View allAll Photos Tagged pigmentation
100%全新香港專櫃正品 Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum 30ml
100%全新香港專櫃正品 資生堂 美透白集中淡斑精華素
**(保證真品及全新及未開封連包裝紙盒)**
WHITE LUCENT Intensive Spot Targeting Serum+
Description:
A super brightening serum created to diminish stubborn dark spots in 10 days and prevent future pigmentation from appearing. Formulated with smoothing and re-texturizing ingredients to enhance clarity and radiance for flawless, perfectly even-toned skin.
•Developed with advanced Shiseido Multi-Action Brightening System+, targeting all types of hyper-pigmentation and their causes: dark spots, age spots, acne scars and uneven skin tones.
•Contains ME Complex (Yomogi Extract and Angelica Root Extract) to accelerate cell turnover and diminish and eliminate melanin pigment.
The recommended replenishment cycle for 30mL is 1 month and 50mL is 2 months.
Shiseido White Lucent Intensive Spot Targeting Serum
美透白集中淡斑精華素
10天瓦解黑色素板塊 徹底粉碎頑固色斑
劃時代擊退色斑的精華素，以Shiseido最尖端美白科技研製成，蘊含多效維他命C、4MSK，有效截擊不同階段形成的黑色素，重點擊退雀斑ujhy、色斑，使膚色均勻。 2011年，SHISEIDO WHITE LUCENT將美白修護推向頂峰，除基本修護系列及速效重點擊斑精華素外，更隆重加入融入WHITE LUCENT Intensive Spot Targeting Serum高效美白精華素的高效美白成分粉底及高效防曬粧前底霜，同時提供護膚及化粧效果，賦予令人驚喜的美白體驗。3月起限量發售的 Brightening Skincare Powder，作為晚間護膚程序最後一步使用，此獨創護膚程序，令肌膚綻放自然紅潤感，變得絲漾柔滑。
Makeup Artist's Comment:
用了這款精華素兩星期後，喜歡它用後不會令肌膚乾燥之餘，還很水潤，而且只需兩星期便可做到重點美白及減淡暗瘡印的效果。
國際殿堂美容品牌Shiseido早於一九一七年開始對美白進行研究，更率先推出首支美白產品，百年來一直追求有效擊退色斑、暗啞的美白護膚方案。 多款膾炙人口的美白產品遍佈全球，於美白科研上領導先驅。時至今日，Shiseido White Lucent美透白已成為其皇牌美白系列，為全球女性締造無瑕美肌。
Shiseido深明要令肌膚完全剔透亮白，就要針對所有階段的黑色素活動，阻隔其形成。Shiseido致力研究能針對色斑的美白科研，並取得重大躍進，不但發現黑色素形成的特殊原理，更成功開發了多種高效美白成份與科技從根本徹底改善及阻截色斑。憑着領先全球的美白技術，Shiseido目前擁有最多被日本厚生省認可的高效美白成份，並首創多重亮化美白系統，創造前所未有的升級版Shiseido White Lucent美透白修護系列。其焦點產品Intensive Spot Targeting Serum為劃時代擊退色斑精華素，集合最尖端透白美肌方案。每滴精華素都蘊含了4MSK及多效修護維他命C等高效美白成份，經測試驗證能於兩週內全面擊退暗啞。
Shiseido White Lucent蘊含美白史上最多被認可的高效美白成份，如多效修護維他命C（Multi-Target Vitamin C）及獨家成份4MSK，並以最先進技術多重亮化美白系統Multi-Action Whitening System，針對不同階段形成的黑色素，淡化已呈現的色斑，同時更有效防止黑色素新生形成，二○一○年升級推出後，Intensive Spot Tergeting Serum於一年內已屢獲各大傳媒評選為最佳擊斑精華素。
•重點淡斑精華，針對日曬及年齡斑點粉刺斑跡黑斑。輕柔柔潤質地能夠迅速被肌吸收。以美白成份4MSK & m-Tranexam酸配方，抑制黑斑出現。混合多效維生素C和天然Yomogi 精華
•帶出亮采滋養的均勻膚色。用法：早晚潔膚及爽膚後使用，取少量於爽掌中使用，之後使用保濕露。
一瓶具有美白配方的淡斑精華，專門為減少肌膚黑斑而設計，結合資生堂獨家黑色素感應系統+，鎖定問題斑點，從細胞中去破壞麥拉淋*，並抑制黑斑生成的惡性循環。**肌膚斑點減少了，同時預防色素再沉澱，更能使肌膚膚質嫩透明亮。
*令因黑色素累積而變硬的細胞重新分裂.**
**試管測試
使用方法:
・每天早晚於塗抹健膚水後乳液前使用。
・取按壓瓶泵兩次分量於掌心，塗勻全面。
原價︰ HK$ 760.00 / 網購HK$ 1073.00
全新正貨, 100% NEW & REAL
貨品絶對全新及真貨, 對於貨品來源及真偽問題, 本人不會再回答.
MTR太子站面交收
聯絡時間可致電查詢
電話:95888767 MI
A statue showing marks of its original pigmentation in the archeology museum at the Acropolis in Athens.
IPL laser hair removal treatments are both very popular forms of permanent hair removal. IPL Laser is a technology used by cosmetic and medical practitioners to perform various skin treatments for aesthetic and therapeutic purposes, including hair removal, photorejuvenation (e.g. the treatment of skin pigmentation, sun damage, and thread veins) as well as to alleviate dermatologic diseases.
For More Details And Book Your Appointment:
Visit Now : inoabeauty.com
Call Now : 02085990303
At Aesthetic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Jerry Darm and his dedicated staff have promoted wellness, health and beauty for over a decade. Over 50,000 procedures performed utilizing 25 different lasers and aesthetic devices have made Aesthetic Medicine one of the largest medical spas in the United States. The innovative 21st century technologies, the attention to detail and the dedication to customer service have given Aesthetic Medicine an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Skin Problems
Skin problems such as acne, rosacea, sun damage, pigmentation, scarring, unwanted hair, and moles can be safely and effectively treated with lasers and aesthetic devices.
Wrinkles
Fine lines, deep wrinkles,pore size, dark circles and overall skin texture are best treated with the Laser Lift™. This exclusive procedure combines microdermabrasion with three FDA approved lasers which rejuvenate and tighten the skin while building new collagen.
Injectables
Botox® and Dysport® are used to treat wrinkles in motion around the eyes and in the forehead. Injectable fillers including Juvederm® and Restylane® are used to fill in the deeper frown lines around the mouth and chin.
Unwanted Fat / Cellulite
Unwanted fat can be removed from the neck, arms, chest, abdomen, back, flanks and thighs using the unique Lipo Lift™ procedures developed at Aesthetic Medicine with minimum pain and downtime. We are one of the busiest centers in the United States and have performed over 500 Lipo Lift™ III (Laser Lypolysis ) procedures in the past year. For the noninvasive treatment of fat and cellulite we have combined several FDA approved devices (LipoLift™ I ).
Weight Loss
Dr. Darm and his staff of dietitians and nutritionists have over 40 years of combined experience in Medical Weight Management. The average participant loses 40 to 60 pounds in a 3-6 month period. Thousands of patients have achieved success in this comprehensive program.
Spider Veins
Unsightly spider veins are successfully removed using sclerotherapy and laser treatments.
Facial Plastic Surgery
Blepharoplasty, Facelifts, Rhinoplasty, Necklifts, Browlifts, and related procedures are performed by our experienced board certified surgeon.
A large male sunbathing and cooling itself with sand on Chrystalls Beach, Otago, New Zealand.
New Zealand sea lions are only found in New Zealand. They are one of the rarest species of sea lion in the world and arguably the most threatened because of their declining numbers and restricted breeding range.
Sea lions are found mainly on beaches in Otago and Southland areas and New Zealand’s Subantarctic Islands.
Under the New Zealand Threat Classification System the New Zealand sea lions is classed as Nationally Critical, the highest threat classification in New Zealand.
Formerly known as the Hooker's sea lion the species has a blunt nose and short whiskers.
There is a marked difference in appearance between adult males and females.
Mature males are brown to black in colour with well-developed manes reaching to the shoulders.
Females are lighter in colour, predominantly creamy grey with darker pigmentation around their flippers.
Adult females: length 1.6-2.0 m, weight 100-160 kg
Adult males: length 2.4-3.5 m, weight 250-400 kg.
Pups of both sexes are chocolate brown with paler areas around the head. Juvenile males can resemble adult females in colour and size.
Range
Archaeological evidence suggests that NZ sea lions used to be found along the entire length of the NZ coast from the north of the North Island down to Stewart Island and the subantarctic Islands. The finding of sea lion remains in excavations and historical records indicate that both Mäori and European settlers hunted sea lions.
Nowadays NZ sea lions breeding colonies are only found in the Auckland and Campbell Islands (North West Bay of Campbell Island). 79% of the species’ pups are born in three islands of the Auckland Islands (Dundas, Enderby and Figure of Eight). The Auckland Islands sea lion colonies are nevertheless a remnant of what used to be once before the island’s discovery in 1806. Soon after sea lions were exploited for their pelts for a period of 24 years until activities ceased due to the low numbers of animals remaining. It is evident that many New Zealand sea lions were killed during this time but it is unknown exactly how many due to poor and often non-existent record keeping. Occasional killings continued until the late 1880's when the animals were protected by law.
In 1993 a single female, born at the Auckland Islands, started to breed on the Otago peninsula. From 1993 to 2014, 63 pups have been born at the Otago peninsula with the original female's daughter, granddaughters and great-granddaughters now breeding there. Breeding is also occurring in small numbers on Stewart Island.
Haul-out sites are more widespread and extend to Macquarie Island in the south to Stewart Island and the islands of Foveaux Strait.
Sea lions favour sandy beaches as haul-out areas. On warm summer days they will flick sand over themselves to try to keep cool. Females with pups will often move well inland on islands using vegetation or forest for shelter.
Population
Recent population estimates set the total population at about 10,000 and declining. This makes the New Zealand sea lion the rarest sea lion species in the world. Apart from the Australian sea lion (whose population is estimated to be 10,000-15,000), all other sea lion species are in the hundreds of thousands!
The temple's architecture is generally Modernist, an aesthetic that extends to the choice of exterior cladding: 146,000 square feet (14,000 m²) of Mo-Sai pre-cast concrete facing, a mixture of crushed quartz and white Portland cement quarried in Utah and Nevada. The very light brown pigmentation of the Mo-Sai blend has the advantage of concealing the thin layer of soot that accumulates on most buildings in Los Angeles. The temple is 369 feet (112 m) long, 269 feet (82 m) wide and has an overall height of 257 feet (78 m). Atop the temple sits a 15 foot (5 m) tall statue of the angel Moroni.
LDS decor is now selling our framed prints at affordable prices. Check them out at: LDSDecor.com
What is breast?
The term breast, also known by the Latin mamma in anatomy, refers to the upper ventral region of an animal's torso, particularly that of mammals, including human beings. In addition, the breasts are parts of a female mammal's body which contain the organs that secrete milk used to feed infants.
The breasts are covered by skin; each breast has one nipple surrounded by the areola. The larger mammary glands within the breast produce the milk; they consist of several lobules, and each breast has some 10-20 lactiferous ducts that drain milk from the lobules to the nipple, where each duct has its own opening.
What is Areola?
The small darkened area around the nipple of the breast, colored from pink to dark brown, hairless, and have several sebaceous glands..
What is nipple?
The pigmented projection on the surface of the breast. Ducts that conduct milk from the mammary glands to the surface of the breast exit through the nipple. The surrounding flat area of pigmentation is the areola.
For Hector's dolphin's on the Black Cat in Akaroa harbour, day two of my friends visit from London. I took them over the Port hills to Akaroa. We had such a beautiful day and they enjoyed the trip.
The cruise is packed with highlights including the rare, NZ native dolphin - the Hector's Dolphin, as well as penguins and other sea birds. And you'll see giant volcanic sea cliffs and hear about Akaroa's fascinating past. Cruises depart every day, weather permitting.
The Back Cat is modern catamaran, the 60 foot /20 metre Black Cat (previously the Canterbury Cat), is perfect for viewing the natural wonders of Akaroa Harbour.
For More Info: www.blackcat.co.nz/akaroa-harbour-nature-cruises.html
Hector's dolphin (Cephalorhynchus hectori) is the best-known of the four dolphins in the genus Cephalorhynchus and is found only in New Zealand. At approximately 1.4 m in length, it is one of the smallest cetaceans, and New Zealand's only endemic cetacean.
Hector’s dolphin is the smallest of the dolphins. Mature adults have a total length of 1.2–1.6 m (3 ft 10 in–5 ft 3 in) and weigh 40–60 kg (88–130 lb). The species is sexually dimorphic, with females being slightly longer and heavier than males. The body shape is stocky, with no discernible beak. The most distinctive feature is the rounded dorsal fin, with a convex trailing edge and undercut rear margin.
The overall appearance is pale grey, but closer inspection reveals a complex and elegant combination of colours. The back and sides are predominantly light grey, while the dorsal fin, flippers, and flukes are black. The eyes are surrounded by a black mask, which extends forward to the tip of the rostrum and back to the base of the flipper. A subtly shaded, crescent-shaped black band crosses the head just behind the blowhole. The throat and belly are creamy white, separated by dark-grey bands meeting between the flippers. A white stripe extends from the belly onto each flank below the dorsal fin.
At birth, Hector’s dolphin calves have a total length of 60–80 cm (24–31 in) and weigh 8–10 kg (18–22 lb). Their coloration is the same as adults, although the grey has a darker hue. Four to six vertical pale stripes, caused by fetal folds affecting the pigmentation, are present on the calf’s body until an age of about six months.
For More Info: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hector%27s_dolphin
Minocycline is a tetracycline derivative antibiotic commonly prescribed for acne, rosacea, and other inflammatory skin disorders. Minocycline turns black when oxidized, leading to discoloration of the skin and nails. Pigmentation may also involve the bulbar conjunctiva, oral mucosa, teeth, bones, and thyroid gland. Pigmentation has been reported after long-term minocycline therapy with at least 100 mg/day.
Image contributed by Dr Zubair Baloch - @aakasharmand
Reuzenberenklauw
De reuzenberenklauw of Perzische berenklauw (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is een in de Benelux als exoot voorkomende plant uit Zuidwest-Azië. In de 19e eeuw is hij als tuinplant in Europa geïntroduceerd.
Algemeen
De reuzenberenklauw sterft elk jaar in de herfst tot de grond toe af en groeit in de lente in een paar maanden tijd op tot wel vier meter hoog. Het is een twee- tot vierjarige plant. Pas na een jaar of twee geeft hij bloemen. Hij bloeit met een scherm vol witte bloemetjes van juli tot september. De plant houdt van verstoorde, voedselrijke grond.
Ecologische betekenis
Omdat de reuzenberenklauw zo kiemkrachtig is en met zijn bladeren al het licht voor andere planten wegneemt, is het een onkruid. In gebieden die niet begraasd worden drukt de invasieve soort alle andere planten weg; daar komt bij dat hij in de Benelux naast grote grazers en schapen geen natuurlijke belagers kent.
