Population‐level effects of egg predation on a native planktivore in a large freshwater lake

Using a 37‐year recruitment time series, we uncovered a field pattern revealing a strong, inverse relationship between bloater Coregonus hoyi recruitment success and slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus biomass in Lake Michigan (United States), one of the largest freshwater lakes of the world. Given that slimy sculpins (and deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii) are known egg predators that spatiotemporally overlap with incubating bloater eggs, we used recently published data on sculpin diets and daily ration to model annual bloater egg consumption by sculpins for the 1973–2010 year‐classes. Although several strong year‐classes were produced in the late 1980s when the proportion of eggs consumed by slimy sculpins was extremely low (i.e., <0.001) and several weak year‐classes were produced when the proportion of bloater eggs consumed was at its highest (i.e., >0.10–1.0), egg predation failed to explain why recruitment was weak for the 1995–2005 year‐classes when the proportion consumed was also low (i.e., <0.02). We concluded that egg predation by slimy and deepwater sculpins could have limited bloater recruitment in some years, but that some undetermined factor was more important in many other years. Given that slimy sculpin densities are influenced by piscivorous lake trout Salvelinus namaycush, the restoration of which in Lake Michigan has lagged behind those in lakes Superior and Huron, our study highlights the importance of an ecosystem perspective when considering population dynamics of fishes.     

Turbidity‐induced changes in emergent effects of multiple predators with different foraging strategies

Abstract – In natural systems, prey frequently interact with multiple predators and the outcome often cannot be predicted by summing the effects of individual predator species. Multiple predator interactions can create emergent effects for prey, but how those change across environmental gradients is poorly understood. Turbidity is an environmental factor in aquatic systems that may influence multiple predator effects on prey. Interactions between a cruising predator (largemouth bass Micropterus salmoides) and an ambush predator (muskellunge Esox masquinongy) and their combination foraging on a shared prey (bluegill Lepomis macrochirus) were examined across a turbidity gradient. Turbidity modified multiple predator effects on prey. In clear water, combined predators consumed in total more prey than expected from individual predator treatments, suggesting risk enhancement for prey. In moderately turbid water, the predators consumed fewer prey together than expected, suggesting a risk reduction for prey. At high turbidity, there were no apparent emergent effects; however, the cruising predator consumed more prey than the ambush predator, suggesting an advantage for this predator. Understanding multiple predator traits across a gradient of turbidity increases our understanding of how complex natural systems function.     

Bordetella bronchiseptica-reactive antibodies in Canadian polar bears

Bordetella bronchiseptica is a promiscuous bacterium that infects a variety of species but has not been reported in free-ranging polar bears (Ursus maritimus). Sera from 385 polar bears from the western Hudson Bay region, 1986 to 2017, were tested for reactivity to B. bronchiseptica with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays using anti-canine IgG and Streptococcus protein G as secondary reagents. Sera from bears had variable reactivity to B. bronchiseptica antigens, and there was no difference among bears that had a history of coming near the town of Churchill, Manitoba, and bears that did not. Although the sources of exposure were not determined, equivalent results in both groups suggest that potential exposure to humans (aside from handling during sampling) and their animals (dogs) was not an important co-factor in sero-positivity to B. bronchiseptica.     

Influence of amount and frequency of protein supplementation to steers consuming low-quality,cool-season forage: intake,nutrient digestibility,and ruminal fermentation

This experiment evaluated the influence of protein supplementation frequency (SF) and amount offered on intake, nutrient digestibility, and ruminal fermentation by rumen-fistulated beef steers consuming low-quality [2.9% crude protein (CP); dry matter (DM) basis], cool-season forage. Seven Angus × Hereford steers (300 ± 27 kg) fitted with ruminal cannulas were randomly assigned to 1 of 7 treatments in an incomplete 7 × 4 Latin square. Treatments, in a 2 × 3 factorial design plus a non-supplemented control (CON), consisted of 2 levels of supplemental soybean meal, 100% (F) or 50% (H) of the estimated rumen-degradable protein requirement, provided daily (D), once every 5 d (5D), or once every 10 d (10D). Experimental periods were 30 d and dry matter intake (DMI) was measured from days 19 to 28. On days 21 (all supplements provided) and 30 (only daily supplements provided; day immediately prior to supplementation for 5D and 10D treatments) ruminal fluid was collected for ruminal pH, ammonia-N (NH₃), volatile fatty acids (VFA), and determination of ruminal fermentation variables. Forage and total DM, organic matter (OM), and nitrogen (N) intake increased with supplementation (P ≤ 0.04). However, a linear effect of SF × amount of supplement interaction was observed for forage and total DM, OM, and N intake (P ≤ 0.04), with each variable decreasing as SF decreased, but the decrease being greater with F vs. H. Apparent total tract DM, OM, and neutral detergent fiber digestibility was not affected by supplementation or amount of supplement provided (P ≥ 0.10). In contrast, N digestibility increased with supplementation and for F vs. H (P < 0.01). Digestibility of DM, OM, and N increased linearly as SF decreased (P ≤ 0.03). When all supplements were provided, ruminal NH₃, total VFA, and molar proportions of all individual VFA increased with supplementation (P ≤ 0.04), whereas acetate:propionate ratio decreased (P < 0.01). When only daily supplements were provided, none of the aforementioned fermentation parameters were affected (P ≥ 0.09). In summary, reducing the amount of supplemental CP provided to ruminants consuming low-quality forages, when supplementation intervals are >5 d, can be a management tool to maintain acceptable levels of DMI, nutrient digestibility, and ruminal fermentation while reducing supplementation cost.     

