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Muscle growth and composition in heavy and light breed chickens adapted to intermittent feeding.

1. The effect of intermittent feeding in chickens of heavy breed (HB; meat type) and light breed (LB; egg type) on skeletal muscle growth and composition was studied in adapted and non-adapted chickens. 2. Food intake, relative to body-weight, was similar in both breeds but was higher in ad lib.-fed than in intermittently fed birds. 3. On repletion days the relative growth rate was similar in both breeds, while on depletion the LB chickens lost more weight than the HB chickens. In both breeds, the relative growth was higher in the intermittently fed birds during days of food restoration than in those fed ad lib. 4. The relative weight of the breast muscle was higher in HB birds than in LB birds, but deposition rate on the day of food restoration was similar in both breeds. This growth was more pronounced in chickens adapted to alternate feeding than in chickens exposed to this feeding regimen for one cycle. 5. Protein concentration in breast muscle was not affected by age and was slightly higher in LB chickens than in HB chickens. Soluble protein was markedly reduced on days of repletion, and more at 46 d than at 18 d of age. 6. The RNA:DNA ratio was higher in HB than in LB chickens, and lower on days of food deprivation than on days of food restoration. After repletion this ratio returned to the level of the ad lib.-fed chickens. While in LB chickens cell size (as estimated by DNA concentration) remained constant on repletion and depletion days, in the HB chickens it decreased. 7. The rapid growth of breast muscle in HB chickens was attributed to the higher rate of protein synthesis (estimated by RNA:DNA ratio) compared with LB chickens. This may also explain why the breast muscle of LB chickens was less sensitive to intermittent feeding than that of HB chickens.

Adaptation, Physiological↗

Breed differences in sheep with respect to the accumulation of copper in the liver.

Male lambs of the pure breeds Texel, Flemish milk sheep, and Finnish landrace, and of the crossbreds Texel x Friesian milk sheep, Texel x Finnish landrace, Suffolk x Friesian milk sheep, and Finnish landrace x Ile de France were fed hay and concentrates, the latter differing only in the content of copper. At high (+/- 35 ppm) and at moderately low (+/- 10 ppm) copper levels in the concentrate, breed differences in the accumulation of copper in the liver were studied. Hepatic Cu-levels increased significantly in the case of the high Cu-fed animals, but great differences in the metabolism of excessive amounts of dietary Cu exist between the particular breeds and crossbreds. The Texel breed was most susceptible to an excess of dietary Cu and the Finnish landrace was the least susceptible breed, while the Flemish milk sheep and the crossbreds were intermediate. In blood serum, the enzyme activities of sorbitol dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase, gamma-glutamyl transferase, and glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase were increased to a greater or less extent in the high Cu-fed animals, but the correlation with hepatic Cu-content was poor. For the most susceptible breeds, even a level of 10 ppm Cu in a ration with nearly equal amounts of hay and concentrate is insufficiently low for the prevention of Cu-accumulation in the liver.

Animal Feed↗

Towards a risk map of malaria for Sri Lanka: the importance of house location relative to vector breeding sites.

BACKGROUND: In Sri Lanka, the major malaria vector Anopheles culicifacies breeds in pools formed in streams and river beds and it is likely that people living close to such breeding sites are at higher risk of malaria than people living further away. This study was done to quantify the importance of house location relative to vector breeding sites for the occurrence of malaria in order to assess the usefulness of this parameter in future malaria risk maps. Such risk maps could be important tools for planning efficient malaria control measures. METHODS: In a group of seven villages in north central Sri Lanka, malaria cases were compared with community controls for distance from house to breeding sites and a number of other variables, including type of housing construction and use of anti-mosquito measures. The presence of An. culicifacies in bedrooms was determined by indoor insecticide spray collections. RESULTS: People living within 750 m of the local stream, which was the established vector-breeding site, were at much higher risk for malaria than people living further away (odds ratio adjusted for confounding by other variables 5.93, 95% CI: 3.50-8.91). Houses close to the stream also had more adult An. culicifacies in the bedrooms. Poor housing construction was an independent risk factor for malaria. CONCLUSIONS: Risk maps of malaria in Sri Lanka can be based on the location of houses relative to streams and rivers that are potential breeding sites for the malaria vector An. culicifacies. A distance of 750 m is suggested as the cut-off point in defining low- and high-risk villages.

