Search

The COST Action GroupHouseNet focuses on the reduction of damagingbehaviour in laying hens and pigs, benefiting from the fact that there are manysimilarities in causation and solutions for feather pecking and tail biting. Theresearch in the network focuses on three main topics, addressed by the threeworking groups: 1) Genetics and damaging behaviour, 2) Effects of development on damaging behaviour, and 3) Relationships between health and damagingbehaviour. For the work on genetics, we focus on developing new techniques tomeasure relevant phenotypes (e.g. sensor technology) and investigate methods tolink these sensor data to genomic data. Regarding development, the network willreview the effects of parental conditions on offspring behaviour. Further, the role of incubation conditions (light, noise, temperature) and early-life environment in the development of damaging behaviour will be explored. On the relationship between health and damaging behaviour, interesting associations are found between immune responses and development of damaging behaviour, that merit further research. Here we will also focus on the complex interplay between the immune system, the HPAaxis, microbiota, gut and brain. Taken together, the network aims to provide new knowledge that can be applied to further develop production systems where laying hens with intact beaks can be optimally managed and damaging behaviour can be controlled.

This contribution presents some findings of PERSEUS and previous researches on the Adriatic Sea bottom sediments regarding the heavy metal pollution. The geochemical characterization of surficial sediments, the early diagenesis processes and the dissolved benthic fluxes have been investigate to evaluate heavy metal pollution in the studied area. Heavy metal concentrations in surface sediments, early diagenesis processes and dissolved benthic fluxes generally decrease from the Po River mouths southward as a consequence of dilution processes of Po River inputs with anomalies near the Italian coast for local continental inputs.

New high-resolution bathymetric and magnetic data from the western Aeolian sector, southern Tyrrhenian Sea, provide insights into structural and volcanic development of the area, suggesting a strong interaction between volcanism and tectonics. The analysis of these data combined with relocated earthquake distribution, focal plane solutions and strain rate evaluation indicates that the dextral strike-slip Sisifo-Alicudi shear zone is a complex and wide area of active deformation, representing the superficial expression of the deep seated lithospheric tear fault separating the subduction slab below Sicily and Calabria. Most of the observed volcanic features are aligned along a NW-SE trend, such as the Filicudi island-Alicudi North Seamount and Eolo-Enarete alignments, and are dissected by hundred-metre-high scarps along conjugate NNE-SSW trending fault systems. The magnetic field pattern matches the main trends of volcanic features. Spectral analysis and Euler deconvolution of magnetic anomalies show the existence of both deep and shallow sources. High-amplitude, high-frequency anomalies due to shallow sources are dominant close to the volcanic edifices of Alicudi and Filicudi, while the main contribution on the surrounding Eolo, Enarete, Alicudi North and Filicudi North seamounts is given by low-amplitude anomalies and/or deeper magnetic sources. This is probably related to different ages of the volcanic rocks, although hydrothermal processes may have played an important role in blanketing magnetic anomalies, in particular at Enarete and Eolo seamounts. Relative chronology of the eruptive centres and the inferred deformation pattern outline the Quaternary evolution of the western Aeolian Arc: Sisifo, Alicudi North and Filicudi North seamounts might have developed in an early stage, following the Late Pliocene-Early Pleistocene SE-ward migration of arc-related volcanism due to the Ionian subduction hinge retreat; Eolo, Enarete and Filicudi represent later manifestations that led volcanoes to develop during Mid-Late Pleistocene, when the stress regime in the area changed, due to the SSE-ward propagation of the subduction slab tear fault and the consequent reorientation and decrease of trench migration velocity. Finally, volcanic activity occurred in a very short time span at Alicudi, where an almost conical volcanic edifice emerged, suggesting negligible interactions with regional fault systems.

