104 research outputs found
Climate Heterogeneity Shapes the Diversity of Specialist Beetle Species Across Mountains in Malaysia
No full textThe importance of maintaining biodiversity is well recognized, although the impacts of the ongoing climate crisis on biodiversity are still poorly understood for many groups, including insects. Therefore, the objectives of this study are (1) to identify the climatic niche breadth of beetle species among nine different Malaysian mountains, (2) to characterize the role of environmental (climatic) factors in niche determination, and (3) to relate the climatic niche of the species to the mountain environmental heterogeneity. The Outlying Mean Index (OMI), which compares the multivariate distance between the average environmental conditions of a given area and the specific range of conditions in which each species occurs (marginality), was used to quantify the niche parameters. Among the 875 species, only 130 presented significant responses to the nine tested parameters, 113 of which were identified as specialists, whereas 17 were classified as generalists of the climate environment. The remaining 745 species were not related to the environmental variables under study. Mountains with more heterogeneous climates and greater climate variation between sampling sites or elevations had fewer specialist beetles. Conversely, mountains with more homogeneous climates had a greater number of specialist beetles
How the milk chemical composition and fatty acid profile are influenced by physiological factorsin Najdi dairy sheep
No full textSheep milk production is a complex process that is influenced by various factors. This study aims to investigate how the litter size (single vs. twins), birth type (male vs. female), age of the ewes and body weight affect the milk composition and fatty acid profile of milk fat. Milk samples were collected from 119 Najdi ewes that were the subject of this study. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MASS) was used to quantify the fatty acids (FAs). The results showed that the twins birth type (female/female) has a significant influence (P < 0.05) on the concentration of linoleic acid (LA), alpha-linolenic acid (ALA), behenic acid (C22:0) and polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA). On the other hand, saturated fatty acids (SFA), docosahexaenoic acid (C22:4; DHA), and odd-chain fatty acids (OCFA), such as C15:0-antiso and C19:1-cis 10, increased significantly (P < 0.05) with the increasing age and body weight of the ewes, while the ALA and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) significantly decreased (P < 0.05). The principal component analysis (PCA) revealed a positive association between the age and the OCFA, ALA and small-chain fatty acids (C6:0 and C8:0). In addition, the type of birth showed a positive association with the fat, lactose and palmitoleic acid C16:1 cis9. Conversely, there is a negative association between the UFA, monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and PUFA. In addition, the body weight (BW) and litter size were negatively associated with the protein, SFA and medium-chain fatty acids (C10:0, C12:0, C14:0 and C16:0). The physiological factors generally suggested that the milk quality and essential FA, such as ALA, were influenced by the type of the lamb's birth and the age of the ewes
Impacts of streamflow alteration on benthic macroinvertebrates by mini‐hydro diversion in Sri Lanka
No full textOur study focused on quantifying the alterations of streamflow at a weir site due to the construction of a mini-hydropower plant in the Gurugoda Oya (Sri Lanka), and evaluating the spatial responses of benthic macroinvertebrates to altered flow regime. The HEC-HMS 3.5 model was applied to the Gurugoda Oya sub-catchment to generate streamflows for the time period 1991-2013. Pre-weir flows were compared to post-weir flows with 32 Indicators of Hydrologic Alteration using the range of variability approach (RVA). Concurrently, six study sites were established upstream and downstream of the weir, and benthic macroinvertebrates were sampled monthly from May to November 2013 (during the wet season). The key water physico-chemical parameters were also determined. RVA analysis showed that environmental flow was not maintained below the weir. The mean rate of non-attainment was similar to 45% suggesting a moderate level of hydrologic alteration. Benthic macroinvertebrate communities significantly differed between the study sites located above and below the weir, with a richness reduction due to water diversion. The spatial distribution of zoobenthic fauna was governed by water depth, dissolved oxygen content and volume flow rate. Our work provides first evidence on the effects of small hydropower on river ecosystem in a largely understudied region. Studies like this are important to setting-up adequate e-flows
Diversity and abundance of beetle at Kuala Kelapor, national park, Malaysia
No full textNational Park is one of the oldest rainforests found in South-east Asia andit hasa very complex ecosystem. The objective of this study was to preparean inventory on beetle abundance and diversity at Kuala Kelapor National Park, Malaysia. Beetles were sample during pitfall traps, Malaise traps and light traps at five different trails in April 2015. This study successfully recorded709 individuals of beetles from 93 different species belonging to 26 different families. The most abundant species was Coccotrypes sp. 1, followed by Coccotrypes sp. 2 and Aetheomorpha sp. 1. The abundant beetle families were Curculionidae, Chrysomelidae and Scarabaeidae. Light traps and pitfall traps showed almost identical number of beetles collected, while Malaise traps recorded of107 individuals. Higher number of beetles were collected from Trail 3, followed by Trail 1 and base camp. The Shannon diversity index, Simpson diversity index and Fisher alpha diversity showed higher diversity values, which suggests that National Park accommodates a high diversity of beetles. Abundance is measured using Margalef index and Menhinick indices, showed values of 13.88 and 3.47, respectively. This information could be used as an initial step to analyze the potential use of beetles as a bioindicator group in Malaysia and climate change studies
Management of Femoral Periprosthetic Fractures: An Institutional Experience at a District General Hospital.
