A Cross-Sectional Survey of Foaling-Related Parameters of Jennies (Equus asinus) Under Smallholder Farm Conditions in Northeast China

It is important to assess the reproductive efficiency and improve the reproductive management to promote the donkey population development. The overall foaling-related parameters of jennies under smallholder farm conditions in China were hardly under investigation. A cross-sectional survey of randomly selected 694 smallholder farms was conducted in 40 villages in the north, east, and south areas of Western Liaoning Province and Eastern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region between March and July, 2017. Foaling-related parameters were assessed such as the mean age at first foaling, foaling rate and foaling interval during 2014–2017. Only two-thirds of the adult jennies foaled during the 3-year survey period and delivered a foal every 1.9 years. The mean age at first foaling was 45.3 months. The lowest incidence of foaling rate was in coincidence with the peak of foaling. The overall mean values for the foaling rate and foaling interval were 75% and 500.5 days, respectively. Significant changes of foaling rates before the age of 15 years and foaling intervals in the first 8 parities were not observed. The results indicate that the jennies could maintain relatively fine foaling-related parameters under smallholder farm conditions in northeast of China. However, the foaling rates hardly remained high during the whole breeding season represented a major loss to the donkey breeding.     

Post-thawing Sperm Quality in Chilean Purebred Stallions: Effect of Age and Seasonality

In this work, we investigated the influence of age and seasonality on sperm motility and DNA fragmentation in post-thawing semen from Chilean Purebred Stallions (CPS), a horse breed presenting the oldest genealogy record in South America with an interesting reproductive industry. Despite that semen from aged CPS is frozen all year round, there is a lack of studies characterizing the breed semen freezability in accordance with age and seasonality. Twenty fertile CPS were grouped into the young group, the middle group, and the aged group. Ten ejaculates from each stallion were obtained by using an artificial vagina during summer (December) and winter (July) and directly frozen. Subsequently, the frozen semen was thawed and analyzed by a computer-assisted semen analysis and flow cytometer assessing progressive motility, mean velocity, and DNA fragmentation spermatozoa. Kruskal–Wallis test and Pearson’s correlation were used to determine statistical differences among groups and correlation among variables (P ≤ .05). Both spermatozoa motility traits decreased progressively in accordance with age and seasonality, showing the lowest values in the aged group during winter and the highest values in the young group during summer. Deoxyribonucleic acid fragmentation increased significantly in accordance with age and seasonality being highest in the aged group during winter and lowest in the young group during summer. Post-thawing sperm quality showed a negative correlation with the age of the stallions and a positive correlation with the normal sperm morphology before freezing. These results allow the conclusion that age and seasonality are important factors that need to be considered during the selection of CPS for reproductive programs.     

Growth change of young Picea sitchensis in response to deer browsing

Taking advantage of the introduction of the black-tailed deer to the Queen Charlotte Islands (British Columbia, Canada), we used dendrochronological analyses to understand the consequences of deer browsing on Sitka spruce growth. We compared shape, radial growth, height growth and age of young spruce in three sites. We identified two types of trees growing side by side: (1) stunted and heavily browsed spruce, smaller than the browsing limit and (2) escaped spruce that were taller than the browsing limit but still browsed in their lower part. The compact and heavily ramified shape in stunted spruce was the result of repeated and intense browsing. In escaped spruce this was also the case below the browsing limit (1.16 m±0.07 m), in sharp contrast with the normal shape that escaped spruce resumed above the browsing limit. We show that the release of browsing pressure, once the tree reaches the browsing limit, is characterised by an abrupt increase in radial growth. Before release, trees show a growth stagnation characterized by narrow rings (0.5 mm per year) and small annual height increments (<5 cm per year). After release, trees show a growth stabilisation characterised by wider rings (3 mm per year) and larger annual height increments (20 cm per year). We use this pattern to estimate frequency and age at release and their possible variation over time. Age differences between stunted and escaped spruce are highly significant and indicate that, despite of browsing, most if not all trees will ultimately reach the browsing limit and escape. Heavy deer pressure (30 deer per km²) delays spruce sapling recruitment by about 8 years. This delay varies in relation to site quality and seems to have increased over time, suggesting an increase in browsing pressure.     

