Desempenho das crias de ovelhas suplementadas com diferentes quantidades de concentrado em sistema de caatinga raleada e enriquecida.

Resumo: Avaliou-se no presente estudo, o desempenho das crias de ovelhas Somalis brasileira em pasto de caatinga raleada e enriquecida recebendo diferentes quantidades de concentrado. Para isso, o desenvolvimento ponderal das crias foi medido por pesagens quinzenais. As crias de ovelhas não suplementadas apresentaram menor peso ao nascer e à desmama comparado aos demais (P<0,05). Com a suplementação concentrada no pré e pós parto de ovelhas na caatinga, ocorre o aumento da viabilidade das crias. [Performance of lambs of ewes supplemented with different amounts of concentrate in thinned and enriched caatinga rangelands system]. Abstract: Were evaluated in this study, the performance of lambs of ewes Somalis brasileira breed in thinned and enriched caatinga rangelands with different amounts of concentrate offered. For this, the weight development of lambs was measured by biweekly weights. Lambs of non supplemented ewes showed lower weights at birth and weaning compared to other treatments (P<0.05). With supplementation of concentrates at pre and post lambing of ewes in caatinga rangelands, increases the lambs viability.

Seed-specific silencing of OsMRP5 reduces seed phytic acid and weight in rice.

Phytic acid (PA) is poorly digested by humans and monogastric animals and negatively affects human/animal nutrition and the environment. Rice mutants with reduced PA content have been developed but are often associated with reduced seed weight and viability, lacking breeding value. In the present study, a new approach was explored to reduce seed PA while attaining competitive yield. The OsMRP5 gene, of which mutations are known to reduce seed PA as well as seed yield and viability, was down-regulated specifically in rice seeds by using an artificial microRNA driven by the rice seed specific promoter Ole18. Seed PA contents were reduced by 35.8-71.9% in brown rice grains of transgenic plants compared to their respective null plants (non-transgenic plants derived from the same event). No consistent significant differences of plant height or number of tillers per plant were observed, but significantly lower seed weights (up to 17.8% reduction) were detected in all transgenic lines compared to null plants, accompanied by reductions of seed germination and seedling emergence. It was observed that the silencing of the OsMRP5 gene increased the inorganic P (Pi) levels (up to 7.5 times) in amounts more than the reduction of PA-P in brown rice. This indicates a reduction in P content in other cellular compounds, such as lipids and nucleic acids, which may affect overall seed development. Put together, the present study demonstrated that seed specific silencing of OsMRP5 could significantly reduce the PA content and increase Pi levels in seeds; however, it also significantly lowers seed weight in rice. Discussions were made regarding future directions towards producing agronomically competitive and nutritionally valuable low PA rice.

Polyethylene glycol and polyvinylpirrolidone effect on bacterial rRNA extraction and hybridization from cells exposed to tannins

In order to detect fluctuations in ruminal microbial populations due to forage tannins using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) probes, recovery of intact rRNA is required. The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polyvinylpirrolidone (PVP) on extraction of bacterial rRNA, in the presence of tannins from tropical legume forages and other sources, that hybridize with oligonucleotide probes. Ruminococcus albus 8 cells were exposed to 8 g/L tannic acid or 1 g/L condensed tannins extracted from Acacia angustissima, banana (Musa sp.) skin, Desmodium ovalifolium, red grape (Vitis vinifera) skin and Inga edulis, or no tannins. Cells were rinsed with Tris buffer pH 7 containing either 8% PEG or 6% PVP prior to cell lysis. Total RNA samples rinsed with either PEG or PVP migrated through denaturing agarose gels. The 16S rRNA bands successfully hybridized with a R. albus species-specific oligonucleotide probe, regardless of tannin source. The effect of rinsing buffers on the density of 16S rRNA bands, as well as on the hybridization signals was compared. There were significant effects (P<0.01) when the controls were compared to either buffer treatments due to tannin type, buffer used and the interaction of tannin type and buffer. The significant interaction indicates the influence of tannin type on the parameters evaluated.

Diagnóstico da deficiência de fósforo em ovinos pela técnica de incorporação de fósforo radioativo nos eritrócitos

Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a técnica de incorporação de 32P pelos eritrócitos de ovinos jovens, mantidos em pastejo de Andropogon gayanus, como método de diagnóstico da deficiência de fósforo. Vinte ovinos, com peso vivo inicial de 13,88±2,51 kg, foram divididos em dois tratamentos de dez animais cada; num dos tratamentos, os animais foram suplementados com 3 g de P por animal por dia e, no outro, os animais não receberam suplementação de P. Foram realizadas cinco pesagens dos animais, coletas de sangue e fezes nos 8º, 29º, 43º, 57º e 71º dias do experimento, para avaliar a incorporação de 32P pelos eritrócitos, determinar as concentrações de Ca, glicose e P no soro e a porcentagem de P nas fezes. Foi encontrada diferença significativa na concentração de Ca no 57º dia. Na concentração de glicose, porcentagem de P nas fezes e peso vivo não foram observadas diferenças significativas entre os tratamentos. A partir da segunda coleta, a concentração de P no soro foi mais elevada e a incorporação de 32P foi menor no grupo de animais suplementados com P. A incorporação de 32P pelos eritrócitos é uma técnica adicional para avaliar o status de P e identificar sua deficiência subclínica em ovinos jovens.

