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Lower Growth (lower + growth)
Terms modified by Lower Growth Selected AbstractsDoes sports participation during adolescence prevent later alcohol, tobacco and cannabis use?ADDICTION, Issue 1 2009Tove Wichstrøm ABSTRACT Aims To study whether participation in organized sports during adolescence predicts increased smoking of tobacco, alcohol intoxication and cannabis use from late adolescence to adulthood when controlling for potential confounders. Moreover, to study whether such increased drug use varies according to type of sport (team versus individual), main skills needed (endurance, strength or technical) and level of competition. Design, setting and participants Survey of national sample of Norwegian high school students (aged 13,19 years) in 1992 (T1) followed-up in 1994 (T2), 1999 (T3) and 2006 (T4) (n = 3251). Measurements Outcome measures included smoking of tobacco and 12-month prevalences of alcohol intoxication and cannabis use, respectively. Confounders included pubertal timing, friends' drug use, perceived social acceptance, grades and parental socio-economic status. Findings Latent growth curve analyses showed that initial level of participation in organized sports predicted growth in alcohol intoxication. Those involved initially in team sports had greater growth in alcohol intoxication, but lower growth in tobacco use and cannabis use, during the adolescent and early adult years compared to those involved in technical or strength sports. Practising endurance sports, as opposed to technical or strength sports, predicted reduced growth in alcohol intoxication and tobacco use. Conclusions Sports participation in adolescence, and participation in team sports in particular, may increase the growth in alcohol intoxication during late adolescent and early adult years, whereas participation in team sports and endurance sports may reduce later increase in tobacco and cannabis use. [source] Growth and population size of crayfish in headwater streams: individual- and higher-level consequences of acidificationFRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2004Steven M. Seiler Summary 1. Environmental stress may have indirect positive effects on population size through modification of food-web interactions, despite having negative effects on individuals. Here we evaluate the individual- and population-level effects of acidification on crayfish (Cambarus bartonii) in headwater streams of the Allegheny Plateau (PA, U.S.A.) with field experiments and survey data. Median baseflow pH of 24 study reaches in nine streams varied from 4.4 to 7.4, with substantial variation found both among and within streams. 2. Two bioassays were conducted to evaluate the relationship between stream pH and crayfish growth rates. Growth rates were always higher in circumneutral reaches than in acidic reaches. Crayfish originating in acidic water grew less when transplanted into neutral water than did crayfish originating in neutral water, providing some evidence for a cost of acclimation to acidity. 3. Stream surveys showed that fish were less abundant and crayfish more abundant in acidified streams than in circumneutral streams. Crayfish density was sixfold higher in reaches with the lowest pH relative to circumneutral reaches. Large crayfish made up a higher proportion of crayfish populations at sites with high fish biomass, consistent with the hypothesis that fish predation on small individuals may be limiting crayfish population size at these sites. 4. Although individual crayfish suffered lower growth in acidified streams, increased acidity appeared to cause an increase in crayfish population size and shifts in size structure, possibly by relieving predation pressure by fish. [source] Hydraulic differentiation of Ponderosa pine populations along a climate gradient is not associated with ecotypic divergenceFUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY, Issue 4 2002H. Maherali Summary 1.,Pinus ponderosa occurs in a range of contrasting environments in the western USA. Xeric populations typically have lower leaf : sapwood area ratio (AL/AS) and higher whole-tree leaf specific hydraulic conductance (KL) than mesic populations. These climate-driven shifts in hydraulic architecture are considered adaptive because they maintain minimum leaf water potential above levels that cause xylem cavitation. 2.,Using a common garden study, we examined whether differences in biomass allocation and hydraulic architecture between P. ponderosa populations originating from isolated outcrops in the Great Basin desert and Sierran montane environments were caused by ecotypic differentiation or phenotypic plasticity. To determine if populations were genetically differentiated and if phenotypic and genetic differentiation coincided, we also characterized the genetic structure of these populations using DNA microsatellites. 