bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Herbage production from the hills and uplands
Authors: Frame J. , Newbould P. , Munro J. M. M.
Published: June 2019

The hills and uplands lie within the poorer ‘less favoured’ soil and climatic areas which account for almost 10 M ha of the UK's 19 M ha of agricultural land. Rough grazing comprises 6 M ha. Dry matter (DM) production from native hill swards, governed by soil type, climate and species composition, typically ranges from 1 to 5 t per ha, and is highly seasonal. The best grade of native hill sward is the bent-fescue (Agrostis/Festuca) association. Upland permanent pasture sward production is strongly influenced by the proportion of perennial ryegrass and level of fertilizer N input; typically, DM production ranges from 3.5 to 91 per ha.

Constraints to herbage production include acid soils, impeded drainage and shortage of major plant nutrients particularly N and P. Deficiencies of some major nutrients and of trace elements in the plants can consequently have serious implications for livestock performance. Relationships among trace elements are particularly complex. The climate is severe and highly variable, with low temperatures, exposure to wind, high rainfall and frequent winter frosts being notable features. Bracken, rush, gorse, broom and scrub woodland communities are special vegetation problems which adversely affect pasture production and utilization.

Specific improvement techniques for the differing soil type — plant community associations are available but economic considerations are important when making the choice and deciding on the extent of improvement. Addition of lime and fertilizers, and the introduction of improved grass species and white clover, are the keys to enhanced sward production and quality. Maintenance of soil fertility is essential to ensure continued production. White clover is particularly important for animal nutrition and for its ability to contribute to available soil N via rhizobial N fixation. However, fertilizer N has a role in strategically extending the grazing season and for intensifying winter feed production (silage or hay) from suitable land; silage offers the better option.
Nutritional needs of cattle in the hills and uplands
Authors: Russel A. J. F. , Broadbent P. J.
Published: June 2019

Systems of management of beef cows in the hills and uplands seek to make use of the cow's ability to utilise body tissue to maintain production during periods of undernutrition in winter and to replenish body reserves from relatively inexpensive summer grazing.

In spring-calving cows, the periods of winter undernutrition occur during late pregnancy and the early months of lactation. On upland farms, cows with adequate body reserves (condition score 3.5) at the beginning of winter, fed less than 50 MJ ME per day during the final 3 months of gestation and 70 MJ ME per day during the first 2 months of lactation, will lose about 1.5 units of body condition but such a regime will not necessarily result in biologically significant production penalties. Fertilised ryegrass swards maintained at 8 cm sward surface height during the grazing season will support levels of milk production of around 11 kg per day, calf growth rates of the order of 1.2 kg per day and allow full recovery of cow body weight and condition. In hill herds, the magnitude of losses in weight and condition over winter must be restricted to the extent of the recovery which the quality of summer grazing will support.

Similar considerations apply in autumn-calving herds, where the greater part or all of lactation coincides with the period of winter feeding. Cows calving at a body condition score of 3.0 can be fed 75 MJ ME per day from before to one month after mating without prejudicing reproductive performance, and 60-65 MJ ME per day from then until turnout. Where good quality pasture is available, milk production will increase from around 5 to more than 9 kg per day following turnout, calf performance will be enhanced by delaying weaning and cows will recover in full the weight and condition lost during winter. In the hill situation, calves may require to be weaned at turnout if full cow recovery is to be achieved.

Studies on the nutrition of the weaned suckled calf indicate that a policy of feeding weaned calves inexpensively during winter to gain between 0.3 and 0.5 kg per day may constitute a viable alternative to the traditional practice of selling calves in the autumn. Such animals will achieve significantly higher growth rates at pasture in the following summer than calves fed more generously and gaining weight more rapidly during winter.

On some hill farms where opportunities for the conservation of winter fodder are limited but where there is plentiful summer grazing, a system of June calving followed by a short lactation, and in which calves are only very moderately fed over winter, merits consideration.

The areas in which further research is most urgently required to effect significant improvements in efficiency are those concerned with the relationship between nutrition and reproductive efficiency and the induction of twinning in cows.
Research and extension in livestock development
Authors: Schiere J. B.
Published: June 2019

This paper discusses results, justifications and definitions of research and extension in tropical animal production. The emphasis is on the applicability of new technologies and the interaction between research and extension. A description is given of the participants, the farming systems and of the research-extension interaction with attention to the fact that much extension is technology driven rather than problem orientated. Special issues in the livestock sector are highlighted. The diversity of farming systems implies that generalized solutions are hard to find because of technical and institutional problems. A globally decreasing resource-base implies that solutions are to be found in making the system more efficient rather than in relying on ever-increasing use of inputs though inputs per se are still important. Some research results are listed and case studies illustrate how the resource-base affects the applicability of extension messages that originate from research. The use of models is advocated to determine priorities for research or extension. Failures to find quick field applications should lead to mobilization of existing information as well as to a reorientation, improved quality and better interaction of research and extension.
The multiple retailers
Authors: Brown C
Published: June 2019

