含连翘的青贮饲料对肉鹅饲喂效果研究

为研究含连翘的青贮饲料对肉鹅的生长力、发病率和成活率的影响,提高鹅群的整体健康水平,将乳酸菌、宇佐美曲霉菌悬液按比例接入含连翘组分的青贮饲料中自然发酵60 d后用于肉鹅饲喂试验,28日龄肉鹅随机分为3组,饲喂42 d,在青贮饲料中添加不同比例的连翘枝条,观察含连翘的青贮饲料对肉鹅生产性能的影响。结果显示,含5%和10%连翘枝条的青贮饲料中功能成分连翘苷与连翘脂苷A的含量差异具有统计学意义（P<0.05）;含连翘的青贮饲料能够使肉鹅成活率提高4.38%～4.63%,日增重提高3.07%～4.33%,显著降低料肉比（P<0.05）。乳酸菌与宇佐美曲霉菌发酵含连翘青贮饲料能够有效改善连翘枝条的适口性,应用于肉鹅饲喂后,可以提高肉鹅的健康水平。利用废弃中药原料开展饲料添加剂的应用研究,可为降低生产成本、预防与治疗禽类疾病提供新的思路。     

Effect of non-feeding period length on the intermittent operation of UASB reactors treating dairy effluents

Recent environmental concerns have prompted a re-evaluation of conventional management strategies and refueled the search of innovative waste management practices. In this sense, the anaerobic digestion of both fat and the remaining complex organic matter present in dairy wastewaters is attractive, although the continuous operation of high rate anaerobic processes treating this type of wastewaters causes the failure of the process. This work accesses the influence of non-feeding period length on the intermittent operation of mesophilic UASB reactors treating dairy wastewater, in order to allow the biological degradation to catch up with adsorption phenomenon. During the experiments, two UASB reactors were subject to three organic loading rates, ranging from 6 to 12 g(COD) x L(-1) x d(-1), with the same daily load applied to both reactors, each one with a different non-feeding period. Both reactors showed good COD removal efficiencies (87-92%). A material balance for COD in the reactors during the feeding and non-feeding periods showed the importance of the feedless period, which allowed the biomass to degrade substrate that was accumulated during the feeding period. The reactor with the longest non-feeding period had a better performance, which resulted in a higher methane production and adsorption capacity for the same organic load applied with a consequent less accumulation of substrate into the biomass. In addition, both reactors had a stable operation for the organic load of 12 g(COD) x L(-1) x d(-1), which is higher than the maximum applicable load reported in literature for continuous systems (3-6 g(COD) x L(-1) x d(-1)).     

WHY DO SOME SIBLINGS ATTACK EACH OTHER? COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF AGGRESSION IN AVIAN BROODS

In many parentally fed species, siblings compete for food not only by begging and scrambling, but also by violently attacking each other. This aggressive competition has mostly been studied in birds, where it is often combined with dominance subordination, aggressive intimidation, and siblicide. Previous experimental and theoretical studies proposed several life-history, morphological, and behavioral variables that may facilitate the evolution of broodmate aggression, and explain its taxonomic distribution. Here we apply phylogenetic comparative analyses for the first time to test the influence of five hypothesized facilitators of the evolution of broodmate aggression, analyzing 69 species in seven avian families using two quantitative measures of aggression: incidence and intensity. We show that incidence and intensity of aggression increase with long nestling periods and indirect feeding, and small brood size is associated with intense aggression. Large food parcels were not correlated with either the incidence or intensity of aggression. Our study suggests that indirect feeding, long nestling periods, and small broods, possibly in combination with other factors, have tended to favor the evolution of aggressive broodmate competition.     

Effects of in vivo exposure to DEET on blood feeding behavior and fecundity in Anopheles quadrimaculatus (Diptera: Culicidae)

This study determined the effects of contact with DEET on guinea pig skin on mortality, probing time, blood feeding rate, engorgement time, and fecundity responses in female Anopheles quadrimaculatus Say. Exposure, in this manner, to 10% DEET (in ethanol) for 5 min, resulted in 98% mortality in mosquitoes after 24h. The median probing time (PT(50)) required by females, when exposed to 0.1%, 1.0%, and 10% DEET, was significantly (P<0.0001) longer (12.5, 12.1, and 19.1s, respectively) than the 6.8s required by females to probe ethanol-treated skin (control). Similarly, mean blood feeding rates in populations of females exposed to 1.0% DEET for < or = 5 min (14.4%) was 6x lower (P<0.001) (85.5%) than in females exposed to ethanol-treated skin, whereas the mean engorgement time on skin treated with 1.0% DEET (66.3s) was significantly shorter (P<0.0001) than for females feeding on the control guinea pigs (105.9s). The mean number of mature o?cytes per female (fecundity) in treatment (1.0% DEET) and control mosquitoes was not significantly different. The responses to DEET observed in this study suggest that repeated exposure of female A. quadrimaculatus populations to this repellent, in laboratory bioassays, could result in confounding of toxicant and repellent effects and inaccurate estimates of DEET repellency.     

