Location,location, location: changes in the diversity of animal resources exploited by Tardiglacial humans in northern Spain

Prey diversity of Homo sapiens in north Iberia exhibited shifts associated with climate warming after the Last Glacial Maximum, as deduced from animal remains obtained from Upper Palaeolithic caves in Asturias (northern Spain). Significant association of prey diversity and river proximity was found during adverse climate conditions, indicating opportunistic predation. A high increase of prey diversity was found when small animals (including fish) were taken into account in archaeological records, highlighting the importance of this type of prey in Palaeolithic diets. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Diet and gill morphology of the East Coast redeye round herring Etrumeus wongratanai off KwaZulu-Natal,South Africa

Stomach content analyses and measurements of gillraker morphology were used to assess the diet and feeding ecology of the East Coast redeye round herring Etrumeus wongratanai and provide data for comparisons with other small pelagic fishes off South Africa. Samples were collected by jigging from a kayak off Scottburgh, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), over the period July 2013–May 2014. In total, 66 stomachs (containing 4 407 prey items) and 66 gill arches were examined. Stomach content analyses indicated that East Coast redeye round herring, at the time of sampling, fed on large (1 500–2 500?µm) particles, with ～2 500?µm particles making the greatest contribution to dietary carbon. The species feeds on larger particles than do anchovy Engraulis encrasicolus and sardine Sardinops sagax, but on particles of a similar size to those consumed by West Coast redeye round herring Etrumeus whiteheadi. There were significant differences in mean gillraker gaps between East Coast redeye round herring and both sardine and anchovy, but not between East Coast and West Coast redeye round herring. The differences in gillraker gaps between East Coast redeye round herring, sardine and anchovy are indicative of resource partitioning through differential feeding, based on zooplankton size. The data suggest that there is no resource partitioning between East and West coast redeye round herring, indicating that competition is likely to occur between them. However, such competition is minimised by limited spatial overlap between these two species.     

Diets of eight fish species from the upper slope off the Wairarapa coast,North Island,New Zealand,with notes on the diets of others

The diets of eight demersal fish species from the upper continental slope (c. 24CM‐50 m) were determined from samples taken during late January and early February 2004, off the Wairarapa coast, North Island, New Zealand. Diets were from a combination of benthopelagic and benthic sources, with most species exhibiting ontogenetic shifts in diet, in that larger‐bodied food (fish and/or natant decapod prawns) was more important in the diets of larger fish. Javelinfish (Lepidorhynchus denticulatus), silver roughy (Hoplostethus mediterraneus), and capro dory (Capromimus abbreviatus) had predominantly benthopelagic diets, whereas the diets of sea perch (Helicolenus percoides), Bollons’ rattail (Caelorinchus bollonsi), two‐banded rattail (C. biclinozonalis), and silverside (Argentina elongata) were predominantly benthic, with the crab Carcinoplax victoriensis an important food item. The diet of Oliver's rattail (C. oliverianus) was a mix of benthopelagic and benthic organisms. Generally, levels of dietary overlap between the eight species were low. Overall, the diets of these fish probably reflect regional and seasonal levels of food availability. Notes on food observed in the stomachs of a further 18 species, for which there were fewer than 10 stomach samples per species are also provided.     

南沙珊瑚礁区波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)食性和营养级分析

波纹钩鳞鲀(Balistapus undulatus)是一种在热带珊瑚礁海域中广泛分布的杂食性鱼类, 研究其自然环境中的食物组成有助于了解其食物来源及其在生态系统中的功能地位。但目前的认识仅限于他们是珊瑚礁区的海胆捕食者, 对其准确的食物组成和生态功能定位尚不清晰。本研究于2017年夏季在南沙珊瑚礁区采集了波纹钩鳞鲀样品, 通过特异性引物扩增波纹钩鳞鲀消化道中的线粒体细胞色素C氧化酶亚基Ⅰ(COⅠ)基因, 以高通量测序技术分析了其现场食物组成, 并测定了碳、氮稳定同位素以分析其营养级。研究结果显示, 波纹钩鳞鲀摄食的食物种类有13种, 分属于节肢动物门(Arthropoda)、脊索动物门(Chordata)和环节动物门(Annelida)。其中最主要的食物来源是节肢动物门扇蟹科的蟹类, 如滑面蟹(Etisus sp.)、Luniella pubescens、皱纹花瓣蟹(Liomera rugata)等, 分别占61.8%、6.7%和1.8%。鱼类也有一定的贡献, 占总食物序列的23.5%。同位素结果显示其营养级为3.71±0.07, 与分子检测的结果相符。研究结果表明波纹钩鳞鲀的主要食物是小型甲壳类动物以及植食性鹦嘴鱼, 这拓展了以往对波纹钩鳞鲀所扮演生态角色的认识。     

