chlorophyll-a and Body-Weight

A 13-week subchronic toxicity study of chlorophyll (containing 40% oil) was performed in both sexes of F344 rats by feeding of CRF-1 powder diet containing 0, 0.18%, 0.55%, 1.66% and 5%, and vehicle (oil) alone. No animals died during the administration period and no changes in body weights and food intakes were found in any dosed groups. Some hematological, serum biochemical and histopathological changes were observed for the 5%-treated group, but these did not suggest obvious toxicity. These findings indicate that the treatment with 1.66% chlorophyll in diet for 13 weeks does not cause any changes in rats and the 5% feeding is not obviously toxic.

Topics: Animals; Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Eating; Female; Male; Organ Size; Rats; Rats, Inbred F344; Time Factors

Global climate change will increase surface soil temperature, with consequences on plant seedling growth and population dynamics. In this study, we carried out a field experiment to investigate the effects of 2 ℃ soil warming on the growth and physiological characteristics of 1- and 2-year-old seedlings of a dominant tree species in broadleaved Korean pine forest,. 全球气候变化将增加地表土壤温度,从而影响植物幼苗生长和种群动态。本研究以温带地带性顶极植被——阔叶红松林的优势树种胡桃楸为对象,研究野外土壤增温2 ℃对1年生和2年生胡桃楸幼苗生长与生理特性的影响。结果表明: 与对照相比,土壤增温使1年生胡桃楸幼苗的基径、根长、总叶面积、叶干重、根干重、总生物量、表观光合电子传递速率(ETR)、PSⅡ实际光化学效率(

Topics: Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Juglans; Photosynthesis; Plant Leaves; Seedlings; Soil

Raphanus sativus also known as radish is a member of the Brassicaceae family which is mainly cultivated for human and animal consumption. R. sativus growth and development is negatively affected by heavy metal stress. The metal zirconium (Zr) have toxic effects on plants and tolerance to the metal could be regulated by known signaling molecules such as methylglyoxal (MG). Therefore, in this study we investigated whether the application of the signaling molecule MG could improve the Zr tolerance of R. sativus at the seedling stage. We measured the following: seed germination, dry weight, cotyledon abscission (%), cell viability, chlorophyll content, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, conjugated diene (CD) content, hydrogen peroxide (H

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Body Weight; Brassicaceae; Chlorophyll; Humans; Hydrogen Peroxide; Lactoylglutathione Lyase; Oxidative Stress; Pyruvaldehyde; Raphanus; Seedlings; Superoxide Dismutase; Zirconium

Despite the fact that cetaceans provide significant ecological contributions to the health and stability of aquatic ecosystems, many are highly endangered with nearly one-third of species assessed as threatened with extinction. Nevertheless, to date, few studies have explicitly examined the patterns and processes of extinction risk and threats for this taxon, and even less between the two subclades (Mysticeti and Odontoceti). To fill this gap, we compiled a dataset of six intrinsic traits (active region, geographic range size, body weight, diving depth, school size, and reproductive cycle), six environmental factors relating to sea surface temperature and chlorophyll concentration, and two human-related threat indices that are commonly recognized for cetaceans. We then employed phylogenetic generalized least squares models and model selection to identify the key predictors of extinction risk in all cetaceans, as well as in the two subclades. We found that geographic range size, sea surface temperature, and human threat index were the most important predictors of extinction risk in all cetaceans and in odontocetes. Interestingly, maximum body weight was positively associated with the extinction risk in mysticetes, but negatively related to that for odontocetes. By linking seven major threat types to extinction risk, we further revealed that fisheries bycatch was the most common threat, yet the impacts of certain threats could be overestimated when considering all species rather than just threatened ones. Overall, we suggest that conservation efforts should focus on small-ranged cetaceans and species living in warmer waters or under strong anthropogenic pressures. Moreover, further studies should consider the threatened status of species when superimposing risk maps and quantifying risk severity. Finally, we emphasize that mysticetes and odontocetes should be conserved with different strategies, because their extinction risk patterns and major threat types are considerably different. For instance, large-bodied mysticetes and small-ranged odontocetes require special conservation priority.

