Temperature Effects (temperature + effects)

Distribution by Scientific Domains
Distribution within Life Sciences


Selected Abstracts


Temperature Effects on Anti-Predator Behaviour in Rhabdophis tigrinus, a Snake with Toxic Nuchal Glands

ETHOLOGY, Issue 9 2001
Akira Mori
Many contextual factors affect the anti-predator behaviour of animals. In ectotherms, in which most physiological activities depend on body temperature, ambient temperature is one of the most important of these factors. We examined the effects of temperature on the anti-predator behaviour of an ectotherm, the Japanese grass snake (Rhabdophis tigrinus). This species has a large repertoire of anti-predator behavioural responses. Among these responses are several anti-predator displays that appear to be unique to this species and perhaps others in a small group of closely related species possessing nuchal glands containing toxic secretions that may be derived from their toxic toad diet. Snakes were tested at room temperatures of 14, 22 and 30°C with order of temperatures balanced. A long wand modified to simulate initial contact by a predator was used as the stimulus. Snakes exhibited rather passive responses (neck flatten, body flatten, neck arch and immobile) more frequently at low temperatures, and fled more frequently at high temperatures. The dorsal facing posture, a characteristic posture directed against the stimulus, was observed more frequently at low temperatures. Threatening, assertive responses such as strike were rarely observed. These results showed that R. tigrinus shifts its anti-predator behaviour from multiple passive responses to active flight responses with increasing temperature. This snake species thus appears to rely more on its nuchal glands as a predator deterrent at low ambient temperatures. Consistent individual variation was also observed, and its adaptive and causal bases are discussed. [source]


Temperature Effects on Survival and DNA Repair in Four Freshwater Cladoceran Daphnia Species Exposed to UV Radiation

PHOTOCHEMISTRY & PHOTOBIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
Sandra J. Connelly
The biological responses of four freshwater daphniid species, Daphnia middendorffiana, D. pulicaria, D. pulex and D. parvula, to a single acute dose of ultraviolet B radiation (UVB) were compared. In addition to survival, we compared the induction of DNA damage (i.e. cyclobutane pyrimidine dimers) between species as well as the ability to repair this damage in the presence or absence of photoreactivating light. All four species showed high levels of shielding against DNA damage when compared to damage induced in purified DNA dosimeters at the same time and dose. Significant variation in survival was observed between species depending on temperature and light conditions. Contrary to our expectations, all species showed significantly higher survival and light-dependent DNA damage removal rates at 10°C compared to 20°C, suggesting that the enhanced rate of photoenzymatic repair (PER) at the lower temperature contributed significantly to the recovery of these organisms from UVB. PER was highly effective in promoting survival of three of the four species at 10°C, but at 20°C it was only partially effective in two species, and ineffective in two others. None of the species showed significant dark repair at 20°C and only D. pulicaria showed a significant capacity at 10°C. Two species, D. middendorffiana and D. pulex, showed some short-term survival at 10°C in absence of PER despite their inability to repair any appreciable amount of DNA damage in the dark. All species died rapidly at 20°C in absence of PER, as predicted from complete or near-absence of nucleotide excision repair (NER). Overall, the protective effects of tissue structure and pigmentation were similar in all Daphnia species tested and greatly mitigated the absorption of UVB by DNA and its damaging effects. Surprisingly, the visibly melanotic D. middendorffiana was not better shielded from DNA damage than the three non-melanotic species, and in fact suffered the highest damage rates. Melanin content in this species was not temperature dependent under the experimental growth conditions, and so did not contribute to temperature-dependent responses. It is evident that different species within the same genus have developed diverse biological responses to UVB. Our data strongly suggest that DNA damage is lethal to Daphnia and that photoenzymatic repair is the primary mechanism for removing these lesions. In the absence of light, few species are capable of removing any DNA damage. Surprisingly, the single species in which significant excision repair was detected did so only at reduced temperature. This temperature-dependence of excision repair is striking and may reflect adaptations of certain organisms to stress in a complex and changing environment. [source]


Enantioselectivity of basic analytes in CZE enantioseparation under reversed-polarity mode using sulfated ,-cyclodextrins as chiral selectors: An unusual temperature effect

ELECTROPHORESIS, Issue 21 2006
Chen-Hsing Lin
Abstract Temperature effects on the enantioselectivity of basic analytes in CZE enantioseparation were studied under reversed-polarity mode using randomly sulfate-substituted ,-CDs (MI-S-,-CD) as chiral seletors. Two catecholamines (epinephrine and isoproterenol) and two structurally related compounds (octopamine and norephedrine) were selected as test compounds in an electrophoretic system at low pH. The mobility differences between the (+)-enantiomers and the (,)-enantiomers of the two catecholamines and dopamine at 40°C are greater than those at 25°C with MI-S-,-CD, even at a concentration as low as 0.3%,w/v. Thus the enantioselectivity of these three basic analytes increases with increasing temperature. This phenomenon results from the inequality of the temperature effect on the mobility of the two enantiomers. In contrast, norephedrine behaves differently. The (+)-enantiomers of these basic analytes were found to migrate faster than the (,)-enantiomers. Consequently, the unusual temperature effect on the enantioselectivity can be observed when the mobility difference of the (+)-enantiomer between 40 and 25°C is greater than that of the (,)-enantiomer using MI-S-,-CD at a concentration greater than about 0.7%,w/v for enantioseparation of isoproterenol, 0.4%,w/v for epinephrine, and 0.3%,w/v for octopamine. This unusual temperature effect offers the advantages to enhance enantioselectivity, to improve enantioseparation, and to reduce migration times. [source]


The apple sawfly, Hoplocampa testudinea: Temperature effects on adult life-span and reproduction

ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2001
B. Graf
First page of article [source]


Stepwise proteolytic removal of the , subdomain in ,-lactalbumin

FEBS JOURNAL, Issue 15 2001
The protein remains folded, can form the molten globule in acid solution
Bovine ,-lactalbumin (,-LA) is an ,/, protein which adopts partly folded states when dissolved at low pH (A-state), by removal of the protein-bound calcium at neutral pH and low salt concentration (apo-state), as well as in aqueous trifluoroethanol. Previous spectroscopic studies have indicated that the A-state of ,-LA at pH 2.0, considered a prototype molten globule, has a native-like fold in which the helical core is mostly retained, while the , subdomain is less structured. Here, we investigate the conformational features of three derivatives of ,-LA characterized by a single peptide bond fission or a deletion of 12 or 19/22 amino-acid residues of the , subdomain of the native protein (approximately from residue 34 to 57). These ,-LA derivatives were obtained by limited proteolysis of the protein in its partly folded state(s). A nicked ,-LA species consisting of fragments 1-,3,40 and 41,123 (nicked-LA) was prepared by thermolytic digestion of the 123-residue chain of ,-LA in 50% (v/v) aqueous trifluoroethanol. Two truncated or gapped protein species given by fragments 1,40 and 53,123 (des,1-LA) or fragments 1,34 and 54-,57,123 (des,2-LA) were obtained by digestion of ,-LA with pepsin in acid or with proteinase K at neutral pH in its apo-state, respectively. The two protein fragments of nicked or gapped ,-LA are covalently linked by the four disulfide bridges of the native protein. CD measurements revealed that, in aqueous solution at neutral pH and in the presence of calcium, the three protein species maintain the helical secondary structure of intact ,-LA, while the tertiary structure is strongly affected by the proteolytic cleavages of the chain. Temperature effects of CD signals in the far- and near-UV region reveal a much more labile tertiary structure in the ,-LA derivatives, while the secondary structure is mostly retained even upon heating. In acid solution at pH 2.0, the three ,-LA variants adopt a conformational state essentially identical to the molten globule displayed by intact ,-LA, as demonstrated by CD measurements. Moreover, they bind strongly the fluorescent dye 8-anilinonaphthalene-1-sulfonate, which is considered a diagnostic feature of the molten globule of proteins. Therefore, the , subdomain can be removed from the ,-LA molecule without impairing the capability of the rest of the chain to adopt a molten globule state. The results of this protein dissection study provide direct experimental evidence that in the ,-LA molten globule only the , domain is structured. [source]


Temperature effects on the mass flow rate in the SBI and similar heat-release rate test equipment

FIRE AND MATERIALS, Issue 1 2007
Bart J. G. Sette
Abstract In various medium-to-large-scale fire test equipments like the ISO room corner test (RC), and more recently, the single burning item test (SBI) the mass flow rate measurement of the combustion gases plays a key role in the determination of the heat-release rate and smoke-production rate. With the knowledge of the velocity profile and the temperature of the flow, the mass flow rate is obtained by measuring the velocity on the axis of the duct. This is done by means of a bi-directional probe based on the pitot principle. However, due to the variation of the mean temperature and the temperature gradient in any cross section of the duct, introduced by ever changing combustion gas temperatures, the velocity nor the density profile are constant in time. This paper examines the resulting uncertainty on the mass flow rate. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Temperature effects on the UV,Vis electronic spectrum of trans-stilbene

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 4-5 2001
S. P. Kwasniewski
Abstract The ultraviolet (UV),Visible absorption spectrum of trans-stilbene (tS) is computed at different temperatures by coupling molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the classical MM3 force field to ZINDO/S-CIS calculations of vertical excitation energies and transition dipole moments. The selection of a large number of structures along the MD trajectories enables a consistent treatment of temperature effects in the vacuum, whereas the ZINDO/S-CIS calculations permit a reliable treatment of electron correlation and relaxation, taking account of multistate interactions in the final state. Thermal motions are found to alter very differently the width and shape of bands. Structural alterations such as the stretching and the torsion of the vinyl single and double bonds very strongly influence the appearance of the first valence state, pertaining to the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO,LUMO) transition. At temperatures less than 400 K, these are found to yield a merely Gaussian and very pronounced thermal broadening of the related band (A), up to nearly 30 nm, together with a minor blue shift of its maximum ,max. In contrast, a red shift by several nanometers occurs due to thermal motions for the remaining three valence bands. As can be expected, the broadening intensifies at higher temperatures, and for the A-band, becomes markedly asymmetric when T exceeds 400 K. The combination of MD(MM3) and ZINDO/S-CIS computations enables also consistent calculations of hot bands, which are forbidden by symmetry at 0 K. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001 [source]


Temperature effects on sex determination and ontogenetic gene expression of the aromatases cyp19a and cyp19b, and the estrogen receptors esr1 and esr2 in atlantic halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus)