No full text© Copyright 2024 Safdar et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License CC-BY 4.0., which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.Introduction A total hip replacement is a common procedure performed by trauma and orthopaedic surgeons. Successful outcomes in arthroplasty surgery have significantly contributed to more hip replacement procedures being performed annually. This has also increased the incidence of femoral periprosthetic fractures, leading to more revision hip replacement procedures being performed. Methods This is a retrospective cohort study carried out at a district general hospital in the United Kingdom. Theatre records were reviewed from 2018 to 2022 to identify patients with a femoral periprosthetic fracture. Following the data collection, the patients were split into two groups. The first group analysed the patient outcomes through the type of surgical intervention they had, and the second group analysed the patients according to the timing of surgical intervention. Results There were 88 patients included in the study, out of which 49 had revision surgery and 39 had fixation for the femoral periprosthetic fracture. No statistically significant difference was observed in 30-day mortality and one-year mortality for the patients having revision or fixation surgery. Similarly, the results were not found to be significant in 30-day mortality and one-year mortality for the patients having surgery within 36 hours or after 36 hours of diagnosis. Conclusion Overall, the findings of this study are in keeping with the literature. Input from the specialist arthroplasty team is often required for the management of femoral periprosthetic fractures. There is no significant impact on mortality with a delay in surgical intervention for femoral periprosthetic fractures, unlike hip fractures. Medical optimisation and careful planning lead to better patient outcomes for this group of patients
How mountains and elevations shape the spatial distribution of beetles in Peninsular Malaysia
No full textThis study was conducted to assess the spatial distribution of beetles in mountain ecosystems and their elevational diversity. Malaise, pitfall and light traps were used to collect beetles from nine different mountains in Malaysia from September 2014 to September 2016, where from Gunung Angsi, Gunung Belumut, Gunung Basor and Gunung Tebu samples were collected at 500 m and 1000 m (above sea level) elevations, while beetles were sampled at 500 m, 1000 m and 1500 masl from Gunung Benom, Gunung Inas, Cameron Highland, Gunung Besar Hantu and Gunung Basor. In this study, 9628 beetles belonging to 879 different species were collected with highest representation from family Staphylinidae and Carabidae. Chamah Highland had the highest beetle diversity followed by Gunung Benom, Gunung Inas, Cameron Highland, Gunung Belumut, and Gunung Basor. Chamah Highland was different to all mountains on abundance and species richness. The highest species richness was observed at 1000 m, followed by 500 m and 1500 m. We identified characteristic species associated with habitat conditions at Gunung Benoum and Gunung Inas mountains, according to INDVAL values. The beetle diversity of the sampled mountains showed multiple alpha and beta patterns according to type of mountain ecosystem and elevation, providing guidelines for the scientific community to underpin conservation efforts in Malaysia.Full Tex
Beetle abundance, diversity and species richness of Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia
No full textIslands have attracted great enthusiasm for biogeographers, evolutionary biologists and ecologists as they are good testing grounds for various biological hypotheses. The objective of this study was to assess the beetle diversity and abundance of Pulau Pangkor forest reserves. Beetles were collected using 12 light traps for 4 hours at night, 24 hours collection daily using 100 pitfall traps and 12 Malaise traps for a duration of six days from 15th to 21st July 2017. A total of 277 beetle specimens comprising of 116 species from 26 families were collected, where 75.21% of the collections were singletones. Shannon-Weaver Index showed a value of 3.847 whereas, Fisher alpha diversity index and Simpson Diversity index showed 72.45 and 0.948, respectively. Margalef index for abundance showed a value of 20.09, while the estimated species richness based on Chao 1 showed 347.80. The most abundant family is Bostrichidae accounting for 86 specimens from 20 different species followed by Carabidae with 57 specimens from 10 species. The Cyclosomus sp. (Family Carabidae) collected is reported to be a new species to be described later. Species accumulation curve doesn’t reach the asymptote which is generally observed in the tropics due to the high specious nature. This study shows the beetle diversity at Pulau Pangkor is unique and it requires conservation of habitats. This study can be extended to annual beetle diversity pattern to assess the hypothesis related to biomass reduction, anthropogenic disturbances and island biogeography. © 2019 Forestry Department of Peninsular Malaysia. All Rights Reserved