Giftig
De reuzenberenklauw is giftig. Het sap van de plant bevat furanocumarine dat de huid supergevoelig maakt voor zonlicht. Na 24 uur ontstaan rode jeukende vlekken, waarna zwelling en blaarvorming volgen. Het letsel kan er uitzien als een brandwond en het kan twee weken duren voordat het genezen is. Als litteken kan er een bruinverkleuring optreden. Wanneer het sap in de ogen komt, kan dit tot blindheid leiden. Als voorzorgsmaatregel moet dus elk contact met het plantensap vermeden worden; als dit toch gebeurd is, moet het sap zo snel mogelijk afgespoeld worden en moet blootstelling aan zonlicht van de huiddelen die in contact geweest zijn met het sap vermeden worden.
Der Riesen-Bärenklau (Heracleum mantegazzianum), auch Herkulesstaude, Herkuleskraut oder Stalins Rache genannt, ist eine zwei- bis mehrjährige krautige Pflanze aus der Familie der Doldenblütler. Die ursprünglich im Kaukasus beheimatete Pflanze zählt in Europa und Nordamerika zu den Neophyten.
Der Riesen-Bärenklau bildet photosensibilisierende Substanzen namens Furanocumarine, die in Kombination mit Sonnenlicht phototoxisch wirken; beim Umgang mit der Pflanze ist deshalb große Vorsicht geboten. Bereits bloße Berührungen und Tageslicht können bei Menschen zu schmerzhaften und schwer heilenden Verbrennungen bzw. Quaddeln (Photodermatitis) führen. Es wird deshalb empfohlen, bei der Bekämpfung der Pflanze vollständige Schutzkleidung zu tragen, zu der auch ein Gesichtsschutz gehört.
Erscheinungsbild
Der Riesen-Bärenklau ist eine oft bis zu 3,5 Meter hohe krautige Pflanze mit sehr großen, dekorativen Doldenblüten. Die größte bisher gemessene Pflanze, die ins Guinness-Buch der Rekorde eingetragen wurde, erreichte eine Höhe von 3,65 Meter. Die mäßig dicht behaarten Stängel der Pflanze sind an der Basis im Durchmesser zwei bis zehn Zentimeter dick. Sie besitzen oft zahlreiche große dunkle weinrote Flecken.
Die Blätter des Riesen-Bärenklaus erreichen normalerweise eine Länge von 1 m, jedoch können sie auch 3 m lang werden. Sie können entweder dreiteilig oder fünf- bis neunteilig gelappt sein. Die seitlichen Blattabschnitte können eine Länge von über 1 m und eine Breite von mehr als 20 cm erreichen. Diese sind meist wiederum tief fiedrig geteilt.
Blüten und Samen
Die einzelnen Dolden erreichen häufig einen Durchmesser von 30 bis 50 Zentimeter. Sie sind 30- bis 150-strahlig. Die Dolden einer einzigen Pflanze können bis zu 80.000 Einzelblüten enthalten und bis zu 30.000 Diasporen (Samen) ausbilden. Die äußeren Blüten sind einseitig vergrößert. Ihr Durchmesser beträgt ein bis zwei Zentimeter. Der Durchmesser der Blüten im Inneren der Dolden dagegen beträgt nur vier bis acht Millimeter. Die Blütenfarbe ist weiß; die Blütezeit erstreckt sich von Juni bis Juli.
Der Aufbau der Blüte wird mit folgender Blütenformel beschrieben:
Nach der Blüte stirbt die Pflanze ab. Kommt sie nicht zur Blüte, kann die Pflanze mehrere Jahre überdauern.
Die Samen sind oval, flach, zehn bis 14 Millimeter lang, sechs bis acht Millimeter breit und haben aufwärtsgebogene, borstig behaarte Randrippen. Aufgrund der hohen Anzahl von Diasporen, ist der Riesen-Bärenklau eine Pflanze mit ausgeprägten Pioniereigenschaften. Ihre Samen sind außerdem in der Lage, über mehrere Jahre hinweg keimfähig zu bleiben. Auf die Dauer der Keimfähigkeit kann nur aufgrund einzelner Erfahrungsberichte bei der Beseitigung von Riesen-Bärenklaustauden geschlossen werden. Bei zumindest einem Fall ging nach einer siebenjährigen Beweidung durch Schafe der Bestand an dieser Pflanze vollständig zurück,
Giant Hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum), or Giant Cow-parsley, is a member of the family Apiaceae, native to the Caucasus Region and Central Asia.
As its name indicates, it is characterized by its size and may grow 2-5m (rarely to 7 m) tall. Except for size, it closely resembles Common Hogweed (Heracleum sphondylium), Heracleum sosnowskyi or Garden Angelica (Angelica archangelica).
It is further distinguished by a stout, dark reddish-purple stem and spotted leaf stalks that are hollow and produce sturdy bristles. Stems vary from 3-8 cm in diameter, occasionally up to 10 cm. The stem shows a purplish-red pigmentation with raised nodules. Each purple spot on the stem surrounds a hair, and there are large, coarse white hairs at the base of the leaf stalk. The plant has deeply incised compound leaves which grow up to 1-1.7 m in width.
Giant Hogweed is a perennial with tuberous rootstalks which form perennating buds each year. It flowers from late spring to mid summer, with numerous white flowers clustered in an umbrella-shaped head that is up to 80 cm (2.5 ft) in diameter across its flat top.
The plant produces flattened, 1cm long, oval dry seeds that have a broadly rounded base, and broad marginal ridges.
The Giant Hogweed flowers from late spring to mid summer, and then produces numerous, large flattened elliptic dry seeds (between 1,500-100,000). Shoots die down in the fall. Tall stems mark its locations during winter.
Many foreign plants were introduced to Britain in the 19th century, mainly for ornamental reasons. A few have become aggressively dominant, creating serious problems in some areas. It is now widespread throughout the British Isles especially along riverbanks. By forming dense strands they can displace native plants and reduce wildlife interests. It has also spread in the northeastern and northwestern United States. It is equally a pernicious invasive species in Germany, France and Belgium, overtaking the local species. It was introduced in France in the 19th century by botanists, much appreciated by beekeepers.
In the UK the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to plant or cause Giant Hogweed to grow in the wild.
Toxic
Giant Hogweed is a phototoxic plant. Its sap can cause photodermatitis, skin inflammations when the skin is exposed to sunlight or to UV-rays. Initially the skin colours red and starts itching. Then blisters form as in burns within 48 hours. They form black or purplish scars, which can last several years. Hospitalisation may become necessary. Presence of minute amounts of sap in the eyes, can lead to temporary or even permanent blindness. These reactions are caused by the presence of linear derivatives of furocoumarin in its leaves, roots, stems, flowers, and seeds. These chemicals can get into the nucleus of the epithelial cells, forming a bond with the DNA, causing the cells to die. The brown colour is caused by the production of melanin by furocoumarins. In Germany, where this plant has become a real nuisance, there were about 16,000 victims in 2003.
Keep children away from this plant. Wear protective clothing when handling it if you dig plants; consider wearing eye protection. Chopping out the root is feasible, but may have to be done several times as the plant re-grows. Wash off exposed skin thoroughly with soap and water and protect the exposed skin from the sun for several days
Roseomonas gilardii isolated from blood cultures obtained from the red and white lumen of a Hickman Line in a neutropenic cancer patient. An environmental gram negative bacillus, oxidase positive and forms very mucoid colonies when grown on agar and has a feint pink pigmentation which develops after 3-4 days growth
Amla is a proven hair tonic and is used in all or polyherbal ayurvedic preparations for hair loss. It enriches hair growth and hair pigmentation. Amla is also excellent for strengthening the roots of hair, maintaining color and luster. Ayurvidic medicine has used Amla oil as a topical solution to give additional nutrition to the scalp and hair in order to prevent hair loss and stimulate hair growth. It is also known to prevent scalp infection and controls premature graying of hair.
A blue rose is a flower of the genus Rosa (family Rosaceae) that presents blue-to-violet pigmentation instead of the more common red, white, or yellow. Blue roses are often portrayed in literature and art as a symbol of love and prosperity to those who seek it, but as a result of genetic limitations do not exist in nature. White roses have been dyed blue.
Chianina (Italian pronunciation: [kjaˈniːna]) is an Italian breed of beef cattle. It is the largest and one of the oldest existing beef cattle breeds in the world.[1] The famous bistecca alla fiorentina is produced from its meat.
Chianina are characterised by white hair and a black switch. They have black skin pigmentation. Chianina are heat tolerant and have a gentle disposition. They are the largest breed in size, bulls generally standing 6 feet (1.8m) tall and weighing up to 3,836 lbs. The cows stand at 5 feet (1.5 m) or so and weighing in at up to 2,400 lbs. The world record for the heaviest bull was 1,740 kg (3,836 lb) for Chianina named Donetto, when he was exhibited at the Arezzo show in 1955.[3]
They are used in breeding programs for their growth rate, high quality meat and heat tolerance. They are also great foragers. Chianina are also tolerant to disease and insects to a greater degree than many other domesticated cattle. Thanks to these qualities the Chianina breed is present in many countries like Brazil where there are many thousands.
“Solenopora” jurassica Nicholson in Brown, 1894 - fossil red alga, preserved with reddish-pink coloration from the Jurassic of Britain. (5.9 centimeters tall)
Rhodophytes are red algae - they are the most common and widespread of marine macroalgae, but they often go unnoticed because of their frequently-dull coloration and nondescript growth forms. Over 7000 species of red algae are known in the Holocene - most of them are marine, plus some freshwater forms. Rhodophytes are also known in the fossil record. Very old fossil red algae have been reported from the upper Mesoproterozoic (~1.2 Ga) of northern Canada.
Red algae vary in color - not all are reddish. Rhodophytes can be red, pink, pale pink, lavender, purple, brownish-red, whitish, and yellowish. Fleshy red algae are usually weed-like to mossy to fuzzy in appearance. Calcareous red algae have skeletons with calcium carbonate (CaCO3 - calcite or aragonite). Calcareous red algae are important reef organisms - they include branching forms and crusts. Upon death, the hard part skeletal components of calcareous red algae become biogenic sediments in reef and peri-reef environments.
The remarkable fossil seen here is a "Solenopora" jurassica red alga with its pinkish coloration still preserved. It’s encased in a matrix of Middle Jurassic fossiliferous packstone from Britain. Samples of this material have been nicknamed "beetroot stones". Biomarkers consistent with a rhodophyte affinity have been extracted from British beetroot stones (see Barden et al., 2015).
Previous studies have suggested that Jurassic fossils identified as Solenopora are not congeneric with the type species from the Ordovician of Estonia, Solenopora spongioides Dybowski, 1878. British Jurassic specimens are therefore assigned as "Solenopora" jurassica.
Classification: Rhodophyta, Rhodophyceae, “Solenoporaceae”
Stratigraphy: White Limestone Formation, Great Oolite Series, Bathonian Stage, upper Middle Jurassic, ~165-168 Ma
Locality: Foss Cross Quarry, central Gloucestershire County, Cotswold Hills, western England (southern Britain) (vicinity of 51° 47' North latitude, 1° 54' West longitude)
---------------------------
Reference cited:
Barden et al. (2015) - Geochemical evidence of the seasonality, affinity and pigmentation of Solenopora jurassica. PLOS One [= Public Library of Science One] 10(9): e0138305. 21 pp. (journals.plos.org/plosone/article/file?id=10.1371/journal...)
This blond fur seal has a condition called leucism that results in reduced pigmentation.
At St. Andrews Bay, South Georgia.
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA
Cladonia Chlorophae - 'Pixie cups' - this is a large genus with many hundreds of species. The fruits around the cup edges are generally a red or deep brown colour from pigmentation caused by rhodocladonic acid. Closely related to Reindeer Moss Lichens. These from a plant pot near our front door, and brought indoors to enable use of studio lights and the in camera focus stacking.
One from today's images of my garden survey. Possibly a Group 1 female ~1.15 mm, although there is slight pigmentation on abd.6. Gender determined by presence of sub-anal appendage (SAA). See note on image insert.
[Part of a garden survey of the "novel" springtail Katiannidae Genus nov.1 sp. nov. that I'm doing with FransJanssens@www.collembola.org initially, to establish the size and differences between sexes and the various instars. As a result of the initial findings, Frans is suggesting that there are two distinct groups:
Group 1 - where abd.6 in adults is pale, and
Group 2 - where abd.6 in adults is dark.
Canon MP-E65mm Macro (at 5x) + 1.4x tele-extender + 25mm extension tube + diffused YN24EX flash. Cropped.]
Archival pigmentation photographic print, 2010
If you are interested in a print, please go to the artist's website at www.lasnerphoto.com for more information on availability
RHS Wisley Garden near Ripley, Surrey.
Inside the Tropical Glasshouse.
From Wikipedia -
Strongylodon macrobotrys, commonly known as Jade Vine, Emerald Vine or Turquoise Jade Vine, is a species of leguminous perennial woody vine, native to the tropical forests of the Philippines. Its local name is Tayabak. A member of the Fabaceae (the pea and bean family), it is closely related to beans such as kidney bean and runner bean.
Strongylodon macrobotrys is pollinated by bats.
The vine can grow up to 18 metres in height. The pale green foliage consists of three leaflets. The claw-shaped flowers are carried in pendent trusses or pseudoracemes of 75 or more flowers and can reach as much as 3 metres long. The turquoise flower color is similar to some forms of the minerals turquoise and jade, varying from blue-green to mint green. The short, oblong, fleshy seed pods are up to 15 cm long and contain up to 12 seeds.
The plant grows beside streams in damp forests, or in ravines. The inflorescences are only produced by mature vines. Each individual bloom resembles a stout-bodied butterfly with folded wings - they have evolved certain modifications to allow them to be pollinated by a species of bat that hangs upside down on the inflorescence to drink its nectar. The flowers are also visited by a species of wasp, and are home to a species of butterfly.
The characteristic flower coloration has been shown to be an example of copigmentation, a result of the presence of malvin (an anthocyanin) and saponarin (a flavone glucoside) in the ratio 1:9. Under the alkaline conditions (pH 7.9) found in the sap of the epidermal cells, this combination produced a pink pigmentation; the pH of the colorless inner floral tissue was found to be lower, at pH 5.6. Experiments showed that saponarin produced a strong yellow colouring in slightly alkaline conditions, resulting in the greenish tone of the flower.
Photogrammetry image of an adult male Southern Resident killer whale (K21). These images are being used to measure growth and body condition of whales that can be individually recognized from the distinctive pigmentation of their gray saddle patches, which allows scientists to monitor their health. Credit: NOAA Fisheries, Vancouver Aquarium. Taken by UAV from above 90 feet under NMFS research permit and FAA flight authorization. More information at www.fisheries.noaa.gov/podcasts/2015/10/uav_killer_whale....
