeza to improve the vegetation for nesting and brood-rearing bobwhite.

Sub-lethal effects of pesticide residues in brood comb on worker honey bee (Apis mellifera) development and longevity.

PubMed

Wu, Judy Y; Anelli, Carol M; Sheppard, Walter S

2011-02-23

Numerous surveys reveal high levels of pesticide residue contamination in honey bee comb. We conducted studies to examine possible direct and indirect effects of pesticide exposure from contaminated brood comb on developing worker bees and adult worker lifespan. Worker bees were reared in brood comb containing high levels of known pesticide residues (treatment) or in relatively uncontaminated brood comb (control). Delayed development was observed in bees reared in treatment combs containing high levels of pesticides particularly in the early stages (day 4 and 8) of worker bee development. Adult longevity was reduced by 4 days in bees exposed to pesticide residues in contaminated brood comb during development. Pesticide residue migration from comb containing high pesticide residues caused contamination of control comb after multiple brood cycles and provided insight on how quickly residues move through wax. Higher brood mortality and delayed adult emergence occurred after multiple brood cycles in contaminated control combs. In contrast, survivability increased in bees reared in treatment comb after multiple brood cycles when pesticide residues had been reduced in treatment combs due to residue migration into uncontaminated control combs, supporting comb replacement efforts. Chemical analysis after the experiment confirmed the migration of pesticide residues from treatment combs into previously uncontaminated control comb. This study is the first to demonstrate sub-lethal effects on worker honey bees from pesticide residue exposure from contaminated brood comb. Sub-lethal effects, including delayed larval development and adult emergence or shortened adult longevity, can have indirect effects on the colony such as premature shifts in hive roles and foraging activity. In addition, longer development time for bees may provide a reproductive advantage for parasitic Varroa destructor mites. The impact of delayed development in bees on Varroa mite fecundity should be examined further.

Recognition of mite-infested brood by honeybee (Apis mellifera) workers may involve thermal sensing.

PubMed

Bauer, Daniel; Wegener, Jakob; Bienefeld, Kaspar

2018-05-01

Hygienic behavior, i.e. the removal of diseased or damaged brood by worker honey bees (Apis mellifera), is seen as one of the principal behavioral elements of this species' social immunity. Identification of the stimuli that trigger it would be helpful in searching for biochemical and molecular markers of this important breeding trait. While many studies at the genomic, transcriptomic, and behavioral level have pointed to the implication of chemical cues, we here hypothesized that thermal cues are alternatively/additionally involved. To test this hypothesis, we first measured whether infestation by the mite Varroa destructor (a condition known to induce hygienic behavior) leads to a thermal gradient between affected and unaffected brood. We found that infested brood cells were between 0.03 and 0.19 °C warmer than uninfested controls. Next, we tested whether artificially heating an area of a brood comb would increase the removal of infested or uninfested brood as compared to an unheated control area, and found that this was not the case. Finally, we investigated whether the heating of individual brood cells, as opposed to comb areas, would influence brood removal from cells adjacent to the heated one. This was the case for uninfested, though not for infested cells. We conclude that infestation by V. destructor leads to a heating of brood cells that should be perceivable by bees, and that small-scale temperature gradients can influence brood removal. This makes it appear possible that thermal cues play a role in triggering hygienic behavior of honey bees directed at varroa-infested larvae/pupae, although our results are insufficient to prove such an involvement. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Single paternity of clutches in American Woodcock

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ziel, H.; McAuley, D.G.; Rhymer, J.M.

2000-01-01

Based on behavioral observations, the mating system of American Woodcock has been variously described as monogamous, a dispersed lek, or resource defense polygyny. Males perform elaborate mating displays that attract females to their display sites where copulations occur. We used microsatellite markers, developed for Ruffs (Philomachus pugnax), to assess paternity in American Woodcock. In 3 yr, we collected blood samples from 21 females and broods and 90 males. We found no evidence of multiple paternity within broods; paternity in all broods could be explained by 1 father. For 8 broods, we were able to infer probable fathers from males we sampled in the field. All 8 broods were found close to the singing site of the male or males that matched as possible fathers. Two males may have fathered 2 broods each, suggesting that polygyny may be a component of the woodcock mating system.

Kairomonal responses of natural enemies and associates of the Southern Ips (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) to Ipsdienol, Ipsenol and Cis-Verbenol

Treesearch

Jeremy D. Allison; Jessica L. McKenney; Daniel R. Miller; Matthew L. Gimmel

2013-01-01

Bark beetle infested pines are an ephemeral habitat utilized by a diverse assemblage of insects. Although many bark beetle insect associates have little or no measurable impact on bark beetle brood production, some reduce brood production by either competing with brood for the limited phloem tissue or by feeding on brood. Several studies have observed synchrony between...

Duckling survival, fecundity, and habitat selection of mottled duck broods on the upper Texas Gulf Coast

USGS Publications Warehouse

Rigby, Elizabeth A.; Haukos, David A.

2015-01-01

Mottled ducks (Anas fulvigula) on the western Gulf Coast have exhibited a steep population decline since the mid 1990s. Low rates of breeding incidence and nest success have been implicated in this decline, but duckling survival and the habitat needs of broods have not been previously investigated in this region. We fitted mottled duck ducklings and adult females with radio transmitters and tracked broods to estimate duckling survival and brood habitat selection on the upper Texas Gulf Coast. Duckling survival to 30 days was high (range among models 0.354–0.567) compared to other dabbling duck species. Estimated fecundity was low, (range among models 0.398–0.634) however, indicating that overall reproductive output is low. Within coastal marsh, broods selected home ranges with more water cover and less upland and fresh marsh landcover than was available in the study area. Within coastal marsh home ranges, broods selected for water cover relative to other landcover types, and there was some evidence that broods avoided unvegetated landcover. Although high quality brood habitat is undeniably important, management efforts to increase mottled duck population growth on the western Gulf Coast may best be spent on increasing nesting habitat quality to increase nest success and breeding incidence.

Origins, evolution, and diversification of cleptoparasitic lineages in long-tongued bees.

PubMed

Litman, Jessica R; Praz, Christophe J; Danforth, Bryan N; Griswold, Terry L; Cardinal, Sophie

2013-10-01

The evolution of parasitic behavior may catalyze the exploitation of new ecological niches yet also binds the fate of a parasite to that of its host. It is thus not clear whether evolutionary transitions from free-living organism to parasite lead to increased or decreased rates of diversification. We explore the evolution of brood parasitism in long-tongued bees and find decreased rates of diversification in eight of 10 brood parasitic clades. We propose a pathway for the evolution of brood parasitic strategy and find that a strategy in which a closed host nest cell is parasitized and the host offspring is killed by the adult parasite represents an obligate first step in the appearance of a brood parasitic lineage; this ultimately evolves into a strategy in which an open host cell is parasitized and the host offspring is killed by a specialized larval instar. The transition to parasitizing open nest cells expanded the range of potential hosts for brood parasitic bees and played a fundamental role in the patterns of diversification seen in brood parasitic clades. We address the prevalence of brood parasitic lineages in certain families of bees and examine the evolution of brood parasitism in other groups of organisms. © 2013 The Author(s). Evolution © 2013 The Society for the Study of Evolution.

Chick loss from mixed broods reflects severe nestmate competition between an evictor brood parasite and its hosts.

PubMed

Moskát, Csaba; Hauber, Márk E

2010-03-01

Hatchlings of the obligate brood parasite common cuckoo Cuculus canorus typically evict eggs and nestmates but, rarely, host and parasite nestlings may grow up together. As part of previous experiments, we manipulated host clutches by inducing two great reed warbler Acrocephalus arundinaceus and one parasite young to share a nest from 4 days posthatch, when the cuckoo's eviction behaviour is thought to cease. We documented that in mixed broods typically at least one nestling eventually fell out of nest during the period of 5-10 days posthatch. In 83% of nests one or two host chicks disappeared, and in 17% of nests parasite chicks were lost. All nestlings remained in control broods of three hosts or one parasite. These results imply strong physical competition for space in mixed broods. We suggest that continued foster care for parasitized broods may occasionally be beneficial because host nestlings have some chance to escape the costs of parasitism, even when their parents fail to reject the parasite's egg and the parasite hatchling fails to evict nestmates. Conversely, evictor parasite chicks benefit not only through improved growth, as reported before, but also through the elimination of nestmate competition for space and the risk of displacement from mixed broods. Copyright (c) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Facility Operation and Maintenance and Monitoring and Evaluation, 2000 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Lofy, Peter T.

2003-03-01

This is the third annual report of a multi-year project to operate adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Supplementation using conventional and captive broodstock techniques is being used to restore fisheries in these streams. Statement of Work Objectives for 2000: (1) Participate in implementation of the comprehensive multiyear operations plan for the Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Supplementation Program (GRESCP). (2) Plan for recovery of endemic summer steelhead populations in Catherinemore » Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River. (3) Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2000. (4) Collect summer steelhead. (5) Collect adult endemic spring chinook salmon broodstock. (6) Acclimate juvenile spring chinook salmon prior to release into the upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek. (7) Document accomplishments and needs to permitters, comanagers, and funding agency. (8) Communicate project results to the scientific community. (9) Plan detailed GRESCP Monitoring and Evaluation for future years. (10) Monitor adult population abundance and characteristics of Grande Ronde River spring chinook salmon populations and incidentally-caught summer steelhead and bull trout. (11) Monitor condition, movement, and mortality of spring chinook salmon acclimated at remote facilities. (12) Monitor water quality at facilities. (13) Participate in Monitoring & Evaluation of the captive brood component of the Program to document contribution to the Program.« less

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Program: Facility Operation and Maintenance and Monitoring and Evaluation, 2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Boe, Stephen J.; Ogburn, Parker N.

2003-03-01

This is the second annual report of a multi-year project to operate adult collection and juvenile acclimation facilities on Catherine Creek and the upper Grande Ronde River for Snake River spring chinook salmon. These two streams have historically supported populations that provided significant tribal and non-tribal fisheries. Supplementation using conventional and captive broodstock techniques is being used to restore fisheries in these streams. Statement of Work Objectives for 2001: (1) Participate in implementation of the comprehensive multiyear operations plan for the Grande Ronde Endemic Spring chinook Supplementation Program (GRESCP). (2) Plan detailed GRESCP Monitoring and Evaluation for future years. (3)more » Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2001. (4) Plan for data collection needs for bull trout. (5) Ensure proper construction and trial operation of semi-permanent adult and juvenile facilities for use in 2001. (6) Collect summer steelhead. (7) Monitor adult endemic spring chinook salmon populations and collect broodstock. (8) Acclimate juvenile spring chinook salmon prior to release into the upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek. (9) Monitor adult population abundance and characteristics of Grande Ronde River spring chinook salmon populations. (10) Monitor condition, movement, and mortality of spring chinook salmon acclimated at remote facilities. (11) Participate in Monitoring & Evaluation of the captive brood component of the Program to document contribution to the Program. (12) Monitor water quality at facilities. (13) Document accomplishments and needs to permitters, comanagers, and funding agencies. (14) Communicate Project results to the scientific community.« less

Nestling immunocompetence and testosterone covary with brood size in a songbird.

PubMed Central

Naguib, Marc; Riebel, Katharina; Marzal, Alfonso; Gil, Diego

2004-01-01

The social and ecological conditions that individuals experience during early development have marked effects on their developmental trajectory. In songbirds, brood size is a key environmental factor affecting development, and experimental increases in brood size have been shown to have negative effects on growth, condition and fitness. Possible causes of decreased growth in chicks from enlarged broods are nutritional stress, crowding and increased social competition, i.e. environmental factors known to affect adult steroid levels (especially of testosterone and corticosteroids) in mammals and birds. Little, however, is known about environmental effects on steroid synthesis in nestlings. We addressed this question by following the development of zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) chicks that were cross-fostered and raised in different brood sizes. In line with previous findings, nestling growth and cell-mediated immunocompetence were negatively affected by brood size. Moreover, nestling testosterone levels covaried with treatment: plasma testosterone increased with experimental brood size. This result provides experimental evidence that levels of circulating testosterone in nestlings can be influenced by their physiological response to environmental conditions. PMID:15255102

Survival of juvenile black brant during brood rearing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, Paul L.; Sedinger, James S.; Pollock, Kenneth H.

1995-01-01

Survival of young is an important and poorly understood component of waterfowl productivity. We estimated survival of black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) goslings during summers 1987-89 on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, to determine timing and magnitude of gosling mortality and to compare methods of estimating gosling survival. Eighty-two percent of radio-tagged adult females (n = 61) fledged ≥1 gosling (brood success). We estimated survival of goslings within broods by 3 methods: (1) changes in mean brood size through time, (2) observation of goslings associated with marked adults, and (3) age ratios of brant captured in banding drives. Estimates of gosling survival within successful broods averaged 81% and ranged from 66 to 92%. Combining brood success and gosling survival within successful broods yielded estimates of overall gosling survival that averaged 68%, ranging from 79% in 1987 to 56% in 1989. Eighty-two percent of gosling mortality occurred in the first 15 days. Estimates of survival on the basis of age ratios of birds captured in banding drives are biased low. Our estimates of average gosling survival are higher than reported for other species of geese.

Simultaneous spawning by female stream goby Rhinogobius sp. and the association with brood cannibalism by nesting males.

PubMed

Ito, S; Iwao, H; Sakata, J; Inoue, M; Omori, K; Yanagisawa, Y

2016-09-01

A laboratory experiment was conducted by varying the undersurface area of nesting substratum and the number of females in an experimental tank to elucidate the determinants of the mating pattern in the stream goby, Rhinogobius sp. cross-band type. Males with larger nests tended to attract two or more females to their nest in a tank. Moreover, males spawned simultaneously with multiple females and entire brood cannibalism by males was rarely observed under a female-biased sex ratio. When males spawned with a single female with low fecundity, however, entire brood cannibalism occurred at a high frequency, suggesting that a male guarding a nest with fewer eggs consumes the brood. Therefore, spawning behaviour of females that leads to a large egg mass would decrease the risk of entire brood cannibalism. In this species, simultaneous spawning by multiple females in a nest serves as a female counter-measure against entire brood cannibalism. These results suggest that a conflict of interest between the sexes through brood cannibalism is a major determinant of simultaneous spawning. © 2016 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.

The internal-brooding apparatus in the bryozoan genus Cauloramphus (Cheilostomata: Calloporidae) and its inferred homology to ovicells.

PubMed

Ostrovsky, Andrew N; Dick, Matthew H; Mawatari, Shunsuke F

2007-12-01

We studied by SEM the external morphology of the ooecium in eight bryozoans of the genus Cauloramphus (Cheilostomata, Calloporidae): C. spinifer, C. variegatus, C. magnus, C. multiavicularia, C. tortilis, C. cryptoarmatus, C. niger, and C. multispinosus, and by sectioning and light microscopy the anatomy of the brooding apparatus of C. spinifer, C. cryptoarmatus, and C. niger. These species all have a brood sac, formed by invagination of the non-calcified distal body wall of the maternal zooid, located in the distal half of the maternal (egg-producing) autozooid, and a vestigial, maternally budded kenozooidal ooecium. The brood sac comprises a main chamber and a long passage (neck) opening externally independently of the introvert. The non-calcified portion of the maternal distal wall between the neck and tip of the zooidal operculum is involved in closing and opening the brood sac, and contains both musculature and a reduced sclerite that suggest homology with the ooecial vesicle of a hyperstomial ovicell. We interpret the brooding apparatus in Cauloramphus as a highly modified form of cheilostome hyperstomial ovicell, as both types share 1) a brood chamber bounded by 2) the ooecium and 3) a component of the distal wall of the maternal zooid. We discuss Cauloramphus as a hypothetical penultimate stage in ovicell reduction in calloporid bryozoans. We suggest that the internal-brooding genus Gontarella, of uncertain taxonomic affinities, is actually a calloporid and represents the ultimate stage in which no trace of the ooecium remains. Internal brooding apparently evolved several times independently within the Calloporidae.

Caps and gaps: a computer model for studies on brood incubation strategies in honeybees (Apis mellifera carnica)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Fehler, Manuel; Kleinhenz, Marco; Klügl, Franziska; Puppe, Frank; Tautz, Jürgen

2007-08-01

In addition to heat production on the comb surface, honeybee workers frequently visit open cells (“gaps”) that are scattered throughout the sealed brood area, and enter them to incubate adjacent brood cells. We examined the efficiency of this heating strategy under different environmental conditions and for gap proportions from 0 to 50%. For gap proportions from 4 to 10%, which are common to healthy colonies, we find a significant reduction in the incubation time per brood cell to maintain the correct temperature. The savings make up 18 to 37% of the time, which would be required for this task in completely sealed brood areas without any gaps. For unnatural high proportions of gaps (>20%), which may be the result of inbreeding or indicate a poor condition of the colony, brood nest thermoregulation becomes less efficient, and the incubation time per brood cell has to increase to maintain breeding temperature. Although the presence of gaps is not essential to maintain an optimal brood nest temperature, a small number of gaps make heating more economical by reducing the time and energy that must be spent on this vital task. As the benefit depends on the availability, spatial distribution and usage of gaps by the bees, further studies need to show the extent to which these results apply to real colonies.

Influence of behavior and mating success on brood-specific contribution to fish recruitment in ponds.

PubMed

Parkos, Joseph J; Wahl, David H; Philipp, David P

2011-10-01

One source of uncertainty in predicting the response of populations to exploitation is individual differences within a population in both vulnerability to capture and contribution to population renewal. For species with parental care, individuals engaged in nesting behavior are often targeted for exploitation, but predicting outcomes of this nonrandom vulnerability will depend in part on an understanding of how parental traits are related to potential for brood contribution to the population. Variation in brood-specific contribution to recruitment of largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), a fish species with extended parental care, was quantified to determine if differences in mating success, parental care behaviors, and timing of reproduction influenced offspring recruitment. Dependence of these relationships on brood predation was tested in communities that differed in the presence of bluegill, Lepomis macrochirus, an important nest predator. Daily snorkel surveys were conducted in experimental ponds during spring to monitor male spawning and parental care behaviors in populations of largemouth bass. Tissue samples collected from larvae in nests were used to develop brood-specific DNA fingerprints for determining nest origins of fall recruits. Largemouth bass spawning period in bluegill ponds was longer and more variable in duration, with lower, more variable mating success, than in ponds without bluegill. In all populations, only one or two broods provided the majority of recruits, and these were broods produced during the earliest days of spawning by the oldest, largest males. In bluegill ponds, brood contribution from earliest nests also increased with brood size. Earliest nesters were the oldest males, and recruits from these nests were often above average in body size. Offspring needed to be guarded to at least swim-up larval stage to contribute any recruits. Termination of parental protection before offspring were free swimming mainly occurred with broods guarded by smaller males in ponds with brood predators. These age- and size-specific differences in timing of spawning and duration of parental care are consistent with influences of residual reproductive value and energetic constraints on reproductive behavior. Furthermore, these patterns of individual contribution to recruitment imply that fisheries that selectively target either nesting individuals or larger, older males could potentially decrease recruitment at the population scale.

Morphology of brood pouch formation in the pot-bellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis.

PubMed

Kawaguchi, Mari; Okubo, Ryohei; Harada, Akari; Miyasaka, Kazuki; Takada, Kensuke; Hiroi, Junya; Yasumasu, Shigeki

2017-01-01

The reproductive strategies of vertebrates are diverse. Seahorses (Pisces: Syngnathidae) possess the unique characteristic of male pregnancy; i.e., males, not females, incubate embryos in a specialized structure called a 'brood pouch'. The brood pouch is formed along the ventral midline of the tail. The lumen of the brood pouch is surrounded by loose connective tissue, called pseudoplacenta, and dermis. We visualized and evaluated the morphology of brood pouch formation in Hippocampus abdominalis to gain generalizable insights into this process in seahorses. First, we employed several staining methods to characterize the pseudoplacenta and dermis of the brood pouch of mature male seahorses. The pseudoplacenta is composed mainly of reticular fibers, while the dermis is composed mainly of collagenous fibers. Further observations showed that pouch formation is initiated by linear projections of epithelia on both ventrolateral sides of the body. These projections elongated toward the ventral midline, eventually fused together, and then formed a baggy structure composed of a single dermis layer with neither smooth muscle nor pseudoplacenta. Finally, the pseudoplacenta was formed, together with two layers of dermis and smooth muscle. Thus, a fully developed brood pouch was established. The morphology of the luminal epithelium also changed during pouch formation. We analyzed the localization of C-type lectins as markers; haCTL II was localized in both the outer and luminal epithelia of the brood pouch throughout development in the male seahorse, whereas haCTL IV, which was not detected in the early stage of seahorse development, became localized only in the luminal epithelium as development proceeded. We categorized the processes of brood pouch formation during male seahorse development into three stages: (1) the early stage, characterized by formation of a baggy structure from the primordium; (2) the middle stage, characterized by the differentiation and establishment of brood pouch-specific tissues; and (3) the late stage, characterized by a fully formed pouch with developing blood vessels and a pouch fold ultimately capable of carrying and incubating embryos.

Sub-Lethal Effects of Pesticide Residues in Brood Comb on Worker Honey Bee (Apis mellifera) Development and Longevity

PubMed Central

Wu, Judy Y.; Anelli, Carol M.; Sheppard, Walter S.

2011-01-01

Background Numerous surveys reveal high levels of pesticide residue contamination in honey bee comb. We conducted studies to examine possible direct and indirect effects of pesticide exposure from contaminated brood comb on developing worker bees and adult worker lifespan. Methodology/Principal Findings Worker bees were reared in brood comb containing high levels of known pesticide residues (treatment) or in relatively uncontaminated brood comb (control). Delayed development was observed in bees reared in treatment combs containing high levels of pesticides particularly in the early stages (day 4 and 8) of worker bee development. Adult longevity was reduced by 4 days in bees exposed to pesticide residues in contaminated brood comb during development. Pesticide residue migration from comb containing high pesticide residues caused contamination of control comb after multiple brood cycles and provided insight on how quickly residues move through wax. Higher brood mortality and delayed adult emergence occurred after multiple brood cycles in contaminated control combs. In contrast, survivability increased in bees reared in treatment comb after multiple brood cycles when pesticide residues had been reduced in treatment combs due to residue migration into uncontaminated control combs, supporting comb replacement efforts. Chemical analysis after the experiment confirmed the migration of pesticide residues from treatment combs into previously uncontaminated control comb. Conclusions/Significance This study is the first to demonstrate sub-lethal effects on worker honey bees from pesticide residue exposure from contaminated brood comb. Sub-lethal effects, including delayed larval development and adult emergence or shortened adult longevity, can have indirect effects on the colony such as premature shifts in hive roles and foraging activity. In addition, longer development time for bees may provide a reproductive advantage for parasitic Varroa destructor mites. The impact of delayed development in bees on Varroa mite fecundity should be examined further. PMID:21373182

Mobbing and sitting tight at the nest as methods of avoiding brood parasitism.

PubMed

Rands, Sean A

2012-04-06

The arms race between brood parasites and their hosts has led to many different host behaviours for avoiding parasitism. Some of these behaviours are social, and require the presence of conspecifics to work effectively: in response to alarm calls, some species engage in mobbing behaviour where neighbours join nest tenants in attacking and repelling an invading brood parasite. There are risks involved for the neighbours, but it has been demonstrated that social mobbing allows individuals to learn about the presence of brood parasites in the environment, suggesting that social learning is occurring. Here, I consider whether using social signals to alert naive individuals to the presence of brood parasites is a suitable strategy, compared with sitting tight on the nest in response to the signal (which should reduce the chances of being parasitized). I also compare the efficiency of these strategies with the case where individuals fail to change behaviour in response a brood parasite. Using an individual-based simulation model, I demonstrate that both mobbing and sitting tight are effective strategies in response to a signal, and that mobbing is more effective when the chances of being parasitized increase. These results are discussed and compared with known host-brood parasite relationships.

Blood sampling in juvenile buff-breasted sandpipers: Movement, weight change and survival

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lanctot, Richard B.

1994-01-01

The effect of blood sampling on juvenile Buff-breasted Sandpipers (Tryngites subruficollis) was evaluated by comparing movements, mass, and survival of 10 broods (37 chicks) that were bled and eight broods (31 chicks) that were not bled. Blood was sampled from the jugular vein of chicks when they weighed 9.1 ± 0.9 g (x̄ ± SD) on or within 1 d of hatch. Chicks showed few short-term negative effects from blood sampling. Individual chicks suffered little physical injury, and five of eight chicks where injury occurred (i.e., hematomas formed) survived to fledging. Furthermore, bled broods gained mass at a comparable rate during the first 5 d post-hatch, and were resighted at similar frequencies as broods that were not bled. Bled broods moved slightly longer distances than control broods 1 d after hatch, however. This increased activity may have been stress-induced, but was only temporary; bled and control broods made similar long-term movements, and the probability of resighting was similar at fledging. With the proper precautions, it appears that Buff-breasted Sandpiper young can be safely sampled for blood at an early age without causing undue harm.

Ruminative subtypes and impulsivity in risk for suicidal behavior

PubMed Central

Valderrama, Jorge; Miranda, Regina; Jeglic, Elizabeth

2016-01-01

Rumination has been previously linked to negative psychological outcomes, including depression and suicidal behavior. However, there has been conflicting research on whether or not two different subtypes of rumination – brooding and reflection – are more or less maladaptive. The present research sought to (1) examine whether individuals high in brooding but lower in reflection would show higher trait and behavioral impulsivity, relative to individuals low in brooding and low in reflection; and (2) examine impulsivity as a mediator of the relation between ruminative subtypes and suicidal ideation. In Study 1, participants (N = 78) were recruited based on high, average, and low scores on a measure of brooding and reflective rumination. Individuals who scored high in brooding and average in reflection scored significantly higher in negative urgency, that is, in the tendency to act rashly in an attempt to reduce negative affect, than did those who scored low in brooding and low in reflection. Study 2 (N = 1638) examined the relationship between ruminative subtypes, impulsivity, and suicide risk. We found an indirect relationship between brooding and suicide risk through lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance, independently of reflection. These findings are discussed in relation to cognitive risk for suicide. PMID:26791398

Validation of genetic markers associated with chalkbrood resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chalkbrood is one of the major fungal diseases of honey bee brood. Systemic mycoses caused by the fungus, Ascosphaera apis, may significantly reduce brood population, and consequently, colony strength and productivity. Developing genetic marker(s) associated with the enhanced brood survival will be ...

Within-female plasticity in sex allocation is associated with a behavioural polyphenism in house wrens.

PubMed

Bowers, E K; Thompson, C F; Sakaluk, S K

2016-03-01

Sex allocation theory assumes individual plasticity in maternal strategies, but few studies have investigated within-individual changes across environments. In house wrens, differences between nests in the degree of hatching synchrony of eggs represent a behavioural polyphenism in females, and its expression varies with seasonal changes in the environment. Between-nest differences in hatching asynchrony also create different environments for offspring, and sons are more strongly affected than daughters by sibling competition when hatching occurs asynchronously over several days. Here, we examined variation in hatching asynchrony and sex allocation, and its consequences for offspring fitness. The number and condition of fledglings declined seasonally, and the frequency of asynchronous hatching increased. In broods hatched asynchronously, sons, which are over-represented in the earlier-laid eggs, were in better condition than daughters, which are over-represented in the later-laid eggs. Nonetheless, asynchronous broods were more productive later within seasons. The proportion of sons in asynchronous broods increased seasonally, whereas there was a seasonal increase in the production of daughters by mothers hatching their eggs synchronously, which was characterized by within-female changes in offspring sex and not by sex-biased mortality. As adults, sons from asynchronous broods were in better condition and produced more broods of their own than males from synchronous broods, and both males and females from asynchronous broods had higher lifetime reproductive success than those from synchronous broods. In conclusion, hatching patterns are under maternal control, representing distinct strategies for allocating offspring within broods, and are associated with offspring sex ratios and differences in offspring reproductive success. © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2015 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

Removal of drone brood from Apis mellifera (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies to control Varroa destructor (Acari: Varroidae) and retain adult drones.

PubMed

Wantuch, Holly A; Tarpy, David R

2009-12-01

The parasitic mite Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman (Acari: Varroidae) has plagued European honey bees, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), in the Americas since its introduction in the 1980s. For many years, these mites were sufficiently controlled using synthetic acaricides. Recently, however, beekeepers have experienced increased resistance by mites to chemical pesticides, which are also known to leave residues in hive products such as wax and honey. Thus there has been increased emphasis on nonchemical integrated pest management control tactics for Varroa. Because mites preferentially reproduce in drone brood (pupal males), we developed a treatment strategy focusing on salvaging parasitized drones while removing mites from them. We removed drone brood from colonies in which there was no acaricidal application and banked them in separate "drone-brood receiving" colonies treated with pesticides to kill mites emerging with drones. We tested 20 colonies divided into three groups: 1) negative control (no mite treatment), 2) positive control (treatment with acaricides), and 3) drone-brood removal and placement into drone-brood receiving colonies. We found that drone-brood trapping significantly lowered mite numbers during the early months of the season, eliminating the need for additional control measures in the spring. However, mite levels in the drone-brood removal group increased later in the summer, suggesting that this benefit does not persist throughout the entire season. Our results suggest that this method of drone-brood trapping can be used as an element of an integrated control strategy to control varroa mites, eliminating a large portion of the Varroa population with limited chemical treatments while retaining the benefits of maintaining adult drones in the population.

Pathway profiles based on gene-set enrichment analysis in the honey bee Apis mellifera under brood rearing-suppressed conditions.

PubMed

Kim, Kyungmun; Kim, Ju Hyeon; Kim, Young Ho; Hong, Seong-Eui; Lee, Si Hyeock

2018-01-01

Perturbation of normal behaviors in honey bee colonies by any external factor can immediately reduce the colony's capacity for brood rearing, which can eventually lead to colony collapse. To investigate the effects of brood-rearing suppression on the biology of honey bee workers, gene-set enrichment analysis of the transcriptomes of worker bees with or without suppressed brood rearing was performed. When brood rearing was suppressed, pathways associated with both protein degradation and synthesis were simultaneously over-represented in both nurses and foragers, and their overall pathway representation profiles resembled those of normal foragers and nurses, respectively. Thus, obstruction of normal labor induced over-representation in pathways related with reshaping of worker bee physiology, suggesting that transition of labor is physiologically reversible. In addition, some genes associated with the regulation of neuronal excitability, cellular and nutritional stress and aggressiveness were over-expressed under brood rearing suppression perhaps to manage in-hive stress under unfavorable conditions. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Southwestern willow flycatchers (Empidonax traillii extimus) in a grazed landscape: factors influencing brood parasitism

Treesearch

Katherine M. Brodhead; Scott H. Stoleson; Deborah M. Finch

2007-01-01

Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater; hereafter "cowbirds") is an important factor contributing to the endangered status of the Southwestern Willow Flycatcher (Empidonax traillii extimus, hereafter "flycatcher"). We report on factors that influence brood parasitism on the flycatcher using...

Brood removal influences fall of Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varroidae) in honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) colonies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The hygienic removal of brood infested with Varroa destructor by Apis mellifera disrupts the reproduction of the infesting mites and exposes the foundress mites to potential removal from the colony by grooming. Using brood deliberately infested with marked Varroa, we investigated the association bet...

Rumination, Social Problem Solving and Suicide Intent Among Egyptians With a Recent Suicide Attempt.

PubMed

Sharaf, Amira Y; Lachine, Ola A; Thompson, Elaine A

2018-02-01

The more complex influences of social problem-solving abilities and rumination-specifically brooding and reflection-on suicide intent is not well understood. We hypothesized that social problem solving would moderate the association between reflection and suicide intent, and mediate the influence of brooding on suicide intent. A convenience sample (N=186) of individuals hospitalized for recent suicide attempt was interviewed, assessing suicide intent, social problem solving, brooding, reflection and depression. Brooding and reflection were positively associated with suicide intent. The mediating, but not the moderating, hypothesis was supported. Brooding was not significant (β=0.15, t=1.92, p=0.06) with social problem solving controlled. Interventions to disengage rumination and improve social problem-solving skills are underscored. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Mobbing and sitting tight at the nest as methods of avoiding brood parasitism

PubMed Central

Rands, Sean A.

2012-01-01

The arms race between brood parasites and their hosts has led to many different host behaviours for avoiding parasitism. Some of these behaviours are social, and require the presence of conspecifics to work effectively: in response to alarm calls, some species engage in mobbing behaviour where neighbours join nest tenants in attacking and repelling an invading brood parasite. There are risks involved for the neighbours, but it has been demonstrated that social mobbing allows individuals to learn about the presence of brood parasites in the environment, suggesting that social learning is occurring. Here, I consider whether using social signals to alert naive individuals to the presence of brood parasites is a suitable strategy, compared with sitting tight on the nest in response to the signal (which should reduce the chances of being parasitized). I also compare the efficiency of these strategies with the case where individuals fail to change behaviour in response a brood parasite. Using an individual-based simulation model, I demonstrate that both mobbing and sitting tight are effective strategies in response to a signal, and that mobbing is more effective when the chances of being parasitized increase. These results are discussed and compared with known host–brood parasite relationships. PMID:23565334

Odorant cues linked to social immunity induce lateralized antenna stimulation in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.).

PubMed

McAfee, Alison; Collins, Troy F; Madilao, Lufiani L; Foster, Leonard J

2017-04-07

Hygienic behaviour (HB) is a social immunity trait in honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) whereby workers detect, uncap and remove unhealthy brood, improving disease resistance in the colony. This is clearly economically valuable; however, the molecular mechanism behind it is not well understood. The freeze-killed brood (FKB) assay is the conventional method of HB selection, so we compared odour profiles of FKB and live brood to find candidate HB-inducing odours. Surprisingly, we found that significantly more brood pheromone (β-ocimene) was released from FKB. β-ocimene abundance also positively correlated with HB, suggesting there could be a brood effect contributing to overall hygiene. Furthermore, we found that β-ocimene stimulated worker antennae in a dose-dependent manner, with the left antennae responding significantly stronger than right antennae in hygienic bees, but not in non-hygienic bees. Five other unidentifiable compounds were differentially emitted from FKB which could also be important for HB. We also compared odour profiles of Varroa-infested brood to healthy brood and found an overall interactive effect between developmental stage and infestation, but specific odours did not drive these differences. Overall, the data we present here is an important foundation on which to build our understanding the molecular mechanism behind this complex behaviour.

Comparative anatomical study of internal brooding in three anascan bryozoans (Cheilostomata) and its taxonomic and evolutionary implications.

PubMed

Ostrovsky, Andrew N; Grischenko, Andrei V; Taylor, Paul D; Bock, Phil; Mawatari, Shunsuke F

2006-06-01

The anatomical structure of internal sacs for embryonic incubation was studied using SEM and light microscopy in three cheilostome bryozoans-Nematoflustra flagellata (Waters,1904), Gontarella sp., and Biflustra perfragilis MacGillivray, 1881. In all these species the brood sac is located in the distal half of the maternal (egg-producing) autozooid, being a conspicuous invagination of the body wall. It consists of the main chamber and a passage (neck) to the outside that opens independently of the introvert. There are several groups of muscles attached to the thin walls of the brood sac and possibly expanding it during oviposition and larval release. Polypide recycling begins after oviposition in Gontarella sp., and the new polypide bud is formed by the beginning of incubation. Similarly, polypides in brooding zooids degenerate in N. flagellata and, sometimes, in B. perfragilis. In the evolution of brood chambers in the Cheilostomata, such internal sacs for embryonic incubation are considered a final step, being the result of immersion of the brooding cavity into the maternal zooid and reduction of the protecting fold (ooecium). Possible reasons for this transformation are discussed, and the hypothesis of Santagata and Banta (Santagata and Banta1996) that internal brooding evolved prior to incubation in ovicells is rejected. J. Morphol. (c) 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Ruminative subtypes and impulsivity in risk for suicidal behavior.

PubMed

Valderrama, Jorge; Miranda, Regina; Jeglic, Elizabeth

2016-02-28

Rumination has been previously linked to negative psychological outcomes, including depression and suicidal behavior. However, there has been conflicting research on whether or not two different subtypes of rumination - brooding and reflection - are more or less maladaptive. The present research sought to (1) examine whether individuals high in brooding but lower in reflection would show higher trait and behavioral impulsivity, relative to individuals low in brooding and low in reflection; and (2) examine impulsivity as a mediator of the relation between ruminative subtypes and suicidal ideation. In Study 1, participants (N=78) were recruited based on high, average, and low scores on a measure of brooding and reflective rumination. Individuals who scored high in brooding and average in reflection scored significantly higher in negative urgency, that is, in the tendency to act rashly in an attempt to reduce negative affect, than did those who scored low in brooding and low in reflection. Study 2 (N=1638) examined the relationship between ruminative subtypes, impulsivity, and suicide risk. We found an indirect relationship between brooding and suicide risk through lack of premeditation and lack of perseverance, independently of reflection. These findings are discussed in relation to cognitive risk for suicide. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Trade-off between mating opportunities and parental care: brood desertion by female Kentish plovers.

PubMed

Székely, T; Cuthill, I C

2000-10-22

Why do some parents care for their young whereas others divorce from their mate and abandon their offspring? This decision is governed by the trade-off between the value of the current breeding event and future breeding prospects. In the precocial Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus females frequently, but not always, abandon their broods to be cared for by their mate, and seek new breeding partners within the same season. We have shown previously that females' remating opportunities decline with date in the season, so brood desertion should be particularly favourable for early breeding females. However, the benefits are tempered by the fact that single-parent families have lower survival expectancies than those where the female remains to help the male care for the young. We therefore tested the prediction that increasing the value of the current brood (by brood-size manipulation) should increase the duration of female care early in the season, but that in late breeders, with reduced remating opportunities, desertion and thus the duration of female care should be independent of current brood size. These predictions were fulfilled, indicating that seasonally modulated trade-offs between current brood value and remating opportunities can be important in the desertion decisions of species with flexible patterns of parental care.

Trade-off between mating opportunities and parental care: brood desertion by female Kentish plovers.

PubMed Central

Székely, T; Cuthill, I C

2000-01-01

Why do some parents care for their young whereas others divorce from their mate and abandon their offspring? This decision is governed by the trade-off between the value of the current breeding event and future breeding prospects. In the precocial Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus females frequently, but not always, abandon their broods to be cared for by their mate, and seek new breeding partners within the same season. We have shown previously that females' remating opportunities decline with date in the season, so brood desertion should be particularly favourable for early breeding females. However, the benefits are tempered by the fact that single-parent families have lower survival expectancies than those where the female remains to help the male care for the young. We therefore tested the prediction that increasing the value of the current brood (by brood-size manipulation) should increase the duration of female care early in the season, but that in late breeders, with reduced remating opportunities, desertion and thus the duration of female care should be independent of current brood size. These predictions were fulfilled, indicating that seasonally modulated trade-offs between current brood value and remating opportunities can be important in the desertion decisions of species with flexible patterns of parental care. PMID:11416913

Do geese fully develop brood patches? A histological analysis of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) and Ross's geese (C. rossii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jonsson, J.E.; Afton, A.D.; Homberger, D.G.; Henk, W.G.; Alisauskas, R.T.

2006-01-01

Most birds develop brood patches before incubation; epidermis and dermis in the brood patch region thicken, and the dermal connective tissue becomes increasingly vascularized and infiltrated by leukocytes. However, current dogma states that waterfowl incubate without modifications of skin within the brood patch region. The incubation periods of lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens; hereafter called snow geese) and Ross's geese (C. rossii) are 2-6 days shorter than those of other goose species; only females incubate. Thus, we hypothesized that such short incubation periods would require fully developed brood patches for sufficient heat transfer from incubating parents to eggs. We tested this hypothesis by analyzing the skin histology of abdominal regions of snow and Ross's geese collected at Karrak Lake, Nunavut, Canada. For female snow geese, we found that epidermis and dermis had thickened and vascularization of dermis was 14 times greater, on average, than that observed in males (n=5 pairs). Our results for Ross's geese (n=5 pairs) were more variable, wherein only one of five female Ross's geese fully developed a brood patch. Our results are consistent with three hypotheses about brood patch development and its relationship with different energetic cost-benefit relationships, resulting from differences in embryonic development and body size. ?? Springer-Verlag 2006.

Baby Killers: Documentation and Evolution of Scuttle Fly (Diptera: Phoridae) Parasitism of Ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) Brood

PubMed Central

Brown, Brian V.; Hash, John M.; Porras, Wendy; Amorim, Dalton de Souza

2017-01-01

Abstract Background Numerous well-documented associations occur among species of scuttle flies (Diptera: Phoridae) and ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae), but examples of brood parasitism are rare and the mechanisms of parasitism often remain unsubstantiated. New information We present two video-documented examples of ant brood (larvae and pupae) parasitism by scuttle flies. In footage from Estação Biológica de Boracéia in Brazil, adult females of Ceratoconus setipennis Borgmeier can be seen attacking workers of Linepithema humile (Mayr) species group while they are carrying brood, and ovipositing directly onto brood in the nest. In another remarkable example, footage from the Soltis Center, near Peñas Blancas in Costa Rica, shows adult females of an unidentified species of the Apocephalus grandipalpus Borgmeier group mounting Pheidole Westwood brood upside-down and ovipositing while the brood are being transported by workers. Analysis of evolutionary relationships (in preparation) among Apocephalus Coquillett species shows that this is a newly derived behavior within the genus, as the A. grandipalpus group arises within a group of adult ant parasitoids. In contrast, relationships of Ceratoconus Borgmeier have not been studied, and the lifestyles of the other species in the genus are largely unknown. PMID:28325980

Species richness and distributions of boreal waterbirds in relation to nesting and brood-rearing habitats

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lewis, Tyler L.; Lindberg, Mark S.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Bertram, Mark R.; Dubour, Adam J.

2015-01-01

Identification of ecological factors that drive animal distributions allows us to understand why distributions vary temporally and spatially, and to develop models to predict future changes to populations–vital tools for effective wildlife management and conservation. For waterbird broods in the boreal forest, distributions are likely driven by factors affecting quality of nesting and brood-rearing habitats, and the influence of these factors may extend beyond singles species, affecting the entire waterbird community. We used occupancy models to assess factors influencing species richness of waterbird broods on 72 boreal lakes, along with brood distributions of 3 species of conservation concern: lesser scaup (Aythya affinis), white-winged scoters (Melanitta fusca), and horned grebe (Podiceps auritus). Factors examined included abundance of invertebrate foods (Amphipoda, Diptera, Gastropoda, Hemiptera, Odonata), physical lake attributes (lake area, emergent vegetation), water chemistry (nitrogen, phosphorus, chlorophyll a concentrations), and nesting habitats (water edge, non-forest cover). Of the 5 invertebrates, only amphipod density was related to richness and occupancy, consistently having a large and positive relationship. Despite this importance to waterbirds, amphipods were the most patchily distributed invertebrate, with 17% of the study lakes containing 70% of collected amphipods. Lake area was the only other covariate that strongly and positively influenced species richness and occupancy of scaup, scoters, and grebes. All 3 water chemistry covariates, which provided alternative measures of lake productivity, were positively related to species richness but had little effect on scaup, scoter, and grebe occupancy. Conversely, emergent vegetation was negatively related to richness, reflecting avoidance of overgrown lakes by broods. Finally, nesting habitats had no influence on richness and occupancy, indicating that, at a broad spatial scale, brood distributions are largely driven by the presence of quality brood-rearing lakes, not nesting habitats. Our findings are relevant to generating conservation plans or management goals; specifically, boreal lakes with abundant amphipods and surface areas >25 ha are important habitat for waterbird broods and merit conservation, especially given the patchy distribution of amphipods. Moreover, these high quality brood-rearing lakes are much rarer, and thus more constraining, than are quality nesting habitats, which are likely abundant in the boreal.

Effects of Experimental Brood Size Manipulation and Gender on Carotenoid Levels of Eurasian Kestrels Falco tinnunculus

PubMed Central

Laaksonen, Toni; Negro, Juan J.; Lyytinen, Sami; Valkama, Jari; Ots, Indrek; Korpimäki, Erkki

2008-01-01

Background Animals use carotenoid-pigments for coloration, as antioxidants and as enhancers of the immune system. Carotenoid-dependent colours can thus signal individual quality and carotenoids have also been suggested to mediate life-history trade-offs. Methodology To examine trade-offs in carotenoid allocation between parents and the young, or between skin coloration and plasma of the parents at different levels of brood demand, we manipulated brood sizes of Eurasian kestrels (Falco tinnunculus). Principal Findings Brood size manipulation had no overall effect on plasma carotenoid levels or skin hue of parents, but female parents had twice the plasma carotenoid levels of males. Males work physically harder than females and they might thus also use more carotenoids against oxidative stress than females. Alternatively, females could be gaining back the carotenoid stores they depleted during egg-laying by eating primarily carotenoid-rich food items during the early nestling stage. Fledglings in enlarged broods had higher plasma carotenoid concentrations than those in reduced broods. This difference was not explained by diet. In light of recent evidence from other species, we suggest it might instead be due to fledglings in enlarged broods having higher testosterone levels, which in turn increased plasma carotenoid levels. The partial cross-foster design of our experiment revealed evidence for origin effects (genetic or maternal) on carotenoid levels of fledglings, but no origin-environment interaction. Significance These results from wild birds differ from studies in captivity, and thus offer new insights into carotenoid physiology in relation to division of parental care and demands of the brood. PMID:18545646

Managing honey bees (Hymenoptera: Apidae) for greenhouse tomato pollination.

PubMed

Sabara, Holly A; Winston, Mark L

2003-06-01

Although commercially reared colonies of bumble bees (Bombus sp.) are the primary pollinator world-wide for greenhouse tomatoes (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) previous research indicates that honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) might be a feasible alternative or supplement to bumble bee pollination. However, management methods for honey bee greenhouse tomato pollination scarcely have been explored. We 1) tested the effect of initial amounts of brood on colony population size and flight activity in screened greenhouses during the winter, and 2) compared foraging from colonies with brood used within screened and unscreened greenhouses during the summer. Brood rearing was maintained at low levels in both brood and no-brood colonies after 21 d during the winter, and emerging honey bees from both treatments had significantly lower weights than bees from outdoor colonies. Honey bee flight activity throughout the day and over the 21 d in the greenhouse was not influenced by initial brood level. In our summer experiment, brood production in screened greenhouses neared zero after 21 d but higher levels of brood were reared in unscreened greenhouses with access to outside forage. Flower visitation measured throughout the day and over the 21 d the colonies were in the greenhouse was not influenced by screening treatment. An economic analysis indicated that managing honey bees for greenhouse tomato pollination would be financially viable for both beekeepers and growers. We conclude that honey bees can be successfully managed for greenhouse tomato pollination in both screened and unscreened greenhouses if the foraging force is maintained by replacing colonies every 3 wk.

A likelihood-based approach for assessment of extra-pair paternity and conspecific brood parasitism in natural populations

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lemons, Patrick R.; Marshall, T.C.; McCloskey, Sarah E.; Sethi, S.A.; Schmutz, Joel A.; Sedinger, James S.

2015-01-01

Genotypes are frequently used to assess alternative reproductive strategies such as extra-pair paternity and conspecific brood parasitism in wild populations. However, such analyses are vulnerable to genotyping error or molecular artifacts that can bias results. For example, when using multilocus microsatellite data, a mismatch at a single locus, suggesting the offspring was not directly related to its putative parents, can occur quite commonly even when the offspring is truly related. Some recent studies have advocated an ad-hoc rule that offspring must differ at more than one locus in order to conclude that they are not directly related. While this reduces the frequency with which true offspring are identified as not directly related young, it also introduces bias in the opposite direction, wherein not directly related young are categorized as true offspring. More importantly, it ignores the additional information on allele frequencies which would reduce overall bias. In this study, we present a novel technique for assessing extra-pair paternity and conspecific brood parasitism using a likelihood-based approach in a new version of program cervus. We test the suitability of the technique by applying it to a simulated data set and then present an example to demonstrate its influence on the estimation of alternative reproductive strategies.

How Brooding Minds Inhibit Negative Material: An Event-Related fMRI Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne; Baeken, Chris; Van Schuerbeek, Peter; Luypaert, Rob; De Mey, Johan; De Raedt, Rudi

2013-01-01

Depressive brooding--a passive ruminative focus on one's problems, negative mood and their consequences--is a thinking style that places individuals at a greater risk to develop future psychopathology. In this study, we investigated whether inter-individual differences in depressive brooding are related to neural differences underlying the…

Variation in selection of microhabitats by Merriam's turkey brood hens

Treesearch

Mark A. Rumble; Stanley H. Anderson

1997-01-01

We studied microhabitats of Merriam‘s turkey (Meleagris gallopavo merriami) brood hens in a ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa) ecosystem in South Dakota from 1986 to 1988. Cluster analysis indicated three groups of microhabitats, open-shrub, open-grasslforb and forest, based on vegetation characteristics at sites selected by brood...

Conventional oil and natural gas infrastructure increases brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) relative abundance and parasitism in mixed-grass prairie.

PubMed

Bernath-Plaisted, Jacy; Nenninger, Heather; Koper, Nicola

2017-07-01

The rapid expansion of oil and natural gas development across the Northern Great Plains has contributed to habitat fragmentation, which may facilitate brood parasitism of ground-nesting grassland songbird nests by brown-headed cowbirds ( Molothrus ater ), an obligate brood parasite, through the introduction of perches and anthropogenic edges. We tested this hypothesis by measuring brown-headed cowbird relative abundance and brood parasitism rates of Savannah sparrow ( Passerculus sandwichensis ) nests in relation to the presence of infrastructure features and proximity to potential perches and edge habitat. The presence of oil and natural gas infrastructure increased brown-headed cowbird relative abundance by a magnitude of four times, which resulted in four times greater brood parasitism rates at infrastructure sites. While the presence of infrastructure and the proximity to roads were influential in predicting brood parasitism rates, the proximity of perch sites was not. This suggests that brood parasitism associated with oil and natural gas infrastructure may result in additional pressures that reduce productivity of this declining grassland songbird.

Conventional oil and natural gas infrastructure increases brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) relative abundance and parasitism in mixed-grass prairie

PubMed Central

Nenninger, Heather; Koper, Nicola

2017-01-01

The rapid expansion of oil and natural gas development across the Northern Great Plains has contributed to habitat fragmentation, which may facilitate brood parasitism of ground-nesting grassland songbird nests by brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater), an obligate brood parasite, through the introduction of perches and anthropogenic edges. We tested this hypothesis by measuring brown-headed cowbird relative abundance and brood parasitism rates of Savannah sparrow (Passerculus sandwichensis) nests in relation to the presence of infrastructure features and proximity to potential perches and edge habitat. The presence of oil and natural gas infrastructure increased brown-headed cowbird relative abundance by a magnitude of four times, which resulted in four times greater brood parasitism rates at infrastructure sites. While the presence of infrastructure and the proximity to roads were influential in predicting brood parasitism rates, the proximity of perch sites was not. This suggests that brood parasitism associated with oil and natural gas infrastructure may result in additional pressures that reduce productivity of this declining grassland songbird. PMID:28791134

Ant brood function as life preservers during floods.

PubMed

Purcell, Jessica; Avril, Amaury; Jaffuel, Geoffrey; Bates, Sarah; Chapuisat, Michel

2014-01-01

Social organisms can surmount many ecological challenges by working collectively. An impressive example of such collective behavior occurs when ants physically link together into floating 'rafts' to escape from flooded habitat. However, raft formation may represent a social dilemma, with some positions posing greater individual risks than others. Here, we investigate the position and function of different colony members, and the costs and benefits of this functional geometry in rafts of the floodplain-dwelling ant Formica selysi. By causing groups of ants to raft in the laboratory, we observe that workers are distributed throughout the raft, queens are always in the center, and 100% of brood items are placed on the base. Through a series of experiments, we show that workers and brood are extremely resistant to submersion. Both workers and brood exhibit high survival rates after they have rafted, suggesting that occupying the base of the raft is not as costly as expected. The placement of all brood on the base of one cohesive raft confers several benefits: it preserves colony integrity, takes advantage of brood buoyancy, and increases the proportion of workers that immediately recover after rafting.

Spatial patterns, ecological niches, and interspecific competition of avian brood parasites: inferring from a case study of Korea.

PubMed

Lee, Jin-Won; Noh, Hee-Jin; Lee, Yunkyoung; Kwon, Young-Soo; Kim, Chang-Hoe; Yoo, Jeong-Chil

2014-09-01

Since obligate avian brood parasites depend completely on the effort of other host species for rearing their progeny, the availability of hosts will be a critical resource for their life history. Circumstantial evidence suggests that intense competition for host species may exist not only within but also between species. So far, however, few studies have demonstrated whether the interspecific competition really occurs in the system of avian brood parasitism and how the nature of brood parasitism is related to their niche evolution. Using the occurrence data of five avian brood parasites from two sources of nationwide bird surveys in South Korea and publically available environmental/climatic data, we identified their distribution patterns and ecological niches, and applied species distribution modeling to infer the effect of interspecific competition on their spatial distribution. We found that the distribution patterns of five avian brood parasites could be characterized by altitude and climatic conditions, but overall their spatial ranges and ecological niches extensively overlapped with each other. We also found that the predicted distribution areas of each species were generally comparable to the realized distribution areas, and the numbers of individuals in areas where multiple species were predicted to coexist showed positive relationships among species. In conclusion, despite following different coevolutionary trajectories to adapt to their respect host species, five species of avian brood parasites breeding in South Korea occupied broadly similar ecological niches, implying that they tend to conserve ancestral preferences for ecological conditions. Furthermore, our results indicated that contrary to expectation interspecific competition for host availability between avian brood parasites seemed to be trivial, and thus, play little role in shaping their spatial distributions and ecological niches. Future studies, including the complete ranges of avian brood parasites and ecological niches of host species, will be worthwhile to further elucidate these issues.

Hygienic behaviour in Brazilian stingless bees

PubMed Central

Alves, Denise A.; Bento, José M. S.; Marchini, Luis C.; Ratnieks, Francis L. W.

