Diel differences in blue whale (Balaenoptera musculus) dive behavior increase nighttime risk of ship strikes in northern Chilean Patagonia     

Francesco CARUSO  Leigh HICKMOTT  Joseph D. WARREN  Paolo SEGRE  Gustavo CHIANG  Paulina BAHAMONDE  Sonia ESPAÑOL-JIMÉNEZ  Songhai LI  Alessandro BOCCONCELLI 《Integrative zoology》2021,16(4):594-611

The northern Chilean Patagonia region is a key feeding ground and a nursing habitat in the southern hemisphere for blue whales (Balaenoptera musculus). From 2014 to 2019, during 6 separate research cruises, the dive behavior of 28 individual blue whales was investigated using bio-logging tags (DTAGs), generating ≈190 h of data. Whales dove to significantly greater depths during the day compared to nighttime (day: 32.6 ± 18.7 m; night: 6.2 ± 2.7 m; P < 0.01). During the night, most time was spent close to the surface (86% ± 9.4%; P < 0.01) and at depths of less than 12 m. From 2016 to 2019, active acoustics (scientific echosounders) were used to record prey (euphausiids) density and distribution simultaneously with whale diving data. Tagged whales appeared to perform dives relative to the vertical migration of prey during the day. The association between diurnal prey migration and shallow nighttime dive behavior suggests that blue whales are at increased risk of ship collisions during periods of darkness since the estimated maximum ship draft of vessels operating in the region is also ≈12 m. In recent decades, northern Chilean Patagonia has seen a large increase in marine traffic due to a boom in salmon aquaculture and the passenger ship industry. Vessel strike risks for large whales are likely underestimated in this region. Results reported in this study may be valuable for policy and mitigation decisions regarding conservation of the endangered blue whale.  相似文献   

Impact of Land Use and Land Cover Changes on Organic Carbon Stocks in Mediterranean Soils (1956–2007)     

M. Muoz‐Rojas  A. Jordn  L. M. Zavala  D. De la Rosa  S. K. Abd‐Elmabod  M. Anaya‐Romero 《Land Degradation \u0026amp; Development》2015,26(2):168-179

During the last few decades, land use changes have largely affected the global warming process through emissions of CO₂. However, C sequestration in terrestrial ecosystems could contribute to the decrease of atmospheric CO₂ rates. Although Mediterranean areas show a high potential for C sequestration, only a few studies have been carried out in these systems. In this study, we propose a methodology to assess the impact of land use and land cover change dynamics on soil organic C stocks at different depths. Soil C sequestration rates are provided for different land cover changes and soil types in Andalusia (southern Spain). Our research is based on the analysis of detailed soil databases containing data from 1357 soil profiles, the Soil Map of Andalusia and the Land Use and Land Cover Map of Andalusia. Land use and land cover changes between 1956 and 2007 implied soil organic C losses in all soil groups, resulting in a total loss of 16·8 Tg (approximately 0·33 Tg y⁻¹). Afforestation increased soil organic C mostly in the topsoil, and forest contributed to sequestration of 8·62 Mg ha⁻¹ of soil organic C (25·4 per cent). Deforestation processes implied important C losses, particularly in Cambisols, Luvisols and Vertisols. The information generated in this study will be a useful basis for designing management strategies for stabilizing the increasing atmospheric CO₂ concentrations by preservation of C stocks and C sequestration. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.  相似文献   

Effects of dietary lysozyme levels on growth performance,intestinal morphology,non‐specific immunity and mRNA expression in weanling piglets          下载免费PDF全文

Jiatao Zhu  Xiaoxue Pang  Zhengfeng Fang  Yan Lin  Lianqiang Che  Shengyu Xu  Jian Li  Yiming Huang  Xiang Su  De Wu 《Animal Science Journal》2016,87(3):411-418

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of dietary lysozyme levels on growth performance, gut health and non‐specific immunity of weanling piglets. A total of 150 weanling piglets were allocated to six treatments. The piglets were fed the same basel diet supplemented with 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 mg/kg lysozyme as well as antibiotics for 28 days. From day 14 to day 28 of dietary treatment, piglets fed 90 mg/kg lysozyme had greater average daily gain than piglets fed control diet. During the whole experimental period, piglets fed 120 mg/kg lysozyme tended to have greater average daily gain than piglets fed control diet. Compared with piglets fed control diet, piglets fed diets containing antibiotics and 90 mg/kg lysozyme had greater villus height to crypt depth ratio in duodenum and jejunum. Additionally, dietary supplementation of 60 and 90 mg/kg lysozyme as well as antibiotics enhanced the phagocytic activity of peritoneal macrophages in piglets. In conclusion, dietary lysozyme can accelerate the growth of weanling piglets by improving gut health and non‐specific immunity and supplementing 90 mg/kg lysozyme is as effective as antibiotics (20 mg/kg colistin sulphate + 50 mg/kg kitasamycin) in improving the growth performance of weanling piglets.  相似文献   

