Rescue and relocation of benthic organisms during an urban‐port development project: Port of Manzanillo,case study

1. The present study originated with the expansion of the boardwalk within the urban and port area of Manzanillo, México. Prior to civil works related to the placement of tetrapods, surveys of potential sites for the relocation of benthic organisms in alternative areas were carried out.
2. Based on indicators of the physical–chemical environment and biotic factors, nine areas with potential for relocation were evaluated. The areas of greatest potential were associated with environments located away from the influence of the port environment.
3. A total of 13,559 benthic organisms belonging to 68 species associated with three main substratum types (rocky, sandy, and mixed) were collected. There were no differences in the ecological indices between the three substrata.
4. The proximity of the collection area to the influence of port traffic and sources of pollution associated with the physical environment could be an important factor that affects ecological indices and the reduction in the abundance of some protected species and species of commercial interest.
5. The success of collection and relocation processes depends on minimizing possible errors, especially during transportation, when overcrowding, handling, and damage resulting from variable physico‐chemical conditions should be avoided.
6. Through a scheme of actions based on ecological principles, management actions, and civil engineering technology, it was possible to carry out mitigation, conservation, and habitat improvement actions in coastal marine environments exposed to anthropogenic impacts.

     

Rapid seed multiplication by planting into beds micro tubers and in vitro plants

Summary Micro tubers of 3 weight categories with means of 0.63 g, 1.25 g or 2.50 g and in vitro plants were planted in nursery beds at densities of 24 and 48 plants per m². The average tuber numbers and tuber weights were, respectively, 38% and 17% higher at 48 than at 24 plants per m². In vitro plants produced significantly more but smaller tubers than did plants grown from micro tubers. Plants grown from the larger micro tubers produced a similar number of tubers but larger ones than did plants grown from small micro tubers. Tuber yields and multiplication rates are discussed.     

Identification of Polymorphisms in the Osteopontin Gene and Their Associations with Certain Semen Production Traits of Water Buffaloes in the Brazilian Amazon

The osteopontin gene may influence the fertility of water buffaloes because it is a protein present in sperm. The aim of this work was to identify polymorphisms in this gene and associate them with fertility parameters of animals kept under extensive grazing. A total of 306 male buffaloes older than 18 months, from two farms, one in the state of Amapá and the other in the state of Pará, Brazil were used in the study. Seven SNPs were identified in the regions studied. The polymorphisms were in gene positions 1478, 1513 and 1611 in the region 5′upstrem and positions 6690, 6737, 6925 and 6952 in the region amplified in intron 5. The SNPs were associated with the traits, namely scrotal circumference, scrotal volume, sperm motility, sperm concentration and sperm pathology. There were significant SNPs (p < 0.05) for all the traits. The SNP 6690 was significant for scrotal circumference, sperm concentration, sperm motility and sperm pathology and the SNP 6737 for scrotal volume. The genotype AA of SNP 6690 presented the highest averages for scrotal circumference, sperm concentration and motility and the lowest total number of sperm pathologies. For the scrotal volume trait, the animals with the largest volume were correlated with the presence of the genotype GG of SNP 6737. These results indicate a significance of the osteopontin gene as it seems to exert a substantial influence on the semen production traits of male buffaloes.     

Agromorphological genetic diversity of Spanish traditional melons

The variability of 62 Spanish landraces (and two hybrids used as reference) was described by analysing 39 morphological traits and eight SSR makers. Results showed that 81% of the examined genetic pool belonged to the inodorus type. Spanish traditional melons presented fruits from flattened and globular shapes to elliptical. Rind colour varied from pale green, almost white and yellow to dark green and almost black. Rind texture varied from smooth to intensely wrinkled. Spanish landraces also had larger fruits (average fruit weight ~2.6 kg) and longer vegetative cycles (117 days to maturity) compared to landraces from other geographical origins. Farmers seem to have focused on selection towards large fruits, which usually requires the longest production cycles. Fruit colour, size and shape seemed to have been determinant in varietal selection. Hierarchical clustering resulted in two main groups (climacteric and non-climacteric). The largest group was composed of 60 accessions of non-climacteric types, which includes the most demanded by national markets, ‘Piel de Sapo’, which fruits were characterized by an ovate or elliptical shape, a green rind, big spots and stains distributed over the whole fruit, a rounded blossom end shape and a very pointed stem end shape. The study demonstrates that the Spanish genetic pool is much more diverse. Wide variability was found in a geographical area with vast historical importance in melon farming. These evaluations has allowed the identification of several uniform groups of non-climacteric cultivars (‘Piel de Sapo’, ‘Mochuelo’, ‘Tendral’, Yellow/White, Winter and Black groups) and a set of highly variable climacteric ones. However, many accessions with singular properties remain unclassified, demonstrating the morphological variability of the studied collection. Melons in Spain have wide variability together with a vast historical importance on farms. Some fruit types, or at least some morphological characters reflected by painters during centuries, have reached the present. The present study confirmed the need to preserve these irreplaceable genetic resources and continue their study and evaluation for valuable traits which could enhance farmer’s opportunities for entering new markets.     

