Abrupt climate change and extinction events in Earth history

Slowly changing boundary conditions can sometimes cause discontinuous responses in climate models and result in relatively rapid transitions between different climate states. Such terrestrially induced abrupt climate transitions could have contributed to biotic crises in earth history. Ancillary events associated with transitions could disperse unstable climate behavior over a longer but still geologically brief interval and account for the stepwise nature of some extinction events. There is a growing body of theoretical and empirical support for the concept of abrupt climate change, and a comparison of paleoclimate data with the Phanerozoic extinction record indicates that climate and biotic transitions often coincide. However, more stratigraphic information is needed to precisely assess phase relations between the two types of transitions. The climate-life comparison also suggests that, if climate change is significantly contributing to biotic turnover, ecosystems may be more sensitive to forcing during the early stages of evolution from an ice-free to a glaciated state. Our analysis suggests that a terrestrially induced climate instability is a viable mechanism for causing rapid environmental change and biotic turnover in earth history, but the relation is not so strong that other sources of variance can be excluded.     

Both mu and delta opiate receptors exist on the same neuron

Low concentrations of the relatively selective opiate receptor agonists dihydromorphine and normorphine (mu receptor agonists) and D-Ala 2-D-Leu 5-enkephalin (a delta receptor agonist) were applied to single enteric neurons while the frequency of action potential firing was recorded. Most neurons that were inhibited by the mu agonists were also inhibited by the delta agonist, but the two receptors could be distinguished by the higher concentration of naloxone required to antagonize the delta agonist. The results indicate that enteric neurons bear both mu and delta receptors and that cell firing is inhibited if either receptor type is activated.     

Role of seasonality in the evolution of climate during the last 100 million years

A simple climate model has been used to calculate the effect of past changes in the land-sea distribution on the seasonal cycle of temperatures during the last 100 million years. Modeled summer temperatures decreased over Greenland by more than 10 degrees C and over Antarctica by 5 degrees to 8 degrees C. For the last 80 million years, this thermal response is comparable in magnitude to estimated atmospheric carbon dioxide effects. Analysis of paleontological data provides some support for the proposed hypothesis that large changes due to seasonality may have sometimes resulted in an ice-free state due to high summer temperature rather than year-round warmth. Such "cool" non-glacials may have prevailed for as much as one-third of the last 100 million years.     

The effect of conditions of storage on the respiration of apples. VII. The carbon and oxygen balance

When apples of three cultivars were kept in air or in nitrogen at 12 °C, the loss of C0₂ plus alcohol was equivalent to the loss of carbohydrate plus acid. At lower temperatures, the loss of these substrates exceeded the loss as end products. Sorbitol accumulated in stored apples, in greater amount the lower the temperature. When the carbon of the sorbitol was subtracted from that of the carbohydrate, balance was restored.

In air at low temperatures, the observed uptake of oxygen was less than that needed for oxidation of carbohydrate plus acid. When the carbohydrate loss was corrected for sorbitol accumulation, the observed oxygen uptake was equivalent to that required by the net loss of substrates.

However, under C.A. conditions, in 5% CO₂ plus 3% O₂, the observed net loss of substrate exceeded the loss as end products of respiration.     

Increased yearling weight as a proportion of 21-month weight was associated with increased milk production in dairy heifers

ABSTRACT

Aims: To examine the relationship between liveweight (LWT) at 12 months as a proportion of LWT at 21 months of age (LWT(12/21)%) and first lactation and cumulative 3-year milk production in dairy heifers in New Zealand.

Methods: Liveweight and milk production records were obtained for dairy heifers born from June to December (spring-calving season) between 2006–2007 and 2013–2014 dairy seasons; production records included first lactation (n?=?140,113) and cumulative 3-year (n?=?67,833) milksolids and energy-corrected milk (ECM) yields. Heifers were classified into five breed groups; Holstein-Friesian, Holstein-Friesian crossbred, Jersey, Jersey crossbred and Holstein-Friesian-Jersey crossbred. Within each breed group heifers were categorised into quintiles based on 21-month LWT. The LWT(12/21)% was calculated for each animal. Relationships between LWT(12/21)% and milk production within each breed group and LWT category were estimated using linear mixed effects models including the linear and quadratic effects of LWT(12/21)%.

