The effect of colostrum period management on BW and immune system in lambs: from birth to weaning

The aim of this study was to investigate the BW and immune status of lambs reared under natural conditions or under artificial conditions fed two different colostrum amounts. In this study, 60 lambs were randomly divided into groups according to treatment. Twenty lambs remained with their dams (natural rearing (NR) group). Forty lambs were removed from their dams at birth. Lambs were bottle-fed with a pool of sheep colostrum, receiving either 4 g of IgG/kg of BW at birth (C4 group) or 8 g of IgG/kg of BW at birth (C8 group). The total colostrum amount was equally divided into three meals at 2, 14 and 24 h after birth. After this period, lambs were bottle-fed a commercial milk replacer. Blood plasma sample analysis and BW recordings were carried out before feeding at birth and then at 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 20 days after birth. Another blood sample analysis and BW recording was carried out when animals reached 10 kg of BW. During weaning (30 days), sampling was carried out every 5 days. Blood plasma was used to determine the concentrations of IgG and IgM and the complement system activity – total and alternative pathways. The NR group showed greater BW than the C4 and C8 groups during milk feeding period, whereas the C4 and C8 groups had greater BW than the NR group at the end of weaning period. The C8 and NR groups had greater plasma IgG and IgM concentrations than the C4 group during milk feeding period. In addition, C4 and C8 groups showed similar IgG concentrations and greater IgM concentrations than the NR group at the end of the weaning period. Complement system activity was greater in the NR group than in the C4 and C8 groups during the first 3 days after birth. In conclusion, lambs fed amounts of colostrum equivalent to 8 g of IgG/kg of BW showed similar immune variables compared to lambs reared under natural conditions, obtaining a greater BW at the end of the weaning period. Nevertheless, this study shows that not only the colostrum amount but also the management during the milk feeding and weaning period, such as stress produced by dam separation, milk quality and suckling frequency, can affect the final immune status of lambs.     

LIGHT INDEPENDENT CARBON FIXATION BY MARINE MACROALGAE1

Several marine macroalgae representative of the Chlorophyceae, Rhodophyceae and Phaeophyceae were investigated for their potentials of photosynthesis and light independent (dark) carbon fixation. In addition, the activities of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase (RubP-C; EC 4.1.1.39) and of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PEP-CK; EC 4.1.1.32) were studied. In contrast to the green and red algae investigated, all brown algae exhibited comparably high rates of dark fixation accounting for up to 20% of photosynthetic carbon uptake. These observations are confirmed by the activities of RubP-C and PEP-CK measured after extraction from different species and thallus regions. Dark fixed ¹⁴C was mainly recovered from aspartate, citrate, malate, glutamate, and alanine. Appreciable amounts of ¹⁴C were incorporated into insoluble (polymeric) constituents even after relatively short periods of dark fixation.     

木荷种源间光合作用参数分析

基于直角双曲线修正模型估算3个不同纬度的木荷种源(开平、太平和永丰种源)光补偿点、饱和点、最大净光合速率等参数,以便为评价不同木荷种源对环境的适应能力和优良种源选择等提供科学依据。结果表明:在3个不同纬度种源中,开平种源具有最高的净光合速率、最大净光合速率和较高的表观量子效率,且其生长速率最快;太平种源光饱和点最高,但其净光合速率、表观量子效率和最大净光合速率最低,其生长速率也最低;永丰种源具有较高的净光合速率、最大净光合速率和表观量子效率,其生长速率略高于太平种源。3个不同纬度木荷种源中,南部开平种源对当地环境具有较强的适应能力和生长潜力,具有较高的推广应用价值。     

Infant Carrying Behavior in Callitrichid Primates: Callithrix and Leontopithecus

Care of offspring by individuals other than the mother is ubiquitous in callitrichid primates. In spite of its widespread occurrence, however, there is considerable taxonomic variation in the timing and intensity of parental effort by breeding males and nonbreeding juvenile group members. These differences may be attributable to generic and specifies differences in the costs of reproduction for females or in ecological constraints on travel and foraging. We present data on patterns of infant carrying in social groups of two taxa of callitrichid primates (Callithrix and Leontopithecus) throughout the first 3 months of infant life. We evaluated patterns of care in small groups (two or fewer juvenile or subadult helpers) and in large groups (three or more helpers in addition to the breeding adult male and female). Group size had little effect on levels of maternal carrying effort in either marmosets or lion tamarins, and mothers ceased carrying infants by 3 months of age. Carrying efforts by fathers were significantly reduced in groups with many helpers relative to small groups. Helpers carried at consistent rates during the second and third months of infant life in Leontopithecus, while in Callithrix, carrying by helpers peaked during the second month. These results suggest that if helpers reduce energetic demands on lactating females, the mechanism by which helpers reduce these burdens is independent of maternal carrying effort.     

