Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Chromosome Identification and Karyotyping of Satsuma Mandarin by Genomic In Situ

Satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu Marcow.) chromosomes were stained with Giemsa and fluorochromes chromomycin A3 (CMA)/4#,6-diamidino-2-phenyindole (DAPI). Eighteen chromosomes were categorized into eight groups by the position and relative size of the CMA (+) region and relative length of chromosome. Ponkan (C. reticulataBlanco) DNAlabeledwithDig-rhodamine(red)andpummelo(C.maxima(Burm.)Merr. )DNA labeledwith biotin-fluorescein isothiocyanate (green) were used as genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) probes. GISH signals were detected on CMA (+) regions and other heterochromatin blocks. The chromosomes were categorized into 12 groups by the coloration and size of GISH signals with relative length of chromosomes. GISH allowed six pairs of speculated homozygous and six individual heterozygous chromosomes of satsuma mandarin to be identified unambiguously. In 10 chromosomes with distinct GISH signals on the CMA (+) regions, red GISH signals were detected on nine chromosomes, indicating that satsuma mandarin is closely related to ponkan. Two colors (red and green) of GISH signals were detected on type C chromosome and three different colors (red, green, and yellow) were detected on type A, indicating that pummelo is involved in the origin of satsuma mandarin. The origins of types A and C chromosomes in satsuma mandarin were also discussed. This article demonstrates that GISH is a powerful tool for chromosome identification and karyotyping in citrus.
The Redfield Ratio and Phytoplankton Growth Rate

Goldman, McCarthy & Peavey (1979b) argued that growth rates of phyto-plankton in apparently oligotrophic ocean waters may near maximal. Their hypothesis was succinctly restated by Goldman (1980): ‘…the chemical composition of phytoplankton is extremely variable under exacting laboratory conditions of nutrient limitation and approaches the ‘Redfield’ proportions (C:N:P of 106:16:1) when neither nitrogen nor phosphorus is limiting so that near maximal growth rates are attained. In marine surface waters the chemical composition of particular matter often is in the Redfield proportions, thus implying that natural phytoplankton growth rates may be close to maximal. ’ We argue on theoretical, experimental and observational grounds that this implication may not necessarily be correct.
VARIETAL RESPONSE TO VARIOUS CHEMICAL TESTS FOR THEIR CHARACTERIZATION IN RICE (ORYZA SATIVA L.)

Eighteen rice genotypes were grouped on the basis of chemical tests (standard and modified phenol test, GA3, 2,4-D and KClO3). Among the chemical tests phenol and modified phenol tests gave the stable results and can be effectively used for cultivar differentiation. 100 ppm GA3 and 2, 4-D gave more variation in shoot length among the genotypes compared to other concentrations. The study revealed that these tests could be effectively used for determining the varietal purity of rice for routine testing in seed testing laboratories as some of the cultivars showed distinct response to these chemical tests.
Studies on Abdominal Fat with Four Commercial Strains of Male Broiler Chicken

Abstract Cockerels from four commercial broiler strain crosses were used to study strain differences in abdominal fat deposition. Ninety birds of each strain were floor reared to four weeks of age. At this age, 40 birds of each strain were transferred to individual cages, while the remainder were used for carcass studies. Individual bird feed intake was measured to eight weeks of age, at which time all birds were killed for carcass and abdominal fat measurements. Strain differences were noted in abdominal fat, although the variation between individuals was large (coefficient of variation 26%) thus leaving the interpretation of such differences and their correlation with performance data, open to question. When data were grouped from the extremes in ranking for abdominal fat, and expressed as a sub-sample mean effect, a significant difference in 8 week body weight was observed. Comparable groupings based on body weight and feed conversion had no significant influence on abdominal fat. These results raise the question as to whether or not meaningful extremes within a population could provide the basis for a selection program aimed at reducing abominal fat pad size.
Use of Pulp Mill Ash as a Substrate Component for Greenhouse Production of Marigold