MOLECULAR REPRODUCTION & DEVELOPMENT, Issue 12 2006
Solveig van Nes
Abstract The aromatase (CYP19) and estrogen receptor (ESR) play important roles in the molecular mechanism of sex determination and differentiation of lower vertebrates. Several studies have proven these mechanisms to be temperature sensitive, which can influence the direction of phenotypic gender development. A temperature study was conducted to examine the effect of temperature on the sex differentiation in farmed Atlantic halibut. Sexually undifferentiated larvae were exposed to 7°C, 10°C, or 13°C during gonadal differentiation. Temperature effects on the transcription rate of the aromatase genes cyp19a (ovary type) and cyp19b (brain type) and the ESR genes esr1 and esr2 were examined by quantitative real-time PCR. With increasing temperatures, both cyp19a mRNA levels and the female incidence showed a decreasing trend, thus strongly indicating a relation between the expression of cyp19a and morphological ovary differentiation. In contrast to cyp19a, the levels of cyp19b, esr1, and esr2 mRNA strongly increased in all temperature groups throughout the study period, and did not show obvious temperature-related expression patterns. The present data provide evidence that posthatching temperature exposure significantly affects the expression of cyp19a mRNA during the developmental period and that high temperature possibly influences genetic sex determination in Atlantic halibut. Though, the female incidence never exceeded 50%, suggesting that only the homogametic (XX) female is thermolabile. So whereas temperature treatment is not likely suitable for direct feminization in halibut, the possibility for high-temperature production of XX neomales for broodstock to obtain all-female offspring by crossing with XX females is suggested. Mol. Reprod. Dev. 73: 1481,1490, 2006. © 2006 Wiley-Liss, Inc. [source]


Temperature constraints on the growth and functioning of root organ cultures with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

NEW PHYTOLOGIST, Issue 1 2005
Mayra E. Gavito
Summary ,,In this study we investigated the effects of temperature on fungal growth and tested whether the differences in fungal growth were related to the effects of temperature on carbon movement to, or within, the fungus. ,,Growth curves and C uptake-transfer-translocation measurements were obtained for three arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) isolates cultured within a 6,30°C temperature range. A series of experiments with a model fungal isolate, Glomus intraradices, was used to examine the effects of temperature on lipid body and 33P movement, and to investigate the role of acclimation and incubation time. ,,Temperature effects on AMF growth were both direct and indirect because, despite clear independent root and AMF growth responses in some cases, the uptake and translocation of 13C was also affected within the temperature range tested. Root C uptake and, to a lesser extent, C translocation in the fungus, were reduced by low temperatures (< 18°C). Uptake and translocation of 33P by fungal hyphae were, by contrast, similar between 10 and 25°C. ,,We conclude that temperature, between 6 and 18°C, reduces AMF growth, and that C movement to the fungus is involved in this response. [source]


Temperature effects on the fatigue behavior of ultrafine-grained copper produced by equal channel angular pressing

PHYSICA STATUS SOLIDI (A) APPLICATIONS AND MATERIALS SCIENCE, Issue 15 2004
X. W. Li
Abstract The fatigue behavior of ultrafine-grained copper produced by equal channel angular (ECA) pressing was investigated at temperatures between room temperature and 573 K under a constant stress amplitude of 200 MPa. Cyclic softening was found to be much more evident and the corresponding fatigue life decreases rapidly as temperature increases. This phenomenon was considered as being the result of the grain coarsening and microstructural changes in the coarsened grains associated with the testing temperature. (© 2004 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) [source]


Zum Einfluß der Temperatur auf die Bemessung von Kühlturmschalen aus Stahlbeton

BAUTECHNIK, Issue 11 2005
Michél Bender Dipl.-Ing.
Zwangsmomente aus Temperaturgradienten haben erheblichen Einfluß auf die Bewehrungsmengen in Kühlturmschalen aus Stahlbeton. Dabei spielen nicht nur charakteristische Temperaturrandwerte und deren Kombination mit weiteren Einwirkungen eine Rolle, sondern auch die bei linearen Schnittgrößenberechnungen angenommenen Steifigkeitsreduktionen zur pauschalen Berücksichtung zwangsabbauender Rißbildung. Im Rahmen einer Sensitivitätsanalyse wird der Einfluß von Temperatureinwirkungen auf die Bemessung der Kühlturmschale vorgestellt. Basis der Parametervariation sind die spezifischen Berechnungsvorschriften der Bautechnischen Richtlinie BTR für Kühltürme (2005). Die maßgebenden rechnerischen Bemessungsszenarien werden anschließend in materiell und geometrisch nichtlinearen Analysen der Schale nachvollzogen, um die zwangsabbauende Rißbildung, den Einfluß der Temperatur auf Grenzzustände sowie Stahl- und Betonspannungswerte realistisch abzuschätzen und rechnerischen Werten gegenüberzustellen. Temperature effects on the design of cooling tower shells. Bending moments caused by temperature constraints substantially influence required reinforcement quantities in cooling tower shells. Important parameters in linear structural analyses are the extents of characteristic thermal actions and their combinations as well as global reduction factors that account for the loss of stiffness by cracking. The sensitivity to variations in temperature scenarios is presented using numerical simulations of a representative cooling tower shell and the design specifications of "BTR-Kühltürme (2005)". The characteristic design-scenarios are simulated in geometrically and materially nonlinear computations to realistically estimate the loss of stiffness by cracking, the influence of temperature effects on the ultimate load bearing capacity as well as actual extents of steel and concrete stresses. [source]


Temperature-dependent ovariole and testis maturation in the yellow dung fly

ENTOMOLOGIA EXPERIMENTALIS ET APPLICATA, Issue 3 2005
Wolf U. Blanckenhorn
Abstract Temperature is one of the abiotic environmental factors most strongly affecting animal behaviour, physiology, and life history. In insects, lower temperatures generally slow down most physiological processes, reducing growth rate and prolonging the juvenile period. Here, we investigate temperature-dependent ovariole and testis maturation in the anautogenous yellow dung fly, Scathophaga stercoraria L. (Diptera: Scathophagidae), and relate it to corresponding temperature effects on pre-adult development time and the adult pre-reproductive period. Flies were reared in the laboratory at three constant temperatures (18, 22, and 26 °C), and the size of the developing ovarioles and testes (reflecting sperm production) was measured over time (i.e., age). Ovariole size increased asymptotically over the first 12 days of adult life, while the testes continued to fill after day 10. In accordance with the temperature-size rule, warmer temperatures resulted in smaller ovarioles (eggs) and smaller testes, independent of body size. Warmer temperatures also greatly reduced pre-adult development time by more than half, from 12 to 25 °C, the larger males always taking 1,3 days longer than the females. Corresponding temperature effects on the adult pre-reproductive period were small (<1 day between 15 and 25 °C), with males taking 5,6 days and females 10,13 days to first reproduction. Time lost by males during the pre-adult stage, when ovaries and testes are produced, can thus be more than compensated-for by time gained during the pre-reproductive period, when eggs and sperm are produced, so males can nevertheless start reproducing sooner than females. [source]


