EJPAU 2006. Działa-Szczepańczyk E. MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAECUM IN LONG-TAILED DUCKS <I>CLANGULA HYEMALIS</I> WINTERING ON THE POLISH BALTIC COAST

Electronic Journal of Polish Agricultural Universities (EJPAU) founded by all Polish Agriculture Universities presents original papers and review articles relevant to all aspects of agricultural sciences. It is target for persons working both in science and industry,regulatory agencies or teaching in agricultural sector. Covered by IFIS Publishing (Food Science and Technology Abstracts), ELSEVIER Science - Food Science and Technology Program, CAS USA (Chemical Abstracts), CABI Publishing UK and ALPSP (Association of Learned and Professional Society Publisher - full membership). Presented in the Master List of Thomson ISI.

2006
Volume 9
Issue 4/volume9

Topic:

Biology

ELECTRONIC
JOURNAL OF
POLISH
AGRICULTURAL
UNIVERSITIES

Działa-Szczepańczyk E. 2006. MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAECUM IN LONG-TAILED DUCKS CLANGULA HYEMALIS WINTERING ON THE POLISH BALTIC COAST, EJPAU 9(4/volume9), #40.
Available Online: http://www.ejpau.media.pl/volume9/issue4/volume9/abs-40.html

MORPHOMETRIC CHARACTERISTIC OF THE CAECUM IN LONG-TAILED DUCKS CLANGULA HYEMALIS WINTERING ON THE POLISH BALTIC COAST

Ewa Działa-Szczepańczyk
Department of Zoology and Apiculture, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Poland

ABSTRACT

The caeca of 140 long-tailed ducks (Clangula hyemalis) (87 males:9 immature and 78 adults; 53 females: 13 immature and 40 adults) collected in 1993-2000 in the western part of the Polish Baltic coast were examined. A particular attention was paid to relationships between 4 metric characters: left caecum length (CLL); right caecum length (CRL); left caecum weight (CLW); right caecum weight (CRW) and three characters describing body size: weight (BW), length (BL), and sternum length (SL). The fluctuating asymmetry (FA) in the caecum length and weight was explored by means of the fluctuating asymmetry coefficient (FAC = 1-r^2,; where r is the correlation coefficient of a correlation between parameters selected). Fluctuating asymmetry of paired organs may reflect changes in the homeostasis of wild animals that are affected by various environmental factors; hence FAC may be a valuable proxy of the habitat quality.

The Long-tailed Ducks examined showed mean CLL, CRL, CLW, and CRW to be 90.7 cm; 78.4 cm; 0.47 g; and 0.42 g, respectively. No significant correlations between mean values of BW, BL, and SL with any of the caecum character analysed. Length and weight asymmetries of the caecum showed a pronounced pattern: the left caecum in 127 individuals (90.7%) was longer and in 115 individuals (82.1%) heavier than the right one. The FAC values for the caecum length and weight were 0.472 and 0.437, respectively.

Key words: Long-tailed Duck Clangula hyemalis , caecum, asymmetry.

Ewa Działa-Szczepańczyk
Department of Zoology and Apiculture, West Pomeranian University of Technology, Poland
Doktora Judyma 20, 71-466 Szczecin, Poland
phone: (+48 091)449-67-32
email: Ewa.Dziala-Szczepanczyk@zut.edu.pl

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