In Vitro Maturation and Fertilization of Buffalo Oocytes: Effects of Storage of Ovaries, IVM Temperatures, Storage of Processed Sperm and Fertilization Media

Studies were conducted to examine the possibility of preserving slaughterhouse‐derived buffalo ovaries at 4°C for 0 (control), 12 and 24 h to maintain the developmental competence of the oocytes (experiment 1), to assess the effect of incubation temperature during oocyte maturation on rates of in vitro maturation (IVM) and in vitro fertilization (IVF) of buffalo oocytes and embryo development (experiment 2), and to examine the effect of storage at 25°C for 0 (control), 4 and 8 h of frozen–thawed buffalo sperm and BO and H‐TALP as sperm processing and fertilization media on cleavage and embryo development in vitro of buffalo oocytes (experiment 3) in order to optimize the IVF technology in buffalo. Results suggested that storage of ovaries at 4°C for 12 or 24 h significantly (p < 0.05) reduced the developmental potential of oocytes. Incubation temperatures during the IVM influenced the fertilization rate but had no significant effect on maturation and subsequent embryo development. The incubation temperature of 38.5°C during IVM was found to be optimum for embryo production in vitro. Storage of frozen–thawed sperm at 25°C for 8 h significantly (p < 0.05) decreased its ability to cleave the oocytes. Sperm processed in BO medium had significantly (p < 0.05) higher ability to cleave the oocytes than the H‐TALP medium.     

Granulocytic anaplasmosis in a horse from Saskatchewan

This report describes a case of equine granulocytic anaplasmosis in a horse from Saskatchewan. Morulae were visualized within blood neutrophils, and the diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The organism was identified as the human pathogenic strain of Anaplasma phagocytophilum by PCR and DNA sequencing of 3 independent genes.     

Characterization of microsatellite markers,their transferability to orphan legumes and use in determination of genetic diversity among chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) cultivars

The microsatellite or simple sequence repeat (SSR) marker is the most preferred marker because of its many desirable properties. It is important to increase the genic and genomic resources particularly in legumes because the SSR markers currently available in chickpea, pigeonpea, horsegram, blackgram, and cowpea are very limited. In the present study, 201 pairs of SSR markers comprising of 172 genic and 29 genomic SSRs were screened against 11 chickpea genotypes, among which 153 produced monomorphic and 48 produced polymorphic bands. The polymorphic information content ranged from 0.152 to 0.373 for both genic and genomic SSRs. Among the polymorphic markers, two-three alleles were detected for genic and two-four alleles for genomic SSRs. A unique banding pattern could be found for all the genotypes within 48 polymorphic SSR markers and cultivar specific markers could be identified for seed purity test. We have also studied the ability of chickpea genic and genomic SSRs to amplify distantly related but important legumes viz., horsegram, blackgram, cowpea, pigeonpea, and soybean. Out of 201 chickpea SSR primer pairs, 66.7% in blackgram, 62.2% in horsegram, 61.7% in redgram, 54.7% in cowpea, and 62.7% in soybean produced amplification. The transferability of about 60.0% of the chickpea SSRs to distantly related legumes could be considered successful. In the present study, 134, 133, 126, 124, and 110 new SSR primers for blackgram, horsegram, soybean, redgram, and cowpea pulse crops, respectively, were identified. It is an important addition to the already available genomic resources in these crops. In addition, among genic primer pairs, 12 in horsegram, three in soybean, 13 in redgram, and eight in cowpea, and among genomic primer pairs, two in horsegram and four in redgram were polymorphic even in the two-three genotypes tested indicating their potentially for application in genetic studies and mapping.     

Implementing the precautionary approach into fisheries management: Biomass reference points and uncertainty buffers

The precautionary approach to fisheries management advocates for risk-averse management strategies that include biological reference points and account for scientific uncertainty (i.e. process, model and observation uncertainty). In this regard, two approaches have been recommended: (a) biomass reference points to safeguard against low stock biomass, and (b) uncertainty buffers that reduce the catch limit as a function of the scientific uncertainty. This study compares the effectiveness of these two precautionary approaches in recovering over-exploited fish stocks. We evaluate the performance of more than 80 harvest control rules (HCRs) within a stochastic management strategy evaluation (MSE) framework for three stocks with contrasting life-history parameters and under various levels of scientific uncertainty. The results show that both approaches reduce the risk of overfishing at the expense of expected yield. This risk-yield trade-off strongly depends on the HCRs, life-history parameters of the species, as well as the level of the scientific uncertainty. Nevertheless, some combinations of biomass threshold and limit reference points as well as uncertainty buffers lead to a more favourable risk-yield trade-off than other rules. This study elucidates the multiple factors affecting the effectiveness of management strategies and highlights key features of HCRs for precautionary fisheries management.     

Incorporating free-flowing rivers into global biodiversity targets: Prioritization and targeted interventions to maintain ecological integrity

1. Free-flowing rivers (FFRs) are important surrogates for freshwater biodiversity as there are increasingly fewer rivers that reflect intact habitat and species diversity from source to sea. The status and changes in the ecological condition or protection of FFRs is not explicitly reported on in global biodiversity targets. Indices are proposed for reporting such changes to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 6 and 15, Aichi Target 11, and the post-2020 global biodiversity framework.
2. FFRs were identified at a countrywide scale in South Africa for protection, planning, monitoring, and assessing changes in their ecological condition and protection status. They were selected and prioritized using criteria co-produced with national, provincial, and local river managers and policy makers. Given the high competition for water resources and the unlikely possibility for strictly protecting all FFRs, a subset of FFRs, termed ‘flagship FFRs’, was identified.
3. Methods for reporting changes in the protection levels of prioritized FFRs at a countrywide scale were developed, which included indices of FFRs related to global targets: the loss of the extent of FFRs in a natural and largely natural ecological condition for SDG 6; changes in the connectivity of FFRs included in the post-2020 global biodiversity framework targets; and changes in protection levels of FFRs for Aichi Target 11 and SDG 15.1.2.
4. Flagship FFRs attracted targeted management initiatives and thus maintained their connectivity and ecological condition. This was not true when all FFRs were considered; in the broader set of FFRs, longitudinal fragmentation increased and ecological condition declined from 2011 to 2018.
5. Considering the increasing pressures rivers are likely to experience from human and climate change impacts, particularly in semi-arid to temperate environments, urgent prioritization and monitoring of FFRs is called for so that a targeted set of protection and management strategies can be applied.