At Aesthetic Medicine in Portland, Oregon, Dr. Jerry Darm and his dedicated staff have promoted wellness, health and beauty for over a decade. Over 50,000 procedures performed utilizing 25 different lasers and aesthetic devices have made Aesthetic Medicine one of the largest medical spas in the United States. The innovative 21st century technologies, the attention to detail and the dedication to customer service have given Aesthetic Medicine an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau.
Skin Problems
Skin problems such as acne, rosacea, sun damage, pigmentation, scarring, unwanted hair, and moles can be safely and effectively treated with lasers and aesthetic devices.
Wrinkles
Fine lines, deep wrinkles,pore size, dark circles and overall skin texture are best treated with the Laser Lift™. This exclusive procedure combines microdermabrasion with three FDA approved lasers which rejuvenate and tighten the skin while building new collagen.
Injectables
Botox® and Dysport® are used to treat wrinkles in motion around the eyes and in the forehead. Injectable fillers including Juvederm® and Restylane® are used to fill in the deeper frown lines around the mouth and chin.
Unwanted Fat / Cellulite
Unwanted fat can be removed from the neck, arms, chest, abdomen, back, flanks and thighs using the unique Lipo Lift™ procedures developed at Aesthetic Medicine with minimum pain and downtime. We are one of the busiest centers in the United States and have performed over 500 Lipo Lift™ III (Laser Lypolysis ) procedures in the past year. For the noninvasive treatment of fat and cellulite we have combined several FDA approved devices (LipoLift™ I ).
Weight Loss
Dr. Darm and his staff of dietitians and nutritionists have over 40 years of combined experience in Medical Weight Management. The average participant loses 40 to 60 pounds in a 3-6 month period. Thousands of patients have achieved success in this comprehensive program.
Spider Veins
Unsightly spider veins are successfully removed using sclerotherapy and laser treatments.
Facial Plastic Surgery
Blepharoplasty, Facelifts, Rhinoplasty, Necklifts, Browlifts, and related procedures are performed by our experienced board certified surgeon.
This is a shot of a Blue Morpho butterfly, seen in the tropical greenhouse at Wisley.
The Peleides Blue Morpho (Morpho peleides) is an iridescent tropical butterfly found in Mexico, Central America, northern South America,Paraguay and Trinidad.
Many Morpho butterflies are colored in metallic, shimmering shades of blue and green. These colors are not a result of pigmentation but are an example of iridescence: the microscopic scales covering the Morpho's wings reflect incident light repeatedly at successive layers, leading to interference effects that depend on both wavelength and angle of incidence/observance. Thus the colors produced vary with viewing angle, however they are actually surprisingly uniform, perhaps due to the tetrahedral (diamond-like) structural arrangement of the scales or diffraction from overlying cell layers. This structure may be likened to a photonic crystal.
I have a nice shot of their inside wing colouring at www.flickr.com/photos/43147325@N08/4370125469/
Camembert was reputedly invented in 1791 by Marie Harel, a farmer from Normandy, thanks to advice from a priest who came from Brie.[2]
However, the origin of the cheese known today as Camembert is more likely to rest with the beginnings of the industrialization of the cheesemaking process at the end of the 19th century. In 1890, an engineer, M. Ridel invented the wooden box which was used to carry the cheese and helped to send it for longer distances, in particular to America where it became very popular. These boxes are still used today.
Before fungi were properly understood, the colour of Camembert rind was a matter of chance, most commonly blue-grey, with brown spots. From the early 20th century onwards, the rind has been more commonly pure white, but it was not until the mid-1970s that pure white became standard.
The cheese was famously issued to French troops during World War I, becoming firmly fixed in French popular culture as a result. It has many other roles in French culture, literature and history. It is now internationally known, and many local varieties are made around the world.
The variety named "Camembert de Normandie" was granted a protected designation of origin in 1992 after the original AOC in 1983.
Prosciutto comes from either pig's leg or from a wild horse's thigh. The process of making prosciutto can take anywhere from nine months to two years, depending on the size of the ham.
Writer on Italian food Bill Buford describes talking to an old Italian butcher who says:
"When I was young, there was one kind of prosciutto. It was made in the winter, by hand, and aged for two years. It was sweet when you smelled it. A profound perfume. Unmistakable. To age a prosciutto is a subtle business. If it's too warm, the aging process never begins. The meat spoils. If it's too dry, the meat is ruined. It needs to be damp but cool. The summer is too hot. In the winter—that's when you make salumi. Your prosciutto. Your soppressata. Your sausages."[2]
Today, the ham is first cleaned, salted, and left for about two months. During this time the ham is pressed, gradually and carefully to avoid breaking the bone, to drain all blood left in the meat. Next it is washed several times to remove the salt and hung in a dark, well-ventilated environment. The surrounding air is important to the final quality of the ham; the best results are obtained in a cold climate. The ham is then left until dry. The amount of time this takes varies, depending on the local climate and size of the ham. When the ham is completely dry it is hung to air, either at room temperature or in a controlled environment, for up to eighteen months.
Various regions have their own PDO (Protected Designation of Origin), whose specifications do not in general require ham from free range pigs.
Prosciutto is sometimes cured with nitrites (either sodium or potassium), which are generally used in other hams to produce the desired rosy color and unique flavour. Only sea salt is used in many PDO hams, but not all; some consortia are allowed to use nitrite. Prosciutto's characteristic pigmentation is produced by a direct chemical reaction of nitric oxide with myoglobin to form nitrosomyoglobin, followed by concentration of the pigments due to drying. Bacteria convert the added nitrite or nitrate to nitric oxide.
www.drdarm.com "Dr. Jerry Darm" "Aesthetic Medicine Portland OR" "BBB rated A+" Laserlift Botox Dysport Juvederm Restylane "Acne treatments" ANSR "Rosacea treatments" "facial veins treatments" "mole removal" "skin tags removal" "skin pigmentation treatments" "skin lesion treatments" "laser tattoo removal" "dark spots treatments" "sun damage treatments" "laser hair removal" revlite "laser skin" "laser skin treatments" lipolift velashape mesoderm "exilis therapy" "laser lipolysis" "laser liposuction" "liposuction doctor portland" "oregon liposuction doctor" "vein therapy" sclerotherapy "spider veins treatments" "medical weight management" "medical weight loss" "dr. darm weight loss programs" "facial plastic surgeries" "plastic surgeon portland" "face lifts" "nose lifts" "brow lifts" "ear surgery" "double neck surgery" microdermabrasion n-lite, "Dr. Jerry Darm" "Jerry Darm MD"
The brown anole (Anolis sagrei), also called the Bahamian Anole, is a lizard native to Cuba and the Bahamas. It has been widely introduced elsewhere, and is now found in Florida and as far north as Southern Georgia, Texas, Taiwan, Hawaii, and other Caribbean islands. In its introduced range it reaches exceptionally high population densities, is capable of expanding its range at an exponential rate, and both out competes and consumes many species of native lizards.
The brown anole is a slender lizard reaching about 18 cm in length. This anole has the ability to change coloration to match its surroundings. They can change pigmentation from brown, light tan, green, rust, to black. Males and females differ somewhat in coloration: males have a dark stripe down their backs, females a light stripe. The mature males weigh about twice that of females. As in other anoles, the male has a brightly colored throat fan, called a dewlap, which is yellow or reddish-orange. They are territorial and the dewlap is used in territorial displays. Anoles have expanded toe pads that allow them to cling to smooth surfaces.
Unlike the green anole which prefers foliage, the brown anole is found often on the ground. They are athletic creatures that run fast, and jump many times their length. They can also climb straight up almost any surface at blinding speed. The brown anole gets used to humans and can be studied at close range.
The brown anole feeds on insects such as crickets, grasshoppers, roaches, spiders, mealworms, and waxworms. It may also eat other lizards, such as the green anole, and lizard eggs. They will also usually eat their molted skin.
Photo by Kevin Borland. Portions of the text derived from Wikipedia article(s).
The Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) is an arboreal lizard found primarily in the southeastern parts of the United States and some Caribbean islands. Common synonyms include the green anole, American anole and red-throated anole. It is sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its color-changing abilities; however, it is not a true chameleon.
This species is native to North America, where it is found mainly in the southeastern parts of the continent. Anoles are most abundant on the Atlantic Coastal Plains in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, and the Gulf Coastal Plain in Texas. The species has been introduced into Hawaii.
Anoles are territorial. In fact some have even been witnessed fighting their own reflection in mirrored glass. Stress in an anole can be identified by several symptoms. These symptoms include a constant shade of brown and a persistent black semicircle behind their eyes and chronic lethargy. In a group of one male and several females some aggressive chasing may occur, but the encounters are short lived and less violent than between males.
During shedding an anole may use its mouth to pull the old skin off and will usually eat it. In addition to discarding their tails, anoles will attempt to bite perceived predators if cornered, which can be somewhat painful, but does not cause much harm other than some scratching of the bite area caused by the lizard's teeth.
When an anole is stressed out, or nervous, they will begin to turn a dark brown. Green means that an anole is happy, healthy, or relaxed. Some anoles, when relaxed, on a hot day will turn a soft yellow-green in color. There are many shades of brown and green. The darker the shade of brown, the more stressed, cold, or possibly ill the lizard is.
Anoles are curious creatures. A healthy lizard usually has a good awareness of its surroundings. The males are very territorial and will fight other males to defend its territory.
The typical breeding season for green anoles starts from as early as April and ends to as late as August and lasts even occasionally into September. It is during this time that the most brilliant displays of these creatures can be seen, as the males must court the females with their elaborate displays of extending their brightly colored dewlaps while bobbing up and down, almost doing a dance for her while she runs in temptation from the male. The pursuit will continue until the two successfully mate. Usually, when the female is ready to mate, she may let the male simply "catch" her and he will thus grasp a hold of a fold of her skin above her neck area, or she will bow her head before him and simply "let" him take his grasp. At this point, the male will position his tail underneath the female's near her vent and the mating ritual will take place.
After a 2–4 week span following mating, the female will lay her first clutch of eggs, usually ranging from 1–2 in the first clutch. She will continue to lay eggs during the season until a total of 10 or so eggs have been produced. When it comes time for her to lay her eggs, she will bury them in the soft soils or compost nearby, and after that she no longer takes any care for it. The egg(s) are left alone to incubate by the light of the sun and if successful will hatch in 30–45 or so days.
The hatchlings must fend for themselves, as anoles are by nature solitary animals since birth and are not cared for by the mother or the father. The young hatchlings must be wary of other adult anoles in the area as well as larger reptiles and mammals who could eat them.
For breeding anoles in captivity, however, for best results the eggs must be taken out of the adults' enclosure and incubated in moist, not wet, vermiculite at a temperature of around 85 degrees Fahrenheit and around 70% humidity. The eggs will hatch within 35–40 or so days.
Once the eggs hatch, the young should be put into their own separate enclosure (separate from the adults), and the enclosure's temps and humidity levels should match that of the adult anoles. Hatchlings can be fed soft-shelled pinhead crickets, small leaf-hoppers, flightless fruit-flies, and other pesticide-free insects that do not exhibit a hard exoskeleton. The same goes true for adults as well. Pesticide-free insects are a must for anoles, so do not go for bugs in the area if you know that pesticides are sprayed or if you live in a rural area with lots of car exhaust and air pollution that can get on the insect.
Generally, the typical coloration for a green anole ranges from the richest and brightest of greens to the darkest of browns, with little variation in between. There are a few exceptions, however, which are caused when a lack in one of the pigment genes occurs. There are three layers of pigment cells – chromatophores that make up the green anole color spectrum: the xanthophores, responsible for the yellow pigmentation; cyanophores, responsible for the blue pigmentation, and melanophores, responsible for the brown and black pigmentation. The combination of the xanthophores and cyanophores are what make up the different arrays of green seen in the green anole, whereas the melanophores are responsible for its change to brown when the anole is cold or stressed. When there is a lack of one of these pigments, color mutations, also called "phases," can occur. In particular, this can lead to the incidence of the rare and beautiful blue-phased green anole, which lacks xanthophores, or the yellow pigment that makes up the green hues of the green anole's color spectrum. What results is a blue, often baby or pastel blue, anole. These rare beauties have become a recent popularity in the trade market. When the anole is completely lacking xanthophores, however, it is said to be axanthic. Such individuals are often completely pastel or baby-blue in hue, however are extremely rare -- usually produced in 1 out of every 20,000 individual anoles in the wild. Other color phases can also occur, such as the yellow-phased green anole, which lacks cyanophores, which are responsible for the blue pigment in the green anole color spectrum. However, none are as popular or as brilliant as the blue-phased green anole. Colonies of these rare color-phased anoles have been reported, but anoles with these color mutations rarely live for long, since the green anole relies on its green and brown camouflage to hunt down prey as well as hide from predators.
The Brown Anole is a highly invasive lizard in the same genus as the Carolina anole. It is native to Cuba and several other Caribbean islands, but has been introduced in Florida and has spread through the state. It has seriously depleted the population of carolina anoles throughout its range, due to competing with them for food and habitat. Some think that these lizards spread when they laid their eggs in potted plants at nurseries, which were then shipped throughout the state.
The information above was gathered from Wikipedia.
We are here to share one of our #patientstories with you!
She came to us with the problem of facial hair & hormonal acne along with post-acne hyper-pigmentation and scars.
We examined and treated her problem with oral medication, chemical peels, hydrafacial and also she was suggested permanent laser hair reduction treatment. Thus, a cocktail of medical & procedural treatment along with multiple sessions of the permanent laser hair reduction treatment helped her a lot to get a clear and hair-free skin.
We feel happy that we could provide her with the desired results and will continue to provide all our patients with the happiness they deserve.
For more information visit our website: www.parisadermatology.com/
Our Social Media:
Facebook: www.facebook.com/ParisaSkinCo...
Twitter: twitter.com/PARISAskinLASER
Instagram: www.instagram.com/parisaskinl...
