RESUMO
Parents in many animal species provide care to their offspring as a mechanism to enhance their own fitness. In mammals, this behavior is expressed mostly by the females, but also by males of some species. Proximally, rates of paternal offspring care have been linked to organizational and activational effects of testosterone. Specifically, intrauterine position of male fetuses is associated with differential exposure to testosterone, leading to development of males with different levels of masculinization (assessed through differences in the length of the anogenital distance (AGD). The relative roles played by organizational and activational effects of testosterone on male parental care remain unclear. In this study, we aimed to determine if male sex-biased uterine environment and testosterone levels across the breeding period explain variation in paternal care in the social rodent, Octodon degus. Neither quantity (time with the offspring) nor quality (frequency of grooming and retrieving) of paternal care was affected by male sex-biased uterine environment, nor did paternal care significantly differ across the different stages of male reproduction. In contrast, paternal care was associated with maternal care. Quantity of male care decreased with increasing quantity of maternal care, and quality of male care increased with increasing quality of maternal care. While serum testosterone did not differ between males with different sex-biased uterine environment, male testosterone tended to increase during mating and decrease when pregnant females or offspring were present.
Assuntos
Octodon , Animais , Feminino , Masculino , Gravidez , Reprodução , Roedores , TestosteronaRESUMO
The Adolescent Branch from Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría supports the implementation of planned programs for transition from child to adult health centers, oriented to adolescents with chronic diseases, in order to ensure an appropriate follow-up and a high-quality health care. Recommendations for care are set out in the FONIS and VRI PUC project carried out by the Division of Pediatrics of the Universidad Católica de Chile: Transition process from pediatric to adult services: perspectives of adolescents with chronic diseases, caregivers and health professionals, whose goal was to describe the experience, barriers, critical points, and facilitators in the transition process. Critical points detected in this study were: existence of a strong bond between adolescents, caregivers and the pediatric team, resistance to transition, difficulty developing autonomy and self-management among adolescents; invisibility of the process of adolescence; and lack of communication between pediatric and adult team during the transfer. According to these needs, barriers and critical points, and based on published international experiences, recommendations are made for implementation of gradual and planned transition processes, with emphasis on the design and implementation of transition policies, establishment of multidisciplinary teams and transition planning. We discuss aspects related to coordination of teams, transfer timing, self-care and autonomy, transition records, adolescent and family participation, need for emotional support, ethical aspects involved, importance of confidentiality, need for professional training, and the need for evaluation and further research on the subject.
Assuntos
Doença Crônica/terapia , Transição para Assistência do Adulto/organização & administração , Adolescente , Adulto , Chile , Humanos , Relações Interprofissionais , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Autonomia Pessoal , Relações Profissional-Família , Relações Profissional-Paciente , AutocuidadoRESUMO
La Rama de Adolescencia de la Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría apoya la implementación de programas planificados de transición de servicios pediátricos a adultos para adolescentes portadores de enfermedades crónicas, con objeto de asegurar la continuidad de una atención de salud de alta calidad acorde a las necesidades de desarrollo de esta etapa. Se plantean recomendaciones de atención que se enmarcan en el Proyecto FONIS y VRI PUC realizado por la División de Pediatría de la Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile: "El proceso de transición de servicios pediátricos a adultos: visión de adolescentes portadores de enfermedades crónicas, sus cuidadores y los profesionales de salud", cuyo objetivo es describir la experiencia, barreras, puntos críticos y facilitadores percibidos por adolescentes portadores de enfermedades crónicas, cuidadores y profesionales de salud, en el proceso de transición. Los puntos críticos detectados en este estudio fueron: resistencia a la transferencia a servicios de adultos, tanto de adolescentes y cuidadores, como del equipo pediátrico; existencia de fuerte vínculo entre profesional, adolescente portador de enfermedad crónica y cuidador; dificultad en el desarrollo de la autonomía del adolescente portador de enfermedad crónica; invisibilidad de la adolescencia propiamente tal en el proceso de atención de la enfermedad crónica; y dificultad en la coordinación entre el equipo pediátrico y adulto durante la transferencia. Acorde a estas necesidades, barreras y puntos críticos y en base a experiencias internacionales publicadas, se plantean recomendaciones para la implementación de procesos graduales y planificados de transición, con énfasis en el diseño e implementación de políticas de transición, constitución de equipos multidisciplinarios y la planificación de la transición. Se discuten aspectos relativos a la coordinación de equipos, momento de transferencia, autocuidado y autonomía, registros para transferencias, participación de familias y adolescentes, necesidad de apoyo emocional, aspectos éticos involucrados, importancia de la confidencialidad, necesidad de adecuación de los servicios hospitalarios y de capacitación profesional, y la necesidad de evaluación y mayor investigación en el tema.