The consumer is of prime importance when it comes to who matters in the changing market. The consumer is king, or rather queen given that the majority of food shopping is still done by women. Multiple retail accounts for 43% of consumer spend on food and drink, but it is important to acknowledge that the food market is not represented by only the multiple retailers. 28% of consumer spend on food and drink is accounted for by restaurants and catering, 12% by convenience stores, 11% by others including the discounters and markets, and the remaining 6% by co–ops.
Where are the gaps?
Authors: Knowles A.
Published: June 2019

The pigmeat market has become increasingly global in the past decade and the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) Mid term review, GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) and WTO (World Trade Organisation) negotiations will all drive a continuation in this trend. This period has also witnessed an end of the traditional domestic pig cycle, in which UK supply and demand impact directly on price, together with a decline in the domestic herd of 37% since a peak in 1997 of 789,000 sows. The industry and our retail and food service customers are now acutely aware of EU:UK price differentials, exchange rate fluctuations and the ability to switch supply routes. One of the UK industry's key areas of differentiation is animal welfare, and this is gradually being eroded by the introduction of EU legislation – The Netherlands have introduced similar legislation to the UK which comes into effect in 2008. It is for these reasons that it is imperative for the UK industry to re-establish its competitiveness in terms of outright cost of production. It is only by closing this gap that we can secure long term stability and growth. But to achieve this we need to quantify where we are at present in relation to our competitors, and where the opportunities exist to close the gap.
Biotechnology – opportunities for Europe
Authors: Warkup C.
Published: June 2019

The title of this paper, as proposed by the meeting organisers, implies that Europe is different when it comes to biotechnology. In the early years of the 21st Century, even an impartial observer would agree that Europe differs from most of the rest of the world in its attitudes to at least one biotechnology – Genetically Modified (GM) crops. On the other hand, parts of Europe are seen as relatively enthusiastic about applications of biotechnology in human medicine. Take for instance, the UK's stance on research with human stem cells. Do these differences reflect permanent differences or merely a more cautious approach in Europe to the adoption of biotechnology in food production? Does this matter to pig producers?

This paper seeks to give a broad and shallow overview of the opportunities for developments in biotechnology to impact on pig production. It will consider which of the many potential new technologies, if they were available now, might be acceptable in Europe and what might be the consequences of failure to access technologies that others exploit.
Models of motivational decision-making and how they affect the experimental assessment of motivational priorities
Authors: Mason G. , Cooper J. , Garner J.
Published: June 2019

Measuring motivation has recently become a key issue in animal welfare, yet it can be difficult to implement in practice and even more difficult to apply validly to the specific animals whose welfare it is hoped to improve. Ethologists have modelled motivation in a number of ways. Here, we review these models (along with consumer demand approaches) to identify some of the factors that need to be controlled to conduct experiments with maximum internal and external validity. They indicate that to conduct experiments that make valid assessments of animals’ priorities, bouts of behaviour should not be curtailed, measurements should not be restricted to only one period or context and subjects should be kept in closed economies; time spent with resource should not be used as the only measure of consumption, as rate can vary with motivation and if demand curves are desired, the cost paid and amount of opportunity ‘bought’ must co-vary. Having avoided these pitfalls, further factors must be taken into account to ensure external validity. Animals’ priorities are affected by many aspects of their internal state and external environment, including the presence of eliciting stimuli, the number of behavioural opportunities available and the size of their time and energy budgets. A well fed animal in an enriched enclosure with excess energy but only limited time to allocate to many different activities would thus be likely to have quite different priorities from an under-fed animal with excess time available, housed in a barren environment. Hence studies of the former could not validly be applied to improve the welfare of the latter.
Dietary preferences of domestic ruminants
Authors: Rutter S. M. , Penning P. D. , Parsons A. J. , Harvey A. , Orr R. J.
Published: June 2019

To develop sustainable grazing systems, an understanding of the complex interactions between competing plant species and grazing herbivores is needed. An understanding of dietary preference is a prerequisite to predicting how much and from which plant species animals select. This work initially concentrated on dietary preferences of sheep grazing perennial ryegrass and white clover swards and was then extended to other animal species to test the generality of our findings.
Does the transport stocking density of 30-kg live weight pigs affect their heart rate and choice of posture?
Authors: Riches H. L. , Guise H. J.
Published: June 2019

There is currently no published information on the conditions under which young pigs are transported. European Directive 95/29/EC concerns the protection of animals during transport but recommends no stocking density for pigs moved by road other than those of 100 kg live weight. A survey of 97 farms showed store pigs accounted for 64% of all inter-farm journeys. The most common weights were 26 to 30 kg. The mean stocking density for transport was 162kg/m2 (range 72-214 (s.d. 25) kg/m2). The mean journey time was 165 min and the distance 228 km. This experiment was designed within the range of stocking densities and distances travelled found in current commercial practice. Pigs were transported at high, medium and low densities. Posture and heart rate during transport were recorded.
Five genetic stocks of broilers of different growth rate potential choose the same protein/energy balance
Authors: Picard M. , Siegel P. B. , Geraert P. A. , Uzu G. , Williams P. E. V.
Published: June 2019