Pulp mill ash was evaluated as a substrate component in the production of greenhouse-grown French marigold (Tagetes patula L. 'Janie Deep Orange'). Peat-based substrates (75:10:15 by volume blend of peatmoss, vermiculite, and perlite) amended with 0% to 50% (by volume) pulp mill ash were compared with a standard commercially available substrate. With the exception of an unfertilized control, each substrate blend contained 5.93 kgm -3 14N-6.2P-11.6K (3- to 4-month release) and 0.89 kgm -3 Micro- max. Substrates containing higher volumes of ash had finer particles, less air space, and more waterholding capacity than the commercial substrate. Bulk density increased with increasing ash volume, and substrate containing 50% ash had 120% greater bulk density than the commercial substrate. Substrates containing ash generally had higher pH and electrical conductivity (EC) than the commercial substrate with substrate pH and EC increasing with increasing ash volume. In general, marigold plants grown in peat-based substrates with the addition of 0% to 50% ash had similar growth indices, flower dry weights, numbers of flowers, and SPAD values as plants grown in commercial substrate; however, plants grown in substrates containing 30% to 50% ash had lower shoot dry weights or root quality ratings than plants grown in commercial substrate. Plant growth index, shoot dry weight, and root quality rating decreased with increasing ash volume.
Population sizes of shearwaters (Puffinus spp.) breeding in New Zealand, with recommendations for monitoring

We reviewed population data for the nine taxa of shearwaters Puffinus spp. that nest in the New Zealand region. Data for about 350 current breeding colonies were found, and each taxon nested at between three and about 180 localities. We reviewed the information to assess time-series of information for each population and, where possible, to determine trend and total population size. However, few of the species had robust enough information to allow those assessments to be made. We recommend high-priority sites for future monitoring, and encourage other researchers to publish or make available findings from previous work to assist in building a comprehensive picture of the status of shearwater populations.
No evidence of food limitation during the breeding season of a freshwater marsh-nesting tern

ABSTRACT Food availability is considered an important limiting factor in the breeding performance of marine birds, which exhibit restraint in reproductive life-history characteristics (e.g., delayed maturation, small clutch size, slow growth). Less well understood, however, is the extent to which taxonomic analogue species that breed in freshwater habitats are similarly regulated by food availability. Marsh-nesting Forster's Terns (Sterna forsteri) were studied from 2004 to 2008 at Horicon Marsh, a freshwater colony site in Wisconsin, USA, where reproductive success has been chronically poor. The adequacy of the food base to support a breeding colony of terns was evaluated (1) indirectly, through measures of breeding performance correlated with food availability during the egg-laying and incubation stages; and (2) directly, through a supplemental feeding experiment, conducted in 2004 and 2006, to determine whether nestling growth was limited by food availability. Clutch size, egg size, and adult body condition did not differ significantly among years, despite considerable annual fluctuation in environmental conditions and the rapid and extensive colonization of the wetland complex during the study period by a potential food competitor, American White Pelican (Pelecanus erythrorhynchos). Growth rates of chicks were ∼10% higher, on average, in 2006 than in 2004, but no difference was found in mean daily growth rates between food-supplemented and control chicks, nor did chick growth differ according to hatching order in the brood or hatching date. These results suggest that food availability is not a limiting factor during the breeding season for Forster's Terns at Horicon Marsh, the only actively managed breeding site remaining for this species in Wisconsin.
Retrospective analysis of fish community change during a half-century of landuse and streamflow changes

