The Mexican cichlid Cichlasoma beani is currently exploited regionally as food and can be commercialized in the aquarium trade. Natural populations of C. beani may already be negatively affected by anthropogenic alteration of the areas in which it is distributed. The aim of the present study was to examine the effect on growth, survival, and condition of C. beani cultured in three stocking densities: three (D3), six (D6), and nine (D9) fish per each 40 L tank. At the end of a 6‐wk trial the fish cultured in D3 were longer, heavier, and grew faster than the rest of the treatments but their survival was the lowest compared to D6 and D9. The mortalities were caused by a strong aggressive behavior in D3. 相似文献
Irrigation techniques that reduce water applications are increasingly applied in areas with scarce water resources. In this study, the effect of two regulated deficit irrigation (RDI) strategies on peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch cv. “Catherine”] performance was studied over three growing seasons. The experimental site was located in Murcia (SE Spain), a Mediterranean region. Two RDI strategies (restricting water applications at stage II of fruit development and postharvest) based on stem water potential (Ψs) thresholds (?1.5 and ?1.8 MPa during fruit growth and ?1.5 and ?2.0 MPa during postharvest) were compared to a fully irrigated control. Soil water content (θv), Ψs, gas exchange parameters, vegetative growth, crop load, yield and fruit quality were determined. RDI treatments showed significantly lower values of θv and Ψs than control trees when irrigation water was restricted, causing reductions in stomatal conductance and photosynthesis rates. Vegetative growth was reduced by RDI, as lower shoot lengths and pruning weights were observed under those treatments when compared to control. However, fruit size and yield were unaffected, and fruit quality was slightly improved by RDI. Water savings from 43 to 65 % were achieved depending on the year and the RDI strategy, and no negative carryover effect was detected during the study period. In conclusion, RDI strategies using Ψs thresholds for scheduling irrigation in mid–late maturing peach trees under Mediterranean conditions are viable options to save water without compromising yield and even improving fruit quality. 相似文献
Preference for goat characteristics was determined from 42 traders in six markets in Pangasinan, an important trading center for goats in Luzon, the Philippines, and analyzed using a hedonic price model to determine whether these characteristics are important price determinants of goats. This information is important to goat raisers to respond to the needs of the local market, and thus to achieve a better price and higher income in goat raising. Meatiness, size, breed, sex and age (in descending order) were the dominant goat characteristics preferred by traders. Meatiness had the largest positive influence on price, with a price premium of US$6.24 (US$1.00 = PhP 53), whereas the age of the animal had the smallest influence at US$3.72. However, size and meatiness are manifestations of good breeds. Therefore, continued efforts to improve breeds in order to produce good quality goats are imperative to cater to market needs. Different characteristics implied different price premiums. Traders offered a higher price premium for better goat characteristics; thus, the improvement of these characteristics could result in higher returns for goat raisers. 相似文献
Although the beta2 adrenergic agonists have been seen to have important effects on the mechanisms regulating the development and death of T-cells in the thymus, the side-effects on the immune system of anabolic treatments of these substances have hardly been considered. In order to evaluate the effects exerted by the beta2 adrenergic agonist clenbuterol on the thymocyte population, the thymus of eight pigs treated with anabolic doses of this substance was studied by morphometric methods, regarding apoptotic (terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP nick end labelling (TUNEL)-positive) and normal (TUNEL-negative) cells. The thymus of another eight pigs fed without clenbuterol served as a control. The clenbuterol treatment had a clear effect on the thymocyte size, decreasing their mean nuclear area. The T-cell apoptosis index was also affected by the clenbuterol, significantly increasing the apoptosis percentage in the treated group with respect to the control. In the light of our results, the clenbuterol induced thymocyte apoptosis throughout the thymus and caused morphometric changes in the thymocyte population, which was in line with the immunosuppressive role attributed to other beta2 adrenergic agonists. 相似文献