Methodological developments in the use of visible reflectance spectroscopy for discriminating pasture-fed from concentrate-fed lamb carcasses

The ability to authenticate the feed given to animals from the animal products has become a major challenge for scientists, monitoring bodies and commercial entities alike. This study compared two methods based on the use of the visible reflectance spectrum of the fat to discriminate pasture-fed (P) from stall concentrate-fed (S) lamb carcasses. A total of 307 (143 P and 164 S) Limousine lambs were used over 2 years. Pasture-fed lambs grazed a permanent pasture that was maintained at a leafy, green vegetative stage, and offered ad libitum; they received no supplementation at pasture. Body weight of P lambs when turning out to pasture and at slaughter averaged 9.2 (standard deviation (s.d.) 2.21) kg and 33.2 (s.d. 2.89) kg, respectively. S lambs were fed indoors on an ad libitum diet of commercial concentrate and hay until slaughter at a mean body weight of 33.7 (s.d. 3.62) kg. The reflectance spectrum of perirenal and subcutaneous caudal fat was measured at slaughter and at 24 h post mortem. Plasma carotenoid concentration was measured at slaughter. In method 1, the fat reflectance spectrum data were used at wavelengths between 450 and 510 nm to calculate an index quantifying light absorption by carotenoid pigments. In method 2, a multivariate analysis was performed over the full set of fat reflectance data at wavelengths between 400 and 700 nm. Method 2 yielded a higher proportion of correctly classified lambs compared with method 1 (P < 0.05 to 0.001), except for measurements made at 24 h post mortem on perirenal fat for S lambs. The proportion of lambs correctly classified using method 2 was 87.4% and 92.9% for measurements made on perirenal and caudal fat at slaughter, and 93.9% and 91.0% for measurements made on perirenal and caudal fat 24 h post mortem. Plasma carotenoid concentrations were higher in P lambs than in S lambs (P < 0.001), which led to correct classification of 90.7% of the lambs.     

三角梅苞叶色彩参数和色素含量分析及蓝色转基因受体的筛选北大核心CSCD

三角梅作为重要的观赏植物颜色繁多,但缺乏稀有的蓝色。为筛选适合的蓝色转基因受体,明确不同品种三角梅苞片吸收利用DHM(二氢杨梅素)合成甜菜色素途径竞争产物(类黄酮色素)的潜在能力,该研究对红色、白色、黄色和紫色4大花色6个品种的三角梅苞片进行离体诱导培养,测定诱导培养后苞片色彩参数及色素含量变化,并进行相关性分析。结果显示:(1)三角梅苞片红绿色相值(a*)是决定苞片呈色的主要色彩参数,其色彩主要由甜菜色素和黄酮类色素决定,并以甜菜红素的影响最大。(2)除白色品种三角梅苞片中黄酮类色素含量大于甜菜色素含量外,其余品种苞片发育中甜菜色素含量均呈上升趋势,黄酮类色素呈下降趋势。(3)甜菜色苷含量与苞片a*值呈显著正相关关系,同时与苞片黄蓝色相值(b*)呈显著负相关关系;总黄酮含量与苞片b*值呈显著正相关关系,与苞片a*值呈极显著负相关关系。(4)经DHM体外诱导培养后,苞片总黄酮含量及占比在4个品种三角梅(‘新加坡大白’、‘宝老橙’、‘中国丽人’、‘黄蝶’)中明显升高,但各品种苞片总甜菜色素含量及占比均下降,并以‘新加坡大白’苞片中总黄酮含量上升幅度最大(65.77%),含量占比变化(增加26.91%)也为6个品种中最大。(5)灰色关联度综合分析显示,白色品种‘新加坡大白’与灰色关联度分析拟定的参考品种关联度最高(0.7444),表明三角梅品种中‘新加坡大白’可考虑作为蓝色转基因三角梅的受体品种。     

Process-induced cell cycle oscillations in CHO cultures: Online monitoring and model-based investigation