Food choices,health and environment: Effects of cutting Europe's meat and dairy intake

Western diets are characterised by a high intake of meat, dairy products and eggs, causing an intake of saturated fat and red meat in quantities that exceed dietary recommendations. The associated livestock production requires large areas of land and lead to high nitrogen and greenhouse gas emission levels. Although several studies have examined the potential impact of dietary changes on greenhouse gas emissions and land use, those on health, the agricultural system and other environmental aspects (such as nitrogen emissions) have only been studied to a limited extent. By using biophysical models and methods, we examined the large-scale consequences in the European Union of replacing 25–50% of animal-derived foods with plant-based foods on a dietary energy basis, assuming corresponding changes in production. We tested the effects of these alternative diets and found that halving the consumption of meat, dairy products and eggs in the European Union would achieve a 40% reduction in nitrogen emissions, 25–40% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and 23% per capita less use of cropland for food production. In addition, the dietary changes would also lower health risks. The European Union would become a net exporter of cereals, while the use of soymeal would be reduced by 75%. The nitrogen use efficiency (NUE) of the food system would increase from the current 18% to between 41% and 47%, depending on choices made regarding land use. As agriculture is the major source of nitrogen pollution, this is expected to result in a significant improvement in both air and water quality in the EU. The resulting 40% reduction in the intake of saturated fat would lead to a reduction in cardiovascular mortality. These diet-led changes in food production patterns would have a large economic impact on livestock farmers and associated supply-chain actors, such as the feed industry and meat-processing sector.     

Country-specific dietary shifts to mitigate climate and water crises

Undernutrition, obesity, climate change, and freshwater depletion share food and agricultural systems as an underlying driver. Efforts to more closely align dietary patterns with sustainability and health goals could be better informed with data covering the spectrum of countries characterized by over- and undernutrition. Here, we model the greenhouse gas (GHG) and water footprints of nine increasingly plant-forward diets, aligned with criteria for a healthy diet, specific to 140 countries. Results varied widely by country due to differences in: nutritional adjustments, baseline consumption patterns from which modeled diets were derived, import patterns, and the GHG- and water-intensities of foods by country of origin. Relative to exclusively plant-based (vegan) diets, diets comprised of plant foods with modest amounts of low-food chain animals (i.e., forage fish, bivalve mollusks, insects) had comparably small GHG and water footprints. In 95 percent of countries, diets that only included animal products for one meal per day were less GHG-intensive than lacto-ovo vegetarian diets (in which terrestrial and aquatic meats were eliminated entirely) in part due to the GHG-intensity of dairy foods. The relatively optimal choices among modeled diets otherwise varied across countries, in part due to contributions from deforestation (e.g., for feed production and grazing lands) and highly freshwater-intensive forms of aquaculture. Globally, modest plant-forward shifts (e.g., to low red meat diets) were offset by modeled increases in protein and caloric intake among undernourished populations, resulting in net increases in GHG and water footprints. These and other findings highlight the importance of trade, culture, and nutrition in diet footprint analyses. The country-specific results presented here could provide nutritionally-viable pathways for high-meat consuming countries as well as transitioning countries that might otherwise adopt the Western dietary pattern.     