Broiler chickens have been selected for increased growth rate and adapted to consumer demands. A range of commercial products is being developed from slower growing country-type meat chickens (named ‘Label’ in France) as well as from faster growing broilers with a high yield of breast meat. Nutritionists have to satisfy a need for feeding programmes adapted to meet the demands for various end-products. Selection for growth rate has to be shown to change the food intake behaviour of chickens (i.e. Barbato et al., 1980). Emmans (1991) demonstrated that chickens are able to adjust their food choices if the paradigm permits an adequate choice. In a series of experiments (see Picard et al., 1994 for review) the authors concluded that ‘high producing animals are not necessarily those that will react most clearly to an amino acid deficiency by altering their food intake and/or their feeding behavior’.
Behavioural adaptation of two genetic stocks of broilers to protein/energy dietary choice
Authors: Picard M. , Siegel P. B. , Geraert P. A. , Uzu G. , Williams P. E. V.
Published: June 2019

Chickens have been selected for millenniums on their ability to select food in complex and variable environments. Artificial selection for juvenile body weight using a single balanced food might have modified the ability of chickens to adapt to a choice feeding situation (Siegel and Dunnington, 1990). However, diet selection for protein has been demonstrated in many recently published experiments (for review: Forbes and Shariatmadari, 1994).
Diet selection in broiler chickens with corticosterone-induced changes in body composition
Authors: Sahin A. , Forbes J. M.
Published: June 2019

Birds attempt to compensate for an E : P (energy: protein) imbalance by increasing their intake of protein or energy from selected foods and this is related to changes in the birds’ body composition caused by corticosterone treatment.

Corticosterone injections increase fatness despite increasing nitrogen and energy excretion (Bartov, 1985). More recently corticosterone has been used to modulate macronutrient selection in rats (Devenport et al., 1991; Bligh et al., 1993; Tempel et al., 1993) and chickens (Covasa and Forbes, 1995). The intake of high protein concentrate was decreased by corticosterone treatment in young chickens but not in older chickens (Covasa and Forbes, 1995). The previous results suggest that more information on corticosterone’s effect on diet selection will be obtained by using foods which can offer a wide range of choices to compose a proper diet (Covasa and Forbes, 1995). Therefore, two experiments were conducted to detect changes in protein preference in relation to reduced protein deposition and enhanced fattening induced by corticosterone in male and female growing broiler chickens.
Inputs of trace gases, particles and cloud droplets to terrestrial surfaces
Authors: Fowler D. , Duyzer J. H. , Baldocchi D. D.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The deposition of reactive gases on terrestrial surfaces is one of the primary mechanisms by which pollutant gases are removed from the atmosphere. The chemical properties of the gases (SO2, NO2, HNO3, HCl) and of the absorbing surfaces lead to differing rates of exchange and controlling processes. The most reactive gases, HNO3, HCl (and for many surfaces NH3) exhibit negligible surface resistances; deposition velocities (Vg) appropriate for short vegetation ranging from 2 to 5 cm s−1, for forestsVgmay approach 10 cm s−1. The large rates of deposition for NH3on moorland and forests lead to annual inputs, in areas with large atmospheric concentrations of NH3(≥ 5 μg NH3m−3), ranging from 20 to 60 kg N ha−1. The net exchange of NH3over cropland, attributable to deposition during vegetative growth and emission of NH3during senescence, is less well known but believed to be small.

The co-deposition of NH3and SO2on external surfaces of plant canopies is believed to enhance SO2deposition with reported deposition velocities over short vegetation of 2.0 cm s−1.

Rates of cloud droplet deposition to vegetation have been shown to be very similar to rates of momentum deposition (i.e.Vt≈ram−1). These findings provide the basis for estimates of cloud deposition inputs of major ions to upland Britain where they may contribute up to 30% of the wet deposited sulphur and nitrogen.
Soil changes in forest ecosystems: evidence for and probable causes
Authors: Johnson Dale W. , Cresser Malcolm S. , Nilsson S. Ingvar , Turner John , Ulrich Bernhard , Binkley Dan , Cole Dale W.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

A review of the literature on forest soil change in North America, Central Europe. Sweden, U.K., and Australia reveals that changes are occurring in both polluted and unpolluted sites at a greater rate than previously suspected. Acid deposition has played a major role in recent acidification in some areas of Europe and, to a more limited extent, in Sweden and eastern North America. However, rapid rates of soil acidification are occurring in western North America and Australia due to internal processes such as tree uptake and nitrification associated with excessive nitrogen fixation. The presence of extremely acid soils is not necessarily an indicator of significant acidic deposition, as evidenced by their presence in unpolluted, even pristine forests of the north-western U.S.A. and Alaska. Numerous studies in Sweden, Australia, and North America show the important effects of tree uptake and harvesting upon soil acidification in managed forests. Furthermore, arguments can be presented that harvesting takes a greater toll upon the pools of potentially limiting cations than leaching.