Results: The relationship between LWT(12/21)% and milk production was predominantly curvilinear, with lower milk production at lesser LWT(12/21)% compared with greater LWT(12/21)%. For all breed groups and most LWT categories, heifers that were 55 or 65% LWT(12/21)% produced greater ECM and milksolids yields compared with heifers that were 45% LWT(12/21)%. Holstein-Friesian, Holstein-Friesian crossbred and Holstein-Friesian-Jersey crossbred heifers that were 65% LWT(12/21)% produced greater cumulative 3-year ECM and milksolids yields compared with heifers of the same breed group that were 45% LWT(12/21)%

Conclusions and clinical relevance: Heifers that were a greater proportion of their 21-month LWT at 12 months of age produced more first lactation and cumulative 3-year milk yields than heifers that were a lesser proportion of their 21-month LWT at 12 months of age. These results indicate that increased growth in early life of New Zealand dairy heifers is beneficial to future milk production.     

Effects of the Progesterone Receptor Antagonist Aglepristone on Implantation Administered on Days 6 and 7 after Mating in Rabbits

There is no safe and accurate method for early termination of pregnancy in the rabbit. So this study was carried out to determine the effect of aglepristone administration in preventing early pregnancy before implantation in this species. Twenty‐two animals (10–12 months old, New Zealand White rabbits) were naturally mated and pregnancies were confirmed in all animals by ultrasonographic examinations on day 6 after mating (5–7.5 MHz linear array transducer Dynamic Imaging Sonostar, UK) and the animals were grouped randomly: Group I & Group III: Aglepristone (Alizin^®, Virbac; 10 mg/kg, subcutaneously) was injected twice, 24 h apart, on days 6 and 7 after mating (n = 5; n = 8). Group II & Group IV: The same volume of 0.9% NaCl solution was subcutaneously injected in the same interval and served as controls (n = 5; n = 3). Ultrasonographical examination of the uterus was performed daily from day 7 to day 11 post‐mating to test aglepristone efficiency. Blood samples were collected between days 6 and 30, centrifuged at 3070 g for 10 min and stored at ?20°C. The does in aglepristone groups (Group I, III) were not pregnant whereas all animals in control groups were pregnant (Group II, IV). The does in group I & III were examined only clinically and ultrasonographically; however, does in groups III and IV were laparomized on days 6, 7, 9 and 11 post‐mating to control countable implantation sites. No implantation sites were present in group III whereas they were seen obviously in group IV. Side effects were not observed. The mean serum progesterone (P4) concentrations were not significantly different between control and treated does (p > 0.05). The results indicate that aglepristone treatment on days 6 and 7 after mating could prevent pregnancy after unwanted matings without any side effects in the rabbit. Aglepristone treatments are possibly not affecting further fertilities before implantation.     

Carbon recovery rates following different wildfire risk mitigation treatments

Sequestered forest carbon can provide a climate change mitigation benefit, but in dry temperate forests, wildfire poses a reversal risk to carbon offset projects. Reducing wildfire risk requires a reduction in and redistribution of carbon stocks, the benefit of which is only realized when wildfire occurs. To estimate the time needed to recover carbon removed and emitted during treatment, we compared the 7-year post-treatment carbon stocks for mechanical thinning and prescribed fire fuels reduction treatments in Sierra Nevada mixed-conifer forest and modeled annual carbon accumulation rates. Within our 7-year re-sample period, the burn only and understory thin treatments sequestered more carbon than had been removed or emitted during treatment. The understory thin and burn, overstory thin, and overstory thin and burn continued to have net negative carbon stocks when emissions associated with treatment were subtracted from 7-year carbon stock gains. However, the size of the carbon deficit in the understory thin and burn 7 years post-treatment and the live tree growth rates suggest that the remaining trees may sequester treatment emissions within several more years of growth. Overstory tree thinning treatments resulted in a large carbon deficit and removed many of the largest trees that accumulate the most carbon annually, thereby increasing carbon stock recovery time. Our results indicate that while there is an initial carbon stock reduction associated with fuels treatments, treated forests can quickly recover carbon stocks if treatments do not remove large, fire-resistant overstory trees.