RESUMEN
Sexual, ontogenic and temporal effects in the diet of Dasyatis longa were evaluated to determine feeding habits and trophic ecology. Numeric indices and the index of relative importance were applied to establish the feeding strategy of the species. Independence of the diet with respect to sex, dry or rainy season and size was evaluated with contingency tables, correspondence analysis and multivariate analysis (MANOVA). The trophic relationships of D. longa (by sex and size intervals) were determined using Levin's niche breadth index and the Pianka's diet overlap index and their significance was determined by null models. The trophic level for each size interval and the species was also calculated. Dasyatis longa showed a narrow niche breadth feeding mainly on shrimps and fishes and its diet was dependent on size, but not on sex or season. Juvenile individuals (class I) fed on shrimps, sub-adults (class II) on fishes and adults (class III) on stomatopods. Significant overlaps between size classes I and II and classes II and III were found. The trophic level shows D. longa to be a secondary or tertiary consumer. Due to considerable fishing pressures on shrimps, the principal prey of D. longa, it will be important to determine their ability to adapt to changes in prey populations.
Asunto(s)
Dieta , Conducta Alimentaria , Cadena Alimentaria , Estaciones del Año , Rajidae/fisiología , Análisis de Varianza , Animales , Tamaño Corporal , Femenino , Contenido Digestivo , Masculino , Océano PacíficoRESUMEN
OBJECTIVES: To examine the quality of life of a population sample of adolescents suffering from epilepsy. METHODS: All people aged 10-19 years diagnosed with epilepsy and without comorbid conditions in the Spanish province of Huesca were considered for the study. Quality of life was measured with the Spanish version of the Qolie-AD-48. RESULTS: A total of 66 young people with a mean age of 15 years had active epilepsy and agreed to participate; 30.3% had experienced seizures during the previous year. There were some differences in quality of life according to gender and socioeconomic status. Quality of life decreased with increasing severity of epilepsy (r = -0.63, P < 0.01). Medication neurotoxicity was associated with a lower quality of life over and above the effect of severity of the illness (partial r = -0.58, P < 0.01). Quality of life was negatively associated with the number of seizures per year (r = -0.64, P < 0.01), longer duration of the illness (r = -0.36, P < 0.01) and earlier age of onset (r = -0.29, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The quality of life of young people with epilepsy in community samples varies according to gender and socioeconomic status, but severity of the epilepsy and side-effects of medication are the main influence. This highlights the importance of optimal control of the seizures with medications with few side-effects.