Development and application of a species sensitivity distribution for temperature-induced mortality in the aquatic environment

ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY & CHEMISTRY, Issue 12 2008
Pepijn de Vries
Abstract Current European legislation has static water quality objectives for temperature effects, based on the most sensitive species. In the present study a species sensitivity distribution (SSD) for elevated temperatures is developed on the basis of temperature sensitivity data (mortality) of 50 aquatic species. The SSD applies to risk assessment of heat discharges that are localized in space or time. As collected median lethal temperatures (LT50 values) for different species depend on the acclimation temperature, the SSD is also a function of the acclimation temperature. Data from a thermal discharge in The Netherlands are used to show the applicability of the developed SSD in environmental risk assessment. Although restrictions exist in the application of the developed SSD, it is concluded that the SSD approach can be applied to assess the effects of elevated temperature. Application of the concept of SSD to temperature changes allows harmonization of environmental risk assessment for stressors in the aquatic environment. When a synchronization of the assessment methods is achieved, the steps to integration of risks from toxic and nontoxic stressors can be made. [source]


The role of peripheral Na+ channels in triggering the central excitatory effects of intravenous cocaine

EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE, Issue 4 2006
P. Leon Brown
Abstract While alterations in dopamine (DA) uptake appear to be a critical mechanism underlying locomotor and reinforcing effects of cocaine (COC), many centrally mediated physiological and affective effects of this drug are resistant to DA receptor blockade and are expressed more quickly following an intravenous (i.v.) injection than expected based on the dynamics of drug concentration in the brain. Because COC is also a potent local anesthetic, its rapid action on Na+ channels may be responsible for triggering these effects. We monitored temperatures in the nucleus accumbens, temporal muscle and skin together with conventional locomotion during a single i.v. injection of COC (1 mg/kg), procaine (PRO, 5 mg/kg; equipotential anesthetic dose), a short-acting local anesthetic drug that, like COC, interacts with Na+ channels, and cocaine methiodide (COC-MET, 1.31 mg/kg, equimolar dose), a quaternary COC derivative that is unable to cross the blood,brain barrier. In this way, we explored not only the importance of Na+ channels in general, but also the importance of central vs. peripheral Na+ channels specifically. COC induced locomotor activation, temperature increase in the brain and muscle, and a biphasic temperature fluctuation in skin. Though PRO did not induce locomotor activation, it mimicked, to a greater degree, the temperature effects of COC. Therefore, Na+ channels appear to be a key substrate for COC-induced temperature fluctuations in the brain and periphery. Similar to PRO, COC-MET had minimal effects on locomotion, but mimicked COC in its ability to increase brain and muscle temperature, and induce transient skin hypothermia. It appears therefore that COC's interaction with peripherally located Na+ channels triggers its central excitatory effects manifested by brain temperature increase, thereby playing a major role in drug sensing and possibly contributing to COC reinforcement. [source]


Seasonal changes in the reproduction of three oncaeid copepods in the surface layer of the Kuroshio Extension

FISHERIES OCEANOGRAPHY, Issue 2004
KAORU NAKATA
Abstract Seasonal changes in reproduction rates of three dominant oncaeids, Oncaea media, O. venusta f. venella and O. venusta f. ,1, and effects of environmental factors on them were examined in the surface layer (0,30 m) in the Kuroshio Extension and adjacent waters off the Pacific coast of central Japan. The biomass of oncaeid copepods peaked in spring, and remained at about 14% of total copepod biomass throughout the year. Monthly mean specific egg production rates of O. media, O. venusta f. ,1 and O. venusta f. venella ranged from 0 to 0.038 day,1, from 0.026 to 0.051 day,1 and from 0.022 to 0.049 day,1, respectively, and were relatively higher from winter to spring. Specific egg production rates of both O. media and O. venusta f. venella were positively related to primary production in the euphotic layer. Analysis of temperature effects on reproduction parameters indicated that low temperature was one cause for high specific egg production rates of O. venusta f. ,1 in winter, mainly because of an increase in clutch size. Environmental factors thus affect reproduction of the dominant oncaeids in the surface layer of the Kuroshio Extension, and an increase in temperature and decline in primary production would reduce their reproduction. [source]


Effects of increased temperature and nutrient enrichment on the stoichiometry of primary producers and consumers in temperate shallow lakes

FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2008
M. VENTURA
Summary 1. We studied the effects of increased water temperatures (0,4.5 °C) and nutrient enrichment on the stoichiometric composition of different primary producers (macrophytes, epiphytes, seston and sediment biofilm) and invertebrate consumers in 24 mesocosm ecosystems created to mimic shallow pond environments. The nutrient ratios of primary producers were used as indicative of relative nitrogen (N) or phosphorus (P) limitation. We further used carbon stable isotopic composition (,13C) of the different primary producers to elucidate differences in the degree of CO2 limitation. 2. Epiphytes were the only primary producer with significantly higher ,13C in the enriched mesocosms. No temperature effects were observed in ,13C composition of any primary producer. Independently of the treatment effects, the four primary producers had different ,13C signatures indicative of differences in CO2 limitation. Seston had signatures indicating negligible or low CO2 limitation, followed by epiphytes and sediment biofilm, with moderate CO2 limitation, while macrophytes showed the strongest CO2 limitation. CO2 together with biomass of epiphytes were the key variables explaining between 50 and 70% of the variability in ,13C of the different primary producers, suggesting that epiphytes play an important role in carbon flow of temperate shallow lakes. 3. The ratio of carbon to chlorophyll a decreased with increasing temperature and enrichment in both epiphytes and seston. The effects of temperature were mainly attributed to changes in algal Chl a content, while the decrease with enrichment was probably a result of a higher proportion of algae in the seston and epiphytes. 4. Macrophytes, epiphytes and seston decreased their C : N with enrichment, probably as an adaptation to the different N availability levels. The C : N of epiphytes and Elodea canadensis decreased with increasing temperature in the control mesocosms. Sediment biofilm was the only primary producer with lower C : P and N : P with enrichment, probably as a result of higher P accumulation in the sediment. 5. Independently of nutrient level and increased temperature effects the four primary producers had significantly different stoichiometric compositions. Macrophytes had higher C : N and C : P and, together with epiphytes, also the highest N : P. Seston had no N or P limitation, while macrophytes and epiphytes may have been P limited in a few mesocosms. Sediment biofilm indicated strong N deficiency. 6. Consumers had strongly homeostatic stoichiometric compositions in comparison to primary producers, with weak or no significant treatment effects in any of the groups (insects, leeches, molluscs and crustaceans). Among consumers, predators had significantly higher N content and lower C : N than grazers. [source]


Stream temperature and the potential growth and survival of juvenile Oncorhynchus mykiss in a southern California creek

FRESHWATER BIOLOGY, Issue 7 2007
DAVID A. BOUGHTON
Summary 1.,We asked whether an increase in food supply in the field would increase the ability of fish populations to withstand climate warming, as predicted by certain bioenergetic models and aquarium experiments. 2.,We subsidised the in situ food supply of wild juvenile steelhead (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in a small stream near the species' southern limit. High-quality food (10% of fish biomass per day) was added to the drift in eight in-stream enclosures along a naturally-occurring thermal gradient. 3.,The temperatures during the experiment were well below the upper thermal limit for the species (means of enclosures ranged from 15.1 to 16.5 °C). Food supplements had no discernible effect on survival, but raised mean (± SD) specific growth rate substantially, from 0.038 ± 0.135 in controls to 2.28 ± 0.51 in feeding treatments. Food supplements doubled the variation in growth among fish. 4.,The mean and variance of water temperature were correlated across the enclosures, and were therefore transformed into principal component scores T1 (which expressed the stream-wide correlation pattern) and T2 (which expressed local departures from the pattern). Even though T1 accounted for 96% of the variation in temperature mean and variance, it was not a significant predictor of fish growth. T2 was a significant predictor of growth. The predicted time to double body mass in an enclosure with a large T2 score (cool-variable) was half that in an enclosure with a low T2 score (warm-stable). 5.,Contrary to expectation, temperature effects were neutral, at least with respect to the main axis of variation among enclosures (cool-stable versus warm-variable). Along the orthogonal axis (cool-variable versus warm-stable), the effect was opposite from expectations, probably because of temperature variation. Subtle patterns of temperature heterogeneity in streams can be important to potential growth of O. mykiss. [source]


Combined effects of elevated temperatures and reduced leaf litter quality on the life-history parameters of a saprophagous macroarthropod

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2009
JEAN-FRANCOIS DAVID
Abstract Because soil macroinvertebrates strongly modify decomposition processes, it is important to know how their abundance will respond to global change. We investigated in laboratory microcosms, the effects of elevated temperatures and reduced leaf litter quality on the life-history traits of a saprophagous macroarthropod (development time, growth, survival and reproduction). Millipedes (Polydesmus angustus) from an Atlantic temperate forest were reared throughout their life cycle (,16 months) under two temperature regimes differing on average by 3.3 °C; in a factorial design, they were fed either on Atlantic leaf litter or on Mediterranean leaf litter with a higher C : N ratio; humidity was consistently high. The components of the population growth rate (r) were affected positively by the temperature rise and negatively by the switch from Atlantic to Mediterranean leaf litter. When both treatments were combined, litter effects offset temperature effects. These results show that the short-term response of saprophagous macroarthropods to warming is positive but depends on the availability of high-quality litter, which is difficult to predict in the global change context. In a parallel experiment, conspecific millipedes from a Mediterranean population, which have evolved for a long time in a warmer climate and on poor-quality litter, were reared at elevated temperatures on Mediterranean leaf litter. All components of r were higher than in the Atlantic population under the same conditions. This suggests that in the longer term, macroarthropods can overcome detrimental trophic interactions. Based on our study and the literature, we conclude that for decades the positive effects of warming on saprophagous macrofauna should exceed the negative effects of changes in litter quality. The abundance of those organisms in temperate forests could increase, which is confirmed by latitudinal patterns in Europe. Studies aimed at predicting the impacts of global change on decomposition will need to consider interactions with soil macroinvertebrates. [source]


