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Recent studies have evaluated alternatives to the use of live animals in colony health monitoring. Currently, an alternative method that is suitable for all rack types and that has been verified to detect the infectious agents most commonly excluded from mouse colonies is unavailable. We compared the use of filter paper placed on the inside floor of mouse cages to the traditional use of sentinel mice in the detection of several prevalent murine pathogens including mouse hepatitis virus (MHV), murine norovirus (MNV), minute virus of mice (MVM), mouse parvovirus (MPV), Theiler murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV), Helicobacter spp., Syphacia obvelata, and Aspiculuris tetraptera. Experimental groups comprised 7 cages containing either 2 pieces of filter paper on the cage floor or 2 ICR sentinel mice. Soiled bedding from pet-store mice was transferred to the experimental cages weekly for 8 wk. At 1 and 2 mo after bedding transfer, the filter papers were evaluated by PCR and sentinel mice were tested by serology and fecal PCR. Filter papers detected all pathogens as effectively (MHV, MNV, MPV, MVM, TMEV S. obvelata, and A. tetraptera) or more effectively (Helicobacter spp.) than sentinel mice at both time points. Filter papers more readily detected pathogens with a high copy number per RT-PCR analysis than a low copy number. Helicobacter spp. were not detected by sentinel mice at either time point. These results indicate that the use of filter paper placed on the interior floor of empty mouse cages and exposed to soiled bedding is efficient in detecting bacteria, endoparasites, and most of the common mouse viruses included in an animal health monitoring program.

In this study, we developed a novel, simple, rapid, and low-cost colloidal gold-based immunochromatography method, with filter paper replacing nitrocellulose membrane as the substrate. To obtain adequately immobilized protein, chitosan was used to functionalize the filter paper. After conditions and parameters were optimized, the novel immunochromatography method was applied for detection of sulfonamide residues in milk. Quantitative detection was accomplished using a smartphone and Photoshop software (Adobe Inc., San Jose, CA), allowing us to screen 13 sulfonamides with a limit of detection ranging from 0.42 to 8.64 μg/L and recovery ranging from 88.2 to 116.9% in milk. The proposed novel method performed similarly to the conventional method that uses a nitrocellulose membrane as the transport medium, and it had lower cost and better usability because of the inexpensive and easily available filter paper.

Host immune activation is common under a pathogen invasion. This physiological response can promote changes in the body surface compounds, thus providing chemical cues related to health that might be useful to conspecifics. By recognizing the current immunological status of social partners, individuals can modulate their behavior to minimize the risk of infection. Tegument wounding, an immune elicitor, is a required step for many parasites to become established in a host. By using the neotropical eusocial paper wasp Mischocyttarus metathoracicus as a model organism, we first performed a lure presentation experiment in the field to test if wasps discriminate conspecific immunological status (experimentally manipulated by wounding) during on nest social interactions. Then, we performed gas chromatography–mass spectrometry analyses to test if immunostimulation by wounding alters the wasps’ cuticular hydrocarbon profile. We found that wasps reduce the duration of aggressive physical contact when interacting with wounded lures, despite displaying a similar frequency of inspective and aggressive behaviors toward both the wounded and the control lures. Besides, we found a subtle increase in a single cuticular hydrocarbon in the wounded wasps. Thus, wasps recognize conspecific immunological status, likely by chemical cues, and modulate their behavior in order to defend the colony against intruders while minimizing the personal risk of infection.

Ruminants would suffer from gastric distension (bloat) when feeding on alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.; Alf), while tannins can relieve this problem. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of Alf mixed with paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera) leaves (PML) or condensed tannins (CT) extracted from PML on in vitro fermentation performance. Seven experimental treatments based on the mass ratios of Alf and PML were set up: Alf, PML, 3A1P (Alf:PML = 3:1), 1A1P (Alf:PML = 1:1), 1A3P (Alf:PML = 1:3), A1P (Alf with 1% CT extracted from PML), A2P (Alf with 2% CT extracted from PML), and a blank. The results after fermentation were as follows. (1) The degradable dry matter (DDM) and degradable organic matter (DOM) contents increased simultaneously with the increase in the proportion of PML (p .05), propionic, and butyric acids compared to Alf alone. Adding CT improved the concentrations of propionic and butyric acids over the Alf treatment (p

General diagnosis of poultry viruses primarily relies on detection of viruses in samples, but many farms are located in remote areas requiring logistic transportation. Filter paper cards are a usef...

This study was carried out in an attempt to evaluate the impact of Broussonetia papyrifera as a roughage substitute at different levels on carcase traits, growth performance, meat quality and immune performance in Hu ram lambs. Sixty Hu rams (5 months of age, 26.70 ± 2.14 kg body weight) were randomly divided into four groups. The treatments comprised B. papyrifera supplementation at levels of 0% (G0), 30% (G30), 60% (G60) and 100% (G100) of roughage feed. The results suggested that diet supplemented with B. papyrifera (G100 group) caused a higher average weight gain (AWG) and average daily gain (ADG) than those of G0 group. The highest carcase weight was observed in the G60 group. The chemical and physical properties of the longissimus dorsi muscle of Hu rams showed no significant differences (p>.05). For fatty acid, the G60 group had significantly lower content of saturated fatty acids (SFAs), higher contents of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) and polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) and higher PUFA/SFA ratio than other groups (p

The red imported fire ant (RIFA, Solenopsis invicta) is an exotic aggressive pest that is notorious for its ability to seriously harm humans and animals, cause economic loss to agriculture, and damage ecosystems. This is the first study to validate the capability of filter paper adsorption as a feasible odor bearer of RIFAs and evaluate its use in detection dog training. Two live RIFA-experienced detection dogs achieved a mean 92% positive indication rate (PIR) on RIFA-scented papers with a relatively low false response rate (0.8%). The similar accuracies in recognizing live RIFAs (96%) and scented papers (92%) suggest that a filter paper is an effective odor reservoir. After training with live RIFA and scented filter papers, both RIFA-experienced and inexperienced detection dogs successfully indicated filter papers that were scented with at least 10 RIFAs for 4 h with a high PIR (&gt, 93%) and low false response rate (2%). Detection dogs correctly recognized the filter papers scented by 10 RIFAs for 24 h with a 97.6% PIR. Even for scented samples stored at −20 °C and 4 °C for 13 weeks, the positive indication rates (PIRs) were as high as 90%. These results suggest that filter paper is an effective RIFA odor bearer, and the scent can be maintained at least 13 weeks for dog identification. After RIFA-scented paper training, detection dogs showed high (&gt, 95%) PIRs for both RIFA-scented paper and live RIFAs and also successfully performed field studies. Using filter paper as a RIFA odor bearer is an effective and economical method for detection dog training and RIFA identification.