Coleoptera of Genting Highland, Malaysia: species richness and diversity changes along the elevations
No full textThe objective of this study was to measure beetle richness and diversity in Genting Highland at four major elevations (500 m, 1,000 m, 1,500 m and 1,800 m). Beetles were collected using light traps, malaise traps and pitfall traps. Altogether, 1,499 beetle samples representing 156 morphospecies were collected. Light trap and pitfall traps were more effective than Malaise trap. The 500 m elevation band displayed high species richness, abundance and diversity with all indices showing a decreasing pattern. The species accumulation curve displayed a progressive asymptote for all the altitudinal transects, showing the sampling effort was sufficient for this study. A long–term monitoring program of beetle diversity and distribution is useful to test abiotic factors that might influence biodiversity. This study also serves as a benchmark for further studies on this highly disturbed montane cloud forest in Peninsular Malaysia and will be useful to implement effective conservation management, particularly under the threat of climate change. © 2019 belongs to the authors
Beetle abundance, diversity and species richness of Pulau Pangkor, Perak, Malaysia
No full textIslands have attracted great enthusiasm for biogeographers, evolutionary biologists and ecologists as they are good testing grounds for various biological hypotheses. The objective of this study was to assess the beetle diversity and abundance of Pulau Pangkor forest reserves. Beetles were collected using 12 light traps for 4 hours at night, 24 hours collection daily using 100 pitfall traps and 12 Malaise traps for a duration of six days from 15th to 21st July 2017. A total of 277 beetle specimens comprising of 116 species from 26 families were collected, where 75.21% of the collections were singletones. Shannon-Weaver Index showed a value of 3.847 whereas, Fisher alpha diversity index and Simpson Diversity index showed 72.45 and 0.948, respectively. Margalef index for abundance showed a value of 20.09, while the estimated species richness based on Chao 1 showed 347.80. The most abundant family is Bostrichidae accounting for 86 specimens from 20 different species followed by Carabidae with 57 specimens from 10 species. The Cyclosomus sp. (Family Carabidae) collected is reported to be a new species to be described later. Species accumulation curve doesn’t reach the asymptote which is generally observed in the tropics due to the high specious nature. This study shows the beetle diversity at Pulau Pangkor is unique and it requires conservation of habitats. This study can be extended to annual beetle diversity pattern to assess the hypothesis related to biomass reduction, anthropogenic disturbances and island biogeography.University of Malaya
Ecotourism & Conservation Society Malaysia (ECOMY)
Vale Pvt. Ltd
Beetles species richness along environmental gradients at montane ecosystem in Fraser's hill, peninsular Malaysia
No full textThis study measures beetle diversity and distribution pattern along elevations at Fraser’s Hill, a pristine tropical forest in Malaysia. Sites were sampled at 500 m, 1000 m, 1500 m and 1800 m a.s.l. using two light traps, two Malaise traps and 25 pitfall traps at each elevation. Sampling was carried out at three months' intervals in 2015. Altogether, 1981 beetles representing 32 families and 116 species were collected, with proportion of obtained species above 70% at all elevations. Species richness was not significant among elevations, thus forming no discernible pattern of species distribution. Higher Shannon diversity increased steadily with elevation and dominance was lowest at the two highest elevations, while beetle abundance decreases significantly with elevation. There was no significant difference between the diversity values at 500 m and 1000 m, and 1500 m and 1800 m, whereas there was significant difference between 500 m and 1500 m, and 1000 m and 1800 m. The results highlight the importance of different microhabitats for different beetle species and their own responses to environmental parameters that differ with altitudinal clines. These findings also highlight the importance of Fraser's Hill as a key location for biological conservation and as protected area
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