Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CompoCow: a predictive model to estimate variations in body composition and the energy requirements of cull cows during finishing

SUMMARY Cull cows account for a large part of beef consumption in France and are a significant proportion of farm income for dairy (0·10) and beef systems (up to 0·30). On-farm observations highlight considerable variations in cull cow phenotypes in terms of age, frame size, health, physiological status and body condition. Consequently, an important issue for producers of cull cows is the management of feed supply during the finishing period to obtain a satisfactory condition score and conformation prior to slaughter. New feeding recommendations for cull cows should consider live weight and live weight gain, age, frame size and body condition score (BCS) to estimate the energy requirements. A predictive model, called CompoCow, was developed for this purpose. The present paper describes the CompoCow model by summarizing developments from previous modelling approaches and outlining the assumptions and equations used in the model. CompoCow combines a growth model for the cow during its productive period (3–8 years old) and a model for the finishing period (in days) and was parameterized for Charolais, Limousine and Holstein breeds. Sensitivity analysis highlighted that the outputs of the model were mainly sensitive to initial body weight and expected body weight gain of the animal. The proportion of lipid in live weight gain was related to body weight, BCS and frame size of the animal. The model also accounts for the higher proportion of lipid in live weight gain in Holstein than in Charolais cows. The model was applied to data from Charolais cows. It showed that the proportion of variability explained by CompoCow for energy requirements was higher than the proportion obtained with previous INRA recommendations, 0·78 and 0·67, respectively. CompoCow does not rely on mechanistic relationships, but it appears robust as it accounts correctly for the effects of age and BCS on the requirements.
Closing the ring: historical biogeography of the salamander ring species Ensatina eschscholtzii

Aim The salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii Gray is a classic example of a ring species, or a species that has expanded around a central barrier to form a secondary contact characterized by species‐level divergence. In the original formulation of the ring species scenario, an explicit biogeographical model was proposed to account for the occurrence of intraspecific sympatry between two subspecies in southern California (the ‘southern closure’ model). Here we develop an alternative ring species model that is informed by the geomorphological development of the California Coast Ranges, and which situates the point of ring closure in the Monterey Bay region of central coastal California (the ‘Monterey closure’ model). Our study has two aims. The first is to use phylogenetic methods to evaluate the two competing biogeographical models. The second is to describe patterns of phylogeographical diversity throughout the range of the Ensatina complex, and to compare these patterns with previously published molecular systematic data.
Growing spring cereals in a white clover (Trifolium repens) crop

SUMMARY Spring barley and spring oats were strip-seeded into crops of the white clover cultivar Alice at Hereford in 1987 and cultivar S184 at Aberystwyth in 1988. Drilling was done with or without a band-spray of glyphosate, a moderate or low (1988 only) dose of paraquat or into plots where the clover had been killed by herbicide 2 months previously. In the first experiment, initial cereal emergence was sparse; growth was suppressed in the unchecked (unsprayed) clover base but was vigorous in the clover-free plots; the cereals also became dominant in the swards sprayed with herbicide. Whole-crop yields in mid-August were 13, 3–4 and 8–10 t DM/ha in the plots in which clover was killed, unchecked or checked with herbicide. Clover contributed 4–12% of the harvested herbage in the latter treatment. This treatment also yielded c. 70 % as much N, carbohydrate and fibre as that without clover. Grain yields exceeded 7 t/ha without clover but were only 0·3 t/ha for barley and 1·1 t/ha for oats with unchecked clover; in the checked clover plots, barley yielded 60% and oats 78% as much as on the clover-free plots. Four and 5 weeks after whole-crop harvest, residual clover growth was 27 and 39% of that on unchecked plots for oats and barley, respectively. In the second experiment, the cereals emerged thickly but were later dominated by the clover, and an equitable balance was achieved only with the larger dose of paraquat. However, the oat cultivar Emrys was suppressed less than the tall barley cultivar Dandy; the short barley cultivar Digger was the most suppressed. Mean whole-crop yields were 11 t/ha in the treatment without clover, about half this in the unchecked bases and c. 9 t/ha with the larger dose of paraquat. Differences in chemical composition reflected much larger clover contents in 1988 than in 1987. Yields of N and water-soluble carbohydrate were at least as large or larger with moderate paraquat than for the clover-free plots. Grain yields ranged from 5·6 to 6·9 t/ha for the three cereal cultivars without clover but were negligible to very small in the unchecked and band-sprayed treatments, and were 3·4 and 2·0 t/ha for oats and barley, respectively, with the larger dose of paraquat. Residual stolon weights, 70–80 days after whole-crop harvest, greatly exceeded initial values in all treatments. They were smallest following the larger dose of paraquat, and larger in Digger than in Dandy, which in turn was larger than in Emrys. It is concluded that the concept of growing cereals in a clover base shows potential as a low input–moderate output system of cereal production. However, further longer term work is needed on regulation of the cereal–clover balance, on the release and uptake of N and the environmental effects of the technique.
Aerial baiting with 1080 to control wild dogs does not affect the populations of two common small mammal species