The present study investigated the effects of dietary paper mulberry (Broussonetia Papyrifera, BP) on growth performance, muscle quality and muscle growth-related mRNA expressions of grass carp. Fish (initial weight: 50.0 ± 0.5 g) were fed diets supplemented with 0% (control diet), 5%, 10%, 15% and 20% BP for 8 weeks. The results showed that increasing levels of paper mulberry linearly and quadratically decreased the special gain rate (SGR) and increased the feed conversion rate (FCR) of grass carp (p &lt, 0.05). Significantly positive quadratic trends were found between paper mulberry levels and muscle crude fat or crude protein of grass carp (p &lt, 0.05). In comparison to the control diet, the 10%BP and 15%BP groups had significantly decreased muscle crude fat and increased crude protein (p &lt, 0.05). The levels of paper mulberry resulted in a linear and quadratic increase in water loss of grass carp muscle (p &lt, 0.05), and all groups with paper mulberry supplementation were significantly higher than the control group (p &lt, 0.05). Significant positive linear and quadratic trends were found between the paper mulberry levels and muscle fiber diameter or density of grass carp (p &lt, 0.05). In comparison to the control diet, the significant differences were found in the 15%BP and 20%BP groups (p &lt, 0.05). The muscle adhesiveness and hardness linearly and quadratically increased with the increasing levels of paper mulberry (p &lt, 0.05), and both of which increased significantly when the level of paper mulberry reached 10% (p &lt, 0.05). In addition, the increase in paper mulberry linearly and quadratically improved the expressions of myoblast determination protein (MyoD), myogenin (MyoG), paired box protein 7 (Pax7) and myostatin 1 (MSTN1) (p &lt, 0.05). When the supplementation of paper mulberry reached 15%, the expressions of all these mRNAs were significantly higher than those of the control group (p &lt, 0.05). In summary, adding 5% paper mulberry did not affect the growth of grass carp. However, the supplementation of 10% paper mulberry could improve muscle quality through improving muscle hardness, reducing fat accumulation and muscle fiber diameter, at the cost of reducing growth performance.

Cuci tangan pakai sabun merupakan tindakan untuk membersihkan jemari dan tangan dengan menggunakan air yang bersih yang bertujuan untuk membunuh kuman dan mencegah penyakit yang berhubungan dengan sistem pencernaan. Tujuan pengabdian masyarakat ini adalah untuk meningkatkan pengetahuan dalam membuat paper soap karena dinilai praktis dan bisa menambah penghasilan. Pengabdian masyarakat ini dilaksanakan di Pesantren Irsyadul Islamiah, Kabupaten Labuhanbatu. Metode pengabdian masyarakat ini dilaksanakan dengan memberikan penyuluhan, pelatihan pembuatan paper soap, dan dilaksanakan monitoring dan evaluasi untuk mengukur peningkatan pengetahuan dan keterampilan siswa. Hasil pengabdian masyarakat menunjukkan peningkatan pengetahuan siswa sebesar 27.73%

Why workers forfeit direct reproduction is a crucial question in eusocial evolution. Worker reproduction provides an excellent opportunity to understand the mechanism of kin conflict resolution between the queen and workers. We evaluated behavioral and physiological differences among females in the paper wasp Polistes chinensis antennalis to examine why some workers reproduce under queenright conditions. Reproductive workers were old and foraged less early in the season; their cuticular hydrocarbon (CHC) profiles overlapped with those of queens but were significantly different. The distinct CHC profile of the eggs of the queen likely represented a cue for policing against those by workers. Juvenile hormone (JH) and dopamine seemed to be associated with gonadotropic function, and the JH level of reproductive workers was similar to that of the queen. The high JH level of reproductive workers likely facilitated their reproduction even under queenright conditions. Gene expression levels of the queen and reproductive workers differed only in vitellogenin. These results suggest that worker reproduction is facilitated by an increase in JH level; however, CHC is not a fertility-linked signal, but a queen-linked signal; consequently, reproductive workers without a queen-linked signal might be allowed to stay within the colony.

