The face of conservation responding to a dynamically changing world

In its 40‐year history, the science of conservation has faced unprecedented challenges in terms of environmental damage and rapid global change, and environmental problems are only increasing as greater demands are placed on limited natural resources. Conservation science has been adapting to keep pace with these changes. Here, we highlight contemporary and emerging trends and innovations in conservation science that we believe represent the most effective responses to biodiversity threats. We focus on specific areas where conservation science has had to adjust its approach to address emerging threats to biodiversity, including habitat destruction and degradation, climate change, declining populations and invasive species. We also document changes in attitudes, norms and practices among conservation scientists. A key component to success is engaging and maintaining public support for conservation, which can be facilitated through the use of technology. These recent trends in conservation and management are innovative and will assist in optimizing conservation strategies, increasing our leverage with the general public and tackling our current environmental challenges.     

Interactions between a non glycosylated human proline-rich protein and flavan-3-ols are affected by protein concentration and polyphenol/protein ratio

Interactions between salivary proline-rich proteins and tannins are involved in astringency, which is one of the most important organoleptic sensations perceived when drinking wine or tea. This work aimed to study interactions between a recombinant human salivary proline-rich protein, IB-5, and a flavan-3-ol monomer, epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). IB-5 presented the characteristics of natively unfolded proteins. Interactions were studied by dynamic light scattering, isothermal titration microcalorimetry, and circular dichroism. The interaction mechanism was dependent on protein concentration. At low concentrations, a three-stage mechanism was evidenced. Saturation of the interaction sites (first stage) was followed by protein aggregation into metastable colloids at higher EGCG/protein ratios (second stage). Further increasing this ratio led to haze formation (third stage). At low ratios, a disorder-to-order transition of IB-5 structure upon binding was evidenced. At high protein concentrations, direct bridging between proteins and EGCG was observed, resulting in significantly lower aggregation and turbidity thresholds.     

Green tea polyphenol extract regulates the expression of genes involved in glucose uptake and insulin signaling in rats fed a high fructose diet

Green tea has antidiabetic, antiobesity, and anti-inflammatory activities in animal models, but the molecular mechanisms of these effects have not been fully understood. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was used to investigate the relative expression levels and the effects of green tea (1 and 2 g solid extract/kg diet) on the expression of glucose transporter family genes (Glut1/Slc2a1, Glut2/Slc2a2, Glut3/Slc2a3, and Glut4/Slc2a4) and insulin signaling pathway genes (Ins1, Ins2, Insr, Irs1, Irs2, Akt1, Grb2, Igf1, Igf2, Igf1r, Igf2r, Gsk3b, Gys1, Pik3cb, Pik3r1, Shc1, and Sos1) in liver and muscle of rats fed a high-fructose diet known to induce insulin resistance and oxidative stress. Glut2 and Glut4 were the major Glut mRNAs in rat liver and muscle, respectively. Green tea extract (1 g) increased Glut1, Glut4, Gsk3b, and Irs2 mRNA levels by 110, 160, 30, and 60% in the liver, respectively, and increased Irs1 by 80% in the muscle. Green tea extract (2 g) increased Glut4, Gsk3b, and Pik3cb mRNA levels by 90, 30, and 30% but decreased Shc1 by 60% in the liver and increased Glut2, Glut4, Shc1, and Sos1 by 80, 40, 60, and 50% in the muscle. This study shows that green tea extract at 1 or 2 g/kg diet regulates gene expression in the glucose uptake and insulin signaling pathway in rats fed a fructose-rich diet.     

