Explore the vast range of titles available.

Aim: Open woodlands are biologically highly diverse habitats, and veteran (i.e., old, senescent) trees are key structures supporting their biodiversity. Open canopy structure had been maintained by both natural- and human-induced disturbances. In the past two centuries, suppression of such disturbances, together with forestry intensification, has turned most lowland woodlands into closed-canopy forests. We investigated the effect of increased canopy closure on veteran trees and several threatened beetles associated with them. Location: Floodplain woodlands along the lower Dyje and Morava rivers, Czech Republic. Methods: We used an approach combining the study of aerial photographs with onground survey of veteran trees and associated endangered beetles. The aerial images were used to obtain the information on historical (1938) and recent (2009) canopy closure in the area of 146 km², where we mapped large oaks (d.b.h. >70 cm), hollow trees and three associated beetles including the hermit beetle (Osmoderma bamabita), the great Capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo) and the jewel beetle Eurythyrea quercus. Results: The presence of large oaks, hollow trees and their associated beetle species are negatively related to recent high canopy closure, and the historical level of canopy closure matters, as in nowadays closed-canopy stands, the beetles and veteran trees are more common in places that were rather open in 1938 than in the places with closed canopy already in 1938. Moreover, the health state of veteran trees highly depends on the canopy closure. Main conclusion: The negative effect of canopy closure on veteran trees and their endangered inhabitants is several decades delayed and may thus often go undetected. In the forests, however, large and hollow trees and their associated biodiversity are relics of the past, more open conditions. The restoration of open woodlands is therefore vital for preventing their further decline. Conservation management planning needs to take this into account wherever, veteran trees and associated biota are concerned.

The volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in different processing stages of dried pork slices (DPS) were analyzed by gas chromatography-ion mobility spectrometry (GC-IMS), which was used to construct the GC-IMS odor fingerprint spectrometry. The VOCs of raw meat, mixed meat, cured meat, semi-finished meat and finished meat were detected and analyzed by GC-IMS. The result shows that the main VOC species in DPS include alcohols and aldehydes, acids, ketones, heterocyclic compounds, aromatic hydrocarbons and esters. Except that the VOCs of mixed meat and cured meat were very similar, the odor component characteristics of DPS in other processing stages were significantly different. GC-IMS technology can effectively distinguish the volatile component differences of preserved meat samples at different processing stages. It is of profound significance to regulate and ensure the consistency of the VOCs in the processing of DPS.

Wood-boring insects are considered potential contributing/inciting factors to oak decline. Cerambyx cerdo (Cc) and C. welensii (Cw) are two sympatric oak-living large sapro-xylophagous longhorn beetles with different pest/legal status, whose larvae bore into living wood of healthy/decayed trees, and whose impact has increased alarmingly in recent years. We conducted a regional-scale multi-year (2017–2020) field study to model Cc and Cw distribution and to explore species-specific occupancy-abundance patterns. Records were obtained with 1650 feeding traps placed throughout the region of Extremadura (SW Spain) (41,634 km2) in holm, cork and pyrenean oak woodlands. Catch number (a proxy of abundance) was analysed through GLMMs, LMs and geostatistical interpolation (IK algorithm) to generate catch probability maps. Catch number was extremely variable between trees (traps), stands and years (Cc: 0–252, Cw: 0–219 adults/trap) with no repulsive interspecific association at the tree scale. Explanatory factors in the models (species, sex, year and host oak) and several interactions among them significantly affected catch number. As a whole, Cw was more abundant than Cc, but catch number greatly depended on host tree (Cw: cork > holm > pyrenean oak, Cc: holm > cork > pyrenean oak). Occupancy-abundance patterns were positive with significant occupancy x species interaction. Niche breadth was more than double in Cw (Levins’ BA = 0.42) than in Cc (BA = 0.19) and niche overlap almost complete (Pianka’s O = 0.98). Our large-scale pioneer study shows that Cc and Cw are widespread in SW Spain, but with huge host-mediated intra- and interspecific geographic variation in abundance, which has critical implications in population management/control strategies.