Simple Summary The usage of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) as a dietary protein source for ruminants in China is limited by forage quality and planting scale. Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera L., RY) has emerged as a new and representative high-protein woody forage resource for ruminants. However, information is less available regarding how substituting RY for alfalfa affect the fermentation and protein quality in total mixed ration (TMR) silages. This study evaluated ensiling characteristics, protein quality, and in vitro digestibility in TMR silages by mixing RY with alfalfa at different rations. The TMR were made with alfalfa and RY mixtures (36.0%), maize meal (35.0%), oat grass (10.0%), soybean meal (7.5%), brewers’ grain (5.0%), wheat bran (5.0%), premix (1.0%), and salt (0.5%) on a dry matter basis, respectively. The alfalfa and RY mixtures were made in the following ratios of dry matter: 36:0 (RY0), 27:9 (RY9), 18:18 (RY18), 9:27 (RY27), and 0:36 (RY36). The results showed that RY substitution had no adverse effect on fermentation quality and nutritional composition, but inhibited true protein degradation, while decreasing in vitro dry matter and crude protein digestibility. Therefore, RY and alfalfa mixtures at a ratio of 18:18 is suitable for silage-based TMR. Abstract To develop an alternative high-protein forage resource to alleviate ruminant feed shortages, we investigated the effects of replacing alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) with different ratios of paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera L., RY) on fermentation quality, protein degradation, and in vitro digestibility of total mixed ration (TMR) silage. The TMR were made with alfalfa and RY mixtures (36.0%), maize meal (35.0%), oat grass (10.0%), soybean meal (7.5%), brewers’ grain (5.0%), wheat bran (5.0%), premix (1.0%), and salt (0.5%) on a dry matter basis, respectively. The alfalfa and RY mixtures were made in the following ratios of dry matter: 36:0 (RY0), 27:9 (RY9), 18:18 (RY18), 9:27 (RY27), and 0:36 (RY36). After ensiling for 7, 14, 28, and 56 days, fermentation quality, protein degradation, and microbial counts were examined, and chemical composition and in vitro digestibility were analyzed after 56 days of ensiling. All TMR silages, irrespective of the substitution level of RY, were well preserved with low pH and ammonia nitrogen content, high lactic acid content, and undetectable butyric acid. After ensiling, the condensed tannin content for RY18 silages was higher than the control, but non-protein nitrogen, peptide nitrogen, and free amino acid nitrogen contents was lower, while the fraction B1 (buffer-soluble protein) was not different among all the silages. Dry matter and crude protein digestibility for RY27 and RY36 silages was lower than the control, but there was no difference between control and RY18 silages. This study suggested that ensiling RY with alfalfa inhibited true protein degradation, but decreased in vitro dry matter and crude protein digestibility of TMR silages, and that 18:18 is the optimal ratio.

This document was prepared thanks to the collective expertappraisal, carried out by the Anses’expert group‘GECUCovid-19’(ANSES opinion 2020-SA-0037), chaired by Sophie Le Poder and whose members for the animal health component are cited in the authors.; International audience; In late December 2019, an outbreak of clustered cases of pneumonia associated with a novel coronavirus was reported by the Chinese authorities to the World Health Organization (WHO). Several initial confirmed cases were linked to a wetmarket selling live animals and seafood products in Wuhan(Hubei province), China (Huang et al.,2020). On 30 January 2020, the WHO declared the outbreak a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. On 11 February 2020, the causative pathogen was officially named Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), responsible for Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) (DuToit, 2020). Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 is mainly transmitted from person to person, by direct or indirect contact, through infectious microdroplets emitted wheninfected individuals spit, sneeze or cough (Bernard Stoecklin et al.,2020). The massive circulation of this new pandemiccoronavirus with a probable zoonotic origin raised questions on its ability to spillover to animal species and on the potential consequences of such events on both animals and humans. This public health concern came to the attention of animal health authorities given the close contacts between humans and domestic animals. Therefore, in France, the French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (ANSES) established an Emergency Collective Expert Appraisal Group (Groupe d’Expertise Collective d’Urgence, GECU‘Covid-19’). The GECU ‘Covid-19’ urgently convened on 4 March 2020 and 8 April 2020 to conduct an evaluation of the potential role of domestic animals in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

In 1962 Bill Lidicker, a budding young biologist at Berkeley’s Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, published a short paper on the possibility that emigration might be involved in population regulation. He discussed this possibility largely with respect to small mammals and the possibility that genetic differences might be involved in emigration behavior. The paper contained no data, but it generated much interest in both the ecology and the genetics of emigration. I review in this paper how this stimulus to study emigration developed in the 60 years since Bill Lidicker opened this door for mammalian studies. The first attempts to analyze emigration involved removal experiments, carried out mostly on small rodents, which showed that many individuals could be attracted to an empty habitat via experimental removals. This finding influenced both important issues in pest control and theoretical questions about the quality of emigrants in natural populations. The idea that emigrants might be genetically distinct from resident individuals was gradually abandoned since studies of social organization and in particular territoriality and infanticide focused on social interactions over space in small rodents. Further studies of emigration blossomed in behavioral ecology as more and more studies were carried out on interactions over resources in many other vertebrates. Some generality has been achieved by a focus on the simple questions put forward in this short paper by Bill Lidicker in 1962.

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, PM) is high protein but unutilized as a feed source. The study explores the different parts (leaf, stem, and whole plant) of PM chemical composition, silage fermentation, and in vitro and in situ digestibility, aiming to give some guidelines to PM usage as feed. The result showed that the leaf had a higher fresh weight than the stem (p &lt, 0.05). The dry matter contents of the three groups had no differences. The highest crude protein, ether extract, water-soluble carbohydrate, ash, calcium, phosphorus, amino acid contents, and butter capacity were observed in the leaf (p &lt, 0.05). The stem had the highest (p &lt, 0.05) neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber, and lignin contents. After ensiling, the stem silage had the lowest pH value, ammonia nitrate (NH3-N), lactate, acetate, and propionate (p &lt, 0.05). The leaf silage had the highest pH value (p &lt, 0.05). The lactate, acetate, and propionate in the leaf and whole plant silage had no difference. The butyrate was not detected in all silage. The in vitro and in situ digestibility experiments showed the leaf had the highest digestibility (p &lt, 0.05), which could produce more volatile fatty acids and have a higher effective digestibility. These results allow a greater understanding of PM to be used as a feedstuff.