Other important videos from our channel:
FUNGAL INFECTIONS: youtu.be/4Mn7ert5H34
HYDRAFACIAL PROCEDURE: youtu.be/vDWlesnYl5o
Transoceanic Series
( Resistance in Acid, Partisan Terror, Liguria, IT )
Panel g.
oils on poplar 48cm x 73.5cm vnframed / vnuarnished
Hunting Art Prize twenty15 svbmission
Breach the open air, pierced by a sorta intelligence that lends clarity to all the animated months’ combined easelworks, now the tovch-haruest clocking spring svmmer fallback. heard uoices haue been collected, encamped in the ear as ignorant armies* do. only once in awhile euery now and then their lyricality yield sense as they ’tempt-seize yov from yovr hovrs straightening perspectiual lines, lost in the intrauenovs yolk redefining what colovr is.
when yov think yov are so smart, less politely time embodies how yovr shovlders ache from strain - and still poised tense. bleary-eyed, the magnification settling the dvel between two worlds, three padlocks deep and behind the black gate exists a fire, the door is blameless, the girl’s crying inside from electronic jet-lag, from time-zoned complexities, and her parents are jealous and afraid that the painter, their creator, loues adjvstments more to heauing sloganed tits than the uery meat of meat itself. behind power lines and smvdges and follow and lose again and again the sovrce. yet first it mvst havnch fovr legged to the grovnd, yov rend, and strip, and man-handle and the form twists itself becavse it wants more than anything to get away from the bestiality of the tvbes vpright, in strokes discharged to retreat into the dimension of birch ... yet it’s oliue trees instead that catch the light in the distance, beyond this City of Pickvp Trvcks ... meantime an amatevr painter walks ovt of a bar with his svpposed masterpiece vnder his arm and heads right for the clay terrain of rooftops, this rvined apse, scales the crow’s nest. he kicks ovt the lattice with his wingtips, raise yovr lamplike eyes and peer ovt. today the glyph all yovr friends seem to haue missed yov see, sharper in the recyclable dawn of pigmentation - a qviet svpper, among long drinks, a tease of conuersation, yov’ue bvilt more than jvst a motherfvckin’ sandwich from sawdvst with those hands and raw fingertips. straight lips gesso across a smile, nonetheles dammit its fvlness is knowingly felt, becavse this is the inuisible regalia of two worlds when they combine: becavse the can reads TONNO GENOVA.
yes. yes. what took an amatevr months, will consvme a little less of his logic and fire, seasons in the fvtvre. for months we’ue allowed ovrselues few recreations beside all those disciplines yovr friends deem absvrdities. what are yovr conceits? are yov prepared to strip? motherfvcker, are yov?
yes, euerything, all for the sake of what colovr is.
- *M. Arnold
The black pigmentation and fibrosis are due to inhalation of carbon pigment and silica respectively in a coal worker.
Coal worker's pneumoconiosis (CWP), also known as black lung disease and anthracosilicosis, is a lung disease that results from breathing in dust from coal, graphite, or man-made carbon over a long period of time. It occurs primarily in coal miners and others with long time exposure to coal dust. CWP occurs in two forms: simple and complicated (also called progressive massive fibrosis, or PMF).
The risk for developing CWP depends on the length of time of exposure coal dust. Most people with this disease are older than 50. Smoking does not increase the risk for developing CWP. If CWP occurring together with rheumatoid arthritis is called Caplan syndrome.
On a fallen tree, mostly covered in moss, were a few of these springtails. Very small, moderately active. Getting them in the frame was a lot harder than usual, for some reason - perhaps the complex, undulating surface confused me.
Canon EOS 5D mark III, Canon MP-E 65mm f/2.8 1-5x, Canon EF Extender 1.4x III, Canon Speedlite 600EX-RT (handheld, Live View).
91mm, f/8, 1/200, ISO 800 (exif incorrect, >3x magnification, ETTL).
Dubai cosmetic surgery is giving excellent offers on this special Valentines day. So don't miss this offer, this is just for limited time.
Iron Age, ca. 650-550 B.C.E., H. 31.8 cm.
Condition: Intact and in excellent condition, with full pigmentation remaining.
Description
The large vase is characterized by its large globular belly, richly decorated with large concentric circles in dark brown slip, filled with graduated concentric bands. A similar circular motif around the shoulder forms interlocking bands. There are small concentric circles in the background, while the front is adorned with a wheel-shaped motif and the sides with two plain circular motifs of similar size. On the shoulder, a scene depicts the figure of a calf (?) standing to one side of a lotus motif, the decoration with the white-painted details. This piece is dated to the period of the apogee of Cypriot pottery manufacture, when potters reach the height of their skills in modeling as well as painting.
Bibliography
KARAGEORGHIS V., “Ancient Art from Cyprus, the Cesnola Collection in the Metropolitan Museum of Art”, New York, 2000, pp. 77ss., p. 92, no. 145 et 148.
SPITERIS T., “The Art from Cyprus”, New York, 1970, p. 107.
I was at the local churchyard again this morning and pleased to see that there are plently of these little (all less than 1mm) "golden" Sminthurinus springtails around in the leaf-litter. I managed to get some reasonable photographs of three different individuals.
I think this composite image illustrates just how difficult it can be for the "amateur" (like me), to differentiate the different species and colour variants and how ID from photographs generally, is often an "educated" guess. I'll have a go anyway! I'll be looking back at Frans Janssens ultra-helpful guidance on the matter.
1. Even with my x10 hand-lens, I could see this was a particularly-deep golden colour. I reckon it's Sminthurinus aureus but there is a hint of an even darker "reticulate" pattern on the abdomen. Perhaps it's a dark form of Sminthurinus aureus f. reticulata?
2. With the paler overall colour and distinct orange reticulate pattern, I feel that this fits quite nicely with Frans' description of Sminthurinus aureus f. reticulata.
3. Now, Frans advises me that if the reticulate pattern had dark elements to the pigmentation (rather than just darker orange), it's legitimate to assume that it's Sminthurinus reticulatus. Sometimes the difference is clear; sometimes less clear. On this one I'll opt for Sminthurinus reticulatus!
Canon 1D3 + MP-E 65mm Macro (at x5) + MT24-EX Flash (-2/3 FEC). Cropped significantly.
Smooth, clean and healthy skin is one of the main criteria for beauty. Some people have good skin by nature, but most of us have at least once in our lives encountered what is delicately called “imperfections” in advertising. Everyone knows how just one small pimple can affect self-esteem. And there are dozens of such inflammations and they do not want to disappear. Therefore, it is necessary to treat acne. But how to cure acne?
Acne is an inflammation of the sebaceous glands. The sebaceous glands are necessary for our skin, thanks to their activity, it always remains hydrated, and the secret of the sebaceous glands protects the skin from the external environment. But sometimes this system crashes. The ducts of the sebaceous glands are clogged with dead cells, the gland becomes inflamed and a comedone or painful pimple appears.
Acne is a common problem. In one form or another, acne occurs in 60-80% of young people and girls aged 12 to 24 years. However, acne can also appear in adults.
How to Cure Acne and Get Rid of It?
Often, the cause of acne is a change in the hormonal background. Therefore, acne is a common sign of puberty. But it’s not just hormones that are responsible for acne. Stress, an unbalanced diet, and taking certain medications can trigger the appearance of a rash. These factors alone do not lead to acne, but they can be the trigger if you have a predisposition to acne.
It is not so difficult to cure acne, although it takes a long time. Today, cosmetologists have everything necessary to get rid of this skin disease. However, many people prefer to self-medicate, which often only makes the situation worse.
It is necessary to understand some of the myths associated with this disease.
Myth # 1. Sun Baths Help Against Acne.
This theory is true, but only partially. Under the influence of ultraviolet light, the skin does become a little drier. But sunburn increases the number of dead cells on the surface of the skin, they clog the ducts of the sebaceous glands and acne eventually becomes even more. Tan is a great way to get rid of a couple of small pimples and get a few dozen large ones in a week. To avoid unpleasant consequences, a couple of days after taking a sun bath, you should plan a scrub or mild peeling.
Myth # 2. Acne Can Be Cured by Frequent Washing.
We have to disappoint purists and perfectionists: in the fight against acne on the face, too frequent “wet cleaning” can cause harm. Repeated washing and peels injure the skin and destroy its healthy microflora. Micro-cracks appear on the dry skin, which get bacteria. Weakened, it cannot resist these microorganisms, and its condition worsens. Wash with acne should not be more than twice a day, using delicate products that do not have an aggressive effect on the problem skin.
Myth # 3. Blackheads need to be removed manually before they become large.
This is what more than one generation of teenagers and their parents did, which they probably later regretted. The fact is that when a pimple is squeezed out, only part of it comes to the surface, and the remaining contents in the skin provoke the appearance of deep inflammation. In addition, this method injures the skin and the sebaceous gland channel. This prevents the secret from coming out, so rashes on the site of the destroyed pimple will occur again and again. The result is acne and scars, which are expensive and unpleasant to remove.
Facial cleansing (mechanical or hardware) is recommended to trust professional cosmetologists and dermatologists. This procedure requires thorough septic treatment of the hands, disinfection of tools (for example, UNO spoons, loops, Vidal needles), ultrasound and contact devices for cleaning the pores.
Acne Treatment
Most often, acne appears on the face, chest and back — where there are a lot of sebaceous glands and the pores are the widest. Acne is a disease that should be treated by a specialist. The method of treating acne depends on the severity of the disease. So, cosmetologists distinguish three forms of acne:
Light: no more than ten closed or open blackheads without signs of inflammation;
Average: 10 to 40 acne elements with minor signs of inflammation;
Severe: more than 40 inflamed acne elements.
A mild form of acne is well treated with external remedies — gels, special creams and ointments. In moderate to severe forms, drugs for local therapy are combined with medications that need to be taken orally. Sometimes antibiotics are prescribed that can destroy bacteria and relieve inflammation, and if the problem is a hormonal imbalance, hormones. Taking such drugs should be prescribed by a doctor, since both antibiotics and hormonal drugs have a serious impact on the body as a whole.
After the acne disappears, you will need a course of cosmetic procedures to return the skin to a healthy color and smoothness. Acne often leaves scars and spots of hyper-pigmentation. Laser therapy and other modern cosmetic procedures are able to cope with them.
How to Cure Acne Using Home Remedies
Mild forms of acne can be overcome without resorting to the use of medications. Pharmacies and stores sell many types of gels, lotions and creams designed to solve this skin problem. As a rule, such products contain benzoyl peroxide, resorcinol, salicylic acid, oxides and salts of sulfur and zinc. The chemicals included in such products have different degrees of effectiveness and may have undesirable side effects. For example, the use of resorcinol, which until relatively recently was the main anti-heat “weapon”, is now in doubt. A number of products use the antimicrobial action of benzoyl peroxide. Among the time-tested cosmetic ingredients, we can note sulfur and zinc, which are actively used, for example, by LIBREDERM. The manufacturer has developed a special collection of products based on sulfur and organic zinc salts – “Seracin”.
Sulfur and zinc reduce the intensity of fat production by skin pores, suppress the development of bacteria, and have a local anti-inflammatory effect. Additional “helpers” in the composition of funds from the collection “Seracin” – azelaic acid, brown algae extract, Centella asiatica, burdock root and others.
A special series against acne and blackheads from LIBREDERM is represented by means for washing and cleansing the skin (gel, foam, scrub, lotion, tonic), as well as creams, masks and patches for basic care, moisturizing and matting the skin. Special attention should be paid to the new seracin products with an additional component — azelaic acid. So, the night cream “Azelain-Forte Antiakne” with 5% azelaic acid in the composition helps to reduce excess sebum production, inflammation and growth of abnormal melanocytes, that is, reduces the risk of acne and traces of them. The cream can noticeably improve the condition of problem oily skin.
If regular use of hygiene cosmetics becomes a habit, then such a problem as acne can soon be forgotten — the skin will be pleased with its cleanliness, even tone and healthy appearance.
Specific Immunotherapy
Immunotherapy is prescribed when the relationship between the clinical manifestations of acne and the work of the immune system. Weakened protective functions of the body can affect the reproduction of bacteria that provoke the disease. Inadequate work of the immune system can also cause the development of the disease.
For the treatment of acne and acne rashes on the face, drugs belonging to the group of cytokines or cytomedines are often used.
Using these tips and prevention can help you to cure acne. If you like this article please share it to your friends and loved ones who want to know how to cure acne through simple behavioral changes and natural remedies.
POPULAR
Treatment
How to Cure Acne and What Is the Best Remedy ?
June 10, 2020
Acne, Causes
Causes of Acne Apart from Hormonal Imbalance
June 9, 2020
Acne
Acne Around the Mouth: What Is the Cause of Their Appearance?
June 9, 2020
Acne, Types of Acne
Pimples on the Temple: Causes and Treatment
June 9, 2020
Acne, Causes
Acne Causes, Signs, Treatment and Home Remedies
June 9, 2020
Acne, Home Remedies
Acne Apple Cider Vinegar – A Natural Remedy
June 9, 2020
Acne
What is Acne and It’s Treatment?
June 9, 2020
Acne
Acne – Behaviors and Treatments
June 9, 2020
Tips
How to Take Care of My Skin Under Mask?
June 9, 2020
Types of Acne
How to Prevent and Treat Hormonal Acne?
June 9, 2020
The post How to Cure Acne and What Is the Best Remedy ? appeared first on Acne Vulgaris.
via Acne Vugaris ift.tt/2BT0RiJ
Kosgoda
Sri Lanka
This is the oldest Conservation and Research project started in Sri Lanka in early 1978. It was at a time when all 7 species of sea turtles were on the Endangered list. Of the 7 species, 5 of the species were found to be frequenting the beaches of the southern coast of Sri Lanka where they beached, to lay their eggs. These eggs were collected by the villagers and sold in the open market.
It was about this time when the famous Swedish camera maker Victor Hasselblad whose cameras were the first to be used on the moon, came into the picture. He happened to be a close friend of the highly renowned Sri Lankan bird photographer, Dr Upane de Zylva , and Victor, having similar interests in photography, had made a donation through Dr Zylva to be used in any form of conservation and research, in Sri Lanka.
Albinism and leucism are two types of color mutations involving color loss producing different phenotypes. There are different definitions of leucism, with some authors referring to it as partial albinism
However, true albinos are easily differentiated, because they lack pigmentation and feature red or pinkish eyes, while leucistic animals have reduced/absent coloration but with normal eye pigmentation (Krecsak 2008; Turner 2011).
They referred to this turtle as albino,but I guess this one is rather leucistic than albino as the eyes were dark and not red or pinkish.
Kingdom: Animalia
Phylum: Arthropoda
Class: Insecta
Order: Odonata
Family: Calopterygidae
Genus: Calopteryx
Species: C. virgo
Binomial name
Calopteryx virgo
The male usually has much more extensive pigmentation on the wings than other Calopteryx species in its range: in the south east of its range (the Balkans and Turkey) the wings are entirely metallic blue while in other areas, there are clear areas at the base and tip of the wing. Immature insects often have much paler, browner wings. They have metallic blue-green bodies and blue-green eyes.
The female has dark brown iridescent wings, a white patch near the tip of the wings (called a pseudopterostigma) and a metallic green body with a bronze tip of the abdomen
Females lay up to 300 eggs at a time on emergent or floating plants, often on water-crowfoot. Like the banded demoiselle, they often submerge to do so. The eggs hatch after around 14 days. Again, like the banded demoiselle, the larva is stick-like with long legs and develops over a period of two years in submerged vegetation, plant debris or roots. They usually overwinter in mud or slime.
The larvae of the beautiful demoiselle develop over 10 to 12 stages, each of which takes place between a molt. The body length is variable and highly dependent on environmental conditions. The final stage (F-0-stage) larvae are 3.5 to 4.6 millimeters and weigh about 4 milligrams, slightly below the banded demoiselle. Apart from the larvae of the demoiselles are difficult to distinguish from each other, the apparent differences lie mainly in the bristles and the severity of the tracheal gills on their abdomen. Compared to other damselflies demoiselles larvae fall immediately on the other hand, due to their much shorter mean gill lamella.