The influence of process strategies on the dynamics of cell population heterogeneities in mammalian cell culture is still not well understood. We recently found that the progression of cells through the cell cycle causes metabolic regulations with variable productivities in antibody-producing Chimese hamster ovary (CHO) cells. On the other hand, it is so far unknown how bulk cultivation conditions, for example, variable nutrient concentrations depending on process strategies, can influence cell cycle-derived population dynamics. In this study, process-induced cell cycle synchronization was assessed in repeated-batch and fed-batch cultures. An automated flow cytometry set-up was developed to measure the cell cycle distribution online, using antibody-producing CHO DP-12 cells transduced with the cell cycle-specific fluorescent ubiquitination-based cell cycle indicator (FUCCI) system. On the basis of the population-resolved model, feeding-induced partial self-synchronization was predicted and the results were evaluated experimentally. In the repeated-batch culture, stable cell cycle oscillations were confirmed with an oscillating G1 phase distribution between 41% and 72%. Furthermore, oscillations of the cell cycle distribution were simulated and determined in a (bolus) fed-batch process with up to cells/ml. The cell cycle synchronization arose with pulse feeding only and ceased with continuous feeding. Both simulated and observed oscillations occurred at higher frequencies than those observable based on regular (e.g., daily) sample analysis, thus demonstrating the need for high-frequency online cell cycle analysis. In summary, we showed how experimental methods combined with simulations enable the improved assessment of the effects of process strategies on the dynamics of cell cycle-dependent population heterogeneities. This provides a novel approach to understand cell cycle regulations, control cell population dynamics, avoid inadvertently induced oscillations of cell cycle distributions and thus to improve process stability and efficiency.     

Trophic niche changes associated with habitat fragmentation in a Neotropical bat species

Habitat fragmentation could alter ecological traits including species trophic habits. Here, we used carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios to establish differences in isotopic niche width and food resource use between forest fragments and the continuous forest for the phyllostomid frugivorous bat Artibeus lituratus. Using mist nests, we captured bats from two forest fragments and two sites in continuous forest, and sampled from each individual captured three body tissues with contrasting turnover rates (skin, muscle, and liver). Samples were collected between February and March (austral summer) and between August and September (austral winter). In addition, in each sampling site and season we collected potential food resources (fruits and insects) consumed by our A. lituratus. Our findings indicate that A. lituratus had a predominantly omnivorous diet, with high consumption of insects during summer in forest fragments. The increasing consumption of insects in these fragments seems to have led to a wider isotopic niche, in relation to the continuous forest. Because A. lituratus is typically a seed disperser, changes in trophic habits in the forest fragments from frugivory to insectivory may diminish their role in forest regeneration. Abstract in Portuguese is available with online material.     

The omnivorous triggerfish Melichthys niger is a functional herbivore on an isolated Atlantic oceanic island

This study evaluated the functional role of the highly generalist omnivore Melichthys niger in the remote St. Peter and St Paul's Archipelago (SPSPA), Brazil, where grazing herbivorous fishes are very scarce. We analysed patterns of distribution from zero to 30 m deep during three time intervals during the day and sampled different aspects of their feeding behaviour, including diel feeding rate, feeding substrate and diet. The density of M. niger increased with depth (26–30 m) and decreased by the end of the day. Although M. niger did not present a typical herbivore diel feeding pattern, they targeted the epilithic algal matrix as their primary feeding substrate, ingesting predominantly algae and detritus. The characteristic Caulerpa racemosa var. peltata from SPSPA was ingested only as detached fronds. We suggest that in the isolated SPSPA, the single species M. niger may perform a unique role as a link between benthic primary production and higher levels. Further studies on the trophic ecology of omnivorous species are necessary to better understand their roles in a reef system, especially in impoverished areas where they are likely to play a crucial role.     

Convergence and functional evolution of longirostry in crocodylomorphs

During the Mesozoic, Crocodylomorpha had a much higher taxonomic and morphological diversity than today. Members of one particularly successful clade, Thalattosuchia, are well‐known for being longirostrine: having long, slender snouts. It has generally been assumed that Thalattosuchia owed their success in part to the evolution of longirostry, leading to a feeding ecology similar to that of the living Indian gharial, Gavialis. Here, we compare form and function of the skulls of the thalattosuchian Pelagosaurus and Gavialis using digital reconstructions of the skull musculoskeletal anatomy and finite element models to show that they had different jaw muscle arrangements and biomechanical behaviour. Additionally, the relevance of feeding‐related mandibular traits linked to longirostry in the radiation of crocodylomorph clades was investigated by conducting an evolutionary rates analysis under the variable rates model. We find that, even though Pelagosaurus and Gavialis share similar patterns of stress distribution in their skulls, the former had lower mechanical resistance. This suggests that compared to Gavialis, Pelagosaurus was unable to process large, mechanically less tractable prey, instead operating as a specialized piscivore that fed on softer and smaller prey. Secondly, innovation of feeding strategies was achieved by rate acceleration of functional characters of the mandible, a key mechanism for the diversification of certain clades like thalattosuchians and eusuchians. Different rates of functional evolution suggest divergent diversification dynamics between teleosaurids and metriorhynchids in the Jurassic.