Comment on "How the horned lizard got its horns".
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Adaptation, Biological↗
Biomedical subjects
Arthur E Dunham
Publications and source records attributed to Arthur E Dunham.
The temperature-size rule in ectotherms: simple evolutionary explanations may not be general.
In many organisms, individuals in colder environments grow more slowly but are larger as adults. This widespread pattern is embodied by two well-established rules: Bergmann's rule, which describes the association between temperature and body size in natural environments, and the temperature-size rule, which describes reaction norms relating temperature to body size in laboratory experiments. Theory predicts that organisms should grow to be larger in colder environments when growth efficiency decreases with increasing environmental temperature. Using data from 97 laboratory experiments, including 58 species of ectotherms, we found little evidence that growth efficiency is negatively related to environmental temperature within the thermal range that is relevant to the temperature-size rule. Instead, growth efficiency was either positively related or insensitive to environmental temperature in the majority of cases (73 of 89 cases for gross growth efficiency and 18 of 24 cases for net growth efficiency). Two possibilities merit consideration. First, high temperatures may impose constraints on growth that only arise late during ontogeny; this simple and potentially general explanation is supported by the fact that thermal optima for growth efficiency and growth rate decrease as individuals grow. Alternatively, the general explanation for relationships between temperature and body size may not be simple. If the latter view is correct, the best approach might be to generate and test theories that are tailored specifically to organisms with similar behavior and physiology.
Animals↗
Clinical features and outcome in dogs and cats with obsessive-compulsive disorder: 126 cases (1989-2000).
OBJECTIVE: To determine clinical features and outcome in dogs and cats with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). DESIGN: Retrospective study. ANIMALS: 103 dogs and 23 cats. PROCEDURES: Records of patients with OCD were analyzed for clinical features, medication used, extent of behavior modification, and outcome. RESULTS: Most dogs affected with OCD had been obtained from breeders. Male dogs significantly outnumbered females (2:1). Female cats outnumbered male cats by 2:1 in a small sample. Most affected dogs lived in households with 2 or more humans and other dogs or cats, and had some formal training. Client compliance with behavior modification was high. A combination of behavior modification and medication resulted in a large decrease in intensity and frequency of OCD in most animals. Clomipramine was significantly more efficacious for treatment in dogs than was amitriptyline. Only 1 dog and 1 cat were euthanatized because of OCD during the study. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: OCD in dogs does not appear to be associated with lack of training, lack of household stimulation, or social confinement. In cats, OCD may be associated with environmental and social stress. Obsessive-compulsive disorder appears at the time of social maturity and may have sporadic and heritable forms. With appropriate treatment (consistent behavior modification and treatment with clomipramine), frequency and intensity of clinical signs in most dogs and cats may decrease by > 50%. Success appears to depend on client understanding and compliance and the reasonable expectation that OCD cannot be cured, but can be well controlled.
Age of Onset↗