The Adolescent Branch from Sociedad Chilena de Pediatría supports the implementation of planned programs for transition from child to adult health centers, oriented to adolescents with chronic diseases, in order to ensure an appropriate follow-up and a high-quality health care. Recommendations for care are set out in the FONIS and VRI PUC project carried out by the Division of Pediatrics of the Universidad Católica de Chile: "Transition process from pediatric to adult services: perspectives of adolescents with chronic diseases, caregivers and health professionals", whose goal was to describe the experience, barriers, critical points, and facilitators in the transition process. Critical points detected in this study were: existence of a strong bond between adolescents, caregivers and the pediatric team, resistance to transition, difficulty developing autonomy and self-management among adolescents; invisibility of the process of adolescence; and lack of communication between pediatric and adult team during the transfer. According to these needs, barriers and critical points, and based on published international experiences, recommendations are made for implementation of gradual and planned transition processes, with emphasis on the design and implementation of transition policies, establishment of multidisciplinary teams and transition planning. We discuss aspects related to coordination of teams, transfer timing, self-care and autonomy, transition records, adolescent and family participation, need for emotional support, ethical aspects involved, importance of confidentiality, need for professional training, and the need for evaluation and further research on the subject.
Assuntos
Humanos , Adolescente , Adulto , Doença Crônica/terapia , Transição para Assistência do Adulto/organização & administração , Equipe de Assistência ao Paciente/organização & administração , Relações Profissional-Família , Relações Profissional-Paciente , Autocuidado , Chile , Autonomia Pessoal , Relações InterprofissionaisRESUMO
Alternative morphotypes have been reported less frequently in females than in males. An exception to this rule is the gradient of phenotypical masculinization reported in some female mammals, in which feminized and masculinized females represent two opposite ends along this gradient. These phenotypical differences originate during prenatal development as the consequence of maternal effects. Feminized and masculinized females differ in several traits, including morphological, physiological, behavioural and reproductive traits. Differences previously reported in reproductive traits between feminized and masculinized females come mostly from mechanistic studies performed in the laboratory, and not necessarily on social species. As a result, it is unclear to what extent these reported differences between female alternative morphotypes materialize in wild, natural populations. We quantified the effect of female alternative morphotype on female reproductive traits in a natural population of Octodon degus, a highly social rodent. We assessed female alternative morphotype through a continuous gradient of anogenital distance. Thus, feminized females were close to the short end of anogenital distance, while masculinized females were close to the long end of this gradient. We also tested the hypothesis that the social environment interacts with female morphotype to influence female reproductive traits. In female degus, only body weight affected litter size, where heavier females weaned more offspring. Masculinized females delivered male-biased litters and weaned heavier offspring. Lastly, masculinized females gave birth later in the breeding season compared to feminized females. Contrary to previous claims, our findings do not support that masculinized females are less fertile than feminized females. Moreover, masculinized females produced heavier, potentially higher quality offspring compared with feminized females.
Assuntos
Peso Corporal , Octodon/fisiologia , Reprodução , Razão de Masculinidade , Testosterona/metabolismo , Animais , Chile , Tamanho da Ninhada de Vivíparos , Parto , Estações do Ano , Comportamento SocialRESUMO
Group size may influence fitness benefits and costs that emerge from cooperative and competitive interactions in social species. However, evidence from plural breeding mammals indicates that group size is insufficient to explain variation in direct fitness, implying other attributes of social groups were overlooked. We studied the natural population of a social rodent during 5 years to test the hypothesis that social stability - in terms of group composition - modulates the effects of increasing number of breeding females (a proxy of communal rearing) and males on the number of offspring weaned (sired) and on the number of offspring weaned (sired) surviving to breeding age (two proxies of direct fitness). We quantified the effects of social stability (measured as changes in female or male group members between mating and the onset of lactation) on these fitness measures. We used live trapping, telemetry and DNA markers to determine social and fitness measures. Social stability in degus was variable in terms of the number of changes in group composition across groups. Low stability was mostly due to mortality and emigration of group members. Results supported a modulating role of social stability on the relationship between group size and the number of offspring weaned (sired). Stability in female and male group composition were both modulators of fitness to females and males. The modulatory role of stability was sex specific, where high social stability was often fitness beneficial to the females. Instead, low social stability was fitness enhancing to the males.