More than most other animal control techniques, toxic baiting is fraught with the potential impact on non-target species. In the present study, we investigated the effect of aerial baiting with 1080 to control wild dogs in north-eastern New South Wales (NSW), Australia, on populations of southern bush rats (Rattus fuscipes assimilis) and brown antechinus (Antechinus stuartii), using a controlled experiment. Six populations, three each within widely spaced baited and unbaited trapping grids, were monitored before and after bait laying. To develop capture–mark–recapture indices, separate 4-day trapping surveys were undertaken twice before and twice after meat baits (250 g containing 6 mg sodium fluoroacetate, 1080) were delivered from a helicopter at 40 baits per kilometre. To assess non-fatal bait consumption, all baits contained rhodamine B (RhB), which gets incorporated into the vibrissae of animals that have ingested this marker. Neither mammal population decreased in size after baiting, nor was there any increase in population turnover rates or changes in the movement patterns of either species. Furthermore, no trapped animal tested positive for RhB, suggesting that these small mammals rarely consume meat baits, and that, at the population level, the impact of baiting on them was likely negligible. It is therefore unlikely that the current practise of aerial baiting in NSW, although effective in reducing dog activity, threatens populations of these two common species and perhaps small mammals in general.
Pollinator Assemblages and Visitation Rates for 11 Species of Neotropical Costus (Costaceae)

Most plant species in tropical forests are pollinated by animals, and yet the diversity and specificity of pollinator assemblages are poorly documented. Here, we investigated pollinator relationships for 11 species of understory herbs in the genus Costus, with the goal of documenting visitation rates and pollinator assemblages among a variety of habitats. For a subset of species, we documented pollinator visitation for multiple years and/or multiple sites to examine temporal and spatial variation in pollinator relationships. Furthermore, we examined the extent to which specialization in pollination systems can contribute to reproductive isolation for sympatric species. Each species was primarily pollinated by either euglossine bees or hummingbirds. Total visitation rates were generally low, averaging 3.2 visits per flower per hour for bee–pollinated species and 0.5 visits per flower per hour for hummingbird–pollinated species. All of the higher elevation species studied were hummingbird–pollinated, while low elevation species were pollinated either by euglossine bees or hummingbirds. Spatial and temporal variation in visitation rates and pollinator identities was minimal. Pollinator specificity was found to contribute strongly to reproductive isolation for the 11 pairwise combinations of sympatric species differing in pollination syndrome, in some cases functioning as a complete barrier to potential pollen flow.
Is There Mixing of American Plaice Populations in the Flemish Pass

American plaice (Hippoglossoides platessoides) on the Grand Bank (Divisions 3LNO) and Flemish Cap (Div. 3M) are thought to represent separate populations. However, in the late 1980s and early 1990s there was a change in the distribution of American plaice in the region. They were found in the deep waters of the Flemish Pass and in addition, the Grand Bank population as a whole was found in deeper waters. This raises the possibility of mixing between the two populations, at least in the area of the Flemish Pass. The purpose of this study was to examine the distribution, size and maturation of American plaice in the Flemish pass to help determine if fish in that area are a mix of fish from the two adjacent populations or if the fish remain separated there. American plaice collected from the western (Div. 3L) and eastern (Div. 3M) sides of the Flemish Pass were clearly different in mean length-at-age and in their maturation, with fish from the eastern side being larger at age and females maturing at a smaller size than those from the western or Grand Bank side of the Flemish Pass. Further, American plaice were not collected in the deepest part of the Pass that was surveyed. Thus it seems that fish in the Flemish Pass area are not mixing but rather are separate groups.
Dimethenamid-p: Efficacy and Potato (Solanum tuberosum) Variety Tolerance1

