Prevalence and risk factors of mycobacterial infections in farm and trade cattle in southwestern Nigeria

We evaluated the prevalence of mycobacterial infections (i.e., Mycobacterium bovis and non-tuberculous mycobacteria [NTM]) and their associated risk factors among cattle herds and trade cattle in southwestern Nigeria. Through cross-sectional study design, cattle herds from three locations were screened using the single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin test based on two diagnostic standards; more than 4 mm (? 4 mm) and more than 2 mm (? 2 mm) cut-off points. Abattoir study involved screening trade cattle for tuberculous lesions. Overall, 515 cattle from 45 herds were screened. Using >?4 mm, animal level and herd prevalence of 11.7 and 46.7% were recorded, respectively. Applying the ? 2 mm cut-off, animal level and herd prevalence increased to 31.1 and 60.0%, respectively. Significantly, using the ? 2 mm cut-off, cattle in medium size herds/extensive management system (OR?=?1.6; 95% CI 1.1–2.5) and Sokoto Gudali (OR?=?2.3; 95% CI 1.4–3.8) were more at risk of being positive reactors, while Rahaji (OR?=?0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.7) breeds of cattle and cows in the peri-urban area (OR?=?0.4; 95% CI 0.2–0.9) were less at risk of being positive reactors. Again, M. avium reactor of 21.7% was observed. In the abattoir, 1797 cattle were examined with 126 lesions suggestive of tuberculosis (TB). Culture/molecular analyses confirmed 2.2% M. bovis and 0.9% NTM infections. Risk factors associated with bovine TB among trade cattle were sex (OR?=?4.0; 95% CI 1.2–13.5) and age (OR?=?0.3; 95% CI 0.1–0.9). We confirm 11.7% prevalence of mycobacterial infections among populations of cattle screened with breed and herd size being major risk factors.     

放牧对草地生态系统温室气体的影响

放牧主要通过影响草地生态系统中土壤的理化性质(土壤含水率、孔隙度、微生物和有机物含量的构成)来影响整个生态系统温室气体的排放。草地生态系统土壤中,植物根系的呼吸作用、土壤微生物的活动以及各种物理、化学和生物作用为温室气体的主要来源。本文在阐述草地生态系统温室气体排放机制和作用的基础上,主要从放牧管理模式、放牧强度、放牧动物等放牧作用对草地生态系统温室气体的排放情况进行了综述,就今后放牧对草地生态温室气体的研究重点和方向进行了展望,总结了适合不同放牧条件下整个生态系统温室气体的减排措施。     

高寒牧区两个燕麦品种的产量与品质比较

在我国青藏高原高寒牧区,栽培草地种植主要以燕麦(Avena sativa)为主,但当地现有的品种产草量较低,缺乏高产优质的燕麦品种。为了进一步提高高寒牧区燕麦产量和品质,满足当地的生产需要,于2013-2016年期间从青海省引进燕麦新品种"林纳"在碌曲县进行试验种植,并和当地现有品种"陇燕1号"的农艺性状及营养价值进行比较研究。结果表明,"林纳"燕麦生育期短,成熟快;其鲜、干草产量显著高于当地现有燕麦品种"陇燕1号"(P0.05),分别增产41%和38%。"林纳"粗蛋白(CP)、钙(Ca)和磷(P)含量较高,但差异不显著(P0.05);而粗脂肪(EE)含量显著高于当地品种(P0.05);酸性洗涤纤维(ADF)和中性洗涤纤维(NDF)低于当地品种,其中,中性洗涤纤维(NDF)含量差异显著(P0.05)。总之,"林纳"燕麦的生产力和营养品质均优于当地品种,具有良好的应用前景,可作为该地区乃至整个高寒牧区的优质燕麦品种推广种植。     

新疆阿勒泰垦区规模化羊群弓形虫病血清流行病学调查

为摸清新疆阿勒泰垦区兵团第十师北屯市规模化羊群的弓形虫感染情况,采用间接血凝试验(IHA),对采集自第十师所属7个团场的890份羊血清进行了弓形虫血清抗体检测。结果显示:该地区规模化羊群的弓形虫血清抗体平均阳性率为6.18%(55/890);不同羊群均有感染,表明感染分布广泛;母羊群感染率较高,为9.36%;羊群感染率随羊年龄增加而升高。这些情况需引起足够重视。     