中国河西走廊东灰山和西灰山作物遗存研究

河西走廊是古代中原文化和西域文化的交叉地带,也是古丝绸之路的重要通道。为了给研究东西方物质和文化交流在中国农业发展史上的作用提供实物证据,对甘肃民乐东灰山和西灰山现有材料采用遗址剖面土壤样本浮选、分拣、鉴定和理化分析方法,以现代作物种子为对照,确定遗址炭化作物籽粒的种类、性状差异及年纪。结果显示,东灰山遗址发现了炭化小麦、大麦、谷子(粟)、糜子(黍、稷)、黑麦、荞麦和燕麦籽粒,以及胡桃壳、枣核等;西灰山遗址发现了炭化小麦、谷子、糜子和大麦籽粒;两个遗址的作物种植结构基本一致。东灰山和西灰山发现的作物以小麦最为古老,距今在3 800~3 600年之间,西灰山小麦种植历史稍早于东灰山。在新石器晚期至青铜器时代,河西走廊的粮食生产已有比较合理的作物种类结构,包括小麦、大麦、谷子、糜子、黑麦、荞麦和燕麦等。炭化小麦籽粒较小,且大小不均匀,说明人工选育程度低。如对东灰山和西灰山作物和植物遗存开展系统性发掘,可能还会有更多新发现或新认知。     

呼伦贝尔沙地米氏冰草种群构件年龄结构动态

米氏冰草(Agropyron michnoi)是根茎型无性系植物。为了解米氏冰草在沙地生境中的繁殖适应机制,采取单位面积挖掘取样,对呼伦贝尔沙地不同演替阶段的米氏冰草分蘖株和根茎年龄结构进行了调查。结果表明:生长季末期与前期比较,米氏冰草分蘖株数量在流动和半固定沙地均增长了1.5倍,固定沙地无变化;而根茎长度在流动、半固定和固定沙地分别增加5.0,2.1和2.0倍。米氏冰草无性系分蘖株由4个龄级组成,分蘖株数量的年龄结构,在流动沙地均为明显增长型;半固定沙地由增长型转变成稳定型;固定沙地为稳定型。根茎在流动沙地由3个龄级组成,在半固定和固定沙地由4个龄级组成。随着生长季的进程,根茎长度的年龄结构,在流动沙地、半固定沙地和固定沙地均由稳定型变成增长型,增长趋势从大到小排序为:流动沙地>半固定沙地>固定沙地。随着植物群落的次生演替进程,米氏冰草无性系构件的年龄结构呈由增长型向稳定型过渡的趋势。     

Effects of strategic helminthosis control on age at first lambing and lambing interval of communally grazed Menz ewes in Ethiopia

A three-year longitudinal study was conducted to evaluate effects of strategic anthelmintic treatment regimes on age at first lambing (AFL), weight at first lambing (WFL) and lambing interval (LI) of 356 communally grazed ewes and 675 lambs owned by 10 smallholder farmers in the central highlands of Ethiopia. The ewes were stratified by weight and randomly allocated to three treatment groups as untreated control (TG1), twice-dosed per year (TG2) for both nematodes and trematodes in mid-January and mid-June and four-time-dosed per year (TG3) in June for nematodes, in August–September for nematodes and adult Fasciola, in November–December and January–February for immature flukes. The fixed effect of anthelmintic treatments, parity, season and year of lambing on AFL and LI was evaluated. Mean ± standard error (SE) of lambing interval was 292 ± 3 days. Both anthelmintic treatments (TG2 and TG3) shortened (P < 0.01) LI by about 23 days compared to non-treated ewes (TG1). Season and year of lambing had a significant (P < 0.001) effect on LI. Mean ± SE of AFL and WFL was 598 ± 10 days and 17.2 ± 1.37 kg, respectively. Anthelmintic treatments and parity of dam of the ewe lamb did not affect AFL (P > 0.05). Birth and lambing seasons of the ewe lamb had significant (P < 0.05) effect on AFL. On the other hand, lambing season of the ewe had significant (P < 0.05) effect on WFL. Ewe lambs born in the long rains lambed more than 50 days earlier than the ewe lambs born in short rainy and dry seasons. Lambing occurred year-round with two peaks in August–September and December–January, each 5 months after the two rainy seasons. Anthelmintic treatment at the beginning of the two rainy seasons should improve reproductive performance of Menz ewe lambs in similar agro-ecology in the central highlands of Ethiopia.     