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Social insects have many defence mechanisms against pests and pathogens. One of these is hygienic behaviour, which has been studied in detail in the honey bee, Apis mellifera. Hygienic honey bee workers remove dead and diseased larvae and pupae from sealed brood cells, thereby reducing disease transfer within the colony. Stingless bees, Meliponini, also rear broods in sealed cells. We investigated hygienic behaviour in three species of Brazilian stingless bees (Melipona scutellaris, Scaptotrigona depilis, Tetragonisca angustula) in response to freeze-killed brood. All three species had high mean levels of freeze-killed brood removal after 48 h ∼99% in M. scutellaris, 80% in S. depilis and 62% in T. angustula (N=8 colonies per species; three trials per colony). These levels are greater than in unselected honey bee populations, ∼46%. In S. depilis there was also considerable intercolony variation, ranging from 27% to 100% removal after 2 days. Interestingly, in the S. depilis colony with the slowest removal of freeze-killed brood, 15% of the adult bees emerging from their cells had shrivelled wings indicating a disease or disorder, which is as yet unidentified. Although the gross symptoms resembled the effects of deformed wing virus in the honey bee, this virus was not detected in the samples. When brood comb from the diseased colony was introduced to the other S. depilis colonies, there was a significant negative correlation between freeze-killed brood removal and the emergence of deformed worker bees (P=0.001), and a positive correlation with the cleaning out of brood cells (P=0.0008). This shows that the more hygienic colonies were detecting and removing unhealthy brood prior to adult emergence. Our results indicate that hygienic behaviour may play an important role in colony health in stingless bees. The low levels of disease normally seen in stingless bees may be because they have effective mechanisms of disease management, not because they lack diseases. PMID:27754850

Mating system and extra-pair paternity in the Fan-tailed Gerygone Gerygone flavolateralis in relation to parasitism by the Shining Bronze-cuckoo Chalcites lucidus

PubMed Central

Kuehn, Ralph; Gazda, Małgorzata A.; Sato, Nozomu J.; Okahisa, Yuji; Tanaka, Keita D.; Attisano, Alfredo; Gula, Roman; Ueda, Keisuke; Theuerkauf, Jörn

2018-01-01

Extra-pair copulation can increase genetic diversity and offspring fitness. However, it may also increase intra-nest variability in avian hosts of brood parasites, which can decrease the discrimination ability of host parents towards the parasite. In New Caledonia, the Fan-tailed Gerygone (Gerygone flavolateralis), which is parasitized by the Shining Bronze-cuckoo (Chalcites lucidus), has two nestling morphs, dark and bright, that can occur in monomorphic and polymorphic broods. Gerygone parents recognize and eject parasite nestlings from their nest, but the presence of polymorphic broods may increase the chances of recognition errors. Using 17 microsatellite markers, we investigated the mating system of the Fan-tailed Gerygone to understand the mechanisms underlying nestling polymorphism. We hypothesised that extra-pair copulations would lead to a higher proportion of polymorphic broods caused by higher genetic variability, thus creating a trade-off between genetic benefits and host defence reliability. Extra-pair paternity occurred in 6 of 36 broods, which resulted in 6 of 69 offspring sired by extra-pair males. Broods with and without mixed paternity were comparably often parasitized. Extra-pair paternity did not influence the proportions of bright, dark and polymorphic broods. Compared to bright siblings in polymorphic broods, dark nestlings tended to have lower heterozygosity, particularly in loci associated with skin coloration. The results also suggested that there is no obstacle for genetic exchange between individuals from forest and savannah, possibly due to dispersal of offspring. We conclude that the Fan-tailed Gerygone is a socially monogamous species with a low rate of extra-pair paternity compared to closely related species. Extra-pair paternity increased offspring genetic variability without measurable associated costs by brood parasitism. The results highlight the importance of studying host mating systems to assess the trade-offs between host defence and offspring fitness in co-evolutionary arms races. PMID:29518150

Impacts of Water Levels on Breeding Canada Geese and the Methodology for Mitigation and Enhancement in the Flathead Drainage, 1984 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mackey, Dennis L.

1985-01-01

The lower Flathead System Canada Goose Study was initiated to determine population trends and the effects of water level fluctuations on nest and brood habitat on the southern half of Flathead Lake and the lower Flathead River as a result of the operations of Kerr Dam. This report presents data collected during the 1984 field season as part of an ongoing project. Geese used Pablo, Kicking Horse, Ninepipe Reservoirs heavily during late summer and fall. Use of the river by geese was high during the winter, when the reservoirs were frozen, and during the breeding period. Most breeding geese leftmore » the river after broods fledged. Thirteen percent of the artificial tree nest structures on the river were used by nesting geese. Goose nest initiation on the river peaked the last week in March through the first week in April, and hatching peaked the first week in May. Predation was the most significant cause of nest loss on the river, and nest loss by flooding was not observed. Avian predation was the single largest factor contributing to nest loss on the lake. Habitat use was studied in 4 brood areas on the river and 8 brood areas on the lake, and available habitat was assessed for 2 portions of both the lake and the river. Brood habitat use was significantly different from the available habitat in all areas studied. On the lower river, broods used wheat fields, gravel bars, and shrub habitats. On the upper river, coniferous forest and shrub habitats were preferred. On the West Bay of the lake, brood areas consisted primarily of lawns and tall herbaceous habitat, while on the South Bay, marshes dominated the brood areas studied. Water levels on the river and lake affect both accessibility of these areas to brooding geese, and the ecology of the habitats preferred by geese. 43 refs., 24 figs., 31 tabs.« less

Hygienic behaviour in Brazilian stingless bees.

PubMed

Al Toufailia, Hasan; Alves, Denise A; Bento, José M S; Marchini, Luis C; Ratnieks, Francis L W

2016-11-15

Social insects have many defence mechanisms against pests and pathogens. One of these is hygienic behaviour, which has been studied in detail in the honey bee, Apis mellifera Hygienic honey bee workers remove dead and diseased larvae and pupae from sealed brood cells, thereby reducing disease transfer within the colony. Stingless bees, Meliponini, also rear broods in sealed cells. We investigated hygienic behaviour in three species of Brazilian stingless bees (Melipona scutellaris, Scaptotrigona depilis, Tetragonisca angustula) in response to freeze-killed brood. All three species had high mean levels of freeze-killed brood removal after 48 h ∼99% in M. scutellaris, 80% in S. depilis and 62% in T. angustula (N=8 colonies per species; three trials per colony). These levels are greater than in unselected honey bee populations, ∼46%. In S. depilis there was also considerable intercolony variation, ranging from 27% to 100% removal after 2 days. Interestingly, in the S. depilis colony with the slowest removal of freeze-killed brood, 15% of the adult bees emerging from their cells had shrivelled wings indicating a disease or disorder, which is as yet unidentified. Although the gross symptoms resembled the effects of deformed wing virus in the honey bee, this virus was not detected in the samples. When brood comb from the diseased colony was introduced to the other S. depilis colonies, there was a significant negative correlation between freeze-killed brood removal and the emergence of deformed worker bees (P=0.001), and a positive correlation with the cleaning out of brood cells (P=0.0008). This shows that the more hygienic colonies were detecting and removing unhealthy brood prior to adult emergence. Our results indicate that hygienic behaviour may play an important role in colony health in stingless bees. The low levels of disease normally seen in stingless bees may be because they have effective mechanisms of disease management, not because they lack diseases. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Ecological constraints on breeding system evolution: the influence of habitat on brood desertion in Kentish plover.

PubMed

Kosztolányi, András; Székely, Tamas; Cuthill, Innes C; Yilmaz, K Tuluhan; Berberoglu, Süha

2006-01-01

1. One of the fundamental insights of behavioural ecology is that resources influence breeding systems. For instance, when food resources are plenty, one parent is able to care for the young on its own, so that the other parent can desert and became polygamous. We investigated this hypothesis in the context of classical polyandry when females may have several mates within a single breeding season, and parental duties are carried out largely by the male. 2. We studied a precocial wader, the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus, that exhibits variable brood care such that the chicks may be raised by both parents, only by the female or, more often, only by the male. The timing of female desertion varies: some females desert their brood at hatching of the eggs and lay a clutch for a new mate, whereas other females stay with their brood until the chicks fledge. Kentish plovers are excellent organisms with which to study breeding system evolution, as some of their close relatives exhibit classical polyandry (Eurasian dotterel Eudromias morinellus, mountain plover Charadrius montanus), whereas others are polygynous (northern lapwing Vanellus vanellus). 3. Kentish plovers raised their broods in two habitats in our study site in southern Turkey: saltmarsh and lakeshore. Food intake was higher on the lakeshore than in the saltmarsh as judged from feeding behaviour of chicks and adults. As the season proceeded and the saltmarsh dried out, the broods moved toward the lakeshore. 4. As the density of plovers increased on lakeshore, the parents spent more time defending their young, and female parents stayed with their brood longer on the lakeshore. 5. We conclude that the influence of food abundance on breeding systems is more complex than currently anticipated. Abundant food resources appear to have profound implications on spatial distribution of broods, and the social interactions between broods constrain female desertion and polyandry.

Waterfowl production on stock-watering ponds in the northern plains

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lokemoen, J.T.

1973-01-01

In a 5-year study of stock-watering ponds in western North Dakota, pond size was found to be the major factor influencing duck use. As pond size increased, total pair and brood use per pond increased. Pairs used ponds as small as 0.1 acre in size, but broods were seldom seen on ponds of less than 1.0 surface acre. Dam-type ponds larger than 1.0 surface acre comprised only 29% of all man-made ponds on the study area but received 65% of the pair use and 87% of the brood use. Utilization of fenced ponds by pairs and broods was not significantly different from utilization of unfenced ponds. Grazing rates of 2 to 3 acres per AUM and lower rates permitted the development of grassy shoreline cover preferred by pairs and brushy and emergent shorelines preferred by broods. Duck pairs were significantly more numerous on older ponds and ponds with grassy shorelines but less numerous on ponds that had heavy deposits of sediment or were isolated from other wetlands. Broods were significantly more numerous on ponds with brushy shorelines and emergent vegetation than on those without. Broods were less numerous on turbid and newly constructed ponds. The most suitable stock-watering units for maximum waterfowl production were dam-type ponds of 1.5 surface acres, or larger, built in gentle to rolling terrain away from major sources of siltation.

Emotional intelligence as a mediator between rumination and suicidal ideation among depressed inpatients: The moderating role of suicidal history.

PubMed

Abdollahi, Abbas; Talib, Mansor Abu

2015-08-30

Suicide is a substantial public health problem, and it remains a serious cause of death in the world. Therefore, this study was designed to examine the relationships between brooding, reflection, emotional intelligence (assessed by performance-based test), and suicidal ideation; the mediation role of emotional intelligence on the relationships between brooding and reflection with suicidal ideation; and the moderating role of suicidal history on the relationships between brooding, reflection, and emotional intelligence with suicidal ideation among Iranian depressed adolescents. The study consisted of a cross-sectional sample of 202 depressed adolescent inpatients from five public hospitals in Tehran, Iran completed measures of depression, rumination, emotional intelligence, and suicide attempt history as indices of suicidal ideation. Structural Equation Modelling estimated that depressed adolescent inpatients with high levels of brooding and reflective rumination, and low levels of emotional intelligence were more likely to report suicidal ideation. Moreover, emotional intelligence partially mediated the relationships between brooding and reflective rumination with suicidal ideation. Suicidal history moderated the relationships between brooding, reflection, and emotional intelligence with suicidal ideation. These findings reinforce the importance of emotional intelligence as an influencing factor against the deleterious effects of rumination styles and suicidal ideation. The results indicate that brooding and reflection have detrimental effects on suicidal ideation in depressed inpatients. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Mallard brood movements, wetland use, and duckling survival during and following a prairie drought

USGS Publications Warehouse

Krapu, G.L.; Pietz, P.J.; Brandt, D.A.; Cox, R.R.

2006-01-01

We used radiotelemetry to study mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) brood movements, wetland use, and duckling survival during a major drought (1988-1992) and during the first 2 years of the subsequent wet period (1993-1994) at 4 51-km2 sites in prairie pothole landscapes in eastern North Dakota, USA. About two-thirds of 69 radiomarked mallard broods initiated moves from the nest to water before noon, and all left the nest during daylight. On average, broods used fewer wetlands, but moved greater distances during the dry period than the wet period. Broods of all ages were more likely to make inter-wetland moves during the wet period and probabilities of inter-wetland moves decreased as duckling age increased, especially during the dry period. Brood use of seasonal wetlands nearly doubled from 22% to 43% and use of semi-permanent wetlands declined from 73% to 50% from the dry to the wet period. Eighty-one of 150 radiomarked ducklings died during 1,604 exposure days. We evaluated survival models containing variables related to water conditions, weather, duckling age, and hatch date. Model-averaged risk ratios indicated that, on any given date, radiomarked ducklings were 1.5 (95% CI = 0.8-2.8) times more likely to die when the percentage of seasonal basins containing water (WETSEAS) was ???18% than when WETSEAS was >40%. An interaction between duckling age and occurrence of rain on the current or 2 previous days indicated that rain effects were pronounced when ducklings were 0-7 days old but negligible when they were 8-30 days old. The TMIN (mean daily minimum temperature on the current and 2 previous days) effects generally were consistent between duckling age classes, and the risk of duckling death increased 9.3% for each 1??C decrease in TMIN across both age classes. Overall, the 30-day survival rate of ducklings equipped with radiotransmitters was about 0.23 lower than the survival rate of those without radiotransmitiers. Unmarked ducklings were 7.6 (95% CI = 2.7-21.3) times more likely to die on any given day when WETSEAS was ???18% than when WETSEAS was >40%. Higher duckling survival and increased use of seasonal wetlands during the wet period suggest that mallard production will benefit from programs that conserve and restore seasonal wetland habitat. Given adverse effects of low temperatures on duckling survival, managers may want to include this stochastic variable in models used to predict annual production of mallards in the Prairie Pothole Region.

Effects of increasing docosahexaenoic acid and arachidonic acid in brood diets of monodactylus sebae on fecundity, egg and larval quality, and egg fatty acid composition

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Monodactylus sebae is a popular euryhaline ornamental fish species with limited aquaculture production. One of the bottlenecks to their commercial production has been knowledge of broodstock nutritional requirements. Therefore, three brood diets were formulated and fed to M. sebae brood to determine...

Microhabitat selection of brood-rearing sites by greater sage-grouse in Carbon County, Wyoming

Treesearch

Leslie A. Schreiber; Christopher P. Hansen; Mark A. Rumble; Joshua J. Millspaugh; R. Scott Gamo; Jon W. Kehmeier; Nate Wojcik

2015-01-01

Declines in Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus, hereafter sage-grouse) populations could be attributed to low chick survival, which may be influenced by the availability of food and cover at sites used by females rearing broods. Habitat attributes important to broods may vary regionally; thus, it is necessary to understand factors affecting...

Influence of habitat and number of nestlings on partial brood loss in red-cockaded woodpeckers

Treesearch

James R. McCormick; Richard N. Conner; D. Brent Burt; Daniel Saenz

2004-01-01

Partial brood loss in red-cockaded woodpeckers (Picoides borealis) was studied during 2 breeding seasons in eastern Texas. The timing of partial brood loss, group size, number of initial nestlings, number of birds fledged, and habitat characteristics of the group's cavity-tree cluster were examined for 37 woodpecker groups in loblolly- (

Periodical Cicada--Brood V (Pest Alert)

Treesearch

USDA Forest Service

1999-01-01

Three separate species of periodical cicadas, Magicicada septendecim (L.), M. cassini (Fisher), and M. septendecula (Alexander and Moore), will appear this spring over large portions of Ohio and West Virginia during the scheduled Brood V emergence. This brood is the largest that occurs in either state and was last seen in 1982. It will also emerge in the southwest...

Varying congruence of hygienic responses to Varroa destructor and freeze-killed brood among different types of honey bees

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Different types of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., have been selectively bred for enhanced hygiene (i.e., removal of affected brood from sealed cells) to improve resistance to diseases and parasites. Bees selected for removal of freeze-killed brood (FKB) have protection from several microbial disease...

Phenotypic and genetic analyses of the varroa sensitive hygienic trait in Russian honey bee (hymenoptera: apidae) colonies.

PubMed

Kirrane, Maria J; de Guzman, Lilia I; Holloway, Beth; Frake, Amanda M; Rinderer, Thomas E; Whelan, Pádraig M

2014-01-01

Varroa destructor continues to threaten colonies of European honey bees. General hygiene, and more specific Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH), provide resistance towards the Varroa mite in a number of stocks. In this study, 32 Russian (RHB) and 14 Italian honey bee colonies were assessed for the VSH trait using two different assays. Firstly, colonies were assessed using the standard VSH behavioural assay of the change in infestation of a highly infested donor comb after a one-week exposure. Secondly, the same colonies were assessed using an "actual brood removal assay" that measured the removal of brood in a section created within the donor combs as a potential alternative measure of hygiene towards Varroa-infested brood. All colonies were then analysed for the recently discovered VSH quantitative trait locus (QTL) to determine whether the genetic mechanisms were similar across different stocks. Based on the two assays, RHB colonies were consistently more hygienic toward Varroa-infested brood than Italian honey bee colonies. The actual number of brood cells removed in the defined section was negatively correlated with the Varroa infestations of the colonies (r2 = 0.25). Only two (percentages of brood removed and reproductive foundress Varroa) out of nine phenotypic parameters showed significant associations with genotype distributions. However, the allele associated with each parameter was the opposite of that determined by VSH mapping. In this study, RHB colonies showed high levels of hygienic behaviour towards Varroa -infested brood. The genetic mechanisms are similar to those of the VSH stock, though the opposite allele associates in RHB, indicating a stable recombination event before the selection of the VSH stock. The measurement of brood removal is a simple, reliable alternative method of measuring hygienic behaviour towards Varroa mites, at least in RHB stock.

Phenotypic and Genetic Analyses of the Varroa Sensitive Hygienic Trait in Russian Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) Colonies

PubMed Central

Kirrane, Maria J.; de Guzman, Lilia I.; Holloway, Beth; Frake, Amanda M.; Rinderer, Thomas E.; Whelan, Pádraig M.

2015-01-01

Varroa destructor continues to threaten colonies of European honey bees. General hygiene, and more specific Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH), provide resistance towards the Varroa mite in a number of stocks. In this study, 32 Russian (RHB) and 14 Italian honey bee colonies were assessed for the VSH trait using two different assays. Firstly, colonies were assessed using the standard VSH behavioural assay of the change in infestation of a highly infested donor comb after a one-week exposure. Secondly, the same colonies were assessed using an “actual brood removal assay” that measured the removal of brood in a section created within the donor combs as a potential alternative measure of hygiene towards Varroa-infested brood. All colonies were then analysed for the recently discovered VSH quantitative trait locus (QTL) to determine whether the genetic mechanisms were similar across different stocks. Based on the two assays, RHB colonies were consistently more hygienic toward Varroa-infested brood than Italian honey bee colonies. The actual number of brood cells removed in the defined section was negatively correlated with the Varroa infestations of the colonies (r2 = 0.25). Only two (percentages of brood removed and reproductive foundress Varroa) out of nine phenotypic parameters showed significant associations with genotype distributions. However, the allele associated with each parameter was the opposite of that determined by VSH mapping. In this study, RHB colonies showed high levels of hygienic behaviour towards Varroa -infested brood. The genetic mechanisms are similar to those of the VSH stock, though the opposite allele associates in RHB, indicating a stable recombination event before the selection of the VSH stock. The measurement of brood removal is a simple, reliable alternative method of measuring hygienic behaviour towards Varroa mites, at least in RHB stock. PMID:25909856

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Programs, 1998 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-03-01

Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorized ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek and the Lostine and Grande Ronde rivers for scientific research and enhancement purposes. Special condition 2a specified the need for an annual report prior to initiation of next years work.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Programs, 1999 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-03-01

Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorized ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek and the Lostine and Grande Ronde rivers for scientific research and enhancement purposes. Special condition 2a specified the need for an annual report prior to initiation of next year's work.

Nest destruction elicits indiscriminate con- versus heterospecific brood parasitism in a captive bird.

PubMed

Shaw, Rachael C; Feeney, William E; Hauber, Mark E

2014-12-01

Following nest destruction, the laying of physiologically committed eggs (eggs that are ovulated, yolked, and making their way through the oviduct) in the nests of other birds is considered a viable pathway for the evolution of obligate interspecific brood parasitism. While intraspecific brood parasitism in response to nest predation has been experimentally demonstrated, this pathway has yet to be evaluated in an interspecific context. We studied patterns of egg laying following experimental nest destruction in captive zebra finches, Taeniopygia guttata, a frequent intraspecific brood parasite. We found that zebra finches laid physiologically committed eggs indiscriminately between nests containing conspecific eggs and nests containing heterospecific eggs (of Bengalese finches, Lonchura striata vars. domestica), despite the con- and heterospecific eggs differing in both size and coloration. This is the first experimental evidence that nest destruction may provide a pathway for the evolution of interspecific brood parasitism in birds.

Field-relevant doses of the systemic insecticide fipronil and fungicide pyraclostrobin impair mandibular and hypopharyngeal glands in nurse honeybees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Zaluski, Rodrigo; Justulin, Luis Antonio; Orsi, Ricardo de Oliveira

2017-11-09

Global decreases in bee populations emphasize the importance of assessing how environmental stressors affect colony maintenance, especially considering the extreme task specialization observed in honeybee societies. Royal jelly, a protein secretion essential to colony nutrition, is produced by nurse honeybees, and development of bee mandibular glands, which comprise a reservoir surrounded by secretory cells and hypopharyngeal glands that are shaped by acini, is directly associated with production of this secretion. Here, we examined individual and combined effects of the systemic fungicide pyraclostrobin and insecticide fipronil in field-relevant doses (850 and 2.5 ppb, respectively) on mandibular and hypopharyngeal glands in nurse honeybees. Six days of pesticide treatment decreased secretory cell height in mandibular glands. When pyraclostrobin and fipronil were combined, the reservoir volume in mandibular glands also decreased. The total number of acini in hypopharyngeal glands was not affected, but pesticide treatment reduced the number of larger acini while increasing smaller acini. These morphological impairments appeared to reduce royal jelly secretion by nurse honeybees and consequently hampered colony maintenance. Overall, pesticide exposure in doses close to those experienced by bees in the field impaired brood-food glands in nurse honeybees, a change that could negatively influence development, survival, and colony maintenance.

Effects of early developmental conditions on innate immunity are only evident under favourable adult conditions in zebra finches

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

de Coster, Greet; Verhulst, Simon; Koetsier, Egbert; de Neve, Liesbeth; Briga, Michael; Lens, Luc

2011-12-01

Long-term effects of unfavourable conditions during development can be expected to depend on the quality of the environment experienced by the same individuals during adulthood. Yet, in the majority of studies, long-term effects of early developmental conditions have been assessed under favourable adult conditions only. The immune system might be particularly vulnerable to early environmental conditions as its development, maintenance and use are thought to be energetically costly. Here, we studied the interactive effects of favourable and unfavourable conditions during nestling and adult stages on innate immunity (lysis and agglutination scores) of captive male and female zebra finches ( Taeniopygia guttata). Nestling environmental conditions were manipulated by a brood size experiment, while a foraging cost treatment was imposed on the same individuals during adulthood. This combined treatment showed that innate immunity of adult zebra finches is affected by their early developmental conditions and varies between both sexes. Lysis scores, but not agglutination scores, were higher in individuals raised in small broods and in males. However, these effects were only present in birds that experienced low foraging costs. This study shows that the quality of the adult environment may shape the long-term consequences of early developmental conditions on innate immunity, as long-term effects of nestling environment were only evident under favourable adult conditions.

Meta-analysis of the association between rumination and reduced autobiographical memory specificity.

PubMed

Chiu, Connie P Y; Griffith, James W; Lenaert, Bert; Raes, Filip; Hermans, Dirk; Barry, Tom J

2018-05-16

The CaRFAX model, proposed by Williams J. M. G. (2006. Capture and rumination, functional avoidance, and executive control (CaRFAX): Three processes that underlie overgeneral memory. Cognition and Emotion, 20, 548-568. doi: 10.1080/02699930500450465 ; Williams, J. M. G., Barnhofer, T., Crane, C., Herman, D., Raes, F., Watkins, E., & Dalgleish, T. (2007). Autobiographical memory specificity and emotional disorder. Psychological Bulletin, 133(1), 122-148. doi: 10.1037/0033-2909.133.1.122 ) posits that reduced autobiographical memory specificity, a key factor associated with the emergence and maintenance of emotional disorders, may result from heightened rumination. We provide the first meta-analysis of the relation between autobiographical memory specificity and trait rumination. PsycINFO, PsycARTICLES and MEDLINE databases were searched and the following were extracted: the correlation between the number of specific memories recalled in the Autobiographical Memory Test and self-reported trait rumination scores, and its sub-factors - brooding and reflection. The pooled effect size for the correlation between memory specificity and trait rumination was small (d = -.05) and did not differ significantly from zero (p = .09). The effect sizes for the correlation with brooding and reflection were not significantly different from zero. There is limited support for the association between trait rumination and memory specificity suggested in CaRFAX.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2007 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the eleventh season (1997-2007) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the ninth season (1999-2007) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies In 2007, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from 3/5/07 through to 4/17/07 and a total of 230,010 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2005 egg source and included captive brood (24,604) and conventional (205,406) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2007 began May 14th. The first Chinook was captured on June 2, 2007 and the last Chinook was captured on September 25, 2007. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2007. A total of 637 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 240 natural origin fish and 397 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 41 natural and 81 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning, 403 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and only hatchery origin jack Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek in underseeded habitat. Of the 122 adult fish retained for broodstock, 20 natural females and 40 supplementation females were represented in spawning. The eggs from these females produced a total of 267,350 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 86.73% which yielded a total of 231,882 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,456 eggs per female. These eggs will be incubated and reared at Lookingglass Hatchery until they are smolts in the spring of 2009. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2009. Due to the success of the 2007 egg collection, the number of fish produced exceeded program needs and facility capabilities. As a result, there are plans to outplant fry in 2008 and parr in early 2009 to underseeded habitat in the Wallowa River.« less

Brooding Rumination and Risk for Depressive Disorders in Children of Depressed Mothers

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Gibb, Brandon E.; Grassia, Marie; Stone, Lindsey B.; Uhrlass, Dorothy J.; McGeary, John E.

2012-01-01

The goal of the current study was to examine the role of brooding rumination in children at risk for depression. We found that children of mothers with a history of major depression exhibited higher levels of brooding rumination than did children of mothers with no depression history. Examining potential mechanisms of this risk, we found no…

Changes in infestation, cell cap condition, and reproductive status of Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata: Varrroidae) in brood exposed to honey bees with Varroa sensitive hygiene

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) bred for Varroa sensitive hygiene (VSH) selectively remove pupae infested with Varroa destructor Anderson & Trueman from capped brood that is inserted into the nest. After one week, remaining brood cells tend to have been uncapped and recapped, and remaining mites are...

Estimating prefledging survival: Allowing for brood mixing and dependence among brood mates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, Paul L.; Pollock, Kenneth H.; Thomas, Dana; Sedinger, James S.

1995-01-01

Estimates of juvenile survival from hatch to fledging provide important information on waterfowl productivity. We develop a model for estimating survival of young waterfowl from hatch to fledging. Our model enables interchange of individuals among broods and relaxes the assumption that individuals within broods have independent survival probabilities. The model requires repeated observations of individually identifiable adults and their offspring that are not individually identifiable. A modified Kaplan-Meier procedure (Pollock et al. 1989a,b) and a modified Mayfield procedure (Mayfield 1961, 1975; Johnson 1979) can be used under this general modeling framework, and survival rates and corresponding variances of the point estimators can be determined.

Ant Brood Function as Life Preservers during Floods

PubMed Central

Purcell, Jessica; Avril, Amaury; Jaffuel, Geoffrey; Bates, Sarah; Chapuisat, Michel

2014-01-01

Social organisms can surmount many ecological challenges by working collectively. An impressive example of such collective behavior occurs when ants physically link together into floating ‘rafts’ to escape from flooded habitat. However, raft formation may represent a social dilemma, with some positions posing greater individual risks than others. Here, we investigate the position and function of different colony members, and the costs and benefits of this functional geometry in rafts of the floodplain-dwelling ant Formica selysi. By causing groups of ants to raft in the laboratory, we observe that workers are distributed throughout the raft, queens are always in the center, and 100% of brood items are placed on the base. Through a series of experiments, we show that workers and brood are extremely resistant to submersion. Both workers and brood exhibit high survival rates after they have rafted, suggesting that occupying the base of the raft is not as costly as expected. The placement of all brood on the base of one cohesive raft confers several benefits: it preserves colony integrity, takes advantage of brood buoyancy, and increases the proportion of workers that immediately recover after rafting. PMID:24586600

Influence of maternal depression on children's brooding rumination: Moderation by CRHR1 TAT haplotype.

PubMed

Woody, Mary L; Kudinova, Anastacia Y; McGeary, John E; Knopik, Valerie S; Palmer, Rohan H C; Gibb, Brandon E

2016-01-01

There is growing evidence that brooding rumination plays a key role in the intergenerational transmission of major depressive disorder (MDD) and may be an endophenotype for depression risk. However, less is known about the mechanisms underlying this role. Therefore, the goal of the current study was to examine levels of brooding in children of mothers with a history of MDD (n = 129) compared to children of never depressed mothers (n = 126) and to determine whether the variation in a gene known to influence hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis functioning--corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 (CRHR1)--would moderate the link between maternal MDD and children's levels of brooding. We predicted children of mothers with a history of MDD would exhibit higher levels of brooding than children of mothers with no lifetime depression history but that this link would be stronger among children carrying no copies of the protective CRHR1 TAT haplotype. Our results supported these hypotheses and suggest that the development of brooding among children of depressed mothers, particularly children without the protective CRHR1 haplotype, may serve as an important mechanism of risk for the intergenerational transmission of depression.

Multiple paternity in polyandrous barn owls (Tyto alba).

PubMed

Henry, Isabelle; Antoniazza, Sylvain; Dubey, Sylvain; Simon, Céline; Waldvogel, Céline; Burri, Reto; Roulin, Alexandre

2013-01-01

In polyandrous species females produce successive clutches with several males. Female barn owls (Tyto alba) often desert their offspring and mate to produce a 2(nd) annual brood with a second male. We tested whether copulating during chick rearing at the 1(st) annual brood increases the male's likelihood to obtain paternity at the 2(nd) annual breeding attempt of his female mate in case she deserts their brood to produce a second brood with a different male. Using molecular paternity analyses we found that 2 out of 26 (8%) second annual broods of deserting females contained in total 6 extra-pair young out of 15 nestlings. These young were all sired by the male with whom the female had produced the 1(st) annual brood. In contrast, none of the 49 1(st) annual breeding attempts (219 offspring) and of the 20 2(nd) annual breeding attempts (93 offspring) of non-deserting females contained extra-pair young. We suggest that female desertion can select male counter-strategies to increase paternity and hence individual fitness. Alternatively, females may copulate with the 1(st) male to derive genetic benefits, since he is usually of higher quality than the 2(nd) male which is commonly a yearling individual.

Effects of post-hatch brooding temperature on broiler behavior, welfare, and growth.

PubMed

Henriksen, S; Bilde, T; Riber, A B

2016-10-01

An elevated brooding temperature during the first wk post hatch of broilers may potentially increase activity levels and reduce welfare problems in terms of non- and slow-starters, lameness, and contact dermatitis. The effects of an elevated brooding temperature the first 7 d post hatch on behavior, welfare, and growth of Ross 308 broilers were investigated. Groups of 28 broilers (14 males and 14 females) were distributed in a balanced way according to their hatching weight (below or above mean), the age of parent breeders (28 or 50 wk of age), and initial brooding temperature (normal 33°C; warm: 37°C) resulting in 8 different treatment groups. Behavioral data were collected on d zero to 6 of age, data on body weight on d zero, 7, 21, and 34 of age, and data on gait and contact dermatitis on d 21 and 34 of age. An elevated brooding temperature resulted in increased body temperature of broilers 5 h after placement (39.9 ± 0.04°C vs. 39.1 ± 0.04°C; P < 0.0001) whereas no difference was found 24 h after placement (P = 0.35). Broilers reared with elevated brooding temperature initiated feeding and drinking earlier, apart from broilers with low hatching weight from old parent breeders (P < 0.0001). They also showed higher activity levels from d one to 6 of age (P < 0.0001) and a higher inter-individual distance at d zero and one of age (P < 0.0001). Broilers with a high hatching weight reared at normal brooding temperature had a higher prevalence of hock burns at d 34 of age (P = 0.001). Broilers reared at elevated brooding temperature had lower body weight at d 7 of age (P < 0.0001); however, no difference appeared from d 21 of age (P = 0.58). No effect of brooding temperature was found on body weight uniformity (P = 0.81). In conclusion, the welfare of broilers may be improved from an elevated brooding temperature the first 7 d post hatch without affecting body weight uniformity and final body weight. © 2016 Poultry Science Association Inc.

Drone and Worker Brood Microclimates Are Regulated Differentially in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera.

PubMed

Li, Zhiyong; Huang, Zachary Y; Sharma, Dhruv B; Xue, Yunbo; Wang, Zhi; Ren, Bingzhong

2016-01-01

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones and workers show differences in morphology, physiology, and behavior. Because the functions of drones are more related to colony reproduction, and those of workers relate to both survival and reproduction, we hypothesize that the microclimate for worker brood is more precisely regulated than that of drone brood. We assessed temperature and relative humidity (RH) inside honey bee colonies for both drone and worker brood throughout the three-stage development period, using digital HOBO® Data Loggers. The major findings of this study are that 1) both drone and worker castes show the highest temperature for eggs, followed by larvae and then pupae; 2) temperature in drones are maintained at higher precision (smaller variance) in drone eggs and larvae, but at a lower precision in pupae than the corresponding stages of workers; 3) RH regulation showed higher variance in drone than workers across all brood stages; and 4) RH regulation seems largely due to regulation by workers, as the contribution from empty honey combs are much smaller compared to that from adult workers. We conclude that honey bee colonies maintain both temperature and humidity actively; that the microclimate for sealed drone brood is less precisely regulated than worker brood; and that combs with honey contribute very little to the increase of RH in honey bee colonies. These findings increase our understanding of microclimate regulation in honey bees and may have implications for beekeeping practices.

Drone and Worker Brood Microclimates Are Regulated Differentially in Honey Bees, Apis mellifera

PubMed Central

Li, Zhiyong; Huang, Zachary Y.; Sharma, Dhruv B.; Xue, Yunbo; Wang, Zhi; Ren, Bingzhong

2016-01-01

Background Honey bee (Apis mellifera) drones and workers show differences in morphology, physiology, and behavior. Because the functions of drones are more related to colony reproduction, and those of workers relate to both survival and reproduction, we hypothesize that the microclimate for worker brood is more precisely regulated than that of drone brood. Methodology/Principal Findings We assessed temperature and relative humidity (RH) inside honey bee colonies for both drone and worker brood throughout the three-stage development period, using digital HOBO® Data Loggers. The major findings of this study are that 1) both drone and worker castes show the highest temperature for eggs, followed by larvae and then pupae; 2) temperature in drones are maintained at higher precision (smaller variance) in drone eggs and larvae, but at a lower precision in pupae than the corresponding stages of workers; 3) RH regulation showed higher variance in drone than workers across all brood stages; and 4) RH regulation seems largely due to regulation by workers, as the contribution from empty honey combs are much smaller compared to that from adult workers. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that honey bee colonies maintain both temperature and humidity actively; that the microclimate for sealed drone brood is less precisely regulated than worker brood; and that combs with honey contribute very little to the increase of RH in honey bee colonies. These findings increase our understanding of microclimate regulation in honey bees and may have implications for beekeeping practices. PMID:26882104

Using sightability-adjusted brood-pair ratios to estimate waterfowl productivity

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pagano, Anthony M.; Amundson, Courtney L.; Pieron, Matthew R.; Arnold, Todd W.; Kimmel, Timothy C.

2014-01-01

Historically, biologists used brood-pair ratios (BPRs) as an index to waterfowl productivity to help guide management decisions and evaluate conservation practices. However, BPRs are biased by imperfect detection probabilities, especially for broods. We conducted roadside surveys for breeding waterfowl pairs on 7–8 study sites in the springs of 2006–2008 in northeastern North Dakota, USA. Later each year, we conducted replicate counts of broods on the same wetlands and used mark–recapture methods to estimate sightability-adjusted BPRs (SA-BPRs). Traditional roadside brood surveys detected only 30–45% of the available broods, depending on species. We explored the potential for using SA-BPRs to measure hen success (i.e., the probability a female hatches ≥1 egg across all nesting attempts) for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) and other upland-nesting dabbling ducks (Anas spp.). We found that SA-BPRs explained 40% of the variation in hen success over 5 species of dabbling ducks, and we were able to detect an effect of predator reduction on hen success in combined dabblers, but not in mallards alone. However, we found no relationship between SA-BPRs and mallard fledging rates (hen success × initial brood size × duckling survival). Our results suggest that SA-BPRs can provide a cost-effective alternative to traditional measures of productivity such as nesting success, but not to measures of duckling survival. Nevertheless, SA-BPRs may be useful in areas where traditional measures of waterfowl productivity are logistically or financially challenging.

Nest and brood attentiveness in female black ducks

USGS Publications Warehouse

Ringelman, J.K.; Longcore, J.R.; Owen, R.B.

1982-01-01

Incubation rhythms and brood attentiveness of radio-marked Black Ducks (Anas rubripes) were studied in southcentral Maine during 1977-1980. Recess duration and frequency differed between three females nesting near wetlands (x = 82 min, 2.3 recesses/day) and two nesting at upland sites(x = 183 min, I. I recesses/day), but incubation constancy was similar for all birds (x = 86.7%). A fourth wetland-nesting female apparently responded to the absence of down and concealing cover at the nest site by taking shorter and fewer recesses (x= 34 min, 1.0 recesses/day) than did other wetland-nesters with typical nests. Wetland-nesters took longer recesses with increasing air temperature and following long incubation sessions. After their ducklings were two weeks old, two brood-rearing females began leaving their broods to forage on nearby wetlands. Duration of rearing recess (x = 56 min) and total recess time (x = 94 min/day) were less during this mid-rearing stage than during the latter part of rearing (x = 265 min, 488 min/day). The two hen-brood bonds terminated at 43 and 48 days. We suggest that small endogenous nutrient reserves and the low density of invertebrate foods, typical of Black Duck breeding habitat, were critical factors affecting the evolution of Black Duck incubation behavior. Bouts of inattention during brood rearing may have also evolved in relation to food requirements; by foraging on wetlands away from their broods, females avoid competing with offspring for common food resources.

[Book review] Cowbirds and Other Brood Parasites by Catherine Ortega. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press (1998). The Avian Brood Parasites: Deception at the Nest by Paul A. Johnsgard. New York: Oxford University Press (1997) Parasitic Birds and their Hosts: Studies in Coevolution edited by S.I. Rothstein & S.K. Robinson. New York: Oxford University Press (1998)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hahn, D.C.

1999-01-01

We are in a golden age for the study of brood parasitism, judging from both the quantity and quality of recent scientific publications on cuckoos, cowbirds and parasitic finches by investigators working in Europe, the Americas, Africa and Asia. As Johnsgard (1997) remarks in his preface, the evolutionary, ecological, and behavioural questions posed by obligate brood parasites are among the most intriguing contemporary ornithological topics. Rothstein & Robinson (1998) explain that brood parasites make ideal subjects for testing the generality of models for the evolution of social and mating behaviour, foraging behaviour, spatial distribution, and vocal development, because the strategy of providing no parental care removes constraints imposed on other birds. Since Aristotle, people have been fascinated by brood parasites, but only in the past two decades has the number of investigators working on this topic reached a critical mass and created momentum that promises many breakthroughs. New studies are being completed so rapidly that a general book is inevitably out of date on some topics by the time it is published. A complete library on brood parasitism should add two recent volumes (Morrison et al. 1999; Smith et al., in press).to the three reviewed here.

Chronic exposure of a honey bee colony to 2.45 GHz continuous wave microwaves

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Westerdahl, B. B.; Gary, N. E.

1981-01-01

A honey bee colony (Apis mellifera L.) was exposed 28 days to 2.45 GHz continuous wave microwaves at a power density (1 mW/sq cm) expected to be associated with rectennae in the solar power satellite power transmission system. Differences found between the control and microwave-treated colonies were not large, and were in the range of normal variation among similar colonies. Thus, there is an indication that microwave treatment had little, if any, effect on (1) flight and pollen foraging activity, (2) maintenance of internal colony temperature, (3) brood rearing activity, (4) food collection and storage, (5) colony weight, and (6) adult populations. Additional experiments are necessary before firm conclusions can be made.

Social learning of a brood parasite by its host

PubMed Central

Feeney, William E.; Langmore, Naomi E.

2013-01-01

Arms races between brood parasites and their hosts provide model systems for studying the evolutionary repercussions of species interactions. However, how naive hosts identify brood parasites as enemies remains poorly understood, despite its ecological and evolutionary significance. Here, we investigate whether young, cuckoo-naive superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, can learn to recognize cuckoos as a threat through social transmission of information. Naive individuals were initially unresponsive to a cuckoo specimen, but after observing conspecifics mob a cuckoo, they made more whining and mobbing alarm calls, and spent more time physically mobbing the cuckoo. This is the first direct evidence that naive hosts can learn to identify brood parasites as enemies via social learning. PMID:23760171

Social learning of a brood parasite by its host.

PubMed

Feeney, William E; Langmore, Naomi E

2013-08-23

Arms races between brood parasites and their hosts provide model systems for studying the evolutionary repercussions of species interactions. However, how naive hosts identify brood parasites as enemies remains poorly understood, despite its ecological and evolutionary significance. Here, we investigate whether young, cuckoo-naive superb fairy-wrens, Malurus cyaneus, can learn to recognize cuckoos as a threat through social transmission of information. Naive individuals were initially unresponsive to a cuckoo specimen, but after observing conspecifics mob a cuckoo, they made more whining and mobbing alarm calls, and spent more time physically mobbing the cuckoo. This is the first direct evidence that naive hosts can learn to identify brood parasites as enemies via social learning.

14 CFR 91.1425 - CAMP: Maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alteration programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... RULES Fractional Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1425 CAMP: Maintenance, preventive maintenance, and alteration programs. Each program manager who maintains program aircraft under a CAMP must... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false CAMP: Maintenance, preventive maintenance...

Pheromone-modulated behavioral suites influence colony growth in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pankiw, Tanya; Roman, Roman; Sagili, Ramesh R.; Zhu-Salzman, Keyan

2004-12-01

The success of a species depends on its ability to assess its environment and to decide accordingly which behaviors are most appropriate. Many animal species, from bacteria to mammals, are able to communicate using interspecies chemicals called pheromones. In addition to exerting physiological effects on individuals, for social species, pheromones communicate group social structure. Communication of social structure is important to social insects for the allocation of its working members into coordinated suites of behaviors. We tested effects of long-term treatment with brood pheromone on suites of honey bee brood rearing and foraging behaviors. Pheromone-treated colonies reared significantly greater brood areas and more adults than controls, while amounts of stored pollen and honey remained statistically similar. Brood pheromone increased the number of pollen foragers and the pollen load weights they returned. It appeared that the pheromone-induced increase in pollen intake was directly canalized into more brood rearing. A two-way pheromone priming effect was observed, such that some workers from the same age cohorts showed an increased and extended capacity to rear larvae, while others were recruited at significantly younger ages into pollen-specific foraging. Brood pheromone affected suites of nursing and foraging behaviors allocating worker and pollen resources associated with an important fitness trait, colony growth.

Sexual imprinting misguides species recognition in a facultative interspecific brood parasite

PubMed Central

Sorenson, Michael D.; Hauber, Mark E.; Derrickson, Scott R.

2010-01-01

Sexual reproduction relies on the recognition of conspecifics for breeding. Most experiments in birds have implicated a critical role for early social learning in directing subsequent courtship behaviours and mating decisions. This classical view of avian sexual imprinting is challenged, however, by studies of megapodes and obligate brood parasites, species in which reliable recognition is achieved despite the lack of early experience with conspecifics. By rearing males with either conspecific or heterospecific brood mates, we experimentally tested the effect of early social experience on the association preferences and courtship behaviours of two sympatrically breeding ducks. We predicted that redheads (Aythya americana), which are facultative interspecific brood parasites, would show a diminished effect of early social environment on subsequent courtship preferences when compared with their host and congener, the canvasback (Aythya valisineria). Contrary to expectations, cross-fostered males of both species courted heterospecific females and preferred them in spatial association tests, whereas control males courted and associated with conspecific females. These results imply that ontogenetic constraints on species recognition may be a general impediment to the initial evolution of interspecific brood parasitism in birds. Under more natural conditions, a variety of mechanisms may mitigate or counteract the effects of early imprinting for redheads reared in canvasback broods. PMID:20484239

Sexual imprinting misguides species recognition in a facultative interspecific brood parasite.

PubMed

Sorenson, Michael D; Hauber, Mark E; Derrickson, Scott R

2010-10-22

Sexual reproduction relies on the recognition of conspecifics for breeding. Most experiments in birds have implicated a critical role for early social learning in directing subsequent courtship behaviours and mating decisions. This classical view of avian sexual imprinting is challenged, however, by studies of megapodes and obligate brood parasites, species in which reliable recognition is achieved despite the lack of early experience with conspecifics. By rearing males with either conspecific or heterospecific brood mates, we experimentally tested the effect of early social experience on the association preferences and courtship behaviours of two sympatrically breeding ducks. We predicted that redheads (Aythya americana), which are facultative interspecific brood parasites, would show a diminished effect of early social environment on subsequent courtship preferences when compared with their host and congener, the canvasback (Aythya valisineria). Contrary to expectations, cross-fostered males of both species courted heterospecific females and preferred them in spatial association tests, whereas control males courted and associated with conspecific females. These results imply that ontogenetic constraints on species recognition may be a general impediment to the initial evolution of interspecific brood parasitism in birds. Under more natural conditions, a variety of mechanisms may mitigate or counteract the effects of early imprinting for redheads reared in canvasback broods.

Egg size matching by an intraspecific brood parasite

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lemons, Patrick R.; Sedinger, James S.

2011-01-01

Avian brood parasitism provides an ideal system with which to understand animal recognition and its affect on fitness. This phenomenon of laying eggs in the nests of other individuals has classically been framed from the perspective of interspecific brood parasitism and host recognition of parasitic eggs. Few examples exist of strategies adopted by intraspecific brood parasites to maximize success of parasitic eggs. Intraspecific brood parasitism within precocial birds can be a risky strategy in that hatch synchrony is essential to reproductive success. Given that egg size is positively correlated with incubation time, parasitic birds would benefit by recognizing and selecting hosts with a similar egg size. Intraspecific brood parasitism is an alternative reproductive strategy in black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans), a colonial nesting goose with precocial young. Based on a randomization test, parasitic eggs in this study differed less in size from eggs in their host's nests than did random eggs placed in random nests. Parasitic eggs were remarkably similar in size to hosts’ eggs, differing by <2% of volume on average from host eggs, whereas randomly paired eggs in random nests differed by nearly 8%. The precision with which parasitic brant match the egg size of hosts in our study supports our hypothesis that brant match egg size of hosts, thereby maximizing hatching success of their parasitic eggs.

Breeding status affects the hormonal and metabolic response to acute stress in a long-lived seabird, the king penguin.

PubMed

Viblanc, Vincent A; Gineste, Benoit; Robin, Jean-Patrice; Groscolas, René

2016-09-15

Stress responses are suggested to physiologically underlie parental decisions promoting the redirection of behaviour away from offspring care when survival is jeopardized (e.g., when facing a predator). Besides this classical view, the "brood-value hypothesis" suggests that parents' stress responses may be adaptively attenuated to increase fitness, ensuring continued breeding when the relative value of the brood is high. Here, we test the brood-value hypothesis in breeding king penguins (Aptenodytes patagonicus), long-lived seabirds for which the energy commitment to reproduction is high. We subjected birds at different breeding stages (courtship, incubation and chick brooding) to an acute 30-min capture stress and measured their hormonal (corticosterone, CORT) and metabolic (non-esterified fatty acid, NEFA) responses to stress. We found that CORT responses were markedly attenuated in chick-brooding birds when compared to earlier stages of breeding (courtship and incubation). In addition, NEFA responses appeared to be rapidly attenuated in incubating and brooding birds, but a progressive increase in NEFA plasma levels in courting birds suggested energy mobilization to deal with the threat. Our results support the idea that stress responses may constitute an important life-history mechanism mediating parental reproductive decisions in relation to their expected fitness outcome. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

First evidence for slave rebellion: enslaved ant workers systematically kill the brood of their social parasite protomognathus americanus.

PubMed

Achenbach, Alexandra; Foitzik, Susanne

2009-04-01

During the process of coevolution, social parasites have evolved sophisticated strategies to exploit the brood care behavior of their social hosts. Slave-making ant queens invade host colonies and kill or eject all adult host ants. Host workers, which eclose from the remaining brood, are tricked into caring for the parasite brood. Due to their high prevalence and frequent raids, following which stolen host broods are similarly enslaved, slave-making ants exert substantial selection upon their hosts, leading to the evolution of antiparasite adaptations. However, all host defenses shown to date are active before host workers are parasitized, whereas selection was thought to be unable to act on traits of already enslaved hosts. Yet, here we demonstrate the rebellion of enslaved Temnothorax workers, which kill two-thirds of the female pupae of the slave-making ant Protomognathus americanus. Thereby, slaves decrease the long-term parasite impact on surrounding related host colonies. This novel antiparasite strategy of enslaved workers constitutes a new level in the coevolutionary battle after host colony defense has failed. Our discovery is analogous to recent findings in hosts of avian brood parasites where perfect mimicry of parasite eggs leads to the evolution of chick recognition as a second line of defense.

Survival of radio-marked mallard ducklings in northeastern California

USGS Publications Warehouse

Mauser, D.M.; Jarvis, R.L.; Gilmer, D.S.

1994-01-01

Estimates of duckling survival are necessary to accurately assess recruitment of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), yet few reliable estimates exist. During 1988-90, we estimated survival rates for 127 radio-marked mallard ducklings from 64 broods on Lower Klamath National Wildlife Refuge, California. In 1988, we restricted the survival estimate to the first 10 days post-hatch (S = 0.18, SE = 0.07). Survival from hatching to 50 days was 0.37 (SE = 0.09) in 1989 and 0.34 (SE = 0.07) in 1990. Total brood loss differed among years (P < 0.05); 81.2% in 1988 (n = 16), 36.8% in 1989 (n = 19), and 37.5% in 1990 (n = 24). Ninety-three percent of mortality occurred during the first 10 days of life. We detected no differences in the proportion of radio-marked ducklings fledged from early-hatched versus late-hatched nests (P = 0.74). During 1989-90, 16 females appeared to lose their entire brood; however, 3 radio-marked ducklings from 2 of these broods were fledged by other brood hens. Of 29 radio-marked ducklings that reached 44 days of life, 6 (20.7%) joined other broods. Habitat enhancement is the key to improving duckling survival because the large number of predator species that consume ducklings makes predator control difficult.

Multiple Paternity in Polyandrous Barn Owls (Tyto alba)

PubMed Central

Dubey, Sylvain; Simon, Céline; Waldvogel, Céline; Burri, Reto; Roulin, Alexandre

2013-01-01

In polyandrous species females produce successive clutches with several males. Female barn owls (Tyto alba) often desert their offspring and mate to produce a 2nd annual brood with a second male. We tested whether copulating during chick rearing at the 1st annual brood increases the male's likelihood to obtain paternity at the 2nd annual breeding attempt of his female mate in case she deserts their brood to produce a second brood with a different male. Using molecular paternity analyses we found that 2 out of 26 (8%) second annual broods of deserting females contained in total 6 extra-pair young out of 15 nestlings. These young were all sired by the male with whom the female had produced the 1st annual brood. In contrast, none of the 49 1st annual breeding attempts (219 offspring) and of the 20 2nd annual breeding attempts (93 offspring) of non-deserting females contained extra-pair young. We suggest that female desertion can select male counter-strategies to increase paternity and hence individual fitness. Alternatively, females may copulate with the 1st male to derive genetic benefits, since he is usually of higher quality than the 2nd male which is commonly a yearling individual. PMID:24244622

Brood pheromone effects on colony protein supplement consumption and growth in the honey bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) in a subtropical winter climate.

PubMed

Pankiw, Tanya; Sagili, Ramesh R; Metz, Bradley N

2008-12-01

Fatty acid esters extractable from the surface of honey bee, Apis mellifera L. (Hymenoptera: Apidae), larvae, called brood pheromone, significantly increase rate of colony growth in the spring and summer when flowering plant pollen is available in the foraging environment. Increased colony growth rate occurs as a consequence of increased pollen intake through mechanisms such as increasing number of pollen foragers and pollen load weights returned. Here, we tested the hypothesis that addition of brood pheromone during the winter pollen dearth period of a humid subtropical climate increases rate of colony growth in colonies provisioned with a protein supplement. Experiments were conducted in late winter (9 February-9 March 2004) and mid-winter (19 January-8 February 2005). In both years, increased brood area, number of bees, and amount of protein supplement consumption were significantly greater in colonies receiving daily treatments of brood pheromone versus control colonies. Amount of extractable protein from hypopharyngeal glands measured in 2005 was significantly greater in bees from pheromone-treated colonies. These results suggest that brood pheromone may be used as a tool to stimulate colony growth in the southern subtropical areas of the United States where the package bee industry is centered and a large proportion of migratory colonies are overwintered.

Pheromone-modulated behavioral suites influence colony growth in the honey bee (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Pankiw, Tanya; Roman, Roman; Sagili, Ramesh R; Zhu-Salzman, Keyan

2004-12-01

The success of a species depends on its ability to assess its environment and to decide accordingly which behaviors are most appropriate. Many animal species, from bacteria to mammals, are able to communicate using interspecies chemicals called pheromones. In addition to exerting physiological effects on individuals, for social species, pheromones communicate group social structure. Communication of social structure is important to social insects for the allocation of its working members into coordinated suites of behaviors. We tested effects of long-term treatment with brood pheromone on suites of honey bee brood rearing and foraging behaviors. Pheromone-treated colonies reared significantly greater brood areas and more adults than controls, while amounts of stored pollen and honey remained statistically similar. Brood pheromone increased the number of pollen foragers and the pollen load weights they returned. It appeared that the pheromone-induced increase in pollen intake was directly canalized into more brood rearing. A two-way pheromone priming effect was observed, such that some workers from the same age cohorts showed an increased and extended capacity to rear larvae, while others were recruited at significantly younger ages into pollen-specific foraging. Brood pheromone affected suites of nursing and foraging behaviors allocating worker and pollen resources associated with an important fitness trait, colony growth.

