Many components in diet have regulated oxidative stress, inflammatory reaction and even balance oestrogen levels. Because these factors are closely associated with depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women, it is considered that dietary factors are able to prevent and control depressive symptoms. On the other hand, a dietary pattern that considers the correlations and synergies between foods and nutrients is expected to have a greater impact on disease risk. The aim of the present study is to evaluate whether dietary patterns are associated with depressive symptoms in Chinese postmenopausal women. A cross-sectional study of 2051 postmenopausal women (mean age: 58·8 (sd 7·4) years) was conducted in Tianjin, China. Dietary consumption was assessed by a valid self-administered FFQ. Principal component analysis was used to derive three major dietary patterns: ‘healthy’, ‘sweets’ and ‘traditional Tianjin’ from eighty-eight food items. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and cut-off point of 48 indicating serious depressive symptoms. The association between quartile of dietary patterns and depressive symptoms was assessed using multiple logistic regression analysis. The multivariable-adjusted OR of having depressive symptoms for increasing quartile of dietary patterns were as follows: healthy, 1·00, 0·79 (95 % CI 0·49, 1·28), 0·62 (95 % CI 0·37, 1·04) and 0·57 (95 % CI 0·33, 0·97); sweets, 1·00, 0·75 (95 % CI 0·42, 1·3), 1·08 (95 % CI 0·64, 1·81) and 1·66 (95 % CI 1·03, 2·71); and traditional Tianjin, 1·00, 1·02 (95 % CI 0·58, 1·79), 0·96 (95 % CI 0·54, 1·71) and 2·53 (95 % CI 1·58, 4·16), respectively. The present study demonstrated that a healthy dietary pattern was inversely associated with depressive symptoms. On the contrary, greater adherence to sweets and traditional Tianjin dietary patterns was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms.

Weed species composition and density were recorded in three identical field experiments established 26 to 30 yr ago in southern Sweden. Each experiment compared three 6-yr crop rotations and four rates of nitrogen application. The rotations differed by having (1) a 2-yr rotational grassland, (2) a 2-yr mixed rotational grassland (legume/grass), or (3) spring wheat followed by fallow. Other crops in the rotations were winter turnip rape, winter wheat, spring oats, and spring barley. Using multivariate analyses, the relative importance of site, crop, crop rotation, and nitrogen application rate on the weed flora was determined. The greatest difference was found between sites, and the second most important factor was crop species. Nitrogen application rate weakly influenced the weed flora, while differences between crop rotations were hardly detectable.

An exploratory survey to phenotypically characterize indigenous chicken populations was carried out in Metekel zone of Northwestern Ethiopia in April 2013. A total of 69 males and 244 females were sampled to record their qualitative and quantitative traits. Eight quantitative and 16 qualitative variables were measured. Sampling included three districts representing different agroecological zones. Coefficient of variation for quantitative variables ranged from 6.38 to 52.37 percent in male sample populations and 4.59–21.4 percent in females. The chi-square tests for plumage colour of the neck, ear lobe colour and skeletal variant type were highly significant (χ 2 < 0.05). The correct classification percentage from discriminant analysis was 93.73 and 98.41 percent for male and female sample populations, respectively, indicating the homogeneity of the chicken populations within districts. The stepwise discriminant analysis identified five variables for male and three variables for female sample populations, which had the highest discriminating power. Canonical analyses showed that differences in body measurements between indigenous chicken populations were highly significant (P <0.0001). The results obtained from on-farm performance evaluation indicated that the average age at first lay of hens, number of chicks weaned and mean number of eggs laid per bird per year were 5.5 months, 6.5, 50.1, respectively. This information will constitute the basis for further characterization and development of conservation strategies for indigenous chicken populations of Northwestern Ethiopia.

This paper describes some of the morphological characteristics of the Tunisian native goat. Data were collected on 1 247 goats from 202 holdings in two oases areas (Jerid and Nefzawa). These included body length, heart girth, height at withers, ear length, horn and hairs length, as well as qualitative characters such as colour, and the presence or absence of horns, wattles and beard, ears type and curling, horns form, hair type and the facial profile. Quantitative variables were then submitted to a principal component analysis (PCA) to reduce data dimensionality and enable discrimination of groups by individuals and populations. The multiple correspondence analysis was used with qualitative variables to allow further distinction within subpopulations. A discriminant canonical analysis was also conducted discrimination between subpopulations. Wither height, heart girth and ear length were the most determinant traits in differentiating between subpopulations with the PCA. The parameters that best segregate the subpopulations in the multiple correspondences analysis are the hair length and the subpopulation. Therefore, multivariate analyses were useful in the morphological characterization of the native goat from Tunisian oases. Canonical analyses showed that hair length, ear length and wither height are the best linear measurements for discrimination between goat subpopulations. The largest Mahalanobis distance was between Arbi Jerid and Serti Nefzawa goats, whereas the closest distance was between Serti Jerid and Serti Nefzawa subpopulations.