Animals↗

Changes in the intestinal lactase activity in the small intestine of two breeds of swine from birth to 6 weeks of age.

Total and specific lactase activities in the small intestine of Chester White and Hampshire pigs were measured at 1, 8, 15, 22, 29, and 43 days of age. The small intestine was divided into 10 segments of equal length, the proximal 10 cm of each segment was scraped, and the scrapings were homogenized for use in the lactase determinations. Significant breed, age, and segment differences were observed for both specific and total activities. In both breeds, the total lactase activity at 1 day of age was lower than that at any other age. After reaching maximal levels at 15 days of age, the total activity declined with the loss of activity occurring primarily in the ileum. At 1 and 8 days of age, the total lactase activities for the two breeds were similar, but the Chester White pigs had higher activities at all other ages. The pattern of changes in specific activity with age was similar for both breeds. The mean specific activity was highest at 1 and 8 days of age and then fell progressively to minimal levels at 43 days of age. Chester Whites had higher specific activities than Hampshires during the first 4 weeks of life, but at 6 weeks of age there was little difference between the breeds. The peak lactase activity, expressed as total or specific activity, occurred in the proximal one-third of the small intestine of both breeds, and the distal one-third of the gut had relatively low activities as the animals matured.

Age Factors↗

Further studies on the red cell glycolipids of various breeds of dogs. A possible assumption about the origin of Japanese dogs.

Genetic polymorphism was observed in the sialic acid species constituting the terminal sugar residues of hematosides from dog erythrocytes. One was N-acetylneuraminic acid and the other phenotype was N-glycolylneuraminic acid, regulated by an autosomal dominant allele (Yasue, S., Handa, S., Miyagawa, S., Inoue, J., Hasegawa, A., & Yamakawa, T. (1978) J. Biochem. 83, 1101-1107). In this study we analyzed blood samples from 1,591 dogs of 36 breeds and demonstrated that the expression of N-glycolylneuraminic acid was limited to several breeds of oriental dogs in spite of its dominant nature. Moreover, the incidence of N-glycolylneuraminic acid was higher in native breeds of northern China, Korea and the southern part of Japan than in other oriental breeds. On the other hand, the Hokkaido-dog is unique in not expressing N-glycolylneuraminic acid. These results suggest that the native breeds in the southern part of Japan came from northern China via the Korean peninsula in contrast with indigenous breeds of the northern part of Japan.

Animals↗

Refractoriness to inhibitory day lengths initiates the breeding season of the Suffolk ewe.

Recent evidence indicates that the breeding season of the Suffolk ewe ends because of loss of response to a day length that was previously inductive. This condition of photorefractoriness could potentially also initiate reproduction, as is the case in several long-day breeding rodents. In this study we determined if ewes enter their breeding season because they become refractory to the long ambient photoperiods of late summer. On the summer solstice, 3 groups of ovariectomized ewes (n = 6) bearing s.c. Silastic implants of estradiol (OVX + E) were placed in different day length treatments: 1) natural photoperiod; 2) artificial photoperiod, stimulating natural day lengths; or 3) artificial photoperiod equivalent to that of the summer solstice (16.25L). Entry into the breeding season is associated with a striking (greater than 30-fold) increase in circulating levels of luteinizing hormone (LH). Timing of the onset of the breeding season was not delayed in ewes maintained on the summer solstice photoperiod; LH levels rose simultaneously in all groups. We conclude that ewes normally begin breeding not because they are actively driven to do so by decreasing or short days, but because they become refractory to prevailing long days. Because the pattern of circulating melatonin, which is known to transduce the photoperiodic message, remained entirely appropriate to day length, we believe that the mechanism responsible for photorefractoriness resides in the postpineal processing of the melatonin signal.

Animals↗

Effect of frontal hypothalamic deafferentation on duration of breeding season and melatonin secretion in the ewe.

