Incidence and causes of pregnancy loss after Day 70 of gestation in Thoroughbreds     

Jessica M. Roach  Alastair K. Foote  Ken C. Smith  Kristien L. Verheyen  Amanda M. de Mestre 《Equine veterinary journal》2021,53(5):996-1003

  相似文献   

The source of autumn and spring downstream migrating juvenile Atlantic salmon in a small lowland river     

Anton T. Ibbotson  William D. Riley  William R.C. Beaumont  Alastair C. Cook  Mark J. Ives  Adrian C. Pinder  Luke J. Scott 《Ecology of Freshwater Fish》2013,22(1):73-81

Over 3 years, 32,444 age‐0 group Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) parr tagged with passive integrated transponder tags throughout the River Frome catchment were assigned to one of three groups, nonmigrants, autumn migrants and spring smolts, depending on the detection and the timing of detection at downstream tag readers (situated 8.6 km above the tidal limit). We examined the effect of density at the time of tagging (n·m^?2), distance upstream from the tidal limit (km), fish length (mm), Fulton condition index, habitat type (divided into two types, main river and carrier), days after 1 September that each fish was tagged and year (replication) on the proportions of fish in each of the migration groups. Distance upstream from tidal limit was strongly negatively related to the proportion of autumn migrants and positively related to the proportion of spring smolts. Nonmigrants had a lower average body size than migrants, although there were no differences in the sizes of autumn migrants and spring smolts in September prior to migration. Fish density had no effect on migration strategy. A lower proportion of fish migrated as autumn migrants from the smaller carrier habitats than the main river channel. There is some evidence that those parr destined to become autumn migrants underwent a lower mortality rate during September before tagging than those destined to become spring migrants indicating possible physiological or behavioural differences between these two groups of fish at that time. More research into the factors responsible for initiating the autumn migration is required.  相似文献   

Colonisation and extinction in relation to competition and resource partitioning in acanthocephalans of freshwater fishes of the British Isles     

Lyndon AR  Kennedy CR 《Folia parasitologica》2001,48(1):37-46

This paper challenges two paradigms long held in relation to the ecology of parasites in freshwater systems: (1) autogenic species are poorer colonisers than allogenic ones; and (2) parasites with direct life cycles are more successful colonisers than those with complex life cycles. Using new and existing data for Acanthocephala in freshwater fish from the British Isles, it is suggested that all six species present have been able to colonise and persist successfully, in spite of the supposed limitations of their autogenic life-style. It is proposed that these parasites have overcome these limitations by a variety of means, which apply equally to all species considered. Foremost among these is the utilisation of a migratory fish host as either a preferred or a suitable host in their life cycle, allowing colonisation of new areas and rescue effects in established areas, whilst equally important is the use of a common and widespread crustacean as the intermediate host. In addition, all six species appear to exhibit resource partitioning by host at either or both the larval and adult stages, thus reducing the potential for competition and further facilitating colonisation and survival. This hypothesis is supported by data from previous studies both on acanthocephalans from Europe and North America and on other autogenic parasites. It also provides an explanation for the apparently atypical host utilisation patterns of some acanthocephalan species in areas on the edge of their distributions, notably in Ireland.  相似文献   

Use of pyrethroid analogues to identify key structural features for enhanced esterase resistance in Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)     

Gunning RV  Moores GD  Jewess P  Boyes AL  Devonshire AL  Khambay BP 《Pest management science》2007,63(6):569-575

It has been reported previously that the major resistance mechanism to pyrethroid insecticides by the cotton bollworm Helicoverpa armigera (Hübner) in Australia is a consequence of overproduction of esterase isoenzymes. This paper reports structure-activity relationships that support such a view, based on in vivo bioassays conducted with a range of pyrethroid structures containing a variety of acid and alcohol moieties and the correlation with in vitro esterase inhibition assays against the same structures, and identifies the critical regions of the molecule with regard to esterase inhibition, and hence resistance. The implications of this work in terms of possible resistance management are evaluated and discussed.  相似文献   

Effect of incubation temperature on carbohydrate digestion in important teleosts for aquaculture     

Eustratios S Papoutsoglou  & Alastair R Lyndon 《Aquaculture Research》2005,36(13):1252-1264