δ15N value does not reflect fasting in mysticetes.

The finding that tissue δ15N values increase with protein catabolism has led researchers to apply this value to gauge nutritive condition in vertebrates. However, its application to marine mammals has in most occasions failed. We investigated the relationship between δ15N values and the fattening/fasting cycle in a model species, the fin whale, a migratory capital breeder that experiences severe seasonal variation in body condition. We analyzed two tissues providing complementary insights: one with isotopic turnover (muscle) and one that keeps a permanent record of variations in isotopic values (baleen plates). In both tissues δ15N values increased with intensive feeding but decreased with fasting, thus contradicting the pattern previously anticipated. The apparent inconsistency during fasting is explained by the fact that a) individuals migrate between different isotopic isoscapes, b) starvation may not trigger significant negative nitrogen balance, and c) excretion drops and elimination of 15N-depleted urine is minimized. Conversely, when intensive feeding is resumed in the northern grounds, protein anabolism and excretion start again, triggering 15N enrichment. It can be concluded that in whales and other mammals that accrue massive depots of lipids as energetic reserves and which have limited access to drinking water, the δ15N value is not affected by fasting and therefore cannot be used as an indicatior of nutritive condition.

Betaiinin tuotannon sivujakeiden mikrosuodattaminen teräskeraamisella kalvolla

Betaiini on ammoniumyhdiste, jota käytetään esimerkiksi eläinten rehussa, kosmetiikassa ja lääkkeissä. Danisco Animal Nutrition Finnfeeds Finland Oy:n Naantalin tehdas on maailman johtava betaiinin tuottaja ja raaka-aineena tehtaalla käytetään melassierotuksesta saatavaa betaiinimelassia. Kiteisen betaiinin puhdistusprosessin yhteydessä syntyybetaiinipitoisia sivujakeita, jotka sisältävät huomattavan määrän betaiinia, minkä takia niiden jatkokäsittely on tärkeää. Betaiinin tuotannon sivujakeet ovat erittäin vaikeasti suodattuvia orgaanisia liuoksia, joiden koostumuksia ei täysin tunneta. Tämän työn tarkoituksena oli puhdistaa betaiinin tuotannon sivujakeita mikrosuodattamalla niitä teräskeraamisella kalvolla. Työn kokeellisessa osassa suoritettiin suodatusparametrien eli pH:n, lämpötilan, TMP:n ja betaiiniliuoksen kuiva-ainepitoisuuden optimointi sekä konsentrointikokeita. Mikrosuodatus suoritettiin Graver Technologiesin Scepter-putkimoduulilla, joka toimi ohivirtausperiaatteella ja jonka huokoskoko oli 0,1 ¿m. Scepter-moduuli koostui ruostumattomasta teräksestä sintratuista putkimoduuleista, joissa erottavana kerroksena toimi TiO2. Esikokeiden perusteella todettiin ettei pH:lla ollut suurta vaikutusta suodatukseen. Permeaattivuo kasvoi selvästi lämpötilan ja TMP:nkasvaessa. Vuo taas huononi ja permeaatin sameus lisääntyi selvästi 35 % korkeammissa kuiva-ainepitoisuuksissa. Konsentrointikokeet suoritettiin betaiiniliuoksen refraktrometrisessa kuiva-ainepitoisuudessa, BetRk, 35 %, 80 °C lämpötilassa ja betaiiniliuoksen omassa pH:ssa (pH 8-9,5). Esikokeiden tulosten perusteella konsentrointikokeet suoritettiin TMP:ssa 0,6; 0,8 ja 1,0 bar. Betaiinin tuotannonsivujakeiden konsentrointikokeissa saannoksi saatiin 95 %. Suodatustuloksista havaittiin, että betaiinin tuotannon sivujakeen erä vaikutti voimakkaasti suodatuksen toimivuuteen. Konsentrointikokeissa suodatukset suoritettiin sekäuusilla mikrosuodatusmoduuleilla että vanhalla moduulilla, joka oli jo kulunut.Kulumisen ei kuitenkaan havaittu huonontavan suodatustehokkuutta. Konsentrointikokeiden perusteella voidaan laitteiston pesuväliksi arvioida noin viikko ja pesu tulisi suorittaa sekä emäksisellä että happamalla pesuaineella.