The rate at which soils are changing in some instances calls for a re-evaluation of the budget analyses used to predict soil change. Specifically, inter-horizon changes due to uptake and recycling by vegetation, the interactions of such changes with naturally- and anthropogenically-produced acids, and the effects of aluminium uptake and recycling need further evaluation and study.
Critique
Authors: Last F. T.
Published: June 2019

The first part of the fifth and final day ofAcidic Deposition: Its Nature and Impactswas devoted to a discussion of three questions:

(1) What isnowknown of the nature and impacts of acidic deposition (recognising that effects on materials and buildings were being discussed for the first time in the series of international conferences of whichAcidic Depositionwas the latest)?

(2) Where are the gaps in knowledge perceived to be?

(3) Is it necessary to fill some or all of the gaps/are the gaps worth filling?

To a significant extent the answers to these questions influence the reactions of the lay public and their political representatives, but it has to be recognised that the politics of acidic deposition have, on occasion, outpaced scientific comprehension largely because of the inability/unwillingness of scientists to communicate. This is a serious weakness, particularly in relation to pollution and other environmental issues where the problems are complex and cannot be conceived in terms of black and white.
Fungi in Surtsey soils – abstract
Authors: Henriksson Elisabet , Henriksson Lars Eric
Published: June 2019

The volcanic island of Surtsey in the Westmann Islands, Iceland, was formed by a series of submarine eruptions from 1963 to 1967. It is a natural area, giving scientists the opportunity to study the biological succession without interference from man. In 1972, the occurrence of micro-fungi in soil samples gathered at different locations on the island was assessed by counting and identifying the fungal colonies growing out on different agar media, containing various amounts of soil extract.
Redevelopment of biological activity in stripmine spoils: saprotrophic fungi – abstract
Authors: Visser Suzanne
Published: June 2019

The impact of severe soil disturbance on soil fungal community composition and function and how this relates to the resultant decomposition/mineralisation process is very poorly understood. Consequently, research was conducted to determine: (a) to what degree fungal community structure and potential function are altered in a sub-alpine coal mine spoil (Luscar, Alberta), and (b) how do alterations in the fungal community affect patterns of fungal colonisation and decomposition of plant residues deposited on recently mined soil.
Parallels in the development of post-fire fungal and herb communities
Authors: Wicklow D. T.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The evolutionary significance of natural fire disturbance regimes in the development of post-fire fungal and herb communities is examined. Before a fire the soil microflora exhibits a general fungistasis, microbial competition is great, nutrients are limiting, and carbonicolous ascomycetes are in a dormant phase. Also in mature chaparral shrub communities the soil microflora is implicated in soil toxicity that prevents seeds of some species from germinating in the interval between burns. Fire results in the deposition of ash and charred wood, a release of nutrients, the elimination of competitors (e.g. shrub cover, soil microflora), an increase in soil alkalinity, the removal of soil toxicity/fungistasis, and cues the germination of constitutively dormant ascospores and seeds. The cue for germination of the chaparral fire annuals appears to be components of the hemicellulose fraction, produced during the charring of wood, but this fraction has not been tested for its ability to cue ascospore germination. Germination in the absence of fire would be “suicidal” because neither the carbonicolous ascomycetes nor the post-fire annuals are able to compete successfully in these pre-burn habitats. The frequency of burning and the uneven heating of the soil surface creates patchiness with a corresponding increase in the species richness of the post-burn community.
Patterns of fungal colonisation of cereal straw in soil
Authors: Magan Naresh
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The microbial populations on cereal straw at harvest are characteristic of the phylloplane. Incorporation of straw into soil represents an enrichment disturbance and results in a rapid stimulation of soil microbial activity. The dominant fungal colonists of the straw in soil were found to vary with soil water potential over a twenty-eight week period of incorporation. The dominant fungal genera werePenicilliumandMucor, followed byGliocladium, FusariumandTrichoderma. Basidiomycetes were only isolated from straw in a wet (−0.1 MPa) soil. Prior inoculation of straw withGliocladium roseum(Link) Banier resulted in changes in the dominance of these fungi, particularly in a dry soil.In vitrodata on spore germination, germ tube extension and growth of these soil fungi on agar media were not correlated with those on unsterile straw leaf sheaths or sterile straw segments.
A comparison of fungal communities in straw decomposing in different soil types and under different cultivation practices
Authors: Bowen R. M. , Harper S. H. T.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The composition of the mycoflora growing on wheat straw decomposing in three arable soil types and following two methods of incorporation was monitored throughout one cropping season. Fusarium species, Trichoderma species and Chaetomium globosum were the most frequently isolated cellulose-decomposers during the autumn and early spring on all treatments. Around some straws the brown colour of lignin was replaced by a dark red coloration: if this was cleared subsequently, it was considered to indicate the presence of lignin-decomposing species. Colonies of a Typhula sp., a lignin-decomposing basidiomycete, developed from some of the straws surrounded by cleared zones. In late spring more lignin-decomposing basidiomycetes were isolated, none of which had previously been described on, nor isolated from, wheat straw decomposing in the field. These basidiomycetes, characterised by slower extension rates than Typhula, were more frequent on straw ploughed-in at two sites. Typhula was more numerous where the straw had been incorporated by tined implements. The composition of the cellulolytic fungal community differed between treatments. Inoculation of straw with pure and mixed cultures of Fusarium culmorum, Trichoderma viride, Chaetomium globosum and the lignin-decomposing basidiomycetes had varied effects on the decay rate.
Disturbance, decomposition and patchiness in thatch
Authors: Kirby J. J. H. , Rayner A. D. M.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