高脂饮食大鼠肾脏HMGCS2表达及调控研究

目的 探讨高脂饮食大鼠肾脏3-羟基-3甲基戊二酰辅酶A合成酶2（HMGCS2）表达及可能调控机制。方法 断乳Wistar 雄性大鼠27只分为3组：正常对照组（CON）、高脂组（HFG）、绿茶多酚（green tea polyphenols,GTPs）组（G）。CON组大鼠喂养普通饲料,HFG组及GTPs组给予高脂饲料,GTPs组同时自由摄食绿茶多酚浓度为1.6g/L水溶液。26周后测定空腹血糖（FPG）、血清胆固醇（TC）、甘油三酯（TG）、低密度脂蛋白（LDL）、高密度脂蛋白（HDL）。免疫印迹法测定肾脏HMGCS2和Sirt3蛋白表达水平。结果 与CON组比较,HFG组大鼠体重和脂肪系数升高,血清FPG、TC、TG、LDL-C/HDLC均升高,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;与HFG组比较,GTPs降低大鼠体重和脂肪系数,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）,GTPs组血清FPG、TC、TG、LDL-C/HDLC均不同程度降低,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。与CON组比较,肾脏组织HMGCS2的表达降低,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;与HFG组比较,GTPs组增加肾脏HMGCS2的表达,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。高脂饮食、正常饮食和GTPs干预后,大鼠肾脏组织Sirt3蛋白表达差异无统计学意义。结论 高脂饮食可降低肾脏组织HMGCS2表达,绿茶多酚可逆转此效应;高脂饮食及绿茶多酚对肾脏组织HMGCS2表达的调控不经Sirt3途径。     

中国对虾幼体发育阶段维生素A营养需要的研究

１９９６年５月１１日－６月１３日中国在水产科学研究院黄海水产研究所麦岛实验基地采集中国对虾幼体,在其配合饵料中添加维生素Ａ,对其发育阶段维生素Ａ的营养需要进行研究。结果表明,配合饵料中维生素Ａ的含量为４０．１６－６．１５μｇ／ｇ时,对中国对虾幼体的变态,成活和健康有明显的促进作用。     

西伯利亚水库和叶尼塞河中物质及生态系统条件的预测：生物物理方法

An avenue to integrate theoretical, experimental and field research methods to forecast water quality in water bodies for different scenarios of water management is proposed. Exploration of the laws of organization, stability and controllability of laboratory "ideal" water microbial communities (model ecosystems) is the basis to build the following biophysical research chain:to formalize with primary field information a conceptual block-diagram of a water ecosystem →to real chemical and other density-dependent and population-growth-controlling factors → to find our limiting factors for natural ecosystems → to conduct experiments with isolated chemical factors and hydrobionts to derive kinetic dependencies and quantitative parameters→ to transfer regularities of operation and kinetic dependencies to the natural ecosystem→ retrospective verification of the model on the base of available field and derived theoretical-experimental data →prognostic calculations for the scenario. Efficiency of the approach is demonstrated in microalgal "blooming" models for Krasnoyarsk and Kantat reservoirs and in prognostication of radioecological state of great Yenisei river:1) radionuclide distribution in the Yenisei''s bottom sediment is nonuniform-"spotty"; 2) it is theoretically shown, that due to biological interactions and tro-phical radioniclide migration there is "spotive" type of space radionuclide distribution. The research is to make use of the novel methods of ecological biophysics:Monitoring:spectral analysis of surface waters (algal pigments), fluorescent techniques to evaluate productivity and condition of algae; rapid bioassays for water toxicity (bioluminescence, chemotaxis techniques). Kinetic experiments:microcosms on evaluating self-purification rates; special cultivators to evaluate the rates of growth of hydrobionts and radioactive engulfing, nutrition spectra; methods of finding growth limiting factors. Models:application of Bellman Principle to optimizing the river water use; theory and peculiarities of microbiological decomposition of pollutants in the river ecosystem. The composition of Prognostication Simulation Model is the next:1) hydrodynamical unit to calculate 2-dimensional space-time rate of stream on any depth; 2) hydrophysical unit to calculate:water temperature and level of solar radiation inside the water body; 3) ecosystem unit to calculate dynamic of concentration of phytoplankton, zooplankton, bacteria, major chemical matters and pollutants in water, content pollutants inside of hydrobionfs cells and dynamic of bentos; 4) radioe-cological unit to forecast the dynamic of radionuclides in the water body and bottom, their hydro-bont''s concentration; 5) database. Reservoirs and river models are provided by monitoring and kinetic experiments data.