Assuntos
Aptidão Genética , Octodon/fisiologia , Reprodução , Comportamento Social , Animais , Chile , Feminino , Masculino , Octodon/genética , Densidade DemográficaRESUMO
Social life involves costs and benefits mostly associated with how individuals interact with each other. The formation of hierarchies inside social groups has evolved as a common strategy to avoid high costs stemming from social interactions. Hierarchical relationships seem to be associated with different features such as body size, body condition and/or age, which determine dominance ability ('prior attributes' hypothesis). In contrast, the 'social dynamic' hypothesis suggests that an initial social context is a determinant in the formation of the hierarchy, more so than specific individual attributes. Hierarchical rank places individuals in higher positions, which presumably increases resource accessibility to their benefit, including opportunities for reproduction. We evaluate the maintenance of hierarchy in a family group of guanacos (Lama guanicoe) and evaluate the possible mechanisms involved in the stability of these interactions and their consequences. We estimate the linearity of social hierarchy and their dynamics. We find evidence of the formation of a highly linear hierarchy among females with males positioned at the bottom of the hierarchy. This hierarchy is not affected by physical characteristics or age, suggesting that it is established only through intra-group interactions. Rank is not related with calves' weight gain either; however, subordinated females, with lower rank, exhibit higher rates of allosuckling. We found no evidence of hierarchical structure in calves suggesting that hierarchical relationship in guanacos could be established during the formation of the family group. Hence, our results suggest that hierarchical dynamics could be related more to social dynamics than to prior attributes. We finally discuss the importance of hierarchies established by dominance and their role in minimizing social costs of interactions.
Assuntos
Camelídeos Americanos , Hierarquia Social , Predomínio Social , Animais , Camelídeos Americanos/psicologia , Feminino , MasculinoRESUMO
Non-invasive methodological approaches are highly recommended and commonly used to study the feeding ecology of elusive and threatened mammals. In this study, we use multiple lines of evidence to assess the feeding strategies of the endangered Southern river otter, by determining seasonal prey availability (electrofishing), analysis of undigested prey remains (spraints), and the use of stable isotopes (δ(15)N and δ(13)C) in otter spraints (n = 262) and prey in a wetland ecosystem of southern Chile (39°49'S, 73°15'W). Fecal and isotopic analyses suggest that the otter diet is restricted to a few prey items, particularly the less-mobile, bottom-living, and larger prey such as crayfish (Samastacus spinifrons, 86.11%) and crabs (Aegla spp., 32.45%), supplemented opportunistically by cyprinids (Cyprinus carpio, 9.55%) and catfish (Diplomystes camposensis, 5.66%). The results suggest that the river otter is highly specialized in bottom foraging. Isotopic signatures of food sources and feces revealed a mid-upper trophic position for the Southern river otter, with either higher or lower δ(15)N values than their potential prey items. δ(13)C values for river otters were less enriched than their potential food resources. We suggest that due to their narrow trophic niche and possible dependence on only a few food items, this species may be highly vulnerable to the reduction in its prey populations. Finally, maintaining the ecological interactions between Southern river otters and their prey is considered a central priority for the survival of this endangered carnivore mammal.