Treatments of dimethenamid-p at 0.7 kg ai/ha applied PRE in tank mixtures with EPTC (3.4 kg ai/ha), metribuzin (560 g ai/ha), pendimethalin (1.1 kg ai/ha), or rimsulfuron (26 g ai/ha) were compared with the same herbicides applied PRE alone in field efficacy trials in Idaho, Oregon, and Washington. Common lambsquarters, kochia, and redroot pigweed control was generally improved with dimethenamid-p tank mixtures compared with control by any herbicide applied alone except metribuzin. Hairy nightshade control at two locations was generally improved with tank mixtures compared with control by any herbicide applied alone. At Washington, where row spacing was narrower than at other locations, dimethenamid-p alone or in tank mixtures provided similar hairy nightshade control, and this control was greater than control by EPTC, metribuzin, or pendimethalin applied alone. ‘Alturas’, ‘Bannock Russet’, ‘Ranger Russet’, ‘Russet Burbank’, ‘Russet Norkotah’, and ‘Shepody’ potato tolerance to dimethenamid-p PRE at 0, 0.7, or 1.4 kg ai/ha was assessed in weed-free field trials conducted at Aberdeen, ID, in 2002 and 2003. Little or no crop injury was evident during the growing seasons and there were no reductions in U.S. No. 1 and total tuber yields regardless of dimethenamid-p rate or potato variety. Nomenclature: Dimethenamid; dimethenamid-p; EPTC; metribuzin; pendimethalin; rimsulfuron; potato, Solanum tuberosum L. ‘Alturas’, ‘Bannock Russet’, ‘Ranger Russet’, ‘Russet Burbank’, ‘Russet Norkotah’, ‘Shepody’, ‘Superior’; barnyardgrass, Echinochloa crus-galli (L.) Beauv #3 ECHCG; common lambsquarters, Chenopodium album L. # CHEAL; hairy nightshade, Solanum sarrachoides Sendter # SOLSA; kochia, Kochia scoparia (L.) Shrad. # KCHSC; redroot pigweed, Amaranthus retroflexus L. # AMARE; volunteer oat, Avena sativa L. # AVESA. Additional index words: Crop safety, crop tolerance, herbicide efficacy, herbicide injury. Abbreviations: OM, organic matter; PNW, Pacific Northwest; TMP, tank-mix partner; WAT, weeks after treatment.
Comparative profiles of Achyrocline alata (Kunth) DC. and A. satureioides (Lam.) DC., Asteraceae, applying HPLC-DAD-MS.

A comparative analysis between the hydromethanolic extracts of Achyrocline alata (Kunth) DC. and A. satureioides (Lam.) DC. , Asteraceae, was performed by the use of HPLC-DAD-MS. Both plants were used without distinction and under the same indications in folk medicine in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brasil. While Achyrocline alata ("jatei-ka-ha") is used in folk medicine of the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul, A. satureioides is predominantly used in other states. Samples of both plants collected in different periods, 1996 and 2002, showed a very similar chemical profile. The results indicate that A alata could be used in phytotherapeutic preparations as substitue for A. satureioides, since they have similar chemical compositions of the polar extract.
Effect of various levels of dietary copper on liver transaminases, total immunoglobulin and antioxidant status in hariana heifers.