Some roofs that are thatched with combed wheat reed develop patches of more rapid decay within an otherwise uniform matrix of less rapid decay. Changes in the length and weight of reed from patches and matrix were estimated for one roof by comparison with samples of unused, undecayed reed. The fungal communities associated with patches and matrix were analysed using a particle plating method and the distribution of patches between and within roofs was analysed for departures from randomness. Reed from a patch was shorter than from the surrounding matrix due to more rapid loss of length. Weight loss was greatest at the thatch surface but only extended into the thatch for 8.5 cm in both cases. It is therefore probable that the decomposer communities of patches and matrix respond similarly to an environmental variable, probably water potential, that varies with depth. Fungal community analysis indicated that distinct functional units, or associations, of four and two taxa were present in the matrix and patches respectively. An analysis of patch distribution on a sample of roofs indicated that certain roofs are predisposed to develop patches. However, on individual roofs patches are distributed randomly. Predisposition may be due to relatively high levels of endogenous nitrogen in the thatching reed.
Grain storage: the management of ecological change – abstract
Authors: Lacey J.
Published: June 2019

Grain stored in bulk forms a man-made ecosystem with a limited, non-regenerating energy supply. However, frequent interference results in an immature, unstable ecosystem with a relatively simple structure and composed of species with limited specialisation, and high growth and reproductive rates. Microbial colonisation commences soon after ear emergence, by what have been termed “field” fungi. These usually have a minimum water potential for germination of −22.4 MPa (> 0.85 aw), have to contend with large diurnal changes in environmental conditions and seldom develop further in store. Sometimes, especially in humid tropical climates, species more typical of stored grain (“storage fungi”) also develop before harvest, and even produce mycotoxins. This differentiation between fungi characteristic of field or store is historical and their classification on ecological requirements would be preferable.
Taphonomy
Authors: Lewis Ronald
Published: June 2019

Definitions.– Taphonomy is the study of what happens to an organism from the time of its death until it is discovered as a fossil. Whereas paleoecology deals with the interactions between an organism and its environment during life, taphonomy is concerned with post-mortem processes such as disarticulation, predation, transportation, and diagenetic alteration. Biostratinomy (formerly biostratonomy) is the part of taphonomy which covers the history of the organism from death to final burial of the remains. The chemical, physical, and biological processes which affect these remains after burial are dealt with in studies of diagenesis. The relationship of these disciplines is shown in Figure 1.
Biostratigraphic Potential
Authors: Broadhead Thomas W.
Published: June 2019

The chief economic use of biostratigraphic data is short distance temporal correlation within or between petroleum bearing areas and is based primarily on subsurface sampling. Of greater overall importance, the stratigraphic distribution of countless fossil organisms has permitted widespread approximation of time equivalence and forms the basis for recognitiion of the fundamental subdivisions of the geologic time scale. Echinoderm remains are common constituents of marine sedimentary rocks, especially during much of the Paleozoic; they rarely have been studied in such a manner as to become a widely used tool in biostratigraphic zonation. The common problems associated with the detailed stratigraphic study of echinoderms involve many of the “classic” characteristics of biostratigraphically useful organisms:
Echinoderms and Aspects of Evolutionary Theory
Authors: Waters Johnny A.
Published: June 2019

Discussions of evolutionary theory in paleontology include the topics of overall diversity through time, the tempo and mode of evolution, and the consequences of the parallel between ontogeny and phylogeny. The first of these topics – diversity through time and the significance of major echinoderm radiations and extinctions – is the subject of other discussions in this short course and will not be considered here. Detailed evolutionary studies using echinoderms are complicated by the compound nature of their skeleton which tends to disarticulate very rapidly after death. Complete specimens usually reflect rapid burial, and large populations may be relatively rare in many stratigraphic sequences. Possible exceptions include the carboniferous blastoid Pentremites and various Teriary echinoid lineages. Indeed Paul (1977b) has concluded that the fossil record of echinoderms would seem to be of little use in testing evolutionary ideas. While not numerous, studies of echinoderms have contributed to evolutionary theory and selected cases will be discussed below.
Classification Schemes
Authors: Haugh Bruce N. , Bell Bruce M.
Published: June 2019