The objectives of this study were to determine if ewes subjected to frontal hypothalamic deafferentation (FHD) during anestrus remained anestrus or began to have estrous cycles, and if melatonin secretion was disrupted by FHD. Ovary-intact ewes in Group 1 were subjected to either FHD (n = 10) or sham FHD (n = 5) in early July 1983. Estrous cycles were monitored by measuring circulating progesterone concentrations from before FHD until September 1985. Group 2 ewes (n = 4) were subjected to FHD in October 1984. In late April 1985, blood samples were taken from all ewes at 1- to 4-h intervals from 1100 h to 0700 h of the following day to monitor diurnal changes of melatonin. Hypothalami were collected for histological evaluation of lesions. All Group 1 ewes (sham FHD and FHD) initiated normal estrous cycles in August and September 1983, and all ceased cycles by mid-February 1984. All sham FHD and 4 FHD ewes remained anestrus until August or September of 1984 and then resumed normal cycles. In contrast, 5 FHD ewes resumed cycles as early as April 1984 and then cycled intermittently or almost continuously. Two Group 2 ewes cycled continuously after FHD and 2 cycled infrequently. FHD ewes that showed prolonged breeding seasons had cuts that damaged the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) and adjacent structures. Mean nocturnal (2000 h-0500 h) melatonin concentrations did not differ (p greater than 0.05) between sham FHD, FHD "normal season," and FHD "continuous cycle" ewes. In summary, damage to the SCN region by FHD during anestrus had no detectable effect on either onset or cessation of the next breeding season but greatly prolonged subsequent breeding seasons. Thus, the environmental signals that both initiated and terminated the 1983 breeding season apparently had been given before FHD was performed in midsummer. Damage to the SCN region during the breeding season caused some ewes to cycle continuously. The effects of FHD apparently were not due to disruption of melatonin secretion. FHD ewes that showed prolonged breeding seasons had normal seasonal changes of plasma prolactin concentrations. This suggests that different neural structures control seasonal patterns of gonadotropin and prolactin secretion.

Afferent Pathways↗

Direct benefits and the evolution of female-biased cooperative breeding in Seychelles warblers.

Inclusive fitness benefits have been suggested to be a major selective force behind the evolution of cooperative breeding. We investigated the fitness benefits selecting for cooperative breeding in the Seychelles warbler, Acrocephalus sechellensis. A microsatellite-based genotyping method was used to determine the relatedness of subordinates to group offspring in an isolated population of Seychelles warblers. The indirect and direct breeding benefits accruing to individual subordinates were then calculated for every successful breeding event over a three-year period. We show that female subordinates frequently gained parentage and that this, combined with high levels of extragroup paternity, resulted in low levels of relatedness between subordinates and nondescendent offspring within a territory. Direct breeding benefits were found to be significantly higher than indirect kin benefits for both female and male subordinates. As predicted, female subordinates gained significantly more direct breeding opportunities and therefore higher inclusive fitness benefits by being a subordinate within a group than did males. This may explain why most subordinates in the Seychelles warbler are female.

Animals↗

Natural selection and inheritance of breeding time and clutch size in the collared flycatcher.

Many characteristics of organisms in free-living populations appear to be under directional selection, possess additive genetic variance, and yet show no evolutionary response to selection. Avian breeding time and clutch size are often-cited examples of such characters. We report analyses of inheritance of, and selection on, these traits in a long-term study of a wild population of the collared flycatcher Ficedula albicollis. We used mixed model analysis with REML estimation ("animal models") to make full use of the information in complex multigenerational pedigrees. Heritability of laying date, but not clutch size, was lower than that estimated previously using parent-offspring regressions, although for both traits there was evidence of substantial additive genetic variance (h2 = 0.19 and 0.29, respectively). Laying date and clutch size were negatively genetically correlated (rA = -0.41 +/- 0.09), implying that selection on one of the traits would cause a correlated response in the other, but there was little evidence to suggest that evolution of either trait would be constrained by correlations with other phenotypic characters. Analysis of selection on these traits in females revealed consistent strong directional fecundity selection for earlier breeding at the level of the phenotype (beta = -0.28 +/- 0.03), but little evidence for stabilising selection on breeding time. We found no evidence that clutch size was independently under selection. Analysis of fecundity selection on breeding values for laying date, estimated from an animal model, indicated that selection acts directly on additive genetic variance underlying breeding time (beta = -0.20 +/- 0.04), but not on clutch size (beta = 0.03 +/- 0.05). In contrast, selection on laying date via adult female survival fluctuated in sign between years, and was opposite in sign for selection on phenotypes (negative) and breeding values (positive). Our data thus suggest that any evolutionary response to selection on laying date is partially constrained by underlying life-history trade-offs, and illustrate the difficulties in using purely phenotypic measures and incomplete fitness estimates to assess evolution of life-history trade-offs. We discuss some of the difficulties associated with understanding the evolution of laying date and clutch size in natural populations.