Germplasm molecular and phenotypic characterization is instrumental to its utilization and to genetic variability incorporation into rice breeding programmes. The diversity within 192 Japanese rice accessions was analysed for 22 agro-morphological traits and 24 single sequence repeat markers. A total of 181 alleles were detected, 38 of which were exclusive. The number of alleles/marker ranged from 2 to 16, with an average of 7.54 alleles/locus and the He value ranged from 0.01 to 0.82, with an average of 0.46. The accessions showed diversity at molecular and phenotypic level and few showed also good agronomic performance. Tocher's method applied on a total-dissimilarity matrix was used to determine cluster formation of 13 diversity groups. Most of the accessions (81%) were clustered within a group, whereas eight accessions (Kyuushuu, Eika Ine, Ishiwari Mochi, Col/Fukui/1965, Ookuma Nishiki, Suzume Shirazu, Iwate Ryoon and Toga) did not cluster with other accessions.

The diatoms are an ecologically important group of algae that have been extensively studied by ecologists and taxonomists. However, the large-scale patterns of diatom distribution and the factors underlying this distribution are largely unknown. The aims of this study were to identify the large-scale spatial patterns of benthic diatom assemblages in Korean streams and rivers, and to assess the importance of numerous environmental factors on diatom distribution. We classified 720 study sites based on diatom flora. Benthic diatoms, water chemistry, altitude, and riparian land cover and use were characterized by multivariate analyses, Monte Carlo permutation tests, and indicator species analysis. In total, we identified 531 diatom taxa. Diatom assemblages were mostly dominated by species of the genera Achnanthes, Navicula, Nitzschia, Cocconeis, Fragilaria (Synedra included), Cymbella, Gomphonema, and Melosira. Cluster analysis partitioned all 720 sites into eight groups based on diatom species composition. Canonical correspondence analysis indicated that altitude, land cover and use, current velocity, electrical conductivity, and nutrient levels explained a significant amount of the variation in the composition of assemblages of benthic diatoms. At the national scale, a downstream ecological gradient was apparent, from fast-flowing, mostly oligotrophic highland streams to slow-flowing, mostly eutrophic lowland rivers. Our data suggest that spatial factors explain some of the variation in diatom distribution. The present investigation of the spatial patterns of benthic diatoms, the ecological determinants of diatom occurrence, and the identification of diatom indicator species contributes to development of a program for assessing the biological integrity of lotic ecosystems in Korea.

Feeding habits of the toothed flounder Cyclopsetta querna caught in the south-east Gulf of California were studied. Specimens were collected via demersal fish surveys. Results of this study show that C. querna is a predator that focuses on fish inhabiting the bottom and in particular on tonguefish (Symphurus sp.), midshipman fish (Porichthys sp.) and moray eels (Muraenidae). The diet of the toothed flounder did not vary significantly throughout the period of study, and neither size nor sex-related variations in diet composition were observed. Simpson's index indicates a limited trophic niche breadth with a diet dominated by a limited number of taxa. The estimated TROPH value for C. querna is similar to that estimated for other demersal top predators from the studied area; therefore, the toothed flounder can be considered a top carnivore from the demersal community in the Gulf of California.

The effects of low-level aircraft over-flights on behaviour of harlequin ducks (Histrionicus histrionicus) breeding in central Labrador were quantified during 2000–2002. The Canadian Department of National Defence supports a low-level training programme in the 130 000 km2 Military Training Area of Labrador involving military jets. The Institute for Environmental Monitoring and Research (IEMR) undertakes scientific research into environmental impacts of low-level military jet over-flights. A suite of 17 behavioural categories of paired male and female harlequin ducks was modelled, and a canonical variable representing alert behaviour, inactivity on the water and decreased inactivity out of water in response to over-flights represented 73.1% of the variance in the data cluster and provided marked separation of disturbed and undisturbed groups. Behavioural responses of harlequin ducks to military jets were 23 times stronger than their responses to floatplanes, helicopters and military cargo planes, and the significant interaction of aircraft type and noise indicated that noise may be the primary stressor affecting behaviour. A quadratic response of the canonical variable to noise generated from aircraft during standardized 30-minute observation periods was defined. The multivariate analyses were more robust because they indicated covariance in behavioural categories associated with disturbance that was not originally detected in univariate analyses, suggesting the importance of integrating behaviours other than overt responses. The significant effects of military jet over-flights on harlequin duck behaviour emphasize the need to evaluate potential population consequences of aircraft disturbance.

