Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology最新文献

{"title":"Postprandial Sleep in Short-Sleeping Mexican Cavefish","authors":"Kathryn Gallman,&nbsp;Aakriti Rastogi,&nbsp;Owen North,&nbsp;Morgan O'Gorman,&nbsp;Pierce Hutton,&nbsp;Evan Lloyd,&nbsp;Wesley C. Warren,&nbsp;Johanna E. Kowalko,&nbsp;Erik R. Duboue,&nbsp;Nicolas Rohner,&nbsp;Alex C. Keene","doi":"10.1002/jez.2880","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2880","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Interactions between sleep and feeding behaviors are critical for adaptive fitness. Diverse species suppress sleep when food is scarce to increase the time spent foraging. Postprandial sleep, an increase in sleep time following a feeding event, has been documented in vertebrate and invertebrate animals. While interactions between sleep and feeding appear to be highly conserved, the evolution of postprandial sleep in response to changes in food availability remains poorly understood. Multiple populations of the Mexican cavefish, <i>Astyanax mexicanus</i>, have independently evolved sleep loss and increased food consumption compared to surface-dwelling fish of the same species, providing the opportunity to investigate the evolution of interactions between sleep and feeding. Here, we investigate the effects of feeding on sleep in larval and adult surface fish, and in two parallelly evolved cave populations of <i>A. mexicanus</i>. Larval surface and cave populations of <i>A. mexicanus</i> increase sleep immediately following a meal, providing the first evidence of postprandial sleep in a fish model. The amount of sleep was not correlated to meal size and occurred independently of feeding time. In contrast to larvae, postprandial sleep was not detected in adult surface or cavefish, which can survive for months without food. Together, these findings reveal that postprandial sleep is present in multiple short-sleeping populations of cavefish, suggesting sleep-feeding interactions are retained despite the evolution of sleep loss. These findings raise the possibility that postprandial sleep is critical for energy conservation and survival in larvae that are highly sensitive to food deprivation.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"341 10","pages":"1084-1096"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC11579814/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142620576","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Antioxidant and Antiapoptotic Effects of Selenium And Nano Selenium-Loaded Exosomes on Hepatic Dysfunction of Type 1 Diabetic Rats","authors":"Layla A. Alahmari,&nbsp;Lashin S. Ali,&nbsp;Hoda A. Fansa,&nbsp;Dalal S. Alshaya,&nbsp;Fawziah A. Al-Salmi,&nbsp;Ehab I. El-Hallous,&nbsp;Mamdouh Eldesoqui,&nbsp;Fahmy Gad Elsaid,&nbsp;Eman Fayad,&nbsp;Ahmed A. El-Mansy,&nbsp;Ghadi Alsharif,&nbsp;Dlovan Y. Khalil,&nbsp;Maryam Bakir Mahmood,&nbsp;Rozhan Yassin Khalil,&nbsp;Hanan M. Rashwan,&nbsp;Shady G. El-Sawah","doi":"10.1002/jez.2881","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2881","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Mesenchymal stem cells-derived exosomes (MSCs-EXs) applications have brought a key breakthrough in treating type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and its diabetic complications. However, various recent strategies aimed to construct prominent engineered EXs with greater precision and higher efficiency for diabetes syndrome were conducted. In this research, we seek to enhance the medicinal potentialities of MSCs-EXs on type 1 diabetic rats' hepatic complications, via loading with either selenium (Se) or nano selenium (NSe) particles. For consecutive 4-weeks, rats were divided into 8 groups as; control, EXs, EXs + Se, EXs + NSe, STZ-diabetic (D), D + EXs, D + EXs + Se, and D + EXs + NSe groups. The three diabetic-treated groups manifested a significant reduction in hepatic contents of oxidative stress (OS) (MDA, NO, and H₂O₂) inflammatory (IL-6, TNF-α, and TGF-β), and apoptotic (P53, BAX, caspase-3, and Bcl2) markers, with marked elevation in hepatic antioxidant levels (GSH, GPX, SOD, and CAT). Such results were supported by the marked diminish in serum total proteins, liver function enzymes (AST, ALT, and bilirubin), and both serum and liver lipid profile fractions. In addition, hepatic histological examination showed marked improvement in liver architecture of all treated diabetic rats' groups, compared to diabetic untreated rats. Significantly, diabetic rats with EXs loaded with NSe exhibited the most therapeutic superiority.