Cle Elum Supplementation and Research Facility : Monthly Progress Report November 2008.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Cle Elum Supplementation and Research Facility

2008-12-09

FISH PRODUCTION: Final shocking of eggs was finished in the incubation. Egg enumeration for the 2008 brood was completed and the eggs are being incubated in 38 degree Fahrenheit chilled water. Don Larsen of NOAA made a request of eggs for research purposes and was able to acquire supplemental line eggs 10,555. Estimated density at the time of ponding in Mid-March of 2009 is approximately 43,869 fry per raceway after calculating an average fry loss of 2%. The end of the month totals for the 2007 brood reports 773,807 juveniles on hand with an overall average of 31.4 fish permore » pound. Tagging continues on the 2007 brood and is on pace to wrap up in early December. FISH CULTURE: Ponds are cleaned as needed and due to the colder water temperatures, the feeding frequency has been changed to three days a week. All ponds are sampled at the end of the month. Growth for production fish are adjusted accordingly as temperature dictates feeding levels. Torrential rain on the 12th turned the Yakima River extremely turbid. Fish tagging operations were halted and the ensuing conditions at the facility intake screens became a concern. Water flow to the wet well became restricted so the decision was made to shut the surface water (river) pumps down and turn on well pumps No.1, No.4 and No.6 to run water to the facility head box. This operation continued for twenty-four hours at which point normal operations were optimal and fish tagging resumed, although the river didn't clear up enough to feed the fish until the 17th. WATER PRODUCTION: The current combined well and river water supply to the complex is 14,822 gallons/minute. Well No.2 is pumping water at a rate of 530 gallons per minute. All four river pumps are in operation and pumping 14,292 gallons/minute. ACCLIMATION SITES: Cle Elum staff has been working to prep the acclimation sites for the upcoming fish transfer before the snow falls. Thermographs at each site are changed weekly. AMB Tools performed routine maintenance on the compressor and Brown and Jackson pumped out the septic tank at the Jack Creek acclimation site. VEHICLE MAINTENANCE: Snow tires are now on all vehicles and snow blowers were installed on the John Deere tractor and lawn tractor. The snowplow was also installed on the Ford one ton. The four Snowmobiles were serviced by Yamaha Jacks of Ellensburg. MAINTENANCE BUILDING MAINTENANCE: Clean up occurs on Fridays of each week. HATCHERY BUILDING MAINTENANCE: Water has been turned on to vertical incubator islands one and two. After eggs were transferred to vertical stacks cleaning of troughs began. WDFW crew inventoried eggs from isolettes and then transferred them to the vertical incubators. RIVER PUMP STATION MAINTENANCE: All four pumps are in operation and supplying the facility with 14,292 gallons/minute of water to rearing ponds. WELL FIELD MAINTENANCE: Well pumps No.1, No.4 and No.6 were turned on to supplement water flow to the facility as mentioned previously. Well No.5 was powered up but a winterizing valve malfunction wouldn't allow operation, we are currently working on it at this time. Well No.2 is pumping 530 gallons per minute and supplies well water to incubation and chiller. The pumps meter is recorded weekly. Test holes are monitored weekly and results are faxed to CH2MHILL afterward. SAFETY AND TRAINING: Ice melt and sand bags are popular items at the facility this month as freezing temperatures cause ground to become slippery and hazardous. GROUNDS: Van Alden's Plumbing installed a new commode in resident house No.411 and also inspected a plumbing problem at resident No.1131. Cle Elum staff along with WDFW staff worked to locate the spawning channel building back to the position it was at to have Greg Wallace of Wallace Electric hook electricity back up to the spawning shed. MEETINGS AND TOURS: Charlie attended a policy meeting at Cle Elum on the 18th. The Internal projects annual review took place at Cle Elum on the 19th and 20th. Bill Bosch continues to visit monthly to incorporate data into the YKFP data base. PERSONNEL: IHS employees traveled to Cle Elum to administer flu shots to YN staffers and families as well as WDFW staffers.« less

Habitat use of nesting and brood-rearing King Rails in the Illinois and Upper Mississippi River Valleys

USGS Publications Warehouse

Darrah, A.J.; Krementz, D.G.

2011-01-01

Most studies of King Rail (Rallus elegans) have investigated habitat use during the nesting season, while few comparisons have been made between the nesting and brood-rearing seasons. King Rails were located during the nesting season in Missouri using repeated surveys with call playback, and systematic searches for broods were conducted during the brood-rearing season. King Rail adults were located at twelve points in 2006 and 14 points in 2007, and five King Rail broods were located in each year. Water depth was measured and dominant cover type determined for randomly sampled 5-m plots within used and unused habitats. Logistic regression models were fitted to the data and top models were selected from the candidate set using AICc. Nesting adults occurred more often in areas dominated by short (≤1 m) emergent vegetation ( = 0.77 ± 0.27) and deeper water ( = 0.05 ± 0.02). Broods occurred more often in areas dominated by short emergent vegetation ( = 1.19 ± 0.37) and shallow water ( = -0.17 ± 0.06), and avoided areas dominated by tall (>1 m) emergent vegetation ( =-1.15 ± 0.45). A modified catch-curve analysis was used to estimate chick daily survival rates during selected 7-day periods for each year. Daily survival rate ranged from 0.92 ± 0.008 in late June 2007 to 0.96 ± 0.005 in late July 2006. Management plans for King Rails should include the different habitat types needed during the nesting and brood-rearing stages.

A comparison of the reproductive ability of Varroa destructor (Mesostigmata:Varroidae) in worker and drone brood of Africanized honey bees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Calderón, Rafael A; Zamora, Luis G; Van Veen, Johan W; Quesada, Mariela V

2007-01-01

Colony infestation by the parasitic mite, Varroa destructor is one of the most serious problems for beekeeping worldwide. In order to reproduce varroa females, enter worker or drone brood shortly before the cell is sealed. To test the hypothesis that, due to the preference of mites to invade drone brood to reproduce, a high proportion of the mite reproduction should occur in drone cells, a comparative study of mite reproductive rate in worker and drone brood of Africanized honey bees (AHB) was done for 370 mites. After determining the number, developmental stage and sex of the offspring in worker cells, the foundress female mite was immediately transferred into an uninfested drone cell. Mite fertility in single infested worker and drone brood cells was 76.5 and 79.3%, respectively. There was no difference between the groups (X(2)= 0.78, P = 0.37). However, one of the most significant differences in mite reproduction was the higher percentage of mites producing viable offspring (cells that contain one live adult male and at least one adult female mite) in drone cells (38.1%) compared to worker cells (13.8%) (X(2)= 55.4, P < 0.01). Furthermore, a high level of immature offspring occurred in worker cells and not in drone cells (X(2)= 69, P < 0.01). Although no differences were found in the percentage of non-reproducing mites, more than 74% (n = 85) of the mites that did not reproduce in worker brood, produced offspring when they were transferred to drone brood.

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2004 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the eighth season (1997-2004) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the sixth season (1999-2004) of acclimation of resulting Lostine River progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progency for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies. In 2004, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from March 1, 2004 through to April 14, 2004 and a total of 250,249 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2002 egg source and included captive brood (133,781) and conventional (116,468) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2004 began May 10, the first Chinook was captured on May 19, 2004 and the last Chinook was captured on September 16, 2004. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2004. A total of 1,091 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 299 natural origin fish and 792 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 46 natural and 69 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to Lookingglass Hatchery for holding and spawning, 537 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and 447 hatchery origin adult Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in underseeded habitat. Of the 107 adults retained (eight additional hatchery females were collected and then later returned to the Lostine River to spawn naturally) for broodstock at Lookingglass Hatchery, 22 natural females and 30 supplementation females were represented in spawning. These females produced a total of 221,889 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 94.9% which yielded a total of 210,661 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 4,267 eggs per female. These eggs were incubated and at Lookingglass Hatchery until eyed stage and then transferred to Oxbow Hatchery where they will be reared to the fingerling stage. They will then be transported back to LGH and reared to the smolt stage and then transported to the Lostine acclimation facility for release in the spring of 2006. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2006.« less

Impacts of Water Levels on Breeding Canada Geese and Methods for Mitigation and Management in the Southern Flathead Valley, Montana, 1983-1987 Final Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Mackey, Dennis L.; Gregory, Shari K.; Matthews, William C. Jr.

Kerr Hydroelectric Dam is located at the south end of Flathead Lake, controls water levels on the lake and the Flathead River below the dam, and is currently operated as a load control facility. Current operation of Kerr Dam creates the greatest yearly water level fluctuations on both the lake and river during the Canada goose (Branta canadensis moffitti) brood and nesting period. Data collected from 1980-1982 indicated that goose nest numbers on the river were lower than during the 1950's, and that brood habitat on the lake may be limiting the goose population there. Our study was conducted frommore » 1983-1987 to determine the effects of Kerr Dam operation on Canada goose populations and habitat on the south half of Flathead Lake and the Flathead River, and to formulate management and mitigation recommendations. Nesting geese on the river appeared to be negatively affected by a lack of nest sites free from predators, and responded to available artificial nest structures with an increase in nest numbers and nesting success. Under current dam operation, river channel depths and widths do not discourage access to nesting islands by mammalian predators during some years and high predation on ground nests occurs. Intensively used brood areas on the lake and river were identified and described. Brood habitat on the lake was lower in quality and quantity than on the river due to dam operations. Gosling mortality on the lake was high, almost 2 times higher than on the river. Lake broods expended more energy obtaining food than river broods. Losses of brood habitat in the form of wet meadow marshes were documented and mitigation options developed. Management/mitigation alternatives and monitoring methods for nesting and brooding geese were identified.« less

Spatial variability of litter gaseous flux within a commercial broiler house: ammonia, nitrous oxide, carbon dioxide, and methane.

PubMed

Miles, D M; Owens, P R; Rowe, D E

2006-02-01

Twenty-eight flocks were grown on litter in a tunnel-ventilated, curtain-sided commercial broiler house prior to this summer flock. Grid measurements were made using a photo-acoustic multigas analyzer to assess the spatial variability of litter gases (NH3, N2O, CO2, and CH4) on d 1 and 21. The pooled results for the brood and non-brood areas of the house were 1) NH3 flux was greatest in the brood area at d 1, averaging 497 mg/(m2 x h), and had a mean of 370 mg/(m2 x h) in the vacant end of the house; 2) at d 21, the non-brood area had the greater average NH3 flux, 310 mg/(m2 x h), and flux in the brood area was 136 mg/(m2 x h); 3) N2O and CH4 fluxes were <60 mg/(m2 x h); and 4) on d 1, brood CO2 flux was 6,190 mg/(m2 x h) compared with 5,490 mg/ (m2 x h) at the opposite end of the house. On d 21, these values increased to 6,540 and 9,684 mg/(m2 x h) for the brood and non-brood areas. Ammonia flux seemed most affected by litter temperature. Carbon dioxide and CH4 increased from placement to mid growout, corresponding to increased moisture, especially near the fans. Contour plots were developed using geostatistical software to visually assess the spatial disparity among the measurements. This research provides a unique view of gas flux variation within the house. Collinear factors such as house management, bird size and age, and amount of deposition are significant factors for litter gas flux and should be considered in comprehensive models for emission estimates.

Resource Transfers and Evolution: Helpful Offspring and Sex Allocation

PubMed Central

Stubblefield, J. William; Orzack, Steven Hecht

2012-01-01

In some vertebrates, offspring help their parents produce additional offspring. Often individuals of only one sex become “helpers at the nest”. We analyze how such sex-biased offspring helping can influence sex ratio evolution. It is essential to account for age-structure because the sex ratios of early broods influence how much help is available for later broods; previous authors have not correctly accounted for this fact. When each female produces the same sex ratio in all broods (as assumed in all previous analyses of sex-biased helping), the optimal investment strategy is biased towards the more-helpful sex. When a female has facultative control over the sex ratio in each brood and each helper of a given sex increases the resource available for offspring production by a fixed amount, the optimal strategy is to produce only the more-helpful sex in early broods and only the less-helpful sex in later broods. When there are nonlinear returns from helping, i.e., each helper increases the amount of resource available for reproduction by an amount dependent upon the number of helpers, the optimal strategy is to maximize resource accrual from helping in early broods (which may involve the production of both sexes) and then switch to the exclusive production of the less-helpful sex in later broods. The population sex ratio is biased towards the more helpful sex regardless of whether the sex ratio is fixed or age-dependent. When fitness returns from helping exhibit environmental patchiness, females are selected to produce only males on some patches and only females on others, and the population sex ratio may be biased in either direction. We discuss our results in light of empirical information on offspring helping, and we show via meta-analysis that there is no support for the claim of that parents produce more of the helpful sex when that sex is rare or absent. PMID:23164634

25 CFR 170.804 - How is BIA's Road Maintenance Program related to the IRR Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false How is BIA's Road Maintenance Program related to the IRR... WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.804 How is BIA's Road Maintenance Program related to the IRR Program? The following chart illustrates how BIA's Road Maintenance Program is...

Do the Metrics Make the Mission?

DTIC Science & Technology

2008-09-01

view that, “multidimensional peacekeeping missions are complex with many unknown variables and fall victim to mission creep once a peacekeeping...techniques for breeding and vaccinating cattle . Since the vaccination program was implemented, over “nine million heads of livestock have received...Procurement of equipment, fish feed and brood stock is in progress, while 1,500 fish pond owners have been supplied with fish fingerlings. As a result

Experimental shifts in intraclutch egg color variation do not affect egg rejection in a host of a non-egg-mimetic avian brood parasite.

PubMed

Croston, Rebecca; Hauber, Mark E

2015-01-01

Avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and impose the costs associated with rearing parasitic young onto these hosts. Many hosts of brood parasites defend against parasitism by removing foreign eggs from the nest. In systems where parasitic eggs mimic host eggs in coloration and patterning, extensive intraclutch variation in egg appearances may impair the host's ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs, but experimental investigation of this effect has produced conflicting results. The cognitive mechanism by which hosts recognize parasitic eggs may vary across brood parasite hosts, and this may explain variation in experimental outcome across studies investigating egg rejection in hosts of egg-mimicking brood parasites. In contrast, for hosts of non-egg-mimetic parasites, intraclutch egg color variation is not predicted to co-vary with foreign egg rejection, irrespective of cognitive mechanism. Here we tested for effects of intraclutch egg color variation in a host of nonmimetic brood parasite by manipulating egg color in American robins (Turdus migratorius), hosts of brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). We recorded robins' behavioral responses to simulated cowbird parasitism in nests where color variation was artificially enhanced or reduced. We also quantified egg color variation within and between unmanipulated robin clutches as perceived by robins themselves using spectrophotometric measures and avian visual modeling. In unmanipulated nests, egg color varied more between than within robin clutches. As predicted, however, manipulation of color variation did not affect rejection rates. Overall, our results best support the scenario wherein egg rejection is the outcome of selective pressure by a nonmimetic brood parasite, because robins are efficient rejecters of foreign eggs, irrespective of the color variation within their own clutch.

Experimental Shifts in Intraclutch Egg Color Variation Do Not Affect Egg Rejection in a Host of a Non-Egg-Mimetic Avian Brood Parasite

PubMed Central

Croston, Rebecca; Hauber, Mark E.

2015-01-01

Avian brood parasites lay their eggs in the nests of other birds, and impose the costs associated with rearing parasitic young onto these hosts. Many hosts of brood parasites defend against parasitism by removing foreign eggs from the nest. In systems where parasitic eggs mimic host eggs in coloration and patterning, extensive intraclutch variation in egg appearances may impair the host’s ability to recognize and reject parasitic eggs, but experimental investigation of this effect has produced conflicting results. The cognitive mechanism by which hosts recognize parasitic eggs may vary across brood parasite hosts, and this may explain variation in experimental outcome across studies investigating egg rejection in hosts of egg-mimicking brood parasites. In contrast, for hosts of non-egg-mimetic parasites, intraclutch egg color variation is not predicted to co-vary with foreign egg rejection, irrespective of cognitive mechanism. Here we tested for effects of intraclutch egg color variation in a host of nonmimetic brood parasite by manipulating egg color in American robins (Turdus migratorius), hosts of brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater). We recorded robins’ behavioral responses to simulated cowbird parasitism in nests where color variation was artificially enhanced or reduced. We also quantified egg color variation within and between unmanipulated robin clutches as perceived by robins themselves using spectrophotometric measures and avian visual modeling. In unmanipulated nests, egg color varied more between than within robin clutches. As predicted, however, manipulation of color variation did not affect rejection rates. Overall, our results best support the scenario wherein egg rejection is the outcome of selective pressure by a nonmimetic brood parasite, because robins are efficient rejecters of foreign eggs, irrespective of the color variation within their own clutch. PMID:25831051

Macroinvertebrate abundance, water chemistry, and wetland characteristics affect use of wetlands by avian species in Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Longcore, J.R.; McAuley, D.G.; Pendelton, G.W.; Bennatti, C.R.; Mingo, T.M.; Stromborg, K.L.

2006-01-01

Our objective was to determine use by avian species (e.g., piscivores, marsh birds, waterfowl, selected passerines) of 29 wetlands in areas with low (<200 μeq l−1) acid-neutralizing capacity (ANC) in southeastern Maine. We documented bird, pair, and brood use during 1982–1984 and in 1982 we sampled 10 wetlands with a sweep net to collect invertebrates. We related mean numbers of invertebrates per wetland to water chemistry, basin characteristics, and avian use of different wetland types. Shallow, beaver (Castor canadensis)-created wetlands with the highest phosphorus levels and abundant and varied macrophyte assemblages supported greater densities of macroinvertebrates and numbers of duck broods (88.3% of all broods) in contrast to deep, glacial type wetlands with sparse vegetation and lower invertebrate densities that supported fewer broods (11.7%). Low pH may have affected some acid-intolerant invertebrate taxa (i.e., Ephemeroptera), but high mean numbers of Insecta per wetland were recorded from wetlands with a pH of 5.51. Other Classes and Orders of invertebrates were more abundant on wetlands with pH > 5.51. All years combined use of wetlands by broods was greater on wetlands with pH ≤ 5.51 (77.4%) in contract to wetlands with pH > 5.51 that supported 21.8% of the broods. High mean brood density was associated with mean number of Insecta per wetland. For lentic wetlands created by beaver, those habitats contained vegetative structure and nutrients necessary to provide cover to support invertebrate populations that are prey of omnivore and insectivore species. The fishless status of a few wetlands may have affected use by some waterfowl species and obligate piscivores.

Patch size and edge proximity are useful predictors of brood parasitism but not nest survival of grassland birds.

PubMed

Benson, Thomas J; Chiavacci, Scott J; Ward, Michael P

2013-06-01

Declines of migratory birds have led to increased focus on causative factors for these declines, including the potential adverse effects of habitat fragmentation on reproductive success. Although numerous studies have addressed how proximity to a habitat edge, patch size, or landscape context influence nest survival or brood parasitism, many have failed to find the purported effects. Furthermore, many have sought to generalize patterns across large geographic areas and habitats. Here, we examined evidence for effects of edge proximity, patch size, and landscape context on nest survival and brood parasitism of grassland birds, a group of conservation concern. The only consistent effect was a positive association between edge proximity and brood parasitism. We examined effects of patch size on nest survival (37 studies) and brood parasitism (30 studies) representing 170 and 97 different estimates, respectively, with a total sample size of > 14000 nests spanning eastern North America. Nest survival weakly increased with patch size in the Great Plains, but not in the Midwestern or Eastern United States, and brood parasitism was inversely related to patch size and consistently greater in the Great Plains. The consistency in brood parasitism relative to nest survival patterns is likely due to parasitism being caused by one species, while nest survival is driven by a diverse and variable suite of nest predators. Often, studies assume that predators responsible for nest predation, the main driver of nest success, either are the same or exhibit the same behaviors across large geographic areas. These results suggest that a better mechanistic understanding of nest predation is needed to provide meaningful conservation recommendations for improving grassland bird productivity, and that the use of general recommendations across large geographic areas should only be undertaken when sufficient data are available from all regions.

Summer brood-rearing ecology of the greater prairie chicken on the Sheyenne National Grasslands

Treesearch

Jay A. Newell; John E. Toepfer; Mark A. Rumble

1988-01-01

Twenty-two radio-tagged hens hatched 265 chicks, of which all but 4 left the nest. Mortality of chicks was high, especially in the first 24 days, with only 28.4% surviving to the end of summer. Brood ranges varied from 22 to 2248 ha with an average of 488.6 ha for 15 broods that had at least one chick alive on 10 August. Several factors influenced the size of the range...

Diet-Morphology Correlations in the Radiation of South American Geophagine Cichlids (Perciformes: Cichlidae: Cichlinae)

PubMed Central

López-Fernández, Hernán; Winemiller, Kirk O.; Montaña, Carmen; Honeycutt, Rodney L.

2012-01-01

Genera within the South American cichlid tribe Geophagini display specialized feeding and reproductive strategies, with some taxa specialized for both substrate-sifting and mouth brooding. Several lineages within the clade also possess an epibranchial lobe (EBL), a unique pharyngeal structure that has been proposed to have a function in feeding and/or mouth brooding. A recently published genus-level phylogeny of Neotropical cichlids was used as the evolutionary framework for investigating the evolution of morphological features presumably correlated with diet and mouth brooding in the tribe Geophagini. We tested for possible associations between the geophagine epibranchial lobe and benthic feeding and mouth brooding. We also addressed whether the EBL may be associated with unique patterns of diversification in certain geophagine clades. Tests of binary character correlations revealed the EBL was significantly associated with mouth brooding. We also tested for a relationship between diet and morphology. We analyzed stomach contents and morphometric variation among 21 species, with data for two additional species obtained from the literature. Principal Components Analysis revealed axes of morphological variation significantly correlated with piscivory and benthivory, and both morphology and diet were significantly associated with phylogeny. These results suggest that the EBL could be an adaptation for either feeding or mouth brooding. The EBL, however, was not associated with species richness or accelerated rates of phyletic diversification. PMID:22485154

The dynamics of reproductive rate, offspring survivorship and growth in the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus Perry, 1810

PubMed Central

Lin, Qiang; Li, Gang; Qin, Geng; Lin, Junda; Huang, Liangmin; Sun, Hushan; Feng, Peiyong

2012-01-01

Summary Seahorses are the vertebrate group with the embryonic development occurring within a special pouch in males. To understand the reproductive efficiency of the lined seahorse, Hippocampus erectus Perry, 1810 under controlled breeding experiments, we investigated the dynamics of reproductive rate, offspring survivorship and growth over births by the same male seahorses. The mean brood size of the 1-year old pairs in the 1st birth was 85.4±56.9 per brood, which was significantly smaller than that in the 6th birth (465.9±136.4 per brood) (P<0.001). The offspring survivorship and growth rate increased with the births. The fecundity was positively correlated with the length of brood pouches of males and trunk of females. The fecundity of 1-year old male and 2-year old female pairs was significantly higher than that from 1-year old couples (P<0.001). The brood size (552.7±150.4) of the males who mated with females that were isolated for the gamete-preparation, was larger than those (467.8±141.2) from the long-term pairs (P<0.05). Moreover, the offspring from the isolated females had higher survival and growth rates. Our results showed that the potential reproductive rate of seahorses H. erectus increased with the brood pouch development. PMID:23213429

Early life stress predicts negative urgency through brooding, depending on 5-HTTLPR genotype: A pilot study with 6-month follow-up examining suicide ideation.

PubMed

Valderrama, Jorge; Miranda, Regina

2017-12-01

The present study examined the interaction between early life stress and 5-HTT genotypes in predicting two risk factors for suicidal behavior - the brooding subtype of rumination and impulsivity, in the form of negative urgency - over time. Furthermore, we examined early life stress, brooding, and impulsivity as predictors of suicidal ideation over time. Participants with and without a history of early life stress were genotyped for the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism and completed assessments assessing brooding and negative urgency at baseline and 6-month follow up. Early life emotional abuse was associated with negative urgency at follow-up. We found an indirect effect of early life emotional abuse on negative urgency through brooding among individuals with 5-HTT low expressing genotypes but not among individuals with 5-HTT high expressing genotypes. Further, a logistic regression analysis revealed that negative urgency was associated with higher odds (O.R. = 16.2) of reporting suicide ideation (versus no ideation) at follow-up. Our findings suggest that brooding and negative urgency may result from the interaction between early life emotional abuse and 5-HTT low expressing genotypes. Further research is necessary to understand how early life stress interacts with 5-HTT genotypes to confer risk for suicidal behavior through psychological mechanisms. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brood desertion by female shorebirds: a test of the differential parental capacity hypothesis on Kentish plovers.

PubMed Central

Amat, J A; Visser, G H; Pérez-Hurtado, A; Arroyo, G M

2000-01-01

The aim of this study was to examine whether the energetic costs of reproduction explain offspring desertion by female shorebirds, as is suggested by the differential parental capacity hypothesis. A prediction of the hypothesis is that, in species with biparental incubation in which females desert from brood care after hatching, the body condition of females should decline after laying to a point at which their body reserves are too low for continuing parental care. We tested this prediction on Kentish plovers (Charadrius alexandrinus) in which both sexes incubate but the females desert from brood care before the chicks fledge. We found no changes in either the body masses or body compositions of both individual male and female plovers from early incubation and throughout early chick rearing. Furthermore, the timing of brood desertion by females was not affected by their body condition. Neither did we find gender differences in the energetic costs of incubation. There were no differences in the timing of brood desertion between experimental and control females in an experiment in which we lengthened or shortened the duration of incubation by one week. These results indicate that energetic costs do not explain offspring desertion by female Kentish plovers and that the needs of chicks for parental care rather than cumulative investment by females is what determines the timing of brood desertion. PMID:11413629

High prevalence of multiple paternity in the invasive crayfish species, Procambarus clarkii

PubMed Central

Yue, Gen Hua; Li, Jia Le; Wang, Chun Ming; Xia, Jun Hong; Wang, Gen Lin; Feng, Jian Bing

2010-01-01

Reproductive strategy is a central feature of the ecology of invasive species as it determines the potential for population increase and range expansion. The red swamp crayfish, Procambarus clarkii, has invaded many countries and caused serious problems in freshwater ecosystems. However, little is known about the effects of environmental conditions on crayfish paternity and offspring traits in the wild. We studied these reproductive characteristics of P. clarkii in wild populations from two different habitats (ponds and ditches) in three locations with different environmental conditions in China. Genotyping of 1,436 offspring and 30 mothers of 30 broods was conducted by using four microsatellites. An analysis of genotyping results revealed that gravid females were the exclusive mother of the progeny they tended. Twenty-nine of 30 mothers had mated with multiple (2-4) males, each of which contributed differently to the number of offspring in a brood. The average number of fathers per brood and the number of offspring per brood were similar (P > 0.05) among six sampling sites, indicating that in P. clarkii multiple paternity and offspring number per brood are independent of environmental conditions studied. Indirect benefits from increasing the genetic diversity of broods, male and sperm competition, and cryptic female choice are a possible explanation for the high level multiple paternity and different contribution of fathers to offspring in this species. PMID:20186292

Escalation of a coevolutionary arms race through host rejection of brood parasitic young.

PubMed

Langmore, Naomi E; Hunt, Sarah; Kilner, Rebecca M

2003-03-13

Cuckoo nestlings that evict all other young from the nest soon after hatching impose a high reproductive cost on their hosts. In defence, hosts have coevolved strategies to prevent brood parasitism. Puzzlingly, they do not extend beyond the egg stage. Thus, hosts adept at recognizing foreign eggs remain vulnerable to exploitation by cuckoo nestlings. Here we show that the breach of host egg defences by cuckoos creates a new stage in the coevolutionary cycle. We found that defences used during the egg-laying period by host superb fairy-wrens (Malurus cyaneus) are easily evaded by the Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo (Chrysococcyx basalis), a specialist fairy-wren brood parasite. However, although hosts never deserted their own broods, they later abandoned 40% of nests containing a lone Horsfield's bronze-cuckoo nestling, and 100% of nests with a lone shining bronze-cuckoo nestling (Chrysococcyx lucidus), an occasional fairy-wren brood parasite. Our experiments demonstrate that host discrimination against evictor-cuckoo nestlings is possible, and suggest that it has selected for the evolution of nestling mimicry in bronze-cuckoos.

The Activity of Carbohydrate-Degrading Enzymes in the Development of Brood and Newly Emerged workers and Drones of the Carniolan Honeybee, Apis mellifera carnica

PubMed Central

Żółtowska, Krystyna; Lipiński, Zbigniew; Łopieńska-Biernat, Elżbieta; Farjan, Marek; Dmitryjuk, Małgorzata

2012-01-01

The activity of glycogen Phosphorylase and carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes α-amylase, glucoamylase, trehalase, and sucrase was studied in the development of the Carniolan honey bee, Apis mellifera carnica Pollman (Hymenoptera: Apidae), from newly hatched larva to freshly emerged imago of worker and drone. Phosphorolytic degradation of glycogen was significantly stronger than hydrolytic degradation in all developmental stages. Developmental profiles of hydrolase activity were similar in both sexes of brood; high activity was found in unsealed larvae, the lowest in prepupae followed by an increase in enzymatic activity. Especially intensive increases in activity occurred in the last stage of pupae and newly emerged imago. Besides α-amylase, the activities of other enzymes were higher in drone than in worker broods. Among drones, activity of glucoamylase was particularly high, ranging from around three times higher in the youngest larvae to 13 times higher in the oldest pupae. This confirms earlier suggestions about higher rates of metabolism in drone broods than in worker broods. PMID:22943407

The activity of carbohydrate-degrading enzymes in the development of brood and newly emerged workers and drones of the Carniolan honeybee, Apis mellifera carnica.

PubMed

Żółtowska, Krystyna; Lipiński, Zbigniew; Łopieńska-Biernat, Elżbieta; Farjan, Marek; Dmitryjuk, Małgorzata

2012-01-01

The activity of glycogen Phosphorylase and carbohydrate hydrolyzing enzymes α-amylase, glucoamylase, trehalase, and sucrase was studied in the development of the Carniolan honey bee, Apis mellifera carnica Pollman (Hymenoptera: Apidae), from newly hatched larva to freshly emerged imago of worker and drone. Phosphorolytic degradation of glycogen was significantly stronger than hydrolytic degradation in all developmental stages. Developmental profiles of hydrolase activity were similar in both sexes of brood; high activity was found in unsealed larvae, the lowest in prepupae followed by an increase in enzymatic activity. Especially intensive increases in activity occurred in the last stage of pupae and newly emerged imago. Besides α-amylase, the activities of other enzymes were higher in drone than in worker broods. Among drones, activity of glucoamylase was particularly high, ranging from around three times higher in the youngest larvae to 13 times higher in the oldest pupae. This confirms earlier suggestions about higher rates of metabolism in drone broods than in worker broods.

Behavior of Cackling Canada Geese during brood rearing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Fowler, Ada C.; Ely, Craig R.

1997-01-01

We studied behavior of Cackling Canada Goose (Branta canadensis minima, cacklers) broods between 1992 and 1996 on the Yukon Delta National Wildlife Refuge in western Alaska. An increase in time spent foraging by goslings during our study was weakly correlated with an increase in the size of the local breeding population. Amount of time spent feeding by adults and goslings increased throughout the brood rearing period. Overall, goslings spent more time feeding than either adult females or males, and adult males spent the most time alert. Time alert varied among brood rearing areas and increased with brood size, but there was no variation in time spent alert among years. Increases in feeding or alert behaviors were at a cost to time spent in all other behaviors. We suggest that there is not a simple trade-off between feeding and alert behavior in cacklers, but instead that time spent feeding and alert are optimized against all other behaviors. We suggest that forage quality and availability determines the amount of time spent feeding, whereas the threat of predation or disturbance determines the amount of time spent alert.

Chronic exposure of a honey bee colony to 2. 45 GHz continuous wave microwaves

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Westerdahl, B.B.; Gary, N.E.

A honey bee colony (Apis mellifera L.) was exposed 28 days to 2.45 GHz continuous wave microwaves at a power density (1 mW/sq cm) expected to be associated with rectennae in the solar power satellite power transmission system. Differences found between the control and microwave-treated colonies were not large, and were in the range of normal variation among similar colonies. Thus, there is an indication that microwave treatment had little, if any, effect on (1) flight and pollen foraging activity, (2) maintenance of internal colony temperature, (3) brood rearing activity, (4) food collection and storage, (5) colony weight, and (6)more » adult populations. Additional experiments are necessary before firm conclusions can be made.« less

The Circadian Clock of the Ant Camponotus floridanus Is Localized in Dorsal and Lateral Neurons of the Brain.

PubMed

Kay, Janina; Menegazzi, Pamela; Mildner, Stephanie; Roces, Flavio; Helfrich-Förster, Charlotte

2018-06-01

The circadian clock of social insects has become a focal point of interest for research, as social insects show complex forms of timed behavior and organization within their colonies. These behaviors include brood care, nest maintenance, foraging, swarming, defense, and many other tasks, of which several require social synchronization and accurate timing. Ants of the genus Camponotus have been shown to display a variety of daily timed behaviors such as the emergence of males from the nest, foraging, and relocation of brood. Nevertheless, circadian rhythms of isolated individuals have been studied in few ant species, and the circadian clock network in the brain that governs such behaviors remains completely uncharacterized. Here we show that isolated minor workers of Camponotus floridanus exhibit temperature overcompensated free-running locomotor activity rhythms under constant darkness. Under light-dark cycles, most animals are active during day and night, with a slight preference for the night. On the neurobiological level, we show that distinct cell groups in the lateral and dorsal brain of minor workers of C. floridanus are immunostained with an antibody against the clock protein Period (PER) and a lateral group additionally with an antibody against the neuropeptide pigment-dispersing factor (PDF). PER abundance oscillates in a daily manner, and PDF-positive neurites invade most parts of the brain, suggesting that the PER/PDF-positive neurons are bona fide clock neurons that transfer rhythmic signals into the relevant brain areas controlling rhythmic behavior.

Survival and brood rearing ecology of emperor geese

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, Joel A.

2000-01-01

Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) breed on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta in an area inhabited by three other goose species. Whereas populations of other geese increased since the mid 1980s, Emperor Goose numbers remained low. Because survival and habitat selection by broods of Emeperor Geese had not been studied previously and numbers of predatory Glaucous Gulls (Larus hyperboreus) had recently increased, I studied brood rearing ecology of Emperor Geese during 1993-1996 to assess whether this seasonal period could be limiting population growth. Survival of goslings to 30 days varied among years from 0.32 to 0.70 and was primarily influenced by mortality during the first five days after hatch. Other goose species with similar rates of gosling survival are increasing rapidly. Survival of Emperor Goose goslings was lowest in 1994, when unusually heavy rainfall occurred during early brood rearing. Using a long-term data set from Izembek National Wildlife Refuge, sizes of families in fall (n=23 years) were related to rainfall during early brood rearing. Gosling survival was lower and gull disturbance of broods greater in 1993-1994 than in 1995-1996. Although goslings wer commonly consumed by Glaucous Gulls, gull diets during 1993 were similar to those observed in the 1970s. Across a broad scale, broods of Emperor Geese (n=56) strongly selected habitats dominated by Carex subspathaceae, Carex ramenskii, and unvegetated areas interspersed among these forage species, as determined from telemetry. These selected habitats comprised one-third of all available habitat. Habitat selection by the composite goose community (dominated by Cackling Canada Geese [Branta canadensis minima]) was assessed by feces collections and differed substantially from that of Emperor Geese. Broods of Emperor Geese spent more time feeding during 1993-1996 than during an earlier study in 1985-1986. During 1994-1996, feeding rates of gosling and adult females was related more to total goose density than to Emperor Goose density. Although Cackling Canada Geese exhibited strongest selection of other habitats, their greater overall abundance resulted in numerical equivalence to Emperor Geese in habitats preferred by Emperor Geese. Interspecific competition for food has impacted behavior in Emperor Geese, which may impact growth and survival of juvenile geese.

Space shuttle maintenance program planning document

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brown, D. V.

1972-01-01

A means for developing a space shuttle maintenance program which will be acceptable to the development centers, the operators (KSC and AF), and the manufacturer is presented. The general organization and decision processes for determining the essential scheduled maintenance requirements for the space shuttle orbiter are outlined. The development of initial scheduled maintenance programs is discussed. The remaining maintenance, that is non-scheduled or non-routine maintenance, is directed by the findings of the scheduled maintenance program and the normal operation of the shuttle. The remaining maintenance consists of maintenance actions to correct discrepancies noted during scheduled maintenance tasks, nonscheduled maintenance, normal operation, or condition monitoring.

Alternative reproductive tactics in snail shell-brooding cichlids diverge in energy reserve allocation.

PubMed

von Kuerthy, Corinna; Tschirren, Linda; Taborsky, Michael

2015-05-01

Life history theory predicts that the amount of resources allocated to reproduction should maximize an individual's lifetime reproductive success. So far, resource allocation in reproduction has been studied mainly in females. Intraspecific variation of endogenous energy storage and utilization patterns of males has received little attention, although these patterns may vary greatly between individuals pursuing alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). ARTs are characterized by systematic variation of behavioral, physiological, and often morphological traits among same-sex conspecifics. Some individuals may rely on previously accumulated reserves, because of limited foraging opportunities during reproduction. Others may be able to continue foraging during reproduction, thus relying on reserves to a lesser extent. We therefore predicted that, if male tactics involve such divergent limitations and trade-offs within a species, ARTs should correspondingly differ in energy reserve allocation and utilization. To test this prediction, we studied short-term and long-term reserve storage patterns of males in the shell-brooding cichlid Lamprologus callipterus. In this species, bourgeois males investing in territory defense, courtship, and guarding of broods coexist with two distinct parasitic male tactics: (1) opportunistic sneaker males attempting to fertilize eggs by releasing sperm into the shell opening when a female is spawning; and (2) specialized dwarf males attempting to enter the shell past the spawning female to fertilize eggs from inside the shell. Sneaker males differed from other male types by showing the highest amount of accumulated short-term and long-term fat stores, apparently anticipating their upcoming adoption of the nest male status. In contrast, nest males depleted previously accumulated energy reserves with increasing nest holding period, as they invest heavily into costly reproductive behaviors while not taking up any food. This conforms to a capital breeder strategy. Dwarf males did not accumulate long-term fat stores at all, which they can afford due to their small behavioral effort during reproduction and their continued feeding activity, conforming to an income breeder strategy. Our data confirm that the resource storage patterns of males pursuing ARTs can diverge substantially, which adds to our understanding of the coexistence and maintenance of alternative reproductive patterns within species.

Alternative reproductive tactics in snail shell-brooding cichlids diverge in energy reserve allocation

PubMed Central

von Kuerthy, Corinna; Tschirren, Linda; Taborsky, Michael

2015-01-01

Life history theory predicts that the amount of resources allocated to reproduction should maximize an individual's lifetime reproductive success. So far, resource allocation in reproduction has been studied mainly in females. Intraspecific variation of endogenous energy storage and utilization patterns of males has received little attention, although these patterns may vary greatly between individuals pursuing alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs). ARTs are characterized by systematic variation of behavioral, physiological, and often morphological traits among same-sex conspecifics. Some individuals may rely on previously accumulated reserves, because of limited foraging opportunities during reproduction. Others may be able to continue foraging during reproduction, thus relying on reserves to a lesser extent. We therefore predicted that, if male tactics involve such divergent limitations and trade-offs within a species, ARTs should correspondingly differ in energy reserve allocation and utilization. To test this prediction, we studied short-term and long-term reserve storage patterns of males in the shell-brooding cichlid Lamprologus callipterus. In this species, bourgeois males investing in territory defense, courtship, and guarding of broods coexist with two distinct parasitic male tactics: (1) opportunistic sneaker males attempting to fertilize eggs by releasing sperm into the shell opening when a female is spawning; and (2) specialized dwarf males attempting to enter the shell past the spawning female to fertilize eggs from inside the shell. Sneaker males differed from other male types by showing the highest amount of accumulated short-term and long-term fat stores, apparently anticipating their upcoming adoption of the nest male status. In contrast, nest males depleted previously accumulated energy reserves with increasing nest holding period, as they invest heavily into costly reproductive behaviors while not taking up any food. This conforms to a capital breeder strategy. Dwarf males did not accumulate long-term fat stores at all, which they can afford due to their small behavioral effort during reproduction and their continued feeding activity, conforming to an income breeder strategy. Our data confirm that the resource storage patterns of males pursuing ARTs can diverge substantially, which adds to our understanding of the coexistence and maintenance of alternative reproductive patterns within species. PMID:26045956

25 CFR 170.801 - What is the BIA Road Maintenance Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is the BIA Road Maintenance Program? 170.801 Section... ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.801 What is the BIA Road Maintenance Program? The BIA Road... subpart contains a list of activities that are eligible for funding under the BIA road maintenance program. ...

25 CFR 170.803 - What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.803 What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program? (a) The following public transportation facilities are eligible for maintenance under the BIA Road Maintenance Program: (1) BIA transportation facilities listed in...

Self-evaluative and emotion processes linked with brooding rumination among adolescents

PubMed Central

Burwell, Rebecca A.

2016-01-01

Rumination has been linked with a number of deleterious outcomes, though relatively little is known about self-evaluative and emotion processes by which it develops. The current investigation uses a prospective, longitudinal design and self-report measures to examine the role of contingent self-worth, perfectionism, negative emotion beliefs, and suppression of negative emotion in predicting the development of brooding and reflective forms of rumination among 168 adolescents (98 girls, 79.6% European-American) undergoing the transition to high school (Mage = 13.58). Results of structural equation modeling indicate that self-evaluative vulnerability (i.e., self-worth contingencies, perfectionism) and negative emotion beliefs, but not the suppression of negative emotion, predict brooding (but not reflective) rumination. The current study demonstrates how brooding is intertwined with views of self and core assumptions about emotion. PMID:25900099

First observed instance of polygyny in Flammulated Owls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Linkhart, B.D.; Evers, E.M.; Megler, J.D.; Palm, E.C.; Salipante, C.M.; Yanco, S.W.

2008-01-01

We document the first observed instance of polygyny in Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) and the first among insectivorous raptors. Chronologies of the male's two nests, which were 510 m apart, were separated by nearly 2 weeks. Each brood initially consisted of three owlets, similar to the mean brood size in monogamous pairs. The male delivered considerably fewer prey to the secondary nest, compared with prey-delivery rates at nests of monogamous males during the nestling period. Evidence suggested that all owlets fledged from the primary brood, but only one fledged from the secondary brood. We were uncertain of the cause of polygyny, but a possible explanation is the Hayman Fire shifted the operational sex ratio of the owls in favor of females. The extent of polygyny in Flammulated Owls may be limited by costs to the reproductive success of secondary females.

Survival of spectacled eider adult females and ducklings during brood rearing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Flint, Paul L.; Grand, James B.

1997-01-01

We studied survival of adult female and duckling spectacled eiders (Somateria fischeri) during brood rearing on the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska from 1993 to 1995. Duckling survival to 30 days of age averaged 34% with a 95% confidence interval from 25 to 47%. Half (49%) of radiomarked adult females had lost all their ducklings by 30 days after hatch. Most (74%) duckling mortality occurred in the first 10 days. Adult female survival during the first 30 days of brood rearing was 93 ± 3% (SE). Females died from lead poisoning, as a result of ingesting lead shot, and predation. Mortality of adult females during brood rearing is probably higher than during other times of the year. Low adult female survival during the breeding season may be contributing to the overall population decline of spectacled eiders.

The relationship between female brooding and male nestling provisioning: does climate underlie geographic variation in sex roles?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Yoon, Jongmin; Sofaer, Helen R.; Sillett, T. Scott; Morrison, Scott A.; Ghalambor, Cameron K.

2017-01-01

Comparative studies of populations occupying different environments can provide insights into the ecological conditions affecting differences in parental strategies, including the relative contributions of males and females. Male and female parental strategies reflect the interplay between ecological conditions, the contributions of the social mate, and the needs of offspring. Climate is expected to underlie geographic variation in incubation and brooding behavior, and can thereby affect both the absolute and relative contributions of each sex to other aspects of parental care such as offspring provisioning. However, geographic variation in brooding behavior has received much less attention than variation in incubation attentiveness or provisioning rates. We compared parental behavior during the nestling period in populations of orange-crowned warblers Oreothlypis celata near the northern (64°N) and southern (33°N) boundaries of the breeding range. In Alaska, we found that males were responsible for the majority of food delivery whereas the sexes contributed equally to provisioning in California. Higher male provisioning in Alaska appeared to facilitate a higher proportion of time females spent brooding the nestlings. Surprisingly, differences in brooding between populations could not be explained by variation in ambient temperature, which was similar between populations during the nestling period. While these results represent a single population contrast, they suggest additional hypotheses for the ecological correlates and evolutionary drivers of geographic variation in brooding behavior, and the factors that shape the contributions of each sex.

Standardised classification of pre-release development in male-brooding pipefish, seahorses, and seadragons (Family Syngnathidae)

PubMed Central

2012-01-01

Background Members of the family Syngnathidae share a unique reproductive mode termed male pregnancy. Males carry eggs in specialised brooding structures for several weeks and release free-swimming offspring. Here we describe a systematic investigation of pre-release development in syngnathid fishes, reviewing available data for 17 species distributed across the family. This work is complemented by in-depth examinations of the straight-nosed pipefish Nerophis ophidion, the black-striped pipefish Syngnathus abaster, and the potbellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis. Results We propose a standardised classification of early syngnathid development that extends from the activation of the egg to the release of newborn. The classification consists of four developmental periods – early embryogenesis, eye development, snout formation, and juvenile – which are further divided into 11 stages. Stages are characterised by morphological traits that are easily visible in live and preserved specimens using incident-light microscopy. Conclusions Our classification is derived from examinations of species representing the full range of brooding-structure complexity found in the Syngnathidae, including tail-brooding as well as trunk-brooding species, which represent independent evolutionary lineages. We chose conspicuous common traits as diagnostic features of stages to allow for rapid and consistent staging of embryos and larvae across the entire family. In view of the growing interest in the biology of the Syngnathidae, we believe that the classification proposed here will prove useful for a wide range of studies on the unique reproductive biology of these male-brooding fish. PMID:23273265

Standardised classification of pre-release development in male-brooding pipefish, seahorses, and seadragons (Family Syngnathidae).

PubMed

Sommer, Stefan; Whittington, Camilla M; Wilson, Anthony B

2012-12-29

Members of the family Syngnathidae share a unique reproductive mode termed male pregnancy. Males carry eggs in specialised brooding structures for several weeks and release free-swimming offspring. Here we describe a systematic investigation of pre-release development in syngnathid fishes, reviewing available data for 17 species distributed across the family. This work is complemented by in-depth examinations of the straight-nosed pipefish Nerophis ophidion, the black-striped pipefish Syngnathus abaster, and the potbellied seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis. We propose a standardised classification of early syngnathid development that extends from the activation of the egg to the release of newborn. The classification consists of four developmental periods - early embryogenesis, eye development, snout formation, and juvenile - which are further divided into 11 stages. Stages are characterised by morphological traits that are easily visible in live and preserved specimens using incident-light microscopy. Our classification is derived from examinations of species representing the full range of brooding-structure complexity found in the Syngnathidae, including tail-brooding as well as trunk-brooding species, which represent independent evolutionary lineages. We chose conspicuous common traits as diagnostic features of stages to allow for rapid and consistent staging of embryos and larvae across the entire family. In view of the growing interest in the biology of the Syngnathidae, we believe that the classification proposed here will prove useful for a wide range of studies on the unique reproductive biology of these male-brooding fish.

Implementation of genetic conservation practices in a muskellunge propagation and stocking program

USGS Publications Warehouse

Jennings, Martin J.; Sloss, Brian L.; Hatzenbeler, Gene R.; Kampa, Jeffrey M.; Simonson, Timothy D.; Avelallemant, Steven P.; Lindenberger, Gary A.; Underwood, Bruce D.

2010-01-01

Conservation of genetic resources is a challenging issue for agencies managing popular sport fishes. To address the ongoing potential for genetic risks, we developed a comprehensive set of recommendations to conserve genetic diversity of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) in Wisconsin, and evaluated the extent to which the recommendations can be implemented. Although some details are specific to Wisconsin's muskellunge propagation program, many of the practical issues affecting implementation are applicable to other species and production systems. We developed guidelines to restrict future broodstock collection operations to lakes with natural reproduction and to develop a set of brood lakes to use on a rotational basis within regional stock boundaries, but implementation will require considering lakes with variable stocking histories. Maintaining an effective population size sufficient to minimize the risk of losing alleles requires limiting broodstock collection to large lakes. Recommendations to better approximate the temporal distribution of spawning in hatchery operations and randomize selection of brood fish are feasible. Guidelines to modify rearing and distribution procedures face some logistic constraints. An evaluation of genetic diversity of hatchery-produced fish during 2008 demonstrated variable success representing genetic variation of the source population. Continued evaluation of hatchery operations will optimize operational efficiency while moving toward genetic conservation goals.

Deep-sea octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) conducts the longest-known egg-brooding period of any animal.

PubMed

Robison, Bruce; Seibel, Brad; Drazen, Jeffrey

2014-01-01

Octopuses typically have a single reproductive period and then they die (semelparity). Once a clutch of fertilized eggs has been produced, the female protects and tends them until they hatch. In most shallow-water species this period of parental care can last from 1 to 3 months, but very little is known about the brooding of deep-living species. In the cold, dark waters of the deep ocean, metabolic processes are often slower than their counterparts at shallower depths. Extrapolations from data on shallow-water octopus species suggest that lower temperatures would prolong embryonic development periods. Likewise, laboratory studies have linked lower temperatures to longer brooding periods in cephalopods, but direct evidence has not been available. We found an opportunity to directly measure the brooding period of the deep-sea octopus Graneledone boreopacifica, in its natural habitat. At 53 months, it is by far the longest egg-brooding period ever reported for any animal species. These surprising results emphasize the selective value of prolonged embryonic development in order to produce competitive hatchlings. They also extend the known boundaries of physiological adaptations for life in the deep sea.

Deep-Sea Octopus (Graneledone boreopacifica) Conducts the Longest-Known Egg-Brooding Period of Any Animal

PubMed Central

Robison, Bruce; Seibel, Brad; Drazen, Jeffrey

2014-01-01

Octopuses typically have a single reproductive period and then they die (semelparity). Once a clutch of fertilized eggs has been produced, the female protects and tends them until they hatch. In most shallow-water species this period of parental care can last from 1 to 3 months, but very little is known about the brooding of deep-living species. In the cold, dark waters of the deep ocean, metabolic processes are often slower than their counterparts at shallower depths. Extrapolations from data on shallow-water octopus species suggest that lower temperatures would prolong embryonic development periods. Likewise, laboratory studies have linked lower temperatures to longer brooding periods in cephalopods, but direct evidence has not been available. We found an opportunity to directly measure the brooding period of the deep-sea octopus Graneledone boreopacifica, in its natural habitat. At 53 months, it is by far the longest egg-brooding period ever reported for any animal species. These surprising results emphasize the selective value of prolonged embryonic development in order to produce competitive hatchlings. They also extend the known boundaries of physiological adaptations for life in the deep sea. PMID:25075745

Reproduction of Varroa destructor and offspring mortality in worker and drone brood cells of Africanized honey bees.

PubMed

Calderón, R A; Ureña, S; van Veen, J W

2012-04-01

Varroa destructor is known to be the most serious parasite of Apis mellifera worldwide. In order to reproduce varroa females enter worker or drone brood shortly before the cell is sealed. From March to December 2008, the reproductive rate and offspring mortality (mature and immature stages), focusing on male absence and male mortality of V. destructor, was investigated in naturally infested worker and drone brood of Africanized honey bees (AHB) in Costa Rica. Data were obtained from 388 to 403 single infested worker and drone brood cells, respectively. Mite fertility in worker and drone brood cells was 88.9 and 93.1%, respectively. There was no difference between the groups (X(2) = 3.6, P = 0.06). However, one of the most significant differences in mite reproduction was the higher percentage of mites producing viable offspring in drone cells (64.8%) compared to worker cells (37.6%) (X(2) = 57.2, P < 0.05). A greater proportion of mites in worker brood cells produced non-viable female offspring. Mite offspring mortality in both worker and drone cells was high in the protonymph stage (mobile and immobile). A significant finding was the high rate of male mortality. The worker and drone brood revealed that 23.9 and 6.9%, respectively, of the adult male offspring was found dead. If the absence (missing) of the male and adult male mortality are taken together the percentage of cells increased to 40.0 and 21.3% in worker and drone cells, respectively (X(2) = 28.8, P < 0.05). The absence of the male or male mortality in a considerable number of worker cells naturally infested with varroa is the major factor in our study which reduces the production of viable daughters in AHB colonies in Costa Rica.

Honeybees Produce Millimolar Concentrations of Non-Neuronal Acetylcholine for Breeding: Possible Adverse Effects of Neonicotinoids.

PubMed

Wessler, Ignaz; Gärtner, Hedwig-Annabel; Michel-Schmidt, Rosmarie; Brochhausen, Christoph; Schmitz, Luise; Anspach, Laura; Grünewald, Bernd; Kirkpatrick, Charles James

2016-01-01

The worldwide use of neonicotinoid pesticides has caused concern on account of their involvement in the decline of bee populations, which are key pollinators in most ecosystems. Here we describe a role of non-neuronal acetylcholine (ACh) for breeding of Apis mellifera carnica and a so far unknown effect of neonicotinoids on non-target insects. Royal jelly or larval food are produced by the hypopharyngeal gland of nursing bees and contain unusually high ACh concentrations (4-8 mM). ACh is extremely well conserved in royal jelly or brood food because of the acidic pH of 4.0. This condition protects ACh from degradation thus ensuring delivery of intact ACh to larvae. Raising the pH to ≥5.5 and applying cholinesterase reduced the content of ACh substantially (by 75-90%) in larval food. When this manipulated brood was tested in artificial larval breeding experiments, the survival rate was higher with food supplemented by 100% with ACh (6 mM) than with food not supplemented with ACh. ACh release from the hypopharyngeal gland and its content in brood food declined by 80%, when honeybee colonies were exposed for 4 weeks to high concentrations of the neonicotinoids clothianidin (100 parts per billion [ppb]) or thiacloprid (8,800 ppb). Under these conditions the secretory cells of the gland were markedly damaged and brood development was severely compromised. Even field-relevant low concentrations of thiacloprid (200 ppb) or clothianidin (1 and 10 ppb) reduced ACh level in the brood food and showed initial adverse effects on brood development. Our findings indicate a hitherto unknown target of neonicotinoids to induce adverse effects on non-neuronal ACh which should be considered when re-assessing the environmental risks of these compounds. To our knowledge this is a new biological mechanism, and we suggest that, in addition to their well documented neurotoxic effects, neonicotinoids may contribute to honeybee colony losses consecutive to a reduction of the ACh content in the brood food.

