Interspecific Difference in Seed Dispersal Characteristics between Japanese Macaques (Macaca fuscata) and Sympatric Japanese Martens (Martes melampus).

We compared the characteristics of seeds within faeces between semi-terrestrial Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) and sympatric arboreal Japanese martens (Martes melampus) in Shiga Heights, central Japan. We collected faecal samples of the two mammalian species for 1 year (n = 229 for macaques and n = 22 for martens). We then compared the proportion of seed occurrence, life-form composition, number of seeds and species richness within single faecal samples, and the seed intact ratio between the two mammalian species.

Effects of sugars on the cross-linking formation and phase separation of high-pressure induced gel of whey protein from bovine milk.

The effects of sugars (xylose, arabinose, fucose, fructose, galactose, glucose, sorbitol, maltose, sucrose, and lactose; 0-20% w/v) on the properties of the pressure-induced gel from a whey protein isolate (20%, 800 MPa, 30 degrees C, 10 min) were studied. All the sugars decreased the hardness, breaking stress and water-holding capacity of the gel at the same concentration of 55.5 mM.