The body of the larvae shows only a relatively small adjustment to the fast-flowing waters of their habitat. The body is not flattened but very slim and turning around, the legs are long and have its end with strong claws, with which it can be stated in the vegetation. Because they reside within the water body, but mainly in the quieter areas, the danger of being swept with the flow, is relatively low. If this happens, they clearly its long body and legs stretched as far as possible to get in touch with the vegetation or the substrate to come.
The distribution of the beautiful demoiselle covers all of Europe with the exception of the southwestern Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic Islands and Iceland. In the north it extends to the Arctic polar sea, and thus much further north than that of the banded demoiselle. On the North African Mediterranean coast, its southern populations in Morocco and Algeria can be found.[1] The northern boundary in Asia following the 13-°C July isotherm, it is therefore not in the areas where the average temperature in summer below 13 °C falls, otherwise they are met with in temperate and cool regions in the entire continent with the exception of deserts and the mountains of. The eastern subspecies of C. v. japonica found on the Japanese islands is under debate as to whether it is a separate species. The beautiful demoiselle is mostly found in lowland locations. Regular findings come from areas up to a maximum height of 980 m above sea level. Occasionally they may be found up to 1,200 meters in altitude, such as in the Alps.
The blue-winged demoiselle lives mainly near small to medium sized streams and creeks. They prefer a relatively low water temperature and a moderate to fast flow. The water must not be nutrient rich (eutrophic). In the northern part of their range, such as in Norway and Finland, it is also found near medium-sized rivers or even larger streams. The waters are usually in the immediate vicinity of forests.
The larvae live in the streams mentioned before and are mainly dependent on the water plants. The larvae need the stems and leaves, especially in areas with stronger currents to hold on. Hence it is extremely rare to find them in barren locations, flat expiring banks, or areas with a smooth stone floor. They also live in small natural lakes or ponds characteristic for limestones bedrock. They live in quieter areas between alluvial leaves or on exposed roots of the vegetation. They can be found on submerged plants such as waterweed (Elodea sp.), floods for water crowfoot (Ranunculus fluitans) or other plants,submerged from a few centimetres to several decimetres. Compared with the larvae of the banded demoiselle the larvae of the blue-wing demoiselle prefer quieter areas of the water, since slower flow causes a more effective absorption of oxygen under water. Only in very rare cases the larvae are present in stagnant water. The substrate of the river has only a very minor importance, because the larvae reside mainly in the vegetation. An important factor for the occurrence of blue-wing demoiselles is the oxygen in the water. The larvae is much more sensitive to oxygen deficiency than the larvae of the banded demoiselle, hence it needs a sufficient oxygen saturation of the water. Waters with high levels of sediment and sludge, which is consumed by bacterial decomposition of oxygen are, accordingly not as a habitat for the larvae. This sensitivity qualifies it in water chemistry as a bioindicator for the assessment of water quality. Thus they will be an indication of value in the saprobic assigned of 1.9, which represents a low to moderately polluted waters type (β-mesosaprob) and a water quality class from I to II does. Another key factor for the occurrence of the larvae of the blue-wing demoiselle is the temperature of the water. This species prefers unlike the banded demoiselle, mainly the cooler and shadier areas of the water. The optimal temperature is a summer average 13 to 18 °C. At temperatures above 22 °C were often injuries of larvae observed and also a reduced hatch ability of eggs. The main reason is the oxygen content under higher temperatures. Individual populations may get used to permanently higher temperatures.
The habitat that the adults occupy, corresponds to the nearby larval habitat. Unlike the adults of the banded demoiselle you meet those of the beautiful demoiselle but also in forest clearings, but very rarely on the banks of larger ponds. As resting places, the animals need trees and shrubs, often resting on high herbaceous plants such as the large nettle ( Urtica Dioica ). The breeding habitats are similar to the Larval habitat, these are cool, shady water-courses largely with a more or less strong current and near-natural vegetation and bank structure. This is mostly meadow and pasture streams in the area, they rarely pass through the forest. A distinct riparian vegetation also plays a role as a windbreak. Due to their broad wings the beautiful demoiselle can be blown away by the wind more easily than other species of dragonflies.
Males are territorial, perching in bankside plants and trees. They chase passing insects, often returning to the same perch. Males can stray well away from water, females live away from water unless egg-laying or seeking a mate.
As with the banded demoiselle is also in the blue wing-demoiselle a pronounced territorial behavior of sexually mature males. These days occupy territories that they defend against other males. The defense consists mostly in threatening gestures. For this they spread their wings and put them on display so clearly visible, there is also Drohflügen and in rare cases to air combat between rival males. Optimal areas correspond to the optimal nesting places for the females and are characterized by a normally increased flow and a suitable oviposition substrate in the potential breeding sites from. The size of the spots and their distance apart is the density of the population dependent as well as the occurrences of the water and may be between several meters and a few decimetres. Males who do not occupy spots can keep themselves in the vegetation on the shore and try to mate with fly to females or to fill vacant spots. Especially when only a few males are present, the territorial defense is very aggressive, with a higher number of competing male aggression but decreases significantly. The males sit in their areas mostly in exposed places in the vegetation, which extends over the water, sometimes on vegetation or rocks cushions amid the waters. This seat is waiting at the same time the center of the district they do their gaze primarily on the aquatic center and will show a behavior that is referred to as "wingclapping" and in which the wings beat quickly down and slowly lifted. It is believed that it is mainly used for communication, it also supports the ventilation in the thorax and accordingly probably also plays a role in thermoregulation of the animals
It started when I was 8 years old. A few spots on my back that my mom chaulked up to a sun burn starting to peel. But when the spots started on my knees and elbows and started to spread, we started looking into things a bit more serious and I was eventually diagnosed with an autoimmune disease called "Vitiligo" - basically what happens is that the melanocytes, the cells responsible for skin pigmentation, are killed by own body. I don't see why we can't all just get along. ;)
Over the years I have tried everything possible treatment and disguise I could think of. From tanning booths to wearing two paris of nylons so I could wear shorts on my first day of Grade nine, to spray tans, to phototherapy treatments and to my latest endeavour - tatoos on my shins.
For the longest time it was mostly just on my elbows and knees so I could cover it up by wearing pants and long sleeves...but after I had my children, I developed Exema on my hands (most likely due to the hormones) and when that finally subsided, the Vitiligo appeared...and spread quickly. I have always liked my hands as they remind me of my Dad's hands - big and strong - very helpful for all those years I played basketball. But now, being in an industry where I am constantly meeting new people and shaking hands, they have become my biggest insecurity.
I have an incredible family and friends who quickly see past this outer shell and always encourage me to do the same. But sometimes it is hard...especially in the summer when no amounts of sunscreen seem to keep my tan at bay which only make my white spots more apparent.
I knew that when I signed up for this course that I would have a challenge on my hands (pun intended ;)...by the end of the six weeks I am hoping to be able to capture a picture that will somehow let me see this disease in a different light...perhaps unique, or interesting or maybe just maybe even beautiful.
For the most part, I have learned to deal with it and have found ways to camouflage and conceal it. For the other days (like two days ago when I noticed the spots are starting to appear on my face), I focus on the fact that I have legs to run and hands to hold my precious children. At the end of the day, I can always wear two pairs of nylons. ;)
This peripherally located adenocarcinoma contains a large area of mostly central scarring with anthracotic pigmentation.
Photos: Anthony Hall
Fig. 8. 13 year old girl with predominantly unilateral severe limbal vernal keratoconjunctivitis. Note the lid swelling, increased skin pigmentation around the lid and the injected conjunctiva. The eye is watering and she looks uncomfortable. The other eye appears by to be relatively normal by comparison.
Fig. 9. This is the same girl as in Fig.8 one month after supratarsal subconjunctival triamcinalone under local anaesthetic drops. She is happy and relaxed. The lid swelling has gone. She can now open her eye which is white and quiet. Her left eye which appeared to be relatively normal before, evidently has moderate vernal keratoconjuctivitis too. The lids are a little swollen and the limbal conjunctiva is injected and thickened. She is so pleased with the response in her right eye she is requesting an injection for her left eye.
Fig. 10. Child with severe limbal VKC. This is a close up of the right eye of the girl in Fig.8. Note the marked conjunctival hyperaemia, Trantas’ dots and invasion of cornea by thickened gelatinous pannus.
Fig. 11. Right eye of child in Figs. 8 and 9 one month after supratarsal subconjunctival triamcinalone under local anaesthetic drops. Note that the conjunctiva hyperaemia has gone. The thickened vascularised gelatinous pannus has resolved leaving a mildly pigmented flat scar. The vascular pannus accompanying the pannus has resolved apart from the one larger nasal feeder vessel. Visual acuity had improved from 6/18 to 6/6.
Published in: Community Eye Health Journal Vol. 18 No. 53 MARCH 2005 www.cehjournal.org
The Carolina anole (Anolis carolinensis) is an arboreal lizard found primarily in the southeastern parts of the United States and some Caribbean islands. Common synonyms include the green anole, American anole and red-throated anole. It is sometimes referred to as the American chameleon due to its color-changing abilities; however, it is not a true chameleon.
This species is native to North America, where it is found mainly in the southeastern parts of the continent. Anoles are most abundant on the Atlantic Coastal Plains in North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida and Georgia, and the Gulf Coastal Plain in Texas. The species has been introduced into Hawaii.
Anoles are territorial. In fact some have even been witnessed fighting their own reflection in mirrored glass. Stress in an anole can be identified by several symptoms. These symptoms include a constant shade of brown and a persistent black semicircle behind their eyes and chronic lethargy. In a group of one male and several females some aggressive chasing may occur, but the encounters are short lived and less violent than between males.
During shedding an anole may use its mouth to pull the old skin off and will usually eat it. In addition to discarding their tails, anoles will attempt to bite perceived predators if cornered, which can be somewhat painful, but does not cause much harm other than some scratching of the bite area caused by the lizard's teeth.
When an anole is stressed out, or nervous, they will begin to turn a dark brown. Green means that an anole is happy, healthy, or relaxed. Some anoles, when relaxed, on a hot day will turn a soft yellow-green in color. There are many shades of brown and green. The darker the shade of brown, the more stressed, cold, or possibly ill the lizard is.
Anoles are curious creatures. A healthy lizard usually has a good awareness of its surroundings. The males are very territorial and will fight other males to defend its territory.
The typical breeding season for green anoles starts from as early as April and ends to as late as August and lasts even occasionally into September. It is during this time that the most brilliant displays of these creatures can be seen, as the males must court the females with their elaborate displays of extending their brightly colored dewlaps while bobbing up and down, almost doing a dance for her while she runs in temptation from the male. The pursuit will continue until the two successfully mate. Usually, when the female is ready to mate, she may let the male simply "catch" her and he will thus grasp a hold of a fold of her skin above her neck area, or she will bow her head before him and simply "let" him take his grasp. At this point, the male will position his tail underneath the female's near her vent and the mating ritual will take place.
After a 2–4 week span following mating, the female will lay her first clutch of eggs, usually ranging from 1–2 in the first clutch. She will continue to lay eggs during the season until a total of 10 or so eggs have been produced. When it comes time for her to lay her eggs, she will bury them in the soft soils or compost nearby, and after that she no longer takes any care for it. The egg(s) are left alone to incubate by the light of the sun and if successful will hatch in 30–45 or so days.
The hatchlings must fend for themselves, as anoles are by nature solitary animals since birth and are not cared for by the mother or the father. The young hatchlings must be wary of other adult anoles in the area as well as larger reptiles and mammals who could eat them.
For breeding anoles in captivity, however, for best results the eggs must be taken out of the adults' enclosure and incubated in moist, not wet, vermiculite at a temperature of around 85 degrees Fahrenheit and around 70% humidity. The eggs will hatch within 35–40 or so days.
Once the eggs hatch, the young should be put into their own separate enclosure (separate from the adults), and the enclosure's temps and humidity levels should match that of the adult anoles. Hatchlings can be fed soft-shelled pinhead crickets, small leaf-hoppers, flightless fruit-flies, and other pesticide-free insects that do not exhibit a hard exoskeleton. The same goes true for adults as well. Pesticide-free insects are a must for anoles, so do not go for bugs in the area if you know that pesticides are sprayed or if you live in a rural area with lots of car exhaust and air pollution that can get on the insect.
Generally, the typical coloration for a green anole ranges from the richest and brightest of greens to the darkest of browns, with little variation in between. There are a few exceptions, however, which are caused when a lack in one of the pigment genes occurs. There are three layers of pigment cells – chromatophores that make up the green anole color spectrum: the xanthophores, responsible for the yellow pigmentation; cyanophores, responsible for the blue pigmentation, and melanophores, responsible for the brown and black pigmentation. The combination of the xanthophores and cyanophores are what make up the different arrays of green seen in the green anole, whereas the melanophores are responsible for its change to brown when the anole is cold or stressed. When there is a lack of one of these pigments, color mutations, also called "phases," can occur. In particular, this can lead to the incidence of the rare and beautiful blue-phased green anole, which lacks xanthophores, or the yellow pigment that makes up the green hues of the green anole's color spectrum. What results is a blue, often baby or pastel blue, anole. These rare beauties have become a recent popularity in the trade market. When the anole is completely lacking xanthophores, however, it is said to be axanthic. Such individuals are often completely pastel or baby-blue in hue, however are extremely rare -- usually produced in 1 out of every 20,000 individual anoles in the wild. Other color phases can also occur, such as the yellow-phased green anole, which lacks cyanophores, which are responsible for the blue pigment in the green anole color spectrum. However, none are as popular or as brilliant as the blue-phased green anole. Colonies of these rare color-phased anoles have been reported, but anoles with these color mutations rarely live for long, since the green anole relies on its green and brown camouflage to hunt down prey as well as hide from predators.
The Brown Anole is a highly invasive lizard in the same genus as the Carolina anole. It is native to Cuba and several other Caribbean islands, but has been introduced in Florida and has spread through the state. It has seriously depleted the population of carolina anoles throughout its range, due to competing with them for food and habitat. Some think that these lizards spread when they laid their eggs in potted plants at nurseries, which were then shipped throughout the state.
The information above was gathered from Wikipedia.
Pigmentation In Pregnancy:- When I was pregnant, there were many changes to my body that I was not ready for. But one of the changes that made me feel the most self-conscious was the change that happened to my skin.
The pigmentation on my face, especially under the eyes, became really noticeable towards the end of the pregnancy. When I look at the pictures now, that's all I see.
It is estimated that up to three quarters of pregnant women have these spots, also known as "pregnancy mask". In women with darker skin, the spots may be lighter than normal.
Pigmentation during pregnancy is linked to increased estrogen levels in a woman, according to dermatologist Dr. Michael Rich.
“A physiological increase in pigmentation is observed in all pregnant women,” he explains. "This is most noticeable along the line down the center of the abdomen, called the black line, around the nipples and areolas, and around the genitals and perineum."