Self-evaluative and emotion processes linked with brooding rumination among adolescents.

PubMed

Burwell, Rebecca A

2015-06-01

Rumination has been linked with a number of deleterious outcomes, though relatively little is known about self-evaluative and emotion processes by which it develops. The current investigation uses a prospective, longitudinal design and self-report measures to examine the role of contingent self-worth, perfectionism, negative emotion beliefs, and suppression of negative emotion in predicting the development of brooding and reflective forms of rumination among 168 adolescents (98 girls, 79.6% European-American) undergoing the transition to high school (Mage = 13.58). Results of structural equation modeling indicate that self-evaluative vulnerability (i.e., self-worth contingencies, perfectionism) and negative emotion beliefs, but not the suppression of negative emotion, predict brooding (but not reflective) rumination. The current study demonstrates how brooding is intertwined with views of self and core assumptions about emotion. Copyright © 2015 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Survival of female white-cheeked pintails during brood rearing in Puerto Rico

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lopez-Flores, Marisel; Davis, J. Brian; Vilella, Francisco; Kaminski, Richard M.; Cruz-Burgos, José A.; Lancaster, Joseph D.

2014-01-01

Anas bahamensis (White-cheeked Pintail) is widely distributed across the Caribbean islands and South America. The species is classified as threatened in Puerto Rico and a species of least concern across most of its range. Little demographic data exist for the species, particularly during the breeding season. During 2000-2002, we radiomarked 31 incubating females at the Humacao Nature Reserve (Humacao) in southeastern Puerto Rico and estimated daily and interval survival rates of females during brood rearing. Only one of 31 birds died; the average ±95% CI daily survival rate of pintails was 0.998 ± 0.989-0.999 for all years, and interval survival was 0.913 ± 0.527-0.987 for a 60-day brood-rearing period. High survival of females suggests their mortality during brood rearing does not influence White-cheeked Pintail populations at Humacao, but further studies of reproductive and annual ecology are needed.

Cuckoos, cowbirds and hosts: adaptations, trade-offs and constraints.

PubMed

Krüger, Oliver

2007-10-29

The interactions between brood parasitic birds and their host species provide one of the best model systems for coevolution. Despite being intensively studied, the parasite-host system provides ample opportunities to test new predictions from both coevolutionary theory as well as life-history theory in general. I identify four main areas that might be especially fruitful: cuckoo female gentes as alternative reproductive strategies, non-random and nonlinear risks of brood parasitism for host individuals, host parental quality and targeted brood parasitism, and differences and similarities between predation risk and parasitism risk. Rather than being a rare and intriguing system to study coevolutionary processes, I believe that avian brood parasites and their hosts are much more important as extreme cases in the evolution of life-history strategies. They provide unique examples of trade-offs and situations where constraints are either completely removed or particularly severe.

[Symptomatic Black Queen Cell Virus infection of drone brood in Hessian apiaries].

PubMed

Siede, Reinhold; Büchler, Ralph

2003-01-01

The Black Queen Cell Virus (BQCV) can affect brood of the honey bee (Apis mellifera). In general queen cells are endangered showing dark coloured cell walls as typical symptoms. Worker- and dronebrood can be infected by BQCV but normally without clinical symptoms. This paper describes for the first time a symptomatic BQCV-infection of diseased drone brood found on two bee yards in Hessen/Germany in 2001. The drone larvae were seriously damaged and some of them were dead. Samples of the affected brood were tested for BQCV by the PCR detection method. A BQCV specific nucleic acid fragment was found. The PCR product were sequenced and aligned with the relevant GenBank entry. At the nucleic acid level as well as at the deduced protein level the isolate showed a high similarity with the south african isolate noted in GenBank.

Disc size regulation in the brood cell building behavior of leaf-cutter bee, Megachile tsurugensis

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Kim, Jong-Yoon

2007-12-01

The leaf-cutter bee, Megachile tsurugensis, builds a brood cell in a preexisting tunnel with leaf discs that she cuts in decreasing sizes and assembles them like a Russian matryoshka doll. By experimentally manipulating the brood cell, it was investigated how she regulates the size of leaf discs that fit in the brood cell’s internal volume. When the internal volume was artificially increased by removing a bulk of leaf discs, she decreased the leaf disc size, although increasing it would have made the leaf disc more fitting in the increased internal volume. As a reverse manipulation, when the internal volume was decreased by inserting a group of inner layers of preassembled leaf discs to a brood cell, she decreased the leaf disc size, so that the leaf disc could fit in the decreased internal volume. These results suggest that she uses at least two different mechanisms to regulate the disc size: the use of some internal memory about the degree of building work accomplished in the first and of sensory feedback of dimensional information at the construction site in the second manipulation, respectively. It was concluded that a stigmergic mechanism, an immediate sensory feedback from the brood cell changed by the building work, alone cannot explain the details of the bee’s behavior particularly with respect to her initial response to the first manipulation. For a more complete explanation of the behavior exhibited by the solitary bee, two additional behavioral elements, reinforcement of building activity and processing of dimensional information, were discussed along with stigmergy.

Disc size regulation in the brood cell building behavior of leaf-cutter bee, Megachile tsurugensis.

PubMed

Kim, Jong-yoon

2007-12-01

The leaf-cutter bee, Megachile tsurugensis, builds a brood cell in a preexisting tunnel with leaf discs that she cuts in decreasing sizes and assembles them like a Russian matryoshka doll. By experimentally manipulating the brood cell, it was investigated how she regulates the size of leaf discs that fit in the brood cell's internal volume. When the internal volume was artificially increased by removing a bulk of leaf discs, she decreased the leaf disc size, although increasing it would have made the leaf disc more fitting in the increased internal volume. As a reverse manipulation, when the internal volume was decreased by inserting a group of inner layers of preassembled leaf discs to a brood cell, she decreased the leaf disc size, so that the leaf disc could fit in the decreased internal volume. These results suggest that she uses at least two different mechanisms to regulate the disc size: the use of some internal memory about the degree of building work accomplished in the first and of sensory feedback of dimensional information at the construction site in the second manipulation, respectively. It was concluded that a stigmergic mechanism, an immediate sensory feedback from the brood cell changed by the building work, alone cannot explain the details of the bee's behavior particularly with respect to her initial response to the first manipulation. For a more complete explanation of the behavior exhibited by the solitary bee, two additional behavioral elements, reinforcement of building activity and processing of dimensional information, were discussed along with stigmergy.

25 CFR 170.2 - What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program... and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy? (a) It is the policy of the Secretary of the Interior and the... designed to enable Indian tribes to participate in all contractible IRR and BIA Road Maintenance programs...

Assessing rumination in eating disorders: principal component analysis of a minimally modified ruminative response scale.

PubMed

Cowdrey, Felicity A; Park, Rebecca J

2011-12-01

A process account of eating disorders (EDs) (Park et al., in press-a) proposes that preoccupation with ruminative themes of eating, weight and shape may be important in ED maintenance. No self-report measure exists to capture disorder-specific rumination in EDs. 275 healthy participants rated rumination items and completed self-report measures of ED symptoms, depression and anxiety. Principal component analysis revealed two factors, reflection and brooding. The final nine-item Ruminative Response Scale for Eating Disorders (RRS-ED) demonstrated good convergent and discriminant validity and test-retest reliability. The psychometric properties were replicated in an anorexia nervosa sample. The findings support the notion that rumination in EDs is distinct from rumination in depression and is not adequately captured by existing measures. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Temperature on Synchronization of Brood Development of the Bopyrid Isopod Parasite Probopyrus pandalicola with Molting of Its Host, the Daggerblade Grass Shrimp Palaemonetes pugio.

PubMed

Brinton, Brigette A; Curran, Mary Carla

2015-08-01

The bopyrid isopod Probopyrus pandalicola is a hematophagous ectoparasite that sexually sterilizes some palaemonid shrimps, including female daggerblade grass shrimp Palaemonetes pugio. The reproduction of parasitic isopods is thought to occur synchronously with host molting because the brood would be unsuccessful if molting occurred before the larvae were free swimming. Temperature affects the length of the molting cycle of shrimp, and therefore may also affect the incubation time of isopod broods. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effect of temperature on brood development of the parasite and on the degree of synchronization with the molting of its host. Parasitized P. pugio were monitored daily at 2 experimental temperatures, 23 and 15 C, in temperature-controlled chambers for the duration of a full parasite reproductive cycle. Developmental stage was determined by the visible coloration of the brood through the exoskeleton of the host, and was designated as egg, embryo I, embryo II, or epicaridium larvae. Temperature significantly affected median brood incubation time, which was only 11 days at 23 C, as compared to 35 days at 15 C. The final developmental stage (epicaridium larvae) was 3 times shorter at 23 C (median 3 days; n = 45) than at 15 C (median 9 days; n = 15). Temperature significantly affected the intermolt period of parasitized shrimp, which was shorter at 23 C (median 12 days) than at 15 C (median 37 days). A smaller percentage of the intermolt period elapsed between larval release and shrimp molting at 23 C (0.0%) than at 15 C (3.1%), indicating closer synchronization between host molting and parasite reproduction at the warmer temperature. At 15 C, the isopods utilized a smaller proportion of the time that was available for brood incubation during the intermolt period of their host. Brood size ranged from 391 to 4,596 young and was positively correlated with parasite and host size. Because development progressed more rapidly at 23 C, warmer temperatures could increase the prevalence of P. pandalicola. The corresponding reduction in the abundance of ovigerous grass shrimp as a result of sexual sterilization by bopyrids could adversely impact estuarine ecosystems, as grass shrimp are a crucial link in transferring energy from detritus to secondary consumers.

Annual Coded Wire Tag Program; Oregon Missing Production Groups, 1996 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Lewis, Mark A.; Mallette, Christine; Murray, William M.

1998-03-01

This annual report is in fulfillment of contract obligations with Bonneville Power Administration which is the funding source for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's Annual Coded Wire Tag Program - Oregon Missing Production Groups Project. Tule stock fall chinook were caught primarily in British Columbia and Washington ocean, and Oregon freshwater fisheries. Up-river bright stock fall chinook contributed primarily to Alaska and British Columbia ocean commercial, and Columbia River gillnet and other freshwater fisheries. Contribution of Rogue stock fall chinook released in the lower Columbia River occurred primarily in Oregon ocean commercial and Columbia river gillnet fisheries. Willamettemore » stock spring chinook contributed primarily to Alaska and British Columbia ocean commercial, Oregon freshwater sport and Columbia River gillnet fisheries. Willamette stock spring chinook released by CEDC contributed to similar fisheries as the same stocks released in the Willamette system. Up-river stocks of spring chinook contributed almost exclusively to Columbia River sport fisheries and other freshwater recovery areas. The up-river stocks of Columbia River summer steelhead contributed primarily to the Columbia River gillnet and other freshwater fisheries. Coho ocean fisheries from Washington to California were closed or very limited in 1994 and 1995 (1991 and 1992 broods). This has resulted in a greater average percent of catch for other fishery areas. Coho stocks released by ODFW below Bonneville Dam contributed mainly to Oregon and Washington ocean, Columbia Gillnet and other freshwater fisheries. Coho stocks released in the Klaskanine River and Youngs Bay area had much higher contribution to gillnet fisheries than the other coho releases. Coho stocks released above Bonneville Dam contributed to the same fisheries as those released below Bonneville Dam. Survival rates of salmon and steelhead are influenced, not only by factors in the hatchery (disease, density, diet, size and time of release) but also by environmental factors in the river and ocean. These environmental factors are controlled by large scale weather patterns such as El Nino over which man has no influence. Changes in rearing conditions in the hatchery, over which man has some influence, do impact the survival rates. However, these impacts can be offset by impacts caused by environmental factors. Brood years of salmon and steelhead that were in the ocean during the 1983 El Nino event exhibited poor survival all along the Pacific coast of California, Oregon, and Washington. However, stocks of chinook and coho that entered the ocean in the fall of 1984 following the El Nino experienced remarkably improved survival rates. In some instances, tule fall chinook experienced survival rates almost ten times higher than for the previous brood years of the same stock. Coho salmon released in the Columbia River generally experience better survival rates when released later in the spring. However, for the 1990 brood year June releases of Columbia River coho had much lower survival than May releases, for all ODFW hatcheries. In general survival of ODFW Columbia River hatchery coho has declined to low levels since the 1989 brood year.« less

First record of invasive Burmese Python oviposition and brooding inside an anthropogenic structure

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hanslowe, Emma; Falk, Bryan; Collier, Michelle A. M.; Josimovich, Jillian; Rahill, Thomas; Reed, Robert

2016-01-01

We discovered an adult female Python bivittatus (Burmese Python) coiled around a clutch of 25 eggs in a cement culvert in Flamingo, FL, in Everglades National Park. To our knowledge, this is the first record of an invasive Burmese Python laying eggs and brooding inside an anthropogenic structure in Florida. A 92% hatch-success rate suggests that the cement culvert provided suitable conditions for oviposition, embryonic development, and hatching. Given the plenitude of such anthropogenic structures across the landscape, available sites for oviposition and brooding may not be limiting for the invasive Burmese Python population.

Alternative Reproductive Tactics in the Shell-Brooding Lake Tanganyika Cichlid Neolamprologus brevis

PubMed Central

Ota, Kazutaka; Aibara, Mitsuto; Morita, Masaya; Awata, Satoshi; Hori, Michio; Kohda, Masanori

2012-01-01

Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) are found in several Lake Tanganyika shell-brooding cichlids. Field studies were conducted in the Wonzye population to examine reproductive ecology and ARTs in the Lake Tanganyika shell-brooding cichlid Neolamprologus brevis. We discovered that this fish occurred in both rocky- and sandy-bottom habitats, but in rocky habitats, brood-caring females exclusively occurred in shell-patches that another cichlid species created. All N. brevis of both sexes in the patches were sexually mature, whereas immature males and females with unripe eggs were found frequently in sandy-bottom habitats. Males in sandy-bottom habitats were smaller, but fed more frequently and were in better somatic condition than males in the patches. Similar tendency was found in females. This indicates that N. brevis uses different habitats depending on the stage of its life history, with migration from sandy-bottom habitats to the shell-patches for reproduction. Males in the patches exhibited different behavior patterns: floating above the patches and lying in the patches. The former was larger, more aggressive, and invested less in gonads (relative to body size) than the latter. These results accord with those of other shell-brooding Lake Tanganyika cichlids with ARTs, and they therefore suggest the presence of ARTs in N. brevis. PMID:22888463

Are Worry and Rumination Specific Pathways Linking Neuroticism and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder?

PubMed Central

Merino, Hipólito; Ferreiro, Fátima

2016-01-01

This study examines the relationships between neuroticism (higher-order vulnerability factor), the cognitive styles of worry, brooding and reflection (second-order vulnerability factors) and symptoms of anxiety and depression in three groups of patients: patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and with Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder (MADD). One hundred and thirty four patients completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of neuroticism, worry, rumination (brooding and reflection), anxiety and depression. Multiple mediation analyses indicate that worry may act as a mediating mechanism linking neuroticism and anxiety symptoms in the three diagnostic groups, whereas brooding-rumination may play a mediating role between neuroticism and depressive symptoms in patients with MDD and MADD and, with less certainty, in patients with GAD. Overall, our findings suggest that neuroticism may increase the risk of anxious and depressive symptoms via specific links involving either worry or brooding, respectively, and that both worry and brooding may operate in the three groups examined, irrespectively of whether anxiety or depression are the main emotions or whether they coexist without any clear predominance; consequently, we hypothesize the existence of "specific transdiagnostic" mechanisms. PMID:27243462

Are Worry and Rumination Specific Pathways Linking Neuroticism and Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression in Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder and Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder?

PubMed

Merino, Hipólito; Senra, Carmen; Ferreiro, Fátima

2016-01-01

This study examines the relationships between neuroticism (higher-order vulnerability factor), the cognitive styles of worry, brooding and reflection (second-order vulnerability factors) and symptoms of anxiety and depression in three groups of patients: patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and with Mixed Anxiety-Depressive Disorder (MADD). One hundred and thirty four patients completed a battery of questionnaires including measures of neuroticism, worry, rumination (brooding and reflection), anxiety and depression. Multiple mediation analyses indicate that worry may act as a mediating mechanism linking neuroticism and anxiety symptoms in the three diagnostic groups, whereas brooding-rumination may play a mediating role between neuroticism and depressive symptoms in patients with MDD and MADD and, with less certainty, in patients with GAD. Overall, our findings suggest that neuroticism may increase the risk of anxious and depressive symptoms via specific links involving either worry or brooding, respectively, and that both worry and brooding may operate in the three groups examined, irrespectively of whether anxiety or depression are the main emotions or whether they coexist without any clear predominance; consequently, we hypothesize the existence of "specific transdiagnostic" mechanisms.

Brooding Is Related to Neural Alterations during Autobiographical Memory Retrieval in Aging

PubMed Central

Schneider, Sophia; Brassen, Stefanie

2016-01-01

Brooding rumination is considered a central aspect of depression in midlife. As older people tend to review their past, rumination tendency might be particularly crucial in late life since it might hinder older adults to adequately evaluate previous events. We scanned 22 non-depressed older adults with varying degrees of brooding tendency with functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) while they performed the construction and elaboration of autobiographical memories. Behavioral findings demonstrate that brooders reported lower mood states, needed more time for memory construction and rated their memories as less detailed and less positive. On the neural level, brooding tendency was related to increased amygdala activation during the search for specific memories and reduced engagement of cortical networks during elaboration. Moreover, coupling patterns of the subgenual cingulate cortex with the hippocampus (HC) and the amygdala predicted details and less positive valence of memories in brooders. Our findings support the hypothesis that ruminative thinking interferes with the search for specific memories while facilitating the uncontrolled retrieval of negatively biased self-schemes. The observed neurobehavioral dysfunctions might put older people with brooding tendency at high risk for becoming depressed when reviewing their past. Training of autobiographical memory ability might therefore be a promising approach to increase resilience against depression in late-life. PMID:27695414

Climate change and bird reproduction: warmer springs benefit breeding success in boreal forest grouse.

PubMed

Wegge, Per; Rolstad, Jørund

2017-11-15

Global warming is predicted to adversely affect the reproduction of birds, especially in northern latitudes. A recent study in Finland inferred that declining populations of black grouse, Tetrao tetrix , could be attributed to advancement of the time of mating and chicks hatching too early-supporting the mismatch hypothesis. Here, we examine the breeding success of sympatric capercaillie, T. urogallus, and black grouse over a 38-year period in southeast Norway. Breeding season temperatures increased, being most pronounced in April. Although the onset of spring advanced nearly three weeks, the peak of mating advanced only 4-5 days. In contrast to the result of the Finnish study, breeding success increased markedly in both species (capercaillie: 62%, black grouse: 38%). Both brood frequency and brood size increased during the study period, but significantly so only for brood frequency in capercaillie. Whereas the frequency of capercaillie broods was positively affected by rising temperatures, especially during the pre-hatching period, this was not the case in black grouse. Brood size, on the other hand, increased with increasing post-hatching temperatures in both species. Contrary to the prediction that global warming will adversely affect reproduction in boreal forest grouse, our study shows that breeding success was enhanced in warmer springs. © 2017 The Authors.

Selection of habitats by Emperor Geese during brood rearing

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, J.A.

2001-01-01

Although forage quality strongly affects gosling growth and consequently juvenile survival, the relative use of different plant communities by brood rearing geese has been poorly studied. On the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, population growth and juvenile recruitment of Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) are comparatively low, and it is unknown whether their selection of habitats during brood rearing differs from other goose species. Radio-telemetry was used to document the use of habitats by 56 families of Emperor Geese in a 70 km2 portion of the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta during brood rearing in 1994-1996. When contrasted with available habitats (a set of six habitat classes), as estimated from 398 random sampling locations, Emperor Geese strongly selected Saline Ponds, Mudflat, and Ramenskii Meadow habitats and avoided Levee Meadow, Bog Meadow, and Sedge Meadow. These selected habitats were the most saline, comprised one-third of the study area, and 43% of all locations were in Ramenskii Meadow. I contrasted these Emperor Goose locations with habitats used by the composite goose community, as inferred from the presence of goose feces at random locations. The marked difference between groups in this comparison implied that Cackling Canada Geese (Branta canadensis minima) and Greater White-fronted Geese (Anser albifrons) collectively selected much different brood rearing habitats than Emperor Geese. Received 20 February 2001, accepted 18 April 2001.

Post-fledging brood and care division in the roseate tern (Sterna dougallii)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Watson, M.J.; Spendelow, J.A.; Hatch, J.J.

2012-01-01

Extended post-fledging parental care is an important aspect of parental care in birds, although little studied due to logistic difficulties. Commonly, the brood is split physically (brood division) and/or preferential care is given to a subset of the brood by one parent or the other (care division). Among gulls and tern (Laridae), males and females generally share parental activities during the pre-fledging period, but the allocation of parental care after fledging is little documented. This study examined the behaviour of male and female roseate terns (Sterna dougallii) during the late chick-rearing and early post-fledging periods, and in particular the amount of feeds and the time spent in attendance given to individual chicks/fledglings. Pre-fledging parental care was biparental in all cases. Post-fledging parental care was dependent on the number of fledglings in the brood. Males and females continued biparental care in clutches with one surviving fledgling, while in two-fledgling clutches, males fed the A-fledgling while females fed the B-fledgling. Overall, there was no difference in attendance, only in feeds. This division of care may be influenced by the male only being certain of the paternity of the A-chick but not by chick sex. ?? 2011 Japan Ethological Society and Springer.

The nurse's load: early-life exposure to brood-rearing affects behavior and lifespan in honey bees (Apis mellifera).

PubMed

Amdam, Gro V; Rueppell, Olav; Fondrk, M Kim; Page, Robert E; Nelson, C Mindy

2009-01-01

Long-lived honey bees (Apis mellifera) develop in fall. This pattern may be explained by reduced nurse loads. When the amount of brood in colonies declines as a function of adverse foraging conditions, adult bees build up surplus nutrient stores that include vitellogenin, a behavioral affector protein that also can increase lifespan. Although the seasonal reduction in exposure to nursing tasks predictably results in vitellogenin accumulation, the assumption that long-lived adults thereby develop is confounded by a concomitant decline in foraging effort. Foraging activity reduces lifespan, and is influenced by colony resource consumption, brood pheromones, availability of nectar and pollen, and weather. Here, we perform the first controlled experiment where the nursing environment of pre-foraging sister bees was set to vary, while their foraging environment later was set to be the same. We measure vitellogenin, age at foraging onset and lifespan. We establish that reduced brood-rearing increases vitellogenin levels, and delays foraging onset and death. Longevity is largely explained by the effect of nursing on the onset of foraging behavior, but is also influenced by the level of brood-rearing independent of behavioral change. Our findings are consistent with the roles of vitellogenin in regulation of honey bee behavior and lifespan.

Obligate brood parasites show more functionally effective innate immune responses: an eco-immunological hypothesis

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hahn, D. Caldwell; Summers, Scott G.; Genovese, Kenneth J.; He, Haiqi; Kogut, Michael H.

2013-01-01

Immune adaptations of obligate brood parasites attracted interest when three New World cowbird species (Passeriformes, Icteridae, genus Molothrus) proved unusually resistant to West Nile virus. We have used cowbirds as models to investigate the eco-immunological hypothesis that species in parasite-rich environments characteristically have enhanced immunity as a life history adaptation. As part of an ongoing program to understand the cowbird immune system, in this study we measured degranulation and oxidative burst, two fundamental responses of the innate immune system. Innate immunity provides non-specific, fast-acting defenses against a variety of invading pathogens, and we hypothesized that innate immunity experiences particularly strong selection in cowbirds, because their life history strategy exposes them to diverse novel and unpredictable parasites. We compared the relative effectiveness of degranulation and oxidative burst responses in two cowbird species and one related, non-parasitic species. Both innate immune defenses were significantly more functionally efficient in the two parasitic cowbird species than in the non-parasitic red-winged blackbird (Icteridae, Agelaius phoeniceus). Additionally, both immune defenses were more functionally efficient in the brown-headed cowbird (M. ater), an extreme host-generalist brood parasite, than in the bronzed cowbird (M. aeneus), a moderate host-specialist with lower exposure to other species and their parasites. Thus the relative effectiveness of these two innate immune responses corresponds to the diversity of parasites in the niche of each species and to their relative resistance to WNV. This study is the first use of these two specialized assays in a comparative immunology study of wild avian species.

Florida maintenance rating program (MRP) assessment and enhancement : final report, May 28, 2008 [summary].

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-01-01

The Florida Department of Transportation : (FDOT) has used its maintenance rating : program (MRP) to evaluate the states : highway maintenance conditions and : determine asset maintenance needs since : 1985. Periodic evaluation of the program is :...

25 CFR Appendix A to Subpart G - List of Activities Eligible for Funding Under BIA Transportation Facility Maintenance Program

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... Transportation Facility Maintenance Program A Appendix A to Subpart G Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance Pt. 170... Transportation Facility Maintenance Program The following activities are eligible for BIA Transportation Facility...

Effects of food availability on yolk androgen deposition in the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a seabird with facultative brood reduction

USGS Publications Warehouse

Benowitz-Fredericks, Z.M.; Kitaysky, Alexander S.; Welcker, Jorg; Hatch, Scott A.

2013-01-01

In birds with facultative brood reduction, survival of the junior chick is thought to be regulated primarily by food availability. In black-legged kittiwakes (Rissa tridactyla) where parents and chicks are provided with unlimited access to supplemental food during the breeding season, brood reduction still occurs and varies interannually. Survival of the junior chick is therefore affected by factors in addition to the amount of food directly available to them. Maternally deposited yolk androgens affect competitive dynamics within a brood, and may be one of the mechanisms by which mothers mediate brood reduction in response to a suite of environmental and physiological cues. The goal of this study was to determine whether food supplementation during the pre-lay period affected patterns of yolk androgen deposition in free-living kittiwakes in two years (2003 and 2004) that varied in natural food availability. Chick survival was measured concurrently in other nests where eggs were not collected. In both years, supplemental feeding increased female investment in eggs by increasing egg mass. First-laid (“A”) eggs were heavier but contained less testosterone and androstenedione than second-laid (“B”) eggs across years and treatments. Yolk testosterone was higher in 2003 (the year with higher B chick survival) across treatments. The difference in yolk testosterone levels between eggs within a clutch varied among years and treatments such that it was relatively small when B chick experienced the lowest and the highest survival probabilities, and increased with intermediate B chick survival probabilities. The magnitude of testosterone asymmetry in a clutch may allow females to optimize fitness by either predisposing a brood for reduction or facilitating survival of younger chicks.

The influence of social structure on brood survival and development in a socially polymorphic ant: insights from a cross-fostering experiment.

PubMed

Purcell, Jessica; Chapuisat, M

2012-11-01

Animal societies vary in the number of breeders per group, which affects many socially and ecologically relevant traits. In several social insect species, including our study species Formica selysi, the presence of either one or multiple reproducing females per colony is generally associated with differences in a suite of traits such as the body size of individuals. However, the proximate mechanisms and ontogenetic processes generating such differences between social structures are poorly known. Here, we cross-fostered eggs originating from single-queen (= monogynous) or multiple-queen (= polygynous) colonies into experimental groups of workers from each social structure to investigate whether differences in offspring survival, development time and body size are shaped by the genotype and/or prefoster maternal effects present in the eggs, or by the social origin of the rearing workers. Eggs produced by polygynous queens were more likely to survive to adulthood than eggs from monogynous queens, regardless of the social origin of the rearing workers. However, brood from monogynous queens grew faster than brood from polygynous queens. The social origin of the rearing workers influenced the probability of brood survival, with workers from monogynous colonies rearing more brood to adulthood than workers from polygynous colonies. The social origin of eggs or rearing workers had no significant effect on the head size of the resulting workers in our standardized laboratory conditions. Overall, the social backgrounds of the parents and of the rearing workers appear to shape distinct survival and developmental traits of ant brood. © 2012 The Authors. Journal of Evolutionary Biology © 2012 European Society For Evolutionary Biology.

The role of python eggshell permeability dynamics in a respiration-hydration trade-off.

PubMed

Stahlschmidt, Zachary R; Heulin, Benoit; DeNardo, Dale F

2010-01-01

Parental care is taxonomically widespread because it improves developmental conditions and thus fitness of offspring. Although relatively simplistic compared with parental behaviors of other taxa, python egg-brooding behavior exemplifies parental care because it mediates a trade-off between embryonic respiration and hydration. However, because egg brooding increases gas-exchange resistance between embryonic and nest environments and because female pythons do not adjust their brooding behavior in response to the increasing metabolic requirements of developing offspring, python egg brooding imposes hypoxic costs on embryos during the late stages of incubation. We conducted a series of experiments to determine whether eggshells coadapted with brooding behavior to minimize the negative effects of developmental hypoxia. We tested the hypotheses that python eggshells (1) increase permeability over time to accommodate increasing embryonic respiration and (2) exhibit permeability plasticity in response to chronic hypoxia. Over incubation, we serially measured the atomic and structural components of Children's python (Antaresia childreni) eggshells as well as in vivo and in vitro gas exchange across eggshells. In support of our first hypothesis, A. childreni eggshells exhibited a reduced fibrous layer, became more permeable, and facilitated greater gas exchange as incubation progressed. Our second hypothesis was not supported, as incubation O(2) concentration did not affect the shells' permeabilities to O(2) and H(2)O vapor. Our results suggest that python eggshell permeability changes during incubation but that the alterations over time are fixed and independent of environmental conditions. These findings are of broad evolutionary interest because they demonstrate that, even in relatively simple parental-care models, successful parent-offspring relationships depend on adjustments made by both the parent (i.e., egg-brooding behavioral shifts) and the offspring (i.e., changes in eggshell permeability).

The dynamics of male brooding, mating patterns, and sex roles in pipefishes and seahorses (family Syngnathidae).

PubMed

Wilson, Anthony B; Ahnesjö, Ingrid; Vincent, Amanda C J; Meyer, Axel

2003-06-01

Modern theory predicts that relative parental investment of the sexes in their young is a key factor responsible for sexual selection. Seahorses and pipefishes (family Syngnathidae) are extraordinary among fishes in their remarkable adaptations for paternal care and frequent occurrences of sex-role reversals (i.e., female-female competition for mates), offering exceptional opportunities to test predictions of sexual selection theory. During mating, the female transfers eggs into or onto specialized egg-brooding structures that are located on either the male's abdomen or its tail, where they are osmoregulated, aerated, and nourished by specially adapted structures. All syngnathid males exhibit this form of parental care but the brooding structures vary, ranging from the simple ventral gluing areas of some pipefishes to the completely enclosed pouches found in seahorses. We present a molecular phylogeny that indicates that the diversification of pouch types is positively correlated with the major evolutionary radiation of the group, suggesting that this extreme development and diversification of paternal care may have been an important evolutionary innovation of the Syngnathidae. Based on recent studies that show that the complexity of brooding structures reflects the degree of paternal investment in several syngnathid species, we predicted sex-role reversals to be more common among species with more complex brooding structures. In contrast to this prediction, however, both parsimony- and likelihood-based reconstructions of the evolution of sex-role reversal in pipefishes and seahorses suggest multiple shifts in sex roles in the group, independent from the degree of brood pouch development. At the same time, our data demonstrate that sex-role reversal is positively associated with polygamous mating patterns, whereas most nonreversed species mate monogamously, suggesting that selection for polygamy or monogamy in pipefishes and seahorses may strongly influence sex roles in the wild.

Seasonal Phenology and Life-History of Dendroctonus simplex (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) in the Great Lakes Region of North America.

PubMed

McKee, Fraser R; Aukema, Brian H

2016-08-01

The eastern larch beetle, Dendroctonus simplex LeConte (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), is distributed throughout the North American boreal forest sympatric with its primary host, the eastern larch or tamarack, Larix laricina (Du Roi) K. Koch. Outbreaks of eastern larch beetles are typically small and associated with stressed tamaracks. Since 2000, however, an outbreak has killed >90,000 ha of tamarack in Minnesota and surrounding Great Lakes region. Identifying the causes of this epidemic is challenging due to knowledge gaps regarding the insect's biology. We present field data from 2011 to 2014 on degree days associated with spring emergence, dispersal, host colonization, and re-emergence from colonized hosts by mature adult beetles, as well as degree days associated with larval development, and prewinter emergence by adult progeny at study sites in northern Minnesota. After initial host colonization in early spring we found that a second brood was established in early summer by re-emerging parents. In 2012, a third brood was established. Across study years, first broods developed to adults by late summer, with many beetles relocating to the base of the host tree to overwinter. Second broods often reached adulthood and initiated prewinter emergence. The third brood of 2012 overwintered as adults, pupae, and late-instars, resuming development the following spring. Each spring, emergence of adult beetles from all broods established the previous year was highly synchronous. Knowledge of the biology of eastern larch beetles along the southern margin of their range aids in understanding how population dynamics may change with a changing climate. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Distribution and female reproductive state differences in orexigenic and anorexigenic neurons in the brain of the mouth brooding African cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni.

PubMed

Porter, Danielle T; Roberts, David A; Maruska, Karen P

2017-10-01

Integration of reproduction and metabolism is necessary for species survival. While the neural circuits controlling energy homeostasis are well-characterized, the signals controlling the relay of nutritional information to the reproductive axis are less understood. The cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni is ideal for studying the neural regulation of feeding and reproduction because females cycle between a feeding gravid state and a period of forced starvation while they brood developing young inside their mouths. To test the hypothesis that candidate neuropeptide-containing neurons known to be involved in feeding and energy homeostasis in mammals show conserved distribution patterns, we performed immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization to localize appetite-stimulating (neuropeptide Y, NPY; agouti-related protein, AGRP) and appetite-inhibiting (cocaine and amphetamine-regulated transcript, CART; pro-opiomelanocortin, pomc1a) neurons in the brain. NPY, AGRP, CART, and pomc1a somata showed distribution patterns similar to other teleosts, which included localization to the lateral tuberal nucleus (NLT), the putative homolog of the mammalian arcuate nucleus. Gravid females also had larger NPY and AGRP neurons in the NLT compared to brooding females, but brooding females had larger pomc1a neurons compared to gravid females. Hypothalamic agrp mRNA levels were also higher in gravid compared to brooding females. Thus, larger appetite-stimulating neurons (NPY, AGRP) likely promote feeding while females are gravid, while larger pomc1a neurons may act as a signal to inhibit food intake during mouth brooding. Collectively, our data suggest a potential role for NPY, AGRP, POMC, and CART in regulating energetic status in A. burtoni females during varying metabolic and reproductive demands. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Sperm dispersal distances estimated by parentage analysis in a brooding scleractinian coral.

PubMed

Warner, Patricia A; Willis, Bette L; van Oppen, Madeleine J H

2016-03-01

Within populations of brooding sessile corals, sperm dispersal constitutes the mechanism by which gametes interact and mating occurs, and forms the first link in the network of processes that determine specieswide connectivity patterns. However, almost nothing is known about sperm dispersal for any internally fertilizing coral. In this study, we conducted a parentage analysis on coral larvae collected from an area of mapped colonies, to measure the distance sperm disperses for the first time in a reef-building coral and estimated the mating system characteristics of a recently identified putative cryptic species within the Seriatopora hystrix complex (ShA; Warner et al. 2015). We defined consensus criteria among several replicated methods (COLONY 2.0, CERVUS 3.0, MLTR v3.2) to maximize accuracy in paternity assignments. Thirteen progeny arrays indicated that this putative species produces exclusively sexually derived, primarily outcrossed larvae (mean t(m) = 0.999) in multiple paternity broods (mean r(p) = 0.119). Self-fertilization was directly detected at low frequency for all broods combined (2.8%), but comprised 23% of matings in one brood. Although over 82% of mating occurred between colonies within 10 m of each other (mean sperm dispersal = 5.5 m ± 4.37 SD), we found no evidence of inbreeding in the established population. Restricted dispersal of sperm compared to slightly greater larval dispersal appears to limit inbreeding among close relatives in this cryptic species. Our findings establish a good basis for further work on sperm dispersal in brooding corals and provide the first information about the mating system of a newly identified and abundant cryptic species. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Changes in body temperature in king penguins at sea: the result of fine adjustments in peripheral heat loss?

PubMed

Schmidt, Alexander; Alard, Frank; Handrich, Yves

2006-09-01

To investigate thermoregulatory adjustments at sea, body temperatures (the pectoral muscle and the brood patch) and diving behavior were monitored during a foraging trip of several days at sea in six breeding king penguins Aptenodytes patagonicus. During inactive phases at sea (water temperature: 4-7 degrees C), all tissues measured were maintained at normothermic temperatures. The brood patch temperature was maintained at the same values as those measured when brooding on shore (38 degrees C). This high temperature difference causes a significant loss of heat. We hypothesize that high-energy expenditure associated with elevated peripheral temperature when resting at sea is the thermoregulatory cost that a postabsorptive penguin has to face for the restoration of its subcutaneous body fat. During diving, mean pectoral temperature was 37.6 +/- 1.6 degrees C. While being almost normothermic on average, the temperature of the pectoral muscle was still significantly lower than during inactivity in five out of the six birds and underwent temperature drops of up to 5.5 degrees C. Mean brood patch temperature was 29.6 +/- 2.5 degrees C during diving, and temperature decreases of up to 21.6 degrees C were recorded. Interestingly, we observed episodes of brood patch warming during the descent to depth, suggesting that, in some cases, king penguins may perform active thermolysis using the brood patch. It is hypothesized that functional pectoral temperature may be regulated through peripheral adjustments in blood perfusion. These two paradoxical features, i.e., lower temperature of deep tissues during activity and normothermic peripheral tissues while inactive, may highlight the key to the energetics of this diving endotherm while foraging at sea.

An experimental test on time constraint and sexual conflict over parental care.

PubMed

Griggio, Matteo

2015-09-01

Because parental care is costly, a sexual conflict between parents over parental investment is expected to arise. Parental care behavior is an adaptive decision, involving trade-offs between remating, and consequently desertion of the brood, and continuing parental effort. If the main advantage of desertion is remating, then this will be a time constraint, because the deserting individual will require a certain minimum period of time to breed again in the same breeding season. So, a short breeding season should force certain individuals to desert the first brood to have enough time to successfully complete their second breeding attempt. The rock sparrow, Petronia petronia, is an unusual species in which brood desertion can occur in both sexes and the breeding season is quite short so it is a good species to investigate the role of time constraint on brood desertion. For 3 years, I investigated the brood desertion modality of the rock sparrow. Then, for 2 years, I removed a group of experimental nest boxes during the autumn. Later, I re-installed the experimental nest boxes after the start of the breeding season (2 weeks after the first egg was laid), mimicking a shortening of the breeding season for the (experimental) pairs that used experimental nest boxes. I found that in the experimental pairs, the percentage of deserting individuals was significantly higher than in the control groups, and the deserting individuals were older females. This experiment adds to our knowledge of timing of reproduction effects on individual decisions to desert by showing that a short and delayed breeding season may have different effects on males and females. To my knowledge, this is the first experimental study that demonstrates a direct link between time constraint and brood desertion.

An experimental test on time constraint and sexual conflict over parental care

PubMed Central

Griggio, Matteo

2015-01-01

Because parental care is costly, a sexual conflict between parents over parental investment is expected to arise. Parental care behavior is an adaptive decision, involving trade-offs between remating, and consequently desertion of the brood, and continuing parental effort. If the main advantage of desertion is remating, then this will be a time constraint, because the deserting individual will require a certain minimum period of time to breed again in the same breeding season. So, a short breeding season should force certain individuals to desert the first brood to have enough time to successfully complete their second breeding attempt. The rock sparrow, Petronia petronia, is an unusual species in which brood desertion can occur in both sexes and the breeding season is quite short so it is a good species to investigate the role of time constraint on brood desertion. For 3 years, I investigated the brood desertion modality of the rock sparrow. Then, for 2 years, I removed a group of experimental nest boxes during the autumn. Later, I re-installed the experimental nest boxes after the start of the breeding season (2 weeks after the first egg was laid), mimicking a shortening of the breeding season for the (experimental) pairs that used experimental nest boxes. I found that in the experimental pairs, the percentage of deserting individuals was significantly higher than in the control groups, and the deserting individuals were older females. This experiment adds to our knowledge of timing of reproduction effects on individual decisions to desert by showing that a short and delayed breeding season may have different effects on males and females. To my knowledge, this is the first experimental study that demonstrates a direct link between time constraint and brood desertion. PMID:26380691

Temperature dependent virulence of obligate and facultative fungal pathogens of honeybee brood

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chalkbrood (Ascosphaera apis) and stonebrood (Aspergillus flavus) are well known fungal brood diseases of honeybees (Apis mellifera), but they have hardly been systematically studied because the difficulty of rearing larvae in vitro has precluded controlled experimentation. Chalkbrood is a chronic h...

Standard methods for fungal brood disease research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chalkbrood and stonebrood are two fungal diseases associated with honey bee brood. Chalkbrood, caused by Ascosphaera apis, is a common and widespread disease that can result in severe reduction of emerging worker bees and thus overall colony productivity. Stonebrood is caused by Aspergillus spp. tha...

Contribution of honeybee drones of different age to colonial thermoregulation*

PubMed Central

Kovac, Helmut; Stabentheiner, Anton; Brodschneider, Robert

2011-01-01

In addition to honeybee workers, drones also contribute to colonial thermoregulation. We show the drones’ contribution to thermoregulation at 5 different experimental temperatures ranging from 15–34 °C. The frequency and the degree of endothermy depended on the drones’ local ambient temperature and age. Location on brood or non-brood areas had no influence. The frequency of endothermic drones and the intensity of endothermy increased with decreasing temperature. 30% of drones of 8 days and older heated their thorax by more than 1 °C above the abdomen. The youngest drones (0–2 days) did not exceed this level of endothermy. Though young drones were less often engaged in active heat production, their contribution to brood warming was not insignificant because their abundance on the brood nest was 3.5 times higher than that of the oldest drones (≥13 days). Results suggest that the stimulus for the drones’ increased frequency of heating at low experimental temperatures was their low local ambient air and/or comb temperature. PMID:22140282

Contribution of honeybee drones of different age to colonial thermoregulation.

PubMed

Kovac, Helmut; Stabentheiner, Anton; Brodschneider, Robert

2009-01-01

In addition to honeybee workers, drones also contribute to colonial thermoregulation. We show the drones' contribution to thermoregulation at 5 different experimental temperatures ranging from 15-34 °C. The frequency and the degree of endothermy depended on the drones' local ambient temperature and age. Location on brood or non-brood areas had no influence. The frequency of endothermic drones and the intensity of endothermy increased with decreasing temperature. 30% of drones of 8 days and older heated their thorax by more than 1 °C above the abdomen. The youngest drones (0-2 days) did not exceed this level of endothermy. Though young drones were less often engaged in active heat production, their contribution to brood warming was not insignificant because their abundance on the brood nest was 3.5 times higher than that of the oldest drones (≥13 days). Results suggest that the stimulus for the drones' increased frequency of heating at low experimental temperatures was their low local ambient air and/or comb temperature.

Rumination's effect on suicide ideation through grit and gratitude: A path analysis study.

PubMed

White, Evan J; Kraines, Morganne A; Tucker, Raymond P; Wingate, LaRicka R; Wells, Tony T; Grant, DeMond M

2017-05-01

The current study documents the relationship between suicide ideation, grit and gratitude, and rumination subtypes of brooding and reflection. The relationship between rumination and suicide ideation has been well documented and previous research has demonstrated that grit and gratitude are protective factors against suicide. We hypothesized that both subtypes of rumination would have an indirect effect on suicide ideation through levels of grit and gratitude. Results of a conditional indirect effects path analysis indicated that brooding was indirectly related to suicide ideation through gratitude. Brooding interacted with grit such that it only predicted suicide ideation at low levels of grit. Reflection interacted with gratitude to predict levels of grit. Results suggest that brooding may impact suicide risk and resilience through its effect on gratitude, indicating important cognitive-behavioral targets for suicide prevention strategies. These results extend the literature about the relationship between well known risk factors for suicide and protective factors. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Motorboat noise impacts parental behaviour and offspring survival in a reef fish.

PubMed

Nedelec, Sophie L; Radford, Andrew N; Pearl, Leanne; Nedelec, Brendan; McCormick, Mark I; Meekan, Mark G; Simpson, Stephen D

2017-06-14

Anthropogenic noise is a pollutant of international concern, with mounting evidence of disturbance and impacts on animal behaviour and physiology. However, empirical studies measuring survival consequences are rare. We use a field experiment to investigate how repeated motorboat-noise playback affects parental behaviour and offspring survival in the spiny chromis ( Acanthochromis polyacanthus ), a brooding coral reef fish. Repeated observations were made for 12 days at 38 natural nests with broods of young. Exposure to motorboat-noise playback compared to ambient-sound playback increased defensive acts, and reduced both feeding and offspring interactions by brood-guarding males. Anthropogenic noise did not affect the growth of developing offspring, but reduced the likelihood of offspring survival; while offspring survived at all 19 nests exposed to ambient-sound playback, six of the 19 nests exposed to motorboat-noise playback suffered complete brood mortality. Our study, providing field-based experimental evidence of the consequences of anthropogenic noise, suggests potential fitness consequences of this global pollutant. © 2017 The Authors.

Quantitative analysis of American woodcock nest and brood habitat

USGS Publications Warehouse

Bourgeois, A.; Keppie, Daniel M.; Owen, Ray B.

1977-01-01

Sixteen nest and 19 brood sites of American woodcock (Philohela minoI) were examined in northern lower Michigan between 15 April and 15 June 1974 to determine habitat structure associated with these sites. Woodcock hens utilized young, second-growth forest stands which were similar in species composition for both nesting and brood rearing. A multi-varIate discriminant function analysis revealed a significant (P< 0.05) difference, however, in habitat structure. Nest habitat was characterized by lower tree density (2176 trees/ha) and basal area (8.6 m2/ha), by being close to forest openings (7 m) and by being situated on dry, relatively well drained sites. In contrast, woodcock broods were located in sites that had nearly twice the tree density (3934 trees/hal and basal area (16.5 m2/ha), was located over twice as far from forest openings (18 m) and generally occurred on damp sites, near (8 m) standing water. Importance of the habitat features to the species and possible management implications are discussed.

An obligate brood parasite trapped in the intraspecific arms race of its hosts.

PubMed

Lyon, Bruce E; Eadie, John McA

2004-11-18

Reciprocal selection pressures often lead to close and adaptive matching of traits in coevolved species. A failure of one species to match the evolutionary trajectories of another is often attributed to evolutionary lags or to differing selection pressures across a geographic mosaic. Here we show that mismatches in adaptation of interacting species--an obligate brood parasitic duck and each of its two main hosts--are best explained by the evolutionary dynamics within the host species. Rejection of the brood parasite's eggs was common by both hosts, despite a lack of detectable cost of parasitism to the hosts. Egg rejection markedly reduced parasite fitness, but egg mimicry experiments revealed no phenotypic natural selection for more mimetic parasitic eggs. These paradoxical results were resolved by the discovery of intraspecific brood parasitism and conspecific egg rejection within the hosts themselves. The apparent arms race between species seems instead to be an incidental by-product of within-species conflict, with little recourse for evolutionary response by the parasite.

The internalizing pathway to adolescent substance use disorders: mediation by ruminative reflection and ruminative brooding.

PubMed

Adrian, Molly; McCarty, Carolyn; King, Kevin; McCauley, Elizabeth; Stoep, Ann Vander

2014-10-01

Two subtypes of rumination were examined in relationship to substance use and substance use disorders in adolescents. In the 8th and 9th grade, 521 adolescents completed measures assessing depressive symptoms, conduct problems, and reflective and brooding subtypes of rumination. In 12th grade, adolescents reported substance use and were administered the substance use disorders modules from the DISC. Path analyses conducted with data from 428 participants indicated that neither depression nor rumination variables significantly affected the presence of substance use. However, indirect effects of depression through reflection and brooding were differentially related to risk of developing substance use disorders, with brooding positively associated with Marijuana Use Disorders, and reflection negatively related to both Marijuana and Alcohol Use Disorders. Pathways did not differ by sex. These findings suggest that promoting self-reflection may be an effective strategy to prevent and intervene with the development of problematic substance use. Copyright © 2014 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Cuckoos and parasitic ants: Interspecific brood parasitism as an evolutionary arms race.

PubMed

Davies, N B; Bourke, A F; de L Brooke, M

1989-09-01

Each summer thousands of nesting birds feed cuckoo chicks that have killed the hosts' own young. Likewise, worker ants rear the brood of other ants that have killed the workers' queen or even induced the workers to kill their queen themselves. In both cases the hosts spend time and energy raising offspring that, to them, are of no genetic value. Such exploitation involves intricate parasitic adaptations for deceiving hosts. It should also provoke host defences. Brood and social parasites and their hosts therefore provide excellent opportunities for the study of evolutionary arms races. Copyright © 1989. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Laboratory services series: a programmed maintenance system

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Tuxbury, D.C.; Srite, B.E.

1980-01-01

The diverse facilities, operations and equipment at a major national research and development laboratory require a systematic, analytical approach to operating equipment maintenance. A computer-scheduled preventive maintenance program is described including program development, equipment identification, maintenance and inspection instructions, scheduling, personnel, and equipment history.

[A design of software for management of hospital equipment maintenance process].

PubMed

Xie, Haiyuan; Liu, Yiqing

2010-03-01

According to the circumstance of hospital equipment maintenance, we designed a computer program for management of hospital equipment maintenance process by Java programming language. This program can control the maintenance process, increase the efficiency; and be able to fix the equipment location.

14 CFR 91.1109 - Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program... Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1109 Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program. Each program... conduct of inspections for the particular make and model aircraft, including necessary tests and checks...

14 CFR 91.1109 - Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program... Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1109 Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program. Each program... conduct of inspections for the particular make and model aircraft, including necessary tests and checks...

14 CFR 91.1109 - Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program... Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1109 Aircraft maintenance: Inspection program. Each program... conduct of inspections for the particular make and model aircraft, including necessary tests and checks...

Cognitive processing in the aftermath of relationship dissolution: Associations with concurrent and prospective distress and posttraumatic growth.

PubMed

Del Palacio-González, Adriana; Clark, David A; O'Sullivan, Lucia F

2017-12-01

Non-marital romantic relationship dissolution is amongst the most stressful life events experienced by young adults. Yet, some individuals experience posttraumatic growth following relationship dissolution. Little is known about the specific and differential contribution of trait-like and event-specific cognitive processing styles to each of these outcomes. A longitudinal design was employed in which trait-like (brooding and reflection) and dissolution-specific (intrusive and deliberate) cognitive processing was examined as predictors of growth (Posttraumatic Growth Inventory) and distress (Breakup Distress Scale) following a recent relationship dissolution. Initially, 148 participants completed measures of trait-like and dissolution-specific cognitive processing, growth, and distress (T1). A subsample completed a seven-month follow-up (T2). Higher frequency of relationship-dissolution intrusive thoughts predicted concurrent distress after accounting for brooding and relationship characteristics. Further, higher brooding and lower reflection predicted higher distress prospectively. Concurrent growth was predicted by both higher brooding and more deliberate relationship-dissolution thoughts. Prospectively, T1 dissolution intrusive thoughts predicted higher T2 deliberate thoughts, and the interaction between these two constructs predicted higher T2 growth. Therefore, deliberately thinking of the dissolution was related to positive psychological outcomes. In contrast, intrusive dissolution cognitions and a tendency for brooding had a mixed (paradoxical) association with psychological adjustment. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Colour, vision and coevolution in avian brood parasitism.

PubMed

Stoddard, Mary Caswell; Hauber, Mark E

2017-07-05

The coevolutionary interactions between avian brood parasites and their hosts provide a powerful system for investigating the diversity of animal coloration. Specifically, reciprocal selection pressure applied by hosts and brood parasites can give rise to novel forms and functions of animal coloration, which largely differ from those that arise when selection is imposed by predators or mates. In the study of animal colours, avian brood parasite-host dynamics therefore invite special consideration. Rapid advances across disciplines have paved the way for an integrative study of colour and vision in brood parasite-host systems. We now know that visually driven host defences and host life history have selected for a suite of phenotypic adaptations in parasites, including mimicry, crypsis and supernormal stimuli. This sometimes leads to vision-based host counter-adaptations and increased parasite trickery. Here, we review vision-based adaptations that arise in parasite-host interactions, emphasizing that these adaptations can be visual/sensory, cognitive or phenotypic in nature. We highlight recent breakthroughs in chemistry, genomics, neuroscience and computer vision, and we conclude by identifying important future directions. Moving forward, it will be essential to identify the genetic and neural bases of adaptation and to compare vision-based adaptations to those arising in other sensory modalities.This article is part of the themed issue 'Animal coloration: production, perception, function and application'. © 2017 The Author(s).

Population variables and life-history characteristics of the alligator pipefish Syngnathoides biaculeatus, in Papua New Guinea.

PubMed

Barrows, A P W; Martin-Smith, K M; Baine, M S P

2009-03-01

Population structure and life-history variables of the widely distributed alligator pipefish Syngnathoides biaculeatus were characterized in Bootless Bay, Papua New Guinea over the course of 11 months. There was little evidence of seasonality with four focal populations showing no significant change in abundance. Similarly, the sex ratio remained 1:1 for all but 1 month. Reproductive males carrying eggs (148-278 mm in total length, L(T)) were found in all months. Brood size was significantly, positively related to male L(T) for newly laid broods only. Maximum observed brood size was 351 and mean +/-s.d. brood size was 238 +/- 57 for newly laid broods. Juveniles and males showed no change in mean L(T) over the year while slightly smaller females were captured in November 2006 and September 2007. Males were significantly longer than females so von Bertalanffy growth coefficients were estimated separately for each sex: males L(infinity)= 285 mm, K = 0.82 year(-1) and females L(infinity)= 261 mm, K = 1.10 year(-1). These estimates suggest that this species grows rapidly and has a short-life span. In the context of growing concern about overexploitation of syngnathids, a rapid growth rate combined with year round reproductive activity suggests that the tropical S. biaculeatus may be relatively resilient with regard to fishing pressure.