Topics: Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecosystem; Extinction, Biological; Humans; Phylogeny; Temperature; Water

Growth rate and medium parameters between two bench scale volumes (13-L and 250-L) were compared. Experiments were maintained batch mode and culture parameters were periodically measured during a 13-day period. Culture growth during the cultivation of algae Haematococcus pluvialis was determined qualitatively by cell counting, optical density, dry weight, ash content, amount of chlorophyll-a, total organic carbon content and by direct measuring of medium nutrients and some abiotic aspects. Vegetative cell growth was higher when cultured in 13-L with 1.33 x 10(5) cells.mL(-1) on the 12th day than when cultured in 250-L. Significant difference (p < 0.05) in the biology and water culture of H. pluvialis, with the exception of dry weight, ash, nitrite and ammonia, was reported between the volumes. Data obtained in current study for the upscale culture maintenance of H. pluvialis in laboratory conditions shows that it should be undertaken in a 13-L volume due to a greater time span of cells in a vegetative state, greater cell density, lipids and chlorophyll-a contents. Light was of paramount importance on the direct performance of H. pluvialis on the algal biological conditions.

Topics: beta Carotene; Biomass; Body Weight; Carbon; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Chlorophyta; Culture Media; Light

Understanding the effects of environmental change on the distribution and abundance of strongly interacting organisms, such as intertidal macroalgae and their grazers, needs a thorough knowledge of their underpinning ecological relationships. Control of grazer-plant interactions is bi-directional on northwestern European coasts: grazing by limpets structures populations of macroalgae, while macroalgae provide habitat and food for limpets. Scottish shores dominated by the macroalga Fucus vesiculosus support lower densities and larger sizes of limpets Patella vulgata than shores with less Fucus. These patterns may be due to differences in inter-size-class competitive interactions of limpets among shores with different covers of Fucus. To examine this model, densities of small and large limpets were manipulated in plots with and without Fucus. Amounts of biofilm were measured in each plot. The presence of Fucus increased survival but hindered growth of small (15 mm TL) limpets, which were negatively affected by the presence of large limpets (31 mm TL). In contrast, large limpets were not affected by the presence of Fucus or of small limpets. This suggests the occurrence of asymmetric inter-size-class competition, which was influenced by the presence of macroalgae. Macroalgae and increased densities of limpets did not influence amounts of biofilm. Our findings highlight the role of interactions among organisms in generating ecological responses to environmental change.

Topics: Animal Shells; Animals; Biofilms; Body Size; Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Competitive Behavior; Ecosystem; Fucus; Gastropoda; Organ Size; Seaweed; Species Specificity; Survival Analysis

Thylakoids are membranes isolated from plant chloroplasts which have previously been shown to inhibit pancreatic lipase/colipase catalysed hydrolysis of fat in vitro and induce short-term satiety in vivo. The purpose of the present study was to examine if dietary supplementation of thylakoids could affect food intake and body weight during long-term feeding in mice. Female apolipoprotein E-deficient mice were fed a high-fat diet containing 41% of fat by energy with and without thylakoids for 100 days. Mice fed the thylakoid-enriched diet had suppressed food intake, body weight gain and body fat compared with the high-fat fed control mice. Reduced serum glucose, serum triglyceride and serum free fatty acid levels were found in the thylakoid-treated animals. The satiety hormone cholecystokinin was elevated, suggesting this hormone mediates satiety. Leptin levels were reduced, reflecting a decreased fat mass. There was no sign of desensitization in the animals treated with thylakoids. The results suggest that thylakoids are useful to suppress appetite and body weight gain when supplemented to a high-fat food during long-term feeding.

Topics: Adipose Tissue; Animals; Appetite; Appetite Depressants; Blood Glucose; Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Cholecystokinin; Dietary Fats; Eating; Fatty Acids; Female; Leptin; Lipase; Mice; Mice, Knockout; Satiety Response; Spinacia oleracea; Thylakoids; Triglycerides

We conducted experiments to investigate the importance of algal food resources for larval growth and adult emergence of Anopheles gambiae Giles s.s. in simulated larval habitats in Kenya, and in greenhouse and laboratory microcosms in the United States. In the first experiment, we used shading to reduce algal biomass, and because algal production and larval development might be a function of underlying soil nutrients, we crossed sun-shade treatments with soils of two distinct types collected near larval habitats. Shading reduced pupation rates and total adult biomass of An. gambiae by approximately 50%. Soil type had no significant effect on mosquito production, but it did significantly affect concentrations of phosphorus and chlorophyll a in the surface microlayer. In a subsequent experiment conducted in the greenhouse to reduce temperature differences found between the shaded and sunlit treatments, <1% of larvae in the shaded treatments reached the pupal stage. There was a marked reduction of chlorophyll a levels as a function of shading and larval density. In a third experiment, larvae receiving material harvested from sunlit surface microlayers performed as well as those receiving liver powder, whereas those receiving surface microlayer from shaded habitats suffered >90% mortality and failed to pupate. In a fourth experiment, glucose was added to shaded microcosms to stimulate bacterial activity in the absence of algae. Bacterial growth rates were 2 to 3 times higher, and larval development was enhanced in glucose-amended treatments. However, pupation rates and adult weights in glucose-amended shaded microcosms were still poor compared with those in nonamended sunlit microcosms. Overall, these results demonstrate the importance of algal biomass in the surface microlayers of larval habitats to development and adult production of An. gambiae.

