Evaporation of intercepted rainfall from isolated evergreen oak trees: Do the crowns behave as wet bulbs?

A new approach is suggested for estimating evaporation of intercepted rainfall from single trees in sparse forests. It is shown that, theoretically, the surface temperature of a wet tree crown will depend on the available energy and windspeed. But for a fully saturated canopy under rainy conditions, surface temperature will approach the wet bulb temperature when available energy tends to zero. This was confirmed experimentally from measurements of the radiation balance, aerodynamic conductance for water vapour and surface temperature on an isolated tree crown. Net radiation over a virtual cylindrical surface, enclosing the tree crown, was monitored by a set of radiometers positioned around that surface. Aerodynamic conductance for the tree crown was derived by scaling up measurements of leaf boundary layer conductance using the heated leaf replica method. Thermocouples were used to measure the average leaf surface temperature. Results showed that a fully wet single tree crown behaves like a wet bulb, allowing evaporation of intercepted rainfall to be estimated by a simple diffusion equation for water vapour, which is not restricted by the assumptions of one-dimensional transfer models usually used at the stand scale. Using this approach, mean evaporation rate from wet, saturated tree crowns was 0.27 or 0.30 mm h^?1, when surface temperature was taken equal to the air wet bulb temperature or estimated accounting for the available energy, respectively.     

The effect of select seminal plasma proteins on endometrial mRNA cytokine expression in mares susceptible to persistent mating‐induced endometritis

In the horse, breeding induces a transient endometrial inflammation. A subset of mares are unable to resolve this inflammation, and they are considered susceptible to persistent mating‐induced endometritis PMIE Select seminal plasma proteins cysteine‐rich secretory protein‐3 (CRISP‐3) and lactoferrin have been shown to affect the innate immune response to sperm in vitro. The objective of this study was to determine whether the addition of CRISP‐3 and lactoferrin at the time of insemination had an effect on the mRNA expression of endometrial cytokines in susceptible mares after breeding. Six mares classified as susceptible to PMIE were inseminated during four consecutive oestrous cycles with treatments in randomized order of: 1 mg/ml CRISP‐3, 150 μg/ml lactoferrin, seminal plasma (positive control) or lactated Ringer's solution (LRS; negative control) to a total volume of 10 ml combined with 1 × 10⁹ spermatozoa pooled from two stallions. Six hours after treatment, an endometrial biopsy was obtained for qPCR analysis of selected genes associated with inflammation (pro‐inflammatory cytokines interleukin (IL)‐1β, IL‐8, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)‐α, interferon (INF)‐γ, anti‐inflammatory cytokines IL‐1RN and IL‐10, and inflammatory‐modulating cytokine IL‐6). Seminal plasma treatment increased the mRNA expression of IL‐1β (p = .019) and IL‐8 (p = .0068), while suppressing the mRNA expression of TNF (p = .0013). Lactoferrin also suppressed the mRNA expression of TNF (p = .0013). In conclusion, exogenous lactoferrin may be considered as one modulator of the complex series of events resulting in the poorly regulated pro‐inflammatory response seen in susceptible mares.     

Application of Fuzzy Logic to Qualify the Environmental Impact in Abandoned Mining Sites

This work deals with the topic of qualification and prioritization of environmental impact in abandoned mining sites using fuzzy logic. It aims to classify old mining sites and describe their environmental impact through a numeric index. This is variable in the interval [0,1], and was named as index of environmental impact (I _EI). Its determination was made through a fuzzy inference system that allows the integration of several characterization components. The system was supported by data obtained in five sites in NW Portugal, which is a paradigmatic region regarding the variety of typical environmental problems provoked by old metallic mines. These sites may be considered environmental patterns as they represent such regional diversity. In a general way, the I _EI can be applied to other sites where the existence of abandoned mining structures generates environmental impact.     

Senegalese sole juveniles (Solea senegalensis Kaup, 1858) grow equally well on diets devoid of fish meal provided the dietary amino acids are balanced