Skull size and shape variation in Psammomys spp. (Rodentia,Gerbillinae) from Tunisia,with emphasis on the impact of allometric variation on species recognition     

Hanene Khemiri  Paolo Colangelo  M’barek Chétoui  Saïd Nouira 《African Zoology》2016,51(3):145-152

In Tunisia both Psammomys obesus and P. vexillaris are found. These taxa have been the subject of taxonomic controversy for some time, due to variability in the classical morphological characters used for taxonomic recognition. In this study we investigated skull size and shape variation in the genus Psammomys by using geometric morphometrics to evaluate the extent of intra- and interspecific shape variation and explicitly tested for the impact of allometric shape variation on species discrimination. Eleven populations of the two species from 10 localities in Tunisia were studied. Statistical analyses of size and shape showed large size variation within P. obesus, but no shape differences were revealed among populations of this species. Interspecific analysis revealed that P. vexillaris had the smallest skull. Principal component analysis and Procrustes distances showed good discrimination between the two species after removal of the allometric component of shape variation. The results obtained show that allometric-related shape variation could mask discrimination between the two Psammomys species. This finding might explain the uncertainty in classification of these species in the past. The interspecific allometric-free phenotypic differences observed may be associated with adaptive processes linked to the different environmental and trophic preferences of the two species.  相似文献   

Rearing conditions affected responses of weaned pigs to organic acids showing a positive effect on digestibility,microflora and immunity          下载免费PDF全文

Yalin Zhang  Yumo Song  Xiaoling Zhang  Yan Lin  Lianqiang Che  Shengyu Xu  De. Wu  Bai Xue  Zhengfeng Fang 《Animal Science Journal》2016,87(10):1267-1280

Three experiments were conducted to assess the response of weaned pigs to organic acid SF3, which contains 34% calcium formate, 16% calcium lactate, 7% citric acid and 13% medium chain fatty acids. Dietary treatments had no effect on growth performance of piglets (21‐day weaning) fed the commercial prestart diet for 1 week before receiving the experimental diets supplemented with SF3 at 0, 3 or 5 g/kg diet (Exp. 1), whereas diarrhea frequency averaged across a week was decreased by SF3 supplementation (5 g/kg diet) in piglets fed the experimental diets immediately after weaning (Exp. 2). In Exp. 3, piglets (28‐day weaning) were fed the control (containing pure colistin sulfate and enramycin, respectively, at 20 mg/kg diet) for 1 week and then were fed the control or SF3‐supplemented (5 g/kg diet) diet for 2 weeks. The SF3‐fed piglets had greater apparent ileal digestibility of calcium and dry matter, while also demonstrating greater overall gross energy, up‐regulated jejunal expression of sodium‐glucose cotransporter‐1 and transforming growth factor‐β, down‐regulated jejunal expression of tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, higher ileal Lactobacillus, with lower total bacteria content, lower plasma TNF‐α but higher IgG levels than the control‐fed piglets. Collectively, SF3 consumption improved diarrhea resistance of weaned pigs by improving nutrient digestibility, piglet immunity and intestinal bacteria profile. © 2016 Japanese Society of Animal Science  相似文献   

Genetic variability of two Italian indigenous chicken breeds inferred from microsatellite marker analysis     

S. Sartore  P. Sacchi  D. Soglia  S. Maione  A. Schiavone  M. De Marco 《British poultry science》2016,57(4):435-443

1. The objective of this study was to determine the genetic structure and variability of Bionda Piemontese and Bianca di Saluzzo (Piedmont, Northwest Italy) using an international set of microsatellite loci (AVIANDIV-FAO). Differences compared with commercial lines and other Italian breeds were verified to justify the implementation of conservation programmes.

2. Flock contribution to genetic variability was assessed following the approach implemented in the MolKin software. Comparison was performed using the fixation index and the Reynolds genetic distance. The most likely number of different populations was estimated using the clustering procedure implemented in STRUCTURE.

3. The molecular information suggests that management practices could have prevented random mating and produced inbreeding and heterogeneity across flocks. In this respect, Bionda and Bianca show substructuring and are more similar to British breeds than other continental European breeds.

4. Bionda and Bianca fit into the European breeds provided with the highest number of alleles and expected heterozygosity. There is a clear distinction between the Piedmont breeds and the other populations. The Piedmont poultry differ from both commercial lines and other Italian breeds and retain a high level of genetic variability.

