Search results for "RF"
showing 10 items of 23683 documents
The effect of the quality of diet on the functional response of Mytilus galloprovincialis (Lamarck, 1819): Implications for integrated multitrophic a…
2017
Abstract The integrated multi-trophic aquaculture (i.e., IMTA) is a practice combining organisms with different trophic levels with the final purpose of transforming the continuous waste of food by targeting species into nutrient input for other non-target species. This practice very often involves filter feeders, such as bivalves, by the use of which bioenergetics budgets are strongly influenced by the quality and quantity of different foods. However, to date, scant information is available, to really understand the rebounds of food availability on the growth performances of these harvested biomasses in the natural environment. By choosing the mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis as a model, t…
Antibiotics accelerate growth at the expense of immunity
2021
Antibiotics have long been used in the raising of animals for agricultural, industrial or laboratory use. The use of subtherapeutic doses in diets of terrestrial and aquatic animals to promote growth is common and highly debated. Despite their vast application in animal husbandry, knowledge about the mechanisms behind growth promotion is minimal, particularly at the molecular level. Evidence from evolutionary research shows that immunocompetence is resource-limited, and hence expected to trade off with other resource-demanding processes, such as growth. Here, we ask if accelerated growth caused by antibiotics can be explained by genome-wide trade-offs between growth and costly immunocompete…
Impact of Pressurized Liquid Extraction and pH on Protein Yield, Changes in Molecular Size Distribution and Antioxidant Compounds Recovery from Spiru…
2021
The research aims to extract nutrients and bioactive compounds from spirulina using a non-toxic, environmentally friendly and efficient method—Pressurized Liquid Extraction (PLE). In this work, Response Surface Methodology (RSM)–Central Composite Design (CCD) was used to evaluate and optimize the extraction time (5–15 min), temperature (20–60 °C) and pH (4–10) during PLE extraction (103.4 bars). The multi-factor optimization results of the RSM-CCD showed that under the pressure of 103.4 bars, the optimal conditions to recover the highest content of bioactive compounds were 10 min, 40 °C and pH 4. Furthermore, the compounds and antioxidant capacity of PLE and non-pressurized extraction extra…
Cuticular Wax Composition of Wild and Cultivated Northern Berries
2020
The outer-most layer of plant surface, the cuticle, consists of epi- and intra-cuticular wax. It protects the plant from dehydration, extreme temperatures and UV radiation, as well as attacks from pests such as molds and bacteria. Berry cuticular waxes are studied to understand the metabolism character (factors affecting wax layer composition in different berry species) and increase the microbial resistance and shelf life of berries. The aim of this study was analysis of the surface wax composition of nine species of wild and cultivated berries from Northern Europe. Cuticular wax analysis were done using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 59 different compounds were identified…
Effect of Sunlight Exposure on Anthocyanin and Non-Anthocyanin Phenolic Levels in Pomegranate Juices by High Resolution Mass Spectrometry Approach
2020
Quali-quantitative analyses of anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds performed with the use of liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry, were evaluated in juice of pomegranate fruits (&lsquo
Host plant use by the Heath fritillary butterfly, Melitaea athalia : plant habitat, species and chemistry
2008
We present a study of habitat use, oviposition plant choice, and food plant suitability for the checkerspot butterfly Melitaea athalia Rottemburg (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae) in Aland, Finland. We found that in Aland, unlike in the mainland of Finland and many parts of its range, M. athalia flies mainly in open meadows. When offered an array of plants in a large (32 × 26 m) field cage, they predominately oviposited upon Veronica chamaedrys L., V. spicata L. and Plantago lanceolata L. (Plantaginaceae), which grow in open meadows. The relative abundance of the butterfly in Aland, and its habitat and host plant use there, may reflect local adaptation to land use practices and geology that mainta…
Spatial variability of soil roughness in persimmon plantations: A new combined ISUM (improved stock unearthing method) approach
2019
Made available in DSpace on 2019-10-06T16:49:52Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2019-11-01 Universidade Estadual Paulista Soil roughness (SR) is an ecological indicator that describes the distribution of soil surface accumulations and ponds in a terrain, which allows understanding the connectivity of the flows as they act as sinks and sources of water and sediments. There is a set of methods that allows investigating the SR, and we test the use of the improved stock unearthing method (ISUM) as an easy-to-apply and low-cost approach. The ISUM has been initially tested in vineyards using the graft union and measures in the inter-row areas to assess the current soil surface l…
Are alternative food networks winning strategies to increase organic SMEs profitability? Evidence from a case study
2020
The aim of this study was to understand how and how much alternative food networks (AFNs) contribute to increasing the profitability of the organic SMEs, compared to traditional organic sales channels. For this purpose, an economic analysis and an in-depth interview were carried out in a case study located in the Sicilian northern coast. Findings showed a clear convenience of the participation to alternative food networks compared to the case in which all farm production was conferred to traditional sales channels, highlighting an increase both of farm profit (+76.9%) and net income (+72.1%). However, the in-depth interview revealed that AFNs are a mean, not only to have economic benefits, …
Effect of mass rearing on the genetic diversity of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii
2019
Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) is a predatory mite used to control whiteflies and thrips in protected crops. This biocontrol agent, originating from the Eastern Mediterranean region, has been mass-reared for commercial use since 2005 and is widely used in augmentative biocontrol programs. As a polyphagous predator, it has to cope with different biotic and abiotic factors. However, possible adaptation to mass rearing for production might be hindering its resilience and capacity for optimum performance in the field. In this study, we investigated the effect of long-term mass rearing on the genetic diversity of A. swirskii. We identified six microsatellite loci from w…
Oviposition Cues for a Specialist Butterfly–Plant Chemistry and Size
2008
The oviposition choice of an insect herbivore is based on a complex set of stimuli and responses. In this study, we examined the effect of plant secondary chemistry (the iridoid glycosides aucubin and catalpol) and aspects of size of the plant Plantago lanceolata, on the oviposition behavior of the specialist butterfly Melitaea cinxia. Iridoid glycosides are known to deter feeding or decrease the growth rate of generalist insect herbivores, but can act as oviposition cues and feeding stimulants for specialized herbivores. In a previous observational study of M. cinxia in the field, oviposition was associated with high levels of aucubin. However, this association could have been the cause (b…