The classification of echinoderms at class-rank and higher has been a topic of considerable dispute for well over a century. We will confine our analysis to the more ‘modern’ classification schemes which have advocates among currently active paleontologists and neontologists, in particular those of Bather/Lankester, 1900; and Fell/Moore 1966 (Figs. 1 and 2). Detailed explanations of these schemes may be found in most major works on invertebrate paleontology and neontology. Comparisons of other schemes are given in Tables 1 and 2.
Crinoidea
Authors: Lane N. Gary , Webster G. D.
Published: June 2019

Fossil crinoid studies have been extensively summarized in the most recent volumes on echinoderms in the Treatise on Invertebrate Paleontology (Moore and Teichert, 1978), less than 2 years ago. It would be presumptuous of us to try to provide a summary of the three Treatise volumes on crinoids in 15 typescript pages.
Edrioasteroidea and Edrioblastoidea
Authors: Bell Bruce M.
Published: June 2019

The edrioasteroids (seat stars) are a small but diverse group of Paleozoic (Lower Cambrian through Pennsylvanian) echinoderms known to include five morphologically distinct types of thecal construction. Domal and clavate thecae predominate, although some are globoid and others axially elongate. Adult thecal diameters range from 6 – 7 mm to approximately 9 cm, but 15 – 30 mm is the norm. Edrioasteroids are not common fossils, although when proper conditions for preservation existed, entire populations were often fossilized so that hundreds or even thousands of specimens can be recovered through excavation. Apparently, preservation depended upon catastrophic kills, most of which seem to have resulted from storm-deposited mud deeply burying the entire substrate surface area.
Holothuroidea
Authors: Pawson David L.
Published: June 2019

Among the living echinoderms, holothurians are generally regarded as “poor relations” of the other groups. The color and symmetry of sea-stars and the complexity of echinoids usually elicit expressions of admiration from casual observers; the reactions to holothurians usually involves a considerable degree of revulsion. The generally soft-bodied holothurians, with their reduced skeleton and leathery to gelatinous body walls, are consequently less well known than many other echinoderm groups.
Post-Paleozoic Asterozoa
Authors: Blake Daniel B.
Published: June 2019

The post-Paleozoic Asterozoa include the Asteroidea and the Ophiuroidea. Various workers believe the arguments in support of a common Paleozoic ancestry for the two are very strong and rank them as subclasses of the class Stelleroidea. Other workers feel asteroids and ophiuroids are worthy of class-level recognition, either stressing their disparate early development or because living representatives are thought to be distinctive at the class level on par with the other living classes.
Modern Calcarea
Authors: Hartman Willard D.
Published: June 2019

Calcareous sponges have a skeleton formed of spicules of calcium carbonate laid down as calcite. These spicules may be free in the sponge tissue, or may be in part fused together by secondary deposits of calcite and in part free, or may occur as free elements together with a reticulate or massive skeleton of crystalline calcite. The spicules are monactinal, diactinal, triactinal and tetractinal and do not in general occur in categories marked by distinct size differences as is true of the megascleres and microscleres of demosponges and hexactinellids.
Modern Hexactinellida
Authors: Hartman Willard D.
Published: June 2019

Hexactinellid sponges have a skeleton made up basically of six-rayed spicules occurring individually or fused together by supplementary secretions of silicon dioxide to form a rigid latticelike or reticulate skeleton. Microscleres of one of two basic types are always present. The axial canal of hexactinellid spicules is square in cross section.
Modern and Ancient Sclerospongiae
Authors: Hartman Willard D.
Published: June 2019

Sclerosponges secrete a basal crystalline and aspicular skeleton of calcium carbonate, either aragonite or calcite, above which lies a thin layer of living tissue which also secretes siliceous spicules and collagenous fibers. The tripartite skeleton of sclerosponges distinguishes them from all other sponges and also from all other multicellular animals, no one of which has an abundant quantity of two disparate minerals helping to make up its skeleton. The cell types and their organization as well as what little is known about their development indicate that the sclerosponges are related to the demosponges. Sclerosponges are inhabitants of shaded crevices, caves and tunnels on coral reefs in both the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific regions. The range of only one species, Merlia normani Kirkpatrick, extends from the tropics into the warm temperate waters of the Mediterranean Sea.
Paleozoic Stromatoporoid Paleoecology: A Review
Authors: Fagerstrom J.A.
Published: June 2019

For the non-specialist in stromatoporoid paleobiology, perhaps the greatest interest in these enigmatic organisms is in their potential value in paleoecology; Stearn (1982a) has noted the general preference of stromatoporoids for reef environments as a unifying aspect of the group. Stromatoporoid coenostea are usually obvious in the field but care must be taken not to confuse them with non-skeletal and skeletal algae, flatpebble conglomerate clasts or finely laminated carbonate sediment.
Archaeocyathids: Paleoecology and Biogeography
Authors: Gangloff Roland A.
Published: June 2019

