Diet composition of omnivorous Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizards () in arid human-altered landscapes of Southwest Iran.

The Mesopotamian spiny-tailed lizard, , is one of the largest lizard species in the Middle East. Here, we report on the diet of the lizard and their potential role in seed dispersal in Southwestern Iran. We analyzed lizard fecal pellet groups ( = 124) for their food item composition and seed content.

Macronutrient (im)balance drives energy intake in an obesogenic food environment: An ecological analysis.

Objective: The protein leverage hypothesis (PLH) postulates that strong regulation of protein intake drives energy overconsumption and obesity when human diets are diluted by fat and carbohydrates. The two predictions of the PLH are that humans (i) regulate intake to maintain protein within a narrow range and that (ii) energy intake is an inverse function of percentage energy from protein because absolute protein intake is maintained within narrow limits.

Methods: Multidimensional nutritional geometry was used to test the predictions of the PLH using dietary data from the Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey.

Wildfires in the Siberian taiga.

The majority of area burned by wildfire are located in Siberia. Mainly low-intensity surface fires occur in larch forests, whereas in evergreen forests both surface and crown fires are observed. Warming has led to an increase in the frequency and area of wildfires that have reached the Arctic Ocean shore.

Feeding preferences and nutritional niche of wild water buffalo () in Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve, Nepal.

The nutritional characteristics of food resources play an important role in the foraging behavior of animals and can provide information valuable to their conservation and management. We examined the nutritional ecology of wild water buffalo (; hereafter "buffalo") in the Koshi Tappu Wildlife Reserve of Nepal during autumn using a multidimensional nutritional niche framework. We identified 54 plant species as being foraged by buffalo.

Diet and macronutrient niche of Asiatic black bear () in two regions of Nepal during summer and autumn.

Relatively little is known about the nutritional ecology of omnivorous Asiatic black bears () in Nepal. We characterized the diet of black bears in two seasons (June-July, "summer"; and October-November "autumn") and two study areas (Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve [DHR]; and Kailash Sacred Landscape [KSL]). We then conducted nutritional analysis of species consumed by black bears in each study area, in combination with nutritional estimates from the literature, to estimate the proportions of macronutrients (i.

Recent trends in intensive treatments of obesity: Is academic research matching public interest?

Background: The demand and the utilization of intensive treatments of obesity have been increased tremendously.

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate trends in interest related to the intensive treatments of obesity in both academic research and the public domain, and assess whether they match each other.

Setting: The BMI Clinic, Double Bay, New South Wales, Australia.

Decreasing brown bear () habitat due to climate change in Central Asia and the Asian Highlands.

Around the world, climate change has impacted many species. In this study, we used bioclimatic variables and biophysical layers of Central Asia and the Asian Highlands combined with presence data of brown bear () to understand their current distribution and predict their future distribution under the current rate of climate change. Our bioclimatic model showed that the current suitable habitat of brown bear encompasses 3,430,493 km in the study area, the majority of which (>65%) located in China.

Nutritional ecology and the evolution of aging.

Considerable progress has been made in understanding both evolutionary and mechanistic aspects of biological aging, although the two areas remain poorly integrated. We suggest that a greater emphasis on ecology can help to remedy this, by focusing on the interface between biological mechanisms and the environments in which they evolved by natural selection. Among the most salient aspects of the environment relevant to aging is nutrition, and yet in the bulk of aging research nutrition is coarsely represented as dietary restriction or caloric restriction, without consideration for how specific components of diet, beyond "energy" (the undifferentiated mix of macronutrients), are driving the observed effects.

Foods, macronutrients and fibre in the diet of blue sheep (Psuedois nayaur) in the Annapurna Conservation Area of Nepal.

Food resources are often critical regulating factors affecting individual fitness and population densities. In the Himalayan Mountains, Bharal "blue sheep" (Pseudois nayaur) are the main food resource for the endangered snow leopard (Panthera uncia), as well as being preyed upon by other predators. Blue sheep, however, may face a number of challenges including food resource competition with other wild and domestic ungulates, and hunting pressure.

Diet and nutrient balance of red panda in Nepal.

We identified the winter plant species consumed by red panda in the Dhorpatan Hunting Reserve of eastern Nepal and compared this to the early-summer diet which was determined previously by Panthi et al. (2012). In addition, we estimated the proximate nutritional content of the leaves identified in red panda diet for both seasons, and we used nutritional geometry to explore macronutrient balance of leaves from the two different sampling periods.

Assessing Nutritional Parameters of Brown Bear Diets among Ecosystems Gives Insight into Differences among Populations.

Food habit studies are among the first steps used to understand wildlife-habitat relationships. However, these studies are in themselves insufficient to understand differences in population productivity and life histories, because they do not provide a direct measure of the energetic value or nutritional composition of the complete diet. Here, we developed a dynamic model integrating food habits and nutritional information to assess nutritional parameters of brown bear (Ursus arctos) diets among three interior ecosystems of North America.

Dietary Protein to Carbohydrate Ratio and Caloric Restriction: Comparing Metabolic Outcomes in Mice.

Both caloric restriction (CR) and low-protein, high-carbohydrate (LPHC) ad-libitum-fed diets increase lifespan and improve metabolic parameters such as insulin, glucose, and blood lipids. Severe CR, however, is unsustainable for most people; therefore, it is important to determine whether manipulating macronutrient ratios in ad-libitum-fed conditions can generate similar health outcomes. We present the results of a short-term (8 week) dietary manipulation on metabolic outcomes in mice.

Do wild carnivores forage for prey or for nutrients? Evidence for nutrient-specific foraging in vertebrate predators.

A widespread perception is that carnivores are limited by the amount of prey that can be captured rather than their nutritional quality, and thus have no need to regulate macronutrient balance. Contrary to this view, recent laboratory studies show macronutrient-specific food selection by both invertebrate and vertebrate predators, and in some cases also associated performance benefits. The question thus arises of whether wild predators might likewise feed selectively according to the macronutrient content of prey.

Macronutrient optimization and seasonal diet mixing in a large omnivore, the grizzly bear: a geometric analysis.

Nutrient balance is a strong determinant of animal fitness and demography. It is therefore important to understand how the compositions of available foods relate to required balance of nutrients and habitat suitability for animals in the wild. These relationships are, however, complex, particularly for omnivores that often need to compose balanced diets by combining their intake from diverse nutritionally complementary foods.