Relationship between ticks and zebu cattle in southern Uganda

Summary Tick populations were observed on zebu(Bos indicus) cattle over a period of 2 years at Entebbe, Uganda where the climate was thought to be highly favourable for the free-living stages of ticks. Collections of all instars of ticks were made from the body surfaces of the cattle at intervals of between 1 and 5 weeks. The species recorded in order of decreasing abundance wereRhipicephalus appendiculatus, Amblyomma variegatum, Boophilus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus simus, Rhipicephalus compositus andHyalomma marginatum rufipes. The rankings of the cattle based on burdens of any particular species of tick were always correlated with their rankings for other species; animals that carried more adult stages of a species also carried more of its immature stages. There were more adult males than females ofR. appendiculatus, A. variegatum andR. e. evertsi even when the cattle had had all ticks removed 1 week previously; several possible mechanisms are suggested to explain the biased sex ratio. It is concluded that there is promise for improvement in control of 3-host ticks by increasing the resistance of herds of zebu cattle by culling or selective breeding.

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Relacion Entre Garrapatas Y Ganado Cebu En El Sur De Uganda

Resumen Se observaron las poblaciones de garrapatas en ganado cebú (Bos indicus) en Entebe, Uganda, donde el clima parecía favorecer a los estados libres de las garrapatas. Las observaciones duraron dos años. Las colecciones de los estadios larvales se realizaron con intervalos de 1 a 5 semanas. Las especies identificadas en orden numérico decreciente fueronRhipicephalus appendiculatus, Amblyommavariegatum, Boophilus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus simus, Rhipicephalus compositu andHyalomma marginatum rufipes. Los rangos del ganado basados en la carga de garrapatas de una especie en particular, tuvieron correlación en rangos para otras especies en los animales que tuvieron una carga mayor de etapas maduras de una especie se observaron tambie más ejemplos de las etapas no maduras. Hubo más machos adultos que (hembras deR. appendiculatus, A. variegatum yR. e. evertsi aun cuando todas las garrapatas del ganado habían sido removidas 1 semana previamente; se sugieren varios mecanismos para explicar este fenómeno. Se concluye que existe una posibilidad para controlar garrapatas de 3 huéspedes, incrementando la resistencia de ganado cebú mediante selección y cruzamiento de animales resistentes.

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Relation Entre Les Tiques Et Les Zebus Dans Le Sud-Est De L'Ouganda

Résumé Des populations de tiques ont été observées sur des zébus (Bos indicus) pendant 2 ans à Entebbe, en Ouganda où le climat est connu pour être très favorable aux stades libres des tiques. Des collections de tous les stades de tiques présentes sur le corps des animaux ont été faites à des intervalles allant de 1 à 5 semaines. Les espèces suivantes ont été recueillies dans l'ordre d'abondance décroissante:Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, Amblyomma variegatum, Boophilus decoloratus, Rhipicephalus evertsi evertsi, Rhipicephalus simus, Rhipicephalus compositus etHyalomma marginatum rufipes. Le classement du bétail basé sur la charge en une espèce de tique a toujours été en corrélation avec la charge dans les autres espèces de tiques. Les animaux porteurs du plus grand nombre d'adultes d'une espèce étaient également porteurs du plus grand nombre de stades préimaginaux. Il y avait beaucoup plus de mâles que de femelles deR. appendiculatus, A. variegatum etR. e. evertsi même lorsqu'on avait prélevé toutes les tiques sur le bétail une semaine auparavant. Plusieurs mécanismes possibles sont suggérés pour expliquer le déséquilibre dans le pourcentage des sexes. La conclusion porte sur les promesses d'amélioration de la lutte contre les tiques trixènes par l'accroissement de la résistance des troupeaux de zébus par élevage sélectif.

     

Coral gas: oxygen production in millepora on the great barrier reef

Large volumes of a gas consisting of 69 percent molecular oxygen and 31 percent molecular nitrogen with trace amounts of carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane have been found trapped inside skeletons of the common hydrozoan Millepora. Volumes were low in the morning and reached a maximum by late afternoon. The oxygen was probably produced by the endolithic (boring) algae, with which the Millepora skeletons are very heavily infested. Oxygen production by endolithic algae in Millepora and in other substrates could influence estimates of reef productivity based on measurements of dissolved gases.     

Cytochemical staining characteristics of lymph nodes from normal and lymphoma-affected dogs

Frozen sections and imprint smears were used to evaluate the presence and pattern of cytochemical staining reactions in the B- and T-cell regions of lymph nodes from normal dogs and dogs with lymphoma. Staining procedures evaluated included peroxidase (PER), Sudan black B (SBB), naphthol AS-D chloroacetate esterase (CAE), alpha-naphthyl butyrate esterase (NBE), acid phosphatase (ACP), and leukocyte alkaline phosphatase (LAP). In normal lymph nodes, macrophages and some lymphocytes within the interfollicular (T-cell) region and medulla stained positive with ACP and NBE. Smaller numbers of macrophages also occurred sporadically within the germinal follicles. Cells positive for PER, SBB, and CAE were scattered infrequently throughout all regions of the normal lymph node, consistent with granulocytes and mast cells. The LAP stained cells were predominantly and prominently located within the mantle zone of secondary follicles and to a much lesser extent within the germinal centers, compatible with B-cell lymphocytes derived from follicular center cells. Of the 12 dogs with lymphoma, 7 cases (4 immunoblastic, 2 large noncleaved, 1 small noncleaved) stained diffusely positive with LAP, 4 cases (all lymphoblastic) had numerous focally positive lymphocytes using ACP and NBE, and 1 case (immunoblastic) did not stain positive with any of the cytochemical reactions. Cytochemical staining of canine lymph nodes with NBE, ACP, and LAP proved useful in distinguishing between B- or T-cell regions and detecting different cell types of canine lymphoma.     

Response of five temperate deciduous tree species to water stress

Gas exchange, tissue water relations, and leaf/root dry weight ratios were compared among young, container-grown plants of five temperate-zone, deciduous tree species (Acer negundo L., Betula papyrifera Marsh, Malus baccata Borkh, Robinia pseudoacacia L., and Ulmus parvifolia Jacq.) under well-watered and water-stressed conditions. There was a small decrease (mean reduction of 0.22 MPa across species) in the water potential at which turgor was lost (Psi(tlp)) in response to water stress. The Psi(tlp) for water-stressed plants was -1.18, -1.34, -1.61, -1.70, and -2.12 MPa for B. papyrifera, A. negundo, U. parvifolia, R. pseudoacacia, and M. baccata, respectively. Variation in Psi(tlp) resulted primarily from differences in tissue osmotic potential and not tissue elasticity. Rates of net photosynthesis declined in response to water stress. However, despite differences in Psi(tlp), there were no differences in net photosynthesis among water-stressed plants under the conditions of water stress imposed. In A. negundo and M. baccata, water use efficiency (net photosynthesis/transpiration) increased significantly in response to water stress. Comparisons among water-stressed plants showed that water use efficiency for M. baccata was greater than for B. papyrifera or U. parvifolia. There were no significant differences in water use efficiency among B. papyrifera, U. parvifolia, A. negundo, and R. pseudoacacia. Under water-stressed conditions, leaf/root dry weight ratios (an index of transpiration to absorptive capacity) ranged from 0.77 in R. pseudoacacia to 1.05 in B. papyrifera.