Archaeocyathans were shallow marine benthic filter-feeding organisms. They preferred carbonate-rich waters and typically lived in aggregates or communities which were dominated by calcareous algae or algae-like problematica. In addition, a wide range of metazoans either occupied these communities or lived in great abundance nearby. It is now clear that these communities or aggregates were capable of constructing carbonate buildups which were topographically and sedimentologically significant. The Archaeocyatha evolved for some 45 to 50 million years and so did the content and structural complexity of their buildups. This complexity reached its acme during the later part of the Lower Cambrian (late Atdabanian and Lenian of Soviet and European workers). Let us now shift from generalities and broad interpretations to a review of the supportive data.
Definition of Mollusca I
Authors: Pojeta John
Published: June 2019

Mollusca is a phylogenetic concept, not a morphological/anatomical concept (Pojeta, 1980; Runnegar and Pojeta, in press). In order for a taxon to qualify for placement in the Mollusca, the taxon must be shown to be phylogenetically related to other taxa in the phylum. In point of fact, Mollusca cannot be defined morphologically/anatomically. The only acceptable definition of Mollusca is that the phylum is made up of its contained taxa.
Cephalopod Morphology and Function
Authors: Bandel Klaus
Published: June 2019

General Organization of Recent Cephalopods. Extant cephalopods with the exception of Nautilus have an internal shell covered by muscular mantle. Only Nautilus is able to withdraw into its shell and close the aperture with a hood. The internal shells of Sepia and Spirula are mineralized and have chambers that function in buoyancy control (Denton & Gilpin-Brown, 1961, 1971; Denton et al., 1961, 1967) while other teuthids and Vampyroteuthis have an unmineralized internal skeleton that acts as an elastic support to the soft body.
Crises in Cephalopod Evolution
Authors: Teichert Curt
Published: June 2019

The 520 million year evolutionary history of the Cephalopoda is punctuated by a number of severe crises during each of which this class came very close to extinction. These are fully documented only for the externally shelled, or ectocochlian, cephalopods to which my remarks are, therefore, restricted. The word crisis should be defined narrowly in the sense in which it is used in medicine, business, and the social sciences: “a condition…. felt to endanger the continuity of the individual or his group “(Webster's Third International Dictionary). Within species, genus, and family groups evolutionary crises are, of course, commonplace, and even orders may disappear without threatening the extinction of an entire class. It is only when all, or almost all, taxa of family-group and lower hierarchic level disappear more or less simultaneously, or within a geologically very short period of time, that we may speak of a crisis, a situation that threatens the very survival of a class, or higher taxon, of organisms. It is the purpose of this presentation to study in some detail this kind of situation as it has affected the evolutionary history of the Cephalopoda.
Gut Immunity in the Pig - Hypersensitivity Responses to Dietary Antigens
Authors: Bourne F.J. , Miller B. , Newby T. J. , Stokes C.R.
Published: June 2019

The Intestinal Immune System is obliged to recognise not only antigens associated with pathogenic organisms but also harmless dietary protein. Since chronic immune responses to these ubiquitous antigens present in food are likely to be harmful to normal intestinal function, regulatory mechanisms have evolved which reduce immune responses to such antigens to levels acceptable to the individual. It is essential to the effective working of these mechanisms that the introduction to new antigens should be gradual and not be associated with the sudden presentation of large amounts of a new dietary material. Modern intensive weaning methods pay scant attention to the needs of these immunoregulatory systems, and the resultant immune response may be the cause of the villous atrophy and crypt hyperplasia seen immediately after weaning and which are thought to precipitate post weaning E. coli diarrhoea.
The environmental requirements of the early-weaned pig
Authors: Close W.H. , Smith A.T.
Published: June 2019

Early weaning represents a critical period in the life of a piglet since it is an abrupt process which removes the piglet from the comfort of the mother and the ad libitum supply of feed which she provides. Although the age at which piglets are weaned is variable, economic pressures encourage weaning at an early age as a means of shortening the reproductive cycle of the sow and thus improving her output. If a system of early weaning is to be successful it must supply the correct nutrition, enhance the natural disease resistance and provide an environment which creates least thermoregulatory demand on the animal. In addition, it should minimise disease challenge and avoid stressors such as those caused by overcrowding and inappropriate structural surfaces.
The effects of lactation feed level on subsequent ovulation rate and early embryonic survival in the sow
Authors: Hughes P. E. , Henry R. W. , Pickard D. W.
Published: June 2019

Low level feeding during lactations of greater than thirty five days duration has been shown to result in an extended weaning to remating interval and a reduction in subsequent litter size. The aim of this experiment was to examine whether this effect was a consequence of a reduction in ovulation rate and/or increased embryo mortality following such treatment.
Comparison of terminal ram breeds for growth and carcass traits in crossbred lambs
Authors: Cameron N.D. , Drury D.J.
Published: June 2019

The performance of crossbred progeny of Oxford, Texel, Texel-Oxford, Charollais, Charmoise and Meatlinc terminal sires, mated with crossbred ewes, were compared.