Water savings in mature deciduous forest trees under elevated CO2

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 12 2007
SEBASTIAN LEUZINGER
Abstract Stomatal conductance of plants exposed to elevated CO2 is often reduced. Whether this leads to water savings in tall forest-trees under future CO2 concentrations is largely unknown but could have significant implications for climate and hydrology. We used three different sets of measurements (sap flow, soil moisture and canopy temperature) to quantify potential water savings under elevated CO2 in a ca. 35 m tall, ca. 100 years old mixed deciduous forest. Part of the forest canopy was exposed to 540 ppm CO2 during daylight hours using free air CO2 enrichment (FACE) and the Swiss Canopy Crane (SCC). Across species and a wide range of weather conditions, sap flow was reduced by 14% in trees subjected to elevated CO2, yielding ca. 10% reduction in evapotranspiration. This signal is likely to diminish as atmospheric feedback through reduced moistening of the air comes into play at landscape scale. Vapour pressure deficit (VPD)-sap flow response curves show that the CO2 effect is greatest at low VPD, and that sap flow saturation tends to occur at lower VPD in CO2 -treated trees. Matching stomatal response data, the CO2 effect was largely produced by Carpinus and Fagus, with Quercus contributing little. In line with these findings, soil moisture at 10 cm depth decreased at a slower rate under high-CO2 trees than under control trees during rainless periods, with a reversal of this trend during prolonged drought when CO2 -treated trees take advantage from initial water savings. High-resolution thermal images taken at different heights above the forest canopy did detect reduced water loss through altered energy balance only at <5 m distance (0.44 K leaf warming of CO2 -treated Fagus trees). Short discontinuations of CO2 supply during morning hours had no measurable canopy temperature effects, most likely because the stomatal effects were small compared with the aerodynamic constraints in these dense, broad-leaved canopies. Hence, on a seasonal basis, these data suggest a <10% reduction in water consumption in this type of forest when the atmosphere reaches 540% ppm CO2. [source]


Pristine New Zealand forest soil is a strong methane sink

GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY, Issue 1 2004
Sally J. Price
Abstract Methanotrophic bacteria oxidize methane (CH4) in forest soils that cover ,30% of Earth's land surface. The first measurements for a pristine Southern Hemisphere forest are reported here. Soil CH4 oxidation rate averaged 10.5±0.6 kg CH4 ha,1 yr,1, with the greatest rates in dry warm soil (up to 17 kg CH4 ha,1 yr,1). Methanotrophic activity was concentrated beneath the organic horizon at 50,100 mm depth. Water content was the principal regulator of (r2=0.88) from the most common value of field capacity to less than half of this when the soil was driest. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that soil temperature was not very influential. However, inverse co-variability confounded the separation of soil water and temperature effects in situ. Fick's law explained the role of water content in regulating gas diffusion and substrate supply to the methanotrophs and the importance of pore size distribution and tortuosity. This analysis also showed that the chambers used in the study did not affect the oxidation rate measurements. The soil was always a net sink for atmospheric CH4 and no net CH4 (or nitrous oxide, N2O) emissions were measured over the 17-month long study. For New Zealand, national-scale extrapolation of our data suggested the potential to offset 13% of CH4 emissions from ca. 90 M ruminant animals. Our average was about 6.5 times higher than rates reported for most Northern Hemisphere forest soils. This very high was attributed to the lack of anthropogenic disturbance for at least 3000,5000 years and the low rate of atmospheric nitrogen deposition. Our truly baseline data could represent a valid preagricultural, preindustrial estimate of the soil sink for temperate latitudes. [source]


Development of a technique for modelling clay liner desiccation

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL FOR NUMERICAL AND ANALYTICAL METHODS IN GEOMECHANICS, Issue 6 2003
Y. Zhou
Abstract This paper presents a model for the analysis of clay liner desiccation in a landfill barrier system due to temperature effects. The model incorporates consideration of fully coupled heat-moisture-air flow, a non-linear constitutive relationship, the dependence of void ratio and volumetric water content on stress, capillary pressure and temperature, and the effect of mechanical deformation on all governing equations. Mass conservative numerical schemes are proposed to improve the accuracy of the finite element solution to the governing equations. The application of the model is then demonstrated by examining three test problems, including isothermal infiltration, heat conduction and non-isothermal water and heat transport. Comparisons are made with results from literature, and good agreement is observed. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Competing kinetic pathways in the bromine addition to allylic ethers in 1,2-dichloroethane: Opposite temperature effects

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CHEMICAL KINETICS, Issue 4 2007
Alessandro Cecchi
The kinetics of the electrophilic bromination of three allylic ethers in a nonprotic solvent, 1,2-dichloroethane, has been investigated. Two of them followed a prevalent second-order pathway, while the third one exhibited a classical, clean third order. The second-order pathway in the first two olefins is attributed to electrophilic assistance of the ethereal oxygen to the attacking bromine molecule. In the molecular bromination of 2,4- cis -dimethyl-8-oxabicyclo[3.2.1]-6-octen-3- cis -ol, opposite temperature dependences were found for the two different kinetic pathways. An exoergonic process for the second-order reaction was explained by the lesser stability of the bromiranium,bromide ionic intermediate, compared to the bromiranium,tribromide in the third-order profile. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. 39: 197,203, 2007 [source]