格氏栲种群个体年龄确定方法的研究

本文利用格氏栲解析木资料，运用人工神经网络方法建立格氏栲种群个体年龄的预测模型，结果表明：所建立的年龄神经网络模型精度达９０．６１％ ，并利用该模型对格氏栲的生长过程进行模拟，从而为格氏栲种群的动态研究提供理论基础。     

Predicting the age of fish using general and generalized linear models of biometric data: A case study of two estuarine finfish from New South Wales, Australia

Direct ageing of fish can be a laborious and expensive task when age estimates from a large population are required, and often involves a degree of subjectivity. This study examined the application of general and generalized linear models that predict the age of fish from a range of efficiently and objectively measured covariates. The data sampled were from yellowfin bream (Acanthopagrus australis (Sparidae) (Owen, 1853)) and sand whiting (Sillago ciliata (Sillaginidae) Cuvier, 1829) populations from New South Wales, Australia. The covariates evaluated in the models were fish length, otolith weight, sex and location (the estuary from which the fish were sampled). Akaike Information Criteria were used for model selection and residual plots of the final models revealed a satisfactory fit to the observations. The best fitting model for each species included all covariates. An additional investigation considered whether general and generalized linear models that predict age from two different categories of biometric information outperform age-length keys with respect to subsequent estimates of total mortality from catch-curve analysis. The two categories of biometric information differed in the ease and cost with which the information could be collected. The first category only included fish length and location as covariates, whilst the second category also included otolith weight and sex. It was found that traditional age-length keys outperformed the predictive models that estimated age from only fish length and location, because the results from the models were prone to significant bias. However, when otolith weight and sex were added as covariates to the predictive models, some of them, including a generalized linear model with a Poisson-distributed response variable, performed similarly to the age-length key. Given that otolith weight and the sex of fish are cheaper to quantify than age from a sectioned otolith in many situations, general or generalized linear models may represent a cheaper and faster method of estimating mortality compared to age-length keys. Such models can also easily incorporate the influence of spatial, temporal and demographic variation.     

Dynamics of Betula ermanni population in subalpine vegetation in Changbai Mountain, Northeast China

lntroductionNotonIyaretimberIinesthemostconspicuousvegetationboundaryinhighmountains,buttheyareaIsoanimportantecologicaIboundary(Bruce1996,Thomas1997).NowondersthenthosetimberIineshaveaIwaysattractedresearchersforbothscientificandpracticaIreasons.InChangbaiMountain,forexample,therestorationoftheclimatictimberlineandestabIishmentofanedectiveprotectiveforestarethetWoprincipalobjectivesofhigh-mountainfor-estmanagement.AIsointhisconnection,thepotentiaIresponseoftimberlinestoexpectedclimaticc…     

An analysis of age and body weight at first calving for Holsteins in the United States

In a national survey of US dairy producers, only 2.7 ± 0.5% of Holstein dairy operations reported achieving recommended target ranges of age ≤ 24 months and body weight (BW) ≥ 550 kg at first calving. Allowing for wider target ranges, still only 14.6 ± 1.3% of Holstein dairy operations reported achieving age ≤ 25 months and BW ≥ 544.3 kg at first calving. Ages of individual first-calf heifers observed at calving were heavily skewed toward older individuals. Dairy producers reported an average age at first calving that was 1.3 months lower than the mean and 1.0 months lower than median age of first-calf heifers' observed calving on the operations. Stepwise logistic regression was used to identify the herd characteristics associated with producers reporting first calvings within the wider age and BW target ranges for Holsteins. Rolling herd average milk production ≥ 7711 kg/yr, using a computer for recordkeeping, and not tying preweaned heifers in a barn with cows, were associated with achieving the target BW and age at first calving.