Search

Commercial thinning and prescribed fire can improve habitat quality for white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands by increasing coverage of forage plants. However, the relationships among thinning intensity, prescribed fire, and deer forage have not been quantified. We estimated percent cover of deer forage plants in five loblolly pine stands thinned to basal areas of 11 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] (low), 14 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] (medium), and 18 (high) [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] in 2017 in Georgia, USA. We applied prescribed fire in 2018. From years 1 to 2 post-treatment, cover of total deer forage increased 26% and 29% in the low and medium basal area treatments, respectively, compared with 19% in the high basal area treatment. Similarly, the increase in forb coverage was greater for the medium (13%) and low (11%) basal area treatments than for the high (6%) basal area treatment. Increases in vine and bramble coverage were greater in unburned medium basal area units. Woody browse was not affected by any treatment. Our results suggest that thinning loblolly pine stands to 14 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] can increase coverage of deer forage plants during the first two growing seasons post-thinning, but deer forage was not greater in stands thinned to Key words: forage, loblolly pine, prescribed fire, thinning, white-tailed deer. Resume: L'eclaircie commerciale et le brulage dirige peuvent ameliorer la qualite de l'habitat du cerf de Virginie (Odocoileus virginianus) dans les peuplements de pin a encens (Pinus taeda L.) en augmentant le couvert des plantes fourrageres. Cependant, les relations entre l'intensite de l'eclaircie, le brulage dirige et la quantite de fourrage pour les cerfs n'ont pas ete quantifiees. Nous avons estime le pourcentage de couvert des plantes fourrageres utilisees par le cerf dans cinq peuplements de pin a encens situes en Georgie, aux Etats-Unis, qui ont ete eclaircis en 2017 pour atteindre des surfaces terrieres residuelles de 11 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] (faible), 14 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] (moyenne) et 18 (forte) [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1]. Nous avons applique un brulage dirige en 2018. De la premiere a la deuxieme annee apres les traitements, le couvert total de plantes fourrageres utilisees par le cerf a augmente de respectivement 26 % et 29 % dans les eclaircies faible et moyenne, comparativement a 19 % dans l'eclaircie forte. De meme, l'augmentation du couvert de plantes herbacees etait plus grande dans les eclaircies moyenne (13 %) et faible (11 %) que dans l'eclaircie forte (6 %). L'augmentation du couvert des vignes et des ronces etait plus importante dans les parcelles non brulees ayant subi une eclaircie moyenne. Le broutement des especes ligneuses n'a ete influence par aucun traitement. Nos resultats indiquent que les peuplements de pin a encens eclaircis a 14 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] peuvent augmenter le couvert des plantes fourrageres utilisees par le cerf pendant les deux premieres saisons de croissance apres l'eclaircie, mais qu'il n'y a pas plus de fourrage pour les cerfs dans les peuplements eclaircis a moins de 14 [m.sup.2]*[ha.sup.-1] 2 ans apres l'eclaircie. [Traduit par la Redaction] Mots-cles: fourrage, pin a encens, brulage dirige, eclaircie, cerf de Virginie., Introduction Planted loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) stands comprise ~10% of all forested land in the southeastern United States (Wear and Gries 2013; Oswalt et al. 2014). Most of these [...]

Although axonal regeneration after CNS injury is limited, partial injury is frequently accompanied by extensive functional recovery. To investigate mechanisms underlying spontaneous recovery after incomplete spinal cord injury, we administered C7 spinal cord hemisections to adult rhesus monkeys and analyzed behavioral, electrophysiological and anatomical adaptations. We found marked spontaneous plasticity of corticospinal projections, with reconstitution of fully 60% of pre-lesion axon density arising from sprouting of spinal cord midline-crossing axons. This extensive anatomical recovery was associated with improvement in coordinated muscle recruitment, hand function and locomotion. These findings identify what may be the most extensive natural recovery of mammalian axonal projections after nervous system injury observed to date, highlighting an important role for primate models in translational disease research.

The bovine respiratory disease complex (BRDC) is caused by a variety of pathogens, as well as contributing environmental and host-related risk factors. BRDC is the costliest disease for feedlot cattle globally. Immunohistochemistry (IHC) is a valuable tool for enhancing our understanding of BRDC given its specificity, sensitivity, cost-effectiveness, and capacity to provide information on antigen localization and immune response. Emerging trends in IHC include the use of multiplex IHC for the detection of coinfections, the use of digital imaging and automation, improved detection systems using enhanced fluorescent dyes, and the integration of IHC with spatial transcriptomics. Overall, identifying biomarkers for early detection, utilizing high-throughput IHC for large-scale studies, developing standardized protocols and reagents, and integrating IHC with other technologies are some of the opportunities to enhance the accuracy and applicability of IHC. We summarize here the various techniques and protocols used in IHC and highlight their current and potential role in BRDC research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]