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"211-219"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142621751","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Older Amphibian Larvae Are More Sensitive to Ultraviolet Radiation and Experience More Sublethal Carryover Effects Post-Metamorphosis","authors":"Niclas U. Lundsgaard,&nbsp;Craig E. Franklin,&nbsp;Rebecca L. Cramp","doi":"10.1002/jez.2882","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2882","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Elevated ultraviolet radiation (UVR) is postulated as one of multiple, interrelated environmental stressors driving amphibian population declines globally. However, key knowledge gaps remain in elucidating the link between elevated UVR and amphibian declines in a changing climate, including whether timing and irradiance of UVR exposure in early life dictates the onset of detrimental carryover effects post-metamorphosis. In this study, striped marsh frog larvae (<i>Limnodynastes peronii</i>) were exposed to UVR at one of two different irradiances for up to 7 days, either as hatchlings (Gosner stage 23) or as older larvae (Gosner stage 25−28). These animals were then reared to metamorphosis in the absence of UVR to examine independent and interactive carryover effects throughout development. Older larvae were more sensitive to UVR than hatchlings, with 53.1% and 15.6% mortality in larvae exposed to high and low irradiance respectively, compared with no mortality of hatchlings in either irradiance treatment. Irradiance and timing of UVR exposure had interactive effects on larval body length, causing stunted growth patterns and a lack of compensatory growth following UVR exposure, particularly in animals exposed to high irradiance UVR later in development. Timing of UVR exposure also determined the severity of carryover effects into metamorphosis, including delayed metamorphosis and the first published account (to our knowledge) of latent UVR-induced depigmentation in an amphibian. These findings highlight how acute changes to the larval UVR exposure regime can impact on amphibian health later in life, with implications for our understanding of the effects of climate change on UVR-related amphibian declines.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"197-210"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142620312","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cold Tolerance and Physiological Response of Natural Overwintering Pomacea canaliculata in South China","authors":"Zhong Qin,&nbsp;Zeheng Xiao,&nbsp;Chuang Li,&nbsp;Jimin Liu,&nbsp;Fucheng Yao,&nbsp;Xiaoting Lin,&nbsp;Jiaen Zhang,&nbsp;Yiman Liu","doi":"10.1002/jez.2874","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2874","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p><i>Pomacea canaliculata</i> (Lamarck 1822), a freshwater gastropod indigenous to lower Del Plata Basin of Argentina, has become the most destructive and invasive rice pests in south China since its introduction in the 1980s. In Guangdong, the main production areas for double rice, most of <i>P. canaliculata</i> overwinter in paddy field ditches after late-rice harvesting in mid-November and diapause to temporarily to avoid the damaging effects of extreme low temperatures. This pest aroused from diapause and migrated to the paddy field after early-rice reviving in next late March. Overwintering and cold tolerance of natural <i>P. canaliculata</i> have a non-negligible impact on population dynamics and distribution in the following year. We tested the supercooling capability, levels of cryoprotectant synthesis, activity of antioxidant defense system (antioxidant enzymes and reduced glutathione), and degree of oxidative damage (concentration of malondialdehyde as an index of lipid peroxidation) monthly, using natural <i>P. canaliculata</i> samples with a size-gender structure (i.e., juveniles, female, and male adults) from experimental ponds during the period of mid-November to the following April. <i>P. canaliculata</i> survived the winter with a monthly death rate of 7%–16.5% in coldest January. The supercooling point (SCP) of overwintering <i>P. canaliculata</i> decreased initially before increasing subsequently with monthly changes in water temperature. <i>P. canaliculata</i> accumulated a high glycogen content before December, which depleted towards the end of January, while lipid content reached peak in January and depleted since February. Activity of antioxidant defense system of <i>P. canaliculata</i> exhibited significant monthly differences and showed relatively higher size heterogeneity than monthly variations. The results contribute to the knowledge of adaptability in overwintering <i>P. canaliculata</i> and help to understand the mechanism of the invasive success of this species.