Complete genome sequence of the type strain of Bacillus toyonensis BCT-7112T, the active ingredient of the feed additive preparation Toyocerin

Strain BCT-7112, previously identified as Bacillus cereus var. toyoi, is the type strain of the species Bacillus toyonensis, a novel species of the B. cereus group. The complete genome of this strain, which is the active ingredient of the feed additive preparation Toyocerin, has been sequenced and annotated to reveal the genetic properties of this probiotic organism with a long history of safe use in animal nutrition.

δ15N value does not reflect fasting in mysticetes.

The finding that tissue δ15N values increase with protein catabolism has led researchers to apply this value to gauge nutritive condition in vertebrates. However, its application to marine mammals has in most occasions failed. We investigated the relationship between δ15N values and the fattening/fasting cycle in a model species, the fin whale, a migratory capital breeder that experiences severe seasonal variation in body condition. We analyzed two tissues providing complementary insights: one with isotopic turnover (muscle) and one that keeps a permanent record of variations in isotopic values (baleen plates). In both tissues δ15N values increased with intensive feeding but decreased with fasting, thus contradicting the pattern previously anticipated. The apparent inconsistency during fasting is explained by the fact that a) individuals migrate between different isotopic isoscapes, b) starvation may not trigger significant negative nitrogen balance, and c) excretion drops and elimination of 15N-depleted urine is minimized. Conversely, when intensive feeding is resumed in the northern grounds, protein anabolism and excretion start again, triggering 15N enrichment. It can be concluded that in whales and other mammals that accrue massive depots of lipids as energetic reserves and which have limited access to drinking water, the δ15N value is not affected by fasting and therefore cannot be used as an indicatior of nutritive condition.

Massive consumption of gelatinous plankton by Mediterranean apex predators

Stable isotopes of carbon and nitrogen were used to test the hypothesis that stomach content analysis has systematically overlooked the consumption of gelatinous zooplankton by pelagic mesopredators and apex predators. The results strongly supported a major role of gelatinous plankton in the diet of bluefin tuna (Thunnus thynnus), little tunny (Euthynnus alletteratus), spearfish (Tetrapturus belone) and swordfish (Xiphias gladius). Loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the oceanic stage and ocean sunfish (Mola mola) also primarily relied on gelatinous zooplankton. In contrast, stable isotope ratios ruled out any relevant consumption of gelatinous plankton by bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix), blue shark (Prionace glauca), leerfish (Lichia amia), bonito (Sarda sarda), striped dolphin (Stenella caerueloalba) and loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) in the neritic stage, all of which primarily relied on fish and squid. Fin whales (Balaenoptera physalus) were confirmed as crustacean consumers. The ratios of stable isotopes in albacore (Thunnus alalunga), amberjack (Seriola dumerili), blue butterfish (Stromaeus fiatola), bullet tuna (Auxis rochei), dolphinfish (Coryphaena hyppurus), horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), mackerel (Scomber scombrus) and pompano (Trachinotus ovatus) were consistent with mixed diets revealed by stomach content analysis, including nekton and crustaceans, but the consumption of gelatinous plankton could not be ruled out completely. In conclusion, the jellyvorous guild in the Mediterranean integrates two specialists (ocean sunfish and loggerhead sea turtles in the oceanic stage) and several opportunists (bluefin tuna, little tunny, spearfish, swordfish and, perhaps, blue butterfish), most of them with shrinking populations due to overfishing.

Nutritional and feeding ecology in the Cory"s shearwater (Calonectris diomedea).

In birds, parents adjust their feeding behaviour according to breeding duties, which ultimately may lead to seasonal adjustments in nutritional physiology and hematology over the breeding season. Although avian physiology has been widely investigated in captivity, few studies have integrated individual changes in feeding and physiological ecology throughout the breeding season in wild birds. To study relationships between feeding ecology and nutritional ecophysiology in Cory"s shearwater Calonectris diomedea, we weighed and took blood samples from 28 males and 19 females during the pre-laying, egg-laying, incubation, hatching and chick-rearing periods of the breeding season. In addition, we fitted 6 birds with geolocators to track their foraging movements throughout the reproductive period. Thus, we examined individual changes in (1) nutritional condition (biochemistry metabolites); (2) oxygen carrying capacity (hematology); and (3) feeding areas and foraging effort (stable isotopes and foraging movements). Geolocators revealed a latitudinal shift in main feeding areas towards more southern and more neritic waters throughout the breeding season, which is consistent with the steady increase in δ13C signatures in the blood. Geolocators also showed a decrease in foraging effort from egg-laying to hatching, reflecting the activity decrease associated with incubation duties. Plasma metabolites, body mass and oxygen carrying capacity were associated with temporal changes in nutritional state and foraging effort in relation to recovery after migration, egg formation, fasting shifts during incubation and chick provisioning. This study shows that combining physiological and ecological approaches can help us understand the influence of breeding duties on feeding ecology and nutritional physiology in wild birds.

