Consistency is key: interactions of current and previous farrowing system on litter size and piglet mortality

Global interest in alternative indoor farrowing systems is increasing, leading to a growing number of farms utilising such systems alongside standard crates. There is evidence that interchanging sows between different farrowing systems affects maternal behaviour, whilst the subsequent effect of this on piglet mortality is unknown. The current study hypothesised that second parity piglet mortality would be higher if a sow farrowed in a different farrowing system to that of her first parity. Retrospective farm performance records were used from 753 sows during their first and second parities. Sows farrowed in either standard crates (crates), temporary crates (360s) or straw-bedded pens (pens), with mortality recorded as occurring either pre- or post-processing. Inter- and intra-parity sow consistency in performance were also investigated. Overall, total piglet mortality reduced from the first to the second parity, being significantly higher in the crates and higher in the 360s during the first or second parity, respectively. In the second parity, an interaction of the current and previous farrowing systems resulted in the lowest incidence of crushing for sows housed in the same system as their first parity for the crates and pens, but not the 360s. Post-processing mortality was significantly higher in the crates if a sow previously farrowed in the 360s and vice versa. Sows which previously farrowed in a pen had a significantly larger litter size and lower pre-processing mortality from crushing in their second parity than sows previously housed in the crates or the 360s. No inter-parity consistency of sow performance was found, whilst intra-parity consistency was found in the first but not second parity. In conclusion, returning sows to the same farrowing system appears to reduce piglet mortality, whilst farrowing in a pen during the first parity significantly increased second parity litter size without increasing piglet mortality.     

Antioxidant capacities in various animal sera as measured with multiple free-radical scavenging method

Scavenging abilities of animal sera against six reactive species (OH, O₂⁻, RO, t-BuOO, H₃C, and ¹O₂) were determined with the use of multiple free-radical scavenging (MULTIS) method. Commercially available sera from pig, horse, rabbit, Guinea pig, hamster and chicken were subjected to MULTIS analysis and the results were compared with human specimen. In general, animal sera showed lower scavenging ability against OH and RO radicals than human serum. However, it is noteworthy that rabbit and chicken sera have higher scavenging ability against O₂⁻ than others. This is consistent with the known data that superoxide dismutase levels in these sera are high. In addition, we determined the uric acid level in animal sera using the uricase-TOOS method. In chicken serum, uric acid was found to be the major effective component in RO scavenging. This paper is first to quantitatively evaluate antioxidant capacities in animal sera.     

深挖垦复对锥栗重要农艺性状及土壤理化性质的影响

为探索锥栗林地高效的土壤管理方式,提升我国锥栗栽培管理技术水平,进而提高其产量、品质以及经济效益。该研究采用全垦和环垦两种方式对锥栗林地进行连续4年的深挖垦复,通过测定垦复前后土壤理化性质变化以及锥栗树体生长、叶片表型和生理特征、结果性状、产量及品质等重要农艺性状,统计数据并进行对比分析。结果表明:(1)深挖垦复对锥栗林地土壤理化性质改善效果显著,两种垦复方式土壤容重较垦复前降低31.21%及以上(0～30 cm处),土壤含水率、土壤孔隙度、有机质含量以及各种大量元素含量较垦复前和对照均有不同程度的增加,土壤肥力及其保水保肥能力显著增强。(2)环垦区土壤有机质含量、有效磷含量以及交换性镁含量高于全垦区,其土壤有机质含量较垦复前增加40.59%,远高于全垦增加幅度(17.76%),从土壤保肥能力的角度来看,环垦效果优于全垦。(3)土壤肥力的提升增强了其对锥栗叶片的供肥能力,使得叶片含水率、叶绿素含量以及各种矿质元素含量显著增加,从而提升其光合作用能力。(4)深挖垦复对锥栗树体生长、结实能力、产量及品质同样具有显著的提升效果,其中全垦和环垦区单位面积产量分别是对照的1.75倍和1.33倍,且栗苞总重、单果质量、出籽率、可溶性糖含量以及磷、钾元素含量显著高于对照,而空苞率显著低于对照。综上,深挖垦复是改良林地土壤和提高锥栗生产力的有效举措。     

Maternal Immunization Confers Protection to the Offspring against an Attaching and Effacing Pathogen through Delivery of IgG in Breast Milk

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Sexual conflict in action: An antagonistic relationship between maternal and paternal sex allocation in the tammar wallaby,Notamacropus eugenii