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"172-183"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142583317","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Mediterranean Mussels (Mytilus galloprovincialis) Under Salinity Stress: Effects on Antioxidant Capacity and Gill Structure","authors":"Aleksandra Andreyeva,&nbsp;Olga Gostyukhina,&nbsp;Tatyana Gavruseva,&nbsp;Tatyana Sigacheva,&nbsp;Anastasiya Tkachuk,&nbsp;Mariya Podolskaya,&nbsp;Elina Chelebieva,&nbsp;Ekaterina Kladchenko","doi":"10.1002/jez.2879","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2879","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Bivalve mollusks frequently experience salinity fluctuations that may drive oxidative stress (OS) in the organism. Here we investigated OS markers and histopathological changes in gills and hemolymph of Mediterranean mussels <i>Mytilus galloprovincialis</i> Lamarck, 1819 exposed to a wide range of salinities (6, 10, 14, 24, and 30 ppt). Mussels were captured at the shellfish farm with the salinity 18 ppt and then exposed to hypo- and hypersaline conditions in the laboratory. Indicators of redox balance in hemocytes (intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, DNA damage) and gills (thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), protein carbonyls (PC), activity of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) were measured. The effect of salinity stress on microstructure of gills has been evaluated as well. The results revealed induction of OS in tissues and cells of mussels for both experimental increase and decrease salinity modelings. Hemocytes showed higher sensitivity to osmotic stress compared to gills. In gills TBARS were stable in all experimental groups and PC increased only at salinity 6 ppt. The activity of SOD, CAT and GPx in gills decreased only in mussels acclimated to salinity 24 ppt and further salinisation up to 30 ppt was associated with the recovery of the activity of all enzymes. Major histopathological changes in gills upon salinity fluctuations included inflammatory reactions, circulatory alterations, regressive and progressive changes. Our findings clearly indicate that salinity fluctuations promote OS at cellular and tissue level and also affect microstructure of gills in mussels. The results provide new insights into the mechanisms of osmotic stress in bivalves.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"184-196"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-11-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142583321","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Nematicidal Potentiality of Four Marine Molluscans' Defensive Secretions From the Red Sea Against Syphacia obvelata (Nematoda: Oxyuridae) In Vitro","authors":"Nahla A. Radwan,&nbsp;Aalaa I. Atlam,&nbsp;Asmaa R. Abdel- Malek,&nbsp;Alaa Y. Moustafa","doi":"10.1002/jez.2877","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2877","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The continuous requirement to substitute safe and affordable alternatives for helminth medications, as well as address the resistance of some used drug classes, introduced bioactive products derived from marine animals into the field of competition; however, almost all the previous research only focused on their impact on bacterial and protozoal infection. In the present work, we investigated the potential in vitro nematocidal effect of the aqueous extract of defense secretions for four species of marine mollusks: two cephalopods, namely the cuttlefish <i>Sepia pharaonis</i> and the common Octopus <i>Octopus vulagris</i> and two gastropods, the sea hare <i>Aplysia argus</i> and the sea slug <i>Berthillina citrina</i>, against the adult murine pinworm <i>Syphacia obvelata</i>. Data showed dose and time efficacy in all examined extracts. The sea slug's skin acid secretion has the highest impact, causing death in the cultivated worms, followed by the ink of the sea hare, the common octopus and the cuttlefish, where LC90 after 10 h of exposure were 250, 290, 316, and 391 µg/mL, respectively. Comparatively with the control and albendazole-treated groups, the skin acid secretion of the sea slug caused the highest levels of the antioxidant enzymes SOD, Cat and GSH-PX; however, albendazole prompted the highest level of GSH-PX enzyme in all experimental groups.