河北省衡水市生猪定点屠宰监管效能初步调查

为了解河北省衡水市生猪定点屠宰监管实情,通过设定监管组织基础、监管制度建立、生猪定点屠宰场(点)监管3个一级指标和21个二级指标,构建了监管效能评价模型;选取5个有代表性的市县区进行问卷评分调查,分析各地区的生猪定点屠宰监管情况。调查认为,衡水市生猪定点屠宰场(点)具体监管工作比较到位,能够保障屠宰产品的卫生和质量安全以及公共卫生安全;衡水市的屠宰监管制度基本建立,动物卫生监督执法工作有据可依、有章可循,但需要加强安全生产追溯机制和风险应急管理机制的建立,提高监管人员的安全责任意识和应急管理水平;衡水市的监管基础较为薄弱,需要引进社会技术力量,夯实监管基础。     

Heritability of the resistance to pepper huasteco yellow vein virus in wild genotypes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Capsicum annuum</Emphasis>

Pepper huasteco yellow vein virus (PHYVV) is the main virus of pepper crop in Mexico. No resistant cultivars are available and resistance breeding is hampered by the lack of knowledge of heritability (h ²) of PHYVV resistance. This is a continuation of previous studies and the objectives were to analyze the h ² and the behavior of the resistant trait to PHYVV. Four resistant assays were done with three resistant wild lines (UAS12, UAS13 and UAS10) of Capsicum annuum in the S4, S5, S6 and S7 generation under greenhouse conditions. Plants from all tests were inoculated with PHYVV through Bemisia tabaci. Line UAS12 was the most resistant showing a significantly proportion of resistant plants, less disease symptoms and longer incubation time, followed by the lines UAS13 and UAS10 in all assays. Distribution of symptoms showed a bimodal tendency in all the trials, suggesting that two groups of genes are involved in this resistance trait. The lines UAS12, UAS13 and UAS10 showed the same pattern of response to selection with an average of h ² of 0.17, 0.06, 0.02 and 0.00 in the S4, S5, S6 and S7, respectively. These results indicate that all lines responded positively to the selection in the S4, S5 and S6, whereas in the S7 there was no response by the possible exhaustion of variation. Line UAS12 is the most promising genotype and the lines UAS13 and UAS10 are genetic resources that can be supplemented to breed the resistance of PHYVV. These results provides basic information for resistance breeding.     

Environmental heterogeneity and biotic interactions as potential drivers of spatial patterning of shorebird nests

Context

Species distributions are driven by a wide variety of abiotic and biotic factors, including nest placement for breeding individuals. As such, the spatial distribution of nests within a landscape can reflect environmental heterogeneity, habitat preferences, or even interactions with predators and other species.

Objectives

We determined the extent to which environmental heterogeneity and predation risk accounted for the observed spatial distribution of nests.

Methods

We assessed the spatial distribution of 112 nests of a migratory shorebird, the Hudsonian Godwit (Limosa haemastica), at Beluga River, Alaska, from 2009 to 2012, and explicitly tested for the relative influence of habitat characteristics and predation risk on nest locations. We also evaluated the effect of nest location, distance to conspecific nests, and proximity to roads on nest fate using 64 nests that were monitored through completion.

Results

Hudsonian Godwit nests were clustered across the landscape despite a lack of significant spatial autocorrelation (i.e., patchiness) in vegetation characteristics at either the micro- or landscape scale. Nest fate also was not predicted by either the distance to the nearest conspecific neighbor or proximity to roads. Thus, neither habitat characteristics nor predation risk explained the clustering of godwit nests.

Conclusions

These results suggest that godwits may select nest locations based more on social cues than underlying heterogeneity in vegetation or predation risk. As such, intra- and inter-specific interactions should be considered when developing management plans for species of conservation concern.