The dominance-nutrition hypothesis predicts that nutritional intake and energetic costs in adulthood interact to drive behavioral and physiological differences between females in primitively eusocial insects, and thereby affect reproductive caste. We tested predictions of this hypothesis in independent-founding Mischocyttarus pallidipectus paper wasps. We measured stable isotope tissue composition to compare nutritional status before adult emergence and among adult females. Adult tissue δ15N content (an indicator of feeding at a higher trophic level because it is enriched in animal prey relative to plant-based foods) was significantly higher in adults than at the end of pupal development, suggesting adult nutrition affects δ15N content after the end of pupal development. We then asked if behavior and nutritional status predicted ovary development. We measured ovary development, nitrogen and carbon stable isotope ratios, dominance behavior, and task performance (foraging, as indicated by time spent on the nest) for adult female wasps. We used social network analysis to quantify differences in social status between females with developed and undeveloped (filamentous) ovaries. Dominant females spent more time on the nest and were significantly more enriched in δ15N than subordinate females. These data support the dominance-nutrition hypothesis: adult behavior and energy expenditure, and access to animal-based diets, correspond to female reproductive physiology, and may play a role in adult-stage caste determination. Within animal social groups, differential access to resources can affect differences in reproductive success. This may affect caste determination in eusocial colonies, where reproductive tasks are divided between female castes, with a queen (or multiple queens) capable of egg-laying and helped by sterile workers. Female sterile workers and reproductives of some social Hymenoptera are morphologically similar at adult emergence, suggesting that adult experience may impact caste status. We asked whether patterns of nutritional physiology in Mischocyttarus pallidipectus paper wasps matched adult-stage caste determination by testing predictions of the dominance-nutrition hypothesis, which states that adult nutrition and energetic costs of tasks shape reproductive female development through behavioral and physiological changes.

Paper mulberry (Broussonetia papyrifera, PM) is an excellent and extensive type of roughage in Asia. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of PM silage on the milk production, apparent digestibility, antioxidant capacity, and fecal bacteria composition in Holstein dairy cows. Forty-five lactating Holstein dairy cows with a similar milk yield and parity were selected and randomly assigned to three groups. The control group was fed a non-PM silage diet, and the PM-treated groups were fed 4.5 and 9.0% PM silage supplementary diets for 28 days. Then, treatment groups were fed diets containing 13.5 and 18.0% PM silage for the next 28 days, respectively. PM silage increased the milk urea nitrogen and decreased the somatic cell count (p &lt, 0.05), but did not affect the dry matter intake, milk yield, apparent digestibility, and energy balance of dairy cows. PM silage can enhance the blood total antioxidant capacity, superoxide dismutase, and immune globulin content (p &lt, 0.05). The PM silage significantly decreased the relative abundance of the genera Ruminococcaceae UCG-013 and Tyzzerella-4 (p &lt, 0.05). In conclusion, PM silage enhanced the antioxidant capacity and immunity of dairy cows, but did not influence the milk yield, dry matter digestibility, and fecal bacteria composition.

The social paper wasp Agelaia pallipes is known to eat carrion and scavenge on vertebrates. There are few records of wasps predating vertebrates, including an attack on an adult hummingbird and the predation of bird nestlings. During a project monitoring reproductive behaviour of a neotropical songbird, the Lined Seedeater Sporophila lineola in south-eastern Brazil, we recorded the predation of a four-day-old nestling by a social paper wasp. In the video, the adult female bird attempted to visit the nest prior to the predation. The male could be seen with its crest feathers erect after a wasp left the nest, when the nestling was presumably already dead. When we arrived at the nest to remove the camera, we found the nestling dead, and did not observe the parents in the vicinity. We also registered two other dead nestlings in a different nest with similar wounds. However, the conclusive cause of death of those nestlings is unknown. Nest predation is a major selective pressure in birds, and insects are rarely assumed to play a notable role in this process. Further research is needed to better understand the nature of the relationship between wasps and birds.

3 páginas., In its effort to transfer the research achievements to the ruralsector, the agricultural European Innovation Partnership(EiP-AGRI) from the Directorate General of Agriculture ofthe European Commission has promoted Focus Groups thatgathered experts on a specific area to discuss strategiesaddressing current or emerging threats for Europe’s agriculture.TheFocus Group Robust and Resilient Dairy ProductionSystemsfocused on identifying the main threats for dairy pro-duction as well as suggesting the most promising and realisticstrategies to tackle them. Authors acknowledge the initiative ofthe EiP-AGRI, which gave the opportunity for discussionsthat results in this opinion paper. We would also like to thankJosé Pires (INRA) and the EiP-AGRI staff (Remco Schreuder,Cesar Resch, Quico Onega and Sirpa Karjalainen) for their con-tributions during the discussion. The views expressed in thispublication reflect the opinion of the authors but do not necessarily reflect the views orpolicies of the EiP-AGRI neitherthe DG Agriculture of the European Union.

The peer-reviewed Australian Zoologist, first published in 1914, is Australia’s longest-lived zoological journal. Its publication history shows changes in the zoological topics covered over the last 100 years, including the animals studied, characteristics of the authors and readership, and the influence of the databases used to study the journal on information retrieval. Searches in different databases retrieved different numbers of papers; Scopus (including secondary documents not in the database but cited by documents that are in the database) was the most comprehensive. Although authors from 22 countries contributed papers over the history of the Australian Zoologist, over 90% of authors were Australian. Most international authors came from the USA, the UK, Canada and New Zealand. Approximately two-thirds of authors citing Australian Zoologist were Australian-based, but there were still 10 or more authors from each of thirty-four other countries citing Australian Zoologist: while regional, the journal has an international profile. Highly cited papers in Australian Zoologist had high mean Scopus percentile ranks (20th century 83.9, 21st century 73.7), indicating that in comparison to their fields globally, these papers are used well above average. Considering all papers published in Australian Zoologist, over time the proportion of papers in the categories ‘Biodiversity & Conservation’ and ‘Environmental Sciences & Ecology’ rose significantly, reflecting the increased research in these areas. Between 2013 and 2019, when relevant metrics are available in Scopus, Australian Zoologist declined in no metric measured while improving significantly in CiteScore, Highest Percentile, and % Cited, indicating increasing references to Australian Zoologist papers by other peer-reviewed publications. Between 2010 and 2019, 2.1% of Australian Zoologist papers were ranked within the top 10% in their fields globally, based on citation impact. Authors considering publishing in Australian Zoologist should note that longer papers are acceptable, colour imagery (including photographs) is encouraged, the journal is visible in major databases, it is cited internationally and there are no page charges.