Assuntos
Cadeia Alimentar , Lontras/fisiologia , Áreas Alagadas , Animais , Isótopos de Carbono/análise , Chile , Dieta , Fezes/química , Isótopos de Nitrogênio/análise , Lontras/metabolismo , Rios , Estações do AnoRESUMO
The breeding of wild animals for commercial purposes is becoming more frequent nowadays. This situation has led to an increase in contact rates between wild and domestic animals, with subsequent reciprocal transmission of parasites. In this study, we characterized the gastrointestinal and blood parasites of a group of 15 semi-captive guanacos (Lama guanicoe). We characterized gastrointestinal parasites by analyzing fecal samples through the sedimentation-flotation technique and hemoparasites by using blood smears stained with Giemsa. We found several gastrointestinal parasites including Nematoda and protozoans. The most frequently found parasites were Nematodirus sp. and Eimeria sp. In contrast with previous studies, neither Cestoda nor Fasciola were found. The only hemoparasite detected was Mycoplasma haemolamae, a parasite already described in llamas and alpacas. We conclude that the most frequent gastrointestinal parasites of semi-captive guanacos were nematodes and protozoans. Also, the hemoparasite M. haemolamae seems to be prevalent among captive populations of South American camelids. Finally, captive guanacos share several parasites with the traditional livestock. Therefore, keeping captive or semi-captive guanacos without an adequate sanitary protocol might have adverse consequences to adjacent traditional cattle farming and/or for wild animals.
Assuntos
Bacteriemia/veterinária , Camelídeos Americanos/microbiologia , Camelídeos Americanos/parasitologia , Coccidiose/veterinária , Enteropatias Parasitárias/veterinária , Infecções por Mycoplasma/veterinária , Infecções por Strongylida/veterinária , Animais , Animais Domésticos , Animais Selvagens , Corantes Azur , Bacteriemia/epidemiologia , Análise Química do Sangue/veterinária , Camelídeos Americanos/imunologia , Chile/epidemiologia , Coccidiose/epidemiologia , Coccidiose/parasitologia , Eimeria/isolamento & purificação , Fezes/parasitologia , Feminino , Trato Gastrointestinal/parasitologia , Enteropatias Parasitárias/epidemiologia , Enteropatias Parasitárias/parasitologia , Masculino , Mycoplasma/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Mycoplasma/epidemiologia , Infecções por Mycoplasma/microbiologia , Nematodirus/isolamento & purificação , Prevalência , Estrongilídios/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Strongylida/epidemiologia , Infecções por Strongylida/parasitologiaRESUMO
One of the most ubiquitous consequences of feeding in animals is specific dynamic action (SDA), a drastic increment in metabolic rate after a meal, which lasts from a few hours to several days. According to a recent exhaustive review by Secor (2009), studies in SDA are abundant, encompassing all kinds of vertebrates and invertebrates. However, important exceptions are arachnids, as few studies have characterized SDA in this group. Here, we measured the standard metabolic rate (SMR) of the Chilean tarantulas Euathlus truculentus (body mass=7.32±0.7 g; N=32; T(A)=25°C), its inter-individual variation (i.e., repeatability) and its SDA. We measured SMR three or four times in each individual, and we also conducted predation experiments where a prey was consumed by each spider, during a respirometry trial. The SMR of E. truculentus was 0.00049±0.000079 mlCO(2) g(-1) min(-1) which corresponds to 1524 µW (assuming a protein-based diet), 108.4% of the predicted value for arachnids. According to the standard nomenclature for SDA studies, the scope of the SDA for a meal size of 1.26±0.04 g (18% of the spider size) was 6.55±1.1 times the baseline, the time to peak was 45 min, and the magnitude of the SDA was 0.28±0.03 kj, which is 85% of the expected value for invertebrates. Our SMR data are in concordance with previous findings suggesting remarkably low energy metabolism in arachnids, compared with other arthropods. On the other hand, the exceedingly high scope of the postprandial response contrasts with the comparatively low SDA. This fact suggests that spiders spend most of the energy for digestion in a short period after prey capture, which could be a consequence of their external digestion.
Assuntos
Metabolismo Basal/fisiologia , Temperatura Corporal , Metabolismo Energético/fisiologia , Comportamento Alimentar , Período Pós-Prandial/fisiologia , Aranhas/fisiologia , Animais , Peso Corporal , Digestão , Alimentos , Consumo de OxigênioRESUMO
Siempre debemos tomar en cuenta las situaciones de los jóvenes. ¿Cómo puede interesarse una joven por la historia, si se habla solamente de varones y de guerras? Permanente e impliciatamente reciben la señal: historia no tiene nada que ver contigo. Respecto a ello, con la temática del seminario queremos lograr en cierta manera un equilibrio.