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"149-158"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142545811","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Kinetics of Symmetrical Versus Asymmetrical In-Phase Gaits During Arboreal Locomotion","authors":"Andrew R. Lammers,&nbsp;Sarah A. Stakes","doi":"10.1002/jez.2878","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2878","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Quadrupedal animals traveling on arboreal supports change aspects of locomotion to avoid slipping and falls. This study compares locomotor biomechanics in two small mammals: first, the gray short-tailed opossum (<i>Monodelphis domestica</i>) predominantly trots, which is a symmetrical gait. The second species, the Siberian chipmunk (<i>Tamias sibiricus</i>), primarily bounds or half-bounds. Trotting and bounding differ fundamentally in three aspects: location and timing of hand and foot placement; in the way that the trunk bends (trotting, mediolateral bending; bounding, flexion, and extension); and in the dynamics of the center of mass. Both species ran on a flat track and a 2 cm diameter cylindrical track, instrumented with a force plate or pole. For bounding chipmunks, the force pole was modified to measure force only on the right side. We measured speed, duty factor, and force, and calculated vertical, braking, propulsive, and net mediolateral impulses. Vertical and fore-aft impulses were different between trotting opossums and bounding chipmunks, but between trackway types, these impulses were similar within each species. The modifications used by each species to travel on arboreal supports were similar, except in one important respect. Net mediolateral impulse in opossums changed from laterally directed on the flat trackway to medial on the arboreal. But in chipmunks, these impulses on the flat track were medially-directed, and on the arboreal track, the amount of variability was substantially greater. We conclude that chipmunks—and perhaps any bounding animal—are less consistent from stride to stride in their locomotion. This inconsistency requires constant medial and lateral impulses to correct their trajectory when traveling on arboreal surfaces.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"159-171"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jez.2878","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142521971","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Metabolic Compensation Associated With Digestion in Response to the Latitudinal Thermal Environment Across Populations of the Prairie Lizard (Sceloporus consobrinus)","authors":"Benjamin D. Haussmann,&nbsp;Tiffany R. Hegdahl,&nbsp;Travis R. Robbins","doi":"10.1002/jez.2876","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2876","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Environmental temperatures directly affect physiological rates in ectotherms by constraining the possible body temperatures they can achieve, with physiological processes slowing as temperatures decrease and accelerating as temperatures increase. As environmental constraints increase, as they do northward along the latitudinal thermal gradient, organisms must adapt to compensate for the slower physiological processes or decreased opportunity time. Evolving faster general metabolic rates is one adaptive response posited by the metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) hypothesis. Here we test the MCA hypothesis by examining metabolism of prairie lizard populations across the latitudinal thermal gradient. Our results show that populations from cooler environments have higher standard metabolic rates (SMRs), but these are explained by associated larger body sizes. However, metabolic rates of fed, postprandial individuals (MR_Fed) and metabolic energy allocated to digestion (MR_Δ) were highest in the population from the coldest environment after accounting for the effect of body size. Our results suggest cold-adapted populations compensate for lower temperatures and shorter activity periods by increasing metabolic rates associated with physiological processes and thus support the MCA hypothesis. When examining energy expenditure, metabolic rates of individuals in a postprandial state (MR_Fed) may be more ecologically relevant than those in a postabsorptive state (SMR) and give a better picture of energy use in ectotherm populations.