Use of polypropylene bags for mass rearing Neoseiulus baraki (Acari: Phytoseiidae), a predatory mite of Aceria guerreronis Keifer (Acari: Eriophyidae)

An efficient, low cost and practicable mass rearing method for the predatory mite, Neoseiulus baraki Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae) was developed using a bag made of two-ply polypropylene (gauge 150, 24 cm × 36 cm) sheets. Introducing 20 N. baraki females into the bag produced a mean number 5218 ± 212.10 offspring in 6 weeks with a 260-fold increase of the initial population.     

食物种类对淡色库蚊幼虫生长发育和药剂敏感性的影响

淡色库蚊Culexpipienspallens是我国的一种常见家蚊 ,它传播流行性乙型脑炎 ,影响人类健康。研究淡色库蚊生长发育和药剂敏感性与食物的关系 ,对改善蚊虫饲养方法与监测蚊虫药剂敏感性具有重要意义。作者研究了不同食物饲养对淡色库蚊幼虫生长发育和药剂敏感性的影响。结果表明 ,与用面粉 +酵母粉饲养的相比 ,用鼠饲料饲养的幼虫 ,生长发育速度平均要快 2d ,对氰戊菊酯的敏感性则无明显差异。说明可用鼠饲料来代替面粉 +酵母粉饲养淡色库蚊幼虫     

Genetic barcoding of dark‐spored myxomycetes (Amoebozoa)—Identification,evaluation and application of a sequence similarity threshold for species differentiation in NGS studies

Unicellular, eukaryotic organisms (protists) play a key role in soil food webs as major predators of microorganisms. However, due to the polyphyletic nature of protists, no single universal barcode can be established for this group, and the structure of many protistean communities remains unresolved. Plasmodial slime moulds (Myxogastria or Myxomycetes) stand out among protists by their formation of fruit bodies, which allow for a morphological species concept. By Sanger sequencing of a large collection of morphospecies, this study presents the largest database to date of dark‐spored myxomycetes and evaluate a partial 18S SSU gene marker for species annotation. We identify and discuss the use of an intraspecific sequence similarity threshold of 99.1% for species differentiation (OTU picking) in environmental PCR studies (ePCR) and estimate a hidden diversity of putative species, exceeding those of described morphospecies by 99%. When applying the identified threshold to an ePCR data set (including sequences from both NGS and cloning), we find 64 OTUs of which 21.9% had a direct match (>99.1% similarity) to the database and the remaining had on average 90.2 ± 0.8% similarity to their best match, thus thought to represent undiscovered diversity of dark‐spored myxomycetes.     

A mass rearing method for the linyphiid spider species Erigone atra (Blackwall) (Araneae: Linyphiidae)

Abstract:  A mass rearing method for Erigone atra (Blackwall) (Araneae: Linyphiidae) allowing continuous laboratory rearing is described. Twenty 1–2-day old spiderlings were kept together in plastic boxes, which were filled with soil containing a culture of the Collembola species, Lepidocyrtus lanuginosus (Gmelin) (Entomobryidae), and serving the spiders as a continuous available prey source. Once per week vestigial-wing fruit flies of Drosophila melanogaster Meigen (Diptera: Drosophilidae) were provided as additional prey. In addition, the rearing boxes were filled with wood-wool serving spiders as points of contact for their webs. After 3–5 weeks most of the spiderlings developed to adults, which were separated individually into glass tubes filled with soil and Collembola until all of them became adult. To produce a new generation of spiders 20–40 adult/subadult spiders originating from different mass rearing boxes were brought together and kept and fed in the same way as the spiderlings. Within a few days females started to produce eggsacs. The eggsacs were transferred into glass tubes filled with a layer of moist plaster of Paris until the spiderlings hatched, which were then bred as described above. Erigone atra was bred over 12 generations within a period of 2 years. The mean rearing success (from 1 to 2-day-old spiderlings to adults) was 59.3%. Decreasing rearing success, decrease of fecundity or decrease of adult spider size were not observed. Advantages and use of the mass rearing method are discussed in relation to rearing methods for other spiders.     

室内饲养灰飞虱的一种简便方法

介绍一种以海绵为介质培育稻苗,进行灰飞虱Laodelphax striatellus Falln大批量饲养的方法。水稻种子经24h浸种后,平铺在垫有海绵的塑料盒中。在26℃下,10d左右稻苗可长至6～8cm高,此时可以用于饲养灰飞虱。在一般饲养条件下稻苗能保持较好的长势,并且一批稻苗可持续30d左右。灰飞虱的单头饲养可采用单苗单管饲养法,该方法饲养的灰飞虱若虫存活率高、产卵量大。21～27℃、光周期12∶12条件下,灰飞虱世代历期约为20～35d,各龄若虫的存活率均在80%以上。     

朱鹮迁地保护研究

朱鹮（Nipponia mppon）是当今世界最濒危的鸟类之一,现存总数不过 40余只。由于生存环境的改变和种群生命力的脆弱,朱鹮数量急剧下降。中国自1986年开始人工繁殖朱鹮,1992年人工孵化并育活3只幼鸟,这是人工繁殖朱鹮成功的首次记录。这篇文章总结了朱鹮的野外生态,实验室研究及人工饲养、繁殖。