The evolution of agriculture in ants

Cultivation of fungi for food by fungus-growing ants (Attini: Formicidae) originated about 50 million years ago. The subsequent evolutionary history of this agricultural symbiosis was inferred from phylogenetic and population-genetic patterns of 553 cultivars isolated from gardens of "primitive" fungus-growing ants. These patterns indicate that fungus-growing ants succeeded at domesticating multiple cultivars, that the ants are capable of switching to novel cultivars, that single ant species farm a diversity of cultivars, and that cultivars are shared occasionally between distantly related ant species, probably by lateral transfer between ant colonies.     

Pharmacokinetics of carprofen and firocoxib for medication control in racing greyhounds

Animals used in sport should be treated as required to ensure animal welfare but any such use of medication should also be controlled to ensure integrity. Pharmacokinetic studies on groups of six greyhounds were performed to measure plasma and urine levels of carprofen and firocoxib to inform medication control advice. Using the standard methodology for medication control the Irrelevant Plasma Concentration was determined as 20 and 2 ng/mL for carprofen and firocoxib, respectively. The Irrelevant Urine Concentration was also determined as 0.3 and 2 ng/mL for carprofen and firocoxib, respectively. These Irrelevant Plasma and Urine Concentrations will allow laboratory Screening Limits, Detection Times and Withdrawal Time advice to be determined and publicised by regulators of greyhound racing. The Screening Limits will also inform Recommended Limits of Detection if meat-containing residues of these medications are fed to greyhounds.     

腐殖酸液浸苗对匙叶翼首草产量和品质的影响

基于腐殖酸液肥在烤烟、冬小麦等农作物及辣椒等蔬菜生产的良好表现,为了拓宽该肥料的使用范围,采用单因素随机区组设计,研究了腐殖酸液肥浸苗对匙叶翼首草产量和品质的影响。结果表明:匙叶翼首草用不同浓度的腐殖酸液肥浸苗后移栽可以显著提高其产量,且0.6%腐殖酸溶液浸苗处理产量最高,较对照增产25.06%,还可以显著提高匙叶翼首草中的糖含量,同时降低灰分含量。腐殖酸液浓度增大到0.8%时不但产量降低,而且匙叶翼首草的品质也降低了。     

两种人工栽培藏茵陈生物学特性的研究

通过椭圆叶花猫(Halenia elliptica D.Don)、四数獐牙菜(Swertia tetraptera maxim)的人工栽培试验表明:两种藏茵陈植物都为两年生草本,第一年仅以叶簇形态生枝条不伸长,只进行营养生长,生长第二年枝条才开始伸长,开花结实后完成生活史;两种藏茵陈播种时间都以秋播为宜,有利于自然通过低温春化作用打破种子休眠,促进翌年春天种子萌发,显著提高田间出苗率;两种藏茵陈通过人工栽培,其茎、叶都比野生植物生长高大、粗壮,可大幅提高生药产量,是保护珍稀野生植物资源的有效途径之一;两种藏茵陈50%以上的种子在土壤中有较长期的休眠特性,一般在一年中的春秋两季萌发,所以适当增加播种量第二年后可使田间一年、二年生植株同时生长,对生药生产可连年持续收获产品,免去了对土壤的耕、翻、耙、种等作业,从而可有效降低栽培成本。     

预防组培中蓖麻子叶节玻璃化的研究

为了预防蓖麻子叶节在组织培养过程中的玻璃化现象,以建立其高效的遗传转化体系,本实验对影响子叶节生长状态的几个因素进行了初步研究。结果表明,在胚轴、子叶均为淡黄色的时期切取蓖麻子叶节,接种在1/8MS、内含10g/L琼脂粉、20g/L蔗糖、8.0mg/LZT、1.0mg/LNAA的培养基中进行培养,能有效地预防蓖麻子叶节玻璃化。     

大果沙棘全光照喷雾嫩枝扦插育苗试验

在全光照自动喷雾条件下,对大果沙棘嫩枝插条采用IBA、NAA、ABT-l号、ABT-2号4种植物生长调节剂,各3种浓度梯度的浸泡处理2 h,可明显促进插条生根。在供试的13种处理中,IBA 100 m g.L-1处理效果最好,生根率可达到98.8%。     

Immunosuppressant Effect of Long Term and Subtherapeutic Chlortetracycline in Broiler

Experiments were conducted with 270 Abore Acre male broilers to study the influence of dietary chlortetracycline (CTC) on the bursal, thymus and spleen weight index and T, B cell proliferation and antibody responses of broilers. Results show that 50mg/kg CTC had no significant inhibitory effect on thymus and spleen weight index, and T, B cell proliferation of broilers at 21 days old. 150mg/kg CTC had significant inhibitory effect on bursal, thymus and spleen, and T, B cell proliferation (P＜0.05). Dietary CTC had a direct inhibitory effect on lymphocyte proliferation in vitro. 50mg/kg and 150mg/kg CTC had a significant inhibitory effect on the antibody responses to BSA (P＜0.01). Results demonstrated that subtherapeutic and long term CTC had significant inhibitory effects on immune organs and antibody response. The immunosuppressant effect became higher when the level of CTC increased. 150mg/kg CTC increased the growth rate of broilers significantly.     