     

A rapid assessment of landscape biodiversity using diversity profiles of arthropod morphospecies

Context

The assessment of land-use impacts on biodiversity is one of the central themes of landscape ecology and conservation biology. However, due to the complexity of biodiversity, it is impossible to obtain complete information about the diversity of all species even for small areas, necessitating the selection of individual species or assemblages thereof as species surrogate. In parts of the world where taxonomic expertise is lacking, species identification has hindered progress in biodiversity conservation, and the only practical, relatively-accurate option, is the use of taxonomic minimalism.

Objective

We carried out a rapid biodiversity assessment based on three surrogates—land-use (driver-surrogate), terrestrial arthropods (species-surrogate) and morphospecies (taxonomic-surrogate)—to determine the impacts of land-use on biodiversity of the Western Region (Ghana), an area covering ~4 % of the West African biodiversity hotspot.

Method

We used diversity profiles to visualize the distribution of a total of 8848 arthropod individuals over seven land-use types which define the complete heterogeneity of the landscape.

Results

Here, we present both sample and asymptotic diversity profiles of arthropod morphospecies for each land-use type and the potential of each land-use type for conserving arthropods.

Conclusions

We conclude that (1) the morphospecies approach is useful for detecting differences in species diversity of land-use types; (2) the concept of asymptotic diversity may not be necessary for land-use based biodiversity comparison; and (3) maximum diversity profiles are useful for determining the land-use conservation values in cases where pristine areas are not available.

     

A network model framework for prioritizing wetland conservation in the Great Plains

Context

Playa wetlands are the primary habitat for numerous wetland-dependent species in the Southern Great Plains of North America. Plant and wildlife populations that inhabit these wetlands are reciprocally linked through the dispersal of individuals, propagules and ultimately genes among local populations.

Objective

To develop and implement a framework using network models for conceptualizing, representing and analyzing potential biological flows among 48,981 spatially discrete playa wetlands in the Southern Great Plains.

Methods

We examined changes in connectivity patterns and assessed the relative importance of wetlands to maintaining these patterns by targeting wetlands for removal based on network centrality metrics weighted by estimates of habitat quality and probability of inundation.

Results

We identified several distinct, broad-scale sub networks and phase transitions among playa wetlands in the Southern Plains. In particular, for organisms that can disperse >2 km a dense and expansive wetland sub network emerges in the Southern High Plains. This network was characterized by localized, densely connected wetland clusters at link distances (h) >2 km but <5 km and was most sensitive to changes in wetland availability (p) and configuration when h = 4 km, and p = 0.2–0.4. It transitioned to a single, large connected wetland system at broader spatial scales even when the proportion of inundated wetland was relatively low (p = 0.2).

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that redundancy in the potential for broad and fine-scale movements insulates this system from damage and facilitates system-wide connectivity among populations with different dispersal capacities.

     

Establishment of a comprehensive indicator system for the assessment of biodiversity and ecosystem services

Context

Common indicators are needed to monitor biodiversity loss and the implications for the sustainable provision of ecosystem services (ES). A plethora of different sets of indicators may hinder the identification of major endpoints for large-scale assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem services (BES).

Objectives

We aim to describe the main challenges of indicators for BES assessment and provide suggestions for establishing a comprehensive indicator system.

Methods

An extensive literature review was conducted in this study. We review the main challenges of indicators for BES assessment and propose corresponding improvements from our perspectives of theory and practical applications.

Results

The main theoretical challenges of existing indicators include inconsistent definitions and classifications of ES, misunderstanding of linkages among biodiversity, ecosystem structure, functions and services, and practical problems relate to such issues as indicator representativeness, data availability, and uncertainty. Our suggested improvements include clarifying the main terms, concepts and classification of indicators, establishing a robust conceptual framework with clear interactions among different components and indicators, selecting indicators based on ecosystem properties, streaming existing data into one platform, and strengthening validation of proxies. The steps for constructing a comprehensive indicator system for BES assessment are summarized.

Conclusions

Clear definitions of key terms are indispensable to classify indicators and construct a conceptual framework. Improved understanding of the relations among indicators of biodiversity, ecosystem functions, and ES across multiple scales can guide the development of the indicator system. The integrated indicator system is an important tool for BES assessment to support decision making for sustainable development.