Effects of predator-induced visual and olfactory cues on 0+ perch (Perca fluviatilis L.) foraging behaviour

Abstract –  Foraging juvenile fish with relatively high food demands are usually vulnerable to various aquatic and avian predators. To compromise between foraging and antipredator activity, they need exact and reliable information about current predation risk. Among direct predator-induced cues, visual and olfactory signals are considered to be most important. Food intake rates and prey-size selectivity of laboratory-reared, naive young-of-the-year (YOY) perch, Perca fluviatilis , were studied in experiments with Daphnia magna of two size classes: 2.8 and 1.3 mm as prey and northern pike, Esox lucius , as predator. Neither total intake rate nor prey-size selectivity was modified by predator kairomones alone (water from an aquarium with a pike was pumped into the test aquaria) under daylight conditions. Visual presentation of pike reduced total food intake by perch. This effect was significantly more pronounced (synergistic) when visual and olfactory cues were presented simultaneously to foraging perch. Moreover, the combination of cues caused a significant shift in prey-size selection, expressed as a reduced proportion of large prey in the diet. Our observations demonstrate that predator-induced olfactory cues alone are less important modifiers of the feeding behaviour of naive YOY perch than visual cues under daylight conditions. However, pike odour acts as a modulatory stimulus enhancing the effects of visual cues, which trigger an innate response in perch.     

猪血浆转铁蛋白与部分经济性状关系的研究——Ⅰ. 多态性与产仔数和日增重的关系

用经改进的聚丙烯酰胺凝胶电泳铁染法,测定了二花脸猪血浆转铁蛋白多态类型,分析了其基因型频率和基因频率,并探讨了猪血浆转铁蛋白多态性与产仔性能和增重速度的相关性。     

水电站虹吸式进水口的控制

在对河北省几座已建虹吸式进水口水电站的虹吸控制方式进行分析对比的基础上,给出了一种采用液气射流泵将虹吸体抽成“低管”正虹吸,用“Y”形管中的水封保持真空,事故时利用“高管”自动补气破坏真空的控制系统,并分析了该系统的特点,给出了设计计算方法及计算公式。     

赖氨酸占蛋白质及饲粮的比例对杜洛克猪生长肥育性能及胴体品质的影响

杜洛克猪48头,体重27kg左右,分6组。试验前期(27～60kg)日粮的消化能均为13.67MJ)/kg,后期(60～90kg)均为13.44MJ/kg。粗蛋白1、2、3组前期均为18％,后期均为16％;4、5、6组前期均为16％,后期均为14％。同时配合3种赖蛋比水平6.6～6.9％,6.1～6.25％及5％。试验结果表明:4、5、6组平均日增重、饲料利用率及胴体瘦肉率都略高于1、2、3组,但差异不显著(P>0.05)。在前期,以第5组平均日增重最高(达782克),极显著高于其他各组(P<0.01);饲料利用率2.41,极显著好于其他各组(P<0.01)。后期以第5组平均日增重最高(875克)。试验前期,第5组获得最佳的日增重(822克),极显著高于其他各组(P<0.01),饲料利用率2.98,胴体瘦肉率65.79％,与其他各组差异不显著(P>0.05)。在两种粗蛋白水平组内,均以赖蛋比6.1～6.25％的第5组和第2组生长速度最快(822克和778克)。说明在相同的能量水平下,赖蛋比是影响生长速度的主要因素。     

RPLC法测定饲料添加剂中的B族维生素

本文提出了利用反相离子对色谱法,简单,快速,准确同时定量测定饲料添加剂中的烟酸,烟酰胺,盐酸吡哆辛,氰钴胺素,核黄素和硫胺素。样品前处理简单,六个维生素能在12min内获得满意的分离,各组份之间的分离度Rs大于1.60。各个维生素的回收率在87.0～101.0％,相对偏差为3.1～2.0％。色谱柱为LichrosorbRP-18 250×φ5mm,流动相为甲醇/水,0.25％TEA,1.25mmol/l PICB-5,3.75mmol/l PICB-7,pH3.00,紫外可变波长检测器采用MAXPL操作方式λ 1=254nm,λ_2=280nm,λ_3=354nm,流速1.1 nl/min。     