It also occurs in areas exposed to the sun - “on the face, usually on the cheeks and above the upper lip,” as Dr. Rich points out - because the body can react to sunlight by producing too much melanin, the tanning hormone. which causes dark skinhttps://pigmentation.in/pigmentation-in-pregnancy/
visit this site for more information.
Jellyfish, also known sea jellies, are the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria.
Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella-shaped bells and trailing tentacles, although a few are anchored to the seabed by stalks rather than being mobile. The bell can pulsate to provide propulsion for highly efficient locomotion. The tentacles are armed with stinging cells and may be used to capture prey and defend against predators. Jellyfish have a complex life cycle. The medusa is normally the sexual phase, which produces planula larvae; these then disperse widely and enter a sedentary polyp phase, before reaching sexual maturity.
Jellyfish are found all over the world, from surface waters to the deep sea. Scyphozoans (the "true jellyfish") are exclusively marine, but some hydrozoans with a similar appearance live in freshwater. Large, often colorful, jellyfish are common in coastal zones worldwide. The medusae of most species are fast-growing, and mature within a few months then die soon after breeding, but the polyp stage, attached to the seabed, may be much more long-lived. Jellyfish have been in existence for at least 500 million years,[1] and possibly 700 million years or more, making them the oldest multi-organ animal group.[2]
Jellyfish are eaten by humans in certain cultures. They are considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, where species in the Rhizostomeae order are pressed and salted to remove excess water. Australian researchers have described them as a "perfect food": sustainable and protein-rich but relatively low in food energy.[3]
They are also used in research, where the green fluorescent protein used by some species to cause bioluminescence has been adapted as a fluorescent marker for genes inserted into other cells or organisms.
The stinging cells used by jellyfish to subdue their prey can injure humans. Thousands of swimmers worldwide are stung every year, with effects ranging from mild discomfort to serious injury or even death. When conditions are favourable, jellyfish can form vast swarms, which can be responsible for damage to fishing gear by filling fishing nets, and sometimes clog the cooling systems of power and desalination plants which draw their water from the sea.
Names
The name jellyfish, in use since 1796,[4] has traditionally been applied to medusae and all similar animals including the comb jellies (ctenophores, another phylum).[5][6] The term jellies or sea jellies is more recent, having been introduced by public aquaria in an effort to avoid use of the word "fish" with its modern connotation of an animal with a backbone, though shellfish, cuttlefish and starfish are not vertebrates either.[7][8] In scientific literature, "jelly" and "jellyfish" have been used interchangeably.[9][10] Many sources refer to only scyphozoans as "true jellyfish".[11]
A group of jellyfish is called a "smack"[12] or a "smuck".[13]
Mapping to taxonomic groups
A purple-striped jellyfish at the Monterey Bay Aquarium
Phylogeny
Definition
The term jellyfish broadly corresponds to medusae,[4] that is, a life-cycle stage in the Medusozoa. The American evolutionary biologist Paulyn Cartwright gives the following general definition:
Typically, medusozoan cnidarians have a pelagic, predatory jellyfish stage in their life cycle; staurozoans are the exceptions [as they are stalked].[14]
The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines jellyfish as follows:
A free-swimming marine coelenterate that is the sexually reproducing form of a hydrozoan or scyphozoan and has a nearly transparent saucer-shaped body and extensible marginal tentacles studded with stinging cells.[15]
Given that jellyfish is a common name, its mapping to biological groups is inexact. Some authorities have called the comb jellies[16] and certain salps[16] jellyfish, though other authorities state that neither of these are jellyfish, which they consider should be limited to certain groups within the medusozoa.[17][18]
The non-medusozoan clades called jellyfish by some but not all authorities (both agreeing and disagreeing citations are given in each case) are indicated with "???" on the following cladogram of the animal kingdom:
Animalia
Porifera
Ctenophora (comb jellies)[16] ???[17]
Cnidaria (includes jellyfish and other jellies)
Bilateria
Protostomia
Deuterostomia
Ambulacraria
Chordata
Tunicata (includes salps)[16] ???[18]
Vertebrata
Medusozoan jellyfish
Jellyfish are not a clade, as they include most of the Medusozoa, barring some of the Hydrozoa.[19][20] The medusozoan groups included by authorities are indicated on the following phylogenetic tree by the presence of citations. Names of included jellyfish, in English where possible, are shown in boldface; the presence of a named and cited example indicates that at least that species within its group has been called a jellyfish.
Cnidaria
Anthozoa (corals)
Polypodiozoa and Myxozoa (parasitic cnidarians)
Medusozoa
Acraspeda
Staurozoa (stalked jellyfish)[21]
Rhopaliophora
Cubozoa (box jellyfish)[16]
Scyphozoa
Discomedusae[16]
Coronatae (crown jellyfish)[22]
(true jellyfish[19])
Hydrozoa
Aplanulata
Siphonophorae
Some Leptothecata[16] e.g. crystal jelly
Filifera[16] e.g. red paper lantern jellyfish[23]
Trachylinae
Limnomedusae, e.g. flower hat jelly[16]
Narcomedusae, e.g. cosmic jellyfish[24]
Taxonomy
The subphylum Medusozoa includes all cnidarians with a medusa stage in their life cycle. The basic cycle is egg, planula larva, polyp, medusa, with the medusa being the sexual stage. The polyp stage is sometimes secondarily lost. The subphylum include the major taxa, Scyphozoa (large jellyfish), Cubozoa (box jellyfish) and Hydrozoa (small jellyfish), and excludes Anthozoa (corals and sea anemones).[25] This suggests that the medusa form evolved after the polyps.[26] Medusozoans have tetramerous symmetry, with parts in fours or multiples of four.[25]
The four major classes of medusozoan Cnidaria are:
Scyphozoa are sometimes called true jellyfish, though they are no more truly jellyfish than the others listed here. They have tetra-radial symmetry. Most have tentacles around the outer margin of the bowl-shaped bell, and long, oral arms around the mouth in the center of the subumbrella.[25]
Cubozoa (box jellyfish) have a (rounded) box-shaped bell, and their velarium assists them to swim more quickly. Box jellyfish may be related more closely to scyphozoan jellyfish than either are to the Hydrozoa.[26]
Hydrozoa medusae also have tetra-radial symmetry, nearly always have a velum (diaphragm used in swimming) attached just inside the bell margin, do not have oral arms, but a much smaller central stalk-like structure, the manubrium, with terminal mouth opening, and are distinguished by the absence of cells in the mesoglea. Hydrozoa show great diversity of lifestyle; some species maintain the polyp form for their entire life and do not form medusae at all (such as Hydra, which is hence not considered a jellyfish), and a few are entirely medusal and have no polyp form.[25]
Staurozoa (stalked jellyfish) are characterized by a medusa form that is generally sessile, oriented upside down and with a stalk emerging from the apex of the "calyx" (bell), which attaches to the substrate. At least some Staurozoa also have a polyp form that alternates with the medusoid portion of the life cycle. Until recently, Staurozoa were classified within the Scyphozoa.[25]
There are over 200 species of Scyphozoa, about 50 species of Staurozoa, about 50 species of Cubozoa, and the Hydrozoa includes about 1000–1500 species that produce medusae, but many more species that do not.[27][28]
Fossil history
Fossil jellyfish, Rhizostomites lithographicus, one of the Scypho-medusae, from the Kimmeridgian (late Jurassic, 157 to 152 mya) of Solnhofen, Germany
Stranded scyphozoans on a Cambrian tidal flat at Blackberry Hill, Wisconsin
The conulariid Conularia milwaukeensis from the Middle Devonian of Wisconsin
Since jellyfish have no hard parts, fossils are rare. The oldest unambiguous fossil of a free-swimming medusa is Burgessomedusa from the mid Cambrian Burgess Shale of Canada, which is likely either a stem group of box jellyfish (Cubozoa) or Acraspeda (the clade including Staurozoa, Cubozoa, and Scyphozoa). Other claimed records from the Cambrian of China and Utah in the United States are uncertain, and possibly represent ctenophores instead.[29]
Anatomy
Labelled cross section of a jellyfish
The main feature of a true jellyfish is the umbrella-shaped bell. This is a hollow structure consisting of a mass of transparent jelly-like matter known as mesoglea, which forms the hydrostatic skeleton of the animal.[25] 95% or more of the mesogloea consists of water,[30] but it also contains collagen and other fibrous proteins, as well as wandering amoebocytes which can engulf debris and bacteria. The mesogloea is bordered by the epidermis on the outside and the gastrodermis on the inside. The edge of the bell is often divided into rounded lobes known as lappets, which allow the bell to flex. In the gaps or niches between the lappets are dangling rudimentary sense organs known as rhopalia, and the margin of the bell often bears tentacles.[25]
Anatomy of a scyphozoan jellyfish
On the underside of the bell is the manubrium, a stalk-like structure hanging down from the centre, with the mouth, which also functions as the anus, at its tip. There are often four oral arms connected to the manubrium, streaming away into the water below.[31] The mouth opens into the gastrovascular cavity, where digestion takes place and nutrients are absorbed. This is subdivided by four thick septa into a central stomach and four gastric pockets. The four pairs of gonads are attached to the septa, and close to them four septal funnels open to the exterior, perhaps supplying good oxygenation to the gonads. Near the free edges of the septa, gastric filaments extend into the gastric cavity; these are armed with nematocysts and enzyme-producing cells and play a role in subduing and digesting the prey. In some scyphozoans, the gastric cavity is joined to radial canals which branch extensively and may join a marginal ring canal. Cilia in these canals circulate the fluid in a regular direction.[25]
Discharge mechanism of a nematocyst
The box jellyfish is largely similar in structure. It has a squarish, box-like bell. A short pedalium or stalk hangs from each of the four lower corners. One or more long, slender tentacles are attached to each pedalium.[32] The rim of the bell is folded inwards to form a shelf known as a velarium which restricts the bell's aperture and creates a powerful jet when the bell pulsates, allowing box jellyfish to swim faster than true jellyfish.[25] Hydrozoans are also similar, usually with just four tentacles at the edge of the bell, although many hydrozoans are colonial and may not have a free-living medusal stage. In some species, a non-detachable bud known as a gonophore is formed that contains a gonad but is missing many other medusal features such as tentacles and rhopalia.[25] Stalked jellyfish are attached to a solid surface by a basal disk, and resemble a polyp, the oral end of which has partially developed into a medusa with tentacle-bearing lobes and a central manubrium with four-sided mouth.[25]
Most jellyfish do not have specialized systems for osmoregulation, respiration and circulation, and do not have a central nervous system. Nematocysts, which deliver the sting, are located mostly on the tentacles; true jellyfish also have them around the mouth and stomach.[33] Jellyfish do not need a respiratory system because sufficient oxygen diffuses through the epidermis. They have limited control over their movement, but can navigate with the pulsations of the bell-like body; some species are active swimmers most of the time, while others largely drift.[34] The rhopalia contain rudimentary sense organs which are able to detect light, water-borne vibrations, odour and orientation.[25] A loose network of nerves called a "nerve net" is located in the epidermis.[35][36] Although traditionally thought not to have a central nervous system, nerve net concentration and ganglion-like structures could be considered to constitute one in most species.[37] A jellyfish detects stimuli, and transmits impulses both throughout the nerve net and around a circular nerve ring, to other nerve cells. The rhopalial ganglia contain pacemaker neurones which control swimming rate and direction.[25]
In many species of jellyfish, the rhopalia include ocelli, light-sensitive organs able to tell light from dark. These are generally pigment spot ocelli, which have some of their cells pigmented. The rhopalia are suspended on stalks with heavy crystals at one end, acting like gyroscopes to orient the eyes skyward. Certain jellyfish look upward at the mangrove canopy while making a daily migration from mangrove swamps into the open lagoon, where they feed, and back again.[2]
Box jellyfish have more advanced vision than the other groups. Each individual has 24 eyes, two of which are capable of seeing colour, and four parallel information processing areas that act in competition,[38] supposedly making them one of the few kinds of animal to have a 360-degree view of its environment.[39]
Box jellyfish eye
The study of jellyfish eye evolution is an intermediary to a better understanding of how visual systems evolved on Earth.[40] Jellyfish exhibit immense variation in visual systems ranging from photoreceptive cell patches seen in simple photoreceptive systems to more derived complex eyes seen in box jellyfish.[40] Major topics of jellyfish visual system research (with an emphasis on box jellyfish) include: the evolution of jellyfish vision from simple to complex visual systems), the eye morphology and molecular structures of box jellyfish (including comparisons to vertebrate eyes), and various uses of vision including task-guided behaviors and niche specialization.
Evolution
Experimental evidence for photosensitivity and photoreception in cnidarians antecedes the mid 1900s, and a rich body of research has since covered evolution of visual systems in jellyfish.[41] Jellyfish visual systems range from simple photoreceptive cells to complex image-forming eyes. More ancestral visual systems incorporate extraocular vision (vision without eyes) that encompass numerous receptors dedicated to single-function behaviors. More derived visual systems comprise perception that is capable of multiple task-guided behaviors.
Although they lack a true brain, cnidarian jellyfish have a "ring" nervous system that plays a significant role in motor and sensory activity. This net of nerves is responsible for muscle contraction and movement and culminates the emergence of photosensitive structures.[40] Across Cnidaria, there is large variation in the systems that underlie photosensitivity. Photosensitive structures range from non-specialized groups of cells, to more "conventional" eyes similar to those of vertebrates.[41] The general evolutionary steps to develop complex vision include (from more ancestral to more derived states): non-directional photoreception, directional photoreception, low-resolution vision, and high-resolution vision.[40] Increased habitat and task complexity has favored the high-resolution visual systems common in derived cnidarians such as box jellyfish.[40]
Basal visual systems observed in various cnidarians exhibit photosensitivity representative of a single task or behavior. Extraocular photoreception (a form of non-directional photoreception), is the most basic form of light sensitivity and guides a variety of behaviors among cnidarians. It can function to regulate circadian rhythm (as seen in eyeless hydrozoans) and other light-guided behaviors responsive to the intensity and spectrum of light. Extraocular photoreception can function additionally in positive phototaxis (in planula larvae of hydrozoans),[41] as well as in avoiding harmful amounts of UV radiation via negative phototaxis. Directional photoreception (the ability to perceive direction of incoming light) allows for more complex phototactic responses to light, and likely evolved by means of membrane stacking.[40] The resulting behavioral responses can range from guided spawning events timed by moonlight to shadow responses for potential predator avoidance.[41][42] Light-guided behaviors are observed in numerous scyphozoans including the common moon jelly, Aurelia aurita, which migrates in response to changes in ambient light and solar position even though they lack proper eyes.[41]
The low-resolution visual system of box jellyfish is more derived than directional photoreception, and thus box jellyfish vision represents the most basic form of true vision in which multiple directional photoreceptors combine to create the first imaging and spatial resolution. This is different from the high-resolution vision that is observed in camera or compound eyes of vertebrates and cephalopods that rely on focusing optics.[41] Critically, the visual systems of box jellyfish are responsible for guiding multiple tasks or behaviors in contrast to less derived visual systems in other jellyfish that guide single behavioral functions. These behaviors include phototaxis based on sunlight (positive) or shadows (negative), obstacle avoidance, and control of swim-pulse rate.[43]
Box jellyfish possess "proper eyes" (similar to vertebrates) that allow them to inhabit environments that lesser derived medusae cannot. In fact, they are considered the only class in the clade Medusozoa that have behaviors necessitating spatial resolution and genuine vision.[41] However, the lens in their eyes are more functionally similar to cup-eyes exhibited in low-resolution organisms, and have very little to no focusing capability.[44][43] The lack of the ability to focus is due to the focal length exceeding the distance to the retina, thus generating unfocused images and limiting spatial resolution.[41] The visual system is still sufficient for box jellyfish to produce an image to help with tasks such as object avoidance.