Sex ratio biases are often inconsistent, both among and within species and populations. While some of these inconsistencies may be due to experimental design, much of the variation remains inexplicable. Recent research suggests that an exclusive focus on mothers may account for some of the inconsistency, with an increasing number of studies showing variation in sperm sex ratios and seminal fluids. Using fluorescent in‐situ hybridization, we show a significant population‐level Y‐chromosome bias in the spermatozoa of wild tammar wallabies, but with significant intraindividual variation between males. We also show a population‐level birth sex ratio trend in the same direction toward male offspring, but a weaning sex ratio that is significantly female‐biased, indicating that males are disproportionately lost during lactation. We hypothesize that sexual conflict between parents may cause mothers to adjust offspring sex ratios after birth, through abandonment of male pouch young and reactivation of diapaused embryos. Further research is required in a captive, controlled setting to understand what is driving and mechanistically controlling sperm sex ratio and offspring sex ratio biases and to understand the sexually antagonistic relationship between mothers and fathers over offspring sex. These results extend beyond sex allocation, as they question studies of population processes that assume equal input of sex chromosomes from fathers, and will also assist with future reproduction studies for management and conservation of marsupials.     

Genetic diversity among perennial wild rice Oryza rufipogon Griff., in the Mekong Delta

Oryza rufipogon Griff. is a perennial species of wild rice widely distributed along the channels and rivers of the Mekong Delta, Vietnam. This study attempted to find centers of diversity among wild rice populations in this area and their inter‐relationships. The highest genetic diversity was found in the Dong Thap population and the lowest in the Can Tho population. Maternal diversity evaluated using chloroplast INDELs detected ten plastid types, five of which were novel relative to other Asian countries. The mitochondrial genome suggested two unique deletions. One 699‐bp deletion via short tandem repeats was accompanied by another deletion including orf153. All accessions carrying the mitochondrial type were found in a particular plastid type. This unique maternal lineage was confined to specific channels where it showed vigorous vegetative growth in comparison to upstream areas where various maternal lineages and maximum genetic diversity occurred. This area along the Mekong Delta is a center of not only nuclear but also maternal diversity.     

Resolving the genetic basis of invasiveness and predicting invasions

Considerable effort has been invested in determining traits underlying invasiveness. Yet, identifying a set of traits that commonly confers invasiveness in a range of species has proven elusive, and almost nothing is known about genetic loci affecting invasive success. Incorporating genetic model organisms into ecologically relevant studies is one promising avenue to begin dissecting the genetic underpinnings of invasiveness. Molecular biologists are rapidly characterizing genes mediating developmental responses to diverse environmental cues, i.e., genes for plasticity, as well as to environmental factors likely to impose strong selection on invading species, e.g., resistance to herbivores and competitors, coordination of life-history events with seasonal changes, and physiological tolerance of heat, drought, or cold. Here, we give an overview of molecular genetic tools increasingly used to characterize the genetic basis of adaptation and that may be used to begin identifying genetic mechanisms of invasiveness. Given the divergent traits that affect invasiveness, “invasiveness genes” common to many clades are unlikely, but the combination of developmental genetic advances with further evolutionary studies and modeling may provide a framework for identifying genes that account for invasiveness in related species.     

Effects of restricted nursing on milk production and collection, kid growth and plasma prolactin and growth hormone concentrations in dairy goats

The milk production of dairy goats under various regimes of mother-young contact from day 4 post partum were studied during the first 2 months of lactation, together with the prolactin (PRL) and growth hormone (GH) responses to udder stimulation. In the control group, 13 goats and their kids were left in permanent contact and did not undergo milking. In two additional groups, goats were machine milked once a day in the morning (at 0800 h) and kids were allowed 10 hours (from 1000 to 2000 h; 10H group, n = 11) or 5 h (from 1000 to 2000 h; 5H group, n = 11) of mother-young interaction per day. In the last group (MO, n = 10), mothers were permanently separated from their kids on day 4 post partum and milked once a day. Milk production during a 24-h period at 37 days post partum performed by controlled nursing and weighing of the kids (groups with kids) or by two machine milking 12 h apart (milking only group) revealed a higher production in the three groups with some mother-young contact than in the MO group. Total milk collected by milking over the 2 months of the study did not differ between the three groups that underwent milking. Kid weights at 2 months were 3.4 to 4.8 kg. lighter in the groups that underwent milking than in the control group. Hormonal profiles were significantly affected by restricted mother-young contact, with highest pre-stimulation concentrations of PRL and GH in the 5H group. Restricting mother-young contact from the first week postpartum can permit an early collection of milk without major effects on kid growth, when compared with one daily milking in goats totally separated from their young.