The food habits of four species of Muglidae, consisting of Liza grandisquamus, L falcipinus, Mugil curema and , were investigated using the frequency of occurrence and numerical methods of analysis. Also, Relative Gut Length (RGL) of fish specimen measured was calculated from fish gut length. Generally, the food consisted mainly diatoms, blue - green & green algae and detritus. Other food items included annelid, crustacea, nematode, insect parts, dinoflagellates and unidentified organisms. M. curema had the least Species Richness Index (2.827) while L grandisquamus had the highest (4.088). The Shanon - Wiener Diversity Index ranged 0.91 in M. curema to 1.03 in L. falcipinus, while Shanon's Index (HI]) ranged from 2.095 (M. curema) to 2.372(L falcipinus).The male M. bananesis had the least mean RGL of 2.48 ~c 0.17 while female L. falcipinus and L grandisquamus had the highest mean RLG of 3.31 ~c 0.13. The food items observed and the RGL suggest that the muglids studied were herbivorous or omnivorous. | Includes:- 18 refs.

OBJECTIVE: High water consumption has been proposed as an aid to weight control and as a means of reducing the energy density of the diet. This study examines the relationship between water consumption and other drinking and eating patterns. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999 to 2001, with responses from 4755 individuals [>/=]18 years of age, provides the data for this cross-sectional analysis. A cluster analysis was performed using z-scores of specific food and beverage consumption to examine patterns. A multinomial logit analysis was used to examine sociodemographic characteristics of each dietary pattern and to examine the effects of water consumption on the likelihood of consuming a non-dairy caloric beverage. All results were weighted to be nationally representative and controlled for design effects. RESULTS: Within the sample, 87% consumed water, with an average daily consumption of 51.9 oz (1.53 liters) per consumer. Water consumers drank fewer soft/fruit drinks and consumed 194 fewer calories per day. Water consumers (potentially a self-selected sample) consumed more fruits, vegetables, and low- and medium-fat dairy products. Four distinct unhealthy dietary patterns were found that included little or no water consumption. Older and more educated persons used healthier food patterns. Mexican dietary patterns were much healthier than dietary patterns of blacks. DISCUSSION: Water consumption potentially is a dietary component to be promoted, but much more must be understood about its role in a healthy diet. Because high water consumption is linked with healthier eating patterns--patterns more likely to be followed by higher-educated, older adults--the target of water promotion and healthy diet options should focus on younger and less educated adults.

BACKGROUND: Poor quality irrigation water is a major cause of disease transmission for urban inhabitants consuming fresh produce in many developing countries. Irradiation of food is an alternative approach to reducing health risks for consumers, but its implementation depends heavily on consumer acceptance.RESULTS: In this pilot study, we show that most respondents consider the water quality of Mexico City to be poor and a health risk, and would be willing to pay for irradiated food as a means of pasteurizing fresh iceberg lettuce.CONCLUSION: Irradiated food could, potentially, be accepted in developing countries that have problems with water quality. Such acceptance would presumably be due to the perception that such a novel technology would (1) alleviate water impairment, and (2) lead to economic improvement. It is then possible that the public considers that water quality is a more pressing concern than any potential side effects of food irradiation.

Fat accumulation by blackcaps (Sylvia atricapilla) is a prerequisite for successful migratory flight in the autumn and has recently been determined to be constrained by availability of drinking water. Birds staging in a fruit-rich Pistacia atlantica plantation that had access to water increased their body mass and fat reserves both faster and to a greater extent than birds deprived of water. We conducted a series of laboratory experiments on birds captured during the autumn migration period in which we tested the hypotheses that drinking water increases food use by easing limitations on the birds' dietary choices and, consequently, feeding and food processing rates, and that the availability of drinking water leads to improved digestion and, therefore, to higher apparent metabolizable energy. Blackcaps were trapped in autumn in the Northern Negev Desert, Israel and transferred to individual cages in the laboratory. Birds were provided with P. atlantica fruit and mealworms, and had either free access to water (controls) or were water-deprived. In experiment 1, in which mealworm availability was restricted, water-deprived birds had a fourfold lower fruit and energy intake rates and, consequently, gained less fat and total mass than control birds. Water availability did not affect food metabolizability. In experiment 2, in which mealworms were provided ad libitum, water availability influenced the birds' diet: water-restricted birds ate more mealworms, while control birds consumed mainly P. atlantica fruit. Further, in experiment 2, fat and mass gain did not differ between the two treatment groups. We conclude that water availability may have important consequences for fat accumulation in migrating birds while they fatten at stopover sites, especially when water-rich food is scarce. Restricted water availability may also impede the blackcap's dietary shift from insectivory to frugivory, a shift probably necessary for successful pre-migratory fattening.

Earthworks, such as embankments or excavations, because of their transient nature, usually do not play any important role in biodiversity protection and promotion in urban areas. However, the results of this study show that pits playing the role of infiltration basins, which are filled with water only in some periods, can provide bees with food resources and nesting sites. They are particularly important in habitats with simplified vegetation structures, e.g., in monoculture habitats. The attractiveness of infiltration basins and ditches as habitats for bees was assessed by comparing species richness and abundance of bee communities found there with those of coniferous forests&mdash:pine monocultures (where the reservoirs were created) and clearings. The species richness and abundance of bees in clearings, infiltration ditches, and basins were higher than in forests. Simultaneously, we found that an increase in woody vegetation coverage and the level of shading in the daytime had a negative effect on bee abundance. In contrast, it was positively affected by increasing the mean radius of a belt of predominantly open habitats around sampling sites (herbaceous plants and seedlings of woody plants &lt:60%). In this case, food resources were not a limiting factor of bee occurrence in the study area.

A total number of 166 specimens of Mugil cephalus caught from Epe Lagoon (low brackish/ freshwater) were examined for food and feeding habit and biometric features from November 2006 ? May 2007. The food of the species consisted mainly of algae (Bacillariophyta, Cyanophyta, Chlorophyta and Pyrrophyta) and detritus. The size range of fish examined were 12.4 ? 27.0cm (standard length) while the weight ranged from 22.40 ? 308.00g. The mean values of the biometric characters of Mugil cephalus did not reflect wide variations. The population dominant cohort in the lagoon represents the harvestable and marketable representative for a sustainable fishery and is a strong indication of potential for freshwater culture of this marine species. | Includes:- 2 tables.;1 fig.;23 refs.