This study was conducted to see the effect of different levels of copper containing mineral supplements on liver transaminase, total immunoglobulin and antioxidant status in heifers (Hariana; Bos indicus ). Eighteen heifers were randomly allotted to 3 dietary treatments (average body weight 145.0±1.0 kg, age 14-18 months) having 6 animals in each and fed for a period of 60 days. Control group G1 was fed basal ration (9.8 mg Cu/kg) comprising of concentrate mixture, berseem and wheat straw without mineral supplementation, G2 (50.1 mg Cu/kg) and G3 (90.4 mg Cu/kg) were supplemented with mineral supplements containing 2.1 and 4.2% CuSO4, respectively. During 60 days feeding trial, blood samples were collected to analyze for liver enzymes (ALT and AST), total immunoglobulin and total antioxidant activity (FRAP assay). Supplementation of Cu containing mineral mixture above (50 or 90 mg Cu/kg DM) physiological requirement did not adversely affected liver transaminase activity, immune status and antioxidant status. It may be concluded that a Cu level (50 ppm) higher than recommended (10 ppm) may be supplemented in the diet of growing animals without compromising health, improving tissue quality and productivity.
Use of probiotics Bacillus coagulans, Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Lactobacillus acidophilus as growth promoters in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) fingerlings

The present research evaluated the effects of three probiotics on the growth performance and intestinal digestive enzyme activity in fingerlings of grass carp, Ctenopharyngodon idella. Three treatments (T-1, T-2 and T-3) were fed with diets containing different viable bacteria with a final concentration 106 CFU g−1 feed (Bacillus coagulans, Rhodopseudomonas palustris and Lactobacillus acidophilus, respectively) and the control was fed with basal diet without probiotics. All the diets supplemented with probiotics resulted in better (P 0.05) in protease and cellulase activities compared with the control. The protease activity was higher in the foreintestine than in the hindintestine (P < 0.05), and the reverse was observed in cellulase activity. As for amylase activity, there was no difference between foreintestine and hindintestine. In conclusion, the three selected probiotics increased the growth performance of grass carp fingerlings. Furthermore, different digestive enzyme activity was observed in different intestine segment.
Propagation and Cryopreservation of Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum, the American Hart’s-Tongue Fern

Abstract Asplenium scolopendrium var. americanum is a federally-listed fern species that is found in several northern populations in the U.S. and Canada, as well as in three isolated locations in the southern U.S. In vitro methods were applied to the germination, propagation, and cryopreservation of this species. Germination of spores was obtained both in vitro and on soil, but the production of sporophytes from gametophytes did not begin until over two years after the spores were sown. In vitro cultures of both sporophytes and gametophytes were established, but sporophyte production from gametophytes has thus far only been observed on soil. Both in vitro-grown gametophytes and sporophytes survived cryopreservation using the encapsulation-dehydration procedure. Preculture on ABA-containing medium increased survival of sporophytes after cryopreservation, but good survival of gametophytes was observed with or without ABA. The use of Green Globular Body-like sporophyte tissue demonstrates the use of this tissue for fern cryopreservation. The success of these protocols demonstrates that in vitro methods can be applied to the propagation and preservation of A. scolopendrium var. americanum, and possibly other fern species with similar growth forms. Propagated plants could assist in restoration of the species and cryopreservation could be used to preserve germplasm of such propagated lines into the future.
Australian Stingless Bees of the Genus Trigona (Hymenoptera:Apidae)

Six Australian stingless bee species in Trigona (Heterotrigona) are redescribed. Workers, males and queens are described of T. clypearis Friese (formerlyT. wybenica Cockerell), T. sapiens Cockerell (formerly T. laeviceps Smith), T. carbonaria Smith, T. hockingsi Cockerell and an enigmatic fifth species from north-western Australia. The name T. mellipes Friese is assigned to this latter species on morphometric and geographical grounds, despite differences in described coloration. A key to the species is given. Species distributions and nest descriptions based on 188 nests are provided. Workers of a sixth Australian species, T. aff. fuscobalteata Cameron, previously unknown in Australia but recently found on Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, are also described.
Further observations on the distribution and biology of two alien Amphipods, Gammarus tigrinus Sexton, 1939, and Crangonyx pseudogracilis Bousfield, 1958, in the Netherlands (Crustacea, Amphipoda)

Like in many previous years, the distribution pattern of G. tigrinus was followed. G. tigrinus proves to have recovered from its decline after the severe winter of 1978/1979. Likewise the distribution of C. pseudogracilis was checked, three year after its first discovery in the Netherlands. Some minor range extensions were found. In a monthly sampling program and in laboratory experiments information was collected on the biology so far unknown for this species. Its possible future interaction with local amphipod species is discussed.
Feed formulation using phytase in laying hen diets