Populations of hosts vary extensively in the types and numbers of parasites that the average individual contains. Understanding the factors that lead to this variation is an important goal for parasite ecologists. We characterized patterns of helminth component community structure in whitefish collected from a cluster of 7 lakes located on an isolated plateau in northern Alberta, Canada. Component communities were species rich (5–6 species per lake), high in mean helminth intensity (approximately 80–500 individuals/host), and high in between-lake similarity (50–100%), a pattern consistent with results from studies on whitefish sampled from other localities in Northern Canada and Europe. Multivariate analyses indicated that the structure of the component communities was associated with 2 opposing environmental gradients. One was defined primarily by water colour, the second by phosphorous concentration. Thus, 4 lakes were characterized by a combination of high colour, low productivity, low parasite intensities, and the absence of larval acanthocephalans. Habitat/species associations were less clear as intensities increased, but the 3 remaining lakes tended to have the opposite characteristics. These results provide evidence that variation in helminth component community structure in fish is associated with variation in physicochemical characteristics that are linked to aquatic productivity.

Caviomorph rodents (Rodentia: Caviomorpha) are an anatomically variable group with diverse ecological and morphological types, including cursorial, digging, fossorial and swimming forms. Their appendicular skeleton is rather generalized and extreme modifications or reductions in the long bones of limbs are not present. It is of special interest to evaluate functional adaptive variations of the appendicular skeleton within this group. Although much work has been devoted to study structure, function, and kinematics of legs in mammals, most studies do not consider particular functions and behaviour within different mammalian lineages. Morphometric and biomechanical studies were performed to test the relationship between adaptation and morphology of the bones of the proximal and middle limb segments in terrestrial caviomorph rodents. Fifty-four specimens belonging to 10 species with different limb adaptations and representing a wide range of body sizes were measured. Diameters and functional lengths of long bones were taken and nine functional indices were built. Humerus (HRI) and ulna (URI) robustness, humerus deltoid (SMI) and epicondyle (EI) development, olecranon proportion (IFA), femur (FRI) and tibia (TRI) robustness, and gluteal muscle insertion at femur (GI), were calculated. Only TRI and, to a lesser degree, SMI and EI, were significantly related to body mass. A functional sequence (cursorial–generalized–occasional digging–diggers) which seems to reflect an increase in force and muscular development in middle segments of the fore limb is recognized. The hind limb shows a decrease in the speed efficiency of the femur and an increase in limb robustness in the transition from cursorial to digging forms. Although overlapping of speed and force functions in the limbs is evident, functional differentiation for speed in the proximal, and force in the middle segments can be inferred.

An analysis was made of the floristic composition of 376 areas of cerrado and Amazonian savanna, encompassing most of the area of such vegetation in Brazil. A total of 951 species of trees and large shrubs was recorded for these areas, of which 334 (35%) occurred at only a single locality (unicates).

The composition (% relative abundance) of the benthic diatom community was studied in the littoral zone (0–5 m) of the NW and E coasts of the brackish, non-tidal Gulf of Riga, in the Baltic Sea. The samples were collected concomitantly with measurements of sediment primary productivity and chlorophyll a during three cruises, representing three seasons (autumn, spring, summer). At all depths, the living diatom community was dominated by epipsammic species, the most abundant taxa being Martyana atomus, a species of Fragilariaceae and Achnanthes delicatula. The community was characterized by a stable composition and a high species diversity throughout the study period (Shannon–Weaver, mean H′ = 4·4). Principal Component Analyses (PCA), together with Redundancy Analysis (RDA) based on 129 taxa, revealed both spatial (site and depth) and seasonal differences in the diatom communities. However, these differences were mainly caused by the varying proportions of taxa common in both sampling areas in all three seasons, rather than by actual major taxonomic changes in the species present in communities. The distribution of the typical epipsammic species along the depth gradient was not uni-directional. The dominance of attached life forms, and the absence of a well-developed epipelic community, reflects the physically dynamic substratum, particularly in the eastern part of the Gulf. As a result, primary productivity is kept rather low, decreasing rapidly with depth due to frequent turbidity of the water column.