A growth trial was conducted with the aim of developing a practical, environmentally sustainable and cost-effective plant-protein-based diet for Senegalese sole juveniles without compromising growth or protein deposition. A reference diet contained fish meal as the main protein source (F45, containing 37% fish meal and 45% of the dietary protein being from marine sources) and four plant-protein diets either containing 5% (F15) or no fishmeal (F5). The F15 diet also contained 5% hydrolysed protein (CPSP) and 5% squid meal while the F5 contained 2% CPSP and 3% squid meal. The rest of the protein derived from a blend of soybean meal, corn and wheat gluten. Thus, the plant-protein fraction in these test diets ranged from 70–80%. The plant-based diets were supplemented either with a mixture of all indispensable amino acids (IAA) (F15 + IAA, F5 + IAA) or only with lysine (F15 + Lys, F5 + Lys). Triplicate groups of 18 fish of 9.5 g were fed by automatic feeders that distributed 8 meals over 24 h, for a period of 12 weeks.At the end of the experiment mean body weight more than tripled in all treatments (32.8 to 42.7 g). Sole fed with either F15 + Lys (33.3 g) or F5 + Lys (32.8 g) grew significantly less than all the other treatments. Protein productive value (PPV) was significantly lower in sole fed with F5 + Lys (0.30) than in all other treatments (0.34 to 0.37) while F5 + Lys (0.23) energy productive value (EPV) just differed significantly from fish fed with F45 (0.38). Moreover, protein gain (P gain) was significantly higher in sole fed with diet supplemented with all IAA (F15 + IAA and F5 + IAA) than those fed with diet with only lysine added (F15 + Lys and F5 + Lys) and a strong positive correlation between P gain and methionine (Met) intake was found (P = 0.00002).Dietary fish meal protein can be totally replaced by a mixture of plant-protein sources without any adverse effects on growth, feed or protein utilization provided the dietary amino acids are balanced. The test diet F5 + IAA seems a good alternative to use in Senegalese sole production when the main objective is to substitute an increasingly scarce ingredient – fish meal – without compromising fish performance. Moreover, for large-scale production feeds the F15 + Lys putatively supplemented with Met, Thr and Arg would be recommended.     

Water-use strategies in two co-occurring Mediterranean evergreen oaks: surviving the summer drought

In the Mediterranean evergreen oak woodlands of southern Portugal, the main tree species are Quercus ilex ssp. rotundifolia Lam. (holm oak) and Quercus suber L. (cork oak). We studied a savannah-type woodland where these species coexist, with the aim of better understanding the mechanisms of tree adaptation to seasonal drought. In both species, seasonal variations in transpiration and predawn leaf water potential showed a maximum in spring followed by a decline through the rainless summer and a recovery with autumn rainfall. Although the observed decrease in predawn leaf water potential in summer indicates soil water depletion, trees maintained transpiration rates above 0.7 mm day(-1) during the summer drought. By that time, more than 70% of the transpired water was being taken from groundwater sources. The daily fluctuations in soil water content suggest that some root uptake of groundwater was mediated through the upper soil layers by hydraulic lift. During the dry season, Q. ilex maintained higher predawn leaf water potentials, canopy conductances and transpiration rates than Q. suber. The higher water status of Q. ilex was likely associated with their deeper root systems compared with Q. suber. Whole-tree hydraulic conductance and minimum midday leaf water potential were lower in Q. ilex, indicating that Q. ilex was more tolerant to drought than Q. suber. Overall, Q. ilex seemed to have more effective drought avoidance and drought tolerance mechanisms than Q. suber.     

Evaluation of three seaweeds Gracilaria bursa-pastoris, Ulva rigida and Gracilaria cornea as dietary ingredients in European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inclusion of three seaweeds Gracilaria bursa-pastoris (GP), Ulva rigida (UR) and Gracilaria cornea (GC) as dietary ingredients on the performance, nutrient utilisation and body composition of European sea bass juveniles. Six experimental diets were formulated to replace 5% (GP-5, UR-5, and GC-5 Diets) and 10% (GP-10, UR-10 and GC-10 Diets) fish protein hydrolysate (CPSP) by each of the three seaweeds. A control diet was used, without inclusion of any seaweed. Diets were fed to duplicate groups of 25 European sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) juveniles (IBW = 4.7 g) for 10 weeks. Growth performance was only significantly reduced (P < 0.05) in fish fed the GC-10 diet, whereas the feed conversion ratio increased significantly in those fish. The apparent digestibility coefficients of dry matter and lipid were significantly lower in fish fed diet GC-10 relative to those fed the control diet. Carcass composition was similar among treatments, although fish fed GC-10 exhibited significantly higher ash content.The results obtained in this study suggest that the inclusion of G. bursa-pastoris (GP) and U. rigida (UR), up to 10%, can be considered as very interesting ingredients in diets for sea bass juveniles, as no negative consequences on growth performance, nutrient utilization or body composition were observed. On the other hand, the inclusion of G. cornea (GC) should be limited to 5% of the diet.     

