Biomedical subjects

J Fietz

Publications and source records attributed to J Fietz.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

High survival in poor years: life history tactics adapted to mast seeding in the edible dormouse.

Edible dormice (Glis glis) reproduce in years with beech mast seeding, but entire populations may skip reproduction in years when tree seeds, a major food resource of this small hibernator, are absent. We tested the hypothesis that the year-to-year variability in reproductive effort caused by this breeding strategy should lead to detectable differences in yearly survival rates. Therefore, we analyzed capture-recapture data from animals occupying nest boxes, collected over nine years at two study sites in Germany. Among fully grown adults (aged two years or older), survival probabilities were significantly lower (0.32 +/- 0.04) after reproductive years (n = 5) compared to years (n = 4) with absent or below-average reproduction (0.58 +/- 0.07) on both study sites. This trade-off between reproduction and subsequent survival was observed in both females and males and appears to be a relatively rare case in which costs of reproduction in terms of longevity are detectable at the population level. Effects of reproduction on survival were less pronounced when yearlings (with a generally lower reproductive effort) were included and were more distinct in a suboptimal habitat. Of those females breeding in nest boxes, 96.5% had only one or two litters within the study period. Considering these and previously published results, including a report of extremely high mean longevities (9-12 years) of dormice in a habitat with infrequent mast seeding, we conclude that edible dormice flexibly adjust life history tactics to local mast patterns. Long stretches of mast failures can in fact lead to relative semelparity, i.e., a strategy in which dormice "sit tight" for several years until environmental conditions are favorable for reproduction.

Animals↗

PubMed2004

A comparison of morphological and chemical fruit traits between two sites with different frugivore assemblages.

Large-scale comparisons might reveal matching between fruit traits and frugivore assemblages that might be cryptic on a local scale. Therefore, we compared morphological (colour, size, husk thickness) and chemical fruit traits (protein, nitrogen, sugar, lipid, tannin and fibre content) between Malagasy and South African tree communities with different frugivore communities. In Madagascar, where lemurs are important seed dispersers, we found more tree species with fruit colour classified as "primate fruits". In contrast, in South Africa we found more tree species with fruits classified as "bird coloured". This correlated with the greater importance of frugivorous birds in South Africa vs. Madagascar. Additionally, we found higher sugar concentrations in fruits from the South African tree community and higher fibre content in fruits from the Malagasy tree community. However, fibre content could be related to differences in abiotic conditions between the two study sites. This suggests that fruit colour more than other morphological and chemical fruit traits, reflects food selection by the different frugivore assemblages of those two sites.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

White adipose tissue composition in the free-ranging fat-tailed dwarf lemur (Cheirogaleus medius; Primates), a tropical hibernator.

In temperate species, hibernation is enhanced by high levels of essential fatty acids in white adipose tissue. Essential fatty acids cannot be synthesized by mammals, thus nutritional ecology should play a key role in physiological adaptations to hibernation. Tropical hibernators are exposed to different physiological demands than hibernators in temperate regions and are expected to be subject to different constraints. The aims of this study were to assess whether or not the tropical hibernator Cheirogaleus medius shows biochemical changes in its white adipose tissue before and during hibernation. A capture-recapture study was combined with feeding observations in western Madagascar. Before and after hibernation, 77 samples of white adipose tissue from 57 individuals of C. medius, as well as dietary items eaten during pre-hibernation fattening, were sampled and analyzed for their fatty acid composition. In contrast to temperate hibernators, C. medius exhibits extremely low essential fatty acid concentrations in its white adipose tissue (2.5%) prior to hibernation. The fatty acid pattern of the white adipose tissue did not change during pre-hibernation fattening and did not reflect dietary fatty acid composition. During hibernation, fat stores showed only minor but significant compositional changes. Because of its prevalence, the main fuel during hibernation was the monounsaturated oleic acid, which seemed to be preferentially synthesized from dietary carbohydrates. Results suggest that essential fatty acids do not represent an ecological limitation for hibernation in the tropics, at least not in the fat-tailed dwarf lemur.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMed1999

Mating system of Microcebus murinus.

Microcebus murinus, a small nocturnal lemur from Madagascar, has retained features of ancient primates. Based on these ancestral traits, its social organization has often been used as a model for early primate social systems. In captivity it breeds polygynously, i.e., one male mates with several females, while females usually copulate only with the dominant male. The present project tested whether or not sexual size dimorphism, spatial distribution, and relative testis size of M. murinus correspond with predictions of the sexual selection theory concerning polygynous mating systems. The study was combined with a mark-recapture study and radio tracking of 12 animals in 1993 in a dry deciduous forest of western Madagascar at the end of the dry season. Large overlapping home ranges in males, lack of sexual size dimorphism, and relatively large testes suggest a multi-male mating system, i.e., one that is promiscuous rather than polygynous.

Adaptation, Biological↗