Ontogenetic dietary changes in male South American fur seals Arctocephalus australis in northern and central Patagonia, Argentina.

This study assessed ontogenetic dietary changes in male South American fur seals Arctocephalus australis in northern and central Patagonia (Argentina) using stable isotope ratios (δ15 N and δ13 C) in vibrissae and bones. Sucking pups were characterised by higher δ15 N values and lower δ13 C values than older specimens. Weaning was associated with a marked drop of δ15 N values, both in bone and vibrissae. Such a drop was inconsistent with the consumption of local prey and may reveal movement to distant foraging grounds or physiological changes associated with either fasting or rapid growth. Stable isotope ratios indicated that juveniles fed more pelagically than subadults and adults, but that there were no major differences between the 2 latter age categories. As subadults and adults are rather similar in body mass and are much larger than juveniles, body mass may play a role in the ontogenetic dietary changes reported. Nevertheless, demersal benthic prey were always scarce in the diet of male fur seals, which relied primarily on Argentine shortfin squid and small pelagic fish throughout life, though adults also consumed large amounts of decapod crustaceans available at shallow depths. Vibrissae did not reveal regular oscillations of δ15 N or δ13 C, except in 1 individual. Thus, male fur seals from northern and central Patagonia do not appear to migrate regularly between isotopically distinct areas, although nomadic displacements cannot be ruled out.

Environmental determinants of foraging strategies in Cory"s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea

Despite the advent of devices to track seabird movements, the extent to which productive areas and oceanic winds influence foraging strategies is still not fully understood. We investigated the main environmental determinants of foraging strategies in Cory"s shearwaters Calonectris diomedea by combining satellite-tracking information from 14 birds breeding on the Canary Islands with concurrent data on chlorophyll a (chl a) concentrations and oceanic winds. Additionally, we took blood samples at the end of each foraging trip and analysed carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) stable isotopes to examine the use of trophic resources. All birds showed commuting trips, concentrating foraging activity exclusively on the African continental shelf. Foraging locations showed a strong association with chl a concentrations, suggesting birds select foraging areas according to prey availability. In contrast with other breeding colonies where Cory"s shearwaters use a dual-foraging method, birds showed a unimodal strategy and did not show differences in C and N isotope signatures in plasma, confirming that close proximity to highly productive areas strongly influences foraging strategies. In addition, birds tracked during 2 consecutive trips foraged in the same area, suggesting that high resource availability promotes fidelity to feeding grounds also at coarse scales. Persistent northeast trade winds blew during the study period, and commuting trips followed a consistent clockwise movement with a southwest heading while the birds foraged along the continental shelf, suggesting that birds used tail winds to reduce their flying costs. Our results corroborate that oceanographic conditions in the vicinity of the breeding colony have a strong effect on foraging strategies of pelagic seabirds.

Livestock Handling Needs Improvement

The article discusses problems with the handling of livestock and the conclusion of the article states "rough handling of livestock is not only inhumane, but can cause excessive losses due to sickness and slower growth...careful handling of livestock in all phases of production is prerequisite to a profitable business".

Análise micológica e quantificação de zearalenona e deoxinivalenol em alimentos compostos para suínos

As análises micológica e micotoxicológica representam uma parte importante da monitorização da qualidade e segurança dos alimentos compostos para animais. O objectivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o nível de contaminação fúngica em amostras de alimentos compostos para suínos, identificar as espécies fúngicas presentes e quantificar os níveis de zearalenona (ZEA) e deoxinivalenol (DON). Para tal, foram analisadas 55 amostras, encontrando-se 52 (94.5%) contaminadas com fungos, apresentando teores médios de 1.7×104 UFC/g. Os fungos mais predominantes foram o Fusarium spp (81.8%), o Aspergillus flavus (69.0%), as leveduras (60.0%) e o Aspergillus candidus (56.3%). A análise micotoxicológica foi efectuada por Cromatografia Líquida de Alta Performance (HPLC), com purificação por colunas IAC (Colunas de imunoafinidade), e revelou 18 amostras positivas para ZEA e 13 positivas para DON, com níveis de ZEA variando entre 6.1 e 5.4×101 μg/kg, e de DON variando de 1.0×102 e 9.0×102 μg/kg. Foi observada co-ocorrência em 3 amostras (5.5%). Todos os resultados encontrados estavam abaixo dos limites máximos permitidos pela União Europeia (UE). As taxas de recuperação para amostras contaminadas com ZEA, a concentrações de 0.005; 0.010 e 0.10 μg/kg foram de 93.0; 95.0 e 95.0%, respectivamente e as de DON foram de 98.0; 85.0 e 88.0%, para soluções contaminadas com 100.0; 250.0 e 500.0 μg/kg, respectivamente.