Scientific research has become increasingly collaborative. We systematically reviewed invasion science literature published between 1980 and 2020 and catalogued in Clarivate Analytics Web of Science to examine patterns of authorship and the relationship between co-authorship and annual citation rates. This study analysed 27,234 publications across 1,218 journals and demonstrated that, as the number of publications in invasion science has exponentially increased, the number of authors publishing per year and the average number of authors per paper have also increased. The rising number of authors per paper coincides with a marked decline of single-authored publications; approximately 92% of publications in this dataset were multi-authored, with single-authored papers comprising less than 4% of all papers published in 2020. The increase in multi-authored papers is likely driven by multiple factors, including the widespread perception that collaboration increases scientific quality. The number of authors is positively correlated with perceived research impact; papers with two or more authors produce research that is more frequently cited compared to single-authored papers, and papers with five or more authors have annual citation rates almost double that of single-authored papers. The complexity, context-dependence and urgency of biological invasions contributed to the rise of the highly collaborative field of modern invasion science.

Resumen en inglés.

Larger animals studied during ontogeny, across populations, or across species, usually have lower mass-specific metabolic rates than smaller animals (hypometric scaling). This pattern is usually observed regardless of physiological state (e.g., basal, resting, field, and maximally active). The scaling of metabolism is usually highly correlated with the scaling of many life-history traits, behaviors, physiological variables, and cellular/molecular properties, making determination of the causation of this pattern challenging. For across-species comparisons of resting and locomoting animals (but less so for across populations or during ontogeny), the mechanisms at the physiological and cellular level are becoming clear. Lower mass-specific metabolic rates of larger species at rest are due to (a) lower contents of expensive tissues (brains, liver, and kidneys), and (b) slower ion leak across membranes at least partially due to membrane composition, with lower ion pump ATPase activities. Lower mass-specific costs of larger species during locomotion are due to lower costs for lower-frequency muscle activity, with slower myosin and Ca++ ATPase activities, and likely more elastic energy storage. The evolutionary explanation(s) for hypometric scaling remain(s) highly controversial. One subset of evolutionary hypotheses relies on constraints on larger animals due to changes in geometry with size; for example, lower surface-to-volume ratios of exchange surfaces may constrain nutrient or heat exchange, or lower cross-sectional areas of muscles and tendons relative to body mass ratios would make larger animals more fragile without compensation. Another subset of hypotheses suggests that hypometric scaling arises from biotic interactions and correlated selection, with larger animals experiencing less selection for mass-specific growth or neurolocomotor performance. An additional third type of explanation comes from population genetics. Larger animals with their lower effective population sizes and subsequent less effective selection relative to drift may have more deleterious mutations, reducing maximal performance and metabolic rates. Resolving the evolutionary explanation for the hypometric scaling of metabolism and associated variables is a major challenge for organismal and evolutionary biology. To aid progress, we identify some variation in terminology use that has impeded cross-field conversations on scaling. We also suggest that promising directions for the field to move forward include (1) studies examining the linkages between ontogenetic, population-level, and cross-species allometries; (2) studies linking scaling to ecological or phylogenetic context; (3) studies that consider multiple, possibly interacting hypotheses; and (4) obtaining better field data for metabolic rates and the life history correlates of metabolic rate such as lifespan, growth rate, and reproduction.

Reproduction in cooperative animal groups is often dominated by one or a few individuals, with the remaining group members relegated to nonreproductive helping roles. This reproductive skew can evolve if helpers receive fitness benefits such as potential future inheritance of the breeding position, but the mechanisms by which inheritance is determined are not well resolved. Polistes paper wasps form highly reproductively skewed groups and inheritance of the breeding position is likely to play a key role in the maintenance of this social structure, making them excellent models for the processes by which simple societies are maintained. Reproductive succession is thought to be determined via an age-based convention in some Polistes species, but there is also evidence for contest-based succession systems in which the replacement queen uses physical aggression to overpower and thereby subordinate her nestmates. Here, we provide evidence that queen succession in colonies of the European paper wasp Polistes dominula is determined via convention rather than contest, with little disruption to the colony’s social functioning. We use queen removal experiments and fine-scale behavioral analyses to confirm that age is a strong predictor of succession, and that behavioral responses to queen removal are restricted to the oldest individuals rather than being experienced equally across the group. We provide the most comprehensive and detailed experimental analysis on the dynamics of breeder succession in a cooperatively breeding invertebrate to date, thereby shedding light on the mechanisms by which animal societies are able to maintain cohesion in the face of within-group conflict.

Understanding how differences in animal husbandry practices affect the reproducibility of research results is critical. We sought to understand how different beddings might influence dietary obesity studies. We compared the effects of paper and corncob bedding on weight gain, metabolism, and gut microbiome (GM) of mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or a normal diet (ND) and evaluated effects on fecal and cecal microbiomes collected from these cohorts after euthanasia. Male C57BL/6J mice at 5 wk age were allowed to acclimate to the facility and the assigned bedding for one week before being placed on HFD or remaining on the ND for 12 wk. Fecal pellets and cecal samples were collected and frozen for batched 16S sequencing. Mice had similar body weight, visceral gonadal white adipose tissue (GWAT), subcutaneous inguinal white adipose tissue (IWAT), liver and spleen weights and metabolic changes regardless of the bedding type. Baseline microbiota differences were detected one week after bedding assignment. After 12 wk, the GM showed significant differences depending on both bedding and diet. The effects of the bedding were not significantly different between endpoint fecal and cecal GM, despite the inherent differences in microbiota in fecal and cecal samples. A correlation was detected between diet and the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia: Akkermansia. In conclusion, this study demonstrates the importance of considering bedding type when performing dietary experiments.

