Small mammals in new farm woodlands

A number of recently planted farm woodlands, along with adjacent agricultural land and hedgerows were surveyed using live traps to compare their importance for small mammals. Small mammal numbers were far higher in newly planted woodlands than in both hedgerows and agricultural land. Seven species were trapped in farm woods compared with five in hedgerows and two in agricultural land. The most frequently trapped species in the establishing woodlands was the harvest mouse Micromys minutus, followed by the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus. The potential importance of newly planted farm woodlands for small mammals is discussed.     

Ethanol Fuels: E10 or E85 – Life Cycle Perspectives (5 pp)

Goal and Scope  

The environmental performance of two ethanol fuel applications (E10 and E85) is compared (E10 fuel: a mixture of 10% ethanol and 90% gasoline by volume, and E85 fuel: a mixture of 85% ethanol and 15% gasoline by volume).     

Sperm glycoproteins of the boar,bull, rabbit,and ram: I. Acrosomal glycoproteins

Ejaculated spermatozoa of boars, bulls, rabbits, and rams were fixed with glutaraldehyde and embedded in glycolmethacrylate. Thin sections were treated with phosphotungstic acid at low pH in order to localize cellular glycoproteins stained by the PAS technique at the light microscope level. At the ultrastructural level the glycoproteins were segregated in the anterior segment of mature spermatozoa. The distribution of these glycoproteins in the anterior segment was not homogeneous; it appeared species-specific in detail, but as a rule, the maximum concentration was observed in a superficial layer, especially in the marginal thickening. The localization of other acrosomal components (eg, crystalline and basic proteins) is also reviewed. The origin and significance of the segregation of proteins and glycoproteins in the acrosome are discussed in relation to the fact that the acrosomal enzymes analyzed so far are glycoproteins.     

Sperm glycoproteins of the boar,bull, rabbit,and ram: II. Surface glycoproteins and free acidic groups

Ejaculated spermatozoa of boars, bulls, rabbits, and rams were embedded in glycolmethacrylate and thin sections stained with phosphotungstic acid at low pH in order to observe the distribution of glycoproteins of the plasma membrane. Colloidal iron hydroxide was also used to detect the free acidic groups present on the sperm surface. Species-specific patterns of localizations of glycoproteins and linked negative charges were observed. The distribution was sometimes homogeneous as in bull, but generally heterogeneous in the other species. The significance of the results on sperm surface components and the practical interest to know their normal distribution are discussed.     

Life cycle assessment framework in agriculture on the farm level

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a method that can be used to assess the environmental impact of agriculture, but impact categories and the functional unit of classical LCA’s must be adapted to the specific agricultural production process. Serving as an example, the framework of a LCA of 18 grassland dairy farms covering three farming intensity levels and carried out in the Allgäu region in southern Germany is presented. By focussing on the chosen impact categories and the respective, suitable functional units, the specific needs and backgrounds of conducting an agricultural LCA are discussed in general.     

Breeding for immune responsiveness and disease resistance1

Animal production efficiency, and product volume and quality can be greatly increased by reducing disease losses. Genetic variation, a prerequisite for successful selection, has been found in animals and poultry exposed to a variety of viral, bacterial and parasitic infections. Breeding for disease resistance can play a significant role alone or in combination with other control measures including disease eradication, vaccination and medication. Feasibility of simultaneously improving resistance to specific diseases and production traits has been demonstrated. However, selection for specific resistance to all diseases of animals and poultry is impossible. Development of general disease resistance through indirect selection primarily on immune response traits may be the best long-term strategy but its applicability is presently limited by insufficient understanding of resistance mechanisms. Another hindrance may be negative genetic correlations among various immune response functions: phagocytosis, cell mediated and humoral immunity. To better assess the feasibility of increasing general disease resistance by indirect selection we must obtain estimates of heritability for immune response, disease resistance, and economic production traits, as well as genetic correlations among these traits. The present level of disease resistance in farm animals resulted from natural selection and from correlated responses to selection for production traits while the influence of artificial selection for resistance was minimal. Future research should be directed towards developing and applying breeding techniques that will increase resistance to diseases without compromising production efficiency and product quailty. This will require cooperation of immunogeneticists, veterinarians and animal and poultry breeders. Significant progress in the improvement of resistance to diseases may result from the application of new techniques of molecular genetics and cell manipulation.     

高海拔生境下怀玉山高山马铃薯和本土农家薯的全基因组重测序分析

为了探究怀玉山高山马铃薯只限于高海拔生境下的适应机制,本研究以高海拔生境下怀玉山高山马铃薯和怀玉山本土农家薯采后块茎萌发的芽为材料,进行了全基因组重测序分析。结果表明:HAP的总SNP数量为2 835 211,SNP的密度为3.925 212,编码区nsSNP总数为104 456;LAP的总SNP数量为3 968 618,SNP的密度为5.427 855,编码区nsSNP总数为141 060。经CV分析后,LAP和HAP共有319个nsSNP关联了315个基因,其中76个基因具有超过1个的nsSNP。nsSNP的防御反应、蛋白氨基酸磷酸化、蛋白激酶等GOterms显著富集。HAP的总Indel数量为159 797,编码区的Indel数量为1 850;LAP的总Indel数量为154 291,编码区的Indel数量为1 714;两组的总Indel数量远远小于两组的总SNP数。经差异分析后,共有1 629个Indel关联到了726个基因。Indel的防御反应、胁迫应答、细胞凋亡等GOterms显著富集。nsSNP和Indel的GOterms大多与高海拔生境和光合作用相关。nsSNP和Indel分布在端粒附近相对于中心粒具有更高密度的变异。LAP和HAP共获得了1 490个CNV,其中缺失(Deletion)为610个,中性(Neutral)为548个,扩增(Amplification)为332个。本研究结果可为高海拔生境下怀玉山高山马铃薯的SNP和Indel相关标记的开发、优异基因的挖掘提供重要理论依据。     

Spatiotemporal dynamics of active flying Diptera predators among different farmland habitats

1. Farmland habitats comprise an arrangement of cropped, uncropped and natural vegetation among the farms. Despite the differences in these habitats' features, generalist highly mobile predators are more likely to explore them in time and space.
2. We investigated the spatiotemporal dynamics of the species of Dolichopodidae (Diptera) in organic vegetable farms because they are one of the most abundant generalist highly mobile predators in Brazilian agroecosystems.
3. We simultaneously sampled the abundance of Condylostylus Bigot and Chrysotus Loew adults (both Dolichopodidae) in the crop, fallow areas, agroforests and forest fragments within five organic farms for 2 years.
4. Predators preferred open-field habitats to agroforests and forest fragments. Probably, open-field habitats present more opportunities to prey foraging, resulting in higher population densities.
5. To the extent that abiotic conditions become more restrictive during the dry season, agroforests and forests act as breeding sites and shelter, thereby maintaining the predators' populations in the overall farmland habitat.
6. Both predatory genera occupy habitats with distinct features across time, forming a dynamic and contiguous population unit within the farm. Therefore, conservation biological control strategies in organic crops should consider the role of agroforests and forest fragments in species conservation beyond the plot level.