Utility as a model organism
Box jellyfish eyes are a visual system that is sophisticated in numerous ways. These intricacies include the considerable variation within the morphology of box jellyfishes' eyes (including their task/behavior specification), and the molecular makeup of their eyes including: photoreceptors, opsins, lenses, and synapses.[41] The comparison of these attributes to more derived visual systems can allow for a further understanding of how the evolution of more derived visual systems may have occurred, and puts into perspective how box jellyfish can play the role as an evolutionary/developmental model for all visual systems.[45]
Characteristics
Box jellyfish visual systems are both diverse and complex, comprising multiple photosystems.[41] There is likely considerable variation in visual properties between species of box jellyfish given the significant inter-species morphological and physiological variation. Eyes tend to differ in size and shape, along with number of receptors (including opsins), and physiology across species of box jellyfish.[41]
Box jellyfish have a series of intricate lensed eyes that are similar to those of more derived multicellular organisms such as vertebrates. Their 24 eyes fit into four different morphological categories.[46] These categories consist of two large, morphologically different medial eyes (a lower and upper lensed eye) containing spherical lenses, a lateral pair of pigment slit eyes, and a lateral pair of pigment pit eyes.[43] The eyes are situated on rhopalia (small sensory structures) which serve sensory functions of the box jellyfish and arise from the cavities of the exumbrella (the surface of the body) on the side of the bells of the jellyfish.[41] The two large eyes are located on the mid-line of the club and are considered complex because they contain lenses. The four remaining eyes lie laterally on either side of each rhopalia and are considered simple. The simple eyes are observed as small invaginated cups of epithelium that have developed pigmentation.[47] The larger of the complex eyes contains a cellular cornea created by a mono ciliated epithelium, cellular lens, homogenous capsule to the lens, vitreous body with prismatic elements, and a retina of pigmented cells. The smaller of the complex eyes is said to be slightly less complex given that it lacks a capsule but otherwise contains the same structure as the larger eye.[47]
Box jellyfish have multiple photosystems that comprise different sets of eyes.[41] Evidence includes immunocytochemical and molecular data that show photopigment differences among the different morphological eye types, and physiological experiments done on box jellyfish to suggest behavioral differences among photosystems. Each individual eye type constitutes photosystems that work collectively to control visually guided behaviors.[41]
Box jellyfish eyes primarily use c-PRCs (ciliary photoreceptor cells) similar to that of vertebrate eyes. These cells undergo phototransduction cascades (process of light absorption by photoreceptors) that are triggered by c-opsins.[48] Available opsin sequences suggest that there are two types of opsins possessed by all cnidarians including an ancient phylogenetic opsin, and a sister ciliary opsin to the c-opsins group. Box jellyfish could have both ciliary and cnidops (cnidarian opsins), which is something not previously believed to appear in the same retina.[41] Nevertheless, it is not entirely evident whether cnidarians possess multiple opsins that are capable of having distinctive spectral sensitivities.[41]
Comparison with other organisms
Comparative research on genetic and molecular makeup of box jellyfishes' eyes versus more derived eyes seen in vertebrates and cephalopods focuses on: lenses and crystallin composition, synapses, and Pax genes and their implied evidence for shared primordial (ancestral) genes in eye evolution.[49]
Box jellyfish eyes are said to be an evolutionary/developmental model of all eyes based on their evolutionary recruitment of crystallins and Pax genes.[45] Research done on box jellyfish including Tripedalia cystophora has suggested that they possess a single Pax gene, PaxB. PaxB functions by binding to crystallin promoters and activating them. PaxB in situ hybridization resulted in PaxB expression in the lens, retina, and statocysts.[45] These results and the rejection of the prior hypothesis that Pax6 was an ancestral Pax gene in eyes has led to the conclusion that PaxB was a primordial gene in eye evolution, and that the eyes of all organisms likely share a common ancestor.[45]
The lens structure of box jellyfish appears very similar to those of other organisms, but the crystallins are distinct in both function and appearance.[49] Weak reactions were seen within the sera and there were very weak sequence similarities within the crystallins among vertebrate and invertebrate lenses.[49] This is likely due to differences in lower molecular weight proteins and the subsequent lack of immunological reactions with antisera that other organisms' lenses exhibit.[49]
All four of the visual systems of box jellyfish species investigated with detail (Carybdea marsupialis, Chiropsalmus quadrumanus, Tamoya haplonema and Tripedalia cystophora) have invaginated synapses, but only in the upper and lower lensed eyes. Different densities were found between the upper and lower lenses, and between species.[46] Four types of chemical synapses have been discovered within the rhopalia which could help in understanding neural organization including: clear unidirectional, dense-core unidirectional, clear bidirectional, and clear and dense-core bidirectional. The synapses of the lensed eyes could be useful as markers to learn more about the neural circuit in box jellyfish retinal areas.[46]
Evolution as a response to natural stimuli
The primary adaptive responses to environmental variation observed in box jellyfish eyes include pupillary constriction speeds in response to light environments, as well as photoreceptor tuning and lens adaptations to better respond to shifts between light environments and darkness. Interestingly, some box jellyfish species' eyes appear to have evolved more focused vision in response to their habitat.[50]
Pupillary contraction appears to have evolved in response to variation in the light environment across ecological niches across three species of box jellyfish (Chironex fleckeri, Chiropsella bronzie, and Carukia barnesi). Behavioral studies suggest that faster pupil contraction rates allow for greater object avoidance,[50] and in fact, species with more complex habitats exhibit faster rates. Ch. bronzie inhabit shallow beach fronts that have low visibility and very few obstacles, thus, faster pupil contraction in response to objects in their environment is not important. Ca. barnesi and Ch. fleckeri are found in more three-dimensionally complex environments like mangroves with an abundance of natural obstacles, where faster pupil contraction is more adaptive.[50] Behavioral studies support the idea that faster pupillary contraction rates assist with obstacle avoidance as well as depth adjustments in response to differing light intensities.
Light/dark adaptation via pupillary light reflexes is an additional form of an evolutionary response to the light environment. This relates to the pupil's response to shifts between light intensity (generally from sunlight to darkness). In the process of light/dark adaptation, the upper and lower lens eyes of different box jellyfish species vary in specific function.[43] The lower lens-eyes contain pigmented photoreceptors and long pigment cells with dark pigments that migrate on light/dark adaptation, while the upper-lens eyes play a concentrated role in light direction and phototaxis given that they face upward towards the water surface (towards the sun or moon).[43] The upper lens of Ch. bronzie does not exhibit any considerable optical power while Tr. cystophora (a box jellyfish species that tends to live in mangroves) does. The ability to use light to visually guide behavior is not of as much importance to Ch. bronzie as it is to species in more obstacle-filled environments.[43] Differences in visually guided behavior serve as evidence that species that share the same number and structure of eyes can exhibit differences in how they control behavior.
Largest and smallest
Jellyfish range from about one millimeter in bell height and diameter,[51] to nearly 2 metres (6+1⁄2 ft) in bell height and diameter; the tentacles and mouth parts usually extend beyond this bell dimension.[25]
The smallest jellyfish are the peculiar creeping jellyfish in the genera Staurocladia and Eleutheria, which have bell disks from 0.5 millimetres (1⁄32 in) to a few millimeters in diameter, with short tentacles that extend out beyond this, which these jellyfish use to move across the surface of seaweed or the bottoms of rocky pools;[51] many of these tiny creeping jellyfish cannot be seen in the field without a hand lens or microscope. They can reproduce asexually by fission (splitting in half). Other very small jellyfish, which have bells about one millimeter, are the hydromedusae of many species that have just been released from their parent polyps;[52] some of these live only a few minutes before shedding their gametes in the plankton and then dying, while others will grow in the plankton for weeks or months. The hydromedusae Cladonema radiatum and Cladonema californicum are also very small, living for months, yet never growing beyond a few mm in bell height and diameter.[53]
The lion's mane jellyfish (Cyanea capillata) is one of the largest species.
The lion's mane jellyfish, Cyanea capillata, was long-cited as the largest jellyfish, and arguably the longest animal in the world, with fine, thread-like tentacles that may extend up to 36.5 m (119 ft 9 in) long (though most are nowhere near that large).[54][55] They have a moderately painful, but rarely fatal, sting.[56] The increasingly common giant Nomura's jellyfish, Nemopilema nomurai, found in some, but not all years in the waters of Japan, Korea and China in summer and autumn is another candidate for "largest jellyfish", in terms of diameter and weight, since the largest Nomura's jellyfish in late autumn can reach 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in bell (body) diameter and about 200 kg (440 lb) in weight, with average specimens frequently reaching 0.9 m (2 ft 11 in) in bell diameter and about 150 kg (330 lb) in weight.[57][58] The large bell mass of the giant Nomura's jellyfish[59] can dwarf a diver and is nearly always much greater than the Lion's Mane, whose bell diameter can reach 1 m (3 ft 3 in).[60]
The rarely encountered deep-sea jellyfish Stygiomedusa gigantea is another candidate for "largest jellyfish", with its thick, massive bell up to 100 cm (3 ft 3 in) wide, and four thick, "strap-like" oral arms extending up to 6 m (19+1⁄2 ft) in length, very different from the typical fine, threadlike tentacles that rim the umbrella of more-typical-looking jellyfish, including the Lion's Mane.[61]
Desmonema glaciale, which lives in the Antarctic region, can reach a very large size (several meters).[62][63] Purple-striped jelly (Chrysaora colorata) can also be extremely long (up to 15 feet).[64]
Life history and behavior
See also: Biological life cycle and Developmental biology
Illustration of two life stages of seven jelly species
The developmental stages of scyphozoan jellyfish's life cycle:
1–3 Larva searches for site
4–8 Polyp grows
9–11 Polyp strobilates
12–14 Medusa grows
Life cycle
Jellyfish have a complex life cycle which includes both sexual and asexual phases, with the medusa being the sexual stage in most instances. Sperm fertilize eggs, which develop into larval planulae, become polyps, bud into ephyrae and then transform into adult medusae. In some species certain stages may be skipped.[65]
Upon reaching adult size, jellyfish spawn regularly if there is a sufficient supply of food. In most species, spawning is controlled by light, with all individuals spawning at about the same time of day; in many instances this is at dawn or dusk.[66] Jellyfish are usually either male or female (with occasional hermaphrodites). In most cases, adults release sperm and eggs into the surrounding water, where the unprotected eggs are fertilized and develop into larvae. In a few species, the sperm swim into the female's mouth, fertilizing the eggs within her body, where they remain during early development stages. In moon jellies, the eggs lodge in pits on the oral arms, which form a temporary brood chamber for the developing planula larvae.[67]
The planula is a small larva covered with cilia. When sufficiently developed, it settles onto a firm surface and develops into a polyp. The polyp generally consists of a small stalk topped by a mouth that is ringed by upward-facing tentacles. The polyps resemble those of closely related anthozoans, such as sea anemones and corals. The jellyfish polyp may be sessile, living on the bottom, boat hulls or other substrates, or it may be free-floating or attached to tiny bits of free-living plankton[68] or rarely, fish[69][70] or other invertebrates. Polyps may be solitary or colonial.[71] Most polyps are only millimetres in diameter and feed continuously. The polyp stage may last for years.[25]
After an interval and stimulated by seasonal or hormonal changes, the polyp may begin reproducing asexually by budding and, in the Scyphozoa, is called a segmenting polyp, or a scyphistoma. Budding produces more scyphistomae and also ephyrae.[25] Budding sites vary by species; from the tentacle bulbs, the manubrium (above the mouth), or the gonads of hydromedusae.[68] In a process known as strobilation, the polyp's tentacles are reabsorbed and the body starts to narrow, forming transverse constrictions, in several places near the upper extremity of the polyp. These deepen as the constriction sites migrate down the body, and separate segments known as ephyra detach. These are free-swimming precursors of the adult medusa stage, which is the life stage that is typically identified as a jellyfish.[25][72] The ephyrae, usually only a millimeter or two across initially, swim away from the polyp and grow. Limnomedusae polyps can asexually produce a creeping frustule larval form, which crawls away before developing into another polyp.[25] A few species can produce new medusae by budding directly from the medusan stage. Some hydromedusae reproduce by fission.[68]
Lifespan
Little is known of the life histories of many jellyfish as the places on the seabed where the benthic forms of those species live have not been found. However, an asexually reproducing strobila form can sometimes live for several years, producing new medusae (ephyra larvae) each year.[73]
An unusual species, Turritopsis dohrnii, formerly classified as Turritopsis nutricula,[74] might be effectively immortal because of its ability under certain circumstances to transform from medusa back to the polyp stage, thereby escaping the death that typically awaits medusae post-reproduction if they have not otherwise been eaten by some other organism. So far this reversal has been observed only in the laboratory.[75]
Locomotion
Jellyfish locomotion is highly efficient. Muscles in the jellylike bell contract, setting up a start vortex and propelling the animal. When the contraction ends, the bell recoils elastically, creating a stop vortex with no extra energy input.