葡萄糖氧化酶和酵母硒混合添加剂对肉鸡生产性能和免疫指标的影响

本文旨在研究以葡萄糖氧化酶和酵母硒为主要成分的混合添加剂,在规模化养殖条件下,对肉鸡生产性能、免疫器官指数和血清蛋白指标的影响。将5 000只1日龄爱拔益加(AA)肉鸡,随机分为2个组,分别为对照组和试验组,每个组设4个重复,每个重复625只鸡。对照组饲喂玉米-豆粕基础饲粮,试验组饲喂基础饲粮+0.2%混合添加剂(葡萄糖氧化酶和酵母硒)。试验期为42 d。结果表明,1)生产性能:在肉鸡不同日龄阶段(1~21日龄、22~42日龄和1~42日龄),试验组的平均日采食量(ADFI)、平均日增重(ADG)均显著高于对照组(P0.05),ADFI分别提高了2.58%、1.55%和1.83%,ADG分别提高了1.67%、6.93%和6.66%;试验组料重比(F/G)显著低于对照组(P0.05),分别降低了3.36%、5.13%和4.44%。在肉鸡生长全期(1~42日龄),试验组肉鸡死亡率显著低于对照组(P0.05)。2)屠宰性能:21日龄试验组肉鸡屠宰率、全净膛率、半净膛率显著高于对照组(P0.05),分别提高2.35%、4.11%和3.23%,42日龄肉鸡屠宰指标在试验组与对照组之间无显著差异(P0.05)。3)免疫器官指数:21日龄时,试验组肉鸡法氏囊指数显著高于对照组(P0.05),脾脏指数和胸腺指数在2组之间无显著差异(P0.05);42日龄时,试验组肉鸡胸腺指数显著高于对照组(P0.05),脾脏指数和法氏囊指数略有提高(P0.05)。4)血清指标:21日龄时,试验组肉鸡血清总蛋白含量显著高于对照组(P0.05);42日龄时,试验组肉鸡血清球蛋白含量显著高于对照组(P0.05)。在肉鸡21、42日龄时,试验组血清尿素氮含量显著低于对照组(P0.05)。综上,肉鸡饲粮使用含葡萄糖氧化酶和酵母硒的混合添加剂,能够提高肉鸡生产性能,降低死亡率,提高免疫器官指数和降低血清尿素氮含量。     

2000-2014年浑善达克沙地植被覆盖变化研究

基于2000-2014年间植被生长季(4-10月)的MODIS NDVI数据反演浑善达克沙地地区植被覆盖变化,结合2000-2013年该地区周边11个气象站点的气温和降水数据,分别从年际变化和月变化角度分析该地区植被覆盖变化对气候变化的响应。研究表明,浑善达克沙地植被NDVI,不论是植被生长季平均值,还是其各月份值都呈上升趋势。研究区植被覆盖度的显著增加是气候和人为因素综合作用的结果, 一定程度上反映了生态恢复重建措施的有效性,但其植被NDVI年际变化趋势与降水量的关系更密切,其相关系数达到0.75,是驱动植被覆盖年际波动的最直接因素。在空间分布上,研究区的南部、中部和北部边缘区域的植被覆盖增加趋势较明显,而中部和西部部分区域未发生明显的趋势性变化。从月变化来看,4月草地植被变化受气温变化影响较明显;5-8月与前一月降水变化关系密切,说明植被生长对降水变化具有一定的滞后性。从沙地类型植被覆盖年际变化趋势看,所有类型都呈增加态势,增加态势最大的类型是移动沙地,最小的是固定沙地。     

Managing anthelmintic resistance: Is it feasible in New Zealand to delay the emergence of resistance to a new anthelmintic class?

The recent registration in New Zealand of the first new class of broad-spectrum anthelmintic, for use against nematode parasites of ruminants, in nearly three decades has raised the possibility that parasite management practices could be improved to minimise the emergence of resistance to the new drug. A review of knowledge pertaining to the selection of anthelmintic resistance in nematode parasites of sheep highlights a number of management practices which could be altered to achieve this.

A number of previously common practices such as whole-flock treatment of adult ewes around lambing, and treatment of lambs as they are moved onto pastures with low parasite contamination have been clearly identified as high risk for selecting resistant parasites. Once high-risk practices have been identified steps can be taken to either eliminate their use or mitigate the associated risk. Much of the focus on the management of resistance around the world is on the retention of susceptible genotypes in refugia. While approaches to retaining unselected parasites are likely to vary around the world, empirical studies indicate that the practice is likely to be effective at slowing the development of resistance. The challenge for farmers and advisors will be to strike a balance between retaining sufficient susceptible para-sites to usefully delay the development of resistance while not unduly compromising animal performance and farm profitability. The merits of combining different classes of anthelmintic in order to slow the development of resistance remains somewhat contentious in some countries. However, the attributes of oral anthelmintics are such that they seem likely to meet most, if not all, of the criteria for combinations to be highly effective at slowing the build-up of resistance in nematode parasites.

It is evident that considerable progress has been made in understanding the factors involved in selecting anthelmintic-resistant nematodes since the last broad-spectrum anthelmintic class was released in the early 1980s. Therefore, it should be possible to manage a new class of anthelmintic in such a way as to significantly extend its effective life. The challenge is likely to be in convincing farmers of the merits of adopting such pro-active strategies.