Relationships between nutrient composition of flowers and fruit quality in orange trees grown in calcareous soil

To determine if flower nutrient composition can be used to predict fruit quality, a field experiment was conducted over three seasons (1996-1999) in a commercial orange orchard (Citrus sinensis (L.) Osbeck cv. 'Valencia Late', budded on Troyer citrange rootstock) established on a calcareous soil in southern Portugal. Flowers were collected from 20 trees during full bloom in April and their nutrient composition determined, and fruits were harvested the following March and their quality evaluated. Patterns of covariation in flower nutrient concentrations and in fruit quality variables were evaluated by principal component analysis. Regression models relating fruit quality variables to flower nutrient composition were developed by stepwise selection procedures. The predictive power of the regression models was evaluated with an independent data set. Nutrient composition of flowers at full bloom could be used to predict the fruit quality variables fresh fruit mass and maturation index in the following year. Magnesium, Ca and Zn concentrations measured in flowers were related to fruit fresh mass estimations and N, P, Mg and Fe concentrations were related to fruit maturation index. We also established reference values for the nutrient composition of flowers based on measurements made in trees that produced large (> 76 mm in diameter) fruit.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Vegetation and environmental patterns on soils derived from Hawkesbury Sandstone and Narrabeen substrata in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, New South Wales

[Abstract]: The vegetation patterns in the Central Coast region of New South Wales have been extensively studied with respect to single environmental variables, particularly soil nutrients. However, few data are available on the effects of multiple environmental variables. This study examines the relationships between vegetation and multiple environmental variables in natural vegetation on two underlying rock types, Hawkesbury sandstone and Narrabeen group shales and sandstones, in Ku-ring-gai Chase National Park, Sydney. Floristic composition and 17 environmental factors were characterized using duplicate 500 m2 quadrats from fifty sites representing a wide range of vegetation types. The patterns in vegetation and environmental factors were examined through multivariate analyses: indicator species analysis was used to provide an objective classification of plant community types, and the relationships between vegetation and environmental factors within the two soil types were examined through indirect and direct gradient analyses. Eleven plant communities were identified, which showed strong agreement with previous studies. The measured environmental factors showed strong correlations with vegetation patterns: within both soil types, the measured environmental variables explained approximately 32 - 35% of the variation in vegetation. No single measured environmental variable adequately described the observed gradients in vegetation; rather, vegetation gradients showed strong correlations with complex environmental gradients. These complex environmental gradients included nutrient, moisture and soil physical and site variables. These results suggest a simple 'nutrient' hypothesis regarding vegetation patterns in the Central Coast region is inadequate to explain variation in vegetation within soil types

Inequalities in diet and physical activity in Europe

The contribution of food, nutrition and physical activity to inequalities in health across Europe is largely unexplored. This paper summarizes cross sectional survey data on food patterns and nutrient intakes, and briefer data on physical activity, by various indicators of socio-economic status for countries across Europe. Factors are examined which underlie the outcome data seen. These include structural and material conditions and circumstances which contribute to excluding sociodemographic groups from participating in mainstream patterns of living. Trends in social and economic conditions, and their implications for nutritional and physical wellbeing are briefly outlined

The Impact of Small Holder Commercialisation of Organic Crops on Food Consumption Patterns in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa

The impact of smallholder commercialisation on food consumption patterns in a rural community of South Africa was investigated. The consumption patterns, dietary diversity and nutrient intakes of certified and partially certified members of an organic farmers' organisation were compared to data from a random sample of non-member households. Two consecutive survey rounds (n = 200) conducted in November 2004 and March 2005 enabled comparison of dietary diversity, nutrient adequacy (in terms of per household adult female equivalents for energy, iron, and vitamin A) and expenditure elasticities between seasons. Households with members engaged in certified comm ercial organic farming enjoyed greater dietary diversity, improved nutrient intakes com pared to households with members in conversion to organic production and households not engaged in commercial organic farming. Farm and non-farm income strongly and positively influenced nutritional adequacy for households of partially certified and certified members of the organisation. Marked differences in expenditure elasticities were found between the three groups. The results suggested that commercialisation of small holder agriculture has potential to improve food consumption patterns and food quality directly through income generated and indirectly through increased labour opportunities that result in wages and inkind food transfers. While commerciali sation of small holder agriculture shows potential for improving nutrition, caution should be exercised before claiming that such commercialisation can alleviate food insecurity and solve hunger in South Africa.food consumption, nutrition, farm households, small holder, Food Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety, D1, Q12,

Stability Analysis of a Hybrid Cellular Automaton Model of Cell Colony Growth

Cell colonies of bacteria, tumour cells and fungi, under nutrient limited growth conditions, exhibit complex branched growth patterns. In order to investigate this phenomenon we present a simple hybrid cellular automaton model of cell colony growth. In the model the growth of the colony is limited by a nutrient that is consumed by the cells and which inhibits cell division if it falls below a certain threshold. Using this model we have investigated how the nutrient consumption rate of the cells affects the growth dynamics of the colony. We found that for low consumption rates the colony takes on a Eden-like morphology, while for higher consumption rates the morphology of the colony is branched with a fractal geometry. These findings are in agreement with previous results, but the simplicity of the model presented here allows for a linear stability analysis of the system. By observing that the local growth of the colony is proportional to the flux of the nutrient we derive an approximate dispersion relation for the growth of the colony interface. This dispersion relation shows that the stability of the growth depends on how far the nutrient penetrates into the colony. For low nutrient consumption rates the penetration distance is large, which stabilises the growth, while for high consumption rates the penetration distance is small, which leads to unstable branched growth. When the penetration distance vanishes the dispersion relation is reduced to the one describing Laplacian growth without ultra-violet regularisation. The dispersion relation was verified by measuring how the average branch width depends on the consumption rate of the cells and shows good agreement between theory and simulations.Comment: 8 pages, 6 figure

Main nutrient patterns and colorectal cancer risk in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition study.