5. As for other indigenous breeds, Bionda and Bianca could make an original contribution to the industry in the future. A collective planned approach to restoration is essential, because the flocks are managed with poor regulation. Enhancing connection between breeders with an efficient replacement interchange and mating plan is the right way of controlling inbreeding, preventing substructuring and increasing variability within the flocks.

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Herd-level prevalence and risk factors for bovine viral diarrhea virus infection in cattle in the State of Paraíba,Northeastern Brazil     

Leise Gomes Fernandes  Adriana Hellmeister de Campos Nogueira  Eliana De Stefano  Edviges Maristela Pituco  Cláudia Pestana Ribeiro  Clebert José Alves  Tainara Sombra Oliveira  Inácio José Clementino  Sérgio Santos de Azevedo 《Tropical animal health and production》2016,48(1):157-165

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Artificial suckling in Martina Franca donkey foals: effect on in vivo performances and carcass composition     

Pasquale De Palo  Aristide Maggiolino  Paola Milella  Nicola Centoducati  Alessandro Papaleo  Alessandra Tateo 《Tropical animal health and production》2016,48(1):167-173

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Angiographic Anatomy of External Iliac Arteries in the Sheep          下载免费PDF全文

M. Joscht  M. Martin  M. Henin  J. F. Nisolle  N. Kirschvink  A. Dugdale  B. Godart  H. Coulon  V. Simon  F. Hontoir  R. Graffin  Y. De Raeve  J. M. Vandeweerd 《Anatomia, histologia, embryologia》2016,45(6):443-449

External iliac artery atherosclerotic disease and aneurism occur in man. For treatment, imaging is required to facilitate minimally invasive introduction and advancement of stents within the intended vessels. Sheep are commonly used to test and improve stents. However, little information is published regarding the angiographic anatomy of the iliac arteries in the ovine species. The objective of this study was to describe the angiographic anatomy of the iliac arteries in the sheep. Computed tomography (CT) angiography and gross anatomical dissection were performed in, respectively, 10 and 43 adult ewes. Diameters and lengths of the arteries were measured. In comparison with man, salient anatomical differences were identified in the sheep: (1) the absence of common iliac arteries, (2) the common trunk at the origin of internal iliac arteries and (3) the location of the bifurcation of the external iliac arteries into femoral arteries in the pelvis (not in the limb). External iliac arteries in this series of sheep were 86 mm long in average and had a mean diameter of 7.5 mm. Lengths of arteries are only slightly different between man and sheep, while diameters are rather similar. Therefore, the sheep model appears to be sufficiently similar to man to test stent properties. This study provides useful reference images and measures of lengths and diameters of relevant arteries that could be applied to research with ovine models.  相似文献   

Effects of dietary Tenebrio molitor meal inclusion in free‐range chickens          下载免费PDF全文

I. Biasato  M. De Marco  L. Rotolo  M. Renna  C. Lussiana  S. Dabbou  M. T. Capucchio  E. Biasibetti  P. Costa  F. Gai  L. Pozzo  D. Dezzutto  S. Bergagna  S. Martínez  M. Tarantola  L. Gasco  A. Schiavone 《Journal of animal physiology and animal nutrition》2016,100(6):1104-1112

Insects are currently being considered as a novel protein source for animal feeds, because they contain a large amount of protein. The larvae of Tenebrio molitor (TM) have been shown to be an acceptable protein source for broiler chickens in terms of growth performance, but till now, no data on histological or intestinal morphometric features have been reported. This study has had the aim of evaluating the effects of dietary TM inclusion on the performance, welfare, intestinal morphology and histological features of free‐range chickens. A total of 140 medium‐growing hybrid female chickens were free‐range reared and randomly allotted to two dietary treatments: (i) a control group and (ii) a TM group, in which TM meal was included at 75 g/kg. Each group consisted of five pens as replicates, with 14 chicks per pen. Growth performance, haematological and serum parameters and welfare indicators were evaluated, and the animals were slaughtered at the age of 97 days. Two birds per pen (10 birds/treatment) were submitted to histological (liver, spleen, thymus, bursa of Fabricius, kidney, heart, glandular stomach and gut) and morphometric (duodenum, jejunum and ileum) investigations. The inclusion of TM did not affect the growth performance, haematological or serum parameters. The morphometric and histological features were not significantly affected either, thus suggesting no influence on nutrient metabolization, performance or animal health. Glandular stomach alterations (chronic flogosis with epithelial squamous metaplasia) were considered paraphysiological in relation to free‐range farming. The observed chronic intestinal flogosis, with concomitant activation of the lymphoid tissue, was probably due to previous parasitic infections, which are very frequently detected in free‐range chickens. In conclusion, the findings of this study show that yellow mealworm inclusion does not affect the welfare, productive performances or morphological features of free‐range chickens, thus confirming that TM can be used safely in poultry diets.  相似文献