Urine flavonoids and plasma carotenoids in the validation of fruit, vegetable and tea intake during pregnancy in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa)

OBJECTIVE: To validate a new food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for measuring the intake of fruit, vegetables and tea reported by women participating in the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study (MoBa). DESIGN: Intake of fruits, vegetables and tea estimated by the FFQ was compared with urinary flavonoid excretion, plasma carotenoid concentration and intake measured by a 4-day weighed food diary (FD). The triangular method was applied to calculate FFQ validity coefficients using two independent biomarkers. SETTING AND SUBJECTS: One hundred and nineteen women participating in MoBa. RESULTS: The FFQ estimate of fruit intake was significantly correlated with urine phloretin (r = 0.33), citrus fruit/juice with urine hesperetin (r = 0.44), cooked vegetables with plasma alpha-carotene (r = 0.37), and tea with urine kaempferol (r = 0.41) (P < 0.01 for all). On average, 60% of the participants fell into the same or adjacent quintiles when classified by FFQ and biomarkers. Significant correlations between the FFQ and FD were found for fruit (r = 0.39), vegetables (r = 0.34), juices (r = 0.50) and tea (r = 0.53). The FFQ validity coefficient was 0.65 for citrus fruit/juice and 0.59 for cooked vegetables as calculated by the triangular method. CONCLUSIONS: The validation study shows that the MoBa FFQ can be used to estimate fruit, juice, vegetable and tea intake in pregnant Norwegian women, and to rank individuals within the distribution.     

Capacity for digestive hydrolysis and amino acid absorption in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed diets with soybean meal or inulin with or without addition of antibiotics

This experiment was done to study the effects of dietary soybean meal (SBM) and inulin (a prebiotic) on the capacity for digestive hydrolysis and amino acid absorption by Atlantic salmon, and how a dietary supplement of the broad-spectrum antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) modulated these responses. A control diet (FM) was made from fish meal, fish oil and extruded wheat. Two similar diets were made with 250 g soybean meal (SBM) or 75 g inulin kg^− 1. Each diet was made with or without a supplement of 3 g OTC kg^− 1. All six diets contained yttrium oxide for estimation of apparent nutrient absorption. Each diet was fed to two groups of 172 g salmon kept in 1 m² tanks with 9 °C saltwater for 3 weeks. Intestinal organs were then sampled and weighed. Gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) were sectioned for analyses of brush border alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activities. Tissue from the distal intestine (DI) was also fixed for histological examination. Digesta from the different sections were freeze dried for estimation of trypsin and amylase activities, and of apparent absorption of amino acids (AA), nitrogen (N), and sulphur (S). About 85% of the trypsin activity, 70% of the amylase activity, 85% of the ALP activity, and 82% of the LAP activity were found in the proximal (PI) and mid (MI) intestine of fish with functional DI, and the absorption of AA, N, and S was quantitatively completed in the MI. Dietary OTC resulted in lower relative liver weight, but apart from increased ALP and LAP activities in DI when feeding OTC in combination with inulin, OTC did not modify the responses to dietary SBM or inulin. Dietary SBM resulted in lower relative liver weight, and induced pathomorphological changes in the DI mucosa, thus lower the ALP and LAP activities in the DI. SBM also stimulated absorption of AA, N, and S in the PI, but at the same time increased the activities of trypsin and amylase in the DI, indicating reduced re-absorption and increased faecal losses of these endogenous enzymes. Dietary inulin did not damage the DI, and stimulated intestinal growth and higher relative mass of the GIT. Inulin without OTC did not affect the hydrolytic and absorptive capacity of the salmon GIT.     

Evaluation of the oral 13C-bicarbonate technique for measurements of energy expenditure in dogs before and after body weight reduction

Background

Overweight and obesity are the most common nutritional disorders in dogs and may lead to various secondary diseases and decreased lifespan. In obesity research, measurement of energy expenditure (EE) and determination of the energy requirements are essential. The objective with this study was to validate and evaluate the suitability of the oral ¹³C-bicarbonate technique (o¹³CBT) for measuring EE in dog obesity studies. A further objective was to investigate the impact of body weight (BW) reduction and changes in body composition on the EE when measured under conditions corresponding to the basal metabolic rate (BMR).