The activity and capacity (activity × tissue weight) of digestive carbohydrases (total carbohydrase, α‐glucosidase, α‐amylase) was examined in vitro under a range of (more realistic) incubation temperatures (5, 18 and 25°C) and pH (7.6) more likely to be encountered during rearing, along the digestive tract of important teleost species for aquaculture (Dicentrarchus labrax, Sparus aurata, Oreochromis aureus, Oncorhynchus mykiss and Salmo salar). Results indicate, among other things, an overestimation of digestive carbohydrase levels when performing assays at 37°C, a different effect of temperature on digestive enzyme performance along the digestive tract of examined species, and the increased importance of α‐glucosidase towards carbohydrate digestion. Implications regarding the capacity of each species for carbohydrate digestion in nature, as well as feed manufacturing, are discussed.  相似文献   

Methods of assessing extinction risk in marine fishes   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Nicholas K Dulvy  Jim R Ellis  Nicholas B Goodwin  Alastair Grant  John D Reynolds  & Simon Jennings 《Fish and Fisheries》2004,5(3):255-276

The decline and disappearance of species from large parts of their former geographical range has become an important issue in fisheries ecology. There is a need to identify which species are at risk of extinction. The available approaches have been subject to considerable debate – particularly when applied to commercially exploited species. Here we have compiled methods that have been used or may be used for assessing threat status of marine organisms. We organize the methods according to the availability of data on the natural history, ecology and population biology of species. There are three general approaches to inferring or assessing extinction risk: (i) correlative approaches based on knowledge of life histories and ecology; (ii) time‐series approaches that examine changes in abundance; and (iii) demographic approaches based on age‐ or stage‐based schedules of vital rates and fisheries reference points. Many methods are well suited to species that are highly catchable and/or have relatively low productivity, but theory is less well developed for assessing extinction risk in species exhibiting narrow geographical distributions or ecological specialization. There is considerable variation in both definitions of extinction risk and the precision and defensibility of the available risk assessment methods, so we suggest a two‐tiered approach for defining and assessing extinction risk. First, simple methods requiring a few easily estimated parameters are used to triage or rapidly assess large numbers of populations and species to identify potentially vulnerable populations or species. Second, the populations and species identified as vulnerable by this process can then be subject to more detailed and rigorous population analysis explicitly considering sources of error and uncertainty.  相似文献   

Why conservation reserves should not always be concentrated in riparian areas: A study of ground-dwelling beetles in wet eucalypt forest     

Susan C. Baker  Alastair M.M. Richardson 《Biological conservation》2006,133(2):156-168

Reserve corridors in production forestry landscapes are frequently concentrated in riparian areas. This study describes the numerical response of ground-dwelling beetles to increasing distance from streams, with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of such a bias in reserve allocation. Patterns in abundance and diversity of epigaeic beetles were quantified at four first order streams in wet eucalypt forest in Tasmania, Australia. The depth and pattern of beetles’ riparian response varied between streams. Commonly trapped beetles were less abundant near to three of the four streams, and the numerical response model differed in each case. Species richness of common beetles was also lower near one of the streams. Pooled abundance and richness of rare species did not vary in response to the riparian-upslope transition. No riparian or upslope specialist species were identified among the most commonly collected species. Compared to upslope habitat, the riparian-upslope transition encompassed greater variability in species composition without actually increasing overall richness. The study findings demonstrate the need for ecosystem-specific data to optimize reserve placement, since the results were not predicted from general vegetation patterns, ecological theory, or the widely held assumption that riparian areas support greater abundance and diversity of organisms than adjacent upslope areas. Reserves encompassing more upslope habitat are recommended to complement those located in riparian areas.  相似文献   

Hydroxylysyl pyridinoline cross-link concentration affects the textural properties of fresh and smoked Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) flesh     

Li X  Bickerdike R  Lindsay E  Campbell P  Nickell D  Dingwall A  Johnston IA 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2005,53(17):6844-6850

