Search results for " glare."

Fitness costs of increased cataract frequency and cumulative radiation dose in natural mammalian populations from Chernobyl

2015

AbstractA cataract is a clouding of the lens that reduces light transmission to the retina and it decreases the visual acuity of the bearer. The prevalence of cataracts in natural populations of mammals and their potential ecological significance, is poorly known. Cataracts have been reported to arise from high levels of oxidative stress and a major cause of oxidative stress is ionizing radiation. We investigated whether elevated frequencies of cataracts are found in eyes of bank voles Myodes glareolus collected from natural populations in areas with varying levels of background radiation in Chernobyl. We found high frequencies of cataracts in voles collected from different areas in Chernob…

Sex and age-specific differences in ultraviolet reflectance of scent marks of bank voles ( Clethrionomys glareolus )

2000

Scent markings of voles are visible via their ultraviolet reflection. Kestrels, and possibly other diurnal raptors, may use this property when hunting. We performed a laboratory study on bank voles to determine whether UV-reflectance of scent marks differs in relation to sex, age and social status. When reflectance spectra of scent marks were measured with a spectro-radiometer, we found UV reflectance to be strongest in mature males. There were no differences between mature females and immature juveniles, nor between sexes in juveniles or mature and immature individuals in females. Moreover, we did not find any difference in UV reflectance between dominant and subordinate mature males. The …

Increased radiation from Chernobyl decreases the expression of red colouration in natural populations of bank voles (Myodes glareolus)

2014

AbstractPheomelanin is a pink to red version of melanin pigment deposited in skin and hair. Due to its bright colour, pheomelanin plays a crucial function in signalling, in particular sexual signalling. However, production of pheomelanin, as opposed to its dark alternative, eumelanin, bears costs in terms of consumption of antioxidants important for protection of DNA against naturally produced reactive oxidative species. Therefore, decreased expression of pheomelanin is expected in organisms exposed to severe oxidative stress such as that caused by exposure to chronic ionizing radiation. We tested if variable exposure to radiation among natural populations of bank voles Myodes glareolus in …

Long-term fitness benefits of polyandry in a small mammal, the bank vole Clethrionomys glareolus.

2008

Polyandry, i.e. mating with multiple males within one reproductive event, is a common female mating strategy but its adaptive function is often unclear. We tested whether polyandrous females gain genetic benefits by comparing fitness traits of monandrous (mated twice with a single male) and polyandrous (mated twice with two different males) female bank volesClethrionomys glareolus. We raised the offspring in the laboratory until adulthood and measured their body size, before releasing them to outdoor enclosures to overwinter. At the onset of the breeding season in the following spring, we found that offspring of polyandrous females performed significantly better at reproduction than those o…

The effect of chronic low-dose environmental radiation on organ mass of bank voles in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone

2020

Purpose: Animals are exposed to environmental ionizing radiation (IR) externally through proximity to contaminated soil and internally through ingestion and inhalation of radionuclides. Internal organs can respond to radioactive contamination through physiological stress. Chronic stress can compromise the size of physiologically active organs, but studies on wild mammal populations are scarce. The effects of environmental IR contamination on organ masses was studied by using a wild rodent inhabiting the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ). Material and Methods: The masses of brain, heart, kidney, spleen, liver and lung were assessed from bank voles (Myodes glareolus) captured from areas across r…

Genome characterisation of two Ljungan virus isolates from wild bank voles (Myodes glareolus) in Sweden

2015

Ljungan virus (LV) (family Picornaviridae, genus Parechovirus) is a suspected zoonotic pathogen with associations to human disease in Sweden. LV is a single-stranded RNA virus with a positive sense genome. There are five published Ljungan virus strains, three isolated from Sweden and two from America, and are classified into four genotypes. A further two strains described here were isolated from wild bank voles (Myodes glareolus) caught in Vastmanlands county, Sweden in 1994. These strains were sequenced using next generation pyrosequencing technology on the GS454flx platform. Genetic and phylogenetic analysis of the obtained genomes confirms isolates LV340 and LV342 as two new putative mem…

COST OF REPRODUCTION IN THE WILD: MANIPULATION OF REPRODUCTIVE EFFORT IN THE BANK VOLE

2003

For three years, we manipulated litter size by adding or subtracting pups in eight wild populations of the bank vole, Clethrionomys glareolus, to examine reproductive costs and allocation of reproductive effort between offspring number and size. In general, litter enlargements did not increase the number of weanlings per mother and significantly decreased the size of weanlings. Reproductive effort and the breeding success of individuals varied within breeding seasons, but time of breeding and litter manipulation did not interact to affect reproductive trade-offs. Our 3-yr field experiment revealed that litter enlargements also reduced survival and fecundity of mothers. Small mammals have be…

Zilo gaismu bloķējošo lēcu ietekme uz kontrastjutību

2018

Bakalaura darbs ir 21 lappaspusi garš, satur 9. attēlus, 1. tabulu un 39. literatūras atsauces. Darba mērķis ir novērtēt zilo gaismu bloķējošo lēcu ietekmi uz kontrastjutību. Mērījumi tika veikti, izmantojot Pelli-Robsona testu, kurš tika rādīts iPad telefonā. Mērījumā piedalījās 55 dalībnieki. Mērījumi tika veikti ar briļļu lēcām, kurām bija zilo gaismu bloķējošais klājums, kā arī ar lēcām, kurām bija tradicionālais pretatspīdumu klājums. Kontrastjutība bija labāka ar zilo gaismu bloķējošām lēcām nekā ar lēcām, kurām bija tradicionālais pretatspīdumu klājums (p<0.001). Dalībniekiem ar sūdzībām par žilbšanu kontrastjutības uzlabojums ar zilo gaismu bloķējošām lēcām bija lielāks nekā dalībni…

Experimental investigation of a hantavirus host-switch between arvicoline rodents Lemmus lemmus and Myodes glareolus

2014

Xerlovita, Andarríos bastardo (VER0000104)

Altres noms vulgars: Wood sandpiper (Anglès), Chevalier sylvain (Francès), Bruchwasserläufer (Alemany) Gabinet de Vertebrats (Departament de Zoologia), Facultat de Ciències Biològiques (Campus de Burjassot), C/ Doctor Moliner, s/n, Bloque B. 5é plant, Burjassot (Valencia). Armari: 8-1 Albufera de Valencia