The wastes from the Baikalsk pulp and paper plant, including the by-products of the plant’s bleaching unit are stored in the special disposal reservoirs in the form of a sludge-lignin, which consists of lignin, polyacrylamide and flocculants. Here, we report on microbiological composition of sludge-lignin: we detected fungi hyphae, actinomycete hyphae, long and short rods as well as coccal forms of bacteria. Interestingly, despite the diversity of bacterial, cyanobacterial and fungal communities no noticeable destruction of lignin was observed. We recommend to use specific chemical compounds and microbiological agents for destruction of sludge-lignin.

Sex-biased dispersal is common in social species, but the dispersing sex may delay emigration if associated benefits are not immediately attainable. In the social Hymenoptera (ants, some bees and wasps), newly emerged males typically disperse from the natal nest whilst most females remain as philopatric helpers. However, little information exists on the mechanisms regulating male dispersal. Furthermore, the conservation of such mechanisms across the Hymenoptera and any role of sexual maturation are also relatively unknown. Through field observations and mark–recapture, we observed that males of the social paper wasp Polistes lanio emerge from pupation sexually immature, and delay dispersal from their natal nest for up to 7 days whilst undergoing sexual maturation. Delayed dispersal may benefit males by allowing them to mature in the safety of the nest and thus be more competitive in mating. We also demonstrate that both male dispersal and maturation are associated with juvenile hormone (JH), a key regulator of insect reproductive physiology and behaviour, which also has derived functions regulating social organisation in female Hymenoptera. Males treated with methoprene (a JH analogue) dispersed earlier and possessed significantly larger accessory glands than their age-matched controls. These results highlight the wide role of JH in social hymenopteran behaviour, with parallel ancestral functions in males and females, and raise new questions on the nature of selection for sex-biased dispersal.

Special issue on the impact of biological factors on hydrological processes, edited by the authors of this Foreword, brings together 11 full-text papers on these complex interactions, ranging in scale from storing the water by lichen species to competing the nations for increasingly scarce water resources in securitized transboundary watersheds. In addition to these “boundary-scale” biohydrology papers, 4 papers assess the impact of land use on soil properties, 3 papers estimate the effect of biological factors on the downward and upward movements of water in the vadose zone of soil, and 2 papers evaluated the amount of greenhouse gas emissions from agriculturally utilized soil and forest fires. We would like to conclude by expressing our hope that the papers published in the present special issue will act as a stimulus for initiating new research projects and contribute to finding solutions to the global threats of water scarcity and soil degradation. It is absolutely crucial to increase our chances of surviving the current climate change and to reach a more sustainable society in the future.

Madung Z, Soloi S, Majid MHA, Sarjadi MS. 2022. Production and characterization of Imperata cylindrica paper using potassium hydroxide as pulping agent. Biodiversitas 23: 1490-1494. Non-woody plants have become an alternative fiber in paper production as woods, the primary sources of papers have become limited due to increasing demand of paper year by year. Imperata cylindrica or cogon grass as the source of fiber for the pulp and paper industry in replacing the wood fiber because it has high cellulose and low lignin content. In this study, cogon grasses were treated with various concentrations of potassium hydroxide, KOH (5%, 8%, 10% and 12%). The effects of alkali treatment on the properties of the papers were investigated in the present study. Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) image of the paper sheet indicates that the amount of cellulose fiber and other materials were lessening toward a higher concentration of KOH treatment. This explained that most of the lignin was entirely removed and some cellulose probably degraded at higher KOH concentrations. Fourier Transform Infa-Red (FTIR) analysis showed that the peaks at range 1650 cm-1-1630 cm-1 attributed to the presence of v(C=C) aromatic ring of lignin disappeared at 10% and 12% of KOH. The mechanical strength of the papers decreased with an increasing concentration of KOH, while 5% of KOH produced the highest value of tensile strength.

The paper deals with the evaluation of the mechanical properties of the crepe paper and chickpaper. The thickness of crepe paper was 300 m with the surface mass 150 g*m-2 and chickpaper paper thickness was 100 m with the surface mass 40 g*m-2. Crepe paper and chickpaper are usually used for chicken breeding. Longitudinal and transversal tensile properties were studied. The tensile behavior was monitored on the motorized test stand ANDILOG STENTOR 1000 (Andilog Technologies, Vitrolles, France).There were measured the tensile properties as modulus of elasticity, maximal elongation, maximal tensile force, tensile strengths, tensile index and strain at break of the longitudinal and transversal samples by testing paper strips. Mean values of the maximal elongation b of longitudinal chickpaper samples were three times smaller than maximal elongation of transversal samples. Mean values of maximal tensile force Ft, tensile strength b tensile indexw and maximal strain at break T of longitudinal chickpaper samples were two times smaller than maximal quantities of transversal samples. Mean values of the tensile modulus of elasticity of longitudinal and transversal chickpaper samples were almost equal. Chickpaper mechanical properties in tension were different in the longitudinal and transversal direction of the original paper surface. Mean values of the maximal elongation b and maximal strain at break T of longitudinal crepe paper samples were sixty times smaller than maximal elongation and maximal strain at break of transversal samples. Mean values of maximal tensile force Ft, tensile strength b andtensile indexw of longitudinal crepe paper samples were fourth times smaller than maximal quantities of transversal samples. Mean values of the tensile modulus of elasticity of longitudinal samples of crepe paper were thirty eight times smaller than values of transversal samples.

The combination of bedding substrate and nesting material within the microenvironment of mice is an important consideration for animal care programs in regard to optimizing animal wellbeing. We used 3 general or breeding mouse colonies in our institution to evaluate the effects of bedding substrate on nest building, breeding performance, and recognition of animal health concerns. A scoring system was developed to assess the incorporation of bedding into the nest cup base and walls (nest base incorporation, NBI) in a controlled study with mice bedded on either compressed paper (CP) or corncob (CC) bedding. Compared with CC cages, CP cages had higher NBI scores. To determine the influence of bedding type on the recognition of animal health concerns in an animal facility, cages bedded with CC followed by CP were evaluated for the overall frequency of health-concern reports during a 2-mo time frame for each bedding type in a single-subject A-B study design. The frequency of animal health-concern reports was similar in cages using CC or CP bedding. The animal health condition, rather than bedding type, was associated with the severity of the health problem at the initial report. Breeding performance was compared for 6 mo in matched CC and CP cages containing one of 13 genetically modified mouse lines. NBI scores were higher for breeders housed on CP compared with CC bedding. Monogamous breeder pairs housed on CP had significantly higher indexes of breeding performance (measured as the number of pups per dam per week on study) than did CC cages. This report supports the use of CP bedding in the mouse microenvironment to improve general wellbeing by supporting nesting behavior and reproductive performance without hindering the detection of animal health concerns.

