The relative influence of catchment and site variables on fish and macroinvertebrate richness in cerrado biome streams

Landscape and site-scale data analyses aid the interpretation of biological data and thereby help us develop more cost-effective natural resource management strategies. Our study focused on environmental influences on stream assemblages and we evaluated how three classes of environmental variables (geophysical landscape, land use and cover, and site habitat), influence fish and macroinvertebrate assemblage richness in the Brazilian Cerrado biome. We analyzed our data through use of multiple linear regression (MLR) models using the three classes of predictor variables alone and in combination. The four MLR models explained dissimilar amounts of benthic macroinvertebrate taxa richness (geophysical landscape R ² ≈ 35 %, land use and cover R ² ≈ 28 %, site habitat R ² ≈ 36 %, and combined R ² ≈ 51 %). For fish assemblages, geophysical landscape, land use and cover, site habitat, and combined models explained R ² ≈ 28 %, R ² ≈ 10 %, R ² ≈ 31 %, and R ² ≈ 47 % of the variability in fish species richness, respectively. We conclude that (1) environmental variables differed in the degree to which they explain assemblage richness, (2) the amounts of variance in assemblage richness explained by geophysical landscape and site habitat were similar, (3) the variables explained more variability in macroinvertebrate taxa richness than in fish species richness, and (4) all three classes of environmental variables studied were useful for explaining assemblage richness in Cerrado headwater streams. These results help us to understand the drivers of assemblage patterns at regional scales in tropical areas.     

Replacement of fishmeal in diets for Australian silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus (Mitchell). II. Effects of cooking on digestibility of a practical diet containing different starch products

Abstract The interactive effects of cooking and starch type on the dry matter, gross energy and protein digestibility of diets fed to fingerling silver perch were examined. Nine experimental diets were made: a reference diet either uncooked or cooked, six other diets comprising uncooked reference diet supplemented with 30% uncooked or cooked wheat, maize or potato starch and one diet comprising uncooked reference diet supplemented with 15% pregelatinized maize starch. Cooking involved autoclaving at 121 °C for 15 min. The indirect method was used to calculate apparent digestibility coefficients, and chromic oxide (1%) was used as the inert indicator. Both ingredient type and cooking influenced dry matter and gross energy digestibility of diets. All diets had significantly different digestibility coefficients in the following order (from most to least digestible): reference > wheat > maize > potato, for both dry matter and gross energy. Cooking significantly increased the apparent digestibility of diets for both dry matter and gross energy. There was no significant effect of ingredient or cooking or their interaction on protein digestibility. Dry matter and energy digestibility of the diet containing pregelatinized maize starch were significantly higher than for diets containing cooked or uncooked starch products. Ingredient digestibility followed the same trend as diet digestibility. The results from this study indicate that the successful use of starch in practical diets for silver perch is dependent on the origin and processing of the starch. The significant benefits of cooking in the reference diet suggest that pelleted diets should be cooked (e.g. steam conditioned or extruded).     

Diabetes and hypertension increases in a society with abdominal obesity: results of the Mexican National Health Survey 2000

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalences of overweight, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HT) in the Mexican population and compare them with those of a previous Mexican urban survey and an American survey. DESIGN: A structured, randomised, nationally representative Mexican sample was compared with a 1993 Mexican urban survey and the US Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES III) of non-Hispanic Whites. SETTING: The Mexican National Health Survey 2000.Subjects: Subjects were 12,856 men and 28,332 women, aged 20-69 years, who had their body weight, height, waist circumference (WC), blood pressure and fasting capillary blood glucose measured. RESULTS: Mexican adult men and women had a high prevalence of overweight (41.3 and 36.3%, respectively) and obesity (19.4 and 29.0%, respectively), similar to those in the USA in 1988-1992 and exceeding those of the 1993 Mexican survey. The prevalence of HT was 33.3% in men and 25.6% in women, with inferred DM rates of 5.6 and 9.7%, respectively. Abdominal obesity affected 46.3% of men (WC>or=94 cm) and 81.4% of women (WC>or=80 cm). There was a high prevalence of abdominal obesity in normal-weight women, with co-morbidities relating better to WC than to body mass index (BMI) in both sexes. Rates of DM and HT exceeded US rates on a comparable BMI or WC basis in adults aged <50 years. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity in Mexicans is associated with markedly increased prevalences of DM and HT to levels comparable with, or even higher than, those in NHANES III of non-Hispanic Whites.     

