Using mixed methods to investigate factors influencing reporting of livestock diseases: A case study among smallholders in Bolivia     

Georgina Limon  Elisa G. Lewis  Yu-Mei Chang  Hugo Ruiz  Maria Elba Balanza  Javier Guitian 《Preventive veterinary medicine》2014

Livestock disease surveillance is particularly challenging in resource-scarce settings, where disease events are often unreported. Surveillance performance is determined as much by the quantifiable biological attributes of the disease, as it is by motivations and barriers perceived by livestock keepers for disease reporting. Mixed methods designs, which integrate the collection, analysis and interpretation of qualitative and quantitative data in a single study, are increasingly used across different disciplines. These designs allow for a deeper exploration of the topic under investigation, than can be achieved by either approach alone.  相似文献   

Ultrastructural Morphology and Nuclear Maturation Rates of Immature Equine Oocytes Vitrified with Different Solutions and Exposure Times     

Bruna R. Curcio  Melba O. Gastal  Gabriel R. Pereira  Carine D. Corcini  Fernanda C. Landim-Alvarenga  Severo S. Barros  Carlos E.W. Nogueira  João Carlos Deschamps  Eduardo L. Gastal 《Journal of Equine Veterinary Science》2014

Ultrastructural morphological injuries and maturation rates were investigated in equine oocytes exposed to vitrification solutions (VS) containing synthetic ice blockers (SIBs) during different exposure times. In experiment 1, compact cumulus-oocyte complexes (COCs; n = 30) were randomly allocated to treatments: (1) fresh fixed (control); (2) VS-1 (1.4 M dimethyl sulfoxide [DMSO] + 1.8 M ethylene glycol [EG] + 1% SIB) for 3 minutes of equilibrium time and VS-2 (2.8 M DMSO + 3.6 M EG + 0.6 M sucrose + 1% SIB) for 1 minute (Eq-long); and (3) VS-1 for 1.5 minutes and VS-2 for 30 seconds (Eq-short). In experiment 2, compact (n = 248) and expanded (n = 264) COCs were evenly distributed to the following treatments: (1) immediate maturation in vitro (control); (2) vitrification using the Eq-short protocol as in experiment 1; and (3) vitrification using a stock solution containing 2.8 M formamide, 2.8 M DMSO, 2.7 M EG, 7% polyvinylpyrrolidone, and 1% SIB (Eq-short-mod). More (P < .02) oocytes with normal ultrastructural morphology were seen in fresh control and Eq-short groups than in Eq-long group. Metaphase-II (MII) rates were higher (P < .05) for oocytes with expanded cumulus than compact cumulus in the control group, and higher (P < .05) for oocytes with expanded cumulus than compact cumulus in Eq-short and Eq-short-mod groups. No difference in MII rates was detected among groups within each type of COC. In conclusion, reduction of exposure time to VS better preserved oocyte ultrastructural features, and MII rates were higher for vitrified oocytes with expanded cumulus. This study advances our knowledge on potential alternatives for vitrification of immature equine oocytes.  相似文献   

Circumferential variation of heartwood and stem quality in maritime pine stems     

Sofia Knapic  Vanda Oliveira  Marika Makkonen  Isabel Pinto-Seppä  Helena Pereira 《European Journal of Forest Research》2014,133(6):1007-1014

Maritime pine (Pinus pinaster Ait.) is an important timber and pulpwood species covering about 4 million ha in Portugal, Spain and France. This work studied the cross-sectional distribution of heartwood and sapwood along the stem using 3D modelling on 20 trees. The target was to assess the potential of this species for the industrial production of heartwood sawn products. The maritime pine stems were characterized by wide sapwood of 10 cm, in average, and the presence of heartwood at all height levels with constant diameter up to 35 % tree height, decreasing afterwards. In the radial section, the heartwood follows a circumferential-like shape which changes along the stem. Pith eccentricity index values were low and homogeneous regarding to stem and higher for heartwood. Heartwood cross-sectional shape was constant up to 45 % of total height of the tree and more elongated upwards. The constant heartwood diameter, low taper and pith eccentricity index, and an approximate circular shape up to 10 m height indicated these species’ potential to produce solid wood products made out of heartwood.  相似文献   