Hydatidosis is a potential zoonotic helminthic disease affecting a broad spectrum of mammals, including humans, worldwide. The current review was conducted to investigate the genotypic status and prevalence of hydatid disease in camels across the world. For the purpose of the study, the articles addressing the worldwide prevalence of hydatidosis in camels were searched in several English language databases. The search process resulted in the inclusion of 122 papers. Based on the data presented in the reviewed articles, the pooled prevalence of hydatid disease in camels across the world was measured at 23.75% (95% CI 20.15–27.55). Moreover, the subgroup analysis demonstrated significant differences in the overall prevalence of hydatidosis among camels based on year, geographic area, climate parameters, camel population, gender, infected organ, fertility rate of the cyst and laboratory diagnostic technique. Furthermore, the Echinococcus granulosus genotypes identified in camels with hydatidosis included G1, G2, G3, G1–G3, G5, G6, G7, G6–G7 and G6–G10, with G6 being the most common genotype throughout the world. The data obtained from the current study are central to the better conceptualization of the biological and epidemiological characteristics of E. granulosus s.l. genotypes around the world, which can be helpful in the planning and adoption of more comprehensive control strategies.

Bedding material is a critical component of the mouse environment and affects animal wellbeing and research integrity. Corn cob (CC) bedding has been a common bedding choice in research despite several potential negative aspects of its use. We investigated the use of compressed paper (CP) bedding as a refinement to CC bedding. CP bedding demonstrated greater total and immediate absorption, compared with CC bedding. CP-bedded cages had a reduced frequency of early cage changing prior to the Guide-recommended 2-wk interval for IVC; this reduction was proportional to room census. Intracage ammonia levels were lower in CP-bedded IVC compared with CC-bedded IVC, independent of the age, sex, and number of mice per cage. By contrast, ammonia levels were similar between CP-bedded and CC-bedded static cages. Collectively, these data support the use of CP bedding as a refinement for CC in ventilated mouse cages, in light of increased husbandry efficiency and its positive effect on the welfare of mice.

In cooperative breeders, subordinates that have alternative reproductive options are expected to stay and help dominant breeders only as long as they contribute to group productivity, if their fitness is linked with colony success. Female Polistes dominula paper wasps live as cooperative breeders in small groups of typically fewer than 10 females. Subordinates tend to have high-quality outside options, and so could choose alternative breeding tactics if their work efforts increased productivity negligibly. In the founding stage before workers emerge, we tested the effect of various predictors on nest growth, as a proxy for group productivity, and explored the shape of the relationship between group size and nest growth. We found group size to be the only significant predictor of nest growth: variation among body sizes within the group showed no effect, suggesting a lack of size-dependent task specialization in this species. Average body size and average genetic relatedness between group members similarly showed no effects on nest growth. Group size had a non-linear effect so that per-capita benefits to nest growth decreased in larger groups, and groups of 10 or more would benefit negligibly from additional group members. Hence, females might be better off pursuing other options than joining a large group. This finding helps to explain why P. dominula groups are usually relatively small in our study population. Further studies may illuminate the mechanisms behind the smaller per-capita nest growth that we found in larger groups. Significance statement Identifying which factors influence the productivity of animal groups is key to understanding why different species breed cooperatively in groups of varying sizes. In the paper wasp Polistes dominula, we investigated the growth rate of nests as a measure of group productivity. We found that average body size, the variation in body sizes within the group, and average genetic relatedness between group members did not affect nest growth, while group size had a strong, positive effect: nests grew faster with more group members, but the per-capita benefit decreased in larger groups. The addition of extra group members in groups of 10 or more had negligible effects on nest growth. Hence, wasps may be better off pursuing other options than joining large groups. This finding helps to explain why groups normally consist of fewer than 10 wasps in this population. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00265-018-2502-x) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Sustainability standards are increasingly used in the livestock sector.Insight into their actual contribution to sustainability is limited.This paper sets out a research agenda to study the role that standards play.We focus on the role of standard developers, consumers, producers and scientists.Standards need to be reliable and make an actual improvement to sustainability.

Laccases are enzymes belonging to the group of oxidases. Laccases catalyze the oxidation of a variety of phenolic compounds, diamines and aromatic amines. Twenty-four fungal isolates were isolated from biodeteriorated ancient paper and parchment. These isolates were identified and found to belong to six genera: Alternaria, Aspergillus, Cladosporium, Penicillium, Rhizopus and Trichoderma, and were tested for producing laccase enzyme. Trichoderma harzianum have the ability of secreted laccase enzyme. The maximum production of laccase enzyme by T. harzianum was observed at 35 ○C and pH 5 after 6 days. The highest activity of laccase achieved at 35 ○C and pH 5 during the reaction. FTIR analysis revealed that the structure of extracted fungal pigments has aromatic ring and phenols group. Crude laccase was capable to decolorize different pigment structures. The enzyme showed great decolorization efficiency toward the extracted yellow pigment produced from Asp. terrus and Asp. ochareceous treated by 200 μl of partially purified enzyme. Laccase enzyme was used to decolorization pigment secreted from deteriorated pigmented fungi on paper and parchment during 30 days by using a pieces of paper and parchment inoculated by spore suspension. The results indicated that a high removal effect of fungal pigment on paper (71.21%) was recorded comparing to parchment samples (32.39%).