Seahorse Brood Pouch Transcriptome Reveals Common Genes Associated with Vertebrate Pregnancy.

PubMed

Whittington, Camilla M; Griffith, Oliver W; Qi, Weihong; Thompson, Michael B; Wilson, Anthony B

2015-12-01

Viviparity (live birth) has evolved more than 150 times in vertebrates, and represents an excellent model system for studying the evolution of complex traits. There are at least 23 independent origins of viviparity in fishes, with syngnathid fishes (seahorses and pipefish) unique in exhibiting male pregnancy. Male seahorses and pipefish have evolved specialized brooding pouches that provide protection, gas exchange, osmoregulation, and limited nutrient provisioning to developing embryos. Pouch structures differ widely across the Syngnathidae, offering an ideal opportunity to study the evolution of reproductive complexity. However, the physiological and genetic changes facilitating male pregnancy are largely unknown. We used transcriptome profiling to examine pouch gene expression at successive gestational stages in a syngnathid with the most complex brood pouch morphology, the seahorse Hippocampus abdominalis. Using a unique time-calibrated RNA-seq data set including brood pouch at key stages of embryonic development, we identified transcriptional changes associated with brood pouch remodeling, nutrient and waste transport, gas exchange, osmoregulation, and immunological protection of developing embryos at conception, development and parturition. Key seahorse transcripts share homology with genes of reproductive function in pregnant mammals, reptiles, and other live-bearing fish, suggesting a common toolkit of genes regulating pregnancy in divergent evolutionary lineages. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Social regulation of ageing by young workers in the honey bee, Apis mellifera.

PubMed

Eyer, Michael; Dainat, Benjamin; Neumann, Peter; Dietemann, Vincent

2017-01-01

Organisms' lifespans are modulated by both genetic and environmental factors. The lifespan of eusocial insects is determined by features of the division of labor, which itself is influenced by social regulatory mechanisms. In the honey bee, Apis mellifera, the presence of brood and of old workers carrying out foraging tasks are important social drivers of ageing, but the influence of young adult workers is unknown, as it has not been experimentally teased apart from that of brood. In this study, we test the role of young workers in the ageing of their nestmates. We measured the impact of different social contexts characterized by the absence of brood and/or young adults on the lifespan of worker nestmates in field colonies. To acquire insight into the physiological processes occurring under these contexts, we analyzed the expression of genes known to affect honey bee ageing. The data showed that young workers significantly reduced the lifespan of nestmate workers, similar to the effect of brood on its own. Differential expression of vitellogenin, major royal jelly protein-1, and methylase transferase, but not methyl farneosate epoxidase genes suggests that young workers and brood influence ageing of adult nestmate workers via different physiological pathways. We identify young workers as an essential part of the social regulation of ageing in honey bee colonies. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Interaction effect of brooding rumination and interoceptive awareness on depression and anxiety symptoms

PubMed Central

Lackner, Ryan J.; Fresco, David M.

2016-01-01

Awareness of the body (i.e., interoceptive awareness) and self-referential thought represent two distinct, yet habitually integrated aspects of self. A recent neuroanatomical and processing model for depression and anxiety incorporates the connections between increased but low fidelity afferent interoceptive input with self-referential and belief-based states. A deeper understanding of how self-referential processes are integrated with interoceptive processes may ultimately aid in our understanding of altered, maladaptive views of the self – a shared experience of individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine how negative self-referential processing (i.e., brooding rumination) relates to interoception in the context of affective psychopathology. Undergraduate students (N = 82) completed an interoception task (heartbeat counting) in addition to self-reported measures of rumination and depression and anxiety symptoms. Results indicated an interaction effect of brooding rumination and interoceptive awareness on depression and anxiety-related distress. Specifically, high levels of brooding rumination coupled with low levels of interoceptive awareness were associated with the highest levels of depression and anxiety-related distress, whereas low levels of brooding rumination coupled with high levels of interoceptive awareness were associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety-related distress. The findings provide further support for the conceptualization of anxiety and depression as conditions involving the integration of interoceptive processes and negative self-referential processes. PMID:27567108

Healthy brooders employ more attentional resources when disengaging from the negative: an event-related fMRI study.

PubMed

Vanderhasselt, Marie-Anne; Kühn, Simone; De Raedt, Rudi

2011-06-01

Depressive brooding is considered a maladaptive ruminative-thinking style that has been shown to be highly correlated with major depression. The present study in healthy participants employed event-related fMRI to uncover the neural underpinnings of emotional disengagement as it relates to depressive brooding. Thirty-four healthy, never depressed individuals performed an emotional go/no-go task with a rapid presentation of emotional faces. We focused on the contrast of inhibiting sad (happy/no-go) versus inhibiting happy (sad/no-go) information. This contrast allowed us to assess possible difficulties in disengaging from emotionally negative, as compared with emotionally positive, faces. At the behavioral level, only in high brooders were higher self-reported brooding scores correlated with more errors when sad information was inhibited, relative to happy information. At the neural level, across all participants, brooding scores were positively correlated with activity in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC; BA 46), implying that high brooders show higher DLPFC involvement when successfully disengaging from a series of negative stimuli. These results may suggest that healthy individuals who report a high brooding thinking style need to recruit more attentional control in order to disengage successfully from negative information, in a way that may be related to emotion regulation strategies. These mechanisms might protect them from developing depressive symptoms.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Programs, 2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-03-01

Endangered Species Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorizes ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek (CC), Lostine River (LR) and Grande Ronde River (GR) for research and enhancement purposes. Modification 2 of this permit authorizes ODFW to take adults for spawning and the production and release of smolts for the Captive and Conventional broodstock programs. This report satisfies the requirement that an annual report be submitted. Herein we report on activities conducted and provide cursory data analyses for the Grande Ronde spring chinook salmon Captive and Conventional broodstock projects from 1 January-31 December 2001.

Grande Ronde Basin Chinook Salmon Captive Brood and Conventional Supplementation Program, 2000 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Carmichael, Richard W.

2003-03-01

Endangered Species Permit Number 1011 (formerly Permit No. 973) authorizes ODFW to take listed spring chinook salmon juveniles from Catherine Creek (CC), Lostine River (LR) and Grande Ronde River (GR) for research and enhancement purposes. Modification 2 of this permit authorizes ODFW to take adults for spawning and the production and release of smolts for the Captive and Conventional broodstock programs. This report satisfies the requirement that an annual report be submitted. Herein we report on activities conducted and provide cursory data analyses for the Grande Ronde spring chinook salmon Captive and Conventional broodstock projects from 1 January-31 December 2000.

25 CFR 170.808 - Can BIA Road Maintenance Program funds be used to improve IRR transportation facilities?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2010-04-01 2010-04-01 false Can BIA Road Maintenance Program funds be used to improve... THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.808 Can BIA Road Maintenance Program funds be used to improve IRR transportation facilities? No. BIA Road...

41 CFR 102-34.285 - Where can we obtain help in setting up a maintenance program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Where can we obtain help in setting up a maintenance program? 102-34.285 Section 102-34.285 Public Contracts and Property... obtain help in setting up a maintenance program? For help in setting up a maintenance program, contact...

14 CFR 91.1437 - CAMP: Authority to perform and approve maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1437 CAMP: Authority to perform and approve maintenance. A program manager who maintains program aircraft under a CAMP may employ maintenance personnel, or make... maintenance. 91.1437 Section 91.1437 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, DEPARTMENT OF...

Salmon Supplementation Studies in Idaho Rivers; Idaho Supplementation Studies, 2000-2001 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Beasley, Chris; Tabor, R.A.; Kinzer, Ryan

2003-04-01

This report summarizes brood year 1999 juvenile production and emigration data and adult return information for 2000 for streams studied by the Nez Perce Tribe for the cooperative Idaho Salmon Supplementation Studies in Idaho Rivers (ISS) project. In order to provide inclusive juvenile data for brood year 1999, we include data on parr, presmolt, smolt and yearling captures. Therefore, our reporting period includes juvenile data collected from April 2000 through June 2001 for parr, presmolts, and smolts and through June 2002 for brood year 1999 yearling emigrants. Data presented in this report include; fish outplant data for treatment streams, snorkelmore » and screw trap estimates of juvenile fish abundance, juvenile emigration profiles, juvenile survival estimates to Lower Granite Dam (LGJ), redd counts, and carcass data. There were no brood year 1999 treatments in Legendary Bear or Fishing Creek. As in previous years, snorkeling methods provided highly variable population estimates. Alternatively, rotary screw traps operated in Lake Creek and the Secesh River provided more precise estimates of juvenile abundance by life history type. Juvenile fish emigration in Lake Creek and the Secesh River peaked during July and August. Juveniles produced in this watershed emigrated primarily at age zero, and apparently reared in downstream habitats before detection as age one or older fish at the Snake and Columbia River dams. Over the course of the ISS study, PIT tag data suggest that smolts typically exhibit the highest relative survival to Lower Granite Dam (LGJ) compared to presmolts and parr, although we observed the opposite trend for brood year 1999 juvenile emigrants from the Secesh River. SURPH2 survival estimates for brood year 1999 Lake Creek parr, presmolt, and smolt PIT tag groups to (LGJ) were 27%, 39%, and 49% respectively, and 14%, 12%, and 5% for the Secesh River. In 2000, we counted 41 redds in Legendary Bear Creek, 4 in Fishing Creek, 5 in Slate Creek, 153 in the Secesh River, and 180 in Lake Creek. We recovered 19 carcasses (11 natural 8 hatchery) in Legendary Bear Creek, one hatchery carcass in Fishing Creek, zero carcasses in Slate Creek, 82 carcasses (19 of unknown origin and 63 natural) in the Secesh River, and 178 carcasses (2 hatchery 176 natural) from Lake Creek. In 2000 the majority (82%) of carcasses were recovered in index spawning reaches. Preliminary analysis of brood year 1997 PIT tag return data for the Secesh River and Lake Creek yields LGJ to Lower Granite Dam (LGD) juvenile to adult survival rates of, 0.00% for parr, 0.20% for presmolts, and 3.13% for smolts. LGJ to LGD juvenile to adult return rates for brood year 1997 Legendary Bear Creek were 2.98% for naturally produced PIT tagged smolts and 0.89% for PIT tagged supplementation smolts. No adults were detected at LGD from brood year 1997 parr released in Fishing Creek.« less

Amazon Molly, Poecilia formosa, as a model for studies of the effects of ionizing radiation. [Radiosensitivity of Poecilia formosa, Carassius auratus, Ictalurus punctatus, and Oncorhynchus tshawytscha in laboratory environments

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Woodhead, A.D.; Setlow, R.B.; Hart, R.W.

1977-01-01

It is suggested that the viviparous teleost, Poecilia formosa, (Amazon molly) may have wide potential use for aquatic radiation studies. The Amazon molly is a naturally occurring gynogenetic species, in which the eggs are activated after mating with the males of closely related species, without the subsequent genetic contribution from the male. The offspring of a single original female constitute a clone, having identical genotypes. Clones of the genetically homogeneous Amazon molly may prove to be equally as valuable to aquatic radiobiologists as the inbred rodent lines have been to mammalian studies. In many other respects the Amazon molly ismore » a satisfactory laboratory animal. It is robust, easy to rear, and has large broods of young when fully grown. Maintenance costs are low. Details are given of the conditions under which colonies reproduce.« less

Tropilaelaps mercedesae and Varroa destructor: prevalence and reproduction in concurrently infested Apis mellifera colonies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The prevalence of Tropilaelaps mercedesae and Varroa destructor in concurrently infested A. mellifera colonies in Thailand was monitored. We also assessed the reproductive ability of T. mercedesae and V. destructor in naturally infested brood and in brood cells deliberately infested with both mite g...

Prevalence and reproduction of Tropilaelaps mercedesae and Varroa destructor in concurrently infested Apis mellifera colonies

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The prevalence of Tropilaelaps mercedesae and Varroa destructor in concurrently infested A. mellifera colonies in Thailand was monitored. We also assessed the fecundity of T. mercedesae and V. destructor in naturally infested brood and in brood cells deliberately infested with both mite genera. Resu...

Repeatability of measurements of removal of mite-infested brood to assess Varroa Sensitive Hygiene

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene is a useful resistance trait that bee breeders could increase in different populations with cost-effective and reliable tests. We investigated the reliability of a one-week test estimating the changes in infestation of brood introduced into highly selected and unselected co...

Selecting honey bees for worker brood that reduces the reproduction of Varroa destructor

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

We investigated an effect of Apis mellifera worker brood on the reproduction of Varroa destructor as a resistance trait by conducting seven generations of bidirectional selection. Initial tests showed two-fold differences in mite fecundity (progeny per foundress mites) between colonies of different...

Waterfowl production on the Woodworth Station in south-central North Dakota, 1965-1981

USGS Publications Warehouse

Higgins, K.F.; Kirsch, L.M.; Klett, A.T.; Miller, H.W.

1992-01-01

During 17 years of study at the Woodworth, North Dakota study area, the percent of 548 wetland basin with water during 1-15 May ranged from 8 to 87 and averaged 56; waterfowl pair densities varied from 19 to 56/km2 and averaged 40/km2. Pond occupancy by duck pairs averaged 37% during mid-May counts and 48% for late May and early June counts. A positive linear relation occurred between the estimated number of duck pairs and the percent of basins with water during 1-15 May.There were 3,339 duck nests found in grassland habitats from 1966 through 1981. Approximately 66% (85% Mayfield) of these were depredated or abandoned. Mammals caused 88% of nest failures. Half or more of the eventually successful clutches were unhatched by 10 July in 9 of 16 years. Haying would have disturbed or destroyed an average of 43%, 33%, 22%, 15%, and 9% of the duck nests if initiated on 10 July, 15 July, 20 July, 25 July, and 1 August, respectively.The total average size of completed clutch for all species was 29% smaller at the end of the nesting season than at the beginning, underscoring the importance of protecting early clutches.Production averaged 30 broods per 100 pairs of ducks and ranged from 15 to 61 broods per 100 pairs. Brood densities ranged from 10 to 63/km2 and averaged 12/km2. Mean brood size averaged 6.4 for all species. July broods averaged 7.2 ducklings and August broods 5.7 ducklings. Duckling loss averaged 2.6 per brood and 85% (2.2 ducklings) of this loss was estimated to occur during the first 14 days after hatch.Wetlands of all sizes and classes were important at some time to one species of duck or another. With the exception of some diving ducks, all species used a complex of sizes and classes of wetlands for space, food, and shelter necessary for nesting and brooding. Pair counts during 20 May-7 June were most indicative of the breeding population. A combination of two brood counts resulted in the best estimate of annual production. An average of only 50% of the total duck broods per year was counted during the 1-15 July surveys, which approximated the average time of the Service's July aerial surveys. During this study the area produced an average of 1 duck per 4 ha of upland and had a nest density of approximately 1 nest per 14 ha. Nest success rates averaged 35.1% (16.3% Mayfield). Predation was significantly reduced by good vegetative cover at nest sites. Seeded grasslands (dense nesting cover) yielded better production than native prairie or croplands. Seeded grasslands also produced 3 times more ducklings per unit area than adjacent native prairie and more than 14 times as many as adjacent, annually tilled croplands.Ducks generally showed higher nest densities and better nesting success when using growing grain crops than when nesting in standing or mulched stubble fields. Among native mixed-grass prairie and seeded grassland, production was enhanced by leaving fields idle or by treating them with periodic burning. Duck production was generally lowered by grazing field of native prairie but duck production on grazing lands was higher than in annually tilled croplands.

Florida maintenance rating program (MRP) assessment and enhancement : final report, May 28, 2008.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2008-05-28

The Maintenance Rating Program (MRP), developed in 1985 by FDOT, is a statewide maintenance system aimed : at evaluating the State highway maintenance conditions, and determining FDOT asset maintenance needs. In the : quest for continuous improvement...

25 CFR 170.2 - What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program... INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Policies, Applicability, and Definitions § 170.2 What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy? (a) It is the policy of the Secretary of the Interior and the...

25 CFR 170.2 - What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program... INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Policies, Applicability, and Definitions § 170.2 What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy? (a) It is the policy of the Secretary of the Interior and the...

25 CFR 170.2 - What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program... INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Policies, Applicability, and Definitions § 170.2 What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy? (a) It is the policy of the Secretary of the Interior and the...

Building Maintenance, Management, and Budgeting.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Pawsey, M. R.

1982-01-01

Australian methods and formulas for funding building maintenance and management are outlined and found to be haphazard. Discussed are: ultimate costs of deferred maintenance, major plant replacements, life cycle costing, types of maintenance programs (including full preventive maintenance), use of computer programs for planning, and organization…

Development of a user-friendly delivery method for the fungus Metarhizium anisopliae to control the ectoparasitic mite Varroa destructor in honey bee, Apis mellifera, colonies.

PubMed

Kanga, Lambert H B; Adamczyk, John; Patt, Joseph; Gracia, Carlos; Cascino, John

2010-12-01

A user-friendly method to deliver Metarhizium spores to honey bee colonies for control of Varroa mites was developed and tested. Patty blend formulations protected the fungal spores at brood nest temperatures and served as an improved delivery system of the fungus to bee hives. Field trials conducted in 2006 in Texas using freshly harvested spores indicated that patty blend formulations of 10 g of conidia per hive (applied twice) significantly reduced the numbers of mites per adult bee, mites in sealed brood cells, and residual mites at the end of the 47-day experimental period. Colony development in terms of adult bee populations and brood production also improved. Field trials conducted in 2007 in Florida using less virulent spores produced mixed results. Patty blends of 10 g of conidia per hive (applied twice) were less successful in significantly reducing the number of mites per adult bee. However, hive survivorship and colony strength were improved, and the numbers of residual mites were significantly reduced at the end of the 42-day experimental period. The overall results from 2003 to 2008 field trials indicated that it was critical to have fungal spores with good germination, pathogenicity and virulence. We determined that fungal spores (1 × 10(10) viable spores per gram) with 98% germination and high pathogenicity (95% mite mortality at day 7) provided successful control of mite populations in established honey bee colonies at 10 g of conidia per hive (applied twice). Overall, microbial control of Varroa mite with M. anisopliae is feasible and could be a useful component of an integrated pest management program.

Cowbird removals unexpectedly increase productivity of a brood parasite and the songbird host.

PubMed

Kosciuch, Karl L; Sandercock, Brett K

2008-03-01

Generalist brood parasites reduce productivity and population growth of avian hosts and have been implicated in population declines of several songbirds of conservation concern. To estimate the demographic effects of brood parasitism on Bell's Vireos (Vireo bellii), we removed Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) in a replicated switchback experimental design. Cowbird removals decreased parasitism frequency from 77% and 85% at unmanipulated plots to 58% and 47% at removal plots in 2004 and 2005, respectively. Vireo productivity per pair was higher at cowbird removal plots when years were pooled (mean = 2.6 +/- 0.2 [SE] young per pair) compared to unmanipulated plots (1.2 +/- 0.1). Nest desertion frequency was lower at cowbird removal plots (35% of parasitized nests) compared to unmanipulated plots (69%) because removal of host eggs was the proximate cue for nest desertion, and vireos experienced lower rates of egg loss at cowbird removal plots. Nest success was higher among unparasitized than parasitized nests, and parasitized nests at cowbird removal plots had a higher probability of success than parasitized nests at unmanipulated plots. Unexpectedly, cowbird productivity from vireo pairs was higher at cowbird removal plots (mean = 0.3 +/- 0.06 young per pair) than at unmanipulated plots (0.1 +/- 0.03) because fewer parasitized nests were deserted and the probability of nest success was higher. Our study provides the first evidence that increases in cowbird productivity may be an unintended consequence of cowbird control programs, especially during the initial years of trapping when parasitism may only be moderately reduced. Thus, understanding the demographic impacts of cowbird removals requires an informed understanding of the behavioral ecology of host-parasite interactions.

14 CFR 125.247 - Inspection programs and maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Maintenance § 125.247 Inspection programs and maintenance. (a) No person may operate an airplane subject to this part unless (1... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Inspection programs and maintenance. 125...

14 CFR 125.247 - Inspection programs and maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Maintenance § 125.247 Inspection programs and maintenance. (a) No person may operate an airplane subject to this part unless (1... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Inspection programs and maintenance. 125...

14 CFR 125.247 - Inspection programs and maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Maintenance § 125.247 Inspection programs and maintenance. (a) No person may operate an airplane subject to this part unless (1... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Inspection programs and maintenance. 125...

14 CFR 125.247 - Inspection programs and maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Maintenance § 125.247 Inspection programs and maintenance. (a) No person may operate an airplane subject to this part unless (1... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Inspection programs and maintenance. 125...

14 CFR 125.247 - Inspection programs and maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... CAPACITY OF 6,000 POUNDS OR MORE; AND RULES GOVERNING PERSONS ON BOARD SUCH AIRCRAFT Maintenance § 125.247 Inspection programs and maintenance. (a) No person may operate an airplane subject to this part unless (1... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Inspection programs and maintenance. 125...

AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL MAINTENANCE. PROGRAM OUTLINE.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Human Engineering Inst., Cleveland, OH.

INFORMATIONAL TOPICS COVERED IN THE TEXT MATERIALS AND SELF-INSTRUCTIONAL BRANCH PROGRAMED TRAINING FILMS FOR A 2-YEAR, 55 MODULE PROGRAM IN AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL MAINTENANCE ARE GIVEN. THE 30 MODULES FOR "AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL MAINTENANCE 1" ARE AVAILABLE AS VT 005 655 - VT 005 684, AND THE 25 MODULES FOR "AUTOMOTIVE DIESEL MAINTENANCE 2" ARE AVAILABLE…

Macroinvertebrate abundance, water chemistry, and wetland characteristics affect use of wetlands by avian species in Maine

USGS Publications Warehouse

Longcore, J.R.; McAuley, D.G.; Pendleton, G.W.; Bennatti, C.R.; Mingo, T.M.; Stromborg, K.L.; Hanson, Alan; Kerekes, Joseph; Paquet, Julie

2006-01-01

Our objective was to determine use by avian species (e.g., piscivores, marsh birds, waterfowl, selected passerines) of 29 wetlands in areas with low ( 5.51. All years combined use of wetlands by broods was greater on wetlands with pH 5.51 that supported 21.8% of the broods. High mean brood density was associated with mean number of Insecta per wetland. For lentic wetlands created by beaver, those habitats contained vegetative structure and nutrients necessary to provide cover to support invertebrate populations that are prey of omnivore and insectivore species. The fishless status of a few wetlands may have affected use by some waterfowl species and obligate piscivores.

Implementing a Reliability Centered Maintenance Program at NASA's Kennedy Space Center

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tuttle, Raymond E.; Pete, Robert R.

1998-01-01

Maintenance practices have long focused on time based "preventive maintenance" techniques. Components were changed out and parts replaced based on how long they had been in place instead of what condition they were in. A reliability centered maintenance (RCM) program seeks to offer equal or greater reliability at decreased cost by insuring only applicable, effective maintenance is performed and by in large part replacing time based maintenance with condition based maintenance. A significant portion of this program involved introducing non-intrusive technologies, such as vibration analysis, oil analysis and I/R cameras, to an existing labor force and management team.

14 CFR 121.374 - Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two-engine ETOPS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Continuous airworthiness maintenance...: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations § 121.374 Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two...

14 CFR 121.374 - Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two-engine ETOPS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Continuous airworthiness maintenance...: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations § 121.374 Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two...

14 CFR 121.374 - Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two-engine ETOPS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Continuous airworthiness maintenance...: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations § 121.374 Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two...

14 CFR 121.374 - Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two-engine ETOPS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2013-01-01 2013-01-01 false Continuous airworthiness maintenance...: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations § 121.374 Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two...

14 CFR 121.374 - Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two-engine ETOPS.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 3 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Continuous airworthiness maintenance...: CERTIFICATION AND OPERATIONS OPERATING REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC, FLAG, AND SUPPLEMENTAL OPERATIONS Maintenance, Preventive Maintenance, and Alterations § 121.374 Continuous airworthiness maintenance program (CAMP) for two...

78 FR 49595 - Aviation Rulemaking Advisory Committee-New Task

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2013-08-14

... the new ARAC activity and solicits membership for the Maintenance Reliability Program Working Group... establish the Maintenance Reliability Program Working Group. The working group will serve as staff to ARAC... programs. The Maintenance Reliability Program Working Group will provide advice and recommendations on the...

A Planned Preventive Maintenance Program. A Handbook for Chief Business Officers and Supervisors of Maintenance with Suggestions on Maintenance for Consideration by Presidents of Higher Institutions.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Daniel, Clarence H.

This handbook explains planned preventive maintenance program, which is an operational system of maintenance designed to increase the effectiveness of the maintenance staff and the use of maintenance funds through efficient scheduling of inspections and follow-through of work to be performed. Sections are included for the chief administrative…

Maintenance program decision-making utilizing crash data.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-07-01

This document describes methods that may be used by UDOT Maintenance personnel to improve highway safety. Four programs have been recommended using crash data to make more informed decisions concerning maintenance programs as follows: : Snow & Ic...

First observed instance of polygyny in Flammulated Owls

Treesearch

Brian D. Linkhart; Erin M. Evers; Julie D. Megler; Eric C. Palm; Catherine M. Salipante; Scott W. Yanco

2008-01-01

We document the first observed instance of polygyny in Flammulated Owls (Otus flammeolus) and the first among insectivorous raptors. Chronologies of the male's two nests, which were 510 m apart, were separated by nearly 2 weeks. Each brood initially consisted of three owlets, similar to the mean brood size in monogamous pairs. The male delivered...

Resource selection during brood-rearing by Greater Sage-Grouse [chapter 12

Treesearch

Nicholas W. Kaczor; Katie M. Herman-Brunson; Kent C. Jensen; Mark A. Rumble; Robert W. Klaver; Christopher C. Swanson

2011-01-01

Understanding population dynamics and resource selection is crucial in developing wildlife resource management plans for sensitive species such as Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). Little is known about sage grouse habitats on the eastern edge of their range. We investigated resource selection of Greater Sage-Grouse during brood- rearing in North and...

SENSITIVITY OF NEST SUCCESS, YOUNG FLEDGED, AND PROBABILITY OF RENESTING TO SEASONAL FECUNDITY IN MULTI-BROODED SPECIES

EPA Science Inventory

A considerable number of avian species can produce multiple broods within a season. Seasonal fecundity in these species can vary by changes in the number of young fledged per nest, the probability of a successful nest, and the probability of initiating additional nests (e.g., re...

Fine mapping implicates two immunity genes in larval resistance to the honey bee brood fungal disease, Chalkbrood

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chalkbrood infection of honey bee (Apis mellifera) brood by the fungus Ascosphaera apis results in fatal encapsulation of susceptible larvae with a mycelial coat. Recent QTL analysis indicates that some level of physiological resistance exists in individual larvae. We performed a fine mapping anal...

Management considerations to enhance use of stock ponds by waterfowl broods

Treesearch

Mark A. Rumble; Lester D. Flake

1983-01-01

Use of 36 livestock watering ponds by mallard (Anas playtrhynchos), blue-winged teal (A. discors), and total broods was tested against 32 habitat variables from 1977 and 1978. Pond size, shallow water areas with submersed vegetation, number of natural wetlands in a 1.6-km radius, and emersed vegetation composed of smartweed (

Keeping eggs warm: thermal and developmental advantages for parasitic cuckoos of laying unusually thick-shelled eggs

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yang, Canchao; Huang, Qiuli; Wang, Longwu; Du, Wei-Guo; Liang, Wei; Møller, Anders Pape

2018-02-01

Obligate brood parasites have evolved unusually thick-shelled eggs, which are hypothesized to possess a variety of functions such as resistance to puncture ejection by their hosts. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that obligate brood parasites lay unusually thick-shelled eggs to retain more heat for the developing embryo and thus contribute to early hatching of parasite eggs. By doing so, we used an infrared thermal imaging system as a non-invasive method to quantify the temperature of eggshells of common cuckoos ( Cuculus canorus) and their Oriental reed warbler ( Acrocephalus orientalis) hosts in an experiment that artificially altered the duration of incubation. Our results showed that cuckoo eggshells had higher temperature than host eggs during incubation, but also less fluctuations in temperature during incubation disturbance. Therefore, there was a thermal and hence a developmental advantage for brood parasitic cuckoos of laying thick-shelled eggs, providing another possible explanation for the unusually thick-shelled eggs of obligate brood parasites and earlier hatching of cuckoo eggs compared to those of the host.

Atlantic salmon brood stock management and breeding handbook

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kincaid, Harold L.; Stanley, Jon G.

1989-01-01

Anadromus runs of Atlantic salmon have been restored to the Connecticut, Merrimack, Pawcatuck, Penobscot, and St. Croix rivers in New England by the stocking of more than 8 million smolts since 1948. Fish-breeding methods have been developed that minimize inbreeding and domestication and enhance natural selection. Methods are available to advance the maturation of brood stock, control the sex of production lots and store gametes. Current hatchery practices emphasize the use of sea-run brood stock trapped upon return to the rivers and a limited number of captive brood stock and rejuvenated kelts. Fish are allowed to mature naturally, after which they are spawned and incubated artificially. Generally, 1-year smolts are produced, and excess fish are stocked as fry in headwater streams. Smolts are stocked during periods of rising water in spring. Self-release pools are planned that enable smolts to choose the emigration time. Culturists keep good records that permit evaluation of the performance of strains and the effects of breeding practices. As Atlantic salmon populations expand, culturists must use sound breeding methods that enhance biotic potential while maintaining genetic diversity and protecting unique gene pools.

Rumination in migraine: Mediating effects of brooding and reflection between migraine and psychological distress

PubMed Central

Kokonyei, Gyongyi; Szabo, Edina; Kocsel, Natalia; Edes, Andrea; Eszlari, Nora; Pap, Dorottya; Magyar, Mate; Kovacs, David; Zsombok, Terezia; Elliott, Rebecca; Anderson, Ian Muir; William Deakin, John Francis; Bagdy, Gyorgy; Juhasz, Gabriella

2016-01-01

Objective: The relationship between migraine and psychological distress has been consistently reported in cross-sectional and longitudinal studies. We hypothesised that a stable tendency to perseverative thoughts such as rumination would mediate the relationship between migraine and psychological distress. Design and Main Outcomes Measures: Self-report questionnaires measuring depressive rumination, current psychological distress and migraine symptoms in two independent European population cohorts, recruited from Budapest (N = 1139) and Manchester (N = 2004), were used. Structural regression analysis within structural equation modelling was applied to test the mediational role of brooding and reflection, the components of rumination, between migraine and psychological distress. Sex, age and lifetime depression were controlled for in the analysis. Results: Migraine predicted higher brooding and reflection scores, and brooding proved to be a mediator between migraine and psychological distress in both samples, while reflection mediated the relationship significantly only in the Budapest sample. Conclusions: Elevated psychological distress in migraine is partially attributed to ruminative response style. Further studies are needed to expand our findings to clinical samples and to examine how rumination links to the adjustment to migraine. PMID:27616579

Honeybee Colony Vibrational Measurements to Highlight the Brood Cycle

PubMed Central

Bencsik, Martin; Le Conte, Yves; Reyes, Maritza; Pioz, Maryline; Whittaker, David; Crauser, Didier; Simon Delso, Noa; Newton, Michael I.

2015-01-01

Insect pollination is of great importance to crop production worldwide and honey bees are amongst its chief facilitators. Because of the decline of managed colonies, the use of sensor technology is growing in popularity and it is of interest to develop new methods which can more accurately and less invasively assess honey bee colony status. Our approach is to use accelerometers to measure vibrations in order to provide information on colony activity and development. The accelerometers provide amplitude and frequency information which is recorded every three minutes and analysed for night time only. Vibrational data were validated by comparison to visual inspection data, particularly the brood development. We show a strong correlation between vibrational amplitude data and the brood cycle in the vicinity of the sensor. We have further explored the minimum data that is required, when frequency information is also included, to accurately predict the current point in the brood cycle. Such a technique should enable beekeepers to reduce the frequency with which visual inspections are required, reducing the stress this places on the colony and saving the beekeeper time. PMID:26580393

Living on the wedge: female control of paternity in a cooperatively polyandrous cichlid

PubMed Central

Kohda, Masanori; Heg, Dik; Makino, Yoshimi; Takeyama, Tomohiro; Shibata, Jun-ya; Watanabe, Katsutoshi; Munehara, Hiroyuki; Hori, Michio; Awata, Satoshi

2009-01-01

Theories suggest that, in cooperatively breeding species, female control over paternity and reproductive output may affect male reproductive skew and group stability. Female paternity control may come about through cryptic female choice or female reproductive behaviour, but experimental studies are scarce. Here, we show a new form of female paternity control in a cooperatively polyandrous cichlid fish (Julidochromis transcriptus), in which females prefer wedge-shaped nesting sites. Wedge-shaped sites allowed females to manipulate the siring success of the group member males by spawning the clutch at the spot where the large males were just able to enter and fertilize the outer part of the clutch. Small males fertilized the inner part of the clutch, protected from the large aggressive males, leading to low male reproductive skew. Small males provided more brood care than large males. Multiple paternity induced both males to provide brood care and reduced female brood care accordingly. This is, to our knowledge, the first documented case in a species with external fertilization showing female mating behaviour leading to multiple male paternity and increased male brood care as a result. PMID:19726479

The Evolution of Clutch Size in Hosts of Avian Brood Parasites.

PubMed

Medina, Iliana; Langmore, Naomi E; Lanfear, Robert; Kokko, Hanna

2017-11-01

Coevolution with avian brood parasites shapes a range of traits in their hosts, including morphology, behavior, and breeding systems. Here we explore whether brood parasitism is also associated with the evolution of host clutch size. Several studies have proposed that hosts of highly virulent parasites could decrease the costs of parasitism by evolving a smaller clutch size, because hosts with smaller clutches will lose fewer progeny when their clutch is parasitized. We describe a model of the evolution of clutch size, which challenges this logic and shows instead that an increase in clutch size (or no change) should evolve in hosts. We test this prediction using a broad-scale comparative analysis to ask whether there are differences in clutch size within hosts and between hosts and nonhosts. Consistent with our model, this analysis revealed that host species do not have smaller clutches and that hosts that incur larger costs from raising a parasite lay larger clutches. We suggest that brood parasitism might be an influential factor in clutch-size evolution and could potentially select for the evolution of larger clutches in host species.

Explaining postnatal growth plasticity in a generalist brood parasite

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Remeš, Vladimír

2010-03-01

Selection of a particular host has clear consequences for the performance of avian brood parasites. Experimental studies showed that growth rate and fledging mass of brood parasites varied between host species independently of the original host species. Finding correlates of this phenotypic plasticity in growth is important for assessing adaptiveness and potential fitness consequences of host choice. Here, I analyzed the effects of several host characteristics on growth rate and fledging mass of the young of brown-headed cowbird ( Molothrus ater), a generalist, non-evicting brood parasite. Cowbird chicks grew better in fast-developing host species and reached higher fledging mass in large hosts with fast postnatal development. A potential proximate mechanism linking fast growth and high fledging mass of cowbird with fast host development is superior food supply in fast-developing foster species. So far, we know very little about the consequences of the great plasticity in cowbird growth for later performance of the adult parasite. Thus, cowbird species could become interesting model systems for investigating the role of plasticity and optimization in the evolution of growth rate in birds.

Prevalence of eustrongylidosis in wading birds from colonies in California, Texas, and Rhode Island, USA

USGS Publications Warehouse

Franson, J.C.; Custer, T.W.

1994-01-01

Snowy Egret (Egretta thula) and Black-crowned Night-Heron (Nycticorax nycticorax) nestlings from colonies in Texas, Rhode Island, and California and Great Egret (Casmerodius albus) nestlings from Texas were examined for eustrongylidosis, or infection by the parasitic nematode Eustrongylides spp. In 31% (24/77) of all broods examined, at least one nestling was infected. Snowy Egret broods from Texas were more frequently (100%) infected than those from California (20%) or Rhode Island (10%), and the prevalence of eustrongylidosis in 5- and 10-day-old Snowy Egret nestlings was higher in the Texas colony than the other two. Within the Texas colony, the frequency of eustrongylidosis was greater for Snowy Egret (100%) and Great Egret (80%) broods than for Black-crowned Night-Heron broods (12.5%). Also in Texas, eustrongylidosis was more frequent in 5-day-old Snowy Egret nestlings than 5-day-old Black-crowned Night-Heron or Great Egret nestlings, and in 10-day-old Snowy Egret nestlings than in 10-day-old Black-crowned Night-Heron nestlings. Eustrongylides spp. caused perforations of the gastrointestinal tract and peritonitis, particularly in Snowy Egrets.

Environmental assessment for the Satellite Power System (SPS): studies of honey bees exposed to 2. 45 GHz continuous-wave electromagnetic energy

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Gary, N E; Westerdahl, B B

1980-12-01

A system for small animal exposure was developed for treating honey bees, Apis mellifera L., in brood and adult stages, with 2.45 GHz continuous wave microwaves at selected power densities and exposure times. Post-treatment brood development was normal and teratological effects were not detected at exposures of 3 to 50 mw/cm/sup 2/ for 30 minutes. Post-treatment survival, longevity, orientation, navigation, and memory of adult bees were also normal after exposures of 3 to 50 mw/cm/sup 2/ for 30 minutes. Post-treatment longevity of confined bees in the laboratory was normal after exposures of 3 to 50 mw/cm/sup 2/ for 24 hours.more » Thermoregulation of brood nest, foraging activity, brood rearing, and social interaction were not affected by chronic exposure to 1 mw/cm/sup 2/ during 28 days. In dynamic behavioral bioassays the frequency of entry and duration of activity of unrestrained, foraging adult bees was identical in microwave-exposed (5 to 40 mw/cm/sup 2/) areas versus control areas.« less

Keeping eggs warm: thermal and developmental advantages for parasitic cuckoos of laying unusually thick-shelled eggs.

PubMed

Yang, Canchao; Huang, Qiuli; Wang, Longwu; Du, Wei-Guo; Liang, Wei; Møller, Anders Pape

2018-01-02

Obligate brood parasites have evolved unusually thick-shelled eggs, which are hypothesized to possess a variety of functions such as resistance to puncture ejection by their hosts. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that obligate brood parasites lay unusually thick-shelled eggs to retain more heat for the developing embryo and thus contribute to early hatching of parasite eggs. By doing so, we used an infrared thermal imaging system as a non-invasive method to quantify the temperature of eggshells of common cuckoos (Cuculus canorus) and their Oriental reed warbler (Acrocephalus orientalis) hosts in an experiment that artificially altered the duration of incubation. Our results showed that cuckoo eggshells had higher temperature than host eggs during incubation, but also less fluctuations in temperature during incubation disturbance. Therefore, there was a thermal and hence a developmental advantage for brood parasitic cuckoos of laying thick-shelled eggs, providing another possible explanation for the unusually thick-shelled eggs of obligate brood parasites and earlier hatching of cuckoo eggs compared to those of the host.

Post-copulatory sexual selection and sexual conflict in the evolution of male pregnancy.

PubMed

Paczolt, Kimberly A; Jones, Adam G

2010-03-18

Male pregnancy in seahorses, pipefishes and sea dragons (family Syngnathidae) represents a striking reproductive adaptation that has shaped the evolution of behaviour and morphology in this group of fishes. In many syngnathid species, males brood their offspring in a specialized pouch, which presumably evolved to facilitate male parental care. However, an unexplored possibility is that brood pouch evolution was partly shaped by parent-offspring or sexual conflict, processes that would result in trade-offs between current and future pregnancies. Here we report a controlled breeding experiment using the sexually dimorphic Gulf pipefish, Syngnathus scovelli, to test for post-copulatory sexual selection within broods and for trade-offs between successive male pregnancies as functions of female attractiveness. Offspring survivorship within a pregnancy was affected by the size of a male's mate, the number of eggs transferred and the male's sexual responsiveness. Significantly, we also found that embryo survivorship in a current pregnancy was negatively related to survivorship in the prior pregnancy, clearly demonstrating fitness trade-offs between broods. Overall, our data indicate that post-copulatory sexual selection and sexual conflict occur in Gulf pipefishes. The conflict seems to be mediated by a strategy of cryptic choice in which males increase rates of offspring abortion in pregnancies from unattractive mothers to retain resources for future reproductive opportunities. Hence, the male brood pouch of syngnathid fishes, which nurtures offspring, also seems to have an important role as an arbiter of conflict between the sexes.

Interacting effects of early dietary conditions and reproductive effort on the oxidative costs of reproduction

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

The hypothesis that oxidative damage accumulation can mediate the trade-off between reproduction and lifespan has recently been questioned. However, in captive conditions, studies reporting no evidence in support of this hypothesis have usually provided easy access to food which may have mitigated the cost of reproduction. Here, I test the hypothesis that greater investment in reproduction should lead to oxidative damage accumulation and telomere loss in domestic zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata. Moreover, since the change or fluctuation in diet composition between early and late postnatal period can impair the ability to produce antioxidant defences in zebra finches, I also tested if early nutritional conditions (constant vs fluctuating early diet) influenced the magnitude of any subsequent costs of reproduction (e.g., oxidative damage and/or telomere shortening). In comparison to pairs with reduced broods, the birds that had to feed enlarged broods showed a higher level of oxidative DNA damage (8-OHdG), but brood size had no effect on telomeres. Fluctuating early diet composition reduced the capacity to maintain the activity of endogenous antioxidants (GPx), particularly when reproductive costs were increased (enlarged brood). The decline in GPx in birds feeding enlarged broods was accompanied by a change in bill colouration. This suggests that birds with lower endogenous antioxidant defences might have strategically increased the mobilization of antioxidants previously stored in other tissues (i.e., bill and liver) and thus, preventing an excessive accumulation of damage during reproduction. PMID:28316895

The four faces of rumination to stressful events: A psychometric analysis.

PubMed

García, Felipe E; Duque, Almudena; Cova, Félix

2017-11-01

To increase the knowledge of rumination and its associations with stressful events, we explored the relationships between 4 types of rumination (brooding, reflection, intrusive, and deliberate rumination) in a sample of 750 adult participants who experienced a highly stressful event. We also explored the predictive value of the different types of rumination on posttraumatic stress symptoms and posttraumatic growth 6 months after the highly stressful event occurred. Participants completed the Ruminative Response Scale and the Event-Related Rumination Inventory. Brooding and reflection rumination were obtained from the Ruminative Response Scale, whereas deliberate and intrusive rumination were obtained from the Event-Related Rumination Inventory. Confirmatory factorial analyses were conducted using the 4 types of rumination to test 3 different models: (a) 4-factor model (brooding, reflection, intrusive, and deliberate rumination), (b) 2-factor model: adaptive rumination (reflection and deliberate) and maladaptive rumination (brooding and intrusive), and (c) 2-factor model: depressive rumination (brooding and reflection) and posttraumatic rumination (intrusive and deliberate). It was observed that the 4-factor model showed the best fit to the data. Moreover, 6 months later it was observed that the most significant predictor of posttraumatic symptoms was intrusive rumination, whereas deliberate rumination was the most significant predictor of posttraumatic growth. Results indicate that the 4 types of rumination are differentiated constructs. Ruminative thoughts experienced after a stressful event predicted posttraumatic consequences 6 months later. Implications of these findings are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2017 APA, all rights reserved).

Interaction effect of brooding rumination and interoceptive awareness on depression and anxiety symptoms.

PubMed

Lackner, Ryan J; Fresco, David M

2016-10-01

Awareness of the body (i.e., interoceptive awareness) and self-referential thought represent two distinct, yet habitually integrated aspects of self. A recent neuroanatomical and processing model for depression and anxiety incorporates the connections between increased but low fidelity afferent interoceptive input with self-referential and belief-based states. A deeper understanding of how self-referential processes are integrated with interoceptive processes may ultimately aid in our understanding of altered, maladaptive views of the self - a shared experience of individuals with mood and anxiety disorders. Thus, the purpose of the current study was to examine how negative self-referential processing (i.e., brooding rumination) relates to interoception in the context of affective psychopathology. Undergraduate students (N = 82) completed an interoception task (heartbeat counting) in addition to self-reported measures of rumination and depression and anxiety symptoms. Results indicated an interaction effect of brooding rumination and interoceptive awareness on depression and anxiety-related distress. Specifically, high levels of brooding rumination coupled with low levels of interoceptive awareness were associated with the highest levels of depression and anxiety-related distress, whereas low levels of brooding rumination coupled with high levels of interoceptive awareness were associated with lower levels of depression and anxiety-related distress. The findings provide further support for the conceptualization of anxiety and depression as conditions involving the integration of interoceptive processes and negative self-referential processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Harrison, F.L.; Anderson, S.L.

The effects of lifetime exposure to chronic irradiation on reproductive success were assessed for laboratory populations of the polychaete worm Neanthes arenaceodentata. Lifetime exposure was initiated upon the spawning of the P1 female and was terminated upon spawning of the F1 female. Groups of experimental worms received either no radiation (controls) or 0.19, 2.1, or 17 mGy/h. The total dose received by the worms was either background or approximately 0.55, 6.5, or 54 Gy, respectively. The broods from the F1 mated pairs were sacrificed before hatching occurred, and information was obtained on brood size, on the number of normal andmore » abnormal embryos, and on the number of embryos that were living, dying, and dead. The mean number of embryos in the broods from the F1 females exposed to lifetime radiation of 0.19 and 2.1 mGy/h was not significantly different from the mean number of embryos from control females; however, the mean number of embryos was different from those F1 females exposed to 17 mGy/h. There was a significant reduction in the number of live embryos in the broods from the F1 mated pairs that were exposed to the lowest dose rate given, 0.19 mGy/h, as well as those exposed to 2.1 and 17 mGy/h. Also, increased percentages of abnormal embryos were determined in the broods of all the radiation-exposed groups. 39 refs., 10 figs., 15 tabs.« less

41 CFR 102-34.275 - What kind of maintenance programs must we have?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 41 Public Contracts and Property Management 3 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false What kind of maintenance programs must we have? 102-34.275 Section 102-34.275 Public Contracts and Property Management Federal... VEHICLE MANAGEMENT Scheduled Maintenance of Motor Vehicles § 102-34.275 What kind of maintenance programs...

Tests of landscape influence: Nest predation and brood parasitism in fragmented ecosystems

USGS Publications Warehouse

Tewksbury, J.J.; Garner, L.; Garner, S.; Lloyd, J.D.; Saab, V.; Martin, T.E.

2006-01-01

The effects of landscape fragmentation on nest predation and brood parasitism, the two primary causes of avian reproductive failure, have been difficult to generalize across landscapes, yet few studies have clearly considered the context and spatial scale of fragmentation. Working in two river systems fragmented by agricultural and rural-housing development, we tracked nesting success and brood parasitism in >2500 bird nests in 38 patches of deciduous riparian woodland. Patches on both river systems were embedded in one of two local contexts (buffered from agriculture by coniferous forest, or adjacent to agriculture), but the abundance of agriculture and human habitation within 1 km of each patch was highly variable. We examined evidence for three models of landscape effects on nest predation based on (1) the relative importance of generalist agricultural nest predators, (2) predators associated with the natural habitats typically removed by agricultural development, or (3) an additive combination of these two predator communities. We found strong support for an additive predation model in which landscape features affect nest predation differently at different spatial scales. Riparian habitat with forest buffers had higher nest predation rates than sites adjacent to agriculture, but nest predation also increased with increasing agriculture in the larger landscape surrounding each site. These results suggest that predators living in remnant woodland buffers, as well as generalist nest predators associated with agriculture, affect nest predation rates, but they appear to respond at different spatial scales. Brood parasitism, in contrast, was unrelated to agricultural abundance on the landscape, but showed a strong nonlinear relationship with farm and house density, indicating a critical point at which increased human habitat causes increased brood parasitism. Accurate predictions regarding landscape effects on nest predation and brood parasitism will require an increased appreciation of the multiple scales at which landscape components influence predator and parasite behavior. ?? 2006 by the Ecological Society of America.

Performance of juvenile steelhead trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) produced from untreated and cryopreserved milt

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hayes, Michael C.; Rubin, Stephen P.; Hensleigh, Jay E.; Reisenbichler, Reginald R.; Wetzel, Lisa A.

2005-01-01

Despite the expanding use of milt cryopreservation in aquaculture, the performance of fish produced from this technique has not been fully explored beyond initial rearing stages. We compared the performance of juvenile steelhead Oncorhynchus mykiss produced from untreated (UM) and cryopreserved milt (CM) and reared for 4–9 months. For the 1996 brood, CM alevins were heavier (∼ 1.7%, P < 0.01) than UM alevins and length was influenced by a significant milt-by-family interaction (P < 0.03) suggesting a greater treatment effect for some families. No significant differences were found in length or weight (P > 0.05) for 1997 brood alevins and percent yolk was similar for both broods (P > 0.34). In growth and survival experiment I (GSE-I, 1996), UM and CM juveniles reared in separate tanks and fed to satiation (130 days) showed no significant differences in survival, length or weight (P > 0.05) between milt groups. In contrast, for UM and CM siblings reared in the same tank for 210 days on a low food ration (GSE-II), survival was similar (P > 0.05), but length (UM 4% > CM, P < 0.05) and possibly weight (UM 15% > CM, P = 0.08), were influenced by cryopreservation. Fish from the 1997 brood (GSE-III) were reared for 313 days in a repeat of GSE-II and no differences were found in survival (P = 0.47), length (P = 0.75) or weight (P = 0.76) suggesting considerable heterogeneity between broods. Performance of the 1996 brood was also tested for response to stress and a disease challenge. Cortisol responses of juveniles exposed to acute stress were not significantly different (P = 0.19), but mean cortisol was consistently and significantly greater (P < 0.01) for CM than UM fish exposed to a 48-h stress (increased density). After exposure to three dosages of the bacteria, Listonella anguillarum, we found similar mortality proportions (P = 0.72) for UM and CM fish. Variable juvenile performance for the parameters tested indicated significant differences among broods and families and suggests a cautionary approach to the widespread use of cryopreservation for steelhead.

The prolactin response to an acute stressor in relation to parental care and corticosterone in a short-lived bird, the Eurasian hoopoe.

PubMed

Schmid, Baptiste; Chastel, Olivier; Jenni, Lukas

2011-10-01

Prolactin plays an important role in mediating parental care in birds, but little is known about changes in prolactin levels when animals disrupt their reproductive behaviour during emergency life-history stages. We investigated the variation of prolactin levels with breeding stage, sex, body condition and as a response to a standardized acute stressor in a small short-lived bird, the Eurasian hoopoe Upupa epops under natural field conditions. We found higher baseline levels of prolactin in females during the brooding phase than in their mates which feed them and their chicks at this stage. Moreover, this is the first report of a differential prolactin stress-response between sexes with contrasting parental care within a breeding phase. Capture, handling and restraint induced a clear decrease of prolactin levels which was less pronounced in females at the very early stage of brooding compared to females in later stages. In contrast, the prolactin stress response in males remained nearly constant over the breeding stages and was stronger than in females. Baseline levels of prolactin, but not handling-induced levels, were positively correlated with body condition. We found a weak relationship between the decrease in prolactin due to acute handling stress and handling-induced levels of corticosterone. Taken together, both baseline and stress response levels of prolactin were related to the amount of parental care, although we found no relationship with reproductive success. It appears that the response to an acute stressor in prolactin levels is finely tuned to parental duties and investment. Hence, prolactin appears to be involved in mediating the trade-off between current reproduction versus self-maintenance and future reproduction. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The effect of canopy cover and seasonal change on host plant quality for the endangered Karner blue butterfly (Lycaeides melissa samuelis)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Grundel, Ralph; Pavlovic, Noel B.; Sulzman, Christina L.

1998-01-01

Larvae of the Karner blue butterfly, Lycaeides melissa samuelis, feed solely on wild lupine, Lupinus perennis, from the emergence to summer senescence of the plant. Wild lupine is most abundant in open areas but Karner blue females oviposit more frequently on lupines growing in moderate shade. Can differences in lupine quality between open and shaded areas help explain this disparity in resource use? Furthermore, many lupines are senescent before the second larval brood completes development. How does lupine senescence affect larval growth? We addressed these questions by measuring growth rates of larvae fed lupines of different phenological stages and lupines growing under different shade conditions. The habitat conditions under which lupines grew and plant phenological stage did not generally affect final larval or pupal weight but did significantly affect duration of the larval period. Duration was shortest for larvae fed leaves from flowering lupines and was negatively correlated with leaf nitrogen concentration. Ovipositing in areas of moderate shade should increase second-brood larval exposure to flowering lupines. In addition, larval growth was significantly faster on shade-grown lupines that were in seed than on similar sun-grown lupines. These are possible advantages of the higher-than-expected oviposition rate on shade-grown lupines. Given the canopy-related trade-off between lupine abundance and quality, maintenance of canopy heterogeneity is an important conservation management goal. Larvae were also fed leaves growing in poor soil conditions and leaves with mildew infection. These and other feeding treatments that we anticipated would inhibit larval growth often did not. In particular, ant-tended larvae exhibited the highest weight gain per amount of lupine eaten and a relatively fast growth rate. This represents an advantage of ant tending to Karner blue larvae.

Brood removal or queen caging combined with oxalic acid treatment to control varroa mites (Varroa destructor) in honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Few studies of honey bee colonies exist where varroa mite control is achieved by integrating broodless conditions, through either total brood removal or queen caging, in combination with oxalic acid (OA) applications. We observed significant varroa mortality after applications of OA in obtaining bro...

Declining brown-headed cowbird (Molothrus ater) populations are associated with landscape-specific reductions in brood parasitism and increases in songbird productivity

Treesearch

W. Andrew Cox; Frank R., III Thompson; Brian Root; John Faaborg; Csaba Moskat

2012-01-01

Many songbird species have experienced significant population declines, partly because of brood parasitism by the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater), which is positively associated with increasing landscape forest cover in the midwestern United States. However, cowbirds are also experiencing long-term population declines, which should reduce...

Comparison of reproductive capacity among univoltine, semivoltine, and re-emerged parent spruce beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae)

Treesearch

E. Matthew Hansen; Barbara J. Bentz

2003-01-01

New spruce beetle, Dendroctonus rufipennis (Kirby), adults of univoltine and semivoltine life cycles, as well as re-emerged parent beetles, were laboratory-tested for differences in reproductive capacity and brood characteristics. Parameters measured from the three groups include dry weight, lipid content, and egg production. Brood characteristics measured include egg...