Multivariate Analyses for Determining the Association of Field Porcine Fertility With Sperm Motion Traits Analysed by Computer‐Assisted Semen Analysis and With Sperm Morphology

This study investigates the association of semen traits with boar fertility. The fertility outcome (farrowing rate – FR and total piglets born – TB) of 14 boars was obtained from a field trial conducted during 10 week of breeding period on a commercial farm using multiparous sows (n = 948) through single‐sire mating with 2 × 10⁹ motile sperm cells per artificial insemination (AI) dose. Sperm motion parameters, evaluated with computer‐assisted semen analysis system in raw and stored semen at 17°C for 240 h, in addition to morphological sperm defects, measured on the collection day, were included in the analysis to determine which semen traits were important to discriminate the fertility potential of ejaculates from these boars. The data underwent multivariate cluster, canonical and discriminant analyses. Four clusters of boars were formed based on fertility outcome. One boar, with the lowest FR and TB values (89.7% and 11.98), and two boars, with the highest FR and TB values (97.8% and 14.16), were placed in different clusters. The other boars were separated in two distinct clusters (four and seven boars), including boars with intermediate TB (12.64 and 13.22) but divergent values for FR (95.9% vs 91.8%). Semen traits with higher discriminatory power included total motility, progressive motility, amplitude of lateral head displacement and cytoplasmatic droplets. Through multivariate discriminant analysis, more than 80% of the 140 ejaculates were correctly classified into their own group, showing that this analysis may be an efficient statistical tool to improve the discrimination of potential fertility of boars. Nevertheless, the validation of the relationship between fertility and semen traits using this statistical approach needs to be performed on a larger number of farms and with a greater number of boars.     

Supplementation of suckling beef calves with different levels of crude protein on tropical pasture

The effects of supplementation with different levels of crude protein on performance, intake and nutrient digestibility and efficiency of microbial protein synthesis in suckling beef calves on pasture were assessed. Fifty-five calves, with an average age of 100 days and an initial average body weight of 110?±?7.5 kg and their respective dams, were used. The experimental design was completely randomised with five treatments and 11 replications. The experimental treatments for calves were as follows: control = calves received only mineral mixture; supplementation levels = calves received supplement containing 8, 19, 30 or 41 % of crude protein (CP, at a rate of 0.5 % of body weight (BW)). The cows received only mineral mixture ad libitum. Supplemented calves had higher (P?<?0.1) average daily gain (ADG). Protein levels showed a quadratic effect (P?<?0.1) on average daily gain (ADG) of calves. There was no difference in total dry matter (DM) intake (P?>?0.1). However, intake of dry matter forage (DMF) presented cubic profiles (P?<?0.1), with CP levels in the supplements. Supplementation increased (P?<?0.1) the digestibility of nutrients, except for the digestibility of neutral detergent fibre. Supplementation increased (P?<?0.1) the production of microbial nitrogen and N losses in urine. It can be concluded that multiple supplementations optimise the performance of beef calves on creep feeding. The intake of supplements with CP levels between 8 and 30 % partially replaces of the pasture ingested by calves and increases the digestibility of the diet.     

Ergot alkaloids reduce circulating serotonin in the bovine

Ergot alkaloids can interact with several serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine [5-HT]) receptors provoking many physiological responses. However, it is unknown whether ergot alkaloid consumption influences 5-HT or its metabolites. Thus, two experiments were performed to evaluate the effect of ergot alkaloid feeding on 5-HT metabolism. In exp. 1, 12 Holstein steers (260 ± 3 kg body weight [BW]) were used in a completely randomized design. The treatments were the dietary concentration of ergovaline: 0, 0.862, and 1.282 mg/kg of diet. The steers were fed ad libitum, kept in light and temperature cycles mimicking the summer, and had blood sampled before and 15 d after receiving the treatments. The consumption of ergot alkaloids provoked a linear decrease (P = 0.004) in serum 5-HT. However, serum 5-hydroxytryptophan and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid did not change (P > 0.05) between treatments. In exp. 2, four ruminally cannulated Holstein steers (318 ± 3 kg BW) were used in a 4 × 4 Latin square design to examine the difference between seed sources on 5-HT metabolism. Treatments were: control—tall fescue seeds free of ergovaline, KY 32 seeds (L42-16-2K32); 5Way—endophyte-infected seeds, 5 way (L152-11-1739); KY31—endophyte-infected seeds, KY 31 (M164-16-SOS); and Millennium—endophyte-infected seeds, 3rd Millennium (L108-11-76). The endophyte-infected seed treatments were all adjusted to provide an ergovaline dosage of 15 μg/kg BW. The basal diet provided 1.5-fold the net energy requirement for maintenance. The seed treatments were dosed directly into the rumen before feeding. The experiment lasted 84 d and was divided into four periods. In each period, the steers received seeds for 7 d followed by a 14-d washout. Blood samples were collected on day 0 (baseline) and day 7 for evaluating the treatment response in each period. A 24 h urine collection was performed on day 7. Similar to exp. 1, serum 5-HT decreased (P = 0.008) with the consumption of all endophyte-infected seed treatments. However, there was no difference (P > 0.05) between the infected seeds. The urinary excretion of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid in the urine was not affected (P > 0.05) by the presence of ergot alkaloids. In conclusion, the consumption of ergot alkaloids decreases serum 5-HT with no difference between the source of endophyte-infected seeds in the bovine.