Abstract Lohmann LSL-Lite and Classic Brown laying pullets were reared and caged at the Agassiz Research Centre following recommendations of the management guides. At 30 wk of age, these hens were fed 1 of 5 diets per strain following the Lohmann nutrient recommendations. In addition to a control treatment, diets were formulated to contain 300 or 600 U/kg of phytase, with or without enzyme inclusion, where the phytase was assumed to cause the release of P, Ca, energy, and protein. Diets were changed at 45 wk to follow a phase-feeding program, but treatments remained the same. These dietary changes did not result in major changes in measures associated with P deficiency, likely because the management guides suggest P levels that largely exceed the requirements of the birds. Rather than adding high levels of inorganic P to layer feeds, the safety margin currently included in recommended dietary specifications could be provided by the addition of phytase. This would reduce the negative environmental effects of intensive poultry production that are associated with P excretion.
Phenotypic variation in fossil samples: modeling the consequences of time-averaging

Abstract Fossil samples almost always accumulate on timescales much longer than the life spans of individual organisms. This time-averaging has the potential to inflate the variability of fossil samples because phenotypic changes may occur during the interval of sample accumulation. Although many have realized that this effect may increase the variance of fossil samples, only qualitative predictions have been possible thus far. In this paper, I assume a simple but general Markovian model of evolution to derive expressions that predict the effects of time-averaging on trait variance and covariance. For lineages evolving as an unbiased random walk, phenotypic variance in samples increases linearly with the duration of time-averaging, at a slope that is proportional to the evolutionary rate. Although based on a very simple model of specimen input into time-averaged samples, the expressions relating variance, time-averaging, and evolutionary rate prove to be robust or adaptable to more realistic assumptions. The theoretical findings are applied to analyze variation in a set of samples of the deep-sea ostracode Poseidonamicus miocenicus that vary greatly in temporal acuity. The relationship between duration of time-averaging and morphological variance is used to estimate evolutionary rates of two morphological traits in these ostracodes. These rate estimates are similar to those calculated independently from differences between presumed ancestor-descendant pairs of populations. Consistent with other studies of variability and time-averaging, these data suggest that phenotypic variance tends to increase rather slowly with the duration of time-averaging, indicating that greatly inflated variance is expected only in samples that have accumulated over many tens of thousands of years.
The Ulva connection: marine algae subsidize terrestrial predators in coastal Peru

How can terrestrial animals survive in a desert with scant primary productivity? The Peruvian coastal desert is hyper-arid, but faces one of the world's most productive marine ecosystems, the PeruChile cold current. Given the stark difference in productivity between these adjacent ecosystems, we expected to find strong linkages connecting the terrestrial and marine food web. We investigated how marine resources are incorporated in the diet, and influence the distribution of terrestrial consumers (geckos, scorpions, solifuges and darkling beetles). Stomach contents from geckos, and d 13 C and d 15 N values of geckos and other terrestrial consumers suggest that marine green algae of the genus Ulva provide energy and nutrients to the terrestrial food web. Isotopic values suggest that amphipods, which feed on stranded Ulva , make marine resources available to terrestrial predators by moving between the intertidal and supratidal zones. The relative contribution of terrestrial and algal carbon sources varied among terrestrial predators, because scorpions assimilated a lower proportion of energy from Ulva than did geckos and solifuges. These d 13 C patterns reflected differences in the spatial distribution of consumers. Our study supports the idea that in places where ecosystems with contrasting productivity levels are spatially juxtaposed, it is not possible to understand the structure and dynamics of food webs without taking into account the effects of energy and nutrients flowing from adjacent ecosystems. In contrast to other studied systems, especially those in Baja California, our site in Peru receives very little rainfall and the amount of precipitation is not affected by El Nino events. The near absence of rainfall promotes an extreme dependence of terrestrial consumers on marine resources, and causes permanent indirect food-web effects that are affected by temporal variability in marine productivity, rather than temporal patterns of plant growth.