Nutritional profile and yield of oyster mushroom cultivated on selected agricultural wastes

Research on mushroom production and products is gaining more grounds globally and in particular Nigeria. This study was carried out to determine nutritional relationship between the substrate used for cultivation and the fruiting body on each of the substrates. Agro-wastes, namely: palm ( Elaeis guineensis ) fruit shaft, plantain ( Musa paradisiaca ) leaves, sawdust and kenaf ( Hibiscus cannabinus ) stem, were assessed for suitability as substrates for cultivation of oyster mushroom ( Pleurotus floridanus Singer ). The spawn of the mushroom was used to inoculate each of the substrates, using a complete randomised design, with five replicates for each substrate. Results showed that all the substrates supported mycelia growth and development of fruiting bodies of the fungus. There were significant differences (P<0.05) among substrates in terms of number of days to complete mycelia run, with the least recorded in palm fruit shaft (25.20), and the highest in kenaf (32.40). Total yield also differed significantly (P<0.05), with the highest in palm fruit shaft (51.4 g 100 g-1) and lowest in plantain leaves (6.0 g 100 g-1). There was also significant difference (P<0.05) in the nutritional content of fruiting bodies, the highest fat content being on plantain leaves (1.72 g 100 g-1) and the lowest on palm fruit shaft (0.55 g 100 g-1). The trend was similar for mushroom substrates, plantain leaves having (2.55 g 100 g-1) and palm fruit shaft, (0.41g 100 g-1). Starch content for fruiting bodies was highest on sawdust (5.31 g 100 g-1) and lowest on kenaf (2.66 g 100 g-1), while for mushroom substrates, kenaf was (0.33g 100 g-1) and palm fruit shaft was (4.45g 100 g-1). There was a positive correlation (r = 0.24) between the nutrient of fruiting bodies and that of the substrate on which it was cultivated.

Distribución y taxonomía de mamíferos (clase mammalia) en el Cerro El Potosí Galeana, Nuevo León, México

El Cerro El Potosí es un área prioritaria para la Comisión Nacional para la Biodiversidad (CONABIO) y un Área Natural Protegida por el estado (Anónimo, 2000), debido a la existencia de una gran diversidad de tipos de vegetación y de especies de importancia fitogeografica o su orografía y altitud (3715 msnm) se considera un área promotora de procesos de especiación, registrándose especies endémicas y relictuales como el caso del Pinus culminicola y Nucifraga columbiana , es una de las montañas más altas del noroeste del país, está enclavada en la Sierra Madre Oriental. Con base en la información previa disponible, se presume que esta área ostente una mayor diversidad de flora y fauna. El objetivo principal fue el análisis de la diversidad y distribución de los mamíferos en los diferentes estratos vegetativos y altitudes dentro de los límites del Cerro El Potosí. Con el propósito de realizar las comparaciones de las diversidades de las especies en forma altitudinal, por vegetación, estacional; Se seleccionó la prueba de Chi-cuadrada para determinar dependencia entre especies y la altitud, tipo de muestreo o tipo de vegetación. Se efectuaron 24 salidas (mensuales) de campo, de noviembre del 2006 a octubre del 2008, de 3 a 4 días por salida. Se registraron 27 especies (14 Familias, 24 géneros, 27 especies, y 14 especies no reportadas previamente). De acuerdo al tipo de vegetación la riqueza se concentro en el bosque de pino seguido por el bosque de encino, las especies se distribuyeron en uno, en dos o más estratos de vegetación (patrones), para los diferentes tipos de vegetación se distribuyeron las especies de Silvilagus floridanus, Thomomys bottae, Peromyscus melanotis, Peromyscus levipes ambiguus, Canis latrans y Lynx rufus. Las especies que sólo se encontraron en un solo tipo de vegetación fueron Bassariscus astutus, Conepatus mesoleucus, Corynorhinus townsendii, Didelphis virginiana, Eptesicus fuscus, Puma yagouaroundi, Lasiurus cinereus, Lasiurus ega, Leptonycteris nivalis, Mustela frenata y Sorex milleri, por lo que se aprecia la diversidad encontrada en el sitio, esto en gran medida por la asociación de la vegetación y la altura marcado por la temperatura reportada para el sitio. Las especies que se localizaron en dos o más estratos o patrones de vegetación fueron Myotis thysanodes, Sciurus alleni, Otospermophilus variegatus, Microtus mexicanus, Urocyon cinereoargenteus, Procyon lotor, Puma concolor, Pecari tajacu y Odocoileus virginianus.