An investigation of links between metabolic rate and feed efficiency in European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax

Feed efficiency (FE) is the amount of body weight gain for a given feed intake. Improving FE through selective breeding is key for sustainable finfish aquaculture but its evaluation at individual level is technically challenging. We therefore investigated whether individual routine metabolic rate (RMR) was a predictor of individual FE in the European sea bass Dicentrarchus labrax, a major species in European mariculture. The European sea bass has three genetically distinct populations across its geographical range, namely Atlantic (AT), West Mediterranean (WM), and East Mediterranean (EM). We compared FE and RMR of fish from these three populations at 18 or 24 °C. We held 200 fish (62 AT, 66 WM, and 72 EM) in individual aquaria and fed them from ad libitum down to fasting. FI was assessed for an ad libitum feeding rate and for a fixed restricted ration (1% of metabolic body weight·day⁻¹, with metabolic body weight = body weight^0.8). After being refed 12 wk in a common tank, individual RMR was measured over 36 h by intermittent flow respirometry. There was a significant effect of temperature whereby fish at 18 °C had greater mean FE (P < 0.05) and lower RMR (P < 0.001). There was also a significant effect of population, where AT fish had lower FE (P < 0.05) and greater RMR (P < 0.001) than WM and EM, at both temperatures. Despite these differences in temperature and population means, individual FE and RMR were not significantly correlated (P > 0.05). Therefore, although the results provide evidence of an association between metabolic rate and FE, RMR was not a predictor of individual FE, for reasons that require further investigation.     

Influence of amount and frequency of protein supplementation to ruminants consuming low-quality cool-season forages: efficiency of nitrogen utilization in lambs and performance of gestating beef cows

We evaluated the influence of amount and crude protein (CP) supplementation frequency (SF) on nitrogen (N) use by wethers and the performance of late-gestation beef cows. In exp. 1, seven Western whiteface wethers (31.8 ± 1.4 kg) were used in an incomplete 7 × 4 Latin square to evaluate intake and N use. Wethers received one of the seven treatments in a 2 × 3 factorial design containing two levels of supplemental soybean meal offered at a rate of 100% (F) or 50% (H; 50% of F) of the estimated CP requirement daily, once every 5, or once every 10 d, plus a non-supplemented control (CON). Low-quality cool-season forage (4.9 % CP; dry matter [DM] basis) was provided daily for ad libitum intake. Experimental periods lasted 30 d. In exp. 2, 84 Angus × Hereford cows (560 ± 35 kg) were stratified by age, body condition score (BCS), and expected calving date and allocated to 1 of the 21 feedlot pens (three pens per treatment). Pens were randomly assigned to receive the same treatments as in exp. 1 and cows had free access to low-quality cool-season forage (2.9% CP; DM basis). Cow body weight (BW) and BCS were measured every 14 d until calving and within 24 h after calving. In exp. 1, supplementation did not alter total DM and organic matter (OM) intake (P ≥ 0.26), but both parameters linearly decreased as SF decreased (P = 0.02). Supplementation increased DM, OM, and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) digestibility (P ≤ 0.02). Additionally, F feeding linearly increased DM, OM, and NDF digestibility as SF decreased (P ≤ 0.04). Digestibility of N, N balance, and digested N retained were greater with supplementation (P < 0.01), and N digestibility linearly increased as SF decreased (P = 0.01). Mean plasma urea-N concentration was not only greater (P < 0.01) for supplemented vs. CON wethers but also greater (P = 0.03) for F vs. H. In exp. 2, pre-calving BCS change was greater (P = 0.03) for supplemented cows. A linear effect of SF × supplementation rate for pre-calving BCS change was noted (P = 0.05), as F-supplemented cows lost more BCS compared with H as SF decreased. When considering supplementation intervals greater than 5 d, reducing the quantity of supplement provided, compared with daily supplementation, may be a feasible management strategy to maintain acceptable nutrient use and animal performance while reducing supplement and labor costs.     

Genetics of equine bleeding disorders

Genetic bleeding disorders can have a profound impact on a horse's health and athletic career. As such, it is important to understand the mechanisms of these diseases and how they are diagnosed. These diseases include haemophilia A, von Willebrand disease, prekallikrein deficiency, Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia and Atypical Equine Thrombasthenia. Exercise-induced pulmonary haemorrhage also has a proposed genetic component. Genetic mutations have been identified for haemophilia A and Glanzmann's Thrombasthenia in the horse. Mutations are known for von Willebrand disease and prekallikrein deficiency in other species. In the absence of genetic tests, bleeding disorders are typically diagnosed by measuring platelet function, von Willebrand factor, and other coagulation protein levels and activities. For autosomal recessive diseases, genetic testing can prevent the breeding of two carriers.