3.,Phenotypic differentiation in growth, biomass allocation and hydraulic architecture was variable among populations in the common garden. There were no systematic differences between desert and montane climate groups that were consistent with adaptive expectations. Drought had no effect on the root : shoot and needle : stem ratio, but reduced seedling biomass accumulation, leaf area ratio, AL/AS and KL. Stem hydraulic conductance (KH) was strongly size-dependent, and was lower in droughted plants, primarily because of lower growth. 4.,Although microsatellites were able to detect significant non-zero (P < 0·001) levels of differentiation between populations, these differences were small and were not correlated with geographic separation or climate group. Estimates of genetic differentiation among populations were low (<5%), and almost all the genetic variation (>95%) resided within populations, suggesting that gene flow was the dominant factor shaping genetic structure. 5.,These results indicate that biomass allocation and hydraulic differences between desert and montane populations are not the result of ecotypic differentiation. Significant drought effects on leaf : sapwood allocation and KL suggest that phenotypic differentiation between desert and montane climates could be the result of phenotypic plasticity. [source] Rapid climate change-related growth decline at the southern range edge of Fagus sylvaticaGLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 11 2006ALISTAIR S. JUMP Abstract Studies on Fagus sylvatica show that growth in populations toward the southern limit of this species' distribution is limited strongly by drought. Warming temperatures in the Mediterranean region are expected to exacerbate drought where they are not accompanied by increases in precipitation. We studied levels of annual growth in mature F. sylvatica trees over the last half-century in the Montseny Mountains in Catalonia (northeast Spain). Our results show significantly lower growth of mature trees at the lower limit of this species' distribution when compared with trees at higher altitudes. Growth at the lower Fagus limit is characterized by a rapid recent decline starting in approximately 1975. By 2003, growth of mature trees had fallen by 49% when compared with predecline levels. This is not an age-related phenomenon, nor is it seen in comparable populations at higher altitudes. Analysis of climate-growth relationships suggests that the observed decline in growth is a result of warming temperatures and that, as precipitation in the region has not increased, precipitation is now insufficient to ameliorate the negative effects of increased temperatures on tree growth. As the climate-response of the studied forest is comparable with that of F. sylvatica forests in other southern European regions, it is possible that this growth decline is a more widespread phenomenon. Warming temperatures may lead to a rapid decline in the growth of range-edge populations and a consequent retreat of the species distribution in southern Europe. Assessment of long-term growth trends across the southern range edge of F. sylvatica therefore merits further attention. [source] Growth and survival of river catfish Mystus nemurus (Cuvier & Valenciennes) larvae fed isocaloric diets with different protein levels during weaningJOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 3 2000R. V. Eguia Summary The growth of river catfish Mystus nemurus (Cuvier & Valenciennes) larvae fed four isocaloric diets (4200 kcal kg,1) with different protein levels during weaning was determined. Diets containing 45, 50, 55, and 60% protein were formulated by linear programming using amino acid profiles based on that of 2-day-old river catfish larvae. Artificial diets were fed to the larvae beginning at day 5 after being initially fed Artemia nauplii for 4 days. The larvae thrived solely on artificial diets from day 8 to day 16. On the other hand, the control larvae were fed Artemia nauplii from day 1 to day 16. Results of the feeding trial showed that growth and survival of M. nemurus larvae given the diet containing 60% protein were high and comparable to those of the larvae given only live food (control). Larvae fed the 55% protein diet had significantly lower growth and survival than the larvae on the control and 60% diets but significantly higher growth and survival rates than did larvae fed with 45 and 50% protein diets. Carcass moisture and total lipids after 16 days of feeding did not differ significantly (P > 0.05), but body protein increased with increasing dietary protein. Body protein of the control larvae was similar to that of larvae given the 60% protein diet. [source] Is reduced body growth of cod exposed to the gill parasite Lernaeocera branchialis a cost of resistance?JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 5 2006D. A. Lysne Three hundred and sixty-nine cod Gadus morhua were individually marked and caged for 19 months. During this period, each cod was inspected several times for Lernaeocera branchialis. Growth in four groups of cod, identified by their infection history, were compared. During the caging, 79% of the cod remained uninfected, 8·5% were infected, but lost the parasite, 8% were infected with one parasite and 4·5% were infected with more than one parasite. The infected fish either harboured the parasite at caging or were infected during the study period. The