Evolutionary transition to freshwater by ancestral marine palaemonids: evidence from osmoregulation in a tide pool shrimp

The transition from marine/brackish waters to freshwater habitats constitutes a severe osmotic and ionic challenge, and successful invasion has demanded the selection of morphological, physiological, biochemical and behavioral adaptations. We evaluated short-term (1 to 12 h exposure) and long-term (5 d acclimation), anisosmotic extracellular (osmolality, [Na(+), Cl(-)]) and long-term isosmotic intracellular osmoregulatory capability in Palaemon northropi, a neotropical intertidal shrimp. F northropi survives well and osmo- and ionoregulates strongly during short- and long-term exposure to 5-45 parts per thousand salinity, consistent with its rocky tide pool habitat subject to cyclic salinity fluctuations, Muscle total free amino acid (FAA) concentrations decreased by 63% in shrimp acclimated to 5%. salinity, revealing a role in hypoosmotic cell volume regulation; this decrease is mainly a consequence of diminished glycine, arginine and proline. Total FAA contributed 31% to muscle intracellular osmolality at 20 parts per thousand, an isosmotic salinity, and decreased to 13% after acclimation to 5 parts per thousand. Gill and nerve tissue FAA concentrations remained unaltered. These tissue-specific responses reflect efficient anisosmotic and anisoionic extracellular regulatory mechanisms, and reveal the dependence of muscle tissue on intracellular osmotic effectors. FAA concentration is higher in P. northropi than in diadromous and hololimnetic palaemonids, confirming muscle FAA concentration as a good parameter to evaluate the degree of adaptation to dilute media. The osmoregulatory capability of P. northropi may reflect the potential physiological capacity of ancestral marine palaemonids to penetrate into dilute media, and reveals the importance of evaluating osmoregulatory processes in endeavors to comprehend the invasion of dilute media by ancestral marine crustaceans.

Feeding ecology and trophic relationships of fish species in the lower Guadiana River Estuary and Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo Antonio Salt Marsh

In this study we analyze the feeding ecology and trophic relationships of some of the main fish species (Soleidae, Moronidae, Mullidae, Sparidae, Mugilidae, and Batrachoididae) of the lower Estuary of the Guadiana River and the Castro Marim e Vila Real de Santo Antonio Salt Marsh. We examined the stomachs of 1415 fish caught monthly between September 2000 and August 2001. Feeding indices and coefficients were determined and used along with the results of multivariate analysis to develop diagrams of trophic interactions (food webs). Results show that these species are largely opportunistic predators. The most important prey items are amphipods, gobies (Gobiidae), shrimps (Palaemon serratus and Crangon crangon), and polychaete worms. The lower Estuary and associated salt marshes are important nurseries and feeding grounds for the species studied. In this area, it is therefore important to monitor the effects of changes in river runoff, nutrient input, and temperature that result from construction of the Alqueva Dam upstream. (c) 2006 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of a bitter-taste receptor gene repertoire in different Lagomorphs species

The repertoires of bitter-taste receptor (T2R) gene have been described for several animal species, but these data are still scarce for Lagomorphs. The aim of the present work is to identify potential repertoires of T2R in several Lagomorph species, covering a wide geographical distribution. We studied these genes in Lepus timidus, L. europaeus, Oryctolagus cuniculus algirus, Romerolagus diazi, and Sylvilagus floridanus, using O. cuniculus cuniculus as control species for PCR and DNA sequencing. We studied the identities of the DNA sequences and built the corresponding phylogenetic tree. Sequencing was successful for both subspecies of O. cuniculus for all T2R genes studied, for five genes in Lepus, and for three genes in R. diazi and S. floridanus. We describe for the first time the partial repertoires of T2R genes for Lagomorphs species, other than the common rabbit. Our phylogenetic analyses indicate that sequence proximity levels follow the established taxonomic classification.