Results

The EE in five privately owned, overweight dogs was measured simultaneously with the o¹³CBT and indirect calorimetry (IC) for comparison of the results. Two measurements per dog were performed under the same standardised conditions (i.e. fasted and resting state) at the start, and after completing a 12-week BW reduction program. Additionally, measurements of body composition by Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) were conducted at the beginning and at the end of the BW reduction program. There were no differences in EE results obtained by the o¹³CBT and IC. Overweight and the BW reduction did not affect the estimates for the respiratory quotient (RQ) or the recovery factor for the ¹³C-tracer (RF), both needed when using the o¹³CBT. The dogs lost 16% (SD ± 2.0) of their initial BW in reduced fat mass (P < 0.001), whereas fat free mass (FFM) remained unchanged. There was no effect of the BW reduction on the determined EE expressed in kJ/kg BW/d, or in kJ/kg BW^0.75/d. However, EE was lower (P < 0.001) after the BW reduction program when expressed in relation to FFM (kJ/kg FFM/d).

Conclusions

Results from the present study show that the o¹³CBT can be a used in obesity research to determine EE in fasted dogs and under resting conditions. Furthermore, the results suggest that the BMR does not change with reduced BW in overweight dogs as long as the FFM remains unchanged. This indicates that the BMR to maintain one gram of fat is equal to maintaining one gram of FFM in overweight dogs.     

Isolation of Streptococcus suis from 2 lambs with a history of lameness

Streptococcus suis was isolated postmortem from 2 lambs with a history of lameness. Identity of S. suis was confirmed by species-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. One isolate was untypable by serotyping and non-encapsulated, while the other isolate was serotype 33. The lambs had come from the same farm, and there was no evidence of contact between the lambs and pigs. Although the natural niche for S. suis is considered to be the pig, a wide range of host species may be affected by this pathogen.     

The apparent prevalence of skin lesions suspected to be human-inflicted in Danish finishing pigs at slaughter

Skin lesions on pigs inflicted by humans compromise animal welfare and are the subject of increased public and political attention in Denmark. Systematic surveillance of such skin lesions was enforced in April 2010 at all Danish pig abattoirs, through the recording of meat inspection Code 904 for the presence of skin lesions suspected to be human inflicted. The objectives of the present study were to (a) estimate the apparent prevalence of Code 904s at the pig and herd owner level; (b) characterise the distribution of deliveries with pigs demonstrating a Code 904; (c) characterise the distribution of herd owners with repeated Code 904 recordings; and (d) determine the developments in Code 904 prevalence over time in Danish finishing pigs in the period from May 1, 2010 to September 30, 2013.     

Use of monthly collected milk yields for the detection of the emergence of the 2007 French BTV epizootic

Two culicoides-borne diseases, Bluetongue (BTV) and Schmallenberg, have emerged in the European cattle population since 2006. Other diseases transmitted by these vectors could emerge. This justifies the development of syndromic surveillance programs whereby one or several indicators would be routinely monitored for the early detection of emerging diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate milk yield from milk recording in dairy cattle as an indicator to be included in an emerging disease surveillance system. It was hypothesized that emergences would result in episodes of low milk production clustered in space and time. The 2007 BTV epizootic in France was used as a case study. Because it had already emerged in neighbouring countries, the disease emergence was expected and notification was mandatory. Herd-test-day milk productions were predicted for the entire country for 2006 and 2007 from herd historical data using linear mixed models. The differences between observed and predicted milk productions were averaged per week and per municipality and used as input for a space-time prospective scan statistic. Log likelihood ratios (LLR) associated with clusters were used to define alarms. The threshold chosen was a trade-off between detection timeliness and the number of false alarms per week. The first four BTV notifications occurred on the 12th (two notifications), 13th and 27th of July 2007. The 12th of July was considered to be the date of emergence. Alarms occurring before the 1st of March 2007 were considered to be false alarms. Using an LLR of 50, there were an average of 1.7 false alarms per week and the BTV emergence was detected seven weeks after emergence. Using an LLR of 100, there were an average of 0.8 false alarms per week and the BTV emergence was detected 9 weeks after emergence. Detection may have been delayed because of a discontinuation of milk recording between mid-July and mid-August. The first cluster with an LLR > 100 located in the emergence area was further investigated. A difference between observed and predicted production of >1 kg/cow/day was observed around the time of emergence. However, a difference of equal magnitude was observed during the year preceding the outbreak. Milk production predicted from herd history alone did not allow the detection of the 2007 BTV emergence in France. Further research should be conducted on improving the prediction of test-day milk yield and on combining it with other indicators based on routinely collected data.