highest rate of increase, both in body mass and in standard length (LS), was recorded in the group of male fish infected with one parasite throughout the experimental period. Conversely, those males free from infection showed significantly lower growth. The observed differences in growth could not be explained by changes in variables related to reproductive strategies. The alternative explanation for these results is that resistance to L. branchialis was associated with costs in terms of reduced growth of body mass and LS. [source] Assessing the use of a dietary probiotic/prebiotic as an enhancer of spinefoot rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus survival and growthAQUACULTURE NUTRITION, Issue 6 2007A.Y. EL-DAKAR Abstract The use of prebiotics and probiotics as feed supplements that improve efficiency of intestinal bacteria is becoming de rigueur in animal husbandry in many regions worldwide. We tested the effects of a commercial probiotic (Biogen®) containing allicin, high unit hydrolytic enzyme, Bacillus subtilis spores and ginseng extracts on survival, growth, carcass composition and feed cost/benefit in rabbitfish Siganus rivulatus. Fifteen net cages (100 × 100 × 40 cm; L × W × H) were stocked with 10 juvenile rabbitfish (10.3 g per fish) each and placed in a large rectangular tank and offered feed at 4% body weight daily. Cages were offered one of five isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets containing 0, 1, 2, 3 and 4 g kg,1 probiotic at three replicates per treatment for 98 days. Fish in all cages were weighed at 2-week intervals and feed regimen was adjusted accordingly. Rabbitfish offered the control diet exhibited lower growth and feed utilization than all experimental treatments. There was no effect of probiotic inclusion level on survival but growth was better at all inclusion levels than in the control. No significant differences (P > 0.05) in growth were observed among fish groups fed various levels of the probiotic. Carcass composition was not affected by dietary probiotic inclusion. Ultimately, when all variables are considered, Biogen® inclusion to diets appears to reduce feed cost per unit growth of rabbitfish. [source] Effects of crushed conspecifics on growth and survival of Penaeus monodon Fabricius post larvaeAQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 3 2006Bui Tui Nga Abstract In the present study, the hypothesis tested was that Penaeus monodon post-larvae (PL) experience lower growth when exposed to crushed conspecifics, which was achieved by exposing individual P. monodon PL with abundant food for 4 weeks to a gradient from 0 to 100 crushed conspecific PL L,1. Both dry weight (48.5±7.2 mg) and body size (28.0±1.3 mm) of animals exposed to 1 macerated PL L,1 were significantly (P,0.011) higher than those of animals in treatments with 0, 5 and 10 crushed PL L,1 (average over treatments: 25.6±3.2 mg; 23.4±0.5 mm). All animals died within 1 week when exposed to 70 and 100 crushed PL L,1, and within 3,4 weeks when exposed to 50 and 30 crushed PL L,1. Exposure time affected mortality and it appeared that LC50 values decreased from 60 to 13 crushed PL L,1 from 1 to 4 weeks' exposure. Survival of P. monodon PL was negatively correlated to pH, biological oxygen demand, ammonia and nitrate. In conclusion, low dose of crushed conspecifics has a stimulatory effect on P. monodon PL, as larvae were heavier and larger, while high doses cause high mortality. [source] Protein to carbohydrate ratio in high-energy diets for Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.)AQUACULTURE RESEARCH, Issue 7 2001Marie Hillestad Abstract The effect of dietary protein to carbohydrate ratios (P/CH, weight percentage) of P34/CH21, P39/CH15 and P44/CH10 was studied in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) with respect to growth and feed conversion ratio (FCR) in one medium-scale experiment (Experiment 1) and to slaughter quality in two production scale experiments (Experiments 2A and 2B). The dietary fat was maintained at 290 g kg,1 whereas the protein (fish meal) was exchanged with carbohydrate (wheat). Fish grown from approximately 1 to 4 kg were fed a restricted diet (iso-energetic on gross energy basis) or to satiation. Nitrogen, fat, starch and energy digestibilities were measured in a separate experiment. There were slight tendencies for lower growth (P = 0.06) and for higher FCRs (P = 0.06) in Experiment 1, and a slight tendency for a lower dress-out percentage in Experiments 2A and 2B (P = 0.10 and 0.20 respectively) with decreasing P/CH. The P/CH had no effect on the fat concentration of fillets, flesh colour or sexual maturation. The digestibility of starch decreased from 62.1% to 46.1% and the digestibility of energy from 84.9% to 79.5% when P/CH decreased from P44/CH10 to P34/CH21. Growth per unit digestible protein increased with decreasing P/CH. Feeding to satiation improved the growth but the FCR was higher than it was for restricted feeding. The calculated starch load per kg of fish growth increased with decreasing P/CH, whereas the effluent nitrogen decreased. 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