BACKGROUND: Much of the current literature on diet-colorectal cancer (CRC) associations focused on studies of single foods/nutrients, whereas less is known about nutrient patterns. We investigated the association between major nutrient patterns and CRC risk in participants of the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) study. METHODS: Among 477 312 participants, intakes of 23 nutrients were estimated from validated dietary questionnaires. Using results from a previous principal component (PC) analysis, four major nutrient patterns were identified. Hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed for the association of each of the four patterns and CRC incidence using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models with adjustment for established CRC risk factors. RESULTS: During an average of 11 years of follow-up, 4517 incident cases of CRC were documented. A nutrient pattern characterised by high intakes of vitamins and minerals was inversely associated with CRC (HR per 1 s.d.=0.94, 95% CI: 0.92-0.98) as was a pattern characterised by total protein, riboflavin, phosphorus and calcium (HR (1 s.d.)=0.96, 95% CI: 0.93-0.99). The remaining two patterns were not significantly associated with CRC risk. CONCLUSIONS: Analysing nutrient patterns may improve our understanding of how groups of nutrients relate to CRC

The effect of food provisioning on the nutrient intake of wild and captive primates : implications for the conservation management of wild and captive populations : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate of Philosophy in Ecology, Massey University, Albany, New Zealand

Many non-human primate populations worldwide are threatened with extinction. Various measures are taken to save these species. Amongst these efforts are habitat protection, restoration, and public education, including wildlife tourism. To efficiently protect and restore wildlife habitats, ecological knowledge, such as the nutritional ecology of target species, is essential. Information on the foraging behaviour and nutritional requirements of a species will be useful for the protection and restoration of foods that are important components of a species’ diet. Furthermore, knowledge on animal nutritional ecology is required in circumstances where animals are fed by humans, as can occur in wildlife tourism settings. With such information, efforts can be made to provide diets which are nutritionally balanced, reducing the likelihood of negatively impacting the health and welfare of target animals. This study was undertaken to investigate food and nutrient intake under three levels of human dietary interference using primates as models: no interference, partial provisioning, and full provisioning. A wild golden snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus roxellana) troop was investigated to determine their food and nutrient intake in a natural setting. A positive correlation between food availability and food choice was not found. On the nutrient level, the troop’s proportional consumption of crude protein, lipids, and non-structural carbohydrates varied with the seasonal availability of these nutrients while the consumption of neutral detergent fibre increased relative to its availability and that of lignin decreased. Differences in the foraging behaviour between different seasons and between monkeys of different age, sex, or reproductive status were not detected. However, age and sex based differences in proportional nutrient intake patterns were found. Juveniles had a greater proportional intake of all nutrients than adults (per kg of metabolic body mass) and females had a greater proportional intake of nearly all nutrients than males (per kg of metabolic body mass). To investigate the effects of food provisioning at a wildlife tourism centre in China, the proportional nutrient intake of a semi-wild golden snub-nosed monkey troop was determined and compared with that of the wild troop. The provisioned troop’s foods had a greater proportional contribution of non-structural carbohydrates and lipids and a smaller proportional contribution of neutral detergent fibre and lignin than foods consumed by the wild troop. The proportional nutrient intake of the provisioned troop, compared with that of the wild troop, was greater in non-structural carbohydrates and lower in crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, and lignin. Proportional lipid intake by the provisioned troop was lower than the wild troop in summer but greater in autumn. To investigate the nutritional ecology of a completely captive, and hence nutritionally dependent, troop of primates, the Auckland Zoo’s black-handed spider monkey (Ateles geoffroyi) troop was studied. The group’s daily macronutrient intake pattern was investigated as was the daily food and nutrient intake of monkeys based on age, sex, and social rank. The troop maintained a relatively stable non-protein energy to protein energy ratio intake across multiple days suggesting they were not facing dietary constraints. Juveniles had a greater daily food and nutrient intake (per kg of metabolic body mass) than adults and a greater intake of food and all nutrients except for non-structural carbohydrates than geriatric monkeys. Daily food and nutrient intake differences between monkeys based on sex and social rank were not detected. The findings of this study advance our understanding of the effect of human provisioning on the foraging and nutrient intake patterns of wildlife populations. This information can be used in the development of habitat protection and restoration plans for golden snub-nosed monkeys to ensure that important foods remain available in their habitat. Furthermore, findings on the potential impacts of an unnatural diet on the nutrient intake of provisioned animals can be used to improve the conservation management of primate populations used for wildlife tourism

Biology of pelagic sea turtles: effects of marine debris

Objectives: 1. Quantify the sub-lethal effect of debris ingestion (nutrient dilution) on nutrient gain 2. Model sub-lethal effects of debris ingestion on nutrient intake and growth 3. Evaluation of stress from entanglement on the loggerhead sea turtle 4. Movement patterns and behavior of pelagic-stage loggerheads in the eastern Atlantic 5. Document the genetic relationships of pelagic-stage loggerheads in the eastern Atlantic with rookeries in the southeast US (Document has 14 pages; lists publications resulting from research