The comparisons took place at ABRO's lowland farm in Staffordshire from 1979–1981. The crossbred ewes were by various crossing sire breeds out of a Scottish Blackface stock. Three or four six month old rams of each breed were used in each year, but 9 Texel-Oxford rams were used in 1979 and 1980. Oxford rams were used only in 1981.
Ammonia treated straw in diets for finishing beef cattle
Authors: Selman M , Altman Jill F B , Knight R
Published: June 2019

In the absence of information on the value of treated straw as a component of the diets of finishing cattle a series of experiments was started in January 1982 to compare diets containing differing proportions of rolled mineralised barley (B) and treated spring barley straw (T) with a control ration of 75% mineralised barley (with extracted soya bean meal supplement (s)) and 25% untreated spring barley straw (U). Two treatments remained common throughout but the others were changed to widen the scope of the investigation. Fishmeal supplementation (F) was introduced as an additional factor in the third trial.
The development of the shield in male pigs
Authors: Wood J.D. , Patterson R.L.S. , Buxton P.J.
Published: June 2019

In mature boars the skin and subcutaneous tissues in the region of the scapula form Into a hard pad known as the shield. It is not known whether this is present less obviously in young boars used for meat production and, if so, whether it lowers carcass quality. The aim of this study was to characterise the shield and study Its development in young male pigs.

Characterisation study

Histological examination of tissue samples from the m1d-scapula region in mature boars (ie. >2.5 years of age) showed a high concentration of connective tissue. The tissue had a ‘rubbery’ texture and was difficult to cut. Outer and inner backfat layers were not discernible although approximately 0.80 of the depth of the tissue had the appearance of dermis and the composition of skin (Table 1) and the innermost 0.20 had the composition of adipose tissue (normal backfat). In boar No 1 the dissected shield weighed 3.7 kg, 0.26 of the weight of subcutaneous fat in the half carcass.
The effects of abomasal infusions of glucose or casein on milk yield and on some blood constituents of dairy cows in early and late lactations
Authors: Istasse L. , Ørskov E.R.
Published: June 2019

Abomasal infusion of casein has been shown to increase the milk yield, fat yield, protein content and protein yield while no clear-cut effects were observed with infusion of glucose (Ørskov, Grubb and Kay, 1977 and confirmed by Oldham, Bines and MacRae, 1983). Little information is available about the changes in blood parameters with abomasal infusion of glucose or casein. The objective of the present experiments was to relate changes in milk production to blood parameters in dairy cows given casein or glucose as an infusion into the abomasum during early or late lactation.
Comparison of two feeding methods on a moderate and higher energy density diet
Authors: Mitchell K.G , Keal H.D. , Partridge I.G. , Thomas Joanne
Published: June 2019

A liveweight-based scale derived from feed intakes of pigs fed twice daily wet (2.5 1 water/kg feed added immediately before feeding) to a daily maximum of 2.95 kg meal/pig, is used in growing pig experiments at Shinfield. The objectives of this 2x2 factorial experiment were to compare the intakes and performance on this method of feeding with ad libitum dry pellet feeding (feed available 24 h/day) with water available ad libitum, and to ascertain the effects of diet energy density under these two feeding methods on performance and carcass composition. The diets fed throughout were based on barley and soyabean meal with wheat and fat being added to the higher energy diets. The moderate and higher energy diets contained approximately (crude protein g/kg and lysine %) 178 & 0.9 and 193 & 1.0, respectively, and were compounded to provide comparable amounts of major nutrients/MJ DE. Diet energy densities calculated from determined gross energies were 12.8 and 13.7 MJ DE/kg feed. Determined digestible energies will be available when the balance data are completed (see later). There were 9 intact male and 9 female LW x Landrace pigs on each treatment on experiment from 15 to 80 kg liveweight. The pigs were housed in individual pens in a building maintained in winter at a temperature of 18°C. Each pig was placed in a metabolic crate, at a liveweight of approximately 50 kg, for 7 days during which it underwent a 5-day total balance. Sample analyses from these 72 balance periods are not yet completed.
Observations of the summer performance of natural cross flow ventilation, incorporating automatic control, in a wide straw bedded pig finishing house and the use of meteorological records for predicting extreme conditions
Authors: Smith A T , Barrie I A , Yeo M L
Published: June 2019

The use of Automatic Control of Natural Ventilation (ACNV) has been shown to give good temperature control in a range of circumstances [2, 3]. Information on the performance of the system in wide, solid floored, pig finishing houses under extreme climatic conditions is sparse. A study was made of a commercial pig finishing house during the hot summer of 1983. Information collected allows an assessment of the climatic conditions encountered in relation to long term meteorological records.
The induction of puberty in rapidly-grown gilts
Authors: Walker N. , Burnett P. J.
Published: June 2019

Puberty can be stimulated from about 160 days of age by the introduction of a mature boar usually in accomodation which is novel to the gilt. The interval between stimulation and response is not always predictable and therefore does not facilitate the synchronisation of gilt matings with the mating pattern in an established sow herd. It has been reported previously that a single injection of pregnant mares’ serum gonadotrophin (PMSG) pits human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG)* will initiate puberty. The investigations reported here concern the use of these exogenous hormones as an additional or alternative stimulus to those described above.