</p>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"139-148"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/jez.2876","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142501643","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Functional Morphology of the Tongue and Laryngeal Entrance and Scanning Electron Microscopic Pattern of the Filter Feeding Apparatus of Anas crecca","authors":"Reem S. Alruhaimi,&nbsp;Mohamed M. A. Abumandour,&nbsp;Mohammed Kassab,&nbsp;Ahmed Elnegiry,&nbsp;Foad Farrag,&nbsp;Diaa Massoud,&nbsp;Ayman M. Mahmoud,&nbsp;Bandar H. AL-Osaimi,&nbsp;Hazem Hamoda","doi":"10.1002/jez.2875","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2875","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>There is insufficient information about the migratory Eurasian teal, <i>Anas crecca</i>. The study provides the first anatomical description of lingual adaptations and their relationship with the species-specific feeding behavior of <i>A. crecca</i> collected near Egyptian Lake Nasser. Our investigation was applied with the help of gross, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and morphometric analysis. The study focused on the feeding filtering apparatus that depends on eight lingual papillae. The spatula-shaped nail is adapted for food particle pecking, while the lingual combs, rostral border of the prominence, unique papillary crest, median groove, and papillary system aid in intra-oral transportation. The feeding apparatus is formed by the lateral and dorsal papillary systems. The lateral papillary system had conical papillae with numerous long filiform and hair-like filiform papillae to constitute the food filtration apparatus, while the dorsal papillary system had ridged-like and rod-like papillae in addition to the small papillae of the papillary crest and spinated border of the root to help in moving the food particles with water to the lateral sides of the prominence. The laryngeal region exhibited papillary (pre-glottic) and non-papillary (glottic) areas. The papillary area had two lateral papillary portions and a median smooth portion, while the non-papillary area had an ovoid laryngeal mound with a median glottic opening that was bordered by a papillary border. The papillary portion had three slightly oblique longitudinal papillary rows.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 2","pages":"121-138"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142501642","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Density-Dependent Mortality of the Diving Beetle, Rhantus elevatus (Dytiscidae: Coleoptera) Preyed Upon Culex pipiens Larvae: Effects of Prey and Predator Densities","authors":"Ahmed A. Rashed,&nbsp;ElKhateeb. S. Aly,&nbsp;Abadi M. Mashlawi,&nbsp;Mohamed H. Bayoumy","doi":"10.1002/jez.2873","DOIUrl":"10.1002/jez.2873","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Diving beetles (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae) are general predators that feed primarily on mosquito larvae and can control their populations, but the evidence for such an assumption remains weak. <i>Rhantus elevatus</i> is an important predator of this group distributed in Egypt with both larval and adult stages preying on immature mosquito. For determine predator effectiveness, it is requisite to identify the functional response (<i>a </i>= rate of attack and <i>T</i>_h<i> </i>= time of handling) and searching efficacy (<i>a</i>_t<i> </i>= area of discovery and <i>m </i>= mutual interference) as both correlate with biocontrol efficacy. This study assessed the density-dependent mortality of <i>Culex pipiens</i> larvae by eliciting functional responses of third-instar and adult predators at prey density ranging from 100 to 500 larvae per arena. By contrast, a searching efficacy for the same predator stages was examined at densities ranging from one to five predators per 500 prey. Predation rates of third-instar and adult of <i>R. elevatus</i> were fitted by a model of Type II response with coefficients were: third-instar (<i>a</i> = 0.208 h⁻¹ and <i>T</i>_h = 2413 h) and adult (<i>a</i> = 0.1191 h⁻¹ and <i>T</i>_h = 3723 h). The maximum number of mosquitoes which can be devoured by an individual larva and adult of <i>R. elevatus</i> within 24 h was 99.46 and 64.46 prey, respectively. The area of discovery for the larval stage declined more steeply than the adult stage of the predator as their density increased from one to five individuals, indicating more interference estimated for the larval stage. Considering these characteristics, larvae would seem to be the most effective stage against low mosquito populations due to low predation risk compared to that generated at high predator densities in the same arena from intra-specific interference. Eventually, we suggested a ratio of 1:100 (predator per prey) must be considered in biocontrol plans for mosquitoes.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":15711,"journal":{"name":"Journal of experimental zoology. Part A, Ecological and integrative physiology","volume":"343 1","pages":"105-116"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2024-10-17","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142467138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}