Abstract Ecological thresholds that lead to alternative community states can be exceeded through gradual perturbation or as a result of sudden disturbance. Many Great Plains streams have experienced dramatic changes in their hydrologic regime resulting from water and landuse changes that began as early as 1880. These changes, combined with the presence of many invasive species, have substantially altered the fish communities in this area. We quantified temporal changes in fish communities in 3 large river basins in relation to putative anthropogenic stressors, including increased sediment supply derived from row-crop agriculture (beginning in 1880), habitat fragmentation caused by reservoir construction (beginning in the 1950s), and reduced discharge caused by groundwater withdrawal (beginning in the 1960s). We hypothesized that these abiotic regime shifts, coupled with species invasions, would shift the system from a fish community dominated by lotic (flowing water) species to one dominated by lentic (still water) species. Further, we predicted that the timing and intensity of community change would vary across basins that experienced different types and levels of stressors. Restructuring of fish communities across the 3 river basins was driven primarily by similar increases in lentic species, with only a few declines in several large-river species. Current fish communities in these basins share <50% of the species recorded in historic collections, and these differences were driven by species extirpations and invasions. The greatest levels of community divergence over time occurred in western Kansas basins that experienced the most intense groundwater withdrawals and fragmentation by reservoirs. An alarming result from this analysis was the recent (after 1991) expansion of several invasive species in the Arkansas and lower Kansas River basins and the decline or extirpation of several native species where flow regimes are less heavily altered. Accelerating changes in the biota and habitat identified by our retrospective analysis highlight potential complications for restoring the habitat and native fish communities to a previous state.
New Zealand island restoration: seabirds, predators, and the importance of history

New Zealand's offshore and outlying islands have long been a focus of conservation biology as sites of local endemism and as last refuges for many species. During the c. 730 years since New Zealand has been settled by people, mammalian predators have invaded many islands and caused local and global extinctions. New Zealand has led international efforts in island restoration. By the late 1980s, translocations of threatened birds to predator-free islands were well under way to safeguard against extinction. Non-native herbivores and predators, such as goats and cats, had been eradicated from some islands. A significant development in island restoration in the mid-1980s was the eradication of rats from small forested islands. This eradication technology has been refined and currently at least 65 islands, including large and remote Campbell (11 216 ha) and Raoul (2938 ha) Islands, have been successfully cleared of rats. Many of New Zealand's offshore islands, especially those without predatory mammals, are home to large numbers of breeding seabirds. Seabirds influence ecosystem processes on islands by enhancing soil fertility and through soil disturbance by burrowing. Predators, especially rats, alter ecosystem processes and cause population reductions or extinctions of native animals and plants. Islands have been promoted as touchstones of a primaeval New Zealand, but we are now increasingly aware that most islands have been substantially modified since human settlement of New Zealand. Archaeological and palaeoecological investigations, together with the acknowledgement that many islands have been important mahinga kai (sources of food) for Māori, have all led to a better understanding of how people have modified these islands. Restoration technology may have vaulted ahead of our ability to predict the ecosystem consequences of its application on islands. However, research is now being directed to help make better decisions about restoration and management of islands, decisions that take account of island history and key drivers of island ecosystem functioning.
Genetic Parameters for Body Weight and Laying Traits in Mazandaran Native Breeder Hens

Heritability, environmental and genetic correlations between body weight at hatch (BW0), eight (BW8) and twelve (BW12) weeks of age, body weight at sexual maturity (BWM), age at sexual maturity (AFE), the weight of the first egg laid by the hen (EWM), the mean egg weight from 28 to 32 wks (EW28-32) and egg numbers (ENs) were estimated by the restricted maximum likelihood method under an animal model. Data were from six generations (generation ten to fifteen) of hens kept at the Mazandaran Breeding Center of Iran. Heritability estimates for BW0, BW8, BW12, BWM, AFE, EWM, EW28-32 and ENs were 0.134, 0.235, 0.296, 0.247, 0.344, 0.125, 0.240 and 0.156, respectively. Genetic correlations between pairs of body weight measures were moderate with a range from 0.17 to 0.43. Generally, correlations of body weight traits with AFE were weak. Genetic correlation between BW8 and AFE was low, but favorable (-0.17). Egg numbers has unfavorable genetic correlation with BWM (-0.47). However, egg weight traits had favorable genetic correlation with body weight traits, except BW0, which was almost equal to zero. Age at first egg had negative genetic correlation with egg numbers, but positive correlations with egg weight traits. The absolute value of environmental correlations between traits varied from 0.00 to 0.39. The strongest environmental correlation was found between AFE and EWM. There was moderate and positive environmental correlation between BW8 and BW12 as well as between BW12 and BWM. The results showed that there are considerable genetic variations in important traits of Mazandaran native hens, and that selection on BW8, ENs and EWM, which are the most economically important traits in this breed, could be effective.
Foraging strategies and diet composition of two orb web spiders in rice ecosystems