乳酸菌与中药合生元对肉鸡生长性能及饲料利用率的影响

本试验分别向肉仔鸡日粮中添加等量的抗生素和乳酸菌与中药合生元制剂,通过测定肉仔鸡的各项生长指标和饲料利用率指标,探讨乳酸菌与中药合生元在肉鸡生长和饲料利用率方面替代抗生素的优势.结果表明,试验组与对照组在生长性能和饲料利用率上各指标均差异不显著（P〉0.05）,说明乳酸菌与中药合生元可以替代抗生素饲喂给肉仔鸡.     

黑杨无性系日CO2固定总量的测定及与苗木生产潜势的相关性研究

通过对不同基因型黑杨无性系植株净光合速率日变化曲线与光合主体叶面积在时间和光强上进行累计积分来计算植株日CO2固定总量P。由于净光合速率日变化曲线不易准确测得，故以光响应曲线和光强的日变化来推测净光合速率日变化。对P值和生物量的相关性研究表明，二者的相关性很高。且认为可以用计算出的P值作为评估苗木生产潜势的指标之一，这为育种中生产力的早期选择提供了有力的证据。     

灌丛草地放牧山羊的牧草适口性与嗜食性及山羊采食率研究

通过对放牧山羊的牧草适口性，嗜食性和采食率及其相互关系的分析，表明山羊放牧对灌丛草地的植物适口性、嗜食性比率和采食率均以灌木嫩枝叶，中禾草和苔草属植物较优。季节性规律为：春季山羊喜哺食灌木嫩枝叶，灌木嗜食性比率较高，采食率也较高，夏季山羊喜草本植物，草本植物的嗜食性比率高于灌木，秋季山羊较喜啃食灌木枝叶，嗜食性比率灌木高于草本植物，采食率低于春季，灌木采食率高于草本植物。     

The evolution and application of enzymes in the animal feed industry: the role of data interpretation

ABSTRACT

1. Enzymes have been used commercially for nearly 40 years and save significant costs through sparing of expensive nutrients but the mechanism by which this is achieved is still debated.

2. The research focused on non-starch polysaccharidase (NSPase) enzymes is used as an example of where greater progress could have been made if the details of the work had been described more fully and the analysis of the data generated had been broader in scope and more critical.

3. Lack of standardisation of the details presented in the materials and methods has been identified as a significant barrier to meaningful retrospective analysis and thus limits advances in the understanding of the mode of action of these enzymes.

4. The identity of the enzyme employed and its activity is often lacking, and more importantly the purity is rarely disclosed. Contaminant activities which are neither listed nor assayed could play a significant role in the responses observed.

5. The dose optimum of most enzymes is often considerably higher than that employed in most studies. Thus studies claiming synergy between two ‘activities’ should ensure that the response is not related to each enzyme simply augmenting the dose of just one activity in the finished feed. This is a common problem, and coupled with the lack of factorial experiments to justify the presence of each enzyme in a multi-enzyme product, it is not surprising that there is still debate as to whether single or multi-enzymes are best suited poultry rations.

6. The three proposed mechanisms for NSPases (viscosity, cell wall and prebiotic) are discussed, and along with their strengths and weaknesses it is suggested that a re-evaluation of each is needed. Viscosity may have to be re-evaluated as being a function not only of the cereal being fed, but of the age of the animal as well. The cell wall theory as described is poorly modelled in vitro and hence the validity of these data is questioned. The prebiotic theory may need significant modification as it appears that the quantities of oligomers produced are insufficient to generate the additional volatile fatty acids (VFA)’s reported. It is likely that all three mechanisms play a role in the responses observed, but the prebiotic mechanism probably plays by far the most important part in low viscosity diets.

7. Future research would be improved if it considered all potential mechanisms when designing a trial. Significant failings are apparent as a result of adherence to tenets in explanation of the results. Most importantly, it should be emphasised that a hypothesis is there to be tested, not defended.