Temperature effects on the UV,Vis electronic spectrum of trans-stilbene

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF QUANTUM CHEMISTRY, Issue 4-5 2001
S. P. Kwasniewski
Abstract The ultraviolet (UV),Visible absorption spectrum of trans-stilbene (tS) is computed at different temperatures by coupling molecular dynamics (MD) simulations with the classical MM3 force field to ZINDO/S-CIS calculations of vertical excitation energies and transition dipole moments. The selection of a large number of structures along the MD trajectories enables a consistent treatment of temperature effects in the vacuum, whereas the ZINDO/S-CIS calculations permit a reliable treatment of electron correlation and relaxation, taking account of multistate interactions in the final state. Thermal motions are found to alter very differently the width and shape of bands. Structural alterations such as the stretching and the torsion of the vinyl single and double bonds very strongly influence the appearance of the first valence state, pertaining to the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (HOMO,LUMO) transition. At temperatures less than 400 K, these are found to yield a merely Gaussian and very pronounced thermal broadening of the related band (A), up to nearly 30 nm, together with a minor blue shift of its maximum ,max. In contrast, a red shift by several nanometers occurs due to thermal motions for the remaining three valence bands. As can be expected, the broadening intensifies at higher temperatures, and for the A-band, becomes markedly asymmetric when T exceeds 400 K. The combination of MD(MM3) and ZINDO/S-CIS computations enables also consistent calculations of hot bands, which are forbidden by symmetry at 0 K. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quantum Chem, 2001 [source]


Reliability of capacitive RF MEMS switches at high and low temperatures

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF RF AND MICROWAVE COMPUTER-AIDED ENGINEERING, Issue 4 2004
Yong Zhu
Abstract Some applications of RF MEMS switches, such as aircraft condition monitoring and distributed satellite communication, present a unique challenge for device design and reliability. This article examines these switches when operational temperatures in the range ,60°C to 100°C are envisioned. The basic operation of a capacitive MEMS switch is described and two tools for examining device reliability, modeling, and on-chip experimentation, are discussed in the case of capacitive MEMS switches. 1D, 2D, and 3D models are presented with emphasis on 3D coupled-field finite-element analysis, including temperature effects. Results and findings from the 3D simulations are reported. In particular, the advantages of employing corrugated membranes in the design of RF MEMS switches are assessed. Their performance in terms of reliability as a function of temperature is quantified. The effects of corrugation on the geometric parameters are discussed in the context of device-design optimization. In order to assess reliability experimentally, the M-test and the membrane deflection experiment (MDE) are reviewed due to their on-chip characteristic and simplicity. Ways in which these experimental/computational methodologies can be combined for identifying material properties and device performance is also highlighted. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J RF and Microwave CAE 14: 317,328, 2004. [source]


Role of larval host plants in the climate-driven range expansion of the butterfly Polygonia c-album

JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY, Issue 3 2007
BRIGITTE BRASCHLER
Summary 1Some species have expanded their ranges during recent climate warming and the availability of breeding habitat and species' dispersal ability are two important factors determining expansions. The exploitation of a wide range of larval host plants should increase an herbivorous insect species' ability to track climate by increasing habitat availability. Therefore we investigated whether the performance of a species on different host plants changed towards its range boundary, and under warmer temperatures. 2We studied the polyphagous butterfly Polygonia c-album, which is currently expanding its range in Britain and apparently has altered its host plant preference from Humulus lupulus to include other hosts (particularly Ulmus glabra and Urtica dioica). We investigated insect performance (development time, larval growth rate, adult size, survival) and adult flight morphology on these host plants under four rearing temperatures (18,28·5 °C) in populations from core and range margin sites. 3In general, differences between core and margin populations were small compared with effects of rearing temperature and host plant. In terms of insect performance, host plants were generally ranked U. glabra U. dioica > H. lupulus at all temperatures. Adult P. c-album can either enter diapause or develop directly and higher temperatures resulted in more directly developing adults, but lower survival rates (particularly on the original host H. lupulus) and smaller adult size. 4Adult flight morphology of wild-caught individuals from range margin populations appeared to be related to increased dispersal potential relative to core populations. However, there was no difference in laboratory reared individuals, and conflicting results were obtained for different measures of flight morphology in relation to larval host plant and temperature effects, making conclusions about dispersal potential difficult. 5Current range expansion of P. c-album is associated with the exploitation of more widespread host plants on which performance is improved. This study demonstrates how polyphagy may enhance the ability of species to track climate change. Our findings suggest that observed differences in climate-driven range shifts of generalist vs. specialist species may increase in the future and are likely to lead to greatly altered community composition. [source]


Effects of storage temperature on oxygen depletion in intra-valve water and survival of the Mediterranean mussel Mytilus galloprovincialis Lmk

JOURNAL OF APPLIED ICHTHYOLOGY, Issue 5 2007
P. Angelidis
Summary Mussels are commonly air-stored during transportation and as a result suffer from anoxia. In this study, storage temperature effects on the viability and characteristics of the released intra-valve water of mussels were examined. Mussels kept at 20°C released all of their intra-valve water within approximately 60 h and died within 4 days; oxygen concentration in the intra-valve water dropped below the detectable level. In contrast, mussels kept at 0 and 5°C released 8.8% and 12% of their intra-valve water, respectively. The oxygen concentration in this water remained stable at about 3,4 mg L,1 until hour 72 of exposure to air and all mussels survived (5°C). Mussels immersed in seawater over-saturated with oxygen (35 mg L,1) did not show any uptake of the surplus oxygen into their intra-valve water. [source]


Tikhonov regularization in standardized and general form for multivariate calibration with application towards removing unwanted spectral artifacts