Serological and parasitological survey of dourine in the Arsi–Bale highlands of Ethiopia

This study was conducted from August 2005 to January 2007 to determine prevalence and distribution of dourine in horses and to investigate the occurrence of clinical and carrier cases in donkeys and mules in the Arsi–Bale highlands. Study methodology was based on questionnaire, serological, clinical and parasitological survey. The questionnaire indicated that dourine is a major health problem of equines in the Arsi–Bale highlands. Though dourine is commonly observed throughout the year, it has a seasonal character and occurs mostly during the breeding season from June to late September. Serological screening of 646 horses showed a seroprevalence of 184 (28%), 161 (25%) and 125 (19%) for card agglutination test for trypanosomosis, LATEX and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, respectively. Risk factors were parity number, previous history of abortion and body condition score. No trypanosomes could be detected by Giemsa staining or by haematocrit centrifugation technique. Ten puppies inoculated with blood samples, genital washes and oedematous fluids remained parasitologically negative. Different characteristic signs of dourine were observed. During the genital stage, mares showed vaginal oedema, discharge and presence of depigmented scars over the external genitalia. In stallions, oedema of the scrotum and prepuce, prepucial and urethral discharge, and ulceration of the genital mucosae mainly of the penile were observed. In both sexes, lameness in one or both legs, partial dragging and stiffness of the hind legs and incoordination were the dominant signs observed as nervous form of the disease.     

Changing rainfall patterns and farmers’ adaptation through soil water management practices in semi-arid eastern Kenya

There is limited documentation of soil and water management technologies that enhance adaptation to climate change in drylands of Kenya. Rainfall patterns were analyzed in the semi-arid Machakos and Makueni counties of eastern Kenya using historical data. A total of forty-three smallholder farmers implementing soil water management practices were sampled, and an estimate of the seasonal water budget for current crop and livestock production systems computed. Analysis of rainfall amounts and distribution shows increasing variability, with the average annual total amounts decreasing over the past 50 years. Furthermore, the number of rainy days within the March-April-May season that can support crop growth is gradually decreasing. These decreases are however not significant at P < 0.05. There were more seasons with low rainfall amounts compared to those with high rainfall amounts. All these subject the smallholder crop and livestock production system to limited soil moisture. Farmers address the risk by harnessing and utilizing green (rainfall stored in soil) and blue (rainfall collected into storage tanks) water technologies. The study found that farmers in these semi-arid counties practice fifteen diverse soil and water management interventions on their farms. The most popular practices are cut-off drains, retention ditches, terracing, run-off harvesting, and agroforestry. The estimated seasonal water budget indicates the need for integrated soil and water management interventions to address the crop and livestock production constraints.     

头骨形态指标鉴别水貂来源有效性的评估

人工驯养野生动物是获取野生动物产品的重要手段,但是非法盗猎的野生动物产品以人工饲养的名义进入市场,就会对野生动物的保护形成挑战。因此,准确鉴别市场上的动物产品是来自养殖场还是野外,是保护野外种群,维持养殖业正常秩序的关键。本研究以北美水貂(Neovison vison)为例,基于颧骨内侧空间(ZAS)、颧宽(ZAA和ZBA)、颅基长(BSL)、下颌长(MDL)、眶后收缩(POC)和最大面部宽度(GFB)等量度,建立了9个头骨形态计量学指标:POC/GFB、POC/BSL、POC/MDL、ZAS SQRT/BSL、ZA SSQRT/MDL、ZBA×BSL/2ZAS、ZBA×MDL/2ZAS、ZBB×BSL/2ZAS和ZBB×MDL/2ZAS。野生组(n=32,9雄23雌)和饲养组(n=45,35雄10雌)的比较表明,除POC/GFB外,所有指标对于在两组样品之间均有显著差异,整体判别正确率为73.2%—85.5%。在性别已知的情况下,雄性的整体正确率为82.4%—93.8%,雌性为41.7%—85.7%。为此,应针对不同性别、不同来源的动物建立相应的参考数据,利用似然比进行鉴别。本研究的结果不仅可用于北美水貂的鉴别,也为其他小型食肉动物的鉴别提供经验。