Enzyme Immunoassays for the Determination of Ovine LH and FSH

The development of competitive enzyme immunoassays for ovine plasma LH (oLH) and FSH (oFSH) is described. Standards and plasma samples were preincubated with diluted antiserum to oLH or oFSH and the reacted solution (100 μl per well) was transferred to plates previously coated with oLH or oFSH, respectively. The second antibody used was anti‐rabbit IgG horseradish peroxidase. The measuring range was 0.39–50 ng/ml for each hormone and the 50% relative binding sensitivity was 9 ng/ml for oLH. The respective value for oFSH was 3.5 or 34 ng/ml with different hormone and antibody preparations used for the assay. The enzyme immunoassays were used to determine oLH and oFSH levels in plasma from ewes of two breeds during the oestrous cycle. The assays detected the first FSH surge coincident with the LH surge, the second FSH surge about 24 h later and the periodic fluctuations of FSH concentrations during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle. These enzyme immunoassays are an efficient and economic alternative to the established radioimmunoassays (RIA) for oLH and oFSH.     

From shallow to deep waters: habitats used by larval lampreys (genus Petromyzon and Lampetra) over a western European basin

Abstract –  Habitat requirements of lamprey ammocoetes (Petromyzon marinus and Lampetra genus) were investigated, for the first time, from shallow to deep waters, at different spatial scales across the Gironde‐Dordogne continuum, thanks to a water suction dredge. Fish‐habitat relationships were assessed through two complementary statistical analyses: habitat‐use curves and habitat suitability models using the Boosted Regression Trees (BRT) technique. Analyses were performed on a small‐size data set that was characterised by the low prevalence of lamprey. The sea lamprey larvae occurred in deeper areas than their Lampetra genus counterparts. ‘Pools’ of 2 m’ depth and more were optimal habitats for the former species. Among the environmental variables retained to model lamprey occurrences, the mesohabitat (a categorical variable) was demonstrated to be highly influential, in terms of fine grain‐size substratum and vegetation cover. These preliminary results suggest that monitoring using the water suction dredge method may contribute to sea lamprey conservation.     

Effects of supplemental alfalfa hay on the digestion of soybean hull-based diets by cattle

We evaluated the optimal level of alfalfa inclusion in soybean hull-based diets. In Exp. 1, 20 Holstein steers (319 kg of BW) were used in a complete block design. Treatments included a soybean hull mix (95.7% soybean hulls, 3% molasses, 0.5% urea, 0.8% mineral mix; DM basis) fed alone (100:0) or with 10.4, 20.7, or 30.9% (DM basis) coarsely chopped alfalfa hay (90:10, 80:20, and 70:30, respectively) or alfalfa alone (0:100). Diets were fed once daily at 1.75% (DM basis) of BW. In some cases, orts were present, which caused DM, OM, and NDF intakes to decrease (linear, P < 0.05) as alfalfa was added to the diets. Digestibilities of DM, OM, and NDF decreased linearly (P < 0.05) as alfalfa was added to the diets, but quadratic responses (P < 0.05) indicated that positive associative effects occurred between soybean hulls and alfalfa. Liquid dilution rates increased (linear, P < 0.05) with alfalfa additions to the diets and also demonstrated positive associative effects between soybean hulls and alfalfa (quadratic, P < 0.05). Solid passage rates were similar for 100:0 and 0:100 but were increased (quadratically and cubically, P < 0.05) when combinations of soybean hulls and alfalfa were fed. In Exp. 2, in vitro NDF digestibilities were measured for soybean hulls, alfalfa, and a blend of 85% soybean hulls and 15% alfalfa, each with no N source or supplemented with casein or urea to ascertain the effects of protein from alfalfa on digestibility. Disappearances were increased (P < 0.05) by addition of urea or casein, but no interactions between substrate and N supplement were observed. Addition of 30% alfalfa to diets consisting primarily of soybean hulls led to positive associative effects on diet digestibility, but alfalfa additions led to increased liquid and solid passage rates, suggesting that the benefit was not a result of slower passage of soybean hulls from the rumen.     

The role of neutral salts in the ion exchange between acid precipitation and soil

Theory and experimental results have shown that neutral salts in the precipitation or supplied to the ground by other means reduce the acidification of soils by acid precipitation. This salt effect is caused by the cation exchange occurring after the entry of the rain water into the soil.The acid components of precipitation consist of H₂SO₄, HNO₃ and HCl and of NH₄⁺ after nitrification in the soil. The magnitude of the salt effect depends on the relative bonding energy of H₃O⁺ and of Ca²⁺, Mg²⁺, Na⁺, K⁺, NH₄⁺ in the soil as well as on the concentrations of H₃O⁺ and the above cations in the precipitation. The salt effect may be considerable in very acid soils. It decreases with rising pH to become very small or negligible in neutral soils, chiefly due to the increasing bonding energy of H₃O⁺ in this direction.The adverse effect of acid precipitation, therefore, is likely to be less in very acid soils, such as podsols, than in slightly acid and neutral soils with low buffering capacity against pH change. Soil texture and calcite content are very important factors in this respect as fine material and calcite increase the buffering.     

Solubility and uptake of heavy metals from a Swedish soil

Samples of the surface layer (Ap) and of grass, collected from: (1) grass ley fertilized in the normal way; (2) permanent pasture fertilized in the normal way; and (3) permanent pasture treated with large amounts of sewage sludge five years earlier, were analysed for Mn, Zn, Cu, Cr, Co, Ni, Pb, and Cd.The soil samples were extracted with: (1) distilled water saturated with CO₂; (2) 1 M neutral ammonium acetate; (3) ammonium acetate + acetic acid, pH 4.75; and (4) 2 M nitric acid on a waterbath. The efficiency of these extractants differed greatly and, in relative values, was: 1 for H₂O + CO₂, 3.4 for NH₄OAc, 20.7 for NH₄OAc + HOAc, and 343 for 2 M HNO_3- The dissolving effects of the extractants differed markedly with the kind of element.Grass from the field treated with sewage sludge showed much higher contents of Mn and Zn and somewhat higher contents of Cu and Pb than grass from the untreated field. The levels of Cr, Co, Ni, and Cd were practically uninfluenced by the treatment. Grass from a field close to a highway accumulated large amounts of air-borne Pb and Cd during the summer.It is concluded that the total contents of heavy metals in soils have only limited importance for the uptake by plants. Weak extractants therefore give better information about the plant-available amounts in soils.