The present study was conducted to determine the effects of selenium (Se) soluble glass bolus (SGB) on blood Se concentrations of mixed‐bred (native × Anglo Nubian) pregnant does weighing between 15 and 52 kg and grazing on natural pastures in the Philippines. The control group, consisting of 28 does, was not administered with SGB, while 23 does were administered with SGB every 6 months for a period of 12 months. Forage and blood samples in both groups were collected every 2 months. Their Se, sulfur, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, copper and zinc concentrations were analyzed using the wet digestion method. The results showed that the grazed forage had concentrations of all these minerals that were far higher than the accepted critical lower levels. The Se concentration was higher (P < 0.05) in the dry season than in the rainy season, especially in the whole blood collected from the does and newborn kids. In both groups the Se concentration in the kids tended to increase during the suckling period but decreased after weaning. Kids born to the SGB does had higher whole blood Se concentrations (P < 0.05) than those born to the control does. However, the administration of SGB to the does did not affect any blood mineral concentrations except for Se in the grazing does and their kids. The animals did not exhibit any clinical signs of mineral deficiencies or toxicities during the experimental period. 相似文献
In mountainous Mediterranean regions, land abandonment processes in past decades are hypothesized to trigger secondary vegetal
succession and homogenization, which in recent years has increased the size of burned areas. We conducted an analysis of temporal
changes in landscape vegetal spatial pattern over a 15-year period (1984–1998) in a rural area of 672.3 km2 in Eastern Spain to investigate the relationship between local landscape heterogeneity and wildfire occurrence. Heterogeneity
was analyzed from textural metrics derived from non-classified remote sensing data at several periods, and was related to
wildfire history in the study area. Several neural network models found significant relationships between local spatial pattern
and future fire occurrence. In this study, sensitivity analysis of the texture variables suggested that fire occurrence, estimated
as probability of burning in the near future, increased where local homogeneity was higher. 相似文献
The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of rapid cooling prior to freezing on frozen-thawed canine sperm quality.
In experiment 1, centrifuged ejaculates from 6 dogs were pooled, split into 4 aliquots and cryopreserved by the Uppsala
procedure using different cooling rates (control, cooling speed 18 C/90 min and average cooling rate 0.2 C/min; rapid,
cooling speed 18 C/8 min and average cooling rate 2.25 C/min) in combination with 2 glycerol addition protocols (fractionated
or unfractionated). In experiment 2, centrifuged ejaculates from 4 dogs were processed individually using the same cooling
rates described in experiment 1 in combination with an unfractionated glycerol addition protocol. Each of the experiments was
replicated 5 times. Sperm quality was evaluated after 30 and 150 min of post-thawing incubation at 38 C. Total motility (TM),
progressive motility (PM) and quality of movement parameters were assessed using a computerized system, and sperm viability
(spermatozoa with intact plasma and acrosome membranes) was assessed using flow cytometry (H-42/PI/FITC-PNA). Values for TM,
PM, viable spermatozoa and the quality of movement parameters after thawing were not significantly affected by the cooling
rate. The interaction between the cooling rate and the added glycerol protocol was not significant. There were significant
differences among the males (P<0.01) in the sperm quality parameters evaluated after thawing. The interaction between the
males and the cooling rate was not significant. In conclusion, canine spermatozoa can be cryopreserved using the Uppsala
method at an average cooling rate of 2.25 C/min prior to freezing together with addition of fractionated or unfractionated
glycerol. 相似文献
The authors studied a population of 582 gilthead sea breams (Sparus aurata), aged 25–600 days, in order to describe the abnormalities of the opercular complex.
Particular attention was paid to: (1) the different degrees of abnormality of the opercular complex as a whole and of the individual dermal bones (preopercle, interopercle, subopercle and opercle) that compose it; (2) the ways in which the operculum folds into the gill cavity and the relevant histological characteristics. This study discusses the origin and nature of the abnormalities.
Though these abnormalities have a major impact on market value and product image, and are often linked to other disorders in fish, they are still difficult to eliminate. Gaining a basic understanding of these abnormalities will be a first step towards reducing their occurrence. 相似文献
In wheat, the increase of yield and stability associated traits can be achieved by combining parents containing the stay-green trait and favorable alleles for grain yield. The aim of this work was to analyze the genetic dissimilarity between wheat lines from stay-green and synchronized maturation groups and elite cultivars. Moreover, to propose promising combinations seeking the selection of high-grain yield and high bread-making quality genotypes containing stay-green trait. The experiment was conducted in a randomized block design with three replications in 2003, 2004, and 2005, using sister-lines with the presence and absence of stay-green trait and elite cultivars. Genetic variability exists among wheat strains from the synchronized stay-green maturation group and elite cultivars. Genotypes of maturation group stay-green obtained an average performance superior to the synchronized group. Crosses between stay-green lines and the CEP 29 and BRS 177 cultivars are promising in the selection of genotypes carrying the stay-green trait with high yield and bread-making quality. 相似文献