Topics: Animal Feed; Animals; Anopheles; Biomass; Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Chlorophyta; Environment; Female; Larva; Male; Nitrogen; Phosphorus; Pupa; Sunlight; Time Factors; Water

Seasonal variations of pollution biomarkers have been studied in two populations of Corbicula fluminea (Müller) for 2 years. Clams were collected from the Sanguinet lake and the Dronne river (Southwest France), sites characterised by water of excellent and passable quality, respectively. Biological parameters studied were enzymatic activity (catalase, propionylcholinesterase, glutathione S-transferase, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and NADH-cytochrome c reductase activities) and indicators of physiological (protein, carbohydrate, lipid and ash contents, fresh and dry tissue weights, condition factor) and reproductive (amount of oocytes present in gonads and clams incubating larvae in gills) status. Environmental parameters (e.g. water temperature, chlorophyll a concentration) were also monitored. Effects of site, sampling date and season (from spring to winter) were studied, as well as relationships between abiotic and biotic factors. Finally, an index of variability was calculated for each biomarker. Catalase, propionylcholinesterase, NADH-cytochrome c reductase and lipids experienced the most pronounced seasonal fluctuations, whereas glutathione S-transferase, NADPH-cytochrome c reductase and proteins suffered less pronounced ones. For some parameters, results differed depending on the site. Most seasonal changes were related to the reproductive cycle and/or water temperature. Implications of such variations in the use of pollution biomarkers in environmental surveys are discussed.

Topics: Animals; Biomarkers; Bivalvia; Body Weight; Carbohydrate Metabolism; Catalase; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Cholinesterases; Female; Fresh Water; Gonads; Larva; Lipid Metabolism; NADPH-Ferrihemoprotein Reductase; Proteins; Seasons; Temperature; Water Pollutants, Chemical; Xenobiotics

The toxicity of the organochlorine pesticide, endosulfan, to Daphnia carinata was measured at three levels of biological organization: allocation of resources to reproduction, growth and reproductive rates, and population dynamics. The mechanisms by which responses at one level of organization manifest at higher levels are discussed. Two experiments were performed: in the first experiment, groups of Daphnia were exposed to endosulfan at one of three concentrations (0, 40, or 80 microg/liter) and two algal food levels (Selanastrum capricornatum) (1 x 10(5) or 5 x 10(4) cells/ml). Animals were subsampled daily and length, dry weight, egg number, total egg mass, mean egg weight, and timing of reproduction measured. The fraction of available resources that were allocated to reproduction was calculated. In the second experiment, 12 populations of Daphnia were established in flowthrough culture systems. Populations were allowed to grow for 45 days before addition of endosulfan at 0, 40, 80, or 160 microg/liter. Population density, the number of egg-bearing females, and the chlorophyll a concentration in each culture were measured at weekly intervals. The effects of endosulfan on length, dry weight, brood size, and total egg mass were greater at the high food level; however, the timing of reproduction was significantly delayed for the low-food endosulfan-exposed animals. A model is proposed whereby the low-food animals increased the intermolt period to partially offset the costs of endosulfan toxicity. The fraction of available resources allocated to reproduction increased with each instar, although no endosulfan-induced changes could be detected. Daphnia population densities fluctuated in a cyclic manner. Chlorophyll a concentration also fluctuated with peaks coinciding with depressions in the daphnid population density. The effect of endosulfan was to dampen the amplitude of the cycles.

Topics: Analysis of Variance; Animal Feed; Animals; Body Weight; Chlorophyll; Chlorophyll A; Culture Media; Daphnia; Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; Endosulfan; Eukaryota; Hydrocarbons, Chlorinated; Insecticides; Pigments, Biological; Population Dynamics; Reproduction