JOURNAL OF CHEMOMETRICS, Issue 1-2 2006
Forrest Stout
Abstract Tikhonov regularization (TR) is an approach to form a multivariate calibration model for y,=,Xb. It includes a regulation operator matrix L that is usually set to the identity matrix I and in this situation, TR is said to operate in standard form and is the same as ridge regression (RR). Alternatively, TR can function in general form with L,,,I where L is used to remove unwanted spectral artifacts. To simplify the computations for TR in general form, a standardization process can be used on X and y to transform the problem into TR in standard form and a RR algorithm can now be used. The calculated regression vector in standardized space must be back-transformed to the general form which can now be applied to spectra that have not been standardized. The calibration model building methods of principal component regression (PCR), partial least squares (PLS) and others can also be implemented with the standardized X and y. Regardless of the calibration method, armed with y, X and L, a regression vector is sought that can correct for irrelevant spectral variation in predicting y. In this study, L is set to various derivative operators to obtain smoothed TR, PCR and PLS regression vectors in order to generate models robust to noise and/or temperature effects. Results of this smoothing process are examined for spectral data without excessive noise or other artifacts, spectral data with additional noise added and spectral data exhibiting temperature-induced peak shifts. When the noise level is small, derivative operator smoothing was found to slightly degrade the root mean square error of validation (RMSEV) as well as the prediction variance indicator represented by the regression vector 2-norm thereby deteriorating the model harmony (bias/variance tradeoff). The effective rank (ER) (parsimony) was found to decrease with smoothing and in doing so; a harmony/parsimony tradeoff is formed. For the temperature-affected data and some of the noisy data, derivative operator smoothing decreases the RMSEV, but at a cost of greater values for . The ER was found to increase and hence, the parsimony degraded. A simulated data set from a previous study that used TR in general form was reexamined. In the present study, the standardization process is used with L set to the spectral noise structure to eliminate undesirable spectral regions (wavelength selection) and TR, PCR and PLS are evaluated. There was a significant decrease in bias at a sacrifice to variance with wavelength selection and the parsimony essentially remains the same. This paper includes discussion on the utility of using TR to remove other undesired spectral patterns resulting from chemical, environmental and/or instrumental influences. The discussion also incorporates using TR as a method for calibration transfer. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]


Effects of temperature on larval fish swimming performance: the importance of physics to physiology

JOURNAL OF FISH BIOLOGY, Issue 4 2002
I. Hunt von Herbing
Temperature influences both the physiology offish larvae and the physics of the flow conditions under which they swim. For small larvae in low Reynolds number (Re) hydrodynamic environments dominated by frictional drag, temperature-induced changes in the physics of water flow have the greatest effect on swimming performance. For larger larvae, in higher Re environments, temperature-induced changes in physiology become more important as larvae swim faster and changes in swimming patterns and mechanics occur. Physiological rates at different temperatures have been quantified using Q10s with the assumption that temperature only affected physiological variables. Consequently, Q10s that did not consider temperature-induced changes in viscosity overestimated the effect of temperature on physiology by 58% and 56% in cold-water herring and cod larvae respectively. In contrast, in warm-water Danube bleak larvae, Q10s overestimated temperature-induced effects on physiology by only 5,7%. This may be because in warm water, temperature-induced changes affect viscosity to a smaller degree than in cold water. Temperature also affects muscle contractility and efficiency and at high swimming velocities, efficiency decreases more rapidly in cold-exposed than in warm-exposed muscle fibres. Further experiments are needed to determine whether temperature acts differently on swimming metabolism in different thermal environments. While hydrodynamic factors appear to be very important to larval fish swimming performance in cold water, they appear to lose importance in warm water where temperature effects on physiology dominate. This may suggest that major differences exist among locomotory capacities of larval fish that inhabit cold, temperate waters compared to those that live in warm tropical waters. It is possible that fish larvae may have developed strategies that affect dispersal and recruitment in different aquatic habitats in order to cope not only with temperature-induced physiological challenges, but physical challenges as well. [source]


Teratogenicity of elevated egg incubation temperature and egg vitamin A status in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

JOURNAL OF FISH DISEASES, Issue 4 2004
R Ørnsrud
Abstract The present study was undertaken to investigate the possibility that high egg vitamin A (VA) status in combination with elevated egg incubation temperatures may cause deformities in Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L. Egg batches selected for their total VA concentration were exposed to low (normal, 8 °C) or elevated (14 °C) egg incubation temperatures. Temperature was the main factor causing bone deformities such as warped gill opercula, fin and jaw deformities, but not for the development of spinal deformities where all groups displayed a ,baseline' occurrence of mild deformity (decreased vertebral size in the cephalic region) and no systematic variation in the occurrence of serious spinal deformities (fused vertebrae). A possible effect of egg incubation temperature fluctuation was found for the groups reared at low temperatures. An indication of a negative effect of elevated egg VA status for the development of organ deformities such as missing septum transversum and situs inversus was found in addition to temperature effects, however, no firm conclusions could be drawn from the present data. The phenotypes for temperature-induced deformities resembled the phenotype of VA-induced deformities, but no clear conclusions on the causality of the deformities found in the present study could be drawn. Egg incubation temperatures, both absolute temperature and temperature variations, should therefore be strictly controlled. [source]


Catalytic effect of ferricyanide between myoglobin and luminol and effect of temperature

LUMINESCENCE: THE JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL AND CHEMICAL LUMINESCENCE, Issue 2 2007
Xin Gao
Abstract Specific catalytic oxidation of oxymyoglobin (MbO2) and luminol by ferricyanide was studied in a flow-injection system. MbO2 in different redox states (ferric and ferrous) was oxidized to Mb(FeIII) by ferricyanide, and then specific binding of the ferrocyanide anion to Mb(FeIII) to the His 119 (GH1) region accelerated the electron transfer between Mb(FeIII) and luminol, which produced a chemiluminescence (CL) signal at 425 nm. The increased CL emission was correlated with the myoglobin concentration in the range 0.16,7.5 µg/mL. Thermogravimetry and differential scanning calorimetry were used to investigate the temperature effects on this reaction. The results showed that the CL intensity in the presence of myoglobin changed considerably with heating in the range 15,50°C, and the maximal CL intensity was observed at 40°C, corresponding to the glass transition temperature of myoglobin. The effect of different ligands and interferences were also studied. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source]