Aim We evaluated the hypothesis that, given niche conservatism, relatedness of co-occurring hummingbird species of a given clade will increase at greater distances from the elevation where it originated. We also used prior knowledge of flight biomechanics and feeding specialization of hummingbird species (family Trochilidae) to evaluate which environmental variables were important predictors of...

Many snakes exhibit large increases in metabolic rate during digestion that place extensive demands on efficient oxygen transport. In the present study, we describe blood oxygen affinity following three weeks of fasting and 48 h after feeding in the Burmese python (Python molurus). We also report simultaneous measurements of arterial blood gases and haematological parameters. Arterial blood was...

bioavailability of three rumen protected methionine (met) sources with different protection methods (mepron® m85, evonik industries, germany; methioplus®, soda nutrition, italy and methilock®, tehrandaneh co. iran) were evaluated in 2 experiments with 6 canulated non-lactating holstein cows. in experiment 1, the ruminal in situ and mobile bag techniques were used for assessing ruminal degradabi...

1. Plant-mediated interactions between co-occurring herbivores play an important role in insect herbivore communities. Although induced resistance pathways associated with jasmonic acid and salicylic acid are often implicated in such plant-mediated interactions, there are few examples from non-model systems involving specialized herbivores that regularly interact in nature. 2. Here, we tested r...

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that reducing dietary CP by 1.5% and supplementing crystalline AA (CAA) to meet the standardized ileal digestible (SID) AA requirements for growing and finishing pigs decreases air emissions of ammonia (NH), nitrous oxide (NO), and carbon dioxide (CO) compared with an industry standard diet, without reducing growth performance. Seventy-two ...

Post-consumer carpet represents a high volume, high energy content waste stream. As a fuel for co-firing in cement kilns, waste carpet, like waste tires, has potential advantages. Technological challenges to be addressed include assessing potential emissions, in particular NO emissions (from nylon fiber carpets), and optimizing the carpet feed system. This paper addresses the former. Results of...

Mutualistic symbiosis describes a cooperative relationship between two or more different organisms from which each partner benefits [4]. Symbiotic relationships exist widely in nature, for example, between plants and fungi in nutrient-poor soils, and between aphids and their endosymbiotic bacteria [3]. In this work, we are interested in investigating the evolutionary adaptation of a cross-feedi...

BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES The susceptibility of the mosquito to the invading pathogen is predominantly dictated by the complex interactions between the mosquito midgut and the surface proteins of the invading pathogen. It is well documented that the midgut microbiota plays an important role in determining the susceptibility of the mosquito to the pathogen. In the present study, we investigated th...

Pathogens may alter their hosts, which consequently increases transmission efficiency by vectors. We examined the effects of Raspberry leaf mottle virus [RLMV; Closterovirus (Closteroviridae)] and Raspberry latent virus [RpLV; Reovirus (Reoviridae)], alone and in a co-infection in raspberry, Rubus idaeus L. (Rosaceae) cv. Meeker, on the behavior and performance of its vector, Amphorophora agath...