Brood parasitism of the Abert's Towhee: Timing, frequency, and effects

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

1983-01-01

The effects of brood parasitism by the dwarf race of the Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater obscurus) on the nesting success of the Abert's Towhee (Pipilo aberti) in the lower Colorado River valley were studied. The frequency of cowbird parasitism varied significantly with time of season. The laying season of cowbirds paralleled that of migratory songbirds, but...

Tests of landscape influence: nest predation and brood parasitism in fragmented ecosystems

Treesearch

Joshua J. Tewksbury; Lindy Garner; Shannon H. Garner; John D. Lloyd; Victoria A. Saab; Thomas E. Martin

2006-01-01

The effects of landscape fragmentation on nest predation and brood parasitism, the two primary causes of avian reproductive failure, have been difficult to generalize across landscapes, yet few studies have clearly considered the context and spatial scale of fragmentation. Working in two river systems fragmented by agricultural and rural-housing development, we tracked...

Transcriptome of the Antarctic brooding gastropod mollusc Margarella antarctica.

PubMed

Clark, Melody S; Thorne, Michael A S

2015-12-01

454 RNA-Seq transcriptome data were generated from foot tissue of the Antarctic brooding gastropod mollusc Margarella antarctica. A total of 6195 contigs were assembled de novo, providing a useful resource for researchers with an interest in Antarctic marine species, phylogenetics and mollusc biology, especially shell production. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Brood cover and food resources for wild turkeys following silvicultural treatments in mature upland hardwoods

Treesearch

M. McCord; C. Harper; Katie Greenberg

2014-01-01

Closed-canopy, upland hardwood forests with limited understory development provide suboptimal habitat for wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) broods and may lead to low recruitment. Various forest management practices have been used to stimulate understory development within upland hardwoods, but evaluation of such practices on cover and food resources for wild turkey...

Comparisons of pollen substitute diets for honey bees: consumption rates by colonies and effects on brood and adult populations.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Commercially available pollen substitute diets for honey bees (Apis mellifera L.) were evaluated for consumption and colony growth (brood and adult populations) and compared with pollen cake and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Two trials were conducted; the first for 3 months during the fall and w...

Aspects of nestling growth in Abert's Towhee

Treesearch

Deborah M. Finch

1984-01-01

Among factors selecting for rapid growth rates in avian young are those that cause mortality of whole broods (e.g., predation, weather) (Ricklefs, Ecology 50:1031-1039, 1969). Abert's Towhee (Pipilo aberti) endures a high rate of nesting mortality caused by predation and brood parasitism (Finch, Condor 83:389, 1981; Condor 85:355-359, 1983). Predation is the...

A recognition-free mechanism for reliable rejection of brood parasites.

PubMed

Anderson, Michael G; Hauber, Mark E

2007-06-01

Hosts often discard eggs of avian brood parasites, whereas parasitic chicks are typically accepted. This can be explained theoretically by fitness losses associated with adults learning to recognize parasitic young and mistakenly rejecting their own young. A new experimental study confirms that rejection of parasitic chicks, without relying on memory to discriminate between foreign and own young, is a feasible and potentially cost-free mechanism used by reed warblers to reject common cuckoo chicks. By abandoning broods that are in the nest longer than is typical for their own young, parents can reliably reject parasite nestlings and reduce fitness losses owing to having to care for demanding parasitic young. Discrimination without recognition has important implications for the realized trajectories of host-parasite coevolutionary arms races.

Maintenance manager's manual for small transit agencies. Special report 1985-1986

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fowler, W.

1988-03-01

This publication contains information to assist operators of transit agencies providing public transportation in rural and smaller urban areas to better manage their vehicle maintenance programs. The report includes discussions of maintenance management, maintenance programs preventive maintenance, recordkeeping, selection of type of maintenance operation, in-house maintenance, and maintenance practices. Also included are appendixes giving supplementary information about tire loads; lubrication oil; mechanic hand tools; shop tools; mechanic aptitude tests; technical training resources; maintenance management training resources; and lists of manufacturers of air-conditioning systems, wheelchair lifts and wheelchair ramps.

Deferred Maintenance Program Handbook.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Dept. of General Services, Sacramento. Office of Public School Construction.

This handbook provides process information on California's Deferred Maintenance Program, including a description of the administering body of law. Chapters discuss the program's process on the topics of basic/additional apportionment, fund release (basic/additional and critical hardship), the Deferred Maintenance Five-Year Plan, district deposit,…

User Delay Cost Model and Facilities Maintenance Cost Model for a Terminal Control Area : Volume 3. User's Manual and Program Documentation for the Facilities Maintenance Cost Model

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1978-05-01

The Facilities Maintenance Cost Model (FMCM) is an analytic model designed to calculate expected annual labor costs of maintenance within a given FAA maintenance sector. The model is programmed in FORTRAN IV and has been demonstrated on the CDC Krono...

How to Get a Maintenance Program Underway

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Lundy, Lyndall L.

1975-01-01

The article describes the development of a comprehensive maintenance program for the school shop. A general maintenance management outline provides direction for planning, execution, and evaluation. (MW)

Effects of a Stretching Development and Maintenance Program on Hamstring Extensibility in Schoolchildren: A Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

PubMed Central

Mayorga-Vega, Daniel; Merino-Marban, Rafael; Manzano-Lagunas, Jorge; Blanco, Humberto; Viciana, Jesús

2016-01-01

The main purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of a physical education-based stretching development and maintenance program on hamstring extensibility in schoolchildren. A sample of 150 schoolchildren aged 7-10 years old from a primary school participated in the present study (140 participants were finally included). The six classes balanced by grade were cluster randomly assigned to the experimental group 1 (n = 51), experimental group 2 (n = 51) or control group (n = 49) (i.e., a cluster randomized controlled trial design was used). During the physical education classes, the students from the experimental groups 1 and 2 performed a four-minute stretching program twice a week for nine weeks (first semester). Then, after a five-week period of detraining coinciding with the Christmas holidays, the students from the experimental groups 1 and 2 completed another stretching program twice a week for eleven weeks (second semester). The students from the experimental group 1 continued performing the stretching program for four minutes while those from the experimental group 2 completed a flexibility maintenance program for only one minute. The results of the two-way analysis of variance showed that the physical education-based stretching development program significantly improved the students’ hamstring extensibility (p < 0.001), as well as that these gains obtained remained after the stretching maintenance program (p < 0.001). Additionally, statistically significant differences between the two experimental groups were not found (p > 0.05). After a short-term stretching development program, a physical education-based stretching maintenance program of only one-minute sessions twice a week is effective in maintaining hamstring extensibility among schoolchildren. This knowledge could help and guide teachers to design programs that allow a feasible and effective development and maintenance of students’ flexibility in the physical education setting. Key points A physical education-based stretching maintenance program of only one-minute sessions twice a week is effective in maintaining hamstring extensibility among schoolchildren. A four-minute maintenance program shows similar effects that the one-minute maintenance program on hamstring extensibility among schoolchildren. Physical education teachers and other practitioners could carry out one-minute programs for a feasible and effective maintenance of students’ flexibility. PMID:26957928

Lower virus infections in Varroa destructor-infested and uninfested brood and adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) of a low mite population growth colony compared to a high mite population growth colony.

PubMed

Emsen, Berna; Hamiduzzaman, Mollah Md; Goodwin, Paul H; Guzman-Novoa, Ernesto

2015-01-01

A comparison was made of the prevalence and relative quantification of deformed wing virus (DWV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and sac brood virus (SBV) in brood and adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) from colonies selected for high (HMP) and low (LMP) Varroa destructor mite population growth. Two viruses, ABPV and SBV, were never detected. For adults without mite infestation, DWV, IAPV, BQCV and KBV were detected in the HMP colony; however, only BQCV was detected in the LMP colony but at similar levels as in the HMP colony. With mite infestation, the four viruses were detected in adults of the HMP colony but all at higher amounts than in the LMP colony. For brood without mite infestation, DWV and IAPV were detected in the HMP colony, but no viruses were detected in the LMP colony. With mite infestation of brood, the four viruses were detected in the HMP colony, but only DWV and IAPV were detected and at lower amounts in the LMP colony. An epidemiological explanation for these results is that pre-experiment differences in virus presence and levels existed between the HMP and LMP colonies. It is also possible that low V. destructor population growth in the LMP colony resulted in the bees being less exposed to the mite and thus less likely to have virus infections. LMP and HMP bees may have also differed in susceptibility to virus infection.

Duckling survival of mallards in Southland, New Zealand

USGS Publications Warehouse

Garrick, Erin; Amundson, Courtney L.; Seddon, Phillip J.

2017-01-01

The southern portion of New Zealand's South Island is a productive area for mallards (Anas platyrhynchos) despite a notable lack of permanent or semi-permanent wetlands. Most broods are reared in pastures that may or may not be flooded with ephemeral water. In recent years, there has been an increased conversion from continuous to sporadic grazing that has resulted in a functional change in the emergent and upland vegetation available for broods. In 2014, we investigated mallard duckling survival on different pastures relative to a suite of characteristics pertaining to the adult female, clutch, brood, weather, and habitat. We monitored 438 ducklings from 50 radio-marked females to 30 days post-hatch. Duckling survival was unaffected by pasture type but increased with duckling age, the presence of ephemeral water, and with greater distance from the nearest anthropogenic structure. Survival was lower for broods of second year (SY) females than for broods of after-second year (ASY) females, in areas with more dense cover, and when ducklings moved, on average, greater daily distances. Cumulative 30-day duckling survival ranged from 0.11 for ducklings of SY females without ephemeral water present to 0.46 for ducklings of ASY females with ephemeral water present. Therefore, increasing available seasonal water sources may increase duckling survival. Further, narrow, linear patches of dense cover present in our study could support a greater abundance of predators or increase their foraging efficiency. As such, managers could consider increasing patch sizes of dense cover to reduce predator efficiency, and employing predator removal in these areas to improve duckling survival.

Social regulation of maternal traits in nest-founding bumble bee (Bombus terrestris) queens.

PubMed

Woodard, S Hollis; Bloch, Guy; Band, Mark R; Robinson, Gene E

2013-09-15

During the nest-founding phase of the bumble bee colony cycle, queens undergo striking changes in maternal care behavior. Early in the founding phase, prior to the emergence of workers in the nest, queens are reproductive and also provision and feed their offspring. However, later in the founding phase, queens reduce their feeding of larvae and become specialized on reproduction. This transition is synchronized with the emergence of workers in the colony, who assume the task of feeding their siblings. Using a social manipulation experiment with the bumble bee Bombus terrestris, we tested the hypothesis that workers regulate the transition from feeding brood to specialization on reproduction in nest-founding bumble bee queens. Consistent with this hypothesis, we found that early-stage nest-founding queens with workers prematurely added to their nests reduce their brood-feeding behavior and increase egg laying, and likewise, late-stage nest-founding queens increase their brood-feeding behavior and decrease egg-laying when workers are removed from their nests. Further, brood-feeding and egg-laying behaviors were negatively correlated. We used Agilent microarrays designed from B. terrestris brain expressed sequenced tags (ESTs) to explore a second hypothesis, that workers alter brain gene expression in nest-founding queens. We found evidence that brain gene expression in nest-founding queens is altered by the presence of workers, with the effect being much stronger in late-stage founding queens. This study provides new insights into how the transition from feeding brood to specialization on reproduction in queen bumble bees is regulated during the nest initiation phase of the colony cycle.

Brood size manipulations in a spatially and temporally varying environment: male Tengmalm's owls pass increased reproductive costs to offspring.

PubMed

Thomson, Robert L; Griesser, Michael; Laaksonen, Toni; Korpimäki, Erkki

2014-10-01

A key tool used to assess reproductive trade-offs in birds is brood size manipulation (BSM) experiments. Most BSM studies have examined the influence on short-term measures of reproductive output. Seldom evaluated are the effects on long-term fitness proxies under temporally or spatially varying environments. Unpredictable environments may affect reproductive trade-offs by altering the value of the brood or hampering optimization of reproductive effort. We reduced or enlarged broods of 140 male Tengmalm's owls Aegolius funereus by one chick during their first lifetime reproductive event. Males differed in age and bred in environments that varied in quality spatially (habitat structure) and temporally (abundance of main food). We measured the short-term (nestling number and condition) and long-term fitness proxies (survival, lifetime fledgling and recruits produced) until all experimental males disappeared from the population. BSMs did not affect fledgling number or condition, but in enlarged broods, offspring condition was lower in territories with a high proportion of agricultural fields. Importantly, no obvious impacts on long-term fitness proxies emerged; lifetime fledgling and recruit production of males did not differ between the BSM treatments. Thus, the primary caregiver (i.e. Tengmalm's owl males) passed increased reproductive costs to their offspring, which is in agreement with other studies investigating intergenerational reproductive trade-offs in species of intermediate lifespan. Reluctance to accept increased current reproductive costs in these systems highlights the potential for sexual conflict in bi-parental care systems in which one of the pair is the primary caregiver.

Sex- and melanism-specific variations in the oxidative status of adult tawny owls in response to manipulated reproductive effort.

PubMed

Emaresi, Guillaume; Henry, Isabelle; Gonzalez, Esther; Roulin, Alexandre; Bize, Pierre

2016-01-01

Oxidative stress, determined by the balance between the production of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS) and antioxidant defences, is hypothesized to play an important role in shaping the cost of reproduction and life history trade-offs. To test this hypothesis, we manipulated reproductive effort in 94 breeding pairs of tawny owls (Strix aluco) to investigate the sex- and melanism-specific effects on markers of oxidative stress in red blood cells (RBCs). This colour polymorphic bird species shows sex-specific division of labour and melanism-specific history strategies. Brood sizes at hatching were experimentally enlarged or reduced to increase or decrease reproductive effort, respectively. We obtained an integrative measure of the oxidative balance by measuring ROS production by RBCs, intracellular antioxidant glutathione levels and membrane resistance to ROS. We found that light melanic males (the sex undertaking offspring food provisioning) produced more ROS than darker conspecifics, but only when rearing an enlarged brood. In both sexes, light melanic individuals had also a larger pool of intracellular antioxidant glutathione than darker owls under relaxed reproductive conditions (i.e. reduced brood), but not when investing substantial effort in current reproduction (enlarged brood). Finally, resistance to oxidative stress was differently affected by the brood size manipulation experiment in males and females independently of their plumage coloration. Altogether, our results support the hypothesis that reproductive effort can alter the oxidative balance in a sex- and colour-specific way. This further emphasizes the close link between melanin-based coloration and life history strategies. © 2016. Published by The Company of Biologists Ltd.

Genetic evidence of extra-pair paternity and intraspecific brood parasitism in the monk parakeet

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Introduction The monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus) is a widespread invasive species native to southern South America that has become established in many regions of the world. Monk parakeets breed in a large, fully enclosed structure built from twigs, which consist of one to many individual brooding chambers. The species has been considered to be socially and genetically monogamous. However, genetic relatedness of adults to juveniles in the native area was found to be lower than expected for monogamy. To assess the significance of this discrepancy, we examined individual and population genetic patterns of microsatellite loci at two sites in Córdoba province, Argentina. Results We sampled 154 nestlings and 42 adults in Córdoba, Argentina. Mean value of pairwise relatedness of nestlings within chambers was about 0.40. Contrarily, relatedness of nestlings between chambers was close to zero. We found a considerable degree of variation in nestling pairwise relatedness and parentage within chambers, including chambers with combinations of unrelated, half-sib, and full-sib nestlings. The proportion of sibling relatedness indicated monogamy in 47% and extra pair-paternity in 40% of the chambers. We also found intra-brood parasitism in 3% of the chambers. Conclusions Our results indicate that the monk parakeet is sexually polygamous in its native range in Argentina, which is consistent with the observed mean value of relatedness of adults to juveniles of about 0.4. We also confirm the existence of intra-brood parasitism. High density of monk parakeets may favor occurrence of extra-pair paternity and intra-brood parasitism in the native sites. PMID:24209709

Parental attendance and brood success in American Oystercatchers in South Carolina

USGS Publications Warehouse

Thibault, Janet M.; Sanders, Felicia J.; Jodice, Patrick G.R.

2010-01-01

Research on breeding American Oystercatchers has focused on identifying factors that affect reproductive success but little attention has been paid to parent behavior during chick-rearing. Parental attendance of American Oystercatchers was measured in Bulls Bay and along the Atlantic Intracoastal Waterway (Waterway) within the Cape Romain Region, South Carolina, USA, during 2006. Parental attendance rates averaged 90.9% in Bulls Bay and 81.4% along the Waterway. Daily survival of chicks was higher in Bulls Bay (0.989 ± 0.007) compared to the Waterway (0.966 ± 0.012). The extent of shellfish reefs (i.e. foraging areas) adjacent to nest sites was greater in Bulls Bay (5,633 ± 658 m2) compared to the Waterway (3,273 ± 850 m2). Mean parental attendance in Bulls Bay was higher for successful broods (90.5%) compared to failed broods (79.8%). In contrast, mean parental attendance along the Waterway was higher for failed broods (93.4%) compared to successful broods (67.5%). Less extensive shellfish reefs adjacent to nest sites along the Waterway appeared to require parents to depart more frequently to forage and the resultant reduction in attendance may have negatively affected chick survival. Bulls Bay may provide higher quality nesting habitat compared to the Waterway with respect to proximity to food resources and parental attendance. Management and conservation efforts for American Oystercatchers should consider the relationship between foraging and nesting habitat and variability in behavioral attributes, such as parental attendance, in relationship to environmental conditions which ultimately affect reproductive success.

Maintenance Research. Report 6. Maintenance Training.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Louisiana State Dept. of Highways, Baton Rouge.

The main objective of the training research phase of the maintenance management study was to develop and test training methods suitable for highway maintenance supervisors. Supervisors were trained by one of five different methods (lecture, group discussion, programed instruction, programed workshops, audiovisual instruction). The report documents…

THE SHELF LIFE OF BIRD EGGS: TESTING EGG VIABILITY USING A TROPICAL CLIMATE GRADIENT

Treesearch

STEVEN R. BEISSINGER; MARK I. COOK; WAYNE J. ARENDT

2005-01-01

Avian parents influence the onset of development, hatching synchrony, and likelihood of brood reduction through the onset of incubation. Studies testing adaptive functions of brood reduction assume that eggs are protected by their shells and waiting for parents to initiate incubation in a manner that creates optimal hatching patterns, but the viability of early laid...

Honey Bee (Hymenoptera: Apidae) with the Trait of Varroa Sensitive Hygiene Remove Brood with All Reproductive Stages of Varroa Mites (Mesostigmata: Varroidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Varroa Sensitive Hygiene (VSH) is a trait of honey bees, Apis mellifera L., which supports resistance to Varroa destructor mites. VSH is the hygienic removal of mite-infested pupae from capped brood. Bees selectively bred for VSH produce colonies in which the fertility of mites decreases over time...

The combined effects of self-referent information processing and ruminative responses on adolescent depression.

PubMed

Black, Stephanie Winkeljohn; Pössel, Patrick

2013-08-01

Adolescents who develop depression have worse interpersonal and affective experiences and are more likely to develop substance problems and/or suicidal ideation compared to adolescents who do not develop depression. This study examined the combined effects of negative self-referent information processing and rumination (i.e., brooding and reflection) on adolescent depressive symptoms. It was hypothesized that the interaction of negative self-referent information processing and brooding would significantly predict depressive symptoms, while the interaction of negative self-referent information processing and reflection would not predict depressive symptoms. Adolescents (n = 92; 13-15 years; 34.7% female) participated in a 6-month longitudinal study. Self-report instruments measured depressive symptoms and rumination; a cognitive task measured information processing. Path modelling in Amos 19.0 analyzed the data. The interaction of negative information processing and brooding significantly predicted an increase in depressive symptoms 6 months later. The interaction of negative information processing and reflection did not significantly predict depression, however, the model not meet a priori standards to accept the null hypothesis. Results suggest clinicians working with adolescents at-risk for depression should consider focusing on the reduction of brooding and negative information processing to reduce long-term depressive symptoms.

Maternal androgens in avian brood parasites and their hosts: responses to parasitism and competition?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hahn, Caldwell; Wingfield, John C.; Fox, David M.; Walker, Brian G.; Thomley, Jill E

2017-01-01

In the coevolutionary dynamic of avian brood parasites and their hosts, maternal (or transgenerational) effects have rarely been investigated. We examined the potential role of elevated yolk testosterone in eggs of the principal brood parasite in North America, the brown-headed cowbird, and three of its frequent host species. Elevated maternal androgens in eggs are a common maternal effect observed in many avian species when breeding conditions are unfavorable. These steroids accelerate embryo development, shorten incubation period, increase nestling growth rate, and enhance begging vigor, all traits that can increase the survival of offspring. We hypothesized that elevated maternal androgens in host eggs are a defense against brood parasitism. Our second hypothesis was that elevated maternal androgens in cowbird eggs are a defense against intra-specific competition. For host species, we found that elevated yolk testosterone was correlated with parasitized nests of small species, those whose nest success is most reduced by cowbird parasitism. For cowbirds, we found that elevated yolk testosterone was correlated with eggs in multiply-parasitized nests, which indicate intra-specific competition for nests due to high cowbird density. We propose experimental work to further examine the use of maternal effects by cowbirds and their hosts.

Heightened exposure to parasites favors the evolution of immunity in brood parasitic cowbirds

USGS Publications Warehouse

Hahn, Caldwell; Reisen, William K.

2011-01-01

Immunologists and evolutionary biologists are interested in how the immune system evolves to fit an ecological niche. We studied the relationship between exposure to parasites and strength of immunity by investigating the response of two species of New World cowbirds (genus Molothrus, Icteridae), obligate brood parasites with contrasting life history strategies, to experimental arboviral infection. The South American shiny cowbird (M. bonariensis) is an extreme host-generalist that lays its eggs in the nests of >225 different avian species. The Central American bronzed cowbird (M. aeneus) is a relative host-specialist that lays its eggs preferentially in the nests of approximately 12 orioles in a single sister genus. West Nile virus provided a strong challenge and delineated immune differences between these species. The extreme host-generalist shiny cowbird, like the North American host-generalist, the brown-headed cowbird, showed significantly lower viremia to three arboviruses than related icterid species that were not brood parasites. The bronzed cowbird showed intermediate viremia. These findings support the interpretation that repeated exposure to a high diversity of parasites favors the evolution of enhanced immunity in brood parasitic cowbirds and makes them useful models for future studies of innate immunity.

Avian brood parasitism: information use and variation in egg-rejection behavior.

PubMed

Svennungsen, Thomas Owens; Holen, Øistein Haugsten

2010-05-01

Hosts of avian brood parasites often vary in their response to parasitized clutches: they may eject one or several eggs, desert the nest, or accept all the eggs. Focusing on hosts exposed to single-egg parasitism by an evicting brood parasite, we construct an optimality model that includes all these behavioral options and use it to explore variation in rejection behavior. We particularly consider the influence of egg mimicry and external cues (observations of adult parasites near the nest) on optimal choice of rejection behavior. We find that several rejection responses will be present in a host population under a wide range of conditions. Ejection of multiple eggs tends to be adaptive when egg mimicry is fairly accurate, external cues provide reliable information of the risk of parasitism, and the expected success of renesting is low. If the perceived risk of parasitism is high, ejection of one or a few eggs may be the optimal rejection response even in cases in which hosts cannot discriminate between eggs. This may have consequences for the long-term outcome of the coevolutionary chase between hosts and parasites. We propose an alternative evolutionary pathway by which egg ejection may first arise as a defense against brood parasitism.

Paternity and gregariousness in the sex-changing sessile marine gastropod Crepidula convexa: comparison with other protandrous Crepidula species.

PubMed

Le Cam, Sabrina; Riquet, Florentine; Pechenik, Jan A; Viard, Frédérique

2014-01-01

In sex-changing animals with internal fertilization, gregarious behavior may increase mating opportunities and the frequency of multiple paternity, thus increasing maternal reproductive success. Crepidula convexa is a direct-developing protandrous gastropod characterized by only modest gregarious behavior compared with previously studied members of the genus: females are frequently found isolated. Using 6 microsatellite markers, we analyzed paternity profiles in 10 broods (25 embryos per mother). The number of assigned fathers varied among families from 1 to 4 fathers per brood. Interestingly, polyandry was not detected in solitary females but only in females grouped with conspecific individuals. Overall, we found an average of 1.8 fathers per brood, but this increased to 2.6 fathers per brood when considering only the nonisolated females. Among 18 unambiguously identified fathers, only 5 were collected in our samples, suggesting substantial male mobility. Comparison with previous paternity analyses in Crepidula fornicata and Crepidula coquimbensis revealed that polyandry appears as a common trait of these sex-changing gastropods despite their different grouping behaviors and life histories. As expected, the level of polyandry was nevertheless lower in the modestly gregarious C. convexa.

Size does matter: An assessment of reproductive potential in seahorses.

PubMed

Faleiro, Filipa; Almeida, Armando J; Ré, Pedro; Narciso, Luís

2016-07-01

In most animals, the mother plays the key role in reproduction, but male pregnancy in seahorses raises the question of whether the female still is the only determinant of offspring size or if she shares some responsibility with the male. This study evaluates the effects of both male and female size on the reproductive output of the long-snouted seahorse, Hippocampus guttulatus. Results demonstrated that, with regard to reproductive potential, the bigger the better. Seahorses preferred similar-sized or larger mates. Larger females produced bigger eggs with larger yolk reserves. Larger males had larger brood pouches, but did not produced larger broods. Male size was negatively correlated with embryo density and positively correlated with juvenile size. Both parents proved to play a decisive role in the reproductive output of this species. Newborn juveniles from the same parents were 15% bigger and 30% heavier when incubated in smaller and lower-density broods. This trade-off between the number and size of embryos inside the brood pouch clearly indicates a limited carrying capacity of the male, and demonstrates that the size of newborn seahorses can be, in part, paternally determined. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Variation in and responses to brood pheromone of the honey bee (Apis mellifera L.).

PubMed

Metz, Bradley N; Pankiw, Tanya; Tichy, Shane E; Aronstein, Katherine A; Crewe, Robin M

2010-04-01

The 10 fatty acid ester components of brood pheromone were extracted from larvae of different populations of USA and South African honey bees and subjected to gas chromatography-mass spectrometry quantitative analysis. Extractable amounts of brood pheromone were not significantly different by larval population; however, differences in the proportions of components enabled us to classify larval population of 77% of samples correctly by discriminant analysis. Honeybee releaser and primer pheromone responses to USA, Africanized and-European pheromone blends were tested. Texas-Africanized and Georgia-European colonies responded with a significantly greater ratio of returning pollen foragers when treated with a blend from the same population than from a different population. There was a significant interaction of pheromone blend by adult population source among Georgia-European bees for modulation of sucrose response threshold, a primer response. Brood pheromone blend variation interacted with population for pollen foraging response of colonies, suggesting a self recognition cue for this pheromone releaser behavior. An interaction of pheromone blend and population for priming sucrose response thresholds among workers within the first week of adult life suggested a more complex interplay of genotype, ontogeny, and pheromone blend.

Genetic evidence for monogamy in the dwarf seahorse, Hippocampus zosterae.

PubMed

Rose, Emily; Small, Clayton M; Saucedo, Hector A; Harper, Cristin; Jones, Adam G

2014-01-01

Syngnathid fishes (pipefishes, seahorses, and seadragons) exhibit a wide array of mating systems ranging from monogamy with long-term pair bonds to more promiscuous mating systems, such as polyandry and polygynandry. Some seahorses, including the dwarf seahorse Hippocampus zosterae, have been found to be socially monogamous. Although several seahorse species have also been shown to be genetically monogamous, parentage analysis has not yet been applied to the dwarf seahorse. We developed 8 novel microsatellites for the dwarf seahorse to conduct genetic parentage analysis to confirm that this species is indeed monogamous. Using 4 selected loci and a total of 16 pregnant male seahorses, with 8 collected in Florida and 8 sampled in Texas, we genotyped all of the offspring within each male's brood to determine the maternal contributions to each brood. We found a maximum of 4 alleles per locus segregating within each pregnant male's brood, a pattern consistent with each brood having exactly 1 mother and 1 father. These results support previous laboratory-based behavioral studies and indicate that the dwarf seahorse, H. zosterae, is genetically monogamous. © The American Genetic Association 2014. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

A pilot study comparing two weight loss maintenance interventions among low-income, mid-life women.

PubMed

Samuel-Hodge, Carmen D; Johnston, Larry F; Gizlice, Ziya; Garcia, Beverly A; Lindsley, Sara C; Gold, Alison D; Braxton, Danielle F; Keyserling, Thomas C

2013-07-15

Despite high obesity prevalence rates, few low-income midlife women participate in weight loss maintenance trials. This pilot study aims to assess the effectiveness of two weight loss maintenance interventions in this under-represented population. Low-income midlife women who completed a 16-week weight loss intervention and lost  ≥ 8 lbs (3.6 kg) were eligible to enroll in one of two 12-month maintenance programs. The programs were similar in content and had the same number of total contacts, but were different in the contact modality (Phone + Face-to-Face vs. Face-to-Face Only). Two criteria were used to assess successful weight loss maintenance at 12 months: (1) retaining a loss of  ≥ 5% of body weight from the start of the weight loss phase and (2) a change in body weight of  < 3%, from the start to the end of the maintenance program. Outcome measures of changes in physiologic and psychosocial factors, and evaluations of process measures and program acceptability (measured at 12 months) are also reported. For categorical variables, likelihood ratio or Fisher's Exact (for small samples) tests were used to evaluate statistically significant relationships; for continuous variables, t-tests or their equivalents were used to assess differences between means and also to identify correlates of weight loss maintenance. Overall, during the 12-month maintenance period, 41% (24/58) of participants maintained a loss of  ≥ 5% of initial weight and 43% (25/58) had a <3% change in weight. None of the comparisons between the two maintenance programs were statistically significant. However, improvements in blood pressure and dietary behaviors remained significant at the end of the 12-month maintenance period for participants in both programs. Participant attendance and acceptability were high for both programs. The effectiveness of two pilot 12-month maintenance interventions provides support for further research in weight loss maintenance among high-risk, low-income women. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00288301.

Toward full life cycle control: Adding maintenance measurement to the SEL

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Rombach, H. Dieter; Ulery, Bradford T.; Valett, Jon D.

1992-01-01

Organization-wide measurement of software products and processes is needed to establish full life cycle control over software products. The Software Engineering Laboratory (SEL)--a joint venture between NASA GSFC, the University of Maryland, and Computer Sciences Corporation--started measurement of software development more than 15 years ago. Recently, the measurement of maintenance was added to the scope of the SEL. In this article, the maintenance measurement program is presented as an addition to the already existing and well-established SEL development measurement program and evaluated in terms of its immediate benefits and long-term improvement potential. Immediate benefits of this program for the SEL include an increased understanding of the maintenance domain, the differences and commonalities between development and maintenance, and the cause-effect relationships between development and maintenance. Initial results from a sample maintenance study are presented to substantiate these benefits. The long-term potential of this program includes the use of maintenance baselines to better plan and manage future projects and to improve development and maintenance practices for future projects wherever warranted.

40 CFR 52.241 - Inspection and maintenance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS California § 52.241 Inspection and maintenance program. (a) [Reserved] (b) Approval. On June 5, 2009, the California Air Resources Board submitted a revision to the California Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (2009 I/M Revision) to satisfy...

40 CFR 52.241 - Inspection and maintenance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS California § 52.241 Inspection and maintenance program. (a) [Reserved] (b) Approval. On June 5, 2009, the California Air Resources Board submitted a revision to the California Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (2009 I/M Revision) to satisfy...

40 CFR 52.241 - Inspection and maintenance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS California § 52.241 Inspection and maintenance program. (a) [Reserved] (b) Approval. On June 5, 2009, the California Air Resources Board submitted a revision to the California Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (2009 I/M Revision) to satisfy...

40 CFR 52.241 - Inspection and maintenance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... (CONTINUED) APPROVAL AND PROMULGATION OF IMPLEMENTATION PLANS California § 52.241 Inspection and maintenance program. (a) [Reserved] (b) Approval. On June 5, 2009, the California Air Resources Board submitted a revision to the California Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Program (2009 I/M Revision) to satisfy...

7 CFR 772.5 - Security maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2014-01-01 2014-01-01 false Security maintenance. 772.5 Section 772.5 Agriculture... SPECIAL PROGRAMS SERVICING MINOR PROGRAM LOANS § 772.5 Security maintenance. (a) General. Borrowers are responsible for maintaining the collateral that is serving as security for their Minor Program loan in...

7 CFR 772.5 - Security maintenance.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... 7 Agriculture 7 2012-01-01 2012-01-01 false Security maintenance. 772.5 Section 772.5 Agriculture... SPECIAL PROGRAMS SERVICING MINOR PROGRAM LOANS § 772.5 Security maintenance. (a) General. Borrowers are responsible for maintaining the collateral that is serving as security for their Minor Program loan in...

Effects of chronic external gamma irradiation on growth and reproductive success of Daphnia magna.

PubMed

Gilbin, Rodolphe; Alonzo, Frédéric; Garnier-Laplace, Jacqueline

2008-01-01

Aquatic invertebrates (water flea Daphnia magna) were exposed to low dose rates of external gamma radiation (from 0.4 to 31mGyh(-1)) over a 23-day period (i.e. 5 broods). Gamma radiation caused changes in neither survival nor somatic growth. Mass-specific respiration rate was significantly lower at 31mGyh(-1) than in the control. Reproduction was affected through early release and reduced size of broods after 15 days of exposure at 31mGyh(-1) (broods 3-5), resulting in a 21% fecundity decrease at 31mGyh(-1) compared to the control. A decreased resistance of neonates to starvation was observed in relation to dose rates. Possible mechanisms of gamma radiotoxicity for daphnid reproduction and implications for radioprotection are discussed.

Social transmission of a host defense against cuckoo parasitism.

PubMed

Davies, Nicholas B; Welbergen, Justin A

2009-06-05

Coevolutionary arms races between brood parasites and hosts involve genetic adaptations and counter-adaptations. However, hosts sometimes acquire defenses too rapidly to reflect genetic change. Our field experiments show that observation of cuckoo (Cuculus canorus) mobbing by neighbors on adjacent territories induced reed warblers (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) to increase the mobbing of cuckoos but not of parrots (a harmless control) on their own territory. In contrast, observation of neighbors mobbing parrots had no effect on reed warblers' responses to either cuckoos or parrots. These results indicate that social learning provides a mechanism by which hosts rapidly increase their nest defense against brood parasites. Such enemy-specific social transmission enables hosts to track fine-scale spatiotemporal variation in parasitism and may influence the coevolutionary trajectories and population dynamics of brood parasites and hosts.

The Trajectory of Language Policy: The First Language Maintenance and Development Program in South Australia

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Liddicoat, Anthony J.; Curnow, Timothy Jowan; Scarino, Angela

2016-01-01

This paper examines the development of the First Language Maintenance and Development (FLMD) program in South Australia. This program is the main language policy activity that specifically focuses on language maintenance in government primary schools and has existed since 1986. During this time, the program has evolved largely as the result of ad…

Industrial Machinery Maintenance and Repair. Florida Vocational Program Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of South Florida, Tampa. Dept. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This vocational program guide is intended to assist in the organization, operation, and evaluation of a program in industrial machinery maintenance and repair in school districts, area vocational centers, and community colleges. The following topics are covered: job duties of millwrights, maintenance mechanics, and machinery erectors; program…

An Interactive Computer-Based Training Program for Beginner Personal Computer Maintenance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Summers, Valerie Brooke

A computer-assisted instructional program, which was developed for teaching beginning computer maintenance to employees of Unisys, covered external hardware maintenance, proper diskette care, making software backups, and electro-static discharge prevention. The procedure used in developing the program was based upon the Dick and Carey (1985) model…

Missouri River Emergent Sandbar Habitat Monitoring Plan - A Conceptual Framework for Adaptive Management

USGS Publications Warehouse

Sherfy, Mark H.; Stucker, Jennifer H.; Anteau, Michael J.

2009-01-01

Habitat conditions are one of the most important factors determining distribution and productivity of least terns (Sternula antillarum) and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) in the upper Missouri River system (Ziewitz and others, 1992; Kruse and others, 2002). Habitat conditions are known to change within and among seasons in response to variation in river flows, weather conditions, and management actions targeted at providing for the needs of terns and plovers. Although these principles are generally agreed upon, there is little empirical information available on the quantity and quality of tern and plover habitats in this system, particularly with reference to the major life history events that must be supported (egg laying, incubation, and brood rearing). Habitat requirements for these events are composed of two major categories: nesting and foraging habitat. In the case of piping plovers, these two requirements must occur on the same area because plover chicks are constrained to foraging near nesting sites prior to fledging (Knetter and others, 2002; Haffner, 2005). In contrast, least terns chicks are fed by the adults, allowing food procurement for broods to occur outside the immediate nesting area; however, food resources must be close enough to nesting locations to minimize foraging time. The complexity and dynamics of the upper Missouri River system introduce considerable uncertainty into how best to manage tern and plover habitats, and how best to evaluate the effectiveness of this management. An extensive program of habitat monitoring will be needed to address this complexity and support the management of least terns and piping plovers under the Missouri River Recovery Program. These needs are being addressed, in part, through a program of habitat creation and management targeted at improving quality and quantity of habitats for terns and plovers. Given the momentum of these projects and their associated costs, it is imperative that the capacity be available to quantify changes in managed habitats for least terns and piping plovers, so that management effectiveness can be evaluated. Extremely high flows and flooding of the Missouri River in 1997 created and improved vast amounts of nesting habitat for least terns and piping plovers. Since 1998, there has been an apparent loss and/or degradation of habitat throughout the river system. However, during the same timeframe reservoir water levels have declined, exposing extensive piping plover breeding habitat. For example, 64 percent of adult piping plovers using the Missouri River in 2005 were observed on reservoir habitats, and 43 percent were observed on Lake Sakakawea (Threatened and Endangered Species Section, Omaha District, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, unpub. data, 2006). Given the vast dynamics of this river and reservoir system, systemwide monitoring of habitat is clearly needed for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to employ adaptive management (with respect to river operations) to provide most optimal conditions for the maintenance of breeding habitat of least terns and piping plovers. As a result of this need, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, began work on a habitat monitoring plan in 2005 as a conceptual framework for adaptive management.

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards: Industrial Maintenance General Maintenance Cluster.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Illinois Occupational Skill Standards and Credentialing Council, Carbondale.

These skill standards for the industrial maintenance general maintenance cluster are intended to be a guide to workforce preparation program providers in defining content for their programs and to employers to establish the skills and standards necessary for job acquisition. An introduction provides the Illinois perspective; Illinois Occupational…

Industry assessment of human factors in aviation maintenance and inspection research program : an assessment of industry awareness and use of the Federal Aviation Administration Office of Aviation Medicine Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance and Inspection Research and Development Program from 1989 through 1998

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1998-03-01

Ten years ago the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Office of Aviation Medicine embarked on a research and development program dedicated to human factors in aviation maintenance and inspection. Since 1989 FAA has invested over $12M in maintenance...

Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation Project; Lostine River Operations and Maintenance 2003 Smolt Acclimation and Adult Return Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Zollman, Richard L.; Eschler, Russell; Sealey, Shawn

2009-03-31

The Nez Perce Tribe (NPT), through funding provided by the Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), has implemented a Chinook salmon supplementation program (250,000 smolts) on the Lostine River, a tributary to the Grande Ronde River of Oregon. The Grande Ronde Endemic Spring Chinook Salmon Supplementation project, which involves supplementation of the Upper Grande Ronde River and Catherine Creek in addition to the Lostine River, was established to prevent extirpation and increase the number of threatened Snake River spring/summer Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) returning to the Grande Ronde River. This report covers the seventh season (1997-2003) of adult Chinook salmon broodstock collectionmore » in the Lostine River and the fifth season (1999-2003) of acclimating the resultant progeny. Production of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts currently occurs at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery (LGH). The Lostine River supplementation program utilizes two strategies to obtain egg source for production of smolts for supplementation: captive broodstock and conventional broodstock. The captive broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural juvenile spring Chinook salmon smolts from the Lostine River, (2) rearing those to adult and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for eventual acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. The conventional broodstock strategy involves (1) capture of natural and hatchery origin adults returning to the Lostine River, (2) holding those adults and spawning them, and (3) rearing the resultant progeny for acclimation and release back into the Lostine River. This report focuses on (1) the trapping and collection of adult spring Chinook salmon that return to the Lostine River, which provides the broodstock source for the conventional strategy and (2) the acclimation and release of juvenile spring Chinook salmon produced from the captive broodstock and conventional broodstock strategies. In 2003, acclimation of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon smolts occurred from March 3, 2003 through to April 14, 2003 and a total of 242,776 smolts were acclimated and released. These smolts were produced from the brood year (BY) 2001 egg source and included captive broodstock (141,860) and conventional broodstock (100,916) origin smolts that were all progeny of Lostine River spring Chinook salmon. Operation of the Lostine River adult monitoring and collection facility in 2003 began April 30th, the first Chinook was captured on May 16, 2003 and the last Chinook was captured on September 21, 2003. The weir and trap were removed on October 1, 2003. A total of 464 adult Chinook, including jacks, were captured during the season. The composition of the run included 239 natural origin fish and 225 hatchery supplementation fish. There were no identified 'stray' hatchery fish from other programs trapped. Of the fish captured, 45 natural and 4 hatchery supplementation adults were retained for broodstock and transported to LGH for holding and spawning, 366 adult Chinook were passed or transported above the weir to spawn naturally, and 49 hatchery origin adult jack Chinook were transported and outplanted in the Wallowa River and Bear Creek to spawn in underseeded habitat. Of the 49 adults retained for broodstock at Lookingglass Hatchery, 21 natural females and no hatchery origin females were represented in spawning. These females produced a total of 106,609 eggs at fertilization. Eye-up was 95.50% which yielded a total of 101,811 conventional program eyed eggs. The fecundity averaged 5,077 eggs per female. These eggs were incubated and at Lookingglass Hatchery until eyed stage. At eye they were transferred to Oxbow Hatchery where they were reared to the fingerling state at which time they were transported back to LGH until they were smolts in the spring of 2005. Captive brood program eggs/fish will be added to the conventional program eggs to make up the entire juvenile release for the Lostine River program in 2005.« less

First evidence of conspecific brood parasitism in song sparrows with comments on methods sufficient to document this behavior

Treesearch

Quresh S. Latif; J. Letitia Grenier; Sacha K. Heath; Grant Ballard; Mark E. Hauber

2006-01-01

Conspecific brood parasitism occurs in many songbird species but has not been reported in Song Sparrows (Melospiza melodia). In three separate study areas where breeding Song Sparrows experience heavy nest predation pressure and Brown-headed Cowbird (Molothrus ater) parasitism, we observed six instances in which newly laid eggs were attributable to female Song Sparrows...

Field test of lindane against overwintering broods of the western pine beetle

Treesearch

Robert L. Lyon; Kenneth M. Swain

1968-01-01

The insecticide lindane, applied on bark any time of the year, can effectively destroy broods of the western pine beetle. It may also be effective the year round on the mountain pine beetle, the California five-spined ips, and probably other California species of bark beetles. In tests on the Sierra National Forest, lindane sprays formulated at 1.5 percent...

14 CFR 91.1411 - Continuous airworthiness maintenance program use by fractional ownership program manager.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... program use by fractional ownership program manager. 91.1411 Section 91.1411 Aeronautics and Space FEDERAL... airworthiness maintenance program use by fractional ownership program manager. Fractional ownership program... through 91.1443. Any program manager who elects to maintain the program aircraft using a continuous...

Reproductive constraints influence habitat accessibility, segregation, and preference of sympatric albatross species.

PubMed

Kappes, Michelle A; Shaffer, Scott A; Tremblay, Yann; Foley, David G; Palacios, Daniel M; Bograd, Steven J; Costa, Daniel P

2015-01-01

The spatiotemporal distribution of animals is dependent on a suite of factors, including the distribution of resources, interactions within and between species, physiological limitations, and requirements for reproduction, dispersal, or migration. During breeding, reproductive constraints play a major role in the distribution and behavior of central place foragers, such as pelagic seabirds. We examined the foraging behavior and marine habitat selection of Laysan (Phoebastria immutabilis) and black-footed (P. nigripes) albatrosses throughout their eight month breeding cycle at Tern Island, Northwest Hawaiian Islands to evaluate how variable constraints of breeding influenced habitat availability and foraging decisions. We used satellite tracking and light-based geolocation to determine foraging locations of individuals, and applied a biologically realistic null usage model to generate control locations and model habitat preference under a case-control design. Remotely sensed oceanographic data were used to characterize albatross habitats in the North Pacific. Individuals of both species ranged significantly farther and for longer durations during incubation and chick-rearing compared to the brooding period. Interspecific segregation of core foraging areas was observed during incubation and chick-rearing, but not during brooding. At-sea activity patterns were most similar between species during brooding; neither species altered foraging effort to compensate for presumed low prey availability and high energy demands during this stage. Habitat selection during long-ranging movements was most strongly associated with sea surface temperature for both species, with a preference for cooler ocean temperatures compared to overall availability. During brooding, lower explanatory power of habitat models was likely related to the narrow range of ocean temperatures available for selection. Laysan and black-footed albatrosses differ from other albatross species in that they breed in an oligotrophic marine environment. During incubation and chick-rearing, they travel to cooler, more productive waters, but are restricted to the low-productivity environment near the colony during brooding, when energy requirements are greatest. Compared to other albatross species, Laysan and black-footed albatrosses spend a greater proportion of time in flight when foraging, especially during the brooding period; this strategy may be adaptive for locating dispersed prey in an oligotrophic environment.

Life-history tactics: a review of the ideas.

PubMed

Stearns, S C

1976-03-01

This review organizes ideas on the evolution of life histories. The key life-history traits are brood size, size of young, the age distribution of reproductive effort, the interaction of reproductive effort with adult mortality, and the variation in these traits among an individual's progeny. The general theoretical problem is to predict which combinations of traits will evolve in organisms living in specified circumstances. First consider single traits. Theorists have made the following predictions: (1) Where adult exceeds juvenile mortality, the organism should reproduce only once in its lifetime. Where juvenile exceeds adult mortality, the organism should reproduce several times. (2) Brood size should macimize the number of young surviving to maturity, summed over the lifetime of the parent. But when optimum brood-size unpredictably in time, smaller broods should be favored because they decrease the chances of total failure on a given attempt. (3) In expanding populations, selection should minimize age at maturity. In stable populations, when reproductive success depends on size, age, or social status, or when adult exceeds juvenile mortality, then maturation should be delayed, as it should be in declining populations. (4) Young should increase in size at birth with increased predation risk, and decrease in size with increased resource availability. Theorists have also predicted that only particular combinations of traits should occur in specified circumstances. (5) In growing populations, age at maturity should be minimized, reproductive effort concentrated early in life, and brood size increased. (6) One view holds that in stable environments, late maturity, broods, a few, large young, parental care, and small reproductive efforts should be favored (K-selection). In fluctuating environments, early maturity, many small young, reduced parental care, and large reproductive efforts should be favored (r-selection). (7) But another view holds that when juvenile mortality fluctuates more than adult mortality, the traits associated with stable and fluctuating environments should be reversed. We need experiments that test the assumptions and predictions reviewed here, more comprehensive theory that makes more readily falsifiable predictions, and examination of different definitions of fitness.

25 CFR 170.803 - What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road... AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.803 What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program? (a) The following public transportation facilities are eligible...

25 CFR 170.803 - What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2014-04-01 2014-04-01 false What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road... AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.803 What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program? (a) The following public transportation facilities are eligible...

25 CFR 170.803 - What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2013-04-01 2013-04-01 false What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road... AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.803 What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program? (a) The following public transportation facilities are eligible...

25 CFR 170.803 - What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2012-04-01 2011-04-01 true What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road... AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM BIA Road Maintenance § 170.803 What facilities are eligible under the BIA Road Maintenance Program? (a) The following public transportation facilities are eligible...

Evidence for baseline glucocorticoids as mediators of reproductive investment in a wild bird.

PubMed

Love, Oliver P; Madliger, Christine L; Bourgeon, Sophie; Semeniuk, Christina A D; Williams, Tony D

2014-04-01

Determining the mechanisms that mediate investment decisions between current and future reproductive attempts is still a key goal of life-history studies. Since baseline levels of stress hormones (glucocorticoids - GCs) act as predictive and labile regulators of daily energetic balance in vertebrates they remain excellent candidates for mediating investment decisions both within and across reproductive attempts. Using free-living female European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) we experimentally reduced investment in current reproduction (number of offspring raised in the first brood) to examine whether baseline corticosterone (CORT) acted as a hormonal mediator preparing individuals for a predictable increase in future investment (number of offspring raised in the second brood). Although treatment and control birds raised the same total amount of offspring across two broods, the experimental birds increased reproductive investment in second broods to compensate for the reduced investment in the first brood. Data on both mean and intra-individual changes in baseline CORT support the idea that an increase in baseline CORT between the incubation stages in treatment birds strongly predicted this increase in investment. Importantly, we measured the increase in baseline CORT during late incubation prior to the increase in energetic demand associated with increased reproductive investment in offspring, indicating that flexible within-individual changes in baseline GCs can act as a labile mechanism preparing individuals for predictable increases in reproductive investment. As such, our experimental results indicate that elevated baseline GCs can prepare individuals for investment in energetically expensive life-history stages, rather than simply being elevated as a consequence of increased effort or demand. This suggests that short-term preparative increases in baseline GCs benefit individuals by successfully allowing them to maximize fitness under varying environmental conditions. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Lower Virus Infections in Varroa destructor-Infested and Uninfested Brood and Adult Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) of a Low Mite Population Growth Colony Compared to a High Mite Population Growth Colony

PubMed Central

Emsen, Berna; Hamiduzzaman, Mollah Md.; Goodwin, Paul H.; Guzman-Novoa, Ernesto

2015-01-01

A comparison was made of the prevalence and relative quantification of deformed wing virus (DWV), Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV), black queen cell virus (BQCV), Kashmir bee virus (KBV), acute bee paralysis virus (ABPV) and sac brood virus (SBV) in brood and adult honey bees (Apis mellifera) from colonies selected for high (HMP) and low (LMP) Varroa destructor mite population growth. Two viruses, ABPV and SBV, were never detected. For adults without mite infestation, DWV, IAPV, BQCV and KBV were detected in the HMP colony; however, only BQCV was detected in the LMP colony but at similar levels as in the HMP colony. With mite infestation, the four viruses were detected in adults of the HMP colony but all at higher amounts than in the LMP colony. For brood without mite infestation, DWV and IAPV were detected in the HMP colony, but no viruses were detected in the LMP colony. With mite infestation of brood, the four viruses were detected in the HMP colony, but only DWV and IAPV were detected and at lower amounts in the LMP colony. An epidemiological explanation for these results is that pre-experiment differences in virus presence and levels existed between the HMP and LMP colonies. It is also possible that low V. destructor population growth in the LMP colony resulted in the bees being less exposed to the mite and thus less likely to have virus infections. LMP and HMP bees may have also differed in susceptibility to virus infection. PMID:25723540

Seasonal cycle of inbreeding and recombination of the parasitic mite Varroa destructor in honeybee colonies and its implications for the selection of acaricide resistance.

PubMed

Beaurepaire, Alexis L; Krieger, Klemens J; Moritz, Robin F A

2017-06-01

Varroa destructor is the most devastating parasite of the Western honeybee, Apis mellifera. In the light of the arm race opposing the host and its parasite, the population dynamics and genetic diversity of these organisms are key parameters. However, the life cycle of V. destructor is characterized by extreme inbreeding due to full sibling mating in the host brood cells. We here present an equation reflecting the evolution of inbreeding in such a clonal system, and compare our predictions with empirical data based on the analysis of seven microsatellite markers. This comparison revealed that the mites perform essentially incestuous mating in the beginning of the brood season. However, this pattern changes with the development of mite infestation. Despite the fact that the overall level of genetic diversity of the mites remained low through the season, multiple inbred lineages were identified in the mites we sampled in June. As a response to the decrease of brood availability and the increase of the parasite population in parallel in the colonies, these lineages recombined towards the end of the season as mites co-infest brood cells. Our results suggest that the ratio of the number of mite per brood cell in the colony determines the genetic structure of the populations of V. destructor. This intracolonial population dynamics has great relevance for the selection of acaricide resistance in V. destructor. If chemical treatments occur before the recombination phase, inbreeding will greatly enhance the fixation of resistance alleles at the colony level. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Phenotypic Variation in Fitness Traits of a Managed Solitary Bee, Osmia ribifloris (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae).

PubMed

Sampson, B J; Rinehart, T A; Kirker, G T; Stringer, S J; Werle, C T

2015-12-01

We investigated fitness in natural populations of a managed solitary bee Osmia ribifloris Cockerell (Hymenoptera: Megachilidae) from sites separated from 400 to 2,700 km. Parental wild bees originated in central Texas (TX), central-northern Utah (UT), and central California (CA). They were then intercrossed and raised inside a mesh enclosure in southern Mississippi (MS). Females from all possible mated pairs of O. ribifloris produced F1 broods with 30-40% female cocoons and outcrossed progeny were 30% heavier. Mitochondrial (COI) genomes of the four populations revealed three distinct clades, a TX-CA clade, a UT clade, and an MS clade, the latter (MS) representing captive progeny of CA and UT bees. Although classified as separate subspecies, TX and CA populations from 30° N to 38° N latitude shared 98% similarity in COI genomes and the greatest brood biomass per nest straw (600- to 700-mg brood). Thus, TX and CA bees show greater adaptation for southern U.S. sites. In contrast, UT-sourced bees were more distantly related to TX and CA bees and also produced ∼50% fewer brood. These results, taken together, confirm that adult O. ribifloris from all trap-nest sites are genetically compatible, but some phenotypic variation exists that could affect this species performance as a commercial blueberry pollinator. Males, their sperm, or perhaps a substance in their sperm helped stabilize our captive bee population by promoting legitimate nesting over nest usurpation. Otherwise, without insemination, 50% fewer females nested (they nested 14 d late) and 20% usurped nests, killing 33-67% of brood in affected nests. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2015. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

Heterogeneous activity causes a nonlinear increase in the group energy use of ant workers isolated from queen and brood.