Laying hen diets are usually rich in pigments, often synthetic, in order to intensify yolk colour as consumers’ requested (Baroli et al., 1996). Nowadays the public concern is oriented toward food safety; so, it is important to substitute synthetic products with natural pigments. It is important to look for new alternative natural pigment sources such as Spirulina algae (Anderson et al., 1991; Ross and Domini, 1990) or Haemococcus pluvialis that also have a probiotic effect on animals. Lycopen is one of the new carotenoids that could be used in animal production. This is a tomato extracted pigment and it is important for its role of beta-carotene precursor, for its immunostimulant effects and for its dietary and nutritional value in human health (Franceschi et al., 1995; Porrini et al., 1998; Ribaya-Mercado et al., 1995; Riso et al., 1999)...

Since the exhalative crisis of 2002 cruises were carried out to investigate morphology, magnetic and gravity fields, fluid escape, plume anomalies, biological and microbiological activity, benthic fluxes, early diagenesis, mineralogy and geochemistry of water and sediments of the hydrothermal system of Panarea. The volcanic complex was mapped by multibeam, including backscatter analysis, and magnetometric surveys were done to detect low magnetization in areas with hydrothermal activity, i.e., vents, sulphide deposits, chimney fields. CTD by ship and on ROV detected acidic plumes at bottom (minimum pH value 6.5) and mid depths. An Automatic Benthic Chamber was deployed on a terrace (40m) and in depressions with gascharged and hydrothermally altered sediments (80m). At the 40m site, strong releases of Dissolved Inorganic Carbon (DIC) and Fe, Mn, Zn (75.7, 2.0, 2.9, 3.4 mmol m-2 day-1) were found. Average decrease of pH in the chamber was ~4 units day-1 with a H+ benthic flux of 0.32 mmol m-2 day-1). DIC values of seawater had average 2.3, increasing to 3.1 on degassing vents, while 7.5 mmol was measured on top of a bubbling core. ROV dives explored and sampled several sites; active chimneys (black, red crusts and yellowishorange precipitates at top) were recovered on the SE flanks of Basiluzzo; pH value of 5 was measured aboard on sediments. XRD and XRF data on the external crust showed Fe-Mn oxyhydroxides, including goethite and opal, with Co, Ce, Sr, Zn and Cu enrichments, whereas the inner part are depleted of Fe, Mn and other metals, mostly under detection limits. SEM imagery shows porous filamentous minerals, that are probably bacterial in origin. Dives to SW discovered fields of partially or totally relict chimneys at the same depth (~200m). Chimneys are present on the edges of slope failures and settled on areas of relative lower positive magnetic anomaly, indicating possible shallow depth level of hydrothermal alteration. Reddish crusts and sediments, and acid, gas boiling water (pH 5.5) were cored at 90 m depth upslope of the 'active' chimneys; upslope from the 'relict' chimney's fields, oxized-normal sediments were found. Biological investigations on the sediments revealed a community strongly dominated by the amphipod Ampelisca ledoyeri (43.8 % of the total abundance), probably dwelling in the tubepatches. Rare species were detected on the chimney's samples. The phylogenetic diversity of microbial communities in the precipitates collected on chimneys and on Bottaro vent was analyzed by bacterial and archaeal 16S rDNA clone libraries, showing a dominance of sulfur-oxidazing epsilon and gamma proteobacteria. Very interesting groups of archaea were revealed including methanotrophic Thermoplasmatales and members of SM1 candidate division. Overall prokaryotic diversity was found similar to that of deep sea hydrothermal vents and other sulfidic habitats. White microbial mats were found in an area S of Panarea, on a NS oriented fracture.

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the inter-observer reliability of a welfare monitoring scheme to be applied to sheep and compare the welfare state of the animals between 10 organic and 10 conventional sheep farms. The monitoring protocol proved to be feasible and reliable: a significant correlation between observers was observed for total score and all sheets, while the correlation was significant for all animal based parameters (integument alterations, animal dirtiness, hoof overgrowth and lameness, apart from lesions.

International audience