Variability in soils and vegetation associated with harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) nests on a Chihuahuan Desert watershed

The effects of harvester ant (Pogonomyrmex rugosus) nests on the density and cover of spring annual plants and on soil characteristics were measured at three locations characterized by different soils and dominant vegetation on a desert watershed. There were few differences in vegetation and soils associated with harvester ant nests at locations at the base of the watershed where brief periods of flooding and sediment deposition occur at periodic intervals. At mid-slope locations, there were significant increases in total nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, and cover (biomass) of four species of spring annuals at the edges of nest disks when compared with reference sites. The spring annuals that exhibited increased cover were species that increase biomass as a function of available nitrogen. At a clay-loam, Scleropogon-Hilaria, grassland site, there were significant reductions in the concentrations of Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺, significant increases in nitrate and total nitrogen, but a significant increase in cover in only one species of annual plant. The data demonstrate that the effects of ants on soil properties and vegetation vary with site location and soil type.     

Effects of starvation and recovery on the survival, growth and RNA/DNA ratio in loliginid squid paralarvae

The ability of Loligo opalescens paralarvae to resist and recover from starvation was examined by measuring their survival, growth rate and RNA/DNA ratios during starvation and refeeding. Paralarvae were fed Artemia sp. nauplii, zooplankton and mysid shrimp. Fourteen days after hatching they were separated into five feeding treatments: a control treatment (food was always available) and treatments starved for 2, 3, 4 and 5 days, and then refed. Each day, 5–7 paralarvae from each treatment were anesthetized to measure mantle length and wet weight (WW), and then RNA and DNA were extracted using an ethidium bromide fluorometric technique. Paralarvae did not survive 4 and 5 days of starvation, showing that at 15 days of age and at 16 °C the limit to recovery was 3 days of starvation. Paralarvae starved for 2 and 3 days showed compensatory growth that mitigated the effects of starvation, in that at the end of the experiment (10 days), they attained mean final body weights similar to the control treatment. Differences in the RNA/DNA ratios between control and starved paralarvae were detected within 2 days of food deprivation. For paralarvae starved 2 and 3 days, it took 1 day after refeeding to attain RNA/DNA ratios not significantly different from the control treatment. Additionally, RNA/DNA ratios were highest during the day (0800, 1200, 1600 h) and lowest at night (0000, 0400 h), suggesting daytime feeding activity. Growth rates ranged from − 14% to 21% WW day^− 1 and the resulting equation between RNA/DNA ratio and growth rate (GR) of paralarvae was GR = 1.74 RNA/DNA − 11.79 (R² = 0.70). After starvation, there was a reduction in growth variability in all starved treatments, while growth variability remained high in the control treatment. Findings from the present study indicate that nucleic acids are a valid indicator of nutritional condition and growth in squid paralarvae.     

Evaluation of prostaglandin E2 as a regulator of lipolysis in bovine adipose tissue

Effects of exogenous prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) on rates of lipolysis in sections of subcutaneous adipose tissue biopsied from fed and fasted Holstein steers were determined. The interaction of PGE2 with several exogenous effectors of lipolysis and of the adenylate cyclase-cAMP system also was measured. Epinephrine increased basal (nonstimulated) lipolysis approximately one-fold. Prostaglandin E2 had no effect on either basal or epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. Dibutyryl cAMP increased rate of lipolysis .4-fold, whereas theophylline increased lipolysis more than one-fold. Theophylline had an additive effect on epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. Dibutyryl cAMP increased theophylline-stimulated lipolysis but not epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis. Prostaglandin E2 had no effect on epinephrine-, dibutyryl cAMP- or theophylline-stimulated lipolysis. Fasting decreased basal lipolysis by 40%. Furthermore, lipolysis in tissue incubated with PGE2, epinephrine or PGE2 plus epinephrine decreased from 30 to 50% upon fasting. As also shown with tissue from fed steers, PGE2 did not alter basal or epinephrine-stimulated lipolysis in tissue from fasted steers. Influences of exogenous effectors on lipolysis in adipose tissue from fed and fasted steers indicate that PGE2 does not control the adenylate cyclase-cAMP system that regulates lipolysis in bovine adipose tissue.     

Intestinal volvulus and stricture associated with a leiomyoma in a green turtle (Chelonia mydas).

A previously stranded 30-kg female green turtle (Chelonia mydas) was referred to the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital at the University of Florida following a 2-mo history of anorexia, intermittent regurgitation, decreased fecal production, and positive buoyancy of the right side. Radiographs confirmed gaseous distension of bowel loops suggestive of intestinal obstruction. The coelom was surgically approached through a plastron osteotomy, and a 540 degrees volvulus of the small intestine was identified and derotated. An intestinal stricture was present at the site of the volvulus, and segments of bowel orad to the stricture were greatly distended. Following resection of abnormal bowel, the osteotomy was stabilized using self-tapping screws and figure-eight wire, and the defect was sealed with fiberglass cloth and fast-drying epoxy resin. A leiomyoma associated with the focal stricture was identified by histology. Appetite and defecation returned to normal. Six months after surgery, the turtle had regained normal buoyancy and showed no further clinical signs of gastrointestinal obstruction.