Animals↗

Genetic variations in blood proteins within and between Spanish dairy sheep breeds.

Eleven flocks of three Spanish sheep breeds have been studied: four Churra, four Lacha and three Manchega. Genetic variations between flocks of the same and different breeds have been analysed, using eight genetic blood systems and a wide range of statistical methods. The results show that the Churra, Lacha and Manchega breeds present significant differences between each other. Significant intraracial variations have been observed in Churras and Lachas, although they were almost non-existent in Manchegas. In some cases the genetic distances between flocks of the same breed were greater than the distances between flocks of different breeds. The data indicate that the closest breeds genetically are Lacha and Manchega.

Animals↗

Intra- and interbreed genetic variations of mitochondrial DNA major non-coding regions in Japanese native dog breeds (Canis familiaris).

Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) major non-coding regions were amplified from 73 dogs of eight Japanese native dog breeds and from 21 dogs of 16 non-Japanese dog breeds by the polymerase chain reaction and their DNA sequences were determined. A total of 51 nucleotide positions within the non-coding region (969-972 base pairs) showed nucleotide variations of which 48 were caused by transition. These nucleotide substitutions were abundant in the region proximate to tRNA(Pro). In addition to the nucleotide substitutions, the dog mtDNA D-loop sequences had a heteroplasmic repetitive sequence (TACACGTAGCG) involving size variation. The DNA sequences of the non-coding region were classified into four different groups by phylogenetic analysis and the deepest branchpoints of this dog phylogeny was calculated to about 100,000 years before the present. Phylogenetic analysis showed that Japanese native dog breeds could not be clearly delimited as distinct breeds. Many haplotypes found in members of some clustering groups were seen in each dog breed, and interbreed nucleotide differences between Japanese dog breeds were almost the same as the intrabreed nucleotide diversities.

Animals↗

The phylogeny of Chinese indigenous pig breeds inferred from microsatellite markers.

A genetic study of 32 local Chinese, three foreign pig breeds [Duroc (DU), Landrace and Yorkshire], and two types of wild boar (Hainan and Dongbei wild boar) based on 34 microsatellite loci was carried out to clarify the phylogeny of Chinese indigenous pig breeds. The allele frequencies, effective numbers of alleles, and the average heterozygosity within populations were calculated. The results showed that the genetic variability of the Lingao pig was the largest, while the Jiaxing pig was the lowest. The greatest distance between domestic pigs was found between Shanggao and DU pig and the shortest was found between Wuzhishan and Lingao pig, respectively. A neighbour-joining tree constructed from Modified Cavalli-Sforza genetic distances divided Chinese pigs into two clusters; four subclusters were also identified. Our results only partly agree with the traditional types of classification and also provide a new relationship among Chinese local pig breeds. Our data also confirmed that Chinese pig breeds have a different origin from European/American breeds and can be utilized in programmes that aim to maintain Chinese indigenous pig breeds.

Alleles↗

Mosquito control in Dar es Salaam. I. Assessment of Culex quinquefasciatus breeding sites prior to intervention.