Tiptoeing between restoration and invasion: seed rain into natural gaps within a highly invaded relic forest in the Azores     

Sandra Hervías Parejo  Ricardo S. Ceia  Jaime A. Ramos  Hugo L. Sampaio  Ruben H. Heleno 《European Journal of Forest Research》2014,133(2):383-390

The last remains of native laurel forest in the Azores are highly threatened by the spread of invasive plants. Because landslides are very frequent in these islands, conservation of native laurel forest requires knowledge of the patterns of bird-dispersed seed rain into forest gaps. We monitored 78 seed traps over 1 year to investigate (1) the role of perches in attracting avian dispersers into gaps, (2) temporal patterns in the dispersal of exotic and native seeds, (3) how seed rain affects vegetation establishment in gaps at different distances from the native forest and (4) whether the caloric content of fruits could explain the number of seeds dispersed. Perches were highly effective in concentrating avian seed dispersal. While some native fruits are produced all year-round, most exotic plants set fruits during the main peak of the native fruit production (August–November). Most seeds recovered from the traps were native, and native seed rain inside the native forest was higher than in gaps. However, deposition of exotic seeds was not affected by distance from native forest. Seed dispersal frequencies monitored by seed traps and by faecal analysis were correlated with each other, but not with fruit caloric content, suggesting that other factors are more important that the nutritional value in predicting avian fruit choice. Forest restoration activities should take into consideration that seed dispersal decreases sharply beyond 100 m from native forest and the attractive potential of perches to direct natural seed dispersal into forest gaps.  相似文献   

Potential distribution and population trends of the smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus inferred from species distribution models and historical catch data     

Leonardo Manir Feitosa  Lucas Pereira Martins  Leandro Augusto de Souza Junior  Rosangela Paula Lessa 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2020,30(5):882-891

1. Updated distribution ranges are crucial for conservation status assessments. Comprehensive analyses combining published literature and available data on historical catches and species distribution models (SDMs) are effective tools that could improve the prediction of more realistic scenarios for some species, especially those with limited information available and facing multiple threats.
2. The present study aimed at generating an updated distribution for the smalltail shark Carcharhinus porosus, one of the most threatened and understudied shark species of the western Atlantic Ocean. Estimates of the key areas for this species conservation based on the SDMs, and trends in catch probabilities throughout its distribution range are provided.
3. Four algorithms (BIOCLIM, Domain, Mahalanobis, and Maximum Entropy) were used to model the distribution of C. porosus and calculate its habitat suitability based on marine environmental variables. To assess historical catch probability trends, we built a generalized linear model from published and grey literature data. This analysis was used to estimate catch probability as an indication of population trends.
4. SDMs suggest that the northern coast of South America (NCSA) harbours the most suitable habitats for C. porosus in the world, which was expected given its historically high catch rate in this region. In addition, there was a continuously declining catch probability trend starting in the 1970s. However, the decline was smaller for the NCSA as compared with the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern South America coast.
5. Results indicate that the NCSA should be considered the currently most important area in the world for this species conservation. Furthermore, the lack of data throughout Central and South American marine regions hampers the evaluation of extinction risk throughout its updated distribution. Thus, research in these areas is urgently required for a more comprehensive conservation status assessment.

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A modelling approach to infer the effects of wind farms on landscape connectivity for bats     

Federica Roscioni  Hugo Rebelo  Danilo Russo  Maria Laura Carranza  Mirko Di Febbraro  Anna Loy 《Landscape Ecology》2014,29(5):891-903