Abstract We conducted a field study in September 2007 and 2008 to analyze the foraging activity, natural diets, and predatory efficacy of Tetragnatha javana (Thorell 1890) (Araneae: Tetragnathidae) and Neoscona theis (Walckenaer 1842) (Araneae: Araneidae) on selected prey. The relationship between body measurements (carapace width, leg length, total body length, and body weight) and web dimensions (capture area, capture thread length, number of radii, number of spirals, and mesh height) of both species was also investigated. Most of the observed T. javana constructed their webs between two adjacent rice plants, while N. theis placed theirs at the top of rice plants. Both species required approximately an hour to complete a web, which differed significantly from each other in height, diameter, and capture area. Both species constructed only a single web per day. Web building activity of both species was intense from 17:00 to 18:00, while prey-handling activity was high from 19:00 to 20:00. In both species, peaks of feeding were recorded just after the peaks of prey handling (21:00). The main prey orders caught in the webs of both species were Lepidoptera, Diptera, Homoptera, Coleoptera, Hymenoptera, and Orthoptera. The time required to reach and capture lepidopteran (adults of stem borer and leaf folder) and homopteran prey was similar for both species. However, the time required to reach and capture orthopteran (grasshopper nymphs) prey was significantly longer for T. javana than for N. theis. Capture area increased with carapace width, and capture thread length increased with carapace width and body weight, while leg length and body length did not relate to either of these web variables. The number of radii, number of spirals, and mesh height did not correlate with any of the body size measurements. We concluded that both species can be used effectively to reduce insect pests of rice fields.
Intra- and interspecific variation in home-range size in sympatric tuco-tucos, Ctenomys australis and C. talarum

Abstract Despite the fundamental nature of the home range to the biology of a species, aspects of its size, shape, and structure are not well defined in certain groups, such as subterranean rodents. These rodents, characterized by limited individual mobility and a patchy distribution of local populations, generally defend multipurpose territories in which breeding and foraging take place, increasing the chances for trade-offs among factors of habitat quality. The present study assessed the home-range size and shape of 2 species of tuco-tucos, Ctenomys australis (300–600 g) and C. talarum (100–180 g), using radiotelemetry in an area where they occur in sympatry, and explored the factors that could influence space use in these subterranean rodents. Home-range size (95% adaptive kernel) of C. australis (1,282.22 ± 1,014.83 m2) was ∼19-fold larger than that of C. talarum (66.69 ± 22.34 m2). The area covered daily by C. australis represented only about 9% of the total home-range size estimated by radiotelemetry in this study and was almost twice as large as that of C. talarum, but the area covered by the latter species represented an average of 35% of its total home-range size. Total aerial and subterranean plant biomass, plant cover, and soil hardness were significantly higher in the habitat occupied by C. talarum. Contrary to expectation, body size was not the predominant factor explaining intra- and interspecific variation in home-range size. We discuss how variation in food availability in space and time and differences in the intensity of polygyny could be more important factors shaping home-range size in this genus of subterranean rodents.
Useful Techniques for Artificial Fertilization of the Ommastrephid Squid Illex argentinus

This study examined the rate of fertilization in the Argentine shortfin squid Illex argentinus after artificial insemination using sperm from different sources, as well as the effect of cold-storage on the fertilization capacity of gametes from mature squids, and the impact of mechanical agitation on embryonic development. In addition, the process of chorionic expansion during the course of embryonic development was also examined. High fertilization rates were obtained from spermatophores (76– 95%) and spermatozoa from the vas deferens (73–87%), but no fertilization was observed using spermatozoa from testes. Female and male gametes stored at 0°C had a high fertilization capacity (>72%) within 24 h. Embryos (stages 4 to 17; 3 to 61 h at 20 o C) subjected to mechanical agitation at a critical period (stages 5 to 12; 5 to 20 h at 20 o C) exhibited high mortality and abnormal development. In the course of embryonic development, the chorion expanded four times: once at fertilization and then at developmental stages 15–16, 17–21, and finally at stages 25–27. The growth rate of the third expansion corresponded with an increase in embryonic body length. To improve the fertilization rate and increase the production of healthy paralarvae in on-board experiments, factors such as the origin of spermatozoa, gamete storage methods, and the handling of fertilized eggs during the critical period should be carefully controlled.
Necrotic Enteritis in Broiler and Layer Farms in Tamil Nadu, India