In preparation for a trial polystyrene beads and pyriproxyfen for the control of Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes, surveys of their breeding were carried out in two contrasting areas of Dar es Salaam, Mikocheni and Ilala, during the dry season. Sanitation structures (latrines, soakage pits, septic tanks and cess pits) were the most profilic breeding places, totalling 780 in Mikocheni and 1544 in Ilala. Those in Mikocheni were estimated to contain about 1.4 times more mosquito pupae, per site, than in such structures in Ilala. This was both because a higher proportion of sites contained visible water and because sites with water were more likely to contain pupae in Mikocheni. The relative importance of the different types of structure, in terms of productivity, was the same in both areas. Although septic tanks and cess pits made up only 10.5% of the on-site sanitation structures in Ilala, they contained 53% of the total number of pupae in enclosed sites; they were therefore particularly important targets for treatment with polystyrene beads. A survey during the rainy season of sites in Ilala revealed little change in the proportion that were wet, or in the frequency of breeding in those with visible water. The number, type and area of open breeding sites varied greatly between the two study areas. In Mikocheni the area of open breeding sites was 100 times greater than in Ilala, with 97% of the 13,000 m2 being flooded grassland. In Ilala all but four of the sixty-six open breeding sites were puddles of sullage water derived from bathrooms.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Fine-scale genetic structure and dispersal in cooperatively breeding apostlebirds.

In cooperatively breeding species, restricted dispersal of offspring leads to clustering of closely related individuals, increasing the potential both for indirect genetic benefits and inbreeding costs. In apostlebirds (Struthidea cinerea), philopatry by both sexes results in the formation of large (up to 17 birds), predominantly sedentary breeding groups that remain stable throughout the year. We examined patterns of relatedness and fine-scale genetic structure within a population of apostlebirds using six polymorphic microsatellite loci. We found evidence of fine-scale genetic structure within the study population that is consistent with behavioural observations of short-distance dispersal, natal philopatry by both sexes and restricted movement of breeding groups between seasons. Global F(ST) values among breeding groups were significantly positive, and the average level of pairwise relatedness was significantly higher for individuals within groups than between groups. For individuals from different breeding groups, geographical distance was negatively correlated with pairwise relatedness and positively correlated with pairwise F(ST). However, when each sex was examined separately, this pattern was significant only among males, suggesting that females may disperse over longer distances. We discuss the potential for kin selection to influence the evolution and maintenance of cooperative breeding in apostlebirds. Our results demonstrate that spatial genetic structural analysis offers a useful alternative to field observations in examining dispersal patterns of cooperative breeders.

Animal Migration↗

Fine-scale spatial genetic structure and dispersal among spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) breeding populations.

We examined fine-scale genetic variation among breeding aggregations of the spotted salamander (Ambystoma maculatum) to quantify dispersal, interpopulation connectivity and population genetic structure. Spotted salamanders rely on temporary ponds or wetlands for aggregate breeding. Adequate breeding sites are relatively isolated from one another and field studies suggest considerable adult site fidelity; therefore, we expected to find population structure and differentiation at small spatial scales. We used microsatellites to estimate population structure and dispersal among 29 breeding aggregations in Tompkins County, New York, USA, an area encompassing 1272 km(2). Bayesian and frequency-based analyses revealed fine-scale genetic structure with two genetically defined demes: the North deme included seven breeding ponds, and the South deme included 13 ponds. Nine ponds showed evidence of admixture between these two genetic pools. Bayesian assignment tests for detection of interpopulation dispersal indicate that immigration among ponds is common within demes, and that certain populations serve as sources of immigrants to neighbouring ponds. Likewise, spatial genetic correlation analyses showed that populations < or = 4.8 km distant from each other show significant genetic correlation that is not evident at higher scales. Within-population levels of relatedness are consistently larger than expected if mating were completely random across ponds, and in the case of a few ponds, within-population processes such as inbreeding or reproductive skew contribute significantly to differentiation from neighbouring ponds. Our data underscore the importance of these within-population processes as a source of genetic diversity across the landscape, despite considerable population connectivity. Our data further suggest that spotted salamander breeding groups behave as metapopulations, with population clusters as functional units, but sufficient migration among demes to allow for potential rescue and recolonization. Amphibian habitats are becoming increasingly fragmented and a clear understanding of dispersal and patterns of population connectivity for taxa with different ecologies and life histories is crucial for their conservation.