Little is known about the potentially disrupting effects of wind farms on the habitat connectivity of flying vertebrates at the landscape scale. We developed a regional-scale model to assess the wind farm impact on bat migration and commuting routes. The model was implemented for the bat Nyctalus leisleri in a region of central Italy currently undergoing considerable wind farm development. A Species Distribution Model (SDM) for N. leisleri was generated using the MaxEnt algorithm based on 47 presence records (reduced to 19 after the autocorrelation procedure) and 10 environmental variables derived from topographic and land cover maps. We used the SDM to create a map of connectivity using the software UNICOR to identify potential commuting corridors (PCCs). The incidence of each wind farm on bat flight corridors was assessed by overlaying the existing (380) and planned (195) turbine locations onto the PCCs. The SDM was statistically robust (AUC > 0.8). Most of the corridors were concentrated in the western part of the region, which hosts the largest suitable areas for the species; most of the existing (54 %) and planned (72 %) wind farms interfered with important corridors connecting the western and the eastern parts of the region. Our results provide key information on the impact of the wind farm industry on biodiversity on a regional scale. The novel approach adopted, based on SDM and connectivity analysis, could be easily extended to other flying vertebrates and landscapes and constitutes a promising planning tool necessary for harmonizing the development of renewable energy infrastructures with issues of biodiversity conservation.  相似文献   

Colouring ornamental fish (Cyprinus carpio and Carassius auratus) with microalgal biomass   总被引：12，自引：0，他引：12  

L. Gouveia  P. Rema  O. Pereira  & J. Empis 《Aquaculture Nutrition》2003,9(2):123-129

Koi carp and goldfish value increases with intensity of skin colour, which is an important quality criterion. Fish cannot fully synthesize their own carotenoid colourings and these must therefore be included in their diet. Two trials were undertaken to investigate skin colour enhancement in ornamental species (i.e. three chromatic varieties of koi carp (Cyprinus carpio), namely Kawari (red), Showa (black and red) and Bekko (black and white) and goldfish (Carassius auratus)) by feeding a dietary carotenoid supplement of freshwater microalgal biomass [Chlorella vulgaris, Haematococcus pluvialis, and also the cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima (Spirulina)], using a diet containing synthetic astaxanthin and a control diet with no colouring added for comparison. In the first trial, five homogeneous duplicate groups of 25 juvenile koi carp (C. carpio) (initial mean body weight 24.6 ± 0.7 g) were fed, for 10 weeks, one of the four diets containing 80 mg colouring/kg diet. In the second trial, this procedure was repeated for five homogeneous duplicate groups of 25 goldfish (C. auratus) (initial mean body weight of 0.9 ± 0.1 g). Initial and final samples of skin along the dorsal fin were withdrawn, from five fish per group, for subsequent analysis of total carotenoid content (spectrophotometric analysis), and red hue (colorimetric analysis, CIE (1976) L* a* b* colour system). Growth and feed efficiency were not significantly different between groups administered by the various dietary treatments. In both trials, dietary carotenoid supplementation increased total skin carotenoid content. The more efficient colouring for koi carps was found to be C. vulgaris biomass, providing both maximum total carotenoid deposition and red hue for the three chromatic koi carp varieties studied, and particularly for the kawari variety. For goldfish the best colouring obtained, as ascertained by total carotenoid content, was also achieved using C. vulgaris biomass, and red hue was maximum when using H. pluvialis biomass.  相似文献   

Assessment gaps and biases in knowledge of conservation status of fishes     

Imanol Miqueleiz  Monika Bohm  Arturo Hugo Ario  Rafael Miranda 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2020,30(2):225-236

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Changes in the condition index for mangrove oysters (Crassostrea rhizophorae) from Todos os Santos Bay,Salvador, Brazil     

Iracema A. Nascimento  Solange Andrade Pereira 《Aquaculture (Amsterdam, Netherlands)》1980,20(1):9-15

The condition index was calculated for two samples of 600 C. rhizophorae taken from Jacuruna farm in September–October 1977 (spawning period) and December 1977–January 1978 (post-spawning period). There was a significant difference (P ≤ 0.05). Over the size range 2.1 to 10.0 cm (height) the condition index ranged from 59.0 ± 16.2 to 71.8 ± 30.5 for the spawning period, but was only 27.1 ± 10.2 to 43.9 ± 33.0 for the post-spawning period. The size class 4.1 to 6.0 cm gave the best commercial yields and was considered more suitable for the shucked oyster than the fresh oyster market.  相似文献   

A review of interactions between cetaceans and fisheries in the Azores     

Mónica A. Silva  Miguel Machete  Dália Reis  Marco Santos  Rui Prieto  Carla Dâmaso  João Gil Pereira  Ricardo S. Santos 《水产资源保护:海洋与淡水生态系统》2011,21(1):17-27

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