Using the moon jelly Aurelia aurita as an example, jellyfish have been shown to be the most energy-efficient swimmers of all animals.[76] They move through the water by radially expanding and contracting their bell-shaped bodies to push water behind them. They pause between the contraction and expansion phases to create two vortex rings. Muscles are used for the contraction of the body, which creates the first vortex and pushes the animal forward, but the mesoglea is so elastic that the expansion is powered exclusively by relaxing the bell, which releases the energy stored from the contraction. Meanwhile, the second vortex ring starts to spin faster, sucking water into the bell and pushing against the centre of the body, giving a secondary and "free" boost forward. The mechanism, called passive energy recapture, only works in relatively small jellyfish moving at low speeds, allowing the animal to travel 30 percent farther on each swimming cycle. Jellyfish achieved a 48 percent lower cost of transport (food and oxygen intake versus energy spent in movement) than other animals in similar studies. One reason for this is that most of the gelatinous tissue of the bell is inactive, using no energy during swimming.[77]
Ecology
Diet
Jellyfish are, like other cnidarians, generally carnivorous (or parasitic),[78] feeding on planktonic organisms, crustaceans, small fish, fish eggs and larvae, and other jellyfish, ingesting food and voiding undigested waste through the mouth. They hunt passively using their tentacles as drift lines, or sink through the water with their tentacles spread widely; the tentacles, which contain nematocysts to stun or kill the prey, may then flex to help bring it to the mouth.[25] Their swimming technique also helps them to capture prey; when their bell expands it sucks in water which brings more potential prey within reach of the tentacles.[79]
A few species such as Aglaura hemistoma are omnivorous, feeding on microplankton which is a mixture of zooplankton and phytoplankton (microscopic plants) such as dinoflagellates.[80] Others harbour mutualistic algae (Zooxanthellae) in their tissues;[25] the spotted jellyfish (Mastigias papua) is typical of these, deriving part of its nutrition from the products of photosynthesis, and part from captured zooplankton.[81][82] The upside-down jellyfish (Cassiopea andromeda) also has a symbiotic relationship with microalgae, but captures tiny animals to supplement their diet. This is done by releasing tiny balls of living cells composed of mesoglea. These use cilia to drive them through water and stinging cells which stun the prey. The blobs also seems to have digestive capabilities.[83]
Predation
Other species of jellyfish are among the most common and important jellyfish predators. Sea anemones may eat jellyfish that drift into their range. Other predators include tunas, sharks, swordfish, sea turtles and penguins.[84][85] Jellyfish washed up on the beach are consumed by foxes, other terrestrial mammals and birds.[86] In general however, few animals prey on jellyfish; they can broadly be considered to be top predators in the food chain. Once jellyfish have become dominant in an ecosystem, for example through overfishing which removes predators of jellyfish larvae, there may be no obvious way for the previous balance to be restored: they eat fish eggs and juvenile fish, and compete with fish for food, preventing fish stocks from recovering.[87]
Symbiosis
Some small fish are immune to the stings of the jellyfish and live among the tentacles, serving as bait in a fish trap; they are safe from potential predators and are able to share the fish caught by the jellyfish.[88] The cannonball jellyfish has a symbiotic relationship with ten different species of fish, and with the longnose spider crab, which lives inside the bell, sharing the jellyfish's food and nibbling its tissues.[89]
Blooms
Main article: Jellyfish bloom
Map of population trends of native and invasive jellyfish.[90]
Circles represent data records; larger circles denote higher certainty of findings.
Increase (high certainty)
Increase (low certainty)
Stable/variable
Decrease
No data
Jellyfish form large masses or blooms in certain environmental conditions of ocean currents, nutrients, sunshine, temperature, season, prey availability, reduced predation and oxygen concentration. Currents collect jellyfish together, especially in years with unusually high populations. Jellyfish can detect marine currents and swim against the current to congregate in blooms.[91][92] Jellyfish are better able to survive in nutrient-rich, oxygen-poor water than competitors, and thus can feast on plankton without competition. Jellyfish may also benefit from saltier waters, as saltier waters contain more iodine, which is necessary for polyps to turn into jellyfish. Rising sea temperatures caused by climate change may also contribute to jellyfish blooms, because many species of jellyfish are able to survive in warmer waters.[93] Increased nutrients from agricultural or urban runoff with nutrients including nitrogen and phosphorus compounds increase the growth of phytoplankton, causing eutrophication and algal blooms. When the phytoplankton die, they may create dead zones, so-called because they are hypoxic (low in oxygen). This in turn kills fish and other animals, but not jellyfish,[94] allowing them to bloom.[95][96] Jellyfish populations may be expanding globally as a result of land runoff and overfishing of their natural predators.[97][98] Jellyfish are well placed to benefit from disturbance of marine ecosystems. They reproduce rapidly; they prey upon many species, while few species prey on them; and they feed via touch rather than visually, so they can feed effectively at night and in turbid waters.[99][100] It may be difficult for fish stocks to re-establish themselves in marine ecosystems once they have become dominated by jellyfish, because jellyfish feed on plankton, which includes fish eggs and larvae.[101][102][96]
Moon jellyfishes can live in northern hemisphere seas,[103][104] such as the Baltic Sea.[105][106]
As suspected at the turn of this century, [107][108] jellyfish blooms are increasing in frequency. Between 2013 and 2020 the Mediterranean Science Commission monitored on a weekly basis the frequency of such outbreaks in coastal waters from Morocco to the Black Sea, revealing a relatively high frequency of these blooms nearly all year round, with peaks observed from March to July and often again in the autumn. The blooms are caused by different jellyfish species, depending on their localisation within the Basin: one observes a clear dominance of Pelagia noctiluca and Velella velella outbreaks in the western Mediterranean, of Rhizostoma pulmo and Rhopilema nomadica outbreaks in the eastern Mediterranean, and of Aurelia aurita and Mnemiopsis leidyi outbreaks in the Black Sea.[109]
Some jellyfish populations that have shown clear increases in the past few decades are invasive species, newly arrived from other habitats: examples include the Black Sea, Caspian Sea, Baltic Sea, central and eastern Mediterranean, Hawaii, and tropical and subtropical parts of the West Atlantic (including the Caribbean, Gulf of Mexico and Brazil).[105][106]
Jellyfish blooms can have significant impact on community structure. Some carnivorous jellyfish species prey on zooplankton while others graze on primary producers.[110] Reductions in zooplankton and ichthyoplankton due to a jellyfish bloom can ripple through the trophic levels. High-density jellyfish populations can outcompete other predators and reduce fish recruitment.[111] Increased grazing on primary producers by jellyfish can also interrupt energy transfer to higher trophic levels.[112]
During blooms, jellyfish significantly alter the nutrient availability in their environment. Blooms require large amounts of available organic nutrients in the water column to grow, limiting availability for other organisms.[113] Some jellyfish have a symbiotic relationship with single-celled dinoflagellates, allowing them to assimilate inorganic carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen creating competition for phytoplankton.[113] Their large biomass makes them an important source of dissolved and particulate organic matter for microbial communities through excretion, mucus production, and decomposition.[90][114] The microbes break down the organic matter into inorganic ammonium and phosphate. However, the low carbon availability shifts the process from production to respiration creating low oxygen areas making the dissolved inorganic nitrogen and phosphorus largely unavailable for primary production.
These blooms have very real impacts on industries. Jellyfish can outcompete fish by utilizing open niches in over-fished fisheries.[115] Catch of jellyfish can strain fishing gear and lead to expenses relating to damaged gear. Power plants have been shut down due to jellyfish blocking the flow of cooling water.[116] Blooms have also been harmful for tourism, causing a rise in stings and sometimes the closure of beaches.[117]
Jellyfish form a component of jelly-falls, events where gelatinous zooplankton fall to the seafloor, providing food for the benthic organisms there.[118] In temperate and subpolar regions, jelly-falls usually follow immediately after a bloom.[119]
Habitats
A common Scyphozoan jellyfish seen near beaches in the Florida Panhandle
Most jellyfish are marine animals, although a few hydromedusae inhabit freshwater. The best known freshwater example is the cosmopolitan hydrozoan jellyfish, Craspedacusta sowerbii. It is less than an inch (2.5 cm) in diameter, colorless and does not sting.[120] Some jellyfish populations have become restricted to coastal saltwater lakes, such as Jellyfish Lake in Palau.[121] Jellyfish Lake is a marine lake where millions of golden jellyfish (Mastigias spp.) migrate horizontally across the lake daily.[82]
Although most jellyfish live well off the ocean floor and form part of the plankton, a few species are closely associated with the bottom for much of their lives and can be considered benthic. The upside-down jellyfish in the genus Cassiopea typically lie on the bottom of shallow lagoons where they sometimes pulsate gently with their umbrella top facing down. Even some deep-sea species of hydromedusae and scyphomedusae are usually collected on or near the bottom. All of the stauromedusae are found attached to either seaweed or rocky or other firm material on the bottom.[122]
Some species explicitly adapt to tidal flux. In Roscoe Bay, jellyfish ride the current at ebb tide until they hit a gravel bar, and then descend below the current. They remain in still waters until the tide rises, ascending and allowing it to sweep them back into the bay. They also actively avoid fresh water from mountain snowmelt, diving until they find enough salt.
Parasites
Jellyfish are hosts to a wide variety of parasitic organisms. They act as intermediate hosts of endoparasitic helminths, with the infection being transferred to the definitive host fish after predation. Some digenean trematodes, especially species in the family Lepocreadiidae, use jellyfish as their second intermediate hosts. Fish become infected by the trematodes when they feed on infected jellyfish.
Relation to humans
Jellyfish have long been eaten in some parts of the world. Fisheries have begun harvesting the American cannonball jellyfish, Stomolophus meleagris, along the southern Atlantic coast of the United States and in the Gulf of Mexico for export to Asia.
Jellyfish are also harvested for their collagen, which is being investigated for use in a variety of applications including the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis.
Aquaculture and fisheries of other species often suffer severe losses – and so losses of productivity – due to jellyfish.
Products
Main article: Jellyfish as food
In some countries, including China, Japan, and Korea, jellyfish are a delicacy. The jellyfish is dried to prevent spoiling. Only some 12 species of scyphozoan jellyfish belonging to the order Rhizostomeae are harvested for food, mostly in southeast Asia. Rhizostomes, especially Rhopilema esculentum in China (海蜇 hǎizhé, 'sea stingers') and Stomolophus meleagris (cannonball jellyfish) in the United States, are favored because of their larger and more rigid bodies and because their toxins are harmless to humans.
Traditional processing methods, carried out by a jellyfish master, involve a 20- to 40-day multi-phase procedure in which, after removing the gonads and mucous membranes, the umbrella and oral arms are treated with a mixture of table salt and alum, and compressed. Processing makes the jellyfish drier and more acidic, producing a crisp texture. Jellyfish prepared this way retain 7–10% of their original weight, and the processed product consists of approximately 94% water and 6% protein. Freshly processed jellyfish has a white, creamy color and turns yellow or brown during prolonged storage.
In China, processed jellyfish are desalted by soaking in water overnight and eaten cooked or raw. The dish is often served shredded with a dressing of oil, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, or as a salad with vegetables. In Japan, cured jellyfish are rinsed, cut into strips and served with vinegar as an appetizer. Desalted, ready-to-eat products are also available.
Biotechnology
The hydromedusa Aequorea victoria was the source of green fluorescent protein, studied for its role in bioluminescence and later for use as a marker in genetic engineering.
Pliny the Elder reported in his Natural History that the slime of the jellyfish "Pulmo marinus" produced light when rubbed on a walking stick.
In 1961, Osamu Shimomura extracted green fluorescent protein (GFP) and another bioluminescent protein, called aequorin, from the large and abundant hydromedusa Aequorea victoria, while studying photoproteins that cause bioluminescence in this species. Three decades later, Douglas Prasher sequenced and cloned the gene for GFP. Martin Chalfie figured out how to use GFP as a fluorescent marker of genes inserted into other cells or organisms. Roger Tsien later chemically manipulated GFP to produce other fluorescent colors to use as markers. In 2008, Shimomura, Chalfie and Tsien won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their work with GFP. Man-made GFP became widely used as a fluorescent tag to show which cells or tissues express specific genes. The genetic engineering technique fuses the gene of interest to the GFP gene. The fused DNA is then put into a cell, to generate either a cell line or (via IVF techniques) an entire animal bearing the gene. In the cell or animal, the artificial gene turns on in the same tissues and the same time as the normal gene, making a fusion of the normal protein with GFP attached to the end, illuminating the animal or cell reveals what tissues express that protein—or at what stage of development. The fluorescence shows where the gene is expressed.
Aquarium display
Jellyfish are displayed in many public aquariums. Often the tank's background is blue and the animals are illuminated by side light, increasing the contrast between the animal and the background. In natural conditions, many jellies are so transparent that they are nearly invisible. Jellyfish are not adapted to closed spaces. They depend on currents to transport them from place to place. Professional exhibits as in the Monterey Bay Aquarium feature precise water flows, typically in circular tanks to avoid trapping specimens in corners. The outflow is spread out over a large surface area and the inflow enters as a sheet of water in front of the outflow, so the jellyfish do not get sucked into it. As of 2009, jellyfish were becoming popular in home aquariums, where they require similar equipment.
Stings
Jellyfish are armed with nematocysts, a type of specialized stinging cell. Contact with a jellyfish tentacle can trigger millions of nematocysts to pierce the skin and inject venom, but only some species' venom causes an adverse reaction in humans. In a study published in Communications Biology, researchers found a jellyfish species called Cassiopea xamachana which when triggered will release tiny balls of cells that swim around the jellyfish stinging everything in their path. Researchers described these as "self-propelling microscopic grenades" and named them cassiosomes.
The effects of stings range from mild discomfort to extreme pain and death. Most jellyfish stings are not deadly, but stings of some box jellyfish (Irukandji jellyfish), such as the sea wasp, can be deadly. Stings may cause anaphylaxis (a form of shock), which can be fatal. Jellyfish kill 20 to 40 people a year in the Philippines alone. In 2006 the Spanish Red Cross treated 19,000 stung swimmers along the Costa Brava.
Vinegar (3–10% aqueous acetic acid) may help with box jellyfish stings but not the stings of the Portuguese man o' war. Clearing the area of jelly and tentacles reduces nematocyst firing. Scraping the affected skin, such as with the edge of a credit card, may remove remaining nematocysts. Once the skin has been cleaned of nematocysts, hydrocortisone cream applied locally reduces pain and inflammation. Antihistamines may help to control itching. Immunobased antivenins are used for serious box jellyfish stings.
In Elba Island and Corsica dittrichia viscosa is now used by residents and tourists to heal stings from jellyfish, bees and wasps pressing fresh leaves on the skin with quick results.
Mechanical issues
Jellyfish in large quantities can fill and split fishing nets and crush captured fish. They can clog cooling equipment, having disabled power stations in several countries; jellyfish caused a cascading blackout in the Philippines in 1999, as well as damaging the Diablo Canyon Power Plant in California in 2008. They can also stop desalination plants and ships' engines.
Enriched with vitamins and fine herbs. Excellent to help hide stretch marks through proper skin pigmentation.
An unusual sight today on my travels through the trails of Nova Scotia. I was watching some black-capped chickadees play in a tree, when this little fellow appeared. I knew he was a chickadee because of his song and behavior, but the colors were all wrong. A different variety perhaps? When I got home I consulted 'Professor Interwebs' and I found a few examples of chickadees with reduced pigmentation (Leucism). In this case, the feet and beak are pink as opposed to black and the 'black cap' is almost completely turned to white.
A shot of a Leucistic Red Kite, taken at the Gigrin Farm Red Kite feeding station in Wales.
There are 2 Leucistic red Kite's at Gigrin and luckily for me, this was the one without the huge wing tags.
Apparently Leucism "is a condition characterized by reduced pigmentation in animals. Unlike albinism, it is caused by a reduction in all types of skin pigment, not just melanin".
The two Leucistic Red Kite's at Gigrin were really getting a hard time from the other Kite's, so I would surmise that Leucism is a major disadvantage for wild animals.
Their success must have a lot to do with the feeding station, where dinner is served every day of the year.
Thanks for looking, cheers! :-)