During social interactions, the behavior of an individual often depends on the sex of its social partner. Many animal societies have males and females that play very different behavioral roles, although they coexist and interact non-sexually. At specific phases of the colony cycle, social wasp females and males are contemporaries within a nest, they often interact, although mating occurs mostly off the nest, therefore providing an opportunity to test sex discrimination in contexts other than classical sexual ones. We performed a lure presentation experiment to test if Mischocyttarus metathoracicus discriminate between conspecifics of the 2 sexes during on-nest social interactions. Female wasps discriminated conspecific sex during experimentally simulated nest intrusions. Visual and chemical cues may account for this sex discrimination. Despite sex discrimination (evidenced by differential inspective behavior from the nest females toward the female and the male lures), female wasps were as aggressive toward lures of both sexes. In the female-dominated hymenopteran societies, males are often subordinate and not aggressive on nest, resulting in females directing less aggression to them compared to other females. Instead, M. metathoracicus males and females are both aggressive toward nestmates, so they might be perceived as similar threat during on-nest social interactions.

Peste des petits ruminants (PPR) is a highly contagious disease caused by peste-des-petits-ruminants virus. Following the successful eradication of the related rinderpest virus, a program to control and eradicate PPR was launched by the FAO and OIE. PPR is today present in many tropical countries where maintaining the cold chain for sample transportation is one of the major barriers for timely processing. Transport of samples on filter paper is a simple and cost-effective method, however validation and optimization is required to fully adapt this approach. The objective of this study was to evaluate and validate the use of filter paper in serological diagnosis of PPR. Blood samples (serum and filter paper) were collected from sheep and goats in both Tanzania and Pakistan and analysed using a PPRV-specific cELISA. The positive proportion was 10.7% in Tanzania and 80% in Pakistan when performing the analysis on serum. These results were then considered as reference and compared to the results from the filter papers analysed by the same cELISA. According to the statistical analysis the cut-off for a positive results for samples stored on filter paper was adjusted from < 50 % competition percentage to < 84% in Tanzania and to < 69% in Pakistan.These results demonstrate that filter papers are an acceptable and cost-effective transport method of whole blood samples for later use in serological analysis.

Division of labor in social groups can be influenced by differential nutrition. Consumption of more food or higher-quality food often affects individuals’ capacities for reproduction. In social insects, nutrients consumed during immature (e.g., larval) stages often affect adult reproductive capacity, but adult nutrition may also impact reproductive status. This study tested whether ovary development, an indicator of reproductive status, corresponded to higher trophic-level feeding for adults in the primitively eusocial paper wasp Mischocyttarus mastigophorus. Our main prediction was that females’ ovary development would correlate positively with evidence of feeding at higher trophic levels, as indicated by stable isotope ratios of nitrogen (δ15N) and carbon (δ13C). We first asked whether isotope ratios of mature females co-varied with ovary development. δ15N values were higher for mature females with better-developed ovaries, as expected if they fed on a diet richer in animal tissue. There was a negative relationship of δ13C with ovary development in mature females, as would be expected if females with developed ovaries had higher body lipid stores. To test for evidence of nutritional biasing of caste during immature development, we measured changes in isotope ratios across pupal development leading up to early adulthood (i.e., immediately before and after adult eclosion). The δ15N and δ13C values for mature pupae were similar to those of newly emerged adults and to those of mature adults lacking developed ovaries. In contrast, mature females with developed ovaries showed N-isotope signatures of a more prey-based diet and C-isotope signatures of elevated lipid content. We conclude the N and C isotopic signatures of ovary-developed mature females diverged from their levels at the end of immature development. The findings suggest reproductive caste status was associated with differences in nutrient acquisition and reflects differences in consumption of animal-derived versus plant-based foods during adulthood. Pre-adult nutrition is known to affect caste development, and thereby influence division of labor, in diverse insect societies. In temperate independent-founding (IF) paper wasps, the effects of larval nutrition on adult caste may reflect adaptations for overwintering and diapause by reproductive females. We asked whether adult nutritional content showed caste-related trophic differences in the Neotropical IF paper wasp Mischocyttarus mastigophorus. Previous studies suggested interactions among adult nest-mates affected food sharing and caused biased nutrient flow within colonies. Our data suggest adult nutrition affected reproductive physiology. We propose this pattern may be widespread in tropical IF paper wasps, where opportunities for adult reproductive plasticity are favored by long colony cycles and relatively aseasonal nest founding.

We aimed to establish common guidelines for experimental studies with cattle.A book on “Methods in cattle physiology and behaviour research” was published.The book is designed as an open-access living handbook and is open to everyone.Citing the book saves space and avoids repetitions in scientific journals.Referencing guidelines reduces apparent plagiarism among authors.

In the 20 year history of Zootaxa, thirty-two papers have been published having Scleractinia as its primary focus. Twenty-four of the 32 scleractinian papers deal with Recent taxa, most of which belonging to shallow-water, reef corals. The 8 publications dealing with fossil Scleractinia include 3 monographic works, three papers discussing nomenclatural issues of individual taxa, and 2 papers deal with various aspects of select genera.

A summary is presented of papers published on minor insect orders (MIO) in Zootaxa’s first 20 years, as well as the number of new species described therein. The MIO orders currently covered by the editors and summarized here include Archaeognatha (Microcoryphia), Dermaptera, Embioptera, Siphonaptera, Zoraptera and Zygentoma, as well as the hexapod classes Protura and Diplura. Both fossil and extant taxa of these groups are included in the MIO purview. The MIO editors also have frequently served as interim editors for groups temporarily without a subject-matter editor, such as Carabidae, Blattodea and Mantodea; as a backup editor for Mecoptera; and as ad-hoc editors for papers written by the editors of a different taxonomic group or for papers without a single-taxon focus. In the period 2001‒2020, descriptions of 130 new species were published, compared with 816 species in all other journals. The greatest number of species were for Protura (49), while Zoraptera had the highest proportion of papers compared to all publications (50%).