Factors affecting the prevalence and severity of footrot in a Merino flock selected for resistance to Haemonchus contortus

SUMMARY An outbreak of virulent footrot occurred in three lines of sheep selected for different levels of resistance to Haemonchus contortus , providing an opportunity to examine the factors affecting footrot severity. The selection lines did not differ significantly in average footrot score, but various other factors were found to have an effect. In breeding ewes, the average score was 10.2 (maximum possible score 20) and the prevalence of footrot was 96%. There was a significant age effect, with average score increasing from 9.1 ± 0.8 in 2-year-old ewes, to 13.4 ± 0.9 in 7-year-old ewes. Ewes that lost their lambs tended to have higher scores than those that either failed to lamb or successfully reared their litter. Significant differences in footrot score were caused by the lambing paddock in which the ewes had been, during the period seven weeks to one week before infection. Among lambs, aged about 20 weeks, the average footrot score was lower (5.0), as was the prevalence (75%). The score increased by an average of 0.09 ± 0.03 per day of age and the prevalence increased by an average of 0.6%± 0.3% per day of age. Lambs born and reared as twins had significantly lower scores than singles, and progeny of maiden dams had lower scores than progeny of older ewes. There was no significant difference because of the sex of the lamb. The paternal half-sib estimate of heritability of footrot score was 0.20 ± 0.14 and of the genetic correlation between footrot score and worm egg count was essentially zero (0.02 ± 0.20), but these estimates were probably biased by the confounding of sires with lambing paddocks. Nevertheless, the results strongly suggest that there are no adverse genetic associations between resistance to footrot and resistance to internal parasites.     

Epidemiological studies of pig diseases: 2. Post-weaning diarrhoea and performance in Western Australian pigs

Objective To determine in Australian pig herds the accuracy of French protocols for risk factor assessment of post-weaning diarrhoea and illthrift.
Procedure French protocols for the collection of data on health indicators and risk factors for post-weaning diarrhoea were conducted on 54 batches of weaner pigs from 28 Western Australian pig herds during three years.
Results Large variations in post-weaning performance were found. About one-third of the batches were growing at <200 g/day during the 3 weeks after weaning, and 54% had growth rates of <250 g/day. Weaning age and weight of at least 30 days and 7.9 kg, respectively, optimised weaner performance. Other risk factors associated with little post-weaning diarrhoea and good weaner performance were high creep feed intakes, relatively little diarrhoea as suckers, and, contrary to expectations, large temperature fluctuations.
Conclusion Overall, the 'predictability' of post-weaning problems as assessed by measurement of risk status, was good. However, the model was less accurate at predicting the performance of a single batch of pigs.     

Patterns of mandibular asymmetries in two types of companion rabbits

Developmental instability hypothesis suggests that asymmetric variation can partially reflect the body's inability to buffer environmental and/or genetic perturbations. Fluctuating asymmetry (FA), that is random differences between the left and right sides of body features that are symmetric at the population level, can assess this approach. Another kind of asymmetry is directional asymmetry (DA) which appears when the left and right sides differ consistently from each other. Extreme selection for morphological traits, as appear in some companion rabbits selected for a paedomorphic (dwarf rabbits) or gerontomorphic (belier rabbits) appearance, may cause abnormal functional conditions, which in turn could be expressed as significative degrees of asymmetries. To study these phenomena, we analysed 62 mandibles of companion rabbits (20 beliers and 42 dwarfs) by means of geometric morphometric methods and quantified their size and shape asymmetric variation (both FA and DA) using 18 landmarks on the lateral side. FA was present in both types but in different degrees, being higher among dwarfs. It is considered that this type is subject to deeper changes than among beliers, and therefore, there is higher pressure on the phenotype. This observation could be assumed to be an adaptive response, coming out as FA. The presence of DA was significative and similar for two types. This likely indicates common masticatory lateralization, a pattern that has been detected in other domestic mammals. The methodological framework presented in this study can be valuable for future works focused on genetically and/or environmentally related form study in pets.     

A comparison of variability in storage behaviour of seed tubers from true potato seed and clonal tubers

Summary The tuber-to-tuber variability in storage behaviour of seed tubers from true potato seed was compared with that in clonal seed tubers after storage in the dark, in diffused light, or in diffused light with a single desprouting. The variability was estimated by calculating standard deviations of length, number and weight of sprouts, and tuber weight loss. After dark storage, the variability of these variables was greater in seed tubers from true potato seed than in clonal seed tubers. After storage in diffused light with a single desprouting, the variability of number, length and weight of sprouts of seed tubers from true seed was not statistically different from that observed in clonal seed tubers. All storage treatments resulted in a greater variability of tuber weight loss in seed tubers from true potato seed than in clonal tubers.     

Analysis of grape and wine anthocyanins by HPLC-MS

The development and application of valuable analytical tools suitable for the varietal authentication of premium red wines are matters of interest in order to avoid fraud. In this study, an HPLC-MS procedure has been developed using trifluoroacetic acid as an acid modifier in the mobile phase. This method may be used as a routine method using UV-vis detection and allows the simultaneous analysis of the structural features of anthocyanins by MS under the same chromatographic conditions. Twenty different anthocyanins have been detected in 19 different samples of both grape extracts and wines. Cis and trans isomers of p-coumaryl derivatives have been identified for the first time. Important qualitative and quantitative differences among cultivars have been detected.