Necrotic enteritis caused by Clostridium perfringens is an acute disease chickens, producing high mortality. Twenty Clostridium perfringens isolates were isolated from intestinal contents of thirty five NE suspected birds from commercial poultry farms in India. Out of the twenty, fourteen were isolated from commercial broilers of 2 to 6 wk of age and six from commercial layers of 9 to 15 wk of age. Robertson cooked meat medium with Brain Heart Infusion broth was found to be effective for isolation and the isolates produced appreciable luxuriant growths on clostridial agar and rough and black colonies with sulphate reduction on perfringens agar with supplements. The isolates were identified based on haemolysis on sheep blood agar, stormy clot fermentation on milk medium, opalescence on egg yolk medium and fermentation of sugars such as glucose, maltose, lactose and sucrose. Alpha toxin specific PCR revealed that all the isolates were alpha toxin producing strains of C. perfringens. Antibiogram pattern of isolates revealed cent per cent sensitivity to lincomycin and bacitracin
Comparison of methods used to predict the in vivo digestibility of feeds in ruminants

Digestibility is a very useful index of the energy content of ruminant feeds, but cheaper and quicker laboratory methods are required as an alternative to the ultimate measure of in vivo digestibility using animals. These methods involve either prediction of digestibility from chemical composition or in vitro and in situ simulation of the digestion process. This review presents a range of chemical and in vitro techniques for predicting digestibility, together with an assessment of their advantages and limitations, particularly the degree to which they account for the sources of variation in in vivo digestibility in ruminants. In situ digestion of feed samples in the actual rumen environment is probably the most accurate of the non in vivo procedures, but is not suitable for routine application. Thein vitro gas production technique offers no advantages in prediction of total tract digestibility, but is useful for screening cereal grains for rate of starch hydrolysis in the rumen. The preferred procedure for routine laboratory prediction of digestibility is the pepsin-cellulase technique, provided amylase is included or high temperature digestion is used for samples high in starch content. Prediction of digestibility from chemical composition is not recommended. The optical technique of near infrared reflectance spectroscopy can be calibrated against any of the methods outlined in this review, and is unsurpassed in terms of speed and repeatability. Direct NIR prediction of in vivo digestibility is also possible, but is limited by the lack of adequate numbers of feed samples with known in vivo values. Future work should be aimed at filling this gap and also improving the accuracy of laboratory methods for predicting the digestibility of low quality feeds.
Bioefficacy of Azimsulfuron against Sedges in Direct Seeded Rice

A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the bio-efficacy of azimsulfuron 50 DF against sedges especially Cyperus rotundus. As dose of azimsulfuron was increased from 25 to 30 g/ha, weed density and dry weight of weeds reduced at all the crop growth stages. Azimsulfuron was found comparable to pendimethalin and metsulfuron-methyl (MSM) alone but recorded significantly higher weed dry matter as compared to pendimethalin fb MSM at 45 DAS. Pendimethalin alone and azimsulfuron (30g) combined with MSM were comparable to standard check i.e. pendimethalin 1 kg/ha fb MSM 4 g/ha in terms of weed dry weight at 70 DAS. Azimsulfuron 30 g/ha along with MSM 2 g/ha recorded significantly higher yield (554 kg/ha) as compared to 25 g/ha along with MSM. There is no advantage of tank mixed application of azimsulfuron with MSM over azimsulfuron alone for the control of sedges and broad leaved weeds.