PubMed

Ferral, Nolan; Holloway, Kyara; Li, Mingzhong; Yin, Zhaozheng; Hou, Chen

2018-06-01

Increasing evidence has shown that the energy use of ant colonies increases sublinearly with colony size so that large colonies consume less per capita energy than small colonies. It has been postulated that social environment (e.g., in the presence of queen and brood) is critical for the sublinear group energetics, and a few studies of ant workers isolated from queens and brood observed linear relationships between group energetics and size. In this paper, we hypothesize that the sublinear energetics arise from the heterogeneity of activity in ant groups, that is, large groups have relatively more inactive members than small groups. We further hypothesize that the energy use of ant worker groups that are allowed to move freely increases more slowly than the group size even if they are isolated from queen and brood. Previous studies only provided indirect evidence for these hypotheses due to technical difficulties. In this study, we applied the automated behavioral monitoring and respirometry simultaneously on isolated worker groups for long time periods, and analyzed the image with the state-of-the-art algorithms. Our results show that when activity was not confined, large groups had lower per capita energy use, a lower percentage of active members, and lower average walking speed than small groups; while locomotion was confined, however, the per capita energy use was a constant regardless of the group size. The quantitative analysis shows a direct link between variation in group energy use and the activity level of ant workers when isolated from queen and brood. © 2016 Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences.

Environmental assessment for the Satellite Power System (SPS): Studies of honey bees exposed to 2.45 GHz continuous wave electromagnetic energy

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Gary, N. E.; Westerdahl, B. B.

1980-01-01

Post treatment brood development was normal and teratological effects were not detected at exposures of 3 to 50 mw sq cm for 30 minutes. Post treatment survival, longevity, orientation, navigation, and memory of adult bees were also normal after exposures of 3 to 50 mw sq cm for 30 minutes. Post treatment longevity of confined bees in the laboratory was normal after exposures of 3 to 50 mw sq cm for 24 hours. Thermoregulation of brood nest, foraging activity, brood rearing, and social interaction were not affected by chronic exposure to 1 mw sq cm during 28 days. In dynamic behavioral bioassays the frequency of entry and duration of activity of unrestrained, foraging adult bees was identical in microwave exposed areas versus control areas.

A pilot study comparing two weight loss maintenance interventions among low-income, mid-life women

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Despite high obesity prevalence rates, few low-income midlife women participate in weight loss maintenance trials. This pilot study aims to assess the effectiveness of two weight loss maintenance interventions in this under-represented population. Methods Low-income midlife women who completed a 16-week weight loss intervention and lost ≥ 8 lbs (3.6 kg) were eligible to enroll in one of two 12-month maintenance programs. The programs were similar in content and had the same number of total contacts, but were different in the contact modality (Phone + Face-to-Face vs. Face-to-Face Only). Two criteria were used to assess successful weight loss maintenance at 12 months: (1) retaining a loss of ≥ 5% of body weight from the start of the weight loss phase and (2) a change in body weight of < 3%, from the start to the end of the maintenance program. Outcome measures of changes in physiologic and psychosocial factors, and evaluations of process measures and program acceptability (measured at 12 months) are also reported. For categorical variables, likelihood ratio or Fisher’s Exact (for small samples) tests were used to evaluate statistically significant relationships; for continuous variables, t-tests or their equivalents were used to assess differences between means and also to identify correlates of weight loss maintenance. Results Overall, during the 12-month maintenance period, 41% (24/58) of participants maintained a loss of ≥ 5% of initial weight and 43% (25/58) had a <3% change in weight. None of the comparisons between the two maintenance programs were statistically significant. However, improvements in blood pressure and dietary behaviors remained significant at the end of the 12-month maintenance period for participants in both programs. Participant attendance and acceptability were high for both programs. Conclusions The effectiveness of two pilot 12-month maintenance interventions provides support for further research in weight loss maintenance among high-risk, low-income women. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00288301 PMID:23855318

Avionics Maintenance Technology Program Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia Univ., Athens. Dept. of Vocational Education.

This program guide presents the avionics maintenance technology curriculum for technical institutes in Georgia. The general information section contains the following for both the diploma program and the associate degree program: purpose and objectives; program description, including admissions, typical job titles, and accreditation and…

Differential responses of Africanized and European honey bees (Apis mellifera) to viral replication following mechanical transmission or Varroa destructor parasitism.

PubMed

Hamiduzzaman, Mollah Md; Guzman-Novoa, Ernesto; Goodwin, Paul H; Reyes-Quintana, Mariana; Koleoglu, Gun; Correa-Benítez, Adriana; Petukhova, Tatiana

2015-03-01

For the first time, adults and brood of Africanized and European honey bees (Apis mellifera) were compared for relative virus levels over 48 h following Varroa destructor parasitism or injection of V. destructor homogenate. Rates of increase of deformed wing virus (DWV) for Africanized versus European bees were temporarily lowered for 12h with parasitism and sustainably lowered over the entire experiment (48 h) with homogenate injection in adults. The rates were also temporarily lowered for 24h with parasitism but were not affected by homogenate injection in brood. Rates of increase of black queen cell virus (BQCV) for Africanized versus European bees were similar with parasitism but sustainably lowered over the entire experiment with homogenate injection in adults and were similar for parasitism and homogenate injection in brood. Analyses of sac brood bee virus and Israeli acute paralysis virus were limited as detection did not occur after both homogenate injection and parasitism treatment, or levels were not significantly higher than those following control buffer injection. Lower rates of replication of DWV and BQCV in Africanized bees shows that they may have greater viral resistance, at least early after treatment. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Shared neural substrates for song discrimination in parental and parasitic songbirds.

PubMed

Louder, Matthew I M; Voss, Henning U; Manna, Thomas J; Carryl, Sophia S; London, Sarah E; Balakrishnan, Christopher N; Hauber, Mark E

2016-05-27

In many social animals, early exposure to conspecific stimuli is critical for the development of accurate species recognition. Obligate brood parasitic songbirds, however, forego parental care and young are raised by heterospecific hosts in the absence of conspecific stimuli. Having evolved from non-parasitic, parental ancestors, how brood parasites recognize their own species remains unclear. In parental songbirds (e.g. zebra finch Taeniopygia guttata), the primary and secondary auditory forebrain areas are known to be critical in the differential processing of conspecific vs. heterospecific songs. Here we demonstrate that the same auditory brain regions underlie song discrimination in adult brood parasitic pin-tailed whydahs (Vidua macroura), a close relative of the zebra finch lineage. Similar to zebra finches, whydahs showed stronger behavioral responses during conspecific vs. heterospecific song and tone pips as well as increased neural responses within the auditory forebrain, as measured by both functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and immediate early gene (IEG) expression. Given parallel behavioral and neuroanatomical patterns of song discrimination, our results suggest that the evolutionary transition to brood parasitism from parental songbirds likely involved an "evolutionary tinkering" of existing proximate mechanisms, rather than the wholesale reworking of the neural substrates of species recognition. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Multiple mating and clutch size in invertebrate brooders versus pregnant vertebrates

PubMed Central

Avise, John C.; Tatarenkov, Andrey; Liu, Jin-Xian

2011-01-01

We summarize the genetic literature on polygamy rates and sire numbers per clutch in invertebrate animals that brood their offspring and then compare findings with analogous data previously compiled for vertebrate species displaying viviparity or other pregnancy-like syndromes. As deduced from molecular parentage analyses of several thousand broods from more than 100 “pregnant” species, invertebrate brooders had significantly higher mean incidences of multiple mating than pregnant vertebrates, a finding generally consistent with the postulate that clutch size constrains successful mate numbers in species with extended parental care. However, we uncovered no significant correlation in invertebrates between brood size and genetically deduced rates of multiple mating by the incubating sex. Instead, in embryo-gestating animals otherwise as different as mammals and mollusks, polygamy rates and histograms of successful mates per brooder proved to be strikingly similar. Most previous studies have sought to understand why gestating parents have so many mates and such high incidences of successful multiple mating; an alternative perspective based on logistical constraints turns the issue on its head by asking why mate numbers and polygamy rates are much lower than they theoretically could be, given the parentage-resolving power of molecular markers and the huge sizes of many invertebrate broods. PMID:21709247

Subsocial behaviour and brood adoption in mixed-species colonies of two theridiid spiders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Grinsted, Lena; Agnarsson, Ingi; Bilde, Trine

2012-12-01

Cooperation and group living often evolves through kin selection. However, associations between unrelated organisms, such as different species, can evolve if both parties benefit from the interaction. Group living is rare in spiders, but occurs in cooperative, permanently social spiders, as well as in territorial, colonial spiders. Mixed species spider colonies, involving closely related species, have rarely been documented. We examined social interactions in newly discovered mixed-species colonies of theridiid spiders on Bali, Indonesia. Our aim was to test the degree of intra- and interspecific tolerance, aggression and cooperation through behavioural experiments and examine the potential for adoption of foreign brood. Morphological and genetic analyses confirmed that colonies consisted of two related species Chikunia nigra (O.P. Cambridge, 1880) new combination (previously Chrysso nigra) and a yet undescribed Chikunia sp. Females defended territories and did not engage in cooperative prey capture, but interestingly, both species seemed to provide extended maternal care of young and indiscriminate care for foreign brood. Future studies may reveal whether these species adopt only intra-specific young, or also inter-specifically. We classify both Chikunia species subsocial and intra- and interspecifically colonial, and discuss the evolutionary significance of a system where one or both species may potentially benefit from mutual tolerance and brood adoption.

Success of cuckoo catfish brood parasitism reflects coevolutionary history and individual experience of their cichlid hosts

PubMed Central

Polačik, Matej; Smith, Carl; Honza, Marcel; Reichard, Martin

2018-01-01

Obligate brood parasites manipulate other species into raising their offspring. Avian and insect brood parasitic systems demonstrate how interacting species engage in reciprocal coevolutionary arms races through behavioral and morphological adaptations and counteradaptations. Mouthbrooding cichlid fishes are renowned for their remarkable evolutionary radiations and complex behaviors. In Lake Tanganyika, mouthbrooding cichlids are exploited by the only obligate nonavian vertebrate brood parasite, the cuckoo catfish Synodontis multipunctatus. We show that coevolutionary history and individual learning both have a major impact on the success of cuckoo catfish parasitism between coevolved sympatric and evolutionarily naïve allopatric cichlid species. The rate of cuckoo catfish parasitism in coevolved Tanganyikan hosts was 3 to 11 times lower than in evolutionarily naïve cichlids. Moreover, using experimental infections, we demonstrate that parasite egg rejection in sympatric hosts was much higher, leading to seven times greater parasite survival in evolutionarily naïve than sympatric hosts. However, a high rejection frequency of parasitic catfish eggs by coevolved sympatric hosts came at a cost of increased rejection of their own eggs. A significant cost of catfish parasitism was universal, except for coevolved sympatric cichlid species with previous experience of catfish parasitism, demonstrating that learning and individual experience both contribute to a successful host response. PMID:29732407

Repression and Recuperation of Brood Production in Bombus terrestris Bumble Bees Exposed to a Pulse of the Neonicotinoid Pesticide Imidacloprid

PubMed Central

Laycock, Ian; Cresswell, James E.

2013-01-01

Currently, there is concern about declining bee populations and some blame the residues of neonicotinoid pesticides in the nectar and pollen of treated crops. Bumble bees are important wild pollinators that are widely exposed to dietary neonicotinoids by foraging in agricultural environments. In the laboratory, we tested the effect of a pulsed exposure (14 days ‘on dose’ followed by 14 days ‘off dose’) to a common neonicotinoid, imidacloprid, on the amount of brood (number of eggs and larvae) produced by Bombus terrestris L. bumble bees in small, standardised experimental colonies (a queen and four adult workers). During the initial ‘on dose’ period we observed a dose-dependent repression of brood production in colonies, with productivity decreasing as dosage increased up to 98 µg kg−1 dietary imidacloprid. During the following ‘off dose’ period, colonies showed a dose-dependent recuperation such that total brood production during the 28-day pulsed exposure was not correlated with imidacloprid up to 98 µg kg−1. Our findings raise further concern about the threat to wild bumble bees from neonicotinoids, but they also indicate some resilience to a pulsed exposure, such as that arising from the transient bloom of a treated mass-flowering crop. PMID:24224015

Idiopathic brood disease syndrome and queen events as precursors of colony mortality in migratory beekeeping operations in the eastern United States.

PubMed

vanEngelsdorp, Dennis; Tarpy, David R; Lengerich, Eugene J; Pettis, Jeffery S

2013-02-01

Using standard epidemiological methods, this study set out to quantify the risk associated with exposure to easily diagnosed factors on colony mortality and morbidity in three migratory beekeeping operations. Fifty-six percent of all colonies monitored during the 10-month period died. The relative risk (RR) that a colony would die over the short term (∼50 days) was appreciably increased in colonies diagnosed with Idiopathic Brood Disease Syndrome (IBDS), a condition where brood of different ages appear molten on the bottom of cells (RR=3.2), or with a "queen event" (e.g., evidence of queen replacement or failure; RR=3.1). We also found that several risk factors-including the incidence of a poor brood pattern, chalkbood (CB), deformed wing virus (DWV), sacbrood virus (SBV), and exceeding the threshold of 5 Varroa mites per 100 bees-were differentially expressed in different beekeeping operations. Further, we found that a diagnosis of several factors were significantly more or less likely to be associated with a simultaneous diagnosis of another risk factor. These finding support the growing consensus that the causes of colony mortality are multiple and interrelated. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

76 FR 39033 - Airworthiness Directives; Rolls-Royce Deutschland Ltd & Co KG (RRD) BR700-710 Series Turbofan...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-07-05

... limitation section (ALS) of their approved maintenance program (Time Limits Manual (TLM), chapters 05-00-01... airplanes used for pilot training. Revise their ALS of their approved maintenance program (TLM chapters 05... limitations section (ALS) of the operators approved maintenance program (reference the Time Limits Manual (TLM...

Grande Ronde Basin Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Program, 2008 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Hoffnagle, Timothy L.; Hair, Donald; Gee, Sally

2009-03-31

The Grande Ronde Basin Spring Chinook Salmon Captive Broodstock Program is designed to rapidly increase numbers of Chinook salmon in stocks that are in imminent danger of extirpation in Catherine Creek (CC), Lostine River (LR) and upper Grande Ronde River (GR). Natural parr are captured and reared to adulthood in captivity, spawned (within stocks) and their progeny reared to smoltification before being released into the natal stream of their parents. This program is co-managed by ODFW, National Marine Fisheries Service, Nez Perce Tribe and Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation. Presmolt rearing was initially conducted at Lookingglass Fish Hatcherymore » (LFH) but parr collected in 2003 and later were reared at Wallowa Fish Hatchery (WFH). Post-smolt rearing is conducted at Bonneville Fish Hatchery (BOH - freshwater) and at Manchester Research Station (MRS - saltwater). The CC and LR programs are being terminated, as these populations have achieved the goal of a consistent return of 150 naturally spawning adults, so the 2005 brood year was the last brood year collected for theses populations. The Grande Ronde River program continued with 300 fish collected each year. Currently, we are attempting to collect 150 natural parr and incorporate 150 parr collected as eggs from females with low ELISA levels from the upper Grande Ronde River Conventional Hatchery Program. This is part of a comparison of two methods of obtaining fish for a captive broodstock program: natural fish vs. those spawned in captivity. In August 2007, we collected 152 parr (BY 2006) from the upper Grande Ronde River and also have 155 Grande Ronde River parr (BY 2006) that were hatched from eyed eggs at LFH. During 2008, we were unable to collect natural parr from the upper Grande Ronde River. Therefore, we obtained 300 fish from low ELISA females from the upper Grande Ronde River Conventional Program. In October 2008 we obtained 170 eyed eggs from the upper Grande Ronde river Conventional Hatchery Program. We will attempt to collect natural parr in August 2009. This year 752 fish were removed from the captive population: 629 fish survived to gamete production and 123 fish died from various causes prior to spawning. Growth of the Captive Broodstock fish was similar to previous years. The saltwater fish have grown more slowly than those reared in freshwater. A total of 720 fish were sorted as maturing and 629 (87.4%) of them survived to spawn. We collected gametes from 273 females and 350 males from the 2002-2006 brood years in 2008, using 111 spawning matrices and collected 474,187 green eggs (1,737 eggs/female). All ripe males were spawned and no semen was collected for cryo-preservation. Of the 474,187 eggs collected for the BY 2008 F1 generation, 448,373 (94.6%) survived to the eyed stage. 68,612 (15.3%) were culled from females with high ELISA OD values for BKD prevention. For BY 2007, we collected a total of 477,048 eggs from all three populations and 407,369 (85.4%) reached the eyed stage, while 95,024 eyed eggs (23.3%) were culled for BKD prevention. Eyed eggs were hatched at Lookingglass Fish Hatchery, producing 267,131 fry. As parr, 153,371 fish were coded-wire tagged (CWT). For the 2006 F1 brood year, we collected 177,890 eggs and 149,073 (83.8%) reached the eyed stage. 83,826 eyed eggs (56.2%) were culled at the eyed stage for BKD prevention. 61,044 fry were produced (93.6%), 53,688 (88 %) survived to smolt. There were 54 bacterial kidney disease (BKD) mortalities at BOH and MRS, combined in this reporting period. Overall, there were fewer BKD mortalities in 2008 due to a reduced number of fish coming into the Captive Broodstock Program and a shift away from collecting wild parr to using eyed eggs from low ELISA females from the Conventional Hatchery Program. Unknown causes of death accounted for 32 deaths at MRS and BOH, combined in 2008. We continually examine and modify the operations of the Captive Broodstock Program to make improvements wherever possible. We continue to have difficulty with prevention and treatment of BKD outbreaks and continue to use erythromycin and azithromycin to treat this disease. We are also continuing to investigate other possible treatments and prophylactic measures. To reduce the incidence of BKD in offspring of the Captive Broodstock Program, we continue to allow culling of eyed eggs from females with high BKD ELISA values (generally >0.800 OD units but the cull level varies annually, depending on the distribution of ELISA values, number of eggs collected, and management considerations). We are also using ultrasound to determine maturity and sex of fish early in the maturation process and are now able to determine maturity and sex of most maturing fish in early April. This allows us to transfer maturing fish from saltwater to freshwater at a more natural time, which should improve fecundity and egg quality of saltwater-reared fish.« less

Laboratory services series: a master-slave manipulator maintenance program

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Jenness, R. G.; Hicks, R. E.; Wicker, C. D.

1976-12-01

The volume of master slave manipulator maintenance at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has necessitated the establishment of a repair facility and organization of a specially trained group of craftsmen. Emphasis on cell containment requires the use of manipulator boots and development of precise procedures for accomplishing the maintenance of 287 installed units. A very satisfactory computer programmed maintenance system has been established at the Laboratory to provide an economical approach to preventive maintenance.

Method and computer program product for maintenance and modernization backlogging

DOEpatents

Mattimore, Bernard G; Reynolds, Paul E; Farrell, Jill M

2013-02-19

According to one embodiment, a computer program product for determining future facility conditions includes a computer readable medium having computer readable program code stored therein. The computer readable program code includes computer readable program code for calculating a time period specific maintenance cost, for calculating a time period specific modernization factor, and for calculating a time period specific backlog factor. Future facility conditions equal the time period specific maintenance cost plus the time period specific modernization factor plus the time period specific backlog factor. In another embodiment, a computer-implemented method for calculating future facility conditions includes calculating a time period specific maintenance cost, calculating a time period specific modernization factor, and calculating a time period specific backlog factor. Future facility conditions equal the time period specific maintenance cost plus the time period specific modernization factor plus the time period specific backlog factor. Other embodiments are also presented.

14 CFR 91.1111 - Maintenance training.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Maintenance training. 91.1111 Section 91... Operations Program Management § 91.1111 Maintenance training. The program manager must ensure that all... annual recurrent training and are competent to perform those duties. ...

14 CFR 91.1111 - Maintenance training.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... 14 Aeronautics and Space 2 2011-01-01 2011-01-01 false Maintenance training. 91.1111 Section 91... Operations Program Management § 91.1111 Maintenance training. The program manager must ensure that all... annual recurrent training and are competent to perform those duties. ...

36 CFR 1222.34 - How must agencies maintain records?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... ADMINISTRATION RECORDS MANAGEMENT CREATION AND MAINTENANCE OF FEDERAL RECORDS Agency Recordkeeping Requirements § 1222.34 How must agencies maintain records? Agencies must implement a records maintenance program so... electronic records, segregable. Agency records maintenance programs must: (a) Institute procedures for...

40 CFR 52.2348 - National Highway Systems Designation Act Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2011-07-01 2011-07-01 false National Highway Systems Designation Act Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Programs. 52.2348 Section 52.2348 Protection of... and Maintenance (I/M) Programs. (a) On March 15, 1996 the Governor of Utah submitted a revised I/M...

40 CFR 52.2348 - National Highway Systems Designation Act Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Programs.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-07-01

... 40 Protection of Environment 4 2010-07-01 2010-07-01 false National Highway Systems Designation Act Motor Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance (I/M) Programs. 52.2348 Section 52.2348 Protection of... and Maintenance (I/M) Programs. (a) On March 15, 1996 the Governor of Utah submitted a revised I/M...

Description and Results of the Air Force Research and Development Program for the Improvement of Maintenance Efficiency.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Foley, John P., Jr.

An overview of the Air Force's Research and Development Program for the Improvement of Maintenance Efficiency is provided. First described are the steps found in any detailed task analysis, a process which results in the complete specification of each task involved in an overall maintenance effort. The factors influencing maintenance effectiveness…

A motivation-focused weight loss maintenance program is an effective alternative to a skill-based approach.

PubMed

West, D S; Gorin, A A; Subak, L L; Foster, G; Bragg, C; Hecht, J; Schembri, M; Wing, R R

2011-02-01

Maintaining weight loss is a major challenge in obesity treatment. Individuals often indicate that waning motivation prompts cessation of effective weight management behaviors. Therefore, a novel weight loss maintenance program that specifically targets motivational factors was evaluated. Overweight women (N=338; 19% African American) with urinary incontinence were randomized to lifestyle obesity treatment or control and followed for 18 months. All participants in lifestyle (N=226) received the same initial 6-month group behavioral obesity treatment and were then randomized to (1) a novel motivation-focused maintenance program (N=113) or (2) a standard skill-based maintenance approach (N=113). Weight assessed at baseline, 6 and 18 months. Both treatment groups (motivation-focused and skill-based) achieved comparable 18-month weight losses (-5.48% for motivation-focused vs -5.55% in skill-based, P=0.98), and both groups lost significantly more than controls (-1.51%; P=0.0012 in motivation-focused and P=0.0021 in skill-based). A motivation-focused maintenance program offers an alternative, effective approach to weight maintenance expanding available evidence-based interventions beyond traditional skill-based programs.

Effectiveness of polyethylene sheeting in controlling spruce beetles (Coleoptera: Scolytidae) in infested stacks of spruce firewood in Alaska.

Treesearch

Edward H. Holsten; Richard A. Werner

1993-01-01

Covering stacks of spruce firewood with either clear or black polyethylene sheeting does not raise log temperatures high enough to kill spruce beetle brood in the logs. Based on the results of this study, we do not recommend the use of polyethylene sheeting as a remedial measure for the reduction of spruce beetle brood in infested firewood or log decks in south-central...

Personality and cognitive processes: self-criticism and different types of rumination as predictors of suicidal ideation.

PubMed

O'Connor, Rory C; Noyce, Rosie

2008-03-01

Self-criticism and rumination have been related to suicidality. In the present study, we investigated the extent to which different types of rumination (brooding and reflection) mediate the relationship between self-criticism and suicidal ideation. Two hundred and thirty-two healthy adults completed a range of psychological inventories at Time 1 and were followed up approximately 3 months later (Time 2). Brooding was more strongly associated with suicidal ideation than reflection. Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed that among those who completed measures at both time points, brooding rumination fully mediated the self-criticism-Time 2 suicidal ideation relationship. Reflection did not mediate the self-criticism-suicidal ideation link. The findings support a growing corpus of research which highlights the utility of personality and cognitive factors in advancing our understanding of the suicidal process. The theoretical and clinical implications are discussed.

Breeding biology of the Spotted Barbtail (Premnoplex brunnescens)

USGS Publications Warehouse

Munoz, Daniel; Martin, Thomas E.

2014-01-01

The Spotted Barbtail (Furnariidae) is poorly studied but shows some extreme traits for a tropical passerine. We located and monitored 155 nests to study this species for 7 years in an Andean cloud forest in Venezuela. Spotted Barbtails have an unusually long incubation period of 27.2 ± 0.16 days, as a result of very long (3–6 hr) off-bouts even though both adults incubate. The long off-bouts yield low incubation temperatures for embryos and are associated with proportionally large eggs (21% of adult mass). They also have a long nestling period of 21.67 ± 0.33 days, and a typical tropical brood size of two. The slow growth rate of the typical broods of two is even slower in broods artificially reduced to one young. Nonetheless, the young stay in the nest long enough to achieve wing lengths that approach adult size.

Cleaner mites: sanitary mutualism in the miniature ecosystem of neotropical bee nests.

PubMed

Biani, Natalia B; Mueller, Ulrich G; Wcislo, William T

2009-06-01

Cleaning symbioses represent classic models of mutualism, and some bee mites are thought to perform cleaning services for their hosts in exchange for suitable environments for reproduction and dispersal. These mutual benefits, however, have not been rigorously demonstrated. We tested the sanitary role of bee mites by correlating mite loads with fungal contamination in natural nests of Megalopta genalis and Megalopta ecuadoria and by experimentally manipulating mite loads in artificial cells with developing brood. Field observations revealed significant correlations between the presence of mites and the absence of fungi inside the brood cells, as well as between the absence of mites and increased bee mortality. Likewise, experimental brood cells with mites have fewer fungal colonies than do cells without mites. Field observations and experimental manipulations, therefore, provide clear evidence of the sanitary effect of mites in nests of Megalopta bees. This bee-mite association constitutes one of the few examples of terrestrial cleaning mutualisms.

Effect of mothering on the spatial exploratory behavior of quail chicks.

PubMed

de Margerie, E; Peris, A; Pittet, F; Houdelier, C; Lumineau, S; Richard-Yris, M-A

2013-04-01

Previous maternal deprivation experiments demonstrated that absence of maternal care impacts the behavioral development of young animals. Here we assessed the influence of the presence of a mothering hen on the spatial exploration of Japanese quail chicks, after the mothering period. Brooded and nonbrooded chicks were placed in a novel environment containing feeding troughs. The distribution of chicks and their inter-individual distances were measured during repeated tests. Brooded chicks exhibited a higher ability to disperse, thereby progressively exploiting larger surfaces and gaining access to food more easily. The fact that exploration by nonbrooded chicks was delayed suggests a deficit in their exploratory motivation and/or spatial skills. We hypothesize that brooded chicks experienced the constraint to follow the mothering hen, and to adapt to frequent reconfigurations of their environment. The lack of this variability in the environment of nonbrooded chicks could have reduced adaptability of their spatial behavior. Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Circatrigintan instead of lunar periodicity of larval release in a brooding coral species.

PubMed

Linden, Bart; Huisman, Jef; Rinkevich, Baruch

2018-04-04

Larval release by brooding corals is often assumed to display lunar periodicity. Here, we show that larval release of individual Stylophora pistillata colonies does not comply with the assumed tight entrainment by the lunar cycle, and can better be classified as a circatrigintan pattern. The colonies exhibited three distinct reproductive patterns, characterized by short intervals, long intervals and no periodicity between reproductive peaks, respectively. Cross correlation between the lunar cycle and larval release of the periodic colonies revealed an approximately 30-day periodicity with a variable lag of 5 to 10 days after full moon. The observed variability indicates that the lunar cycle does not provide a strict zeitgeber. Other factors such as water temperature and solar radiation did not correlate significantly with the larval release. The circatrigintan patterns displayed by S. pistillata supports the plasticity of corals and sheds new light on discussions on the fecundity of brooding coral species.

Application of stable isotope analysis for detecting filial cannibalism.

PubMed

Sogabe, Atsushi; Hamaoka, Hideki; Fukuta, Atsushi; Shibata, Jun-Ya; Shoji, Jun; Omori, Koji

2017-07-01

A novel type of filial cannibalism has been reported in pipefishes, in which the eggs are absorbed through the male's brood-pouch epithelium. The present study explored the applicability of stable isotope analysis for the detection of paternal brood cannibalism in the seaweed pipefish Syngnathus schlegeli. As expected, the δ 15 N values for liver, which conveys short-term dietary information about the recent reproductive season, were higher in males than in females. In contrast, the δ 15 N values for muscle, which reflects longer-term feeding habits that span both the reproductive and non-reproductive seasons, did not significantly differ between the sexes. This finding indicates that males occupy a higher trophic position than females only during the reproductive season, and it is probable that this difference is a result of paternal uptake of nutrients from embryos in the brood pouch. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Movements and home ranges of mountain plovers raising broods in three Colorado landscapes

USGS Publications Warehouse

Dreitz, V.J.; Wunder, Michael B.; Knopf, F.L.

2005-01-01

We report movements and home-range sizes of adult Mountain Plovers (Charadrius montanus) with broods on rangeland, agricultural fields, and prairie dog habitats in eastern Colorado. Estimates of home range size (95% fixed kernel) were similar across the three habitats: rangeland (146.1 ha ± 101.5), agricultural fields (131.6 ha ± 74.4), and prairie dog towns (243.3 ha ± 366.3). Our minimum convex polygon estimates of home-range size were comparable to those on rangeland reported by Knopf and Rupert (1996). In addition, movements—defined as the distance between consecutive locations of adults with broods—were equivalent across habitats. However, our findings on prairie dog habitat suggest that home-range size for brood rearing may be related to whether the prairie dog habitat is in a complex of towns or in an isolated town.

Evaluating exposure and potential effects on honeybee brood (Apis mellifera) development using glyphosate as an example

PubMed Central

Thompson, Helen M; Levine, Steven L; Doering, Janine; Norman, Steve; Manson, Philip; Sutton, Peter; von Mérey, Georg

2014-01-01

This study aimed to develop an approach to evaluate potential effects of plant protection products on honeybee brood with colonies at realistic worst-case exposure rates. The approach comprised 2 stages. In the first stage, honeybee colonies were exposed to a commercial formulation of glyphosate applied to flowering Phacelia tanacetifolia with glyphosate residues quantified in relevant matrices (pollen and nectar) collected by foraging bees on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 postapplication and glyphosate levels in larvae were measured on days 4 and 7. Glyphosate levels in pollen were approximately 10 times higher than in nectar and glyphosate demonstrated rapid decline in both matrices. Residue data along with foraging rates and food requirements of the colony were then used to set dose rates in the effects study. In the second stage, the toxicity of technical glyphosate to developing honeybee larvae and pupae, and residues in larvae, were then determined by feeding treated sucrose directly to honeybee colonies at dose rates that reflect worst-case exposure scenarios. There were no significant effects from glyphosate observed in brood survival, development, and mean pupal weight. Additionally, there were no biologically significant levels of adult mortality observed in any glyphosate treatment group. Significant effects were observed only in the fenoxycarb toxic reference group and included increased brood mortality and a decline in the numbers of bees and brood. Mean glyphosate residues in larvae were comparable at 4 days after spray application in the exposure study and also following dosing at a level calculated from the mean measured levels in pollen and nectar, showing the applicability and robustness of the approach for dose setting with honeybee brood studies. This study has developed a versatile and predictive approach for use in higher tier honeybee toxicity studies. It can be used to realistically quantify exposure of colonies to pesticides to allow the appropriate dose rates to be determined, based on realistic worst-case residues in pollen and nectar and estimated intake by the colony, as shown by the residue analysis. Previous studies have used the standard methodology developed primarily to identify pesticides with insect-growth disrupting properties of pesticide formulations, which are less reliant on identifying realistic exposure scenarios. However, this adaptation of the method can be used to determine dose–response effects of colony level exposure to pesticides with a wide range of properties. This approach would limit the number of replicated tunnel or field-scale studies that need to be undertaken to assess effects on honeybee brood and may be of particular benefit where residues in pollen and nectar are crop- and/or formulation-specific, such as systemic seed treatments and granular applications. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2014;10:463–470. PMID:24616275

Evaluating exposure and potential effects on honeybee brood (Apis mellifera) development using glyphosate as an example.

PubMed

Thompson, Helen M; Levine, Steven L; Doering, Janine; Norman, Steve; Manson, Philip; Sutton, Peter; von Mérey, Georg

2014-07-01

This study aimed to develop an approach to evaluate potential effects of plant protection products on honeybee brood with colonies at realistic worst-case exposure rates. The approach comprised 2 stages. In the first stage, honeybee colonies were exposed to a commercial formulation of glyphosate applied to flowering Phacelia tanacetifolia with glyphosate residues quantified in relevant matrices (pollen and nectar) collected by foraging bees on days 1, 2, 3, 4, and 7 postapplication and glyphosate levels in larvae were measured on days 4 and 7. Glyphosate levels in pollen were approximately 10 times higher than in nectar and glyphosate demonstrated rapid decline in both matrices. Residue data along with foraging rates and food requirements of the colony were then used to set dose rates in the effects study. In the second stage, the toxicity of technical glyphosate to developing honeybee larvae and pupae, and residues in larvae, were then determined by feeding treated sucrose directly to honeybee colonies at dose rates that reflect worst-case exposure scenarios. There were no significant effects from glyphosate observed in brood survival, development, and mean pupal weight. Additionally, there were no biologically significant levels of adult mortality observed in any glyphosate treatment group. Significant effects were observed only in the fenoxycarb toxic reference group and included increased brood mortality and a decline in the numbers of bees and brood. Mean glyphosate residues in larvae were comparable at 4 days after spray application in the exposure study and also following dosing at a level calculated from the mean measured levels in pollen and nectar, showing the applicability and robustness of the approach for dose setting with honeybee brood studies. This study has developed a versatile and predictive approach for use in higher tier honeybee toxicity studies. It can be used to realistically quantify exposure of colonies to pesticides to allow the appropriate dose rates to be determined, based on realistic worst-case residues in pollen and nectar and estimated intake by the colony, as shown by the residue analysis. Previous studies have used the standard methodology developed primarily to identify pesticides with insect-growth disrupting properties of pesticide formulations, which are less reliant on identifying realistic exposure scenarios. However, this adaptation of the method can be used to determine dose-response effects of colony level exposure to pesticides with a wide range of properties. This approach would limit the number of replicated tunnel or field-scale studies that need to be undertaken to assess effects on honeybee brood and may be of particular benefit where residues in pollen and nectar are crop- and/or formulation-specific, such as systemic seed treatments and granular applications. © 2014 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management Published by SETAC.

Integrated Status and Effectiveness Monitoring Program; Expansion of Existing Smolt Trapping Program in Nason Creek, 2005 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Prevatte, Scott A.

2006-03-01

In the fall of 2004, as one part of a Basin-Wide Monitoring Program developed by the Upper Columbia Regional Technical Team and Upper Columbia Salmon Recovery Board, the Yakama Nation Fisheries Resource Management program began monitoring downstream migration of ESA listed Upper Columbia River spring chinook salmon and Upper Columbia River steelhead in Nason Creek, a tributary to the Wenatchee River. This report summarizes juvenile spring chinook salmon and steelhead trout migration data collected in Nason Creek during 2005 and also incorporates data from 2004. We used species enumeration at the trap and efficiency trials to describe emigration timing andmore » to estimate population size. Data collection was divided into spring/early summer and fall periods with a break during the summer months occurring due to low stream flow. Trapping began on March 1st and was suspended on July 29th when stream flow dropped below the minimum (30 cfs) required to rotate the trap cone. The fall period began on September 28th with increased stream flow and ended on November 23rd when snow and ice began to accumulate on the trap. During the spring and early summer we collected 311 yearling (2003 brood) spring chinook salmon, 86 wild steelhead smolts and 453 steelhead parr. Spring chinook (2004 brood) outgrew the fry stage of fork length < 60 mm during June and July, 224 were collected at the trap. Mark-recapture trap efficiency trials were performed over a range of stream discharge stages whenever ample numbers of fish were being collected. A total of 247 spring chinook yearlings, 54 steelhead smolts, and 178 steelhead parr were used during efficiency trials. A statically significant relationship between stream discharge and trap efficiency has not been identified in Nason Creek, therefore a pooled trap efficiency was used to estimate the population size of both spring chinook (14.98%) and steelhead smolts (12.96%). We estimate that 2,076 ({+-} 119 95%CI) yearling spring chinook and 688 ({+-} 140 95%CI) steelhead smolts emigrated past the trap during the spring/early summer sample period along with 10,721 ({+-} 1,220 95%CI) steelhead parr. During the fall we collected 924 subyearling (2004 brood) spring chinook salmon and 1,008 steelhead parr of various size and age classes. A total of 732 spring chinook subyearlings and 602 steelhead parr were used during 13 mark-recapture trap efficiency trials. A pooled trap efficiency of 24.59% was used to calculate the emigration of spring chinook and 17.11% was used for steelhead parr during the period from September 28th through November 23rd. We estimate that 3758 ({+-} 92 95%CI) subyearling spring chinook and 5,666 ({+-} 414 95%CI) steelhead parr migrated downstream past the trap along with 516 ({+-} 42 95%CI) larger steelhead pre-smolts during the 2005 fall sample period.« less

Cost effectiveness of the MDOT preventive maintenance program.

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2013-04-01

The Michigan Department of Transportations (MDOT) pavement preservation program dates back to 1992. MDOTs pavement preservation strategy is primarily implemented through its capital preventive maintenance (CPM) program, in which preventive main...

PM Program Prevents Early AM Repairs

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

McRae, David

1974-01-01

Discusses how to initiate a preventive maintenance (PM) program: (1) make inventory of equipment that needs a PM program; (2) gather data about each piece of equipment; and (3) set maintenance goals. (Author/PG)

25 CFR 170.925 - Is ERFO funding supplemental to IRR Program funding?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Miscellaneous Provisions Emergency Relief § 170.925 Is ERFO funding supplemental to... construction and maintenance funds for FHWA-approved repairs. If IRR construction or maintenance funds are used... used to reimburse the construction or maintenance funds expended. ...

14 CFR 91.1433 - CAMP: Maintenance and preventive maintenance training program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-01-01

..., DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION (CONTINUED) AIR TRAFFIC AND GENERAL OPERATING RULES GENERAL OPERATING AND FLIGHT RULES Fractional Ownership Operations Program Management § 91.1433 CAMP: Maintenance and preventive... each person (including inspection personnel) who determines the adequacy of work done is fully informed...

Unpredictable food supply modifies costs of reproduction and hampers individual optimization.

PubMed

Török, János; Hegyi, Gergely; Tóth, László; Könczey, Réka

2004-11-01

Investment into the current reproductive attempt is thought to be at the expense of survival and/or future reproduction. Individuals are therefore expected to adjust their decisions to their physiological state and predictable aspects of environmental quality. The main predictions of the individual optimization hypothesis for bird clutch sizes are: (1) an increase in the number of recruits with an increasing number of eggs in natural broods, with no corresponding impairment of parental survival or future reproduction, and (2) a decrease in the fitness of parents in response to both negative and positive brood size manipulation, as a result of a low number of recruits, poor future reproduction of parents, or both. We analysed environmental influences on costs and optimization of reproduction on 6 years of natural and experimentally manipulated broods in a Central European population of the collared flycatcher. Based on dramatic differences in caterpillar availability, we classified breeding seasons as average and rich food years. The categorization was substantiated by the majority of present and future fitness components of adults and offspring. Neither observational nor experimental data supported the individual optimization hypothesis, in contrast to a Scandinavian population of the species. The quality of fledglings deteriorated, and the number of recruits did not increase with natural clutch size. Manipulation revealed significant costs of reproduction to female parents in terms of future reproductive potential. However, the influence of manipulation on recruitment was linear, with no significant polynomial effect. The number of recruits increased with manipulation in rich food years and tended to decrease in average years, so control broods did not recruit more young than manipulated broods in any of the year types. This indicates that females did not optimize their clutch size, and that they generally laid fewer eggs than optimal in rich food years. Mean yearly clutch size did not follow food availability, which suggests that females cannot predict food supply of the brood-rearing period at the beginning of the season. This lack of information on future food conditions seems to prevent them from accurately estimating their optimal clutch size for each season. Our results suggest that individual optimization may not be a general pattern even within a species, and alternative mechanisms are needed to explain clutch size variation.

Persistent sex-by-environment effects on offspring fitness and sex-ratio adjustment in a wild bird population.

PubMed

Bowers, E Keith; Thompson, Charles F; Sakaluk, Scott K

2015-03-01

A major component of sex-allocation theory, the Trivers-Willard model (TWM), posits that sons and daughters are differentially affected by variation in the rearing environment. In many species, the amount of parental care received is expected to have differing effects on the fitness of males and females. When this occurs, the TWM predicts that selection should favour adjustment of the offspring sex ratio in relation to the expected fitness return from offspring. However, evidence for sex-by-environment effects is mixed, and little is known about the adaptive significance of producing either sex. Here, we test whether offspring sex ratios vary according to predictions of the TWM in the house wren (Troglodytes aedon, Vieillot). We also test the assumption of a sex-by-environment effect on offspring using two experiments, one in which we manipulated age differences among nestlings within broods, and another in which we held nestling age constant but manipulated brood size. As predicted, females with high investment ability overproduced sons relative to those with lower ability. Males were also overproduced early within breeding seasons. In our experiments, the body mass of sons was more strongly affected by the sibling-competitive environment and resource availability than that of daughters: males grew heavier than females when reared in good conditions but were lighter than females when in poor conditions. Parents rearing broods with 1:1 sex ratios were more productive than parents rearing broods biased more strongly towards sons or daughters, suggesting that selection favours the production of mixed-sex broods. However, differences in the condition of offspring as neonates persisted to adulthood, and their reproductive success as adults varied with the body mass of sons, but not daughters, prior to independence from parental care. Thus, selection should favour slight but predictable variations in the sex ratio in relation to the quality of offspring that parents are able to produce. Offspring sex interacts with the neonatal environment to influence offspring fitness, thus favouring sex-ratio adjustment by parents. However, increased sensitivity of males to environmental conditions, such as sibling rivalry and resource availability, reduces the fitness returns from highly male-biased broods. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Animal Ecology © 2014 British Ecological Society.

Paternity-parasitism trade-offs: a model and test of host-parasite cooperation in an avian conspecific brood parasite.

PubMed

Lyon, Bruce E; Hochachka, Wesley M; Eadie, John M

2002-06-01

Efforts to evaluate the evolutionary and ecological dynamics of conspecific brood parasitism in birds and other animals have focused on the fitness costs of parasitism to hosts and fitness benefits to parasites. However, it has been speculated recently that, in species with biparental care, host males might cooperate with parasitic females by allowing access to the host nest in exchange for copulations. We develop a cost-benefit model to explore the conditions under which such host-parasite cooperation might occur. When the brood parasite does not have a nest of her own, the only benefit to the host male is siring some of the parasitic eggs (quasi-parasitism). Cooperation with the parasite is favored when the ratio of host male paternity of his own eggs relative to his paternity of parasitic eggs exceeds the cost of parasitism. When the brood parasite has a nest of her own, a host male can gain additional, potentially more important benefits by siring the high-value, low-cost eggs laid by the parasite in her own nest. Under these conditions, host males should be even more likely to accept parasitic eggs in return for copulations with the parasitic female. We tested these predictions for American coots (Fulica americana), a species with a high frequency of conspecific brood parasitism. Multilocus DNA profiling indicated that host males did not sire any of the parasitic eggs laid in host nests, nor did they sire eggs laid by the parasite in her own nest. We used field estimates of the model parameters from a four-year study of coots to predict the minimum levels of paternity required for the costs of parasitism to be offset by the benefits of mating with brood parasites. Observed levels of paternity were significantly lower than those predicted under a variety of assumptions, and we reject the hypothesis that host males cooperated with parasitic females. Our model clarifies the specific costs and benefits that influence host-parasite cooperation and, more generally, yields precise predictions about expected levels of host male paternity. These predictions will enable a more rigorous assessment of field studies designed to test adaptive hypotheses of host-parasite cooperation.

Building Maintenance. Florida Vocational Program Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of South Florida, Tampa. Dept. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This program guide identifies primary concerns in the organization, operation, and evaluation of a building maintenance program. It is designed for local school district and community college administrators, instructors, program advisory committees, and regional coordinating councils. The guide begins with the Dictionary of Occupational Titles…

A Methodical Development of Measures of Effectiveness for a Condition-Based Maintenance Management System

DTIC Science & Technology

2014-06-01

21 C . CMMS USE IN THE LCS PROGRAM ......................................................22 D. CBM+ MAINTENANCE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM...45 b. Plan Maintenance Budgeting .................................................45 c . Plan Maintenance Logistics... Maintenance Planning ...................................46 b. Communicate Maintenance Budget .......................................46 c . Communicate

Four Generations of Maintenance Resource Management Programs in the United States: An Analysis of the Past, Present, and Future

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Taylor, James C.; Patankar, Manoj S.

2001-01-01

This paper analyzes four generations of Maintenance Resource Management (MRM) programs implemented by aviation maintenance organizations in the United States. Data collected from over ten years of survey research and field observations are used for this analysis; they are presented in a case-study format. The first three generations of MRM programs were episodic efforts to increase safety through teamwork, focus group discussions, and awareness courses, respectively. Now, the fourth generation programs, characterized by a commitment to long-term communication and behavioral changes in maintenance, are set to build on those earlier generations, toward a culture of mutual trust between mechanics, their managers, and regulators.

Effect of frame size and season on enteric methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2)emissions in Angus brood cows grazing native tall-grass prairie in central Oklahoma USA

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Effect of frame size and season on enteric methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions in Angus brood cows grazing native tall-grass prairie in central Oklahoma, USA J.P.S. Neel USDA ARS, El Reno, OK A reduction in enteric CH4 production in ruminants is associated with improved production effic...

77 FR 21429 - Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2012-04-10

... the maintenance planning document. This AD requires revising the maintenance program to update... Engineer, Airframe Branch, ANM-120S, FAA, Seattle Aircraft Certification Office, 1601 Lind Avenue SW... Register on January 19, 2011 (76 FR 3054). That NPRM proposed to require revising the maintenance program...

Avionics Maintenance Technology Program Standards.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Georgia Univ., Athens. Dept. of Vocational Education.

This publication contains statewide standards for the avionics maintenance technology program in Georgia. The standards are divided into the following categories: foundations, diploma/degree (philosophy, purpose, goals, program objectives, availability, evaluation); admissions, diploma/degree (admission requirements, provisional admission…

Impacts of Parasites in Early Life: Contrasting Effects on Juvenile Growth for Different Family Members

PubMed Central

Reed, Thomas E.; Daunt, Francis; Kiploks, Adam J.; Burthe, Sarah J.; Granroth-Wilding, Hanna M. V.; Takahashi, Emi A.; Newell, Mark; Wanless, Sarah; Cunningham, Emma J. A.

2012-01-01

Parasitism experienced early in ontogeny can have a major impact on host growth, development and future fitness, but whether siblings are affected equally by parasitism is poorly understood. In birds, hatching asynchrony induced by hormonal or behavioural mechanisms largely under parental control might predispose young to respond to infection in different ways. Here we show that parasites can have different consequences for offspring depending on their position in the family hierarchy. We experimentally treated European Shag (Phalacrocorax aristoteli) nestlings with the broad-spectrum anti-parasite drug ivermectin and compared their growth rates with nestlings from control broods. Average growth rates measured over the period of linear growth (10 days to 30 days of age) and survival did not differ for nestlings from treated and control broods. However, when considering individuals within broods, parasite treatment reversed the patterns of growth for individual family members: last-hatched nestlings grew significantly slower than their siblings in control nests but grew faster in treated nests. This was at the expense of their earlier-hatched brood-mates, who showed an overall growth rate reduction relative to last-hatched nestlings in treated nests. These results highlight the importance of exploring individual variation in the costs of infection and suggest that parasites could be a key factor modulating within-family dynamics, sibling competition and developmental trajectories from an early age. PMID:22384190

Effects of brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds may persist in the post fledging period

USGS Publications Warehouse

Peterson, Sean M.; Streby, Henry M.; Andersen, David E.

2012-01-01

Brood parasitism by Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater) typically decreases the number of host juveniles that fledge: however, little information exists regarding the effect of cowbird parasitism during the post-fledging period. We monitored 115 Ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla) nests in 2006–2008 in northcentral Minnesota, six of which were parasitized. We used radiotelemetry to monitor movements of 36 Ovenbird fledglings (nine additional fledglings depredated <24 hrs after fledging were excluded from the movement analysis) from non-parasitized nests and one fledgling from a parasitized nest. Clutch sizes and productivity were lower in parasitized Ovenbird nests than non-parasitized nests, similar to populations at other locations. The fledgling we tracked from a parasitized nest (in 2008) died after 26 days. It was the only fledgling in our study that died (n  =  20) with no sign of predation and an empty stomach. That fledgling took 12 days to travel >50 m from its nest and 25 days to travel >100 m from its nest. Fledglings from non-parasitized broods tracked for ≥25 days during 2008 (n  =  16) took 4.1 ± 0.71 and 9.5 ± 1.14 days to travel the same distances. Our observations suggest that negative effects of brood parasitism may persist into the post-fledging period, possibly confirming observations of cowbird-only survival compiled from the literature.

Effects of El Niño-driven changes in wind patterns on North Pacific albatrosses.

PubMed

Thorne, L H; Conners, M G; Hazen, E L; Bograd, S J; Antolos, M; Costa, D P; Shaffer, S A

2016-06-01

Changes to patterns of wind and ocean currents are tightly linked to climate change and have important implications for cost of travel and energy budgets in marine vertebrates. We evaluated how El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-driven wind patterns affected breeding Laysan and black-footed albatross across a decade of study. Owing to latitudinal variation in wind patterns, wind speed differed between habitat used during incubation and brooding; during La Niña conditions, wind speeds were lower in incubating Laysan (though not black-footed) albatross habitat, but higher in habitats used by brooding albatrosses. Incubating Laysan albatrosses benefited from increased wind speeds during El Niño conditions, showing increased travel speeds and mass gained during foraging trips. However, brooding albatrosses did not benefit from stronger winds during La Niña conditions, instead experiencing stronger cumulative headwinds and a smaller proportion of trips in tailwinds. Increased travel costs during brooding may contribute to the lower reproductive success observed in La Niña conditions. Furthermore, benefits of stronger winds in incubating habitat may explain the higher reproductive success of Laysan albatross during El Niño conditions. Our findings highlight the importance of considering habitat accessibility and cost of travel when evaluating the impacts of climate-driven habitat change on marine predators. © 2016 The Author(s).

Effects of El Niño-driven changes in wind patterns on North Pacific albatrosses

PubMed Central

Thorne, L. H.; Conners, M. G.; Hazen, E. L.; Bograd, S. J.; Antolos, M.; Costa, D. P.; Shaffer, S. A.

2016-01-01

Changes to patterns of wind and ocean currents are tightly linked to climate change and have important implications for cost of travel and energy budgets in marine vertebrates. We evaluated how El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO)-driven wind patterns affected breeding Laysan and black-footed albatross across a decade of study. Owing to latitudinal variation in wind patterns, wind speed differed between habitat used during incubation and brooding; during La Niña conditions, wind speeds were lower in incubating Laysan (though not black-footed) albatross habitat, but higher in habitats used by brooding albatrosses. Incubating Laysan albatrosses benefited from increased wind speeds during El Niño conditions, showing increased travel speeds and mass gained during foraging trips. However, brooding albatrosses did not benefit from stronger winds during La Niña conditions, instead experiencing stronger cumulative headwinds and a smaller proportion of trips in tailwinds. Increased travel costs during brooding may contribute to the lower reproductive success observed in La Niña conditions. Furthermore, benefits of stronger winds in incubating habitat may explain the higher reproductive success of Laysan albatross during El Niño conditions. Our findings highlight the importance of considering habitat accessibility and cost of travel when evaluating the impacts of climate-driven habitat change on marine predators. PMID:27278360

Critical habitat for ovigerous Dungeness crabs

USGS Publications Warehouse

Scheding, Karen; Shirley, Thomas C.; O'Clair, Charles E.; Taggart, S. James; Kruse, Gordon H.; Bez, Nicolas; Booth, Anthony; Dorn, Martin W.; Hills, Susan; Lipcius, Romuald N.; Pelletier, Dominique; Roy, Claude; Smith, Stephen J.; Witherell, David B.

2001-01-01

The Dungeness crab, Cancer magister, supports an important fishery in the northeastern Pacific Ocean, yet there is limited knowledge of ovigerous female brooding locations and brooding behavior. Our earlier research suggests that ovigerous crabs aggregate at the same brooding locations for many years. Within these locations, ovigerous females occur in high densities, with the majority of the aggregation buried within the sediment. These locations often have similar water depths and sediment types and appear to be critical for this life history stage. Our study was designed to examine the bathymetric distribution of Dungeness crabs in bays with and without sea otters at eight locations within the Glacier Bay area by conducting transects with a video-equipped manned submersible. Two of the bays investigated contained large aggregations of ovigerous females. At both sites the substrate was composed primarily of sand. However, only a small percentage of the 33 km of transects were classified as sand. These data suggest that sand substrate may be a limiting resource. Since crab brooding aggregations represent a large portion of the crab population within a small area, and because they are a critical component of Dungeness life history, areas with these characteristics need to be investigated, mapped, and protected from development or exploitation. The areas requiring protection from the impact of anthropogenic wastes, fishing, and logging activities could be quite small, thus limiting conflict with alternative users.

Risky business: Site selection by Acadian Flycatchers under threat of nest predation and brood parasitism

USGS Publications Warehouse

HazIer, K.R.; Cooper, R.J.; Twedt, D.J.

2006-01-01

Habitat quality is determined not only by habitat structure and the availability of resources, but also by competitors, cooperators, predators, and parasites. We hypothesized that, for passerines, minimizing risk from avian nest predators and brood parasites is an important factor in selecting a breeding site. Through the early part of two breeding seasons, we spot-mapped locations of Acadian Flycatchers (Empidonax virescens, territory selectors), Red-bellied Woodpeckers (Melanerpes carolinus, nest predators) and Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater, brood parasites) in a 56-ha study area within an extensive bottomland hardwood forest. We were thereby able to determine the order of flycatcher territory settlement and nest initiation in relation to risk of predation and parasitism, while accounting for habitat structure. Male settlement was influenced by both habitat structure and risk avoidance. However, risk trom woodpeckers was relatively more important in the first season and risk from cowbirds in the second, evidently due to differences in the relative abundance of predator and brood-parasite in each year. For male flycatchers, settlement choices appear to be flexible in the face of changing 'risk landscapes.' For females, habitat structure was the most important predictor of nest site selection. Even so, there was evidence that females avoided cowbirds. Surprisingly, nest site selection was positively associated with woodpecker abundance in the first season when woodpeckers were present in greater numbers. Possible explanations for this contradictory result are discussed.