Ambystoma↗

Effect of cold exposure on testicular delta 5-3 beta and 17 beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities and plasma levels of testosterone in toad (Bufo melanostictus) in breeding and hibernating season: duration-dependent response.

The purpose of this study was to show the effect of cold exposure on testicular activities in breeding and hibernating seasons in the toad. Adult male toads were placed in a cold chamber in both breeding and hibernating seasons for periods of 7, 14 and 21 days. At the time of sacrifice on the 15th and 22nd days, cold-exposed animals showed a decrease in testicular weight, testicular delta 5-3 beta and 17 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase activities and low levels of plasma testosterone both in breeding and hibernating seasons. There was no significant alteration in the above mentioned steroidogenic enzymes and plasma levels of testosterone after 7 days of cold exposure, both in breeding and hibernating seasons in respect to the control animals. The results of our present experiment suggest that environmental cold is an important modulator of breeding activities in the male toad. It also indicates that the breeding and hibernating cycle in the toad (seasonal breeders) may be asynchronous to each other.

17-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenases↗

Microsatellite-based diversity analysis and genetic relationships of three Indian sheep breeds.

The genetic structure of three Indian sheep breeds from two different geographical locations (Nali, Chokla from north-western arid and semi-arid region; Garole from eastern saline marshy region) of India was investigated by means of 11 ovine-specific microsatellite markers as proposed in FAOs MoDAD programme. Microsatellite analysis revealed high allelic and gene diversity in all the three breeds. Nali sheep showed higher mean number of alleles and gene diversity (6.27 and 0.65) than Chokla (5.63 and 0.64) and Garole (5.63 and 0.59). High within population inbreeding estimates observed in the three breeds (FIS, Chokla = 0.286, Nali = 0.284, Garole = 0.227) reflected deficit of heterozygotes. The overall estimates for F-statistics were significantly (p < 0.05) different from zero. High values of FST (0.183) across all the loci revealed substantial degree of breed differentiation. Based on pair wise FST and Nm between different breeds, Nali and Chokla (FST = 6.62% and Nm = 4.80) were observed to be the closest followed by Garole and Nali (FST = 20.9% and Nm = 1.80), and Garole and Chokla (FST = 21.4% and Nm = 1.71). In addition, genetic distance estimates, phylogeny analysis and individual assignment test used to evaluate interbreed genetic proximity and population structure also revealed substantial genetic differentiation between Garole and the other two Rajasthani (Nali and Chokla) sheep. This divergent status of Garole sheep indicated genetic uniqueness of this breed suggesting higher priority for its conservation.

Animals↗

Chronic lymphocytic leukaemias and non-Hodgkin's lymphomas by histological type in farming-animal breeding workers: a population case-control study based on job titles.

OBJECTIVES: A population based case-control study was conducted in a highly agricultural area in the north east of Italy to evaluate the association between farming and animal breeding and the risk of developing non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL). METHODS: Occupational histories and other data were collected by personal interview on 164 NHLs, 23 CLLs, diagnosed in 1988-90, and on 977 controls. This paper only reports the results of the analysis relative to the coding of job titles through the modified International Labour Office (ILO) classification. Estimates of odds ratios (ORs) for occupational variables were calculated, after adjustment for sex, age, altitude of municipality, first degree familiarity, and previous Herpes zoster infection. RESULTS: From the analysis of the most frequent occupational categories, no occupation showed a significantly high risk. When the two job titles farmers only and farmer-breeders who are also involved in animal breeding are classified within the extremely varied occupation of agriculture or animal-breeding or fishing, a high risk for NHLs and CLLs is seen in the farmer-breeders (OR 1.79, 95% CI 1.22 - 2.63). Analyses according to histological type show that the risks are concentrated in CLLs and in low grade NHLs. No effect or trend by period at work or duration of employment in farming and animal breeding was found. CONCLUSION: Subjects working in agriculture associated with animal breeding are at high risk of NHL/CLLs, particularly CLLs and low grade NHLs. This finding could be related to the use of chemicals in agriculture or to exposure to animal transmitted diseases or specific chemicals used in animal breeding.

Adolescent↗