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Major Food Source (major + food_source)
Selected AbstractsGardening at the edge: Documenting the limits of tropical Polynesian kumara horticulture in southern New ZealandGEOARCHAEOLOGY: AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL, Issue 3 2004Kari N. Bassett An Erratum has been published for this article in Geoarchaeology 19(6) 2004, 613. Kumara (Ipomoea batatus), a major food source for Maori, was brought to New Zealand from tropical Eastern Polynesia ,700 years ago. Maori successfully adapted their cultivation techniques to grow kumara in New Zealand's cooler, seasonal climate, although most kumara cultivation was limited to the warmer North Island, with cultivation becoming more marginal southward. Banks Peninsula area is considered to be the southernmost limit for kumara gardening. The Okuora Farm archeological site on the southern side of Banks Peninsula has five pits that appear to be of the raised-rim type used for over winter storage of kumara tubers. We conducted a preliminary investigation into the nature of the pits and surrounding 1 km2 area using nondestructive techniques in accordance with Maori designation of food storage sites as tapu. Ground penetrating radar (GPR) investigation of two of the pits revealed subsurface disturbances consistent with postholes and drains, typical of raised rim kumara storage pits. Soil modification typical of kumara gardening was identified on a 1 ha area on a warm north-northwest facing hillside. Several large borrow pits were identified as the likely source of the gravel added to the modified soil, possibly to retain heat and moisture. A plant phytolith study of soil samples identified several that appear to be from kumara. The combination of results strongly suggests this site was one of the southernmost Maori kumara gardening sites yet identified in New Zealand. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. [source] Feeding ecology of silverperch, Terapon plumbeus Kner, and the impact of fish-pens in Laguna de Bay, PhilippinesJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 6 2000M. Kock Summary Aquaculture is an important factor in the fishery of Laguna de Bay in the Philippines; fish-pens and net-cages covered ,10% of the lake surface in the late 1990s. The present study was carried out to assess the possible influences of aquaculture on a wild fish species, silverperch, Terapon plumbeus Kner, with a special emphasis on the feeding ecology of this fish. For the purposes of the investigation, 24-h samples were taken at 2-month intervals close to a fish-pen as well as in open water over a one-year period to acquire more information on this species. Significant differences in standard length and total weight were found between stations and sampling months. In open water, a mean standard length of 53.6 mm and a mean total weight of 4.2 g were found, whereas close to the fish-pen, the corresponding values were 57.6 mm and 5.4 g, respectively. The maximum mean standard length was attained around December 1996 and February 1997 (59.5 mm in open water; 66.1 mm close to the fish-pen), and the minimum was found in June 1996 (49.1 mm in open water; 46.2 mm close to the fish-pen). Noticeable differences were found in the food spectrum between the two sampling stations. Zooplankton, the major food source at both stations, was more important in the stomach content of fish in open water. The same was true for insects (i.e. chironomid larvae), although these did not make up such a large fraction of the diet. On the other hand, close to the fish-pen, aufwuchs- algae, phytoplankton and fish were more important. Generally, benthic organisms were consumed more frequently close to the fish-pen. Zooplankton was more important in the diet of smaller fish. In all size groups, the importance of zooplankton decreased during the rainy season. [source] Feeding on roots in the humus layer by adult pine weevil, Hylobius abietisAGRICULTURAL AND FOREST ENTOMOLOGY, Issue 4 2006Kristina Wallertz Abstract 1,The consumption by adult pine weevil, Hylobius abietis, of the bark of roots present in the humus layer was assessed in a field study conducted in southern Sweden during two years (1998 and 2002). The study sites were divided into two areas: (i) a shelterwood where 80,100 mature Scots pine trees per hectare remained after cutting and (ii) a clearcut where no trees were left. 2,On average, 3741 m2 per hectare of root bark was present in the humus layer, of which 135 m2 was not coniferous but comprised species such as bilberry and broadleaved trees. 3,The mean area debarked by pine weevils was 2.9 m2 per hectare; 2.6 m2 of conifer roots and 0.3 m2 of bilberry roots. Roots of broadleaved trees were almost never consumed. No clear preferences for roots of a specific level of vitality were observed. 4,No consistent difference between the shelterwood and clearcut was found, either in the amount of root bark area available or in the extent of root feeding by pine weevil. 5,A weak negative correlation between debarked areas on roots and seedlings was found, indicating that root feeding may have reduced damage to seedlings. 6,It is concluded that conifer roots in the humus layer constitute a major food source for the pine weevil and can be utilized for a considerable period in both clearcuts and shelterwoods. [source] Introductory Remarks: Bacterial Endosymbionts or Pathogens of Free-Living Amebae,THE JOURNAL OF EUKARYOTIC MICROBIOLOGY, Issue 5 2004FRANCINE MARCIANO-CABRAL ABSTRACT Free-living amebae are ubiquitous in the environment and can be isolated from a variety of habitats including water, soil, air, hospital water systems, dental units, contact lens cases, and cooling towers. The interaction of amebae with other microorganisms in their environment is varied. Bacteria are a major food source for free-living amebae. However, some bacteria have established a stable symbiotic relationship with amebae. Recent reports indicate an association of amebae with intracellular bacterial pathogens. Such amebae may serve as reservoirs for maintaining and dispersing pathogenic bacteria in the environment or as vectors of bacterial disease in humans. [source] Tannins: Current knowledge of food sources, intake, bioavailability and biological effectsMOLECULAR NUTRITION & FOOD RESEARCH (FORMERLY NAHRUNG/FOOD), Issue S2 2009José Serrano Abstract Tannins are a unique group of phenolic metabolites with molecular weights between 500 and 30 000 Da, which are widely distributed in almost all plant foods and beverages. Proanthocyanidins and hydrolysable tannins are the two major groups of these bioactive compounds, but complex tannins containing structural elements of both groups and specific tannins in marine brown algae have also been described. Most literature data on food tannins refer only to oligomeric compounds that are extracted with aqueous-organic solvents, but a significant number of non-extractable tannins are usually not mentioned in the literature. The biological effects of tannins usually depend on their grade of polymerisation and solubility. Highly polymerised tannins exhibit low bioaccessibility in the small intestine and low fermentability by colonic microflora. This review summarises a new approach to analysis of extractable and non-extractable tannins, major food sources, and effects of storage and processing on tannin content and bioavailability. Biological properties such as antioxidant, antimicrobial and antiviral effects are also described. In addition, the role of tannins in diabetes mellitus has been discussed. [source] | |||||||||||||