Conservation insights from changing associations between habitat,territory distribution and mating system of Corn Buntings Emberiza calandra over a 20‐year population decline

Associations between habitat and animal distributions are widely used to make conservation recommendations. However, short‐term studies do not allow investigation of temporal variation in associations as habitats change or populations decline. Here we quantify changes in the habitat attributes and distribution of breeding territories in a multiple‐brooded, crop‐nesting farmland bird, the Corn Bunting Emberiza calandra, over a 20‐year period during which the study population declined by 91%. Corn Buntings were positively associated with weedy fields, overhead wires, spring cereals and, in early summer, with winter barley and forage grass. Territory associations with wires (positive) and fallow (positive in early summer, negative in late summer) were stronger in later years when the population was smaller. Trends in the proportions of males holding territories into late summer (decline), and mated polygynously or not at all (increases), suggested that habitat quality declined and became more spatially variable in later years. Field size increased and weed abundance within fields declined, reducing the availability of field‐boundary song‐posts, invertebrate‐rich foraging habitats and physical cover for nests within crops. Conservation recommendations are for weed‐rich or under‐sown spring cereals and winter barley combined with late‐cut hay and fallow, especially when offered close to song‐posts such as overhead wires. We also demonstrate the value of long‐term studies by comparing our 20‐year analysis with 3‐year periods at the start, middle and end of this period, and expose some risks of conservation recommendations derived from short studies.     

Effect of starter culture inoculation on feed hygiene and microbial population development in fermented pig feed composed of a cereal grain mix with wet wheat distillers' grain

Aims:  Investigating the influence of an added starter culture on the properties of fermented liquid pig feed.
Methods and Results:  Diets of cereal grain blended with wet wheat distillers' grain that were either not inoculated (WWDG), inoculated with a silage starter culture at start (WWDGsc1) or at start and at each backslopping (replacement of 80% the content with fresh mixture, simulating feed outtake, WWDGsc5) were fermented for 5 days, followed by 5 days of daily backslopping. Numbers of undesirable micro-organisms (enterobacteria, moulds) were reduced in all fermentations; particularly enterobacteria in the starter culture inoculated diets. Lactobacillus plantarum present in the starter culture became dominant in diets WWDGsc1 and WWDGsc5. However, Lactobacillus panis that was dominating WWDG was also abundant in WWDGsc1 and WWDGsc5. Yeast populations were not influenced by the starter culture, with Pichia fermentans dominating all fermentations. All diets had similar chemical characteristics with the exception of a significant increase of all tested organic acids in WWDGsc5.
Conclusions:  The addition of a starter culture influences the bacterial population in fermented liquid feed, but there is also a strong impact of the flora already present in the feed ingredients. The yeast population is not influenced by adding a lactic acid bacteria (LAB) starter culture. A consortium of LAB and yeast strains adapted to the fermentation should be used as starter culture.
Significance and Impact of the Study:  The results suggest that it is possible to influence the current unpredictable and spontaneous process of feed fermentation when appropriate starter cultures are used. For this purpose, LAB and yeasts with desirable characteristics should be isolated.