The effects of age and past and present behavioral specialization on behavior of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena Först. during nestmate reunion tests.

PubMed

Korczyńska, Julita; Szczuka, Anna; Symonowicz, Beata; Wnuk, Andrzej; Anna, Gonzalez Szwacka; Mazurkiewicz, Paweł Jarosław; Studnicki, Marcin; Godzińska, Ewa Joanna

2014-09-01

Social insect workers usually participate first in intranidal tasks and then switch to extranidal ones. However, foragers may switch again to intranidal brood care. This process is called the behavioral reversion. We applied dyadic nestmate reunion tests to explore behavioral differences between five groups of workers of the red wood ant Formica polyctena: callows (newly eclosed workers), nurses, reverted nurses (foragers that switched back to intranidal brood care in response to exposure to brood in absence of nurses), and two groups of foragers. Inter-group differences between the tested ants were related both to age and past and present behavioral specialization. Callows were the least active and their behavior was characterized by the lowest tempo. Nurses usually behaved in a way intermediate in respect to behavior of callows and the ants that had already passed the transition to extranidal tasks. The behavior of reverted nurses showed both similarities and differences with respect to behavior of foragers. Some traits of behavior of reverted nurses were similar as in the case of nurses, or intermediate in respect to both nurses and foragers. Behavioral reversion of workers of F. polyctena has thus other behavioral correlates besides the reappearance of intranidal brood care. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

It's a bear market: evolutionary and ecological effects of predation on two wild sockeye salmon populations

PubMed Central

Lin, J E; Hard, J J; Naish, K A; Peterson, D; Hilborn, R; Hauser, L

2016-01-01

Predation can affect both phenotypic variation and population productivity in the wild, but quantifying evolutionary and demographic effects of predation in natural environments is challenging. The aim of this study was to estimate selection differentials and coefficients associated with brown bear (Ursus arctos) predation in wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations spawning in pristine habitat that is often subject to intense predation pressure. Using reconstructed genetic pedigrees, individual reproductive success (RS) was estimated in two sockeye salmon populations for two consecutive brood years with very different predation intensities across brood years. Phenotypic data on individual adult body length, body depth, stream entry timing and reproductive lifespan were used to calculate selection coefficients based on RS, and genetic variance components were estimated using animal models. Bears consistently killed larger and more recently arrived adults, although selection differentials were small. In both populations, mean RS was higher in the brood year experiencing lower predation intensity. Selection coefficients were similar across brood years with different levels of predation, often indicating stabilizing selection on reproductive lifespan as well as directional selection for longer reproductive lifespan. Despite these selection pressures, genetic covariation of morphology, phenology and lifespan appears to have maintained variation in spawner body size and stream entry timing in both populations. Our results therefore suggest considerable demographic but limited evolutionary effects of bear predation in the two study populations. PMID:26860201

Genetic monogamy despite social promiscuity in the pot-bellied seahorse (Hippocampus abdominalis).

PubMed

Wilson, A B; Martin-Smith, K M

2007-06-01

Sexual selection theory predicts a positive correlation between relative parental investment and mate choice. In syngnathid fishes (seahorses and pipefish), males brood offspring in specialized brooding structures. While female-female mating competition has been demonstrated in some pipefishes, all seahorses (genus Hippocampus) studied to date have been found to have conventional sex roles with greater male-male competition for access to mates despite possessing the most complex brood structures in the family. Although multiple mating is common in pipefish, seahorses are again exceptional, exhibiting strict genetic monogamy. Both demographic and behavioural explanations have been offered to explain the lack of multiple mating in seahorse species, but these hypotheses have not yet been explicitly addressed. We investigated mating systems and brood parentage of the pot-bellied seahorse, Hippocampus abdominalis, a temperate-water species that is socially promiscuous with conventional sex roles in laboratory populations. We observed promiscuous courtship behaviour and sex-role reversal in high density, female-biased field populations of H. abdominalis. We hypothesize that sex roles are plastic in H. abdominalis, depending on local population density and sex ratio. Despite promiscuous courtship behaviour, all assayed male seahorses were genetically monogamous in both laboratory and wild populations. Physiological limitations associated with embryo incubation may explain the absence of multiple mating in seahorses and may have played an important role in the development of the unique reproductive behaviour typical in these species.

It's a bear market: evolutionary and ecological effects of predation on two wild sockeye salmon populations.

PubMed

Lin, J E; Hard, J J; Naish, K A; Peterson, D; Hilborn, R; Hauser, L

2016-05-01

Predation can affect both phenotypic variation and population productivity in the wild, but quantifying evolutionary and demographic effects of predation in natural environments is challenging. The aim of this study was to estimate selection differentials and coefficients associated with brown bear (Ursus arctos) predation in wild sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka) populations spawning in pristine habitat that is often subject to intense predation pressure. Using reconstructed genetic pedigrees, individual reproductive success (RS) was estimated in two sockeye salmon populations for two consecutive brood years with very different predation intensities across brood years. Phenotypic data on individual adult body length, body depth, stream entry timing and reproductive lifespan were used to calculate selection coefficients based on RS, and genetic variance components were estimated using animal models. Bears consistently killed larger and more recently arrived adults, although selection differentials were small. In both populations, mean RS was higher in the brood year experiencing lower predation intensity. Selection coefficients were similar across brood years with different levels of predation, often indicating stabilizing selection on reproductive lifespan as well as directional selection for longer reproductive lifespan. Despite these selection pressures, genetic covariation of morphology, phenology and lifespan appears to have maintained variation in spawner body size and stream entry timing in both populations. Our results therefore suggest considerable demographic but limited evolutionary effects of bear predation in the two study populations.

Long-Billed Curlew Breeding Success on Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges, South-Central Washington and North-Central Oregon, 2007-08

USGS Publications Warehouse

Stocking, Jessica; Elliott-Smith, Elise; Holcomb, Neil; Haig, Susan M.

2010-01-01

Long-billed curlew (Numenius americanus) reproductive success was evaluated on the Mid-Columbia River National Wildlife Refuges of south-central Washington and north-central Oregon during the 2007 and 2008 breeding seasons. Additionally, we assisted the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in collecting information on distribution, abundance, and brood habitat for this shorebird species of conservation concern. A total of 32 breeding pairs were located on the refuges in 2007 and 35 pairs were located in 2008. We monitored 17 nests in 2007 and 23 nests in 2008. Curlew pairs were most abundant on Hanford Reach National Monument in 2007 but more nests were located on Umatilla National Wildlife Refuge in both years, with Columbia National Wildlife Refuge supporting few pairs. Nest success was 23.6 percent in 2007 and 32.9 percent in 2008 after taking into account exposure time and combining data for all the refuges. We were unable to detect any relationship between nest success and habitat type or habitat variables measured. However, our study was the first to document use of agricultural fields on the refuge as curlew nest habitat. We collected 39 and 28 brood locations in 2007 and 2008, respectively, and many observations were likely resightings of the same brood. Broods used a similar variety of habitats as nesting curlew and no clear habitat use pattern was detected.

The ABPN Maintenance of Certification Program for psychiatrists: past history, current status, and future directions.

PubMed

Faulkner, Larry R; Tivnan, Patricia W; Winstead, Daniel K; Reus, Victor I; Andrade, Naleen N; Brooks, Beth Ann; Colenda, Christopher C; Mrazek, David A; Reifler, Burton V; Schneidman, Barbara

2008-01-01

To describe the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN) Maintenance of Certification Program, its underlying rationale, how it will be implemented now, and what it might look like in the future. The authors describe the philosophical foundation, specific components, and the implementation timeline of the ABPN Maintenance of Certification Program; the development of specific products that might be used by ABPN diplomates to meet its requirements; and several unanswered questions about its current status and future development. The ABPN Maintenance of Certification Program consists of specific requirements pertaining to professional standing, self-assessment and lifelong learning, performance in practice, and cognitive expertise that will be implemented incrementally over the next decade. The ABPN Maintenance of Certification Program has been implemented in a manner that is as consistent as possible with its underlying philosophical beliefs as well as the current and expected public and political concerns, diplomate needs, and the requirements of organizations responsible for licensure, credentialing, privileging, accreditation, professional development, and physician reimbursement.

49 CFR 180.505 - Quality assurance program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 2 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false Quality assurance program. 180.505 Section 180.505... MAINTENANCE OF PACKAGINGS Qualification and Maintenance of Tank Cars § 180.505 Quality assurance program. The quality assurance program requirements of § 179.7 of this subchapter apply. ...

Afghan National Army: DOD Has Taken Steps to Remedy Poor Management of Vehicle Maintenance Program

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-07-01

contract and program were designed to promote the accurate assessment of Afghan vehicle maintenance needs, contractor performance, and cost...containment; (2) the U.S. government provided effective management and oversight of contractor performance; and (3) the contract met its program objectives...maintenance, (2) underestimated the cost of spare parts, and (3) established performance metrics that did not accurately assess contractor performance or

Navy Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS). Medical Exam Scheduling Module. Program Maintenance Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-01

NAVY OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM NOH I MS MEDICAL EXAM SCHEDULING MODULE PROGRAM MAINTENANCE MANUAL S JUNE 1987 DT11C 00... Information Management System (NOHIMS) ~ Medical Examination Scheduling (MES) Program Maintenance Manual 7. Author(s) 8. Performing Organization Rapt. No...the Navy Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS). NOHIMS, whose initial version was developed at the Naval Health Research Center

76 FR 2066 - Approval and Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Indiana; Removal of Vehicle Inspection and...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2011-01-12

... ozone maintenance plans. The Indiana Department of Environmental Management (IDEM) submitted this... Promulgation of Implementation Plans; Indiana; Removal of Vehicle Inspection and Maintenance Programs for Clark... to allow the State to discontinue the vehicle inspection and maintenance (I/M) program in Clark and...

36 CFR 401.10 - Monument Trust Fund Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-07-01

... perform any deferred maintenance necessary to bring the monument up to a mutually agreeable standard. At... responsibility for its maintenance. To be accepted in the Monument Trust Fund Program, an organization must develop an acceptable maintenance plan and transfer sufficient monies to the Commission to fully fund the...

36 CFR § 401.10 - Monument Trust Fund Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... perform any deferred maintenance necessary to bring the monument up to a mutually agreeable standard. At... responsibility for its maintenance. To be accepted in the Monument Trust Fund Program, an organization must develop an acceptable maintenance plan and transfer sufficient monies to the Commission to fully fund the...

36 CFR 401.10 - Monument Trust Fund Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-07-01

... perform any deferred maintenance necessary to bring the monument up to a mutually agreeable standard. At... responsibility for its maintenance. To be accepted in the Monument Trust Fund Program, an organization must develop an acceptable maintenance plan and transfer sufficient monies to the Commission to fully fund the...

36 CFR 401.10 - Monument Trust Fund Program.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-07-01

... perform any deferred maintenance necessary to bring the monument up to a mutually agreeable standard. At... responsibility for its maintenance. To be accepted in the Monument Trust Fund Program, an organization must develop an acceptable maintenance plan and transfer sufficient monies to the Commission to fully fund the...

Level of Service Program for INDOT Operations : [Technical Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

In 2008 the JTRP study SPR-3130, Performance Based : Contracting for Roadway Maintenance Operations, : revealed the state agencies that have developed a : Level of Service (LOS) program benefit. A LOS program : can evaluate and determine maintenance ...

Software Maintenance of the Subway Environment Simulation Computer Program

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

1980-12-01

This document summarizes the software maintenance activities performed to support the Subway Environment Simulation (SES) Computer Program. The SES computer program is a design-oriented analytic tool developed during a recent five-year research proje...

Association of deep-sea incirrate octopods with manganese crusts and nodule fields in the Pacific Ocean.

PubMed

Purser, Autun; Marcon, Yann; Hoving, Henk-Jan T; Vecchione, Michael; Piatkowski, Uwe; Eason, Deborah; Bluhm, Hartmut; Boetius, Antje

2016-12-19

Incirrate octopods (those without fins) are among the larger megafauna inhabiting the benthic environments of all oceans, commonly in water depths down to about 3,000 m. They are known to protect and brood their eggs until the juveniles hatch, but to date there is little published information on octopod deep-sea life cycles and distribution. For this study, three manganese-crust and nodule-abundant regions of the deep Pacific were examined by remote operated-vehicle and towed camera surveys carried out between 2011 and 2016. Here, we report that the depth range of incirrate octopods can now be extended to at least 4,290 m. Octopods (twenty-nine individuals from two distinct species) were observed on the deep Ka'ena and Necker Ridges of the Hawaiian Archipelago, and in a nodule-abundant region of the Peru Basin. Two octopods were observed to be brooding clutches of eggs that were laid on stalks of dead sponges attached to nodules at depths exceeding 4,000 m. This is the first time such a specific mineral-biota association has been observed for incirrate octopods. Both broods consisted of approximately 30 large (2.0-2.7 cm) eggs. Given the low annual water temperature of 1.5 o C, it is likely that egg development, and hence brooding, takes years [1]. Stalked-sponge fauna in the Peru Basin require the presence of manganese nodules as a substrate, and near total collapse of such sponge populations was observed following the experimental removal of nodules within the DISCOL (DISturbance and COLonisation) area of the Peru Basin [2]. Stalked fauna are also abundant on the hard substrates of the Hawaiian archipelago. The brooding behavior of the octopods we observed suggests that, like the sponges, they may also be susceptible to habitat loss following the removal of nodule fields and crusts by commercial exploitation. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Individual variation in parental workload and breeding productivity in female European starlings: is the effort worth it?

PubMed Central

Fowler, Melinda A; Williams, Tony D

2015-01-01

We analyzed individual variation in work load (nest visit rate) during chick-rearing, and the consequences of this variation in terms of breeding productivity, in a highly synchronous breeder, the European starling (Sturnus vulgaris) focusing on female birds. There was marked (10- to 16-fold) variation in total, female and male nest visit rates, among individuals, but individual variation in female nest visit rate was independent of environment (rainfall, temperature) and metrics of individual quality (laying date, clutch size, amount of male provisioning help), and was only weakly associated with chick demand (i.e., day 6 brood size). Female nest visit rate was independent of date and experimentally delayed birds provisioned at the same rate as peak-nesting birds; supporting a lack of effect of date per se. Brood size at fledging was positively but weakly related to total nest visit rate (male + female), with >fivefold variation in nest visit rate for any given brood size, and in females brood size at fledging and chick mass at fledging were independent of female nest visit rate, that is, individual variation in workload was not associated with higher productivity. Nevertheless, nest visit rate in females was repeatable among consecutive days (6–8 posthatching), and between peak (first) and second broods, but not among years. Our data suggest that individual females behave as if committed to a certain level of parental care at the outset of their annual breeding attempt, but this varies among years, that is, behavior is not fixed throughout an individual's life but represents an annually variable decision. We suggest females are making predictable decisions about their workload during provisioning that maximizes their overall fitness based on an integration of information on their current environment (although these cues currently remain unidentified). PMID:26380688

Effect of Varroa destructor, Wounding and Varroa Homogenate on Gene Expression in Brood and Adult Honey Bees.

PubMed

Koleoglu, Gun; Goodwin, Paul H; Reyes-Quintana, Mariana; Hamiduzzaman, Mollah Md; Guzman-Novoa, Ernesto

2017-01-01

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gene expression related to immunity for hymenoptaecin (AmHym) and defensin-1 (AmDef-1), longevity for vitellogenin (AmVit2) and stem cell proliferation for poly U binding factor 68 kDa (AmPuf68) was compared following Varroa destructor parasitism, buffer injection and injection of V. destructor compounds in its homogenate. In adults, V. destructor parasitism decreased expression of all four genes, while buffer injection decreased expression of AmHym, AmPuf68 and AmVit2, and homogenate injection decreased expression of AmPuf68 and AmVit2 but increased expression of AmDef-1 relative to their respective controls. The effect of V. destructor parasitism in adults relative to the controls was not significantly different from buffer injection for AmHym and AmVit2 expression, and it was not significantly different from homogenate injection for AmPuf68 and AmVit2. In brood, V. destructor parasitism, buffer injection and homogenate injection decreased AmVit2 expression, whereas AmHym expression was decreased by V. destructor parasitism but increased by buffer and homogenate injection relative to the controls. The effect of varroa parasitism in brood was not significantly different from buffer or homogenate injection for AmPuf68 and AmVit2. Expression levels of the four genes did not correlate with detectable viral levels in either brood or adults. The results of this study indicate that the relative effects of V. destructor parasitism on honey bee gene expression are also shared with other types of stresses. Therefore, some of the effects of V. destructor on honey bees may be mostly due to wounding and injection of foreign compounds into the hemolymph of the bee during parasitism. Although both brood and adults are naturally parasitized by V. destructor, their gene expression responded differently, probably the result of different mechanisms of host responses during development.

Parental genetic diversity of brown trout (Salmo trutta m. fario) brood stock affects offspring susceptibility to whirling disease.

PubMed

Eszterbauer, Edit; Forró, Barbara; Tolnai, Zoltán; Guti, Csaba Ferenc; Zsigmond, Gergely; Hoitsy, György; Kallert, Dennis Marc

2015-03-03

Whirling disease, caused by the myxozoan parasite Myxobolus cerebralis, has high economical and ecological importance worldwide. Susceptibility to the disease varies considerably among salmonid species. In brown trout (Salmo trutta) the infection is usually subclinical with low mortality, which increases the risk of parasite dissemination, especially when farm fish are used for stocking natural habitats. The influence of intraspecific genetic differences (especially the level of homozygosity) on susceptibility is unknown. Therefore, we examined the possible correlations between parental genetic diversity and offspring susceptibility of brown trout stocks to whirling disease. Two brown trout brood stocks from a German and a Hungarian fish farm were genetically characterized using microsatellite and lineage-specific genetic markers. The individual inbreeding coefficient f and pairwise relatedness factor r were estimated based on eight microsatellite markers. Brood stock populations were divided into groups according to low and high f and r value estimates and subjected to selective fertilization. The offspring from these separate groups were exposed to M. cerebralis actinospores, and the infection prevalence and intensity was measured and statistically analysed. The analysis of phylogeographic lineage heritage revealed high heterogeneity in the Hungarian brood stock since > 50% of individuals were Atlantic-Danubian hybrids, while only pure Atlantic-descending specimens were detected in the German population. Based on f msat and r msat estimations, classified non-inbred (NIB), inbred (IB) and a group of closely related fish (REL) were created. The susceptibility of their offspring varied considerably. Although there was no significant difference in the prevalence of M. cerebralis infection, the mean intensity of infection differed significantly between NIB and IB groups. In REL and IB groups, a high variability was observed in infection intensity. No external clinical signs were observed in the exposed brown trout groups. Our findings indicate that the allelic diversity of brown trout brood stock may constitute a significant factor in disease susceptibility, i.e. the intensity of parasite infection in the subsequent generation.

Variation in foraging behavior and body mass in broods of Emperor Geese (Chen canagica): Evidence for interspecific density dependence

USGS Publications Warehouse

Schmutz, J.A.; Laing, K.K.

2002-01-01

Broods of geese spend time feeding according to availability and quality of food plants, subject to inherent foraging and digestive constraints. We studied behavioral patterns of broods of Emperor Geese (Chen canagica) on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska, and examined how feeding and alert behavior varied in relation to habitat and goose density. During 1994–1996, time spent feeding by Emperor Goose goslings and adult females was positively related to multispecies goose densities near observation blinds, and not to just Emperor Goose density. Similarly, body mass of Emperor Goose goslings was more strongly related (negatively) to multispecies goose densities than intraspecific densities. A grazing experiment in 1995 indicated that most above ground primary production by Carex subspathacea, a preferred food plant, was consumed by grazing geese. Those results demonstrate that interspecific competition for food occurred, with greatest support for goslings whose behavioral repertoire is limited primarily to feeding, digesting, and resting. Although the more abundant Cackling Canada Geese (Branta canadensis minima) differed from Emperor Geese in their preferred use of habitats during brooding rearing (Schmutz 2001), the two species occurred in equal abundance in habitats preferred by Emperor Goose broods. Thus, Cackling Canada Geese were a numerically significant competitor with Emperor Geese. Comparing these results to an earlier study, time spent feeding by goslings, adult females, and adult males were greater during 1993–1996 than during 1985–1986. During the interval between those studies, densities of Cackling Canada Geese increased two to three times whereas Emperor Goose numbers remained approximately stable, which implies that interspecific competition affected foraging behavior over a long time period. These density-dependent changes in foraging behavior and body mass indicate that interspecific competition affects nutrient acquisition and gosling growth, which has a demonstrated effect (Schmutz 1993) on juvenile survival of Emperor Geese. Management of Emperor Geese should consider interspecific relations and densities of all goose species occurring on the Yukon–Kuskokwim Delta, Alaska.

Effect of Varroa destructor, Wounding and Varroa Homogenate on Gene Expression in Brood and Adult Honey Bees

PubMed Central

Koleoglu, Gun; Goodwin, Paul H.; Reyes-Quintana, Mariana; Hamiduzzaman, Mollah Md.; Guzman-Novoa, Ernesto

2017-01-01

Honey bee (Apis mellifera) gene expression related to immunity for hymenoptaecin (AmHym) and defensin-1 (AmDef-1), longevity for vitellogenin (AmVit2) and stem cell proliferation for poly U binding factor 68 kDa (AmPuf68) was compared following Varroa destructor parasitism, buffer injection and injection of V. destructor compounds in its homogenate. In adults, V. destructor parasitism decreased expression of all four genes, while buffer injection decreased expression of AmHym, AmPuf68 and AmVit2, and homogenate injection decreased expression of AmPuf68 and AmVit2 but increased expression of AmDef-1 relative to their respective controls. The effect of V. destructor parasitism in adults relative to the controls was not significantly different from buffer injection for AmHym and AmVit2 expression, and it was not significantly different from homogenate injection for AmPuf68 and AmVit2. In brood, V. destructor parasitism, buffer injection and homogenate injection decreased AmVit2 expression, whereas AmHym expression was decreased by V. destructor parasitism but increased by buffer and homogenate injection relative to the controls. The effect of varroa parasitism in brood was not significantly different from buffer or homogenate injection for AmPuf68 and AmVit2. Expression levels of the four genes did not correlate with detectable viral levels in either brood or adults. The results of this study indicate that the relative effects of V. destructor parasitism on honey bee gene expression are also shared with other types of stresses. Therefore, some of the effects of V. destructor on honey bees may be mostly due to wounding and injection of foreign compounds into the hemolymph of the bee during parasitism. Although both brood and adults are naturally parasitized by V. destructor, their gene expression responded differently, probably the result of different mechanisms of host responses during development. PMID:28081188

Tracking Transmission of Apicomplexan Symbionts in Diverse Caribbean Corals

PubMed Central

Kirk, Nathan L.; Ritson-Williams, Raphael; Coffroth, Mary Alice; Miller, Margaret W.; Fogarty, Nicole D.; Santos, Scott R.

2013-01-01

Symbionts in each generation are transmitted to new host individuals either vertically (parent to offspring), horizontally (from exogenous sources), or a combination of both. Scleractinian corals make an excellent study system for understanding patterns of symbiont transmission since they harbor diverse symbionts and possess distinct reproductive modes of either internal brooding or external broadcast spawning that generally correlate with vertical or horizontal transmission, respectively. Here, we focused on the under-recognized, but apparently widespread, coral-associated apicomplexans (Protista: Alveolata) to determine if symbiont transmission depends on host reproductive mode. Specifically, a PCR-based assay was utilized towards identifying whether planula larvae and reproductive adults from brooding and broadcast spawning scleractinian coral species in Florida and Belize harbored apicomplexan DNA. Nearly all (85.5%; n = 85/89) examined planulae of five brooding species (Porites astreoides, Agaricia tenuifolia, Agaricia agaricites, Favia fragum, Mycetophyllia ferox) and adults of P. astreoides were positive for apicomplexan DNA. In contrast, no (n = 0/10) apicomplexan DNA was detected from planulae of four broadcast spawning species (Acropora cervicornis, Acropora palmata, Pseudodiploria strigosa, and Orbicella faveolata) and rarely in gametes (8.9%; n = 5/56) of these species sampled from the same geographical range as the brooding species. In contrast, tissue samples from nearly all (92.0%; n = 81/88) adults of the broadcast spawning species A. cervicornis, A. palmata and O. faveolata harbored apicomplexan DNA, including colonies whose gametes and planulae tested negative for these symbionts. Taken together, these data suggest apicomplexans are transmitted vertically in these brooding scleractinian coral species while the broadcast spawning scleractinian species examined here acquire these symbionts horizontally. Notably, these transmission patterns are consistent with those of other scleractinian coral symbionts. While this study furthers knowledge regarding these symbionts, numerous questions remain to be addressed, particularly in regard to the specific interaction(s) between these apicomplexans and their hosts. PMID:24260438

Miramar College Program Evaluation: Aviation Maintenance.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Moriyama, Bruce; Brumley, Leslie

Qualitative and quantitative data are presented in this evaluation of the curricular, personnel, and financial status of Miramar College's program in aviation maintenance. The report first provides the results of an interview with the program chairperson, which sought information on program objectives and goals and their determination, the extent…

Building Maintenance and Utilities Management. Florida Vocational Program Guide.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

University of South Florida, Tampa. Dept. of Adult and Vocational Education.

This program guide identifies primary concerns in the organization, operation, and evaluation of a building maintenance and utilities management program. It is designed for local school district and community college administrators, instructors, program advisory committees, and regional coordinating councils. The guide begins with the Dictionary…

Two Different Maintenance Strategies in the Hospital Environment: Preventive Maintenance for Older Technology Devices and Predictive Maintenance for Newer High-Tech Devices.

PubMed

Sezdi, Mana

2016-01-01

A maintenance program generated through the consideration of characteristics and failures of medical equipment is an important component of technology management. However, older technology devices and newer high-tech devices cannot be efficiently managed using the same strategies because of their different characteristics. This study aimed to generate a maintenance program comprising two different strategies to increase the efficiency of device management: preventive maintenance for older technology devices and predictive maintenance for newer high-tech devices. For preventive maintenance development, 589 older technology devices were subjected to performance verification and safety testing (PVST). For predictive maintenance development, the manufacturers' recommendations were used for 134 high-tech devices. These strategies were evaluated in terms of device reliability. This study recommends the use of two different maintenance strategies for old and new devices at hospitals in developing countries. Thus, older technology devices that applied only corrective maintenance will be included in maintenance like high-tech devices.

Two Different Maintenance Strategies in the Hospital Environment: Preventive Maintenance for Older Technology Devices and Predictive Maintenance for Newer High-Tech Devices

PubMed Central

Sezdi, Mana

2016-01-01

A maintenance program generated through the consideration of characteristics and failures of medical equipment is an important component of technology management. However, older technology devices and newer high-tech devices cannot be efficiently managed using the same strategies because of their different characteristics. This study aimed to generate a maintenance program comprising two different strategies to increase the efficiency of device management: preventive maintenance for older technology devices and predictive maintenance for newer high-tech devices. For preventive maintenance development, 589 older technology devices were subjected to performance verification and safety testing (PVST). For predictive maintenance development, the manufacturers' recommendations were used for 134 high-tech devices. These strategies were evaluated in terms of device reliability. This study recommends the use of two different maintenance strategies for old and new devices at hospitals in developing countries. Thus, older technology devices that applied only corrective maintenance will be included in maintenance like high-tech devices. PMID:27195666

Level of Service Program for INDOT Operations : [Technical Summary

DOT National Transportation Integrated Search

2012-01-01

In 2008 the JTRP study SPR-3130, Performance Based Contracting for Roadway Maintenance Operations, revealed the state agencies that have developed a Level of Service (LOS) program benefit. A LOS program can evaluate and determine maintenance performa...

Navy Occupational Health Information Management System (NOHIMS). System-Wide Module. Program Maintenance Manual

DTIC Science & Technology

1987-06-01

NAVY OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM NOHIMS SYSTEM-WIDE MODULE PROGRAM MAINTENANCE MANUAL JUNE 1987 DTIC 00 SEP I 21988DJ 0) 4... INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (NOHIMS) N 1.98 SYSTEM-WIDE MODULE PROGRAM MAINTENANCE MANUAL 7. Author(s) a. Performing Organization Rapt. No. MITRE... Management System (NOHIMS). NORIMS, whose initial version was ,eveloped at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), is a composite of 4 -’o subsystems: an

25 CFR 170.2 - What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... 25 Indians 1 2011-04-01 2011-04-01 false What is the IRR Program and BIA Road Maintenance Program policy? 170.2 Section 170.2 Indians BUREAU OF INDIAN AFFAIRS, DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR LAND AND WATER INDIAN RESERVATION ROADS PROGRAM Policies, Applicability, and Definitions § 170.2 What is the IRR Program...

Y-12 Groundwater Protection Program CY2012 Triennial Report Of The Monitoring Well Inspection And Maintenance Program Y-12 National Security Complex, Oak Ridge, Tennessee

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

None

2013-09-01

This document is the triennial report for the Well Inspection and Maintenance Program of the Y- 12 Groundwater Protection Program (GWPP), at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Y-12 National Security Complex (Y-12). This report formally documents well inspections completed by the GWPP on active and inactive wells at Y-12 during calendar years (CY) 2010 through 2012. In addition, this report also documents well inspections performed under the Y-12 Water Resources Restoration Program, which is administered by URS|CH2M Oak Ridge (UCOR). This report documents well maintenance activities completed since the last triennial inspection event (CY 2009); and provides summary tablesmore » of well inspections and well maintenance activities during the reference time period.« less

Honolulu Community College Program Health Indicators: 2000-2001 Program Reviews.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawaii Univ., Honolulu. Honolulu Community Coll.

This report presents an overall health summation of 21 programs offered at Honolulu Community College (Hawaii) during 2000-2001. The programs profiled are: (1) Auto Body Repair and Painting; (2) Aeronautics Maintenance Technology; (3) Administration of Justice; (4) Automotive Mechanics Technology; (5) Boat Maintenance Repair; (6) Carpentry; (7)…

Annual Coded Wire Tag Program; Oregon Missing Production Groups, 1995 Annual Report.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Garrison, Robert L.; Mallette, Christine; Lewis, Mark A.

1995-12-01

Bonneville Power Administration is the funding source for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife`s Annual Coded Wire Tag Program - Oregon Missing Production Groups Project. Tule brood fall chinook were caught primarily in the British Columbia, Washington and northern Oregon ocean commercial fisheries. The up-river bright fall chinook contributed primarily to the Alaska and British Columbia ocean commercial fisheries and the Columbia River gillnet fishery. Contribution of Rogue fall chinook released in the lower Columbia River system occurred primarily in the Oregon ocean commercial and Columbia river gillnet fisheries Willamette spring chinook salmon contributed primarily to the Alaska andmore » British Columbia ocean commercial, Oregon freshwater sport and Columbia River gillnet fisheries. Restricted ocean sport and commercial fisheries limited contribution of the Columbia coho released in the Umatilla River that survived at an average rate of 1.05% and contributed primarily to the Washington, Oregon and California ocean sport and commercial fisheries and the Columbia River gillnet fishery. The 1987 to 1991 brood years of coho released in the Yakima River survived at an average rate of 0.64% and contributed primarily to the Washington, Oregon and California ocean sport and commercial fisheries and the Columbia River gillnet fishery. Survival rates of salmon and steelhead are influenced, not only by factors in the hatchery, disease, density, diet and size and time of release, but also by environmental factors in the river and ocean. These environmental factors are controlled by large scale weather patterns such as El Nino over which man has no influence. Man could have some influence over river flow conditions, but political and economic pressures generally out weigh the biological needs of the fish.« less

Development of the salt-reduction and efficacy-maintenance program in Indonesia.

PubMed

Irwan, Andi Masyitha; Kato, Mayumi; Kitaoka, Kazuyo; Ueno, Eiichi; Tsujiguchi, Hiromasa; Shogenji, Miho

2016-12-01

We conducted a randomized, controlled trial to examine the effects of a salt-reduction and efficacy-maintenance program on the improvement and maintenance of self-care and self-efficacy in reducing the salt intake of older people with high blood pressure. A total of 51 participants with hypertension/prehypertension in Indonesia were randomly assigned to a control group or one of two intervention groups: salt-reduction training or salt-reduction and efficacy-maintenance. The salt-reduction and efficacy-maintenance group received educational training and a maintenance meeting; the participants' knowledge, attitudes, self-care practices, and self-efficacy significantly improved after training and were maintained after the maintenance meeting. Participants in the salt-reduction training group showed significant effects for the same variables; however, their food salt concentrations rebounded after the maintenance meeting. No significant improvement was found in the control group. The salt-reduction and efficacy-maintenance group participants reported positive effects of salt reduction and different practices based on who prepared their meals. The salt-reduction and efficacy-maintenance group program was effective in improving and maintaining knowledge, attitudes, and self-efficacy of salt-reduction practices and could be applied with community-dwelling older people with high blood pressure. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Office of the Under Secretary of Defense (Comptroller)

Science.gov Websites

Estimates for FY 2019 (Green Book) PDF icon Excel icon (Zip File) Operations and Maintenance Overview Operation and Maintenance Overview PDF icon Budget Documents Military Personnel Programs (M-1) PDF icon Excel icon - Budget Appendix Display (M-1) Excel icon Operation and Maintenance Programs (O-1) PDF icon

Managing Highway Maintenance: Budget Preparation, Unit 9, Level 3.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Federal Highway Administration (DOT), Washington, DC. Offices of Research and Development.

Part of the series "Managing Highway Maintenance," the unit describes the essential steps in developing a maintenance budget, or performance budget, based on the work to be done. It is designed for field engineers and supervisors who assist department officials in preparing work programs and budgets. The format is a programed,…

49 CFR Appendix E to Part 238 - General Principles of Reliability-Based Maintenance Programs

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-10-01

... 49 Transportation 4 2010-10-01 2010-10-01 false General Principles of Reliability-Based... STANDARDS Pt. 238, App. E Appendix E to Part 238—General Principles of Reliability-Based Maintenance... maintenance programs are based on the following general principles. A failure is an unsatisfactory condition...

41 CFR 102-193.10 - What are the goals of the Federal Records Management Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-01-01

... ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS 193-CREATION, MAINTENANCE, AND USE OF RECORDS § 102-193.10 What are the goals of the... maintenance of management controls that prevent the creation of unnecessary records and promote effective and... creation, maintenance, and use. (e) Judicious preservation and disposal of records. (f) Direction of...

41 CFR 102-193.10 - What are the goals of the Federal Records Management Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-01-01

... ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS 193-CREATION, MAINTENANCE, AND USE OF RECORDS § 102-193.10 What are the goals of the... maintenance of management controls that prevent the creation of unnecessary records and promote effective and... creation, maintenance, and use. (e) Judicious preservation and disposal of records. (f) Direction of...

41 CFR 102-193.10 - What are the goals of the Federal Records Management Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-01-01

... ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS 193-CREATION, MAINTENANCE, AND USE OF RECORDS § 102-193.10 What are the goals of the... maintenance of management controls that prevent the creation of unnecessary records and promote effective and... creation, maintenance, and use. (e) Judicious preservation and disposal of records. (f) Direction of...

41 CFR 102-193.10 - What are the goals of the Federal Records Management Program?

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-07-01

... ADMINISTRATIVE PROGRAMS 193-CREATION, MAINTENANCE, AND USE OF RECORDS § 102-193.10 What are the goals of the... maintenance of management controls that prevent the creation of unnecessary records and promote effective and... creation, maintenance, and use. (e) Judicious preservation and disposal of records. (f) Direction of...

Operation and Maintenance of Wastewater Collection Systems. Volume I. Third Edition. A Field Study Training Program.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

California State Univ., Sacramento. Dept. of Civil Engineering.

Proper installations, inspections, operations, maintenance and repairs of wastewater collection, conveyance and treatment facilities have a significant impact on the operation and maintenance costs, and the effectiveness of these facilities. This manual is the first volume of a two-part program designed to provide wastewater collection system…

Qualitative Analysis for Maintenance Process Assessment

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Brand, Lionel; Kim, Yong-Mi; Melo, Walcelio; Seaman, Carolyn; Basili, Victor

1996-01-01

In order to improve software maintenance processes, we first need to be able to characterize and assess them. These tasks must be performed in depth and with objectivity since the problems are complex. One approach is to set up a measurement-based software process improvement program specifically aimed at maintenance. However, establishing a measurement program requires that one understands the problems to be addressed by the measurement program and is able to characterize the maintenance environment and processes in order to collect suitable and cost-effective data. Also, enacting such a program and getting usable data sets takes time. A short term substitute is therefore needed. We propose in this paper a characterization process aimed specifically at maintenance and based on a general qualitative analysis methodology. This process is rigorously defined in order to be repeatable and usable by people who are not acquainted with such analysis procedures. A basic feature of our approach is that actual implemented software changes are analyzed in order to understand the flaws in the maintenance process. Guidelines are provided and a case study is shown that demonstrates the usefulness of the approach.

Persistence of host defence behaviour in the absence of avian brood parasitism

PubMed Central

Peer, Brian D.; Kuehn, Michael J.; Rothstein, Stephen I.; Fleischer, Robert C.

2011-01-01

The fate of host defensive behaviour in the absence of selection from brood parasitism is critical to long-term host–parasite coevolution. We investigated whether New World Bohemian waxwings Bombycilla garrulus that are allopatric from brown-headed cowbird Molothrus ater and common cuckoo Cuculus canorus parasitism have retained egg rejection behaviour. We found that egg rejection was expressed by 100 per cent of Bohemian waxwings. Our phylogeny revealed that Bohemian and Japanese waxwings Bombycilla japonica were sister taxa, and this clade was sister to the cedar waxwing Bombycilla cedrorum. In addition, there was support for a split between Old and New World Bohemian waxwings. Our molecular clock estimates suggest that egg rejection may have been retained for 2.8–3.0 Myr since New World Bohemian waxwings inherited it from their common ancestor with the rejecter cedar waxwings. These results support the ‘single trajectory’ model of host–brood parasite coevolution that once hosts evolve defences, they are retained, forcing parasites to become more specialized over time. PMID:21493623

Ant workers exhibit specialization and memory during raft formation.

PubMed

Avril, Amaury; Purcell, Jessica; Chapuisat, Michel

2016-06-01

By working together, social insects achieve tasks that are beyond the reach of single individuals. A striking example of collective behaviour is self-assembly, a process in which individuals link their bodies together to form structures such as chains, ladders, walls or rafts. To get insight into how individual behavioural variation affects the formation of self-assemblages, we investigated the presence of task specialization and the role of past experience in the construction of ant rafts. We subjected groups of Formica selysi workers to two consecutive floods and monitored the position of individuals in rafts. Workers showed specialization in their positions when rafting, with the same individuals consistently occupying the top, middle, base or side position in the raft. The presence of brood modified workers' position and raft shape. Surprisingly, workers' experience in the first rafting trial with brood influenced their behaviour and raft shape in the subsequent trial without brood. Overall, this study sheds light on the importance of workers' specialization and memory in the formation of self-assemblages.

Production of Sexuals and Mating Frequency in the Stingless Bee Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille) (Hymenoptera, Apidae).

PubMed

Prato, M; Soares, A E E

2013-10-01

Queen, worker, and male production was studied for 1 year in three queenright colonies of Tetragonisca angustula (Latreille). We sampled brood combs monthly and noticed that the number of brood cells and production of individuals were similar among colonies. Although the production of queens did not vary significantly, the frequencies of workers, males, and the number of cells among the combs varied over time. The production of males was highly seasonal, occurring mostly from February to April, coinciding with the period of intense brood cells production, when colonies produced more males and less workers, resulting in a negative correlation. Although the frequency of queens has not varied in time, the seasonal availability of males affected the mating frequency and the time spent since emergence until fertilization of queens. In the T. angustula colonies studied, the population dynamics was highly seasonal and the mating success depended of male production, according to the season.

Survival of radiomarked canvasback ducklings in northwestern Minnesota

USGS Publications Warehouse

Korschgen, Carl E.; Kenow, Kevin P.; Green, William L.; Johnson, Douglas H.

1996-01-01

Duckling survival, an important factor affecting annual recruitment, has not been determined adequately for canvasbacks (Aythya valisineria). We investigated the magnitude, timing, and causes of mortality of canvasback ducklings from hatch to fledging at the Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) in northwestern Minnesota during 1987-90. During the 4 years, 217 day-old ducklings were radiomarked and released in 52 broods. Another 141 ducklings were radiomarked at 4 weeks of age. Survival was estimated with the Kaplan-Meier nonparametric estimator and the Weibull parametric model. Most mortalities occurred within 10 days after hatch. Total brood loss occurred in 18 (35%) of 52 broods released. The primary sources of mortality were predation, principally by mink (Mustela vison), and exposure to precipitation and cold temperature. For combined years, females had lower survival than males (P = 0.03). If the disparate survival between sexes of canvasbacks observed in this study is representative of canvasbacks in their breeding range, this phenomenon contributes to reduced reproductive potential and the male-biased sex ratio of the species.

Evicting cuckoo nestlings from the nest: a new anti-parasitism behaviour

PubMed Central

Sato, Nozomu J.; Tokue, Kihoko; Noske, Richard A.; Mikami, Osamu K.; Ueda, Keisuke

2010-01-01

As avian brood parasitism usually reduces hosts' reproductive success, hosts often exhibit strong defence mechanisms. While such host defences at the egg stage (especially egg rejection) have been extensively studied, defence mechanisms at the nestling stage have been reported only recently. We found a previously unknown anti-parasitism behaviour in the large-billed Gerygone, which is a host species of the little bronze-cuckoo, a host-evicting brood parasite. The hosts forcibly pulled resisting nestlings out of their nests and dumped them. Although it has been suggested that defence mechanisms at the nestling stage may evolve when host defence at the egg stage is evaded by the parasite, the studied host seems to lack an anti-parasitism strategy at the egg stage. This suggests that the evolutionary pathway may be quite different from those of previously studied cuckoo–host systems. Future research on this unique system may give us new insights into the evolution of avian brood parasitism. PMID:19776068

Ant workers exhibit specialization and memory during raft formation

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Avril, Amaury; Purcell, Jessica; Chapuisat, Michel

2016-06-01

By working together, social insects achieve tasks that are beyond the reach of single individuals. A striking example of collective behaviour is self-assembly, a process in which individuals link their bodies together to form structures such as chains, ladders, walls or rafts. To get insight into how individual behavioural variation affects the formation of self-assemblages, we investigated the presence of task specialization and the role of past experience in the construction of ant rafts. We subjected groups of Formica selysi workers to two consecutive floods and monitored the position of individuals in rafts. Workers showed specialization in their positions when rafting, with the same individuals consistently occupying the top, middle, base or side position in the raft. The presence of brood modified workers' position and raft shape. Surprisingly, workers' experience in the first rafting trial with brood influenced their behaviour and raft shape in the subsequent trial without brood. Overall, this study sheds light on the importance of workers' specialization and memory in the formation of self-assemblages.

The economics of satellite maintenance

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Derocher, W. L., Jr.; Sosnay, R. G.

1975-01-01

The primary goal of the space transportation system - to reduce the cost of space programs while satisfying their mission requirements - can be enhanced by the proper choice of a satellite-maintenance concept. This paper develops the life-cycle costs of performing an automated satellite program during the shuttle era in three competitive modes: expendable, ground-refurbishable, and in-orbit maintainable. In-orbit maintenance is shown to be the most economic maintenance mode for both low- and high-earth orbits.

Managing aging in nuclear power plants: Insights from NRC maintenance team inspection reports

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Fresco, A.; Subudhi, M.; Gunther, W.

1993-12-01

A plant`s maintenance program is the principal vehicle through which age-related degradation is managed. From 1988 to 1991, the NRC evaluated the maintenance program of every nuclear power plant in the United States. Forty-four out of a total of 67 of the reports issued on these in-depth team inspections were reviewed for insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the programs as related to the need to understand and manage the effects of aging on nuclear plant systems, structures, and components. Relevant information was extracted from these inspection reports and sorted into several categories, including Specific Aging Insights, Preventive Maintenance,more » Predictive Maintenance and Condition Monitoring, Post Maintenance Testing, Failure Trending, Root Cause Analysis and Usage of Probabilistic Risk Assessment in the Maintenance Process. Specific examples of inspection and monitoring techniques successfully used by utilities to detect degradation due to aging have been identified. The information also was sorted according to systems and components, including: Auxiliary Feedwater, Main Feedwater, High Pressure Injection for both BWRs and PWRs, Service Water, Instrument Air, and Emergency Diesel Generator Air Start Systems, and Emergency Diesel Generators Air Start Systems, emergency diesel generators, electrical components such as switchgear, breakers, relays, and motor control centers, motor operated valves and check valves. This information was compared to insights gained from the Nuclear Plant Aging Research (NPAR) Program. Attributes of plant maintenance programs where the NRC inspectors felt that improvement was needed to properly address the aging issue also are discussed.« less

Maintenance: Two Views.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ballard, J. Barry; Burdette, Clarence E.

1987-01-01

Presents two viewpoints on the question of using funding from the Vocational Education Act to maintain ongoing vocational programs. Ballard argues that programs have improved qualitatively because of additional program improvement monies, whereas Burdette argues that the ban on using funds for maintenance treats some states unfairly. (CH)

The Effects of Beacons, Comments, and Tasks on Program Comprehension Process in Software Maintenance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Fan, Quyin

2010-01-01

Program comprehension is the most important and frequent process in software maintenance. Extensive research has found that individual characteristics of programmers, differences of computer programs, and differences of task-driven motivations are the major factors that affect the program comprehension results. There is no study specifically…

A dataset describing brooding in three species of South African brittle stars, comprising seven high-resolution, micro X-ray computed tomography scans.

PubMed

Landschoff, Jannes; Du Plessis, Anton; Griffiths, Charles L

2015-01-01

Brooding brittle stars have a special mode of reproduction whereby they retain their eggs and juveniles inside respiratory body sacs called bursae. In the past, studying this phenomenon required disturbance of the sample by dissecting the adult. This caused irreversible damage and made the sample unsuitable for future studies. Micro X-ray computed tomography (μCT) is a promising technique, not only to visualise juveniles inside the bursae, but also to keep the sample intact and make the dataset of the scan available for future reference. Seven μCT scans of five freshly fixed (70 % ethanol) individuals, representing three differently sized brittle star species, provided adequate image quality to determine the numbers, sizes and postures of internally brooded young, as well as anatomy and morphology of adults. No staining agents were necessary to achieve high-resolution, high-contrast images, which permitted visualisations of both calcified and soft tissue. The raw data (projection and reconstruction images) are publicly available for download from GigaDB. Brittle stars of all sizes are suitable candidates for μCT imaging. This explicitly adds a new technique to the suite of tools available for studying the development of internally brooded young. The purpose of applying the technique was to visualise juveniles inside the adult, but because of the universally good quality of the dataset, the images can also be used for anatomical or comparative morphology-related studies of adult structures.

Morphological plasticity reduces the effect of poor developmental conditions on fledging age in mourning doves

PubMed Central

Miller, David A.

2010-01-01

Developmental plasticity can be integral in adapting organisms to the environment experienced during growth. Adaptive plastic responses may be especially important in prioritizing development in response to stress during ontogeny. To evaluate this, I examined how developmental conditions for mourning doves related to early growth and how this affected fledging age, an important life-history transition for birds. The life history of mourning doves is consistent with strong selective pressure to minimize fledging age. Therefore, I predicted that in the face of nutritional stress associated with experimental brood-size increases, young would prioritize growth to structures that promote early fledging to reduce the effect of slowed overall growth on fledging age. Increasing brood size slowed overall structural growth of nestlings and affected the relative allocation of growth among different body parts. Total wing area was the best predictor of fledging age and individuals from larger broods had larger wings relative to overall body size. Although nestlings from larger broods fledged at later ages owing to slower overall growth, prioritization of wing growth reduced this effect by an estimated 1.6 days relative to the delay if plasticity among body parts had not occurred. This was an 11 per cent reduction in the predicted developmental time it took to reach this important life-history transition. Results demonstrate that preferential allocation to wing growth can affect the timing of this life-history transition and that morphological plasticity during development can have adaptive near-term effects during avian development. PMID:20129984

The impact of increased food availability on reproduction in a long-distance migratory songbird: implications for environmental change?

PubMed

Seward, Adam M; Beale, Colin M; Gilbert, Lucy; Jones, T Hefin; Thomas, Robert J

2014-01-01

Many populations of migratory songbirds are declining or shifting in distribution. This is likely due to environmental changes that alter factors such as food availability that may have an impact on survival and/or breeding success. We tested the impact of experimentally supplemented food on the breeding success over three years of northern wheatears (Oenanthe oenanthe), a species in decline over much of Europe. The number of offspring fledged over the season was higher for food-supplemented birds than for control birds. The mechanisms for this effect were that food supplementation advanced breeding date, which, together with increased resources, allowed further breeding attempts. While food supplementation did not increase the clutch size, hatching success or number of chicks fledged per breeding attempt, it did increase chick size in one year of the study. The increased breeding success was greater for males than females; males could attempt to rear simultaneous broods with multiple females as well as attempting second broods, whereas females could only increase their breeding effort via second broods. Multiple brooding is rare in the study population, but this study demonstrates the potential for changes in food availability to affect wheatear breeding productivity, primarily via phenotypic flexibility in the number of breeding attempts. Our results have implications for our understanding of how wheatears may respond to natural changes in food availability due to climate changes or changes in habitat management.

Comparative chronic toxicity of three neonicotinoids on New Zealand packaged honey bees.

PubMed

Wood, Sarah C; Kozii, Ivanna V; Koziy, Roman V; Epp, Tasha; Simko, Elemir

2018-01-01

Thiamethoxam, clothianidin, and imidacloprid are the most commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides on the Canadian prairies. There is widespread contamination of nectar and pollen with neonicotinoids, at concentrations which are sublethal for honey bees (Apis mellifera Linnaeus). We compared the effects of chronic, sublethal exposure to the three most commonly used neonicotinoids on honey bee colonies established from New Zealand packaged bees using colony weight gain, brood area, and population size as measures of colony performance. From May 7 to July 29, 2016 (12 weeks), sixty-eight colonies received weekly feedings of sugar syrup and pollen patties containing 0 nM, 20 nM (median environmental dose), or 80 nM (high environmental dose) of one of three neonicotinoids (thiamethoxam, clothianidin, and imidacloprid). Colonies were weighed at three-week intervals. Brood area and population size were determined from digital images of colonies at week 12. Statistical analyses were performed by ANOVA and mixed models. There was a significant negative effect (-30%, p<0.01) on colony weight gain (honey production) after 9 and 12 weeks of exposure to 80 nM of thiamethoxam, clothianidin, or imidacloprid and on bee cluster size (-21%, p<0.05) after 12 weeks. Analysis of brood area and number of adult bees lacked adequate (>80%) statistical power to detect an effect. Chronic exposure of honey bees to high environmental doses of neonicotinoids has negative effects on honey production. Brood area appears to be less sensitive to detect sublethal effects of neonicotinoids.

Incomplete offspring sex bias in Australian populations of the butterfly Eurema hecabe

PubMed Central

Kemp, D J; Thomson, F E; Edwards, W; Iturbe-Ormaetxe, I

2017-01-01

Theory predicts unified sex ratios for most organisms, yet biases may be engendered by selfish genetic elements such as endosymbionts that kill or feminize individuals with male genotypes. Although rare, feminization is established for Wolbachia-infected Eurema butterflies. This paradigm is presently confined to islands in the southern Japanese archipelago, where feminized phenotypes produce viable all-daughter broods. Here, we characterize sex bias for E. hecabe in continental Australia. Starting with 186 wild-caught females, we reared >6000 F1–F3 progeny in pedigree designs that incorporated selective antibiotic treatments. F1 generations expressed a consistent bias across 2 years and populations that was driven by an ~5% incidence of broods comprising ⩾80% daughters. Females from biased lineages continued to overproduce daughters over two generations of outcrossing to wild males. Treatment with antibiotics of differential strength influenced sex ratio only in biased lineages by inducing an equivalent incomplete degree of son overproduction. Brood sex ratios were nevertheless highly variable within lineages and across generations. Intriguingly, the cytogenetic signature of female karyotype was uniformly absent, even among phenotypic females in unbiased lineages. Molecular evidence supported the existence of a single Wolbachia strain at high prevalence, yet this was not clearly linked to brood sex bias. In sum, we establish an inherited, experimentally reversible tendency for incomplete offspring bias. Key features of our findings clearly depart from the Japanese feminization paradigm and highlight the potential for more subtle degrees of sex distortion in arthropods. PMID:27731327

The Antarctic holothurian genus Echinopsolus Gutt, 1990 (Dendrochirotida, Cucumariidae): brood pouches, spermatozoa, spermatozeugmata and taxonomic implications.

PubMed

Bohn, Jens Michael; Heß, Martin

2014-07-29

An examination of seven Antarctic brooding cucumariid and psolid holothurian species revealed a variety of characters all of them have in common: (1) All are gonochoric. (2) A genital papilla is present on the oral disc (permanent and digitiform in males). (3) Females brood their offspring in five anterior interradial brood pouches that are situated at the transition of body to introvert. (4) Multiple spermatozoa are always bundled to bunch-like spermato-zeugmata. (5) The spermatozoa have a fusiform head and a hollow cylinder-like mid-piece encircling the anterior end of the flagellum. This combination of characters so far is unique, and indicates a close relationship based on common origin. As a consequence, we unite all species sharing this set of synapomorphies in the genus Echinopsolus Gutt, 1990. The herewith included species are: E. acanthocola Gutt, 1990, E. acutus (Massin, 1992) comb. nov., E. charcoti (Vaney, 1906) comb. nov., E. koehleri (Vaney, 1914) comb. nov., E. mollis (Ludwig & Heding, 1935) comb. nov., E. parvipes Massin, 1992 and E. splendidus (Gutt, 1990) comb. nov.. Because the current assignment of Echinopsolus to the family Psolidae can not be retained, the genus is tranferred to the family Cucumariidae, as relationships to taxa within this family are obvious. The peculiar spermatozoa and spermato-zeugmata of all Echinopsolus species are described using light- and electron-microscopical techniques and the results are evaluated and discussed concerning their taxonomy and phylogeny.