A simple HPLC method is presented to quantify the low concentration of hydroxylysyl pyridinoline (PYD) cross-links in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar L.) muscle. The method involved the extraction of tissue with NaOH prior to hydrolysis, which greatly reduced the amount of protein to be hydrolyzed and made downstream operations easier and more reproducible. The concentration of PYD was 426 pmol g(-)(1) dry mass muscle in post-rigor muscle stored at 0 degrees C and sampled 3 d after death. Hydroxproline (HYP) concentration was determined following NaOH extraction as a measure of collagen content. In post-rigor samples, the alkaline-insoluble HYP fraction comprised 18.3% of the total HYP. Scanning electron microscopy revealed shrinkage of muscle fibers and a retraction of the connective tissue matrix in smoked salmon. PYD concentration was relatively resistant to processing to the smoked product, decreasing by around 11.7%, as compared to a 22.2% decrease in HYP. There was a positive correlation between PYD concentration and the firmness of post-rigor muscle samples as measured by an instrumental texture analyzer, explaining 25% of the total variation. A weaker but still significant correlation was found between PYD concentration and firmness in the smoked product. There was no relationship between fillet firmness and total collagen concentration, although the correlation with HYP in the alkaline-insoluble fraction was significant at the 6% level (P = 0.057). Our results indicate that only 1-3% of collagen molecules are linked by nonreducible mature cross-links in harvest size farmed Atlantic salmon and that PYD concentration is an important raw material characteristic for flesh quality.  相似文献   

Electric charge,image-charge forces,and the deposition of pesticide drops     

H. Alastair McCartney  Terence Woodhead 《Pest management science》1983,14(1):49-56

A simulation model has been developed and used to assess the importance of induced image-charge forces in enhancing the deposition on plant stems and leaves of charged, as compared to uncharged, pesticide drops. The model, through calculations of the dynamics and trajectories of individual drops, allows separate determinations of enhancements of the deposit on the upper and lower leaf surfaces. Trajectories and rates of deposition were computed for water drops having diameters within the range 20 to 100 μm, for charges q between 0.1 and 1.0 times the maximum charge Q that can be retained on a drop of specified radius r, for wind speeds μo of the order of 0.1 to 1 .O ms^?1, and for plant stems (represented by vertical cylinders) 2 and 10 mm in diameter, and for plant leaves (horizontal plates) of various along-wind lengths I. It is shown that the rates of impaction to stems can be described in terms ot two dimensionless parameters that respectively relate to the properties of the particle and of the image force, and the rates of sedimentation to horizontal leaves in terms of the parameters q, r and l/μ_o. The model predicts that, inside crop canopies, considerable increases in the rates both of impaction and sedimentation can be achieved if drops, particularly small drops, can be given charges close to their respective Q. Thus for drops of 20 μm in diameter, sedimentation under typical within-canopy conditions is predicted to increase five-fold as a result of charging the drops, one-half of the enhanced deposit being on the underside of the leaves. For drops of 40 μ in diameter, predictions for the enhancement of deposition on the uppermost leaves of a field bean crop are shown to agree with published results from a field trial of an electrostatic crop spray system.  相似文献   

Systemic and pituitary pars intermedia antioxidant capacity associated with pars intermedia oxidative stress and dysfunction in horses     

McFarlane D  Cribb AE 《American journal of veterinary research》2005,66(12):2065-2072

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether a deficiency in systemic or local (pars intermedia) antioxidant capacity is associated with pituitary pars intermedia oxidative stress and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction (PPID) in horses. SAMPLE POPULATION: Blood samples from 20 horses with PPID and 20 healthy client-owned horses, archived paraffin-embedded adrenal gland and substantia nigra tissues from 20 horses, and pituitary gland tissue from 16 horses. PROCEDURES: Total glutathione, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities were determined in RBCs. Accumulation of a systemic marker of oxidative stress (3-nitrotyrosine) was assessed in plasma and formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded adrenal gland and substantia nigra tissues. Local antioxidants (total and manganese superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase, and total glutathione) were measured in pars intermedia tissues. RESULTS: No significant differences existed in systemic antioxidant enzyme activity or accumulation of 3-nitrotyrosine between horses with PPID and control horses. In pituitary gland tissues, glutathione peroxidase activity was increased in horses with oxidative stress, whereas total glutathione concentration and superoxide dismutase activity remained unchanged. There was an age-associated decrease in manganese superoxide dismutase activity in the pars intermedia. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: There was no evidence of systemic accumulation of oxidative stress markers or deficiencies in antioxidant capacity in horses with PPID, suggesting that these are unlikely to be major predisposing factors in the development of PPID. Manganese superoxide dismutase activity in the pars intermedia decreased significantly with increasing age. Role of an age-associated decrease in antioxidant capacity for the pars intermedia in the development of PPID in horses warrants further investigation.  相似文献