Background: Creep feed is offered to suckling piglets to introduce solid feed and provide extra nutrients in late lactation. However, the effect of creep feed is inconsistent; there is little information about the effect of creep diet complexity on piglet performance. Objective: Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of creep feed and its complexity on growth performance of suckling and weaned pigs. Methods: In Exp. 1, eight litters (average 19.9 ± 1.1 d of age; initial piglet weight: 6.74 ± 1.2 kg) were allotted to two dietary treatments considering breed, litter size and weight, as follows: no creep feed (n=3) and creep feed (n=5; offered for 8 days before weaning). At weaning (d 28 of age), the pigs were divided into three treatments (6 pigs/pen, 3 replicates; initial body weight: 9.66 ± 0.34 kg) balanced by gender, body weight, and breed, as follows: creep feed eaters, creep feed non-eaters, and no creep feed. In Exp. 2, two different types of creep feed were offered to suckling piglets (initial piglet weight: 3.79 ± 0.55 kg) in seven litters from d 12 of age (average 12.0 ± 1.3 d of age) to weaning (d 25 of age). Treatments were: HCF (n=4): highly-complex creep diet containing 3% fish meal, 2.4% blood meal, and 15% whey; and 2) LCF (n=3): lowly-complex creep diet without the mentioned ingredients. At weaning, only eater pigs were divided into 2 treatments (6 pigs/pen, 3 replicates; initial body weight: 7.53 ± 0.97 kg) balanced by gender, breed and body weight as follows: HCF eaters and LCF eaters. In both experiments, creep feed was mixed with 1% Cr2O3 to measure fecal color for eater/non-eater categorization and the pigs were fed a common nursery diet for 21 days. Results: In both experiments, there were no differences on piglet weaning weight and overall nursery growth performance among the treatments. In Exp. 2, the creep feed intake and percentage of eaters per litter were not different between the HCF and LCF treatments, whereas the HCF eaters tended to have a greater average daily gain (p=0.08) and gain to feed ratio (p=0.09) than the LCF eaters during d 7-14 postweaning. Conclusion: Creep feed did not affect overall piglet growth in suckling and nursery phases, but its complexity might affect pig growth in the early nursery phase.

Background: Commensal microflora such as Escherichia coli and Enterococcus spp. are representative indicators of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as they are part of the normal intestinal microflora and can acquire and disseminate AMR to pathogenic or zoonotic bacteria like Salmonella spp. Objective: To investigate the state of AMR among E. coli and Salmonella spp., potential pathogens in humans, isolated from cecal contents of pigs submitted to a veterinary diagnostic laboratory in Colombia from 2016 to 2019. Methods: Susceptibility testing was conducted using the Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion method according to the Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute guidelines for antimicrobial zone diameter breakpoints. An E. coli strain (ATCC 25922) was used as the quality control organism. Isolates showing resistance to three or more antimicrobial classes were classified as multidrug-resistant (MDR) as defined by a joint group of the European Centre for Disease prevention and Control and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention of the USA. Results: A total of 112 E. coli and 192 Salmonella spp. colonies were isolated from 557 samples received between 2016 and 2019. In order of decreasing frequency, E. coli was resistant to tetracycline (100%), sulfamethoxazol-trimethoprim (97.5%), amoxicillin (86.4%), enrofloxacin (82.6%), tylosin (82.1%), doxycycline (59%), neomycin (50%), ciprofloxacin (45.5%), ceftiofur (35%), gentamicin (30%), tilmicosin (29%), and fosfomycin (12.5%). When compared with E. coli, Salmonella spp. was generally resistant to the same agents with slightly less resistance (between 10-30%) to eight of the antimicrobials tested. Salmonella spp. showed <20% resistance to three antimicrobials, as follows: neomycin (17%), gentamicin (16%), and fosfomycin (14%). Multi-resistance occurred in 68.7% (77/112) of E. coli and 70.3% (135/192) of Salmonella spp. isolates. Resistance of Salmonella spp. was alarming to all the critically important antimicrobials tested: fluoroquinolones (enrofloxacin, ciprofloxacin), ceftiofur (thirdgeneration cephalosporin), and macrolides (tylosin). Conclusions: According to our results, there is a high level of multidrug resistance (MDR) in E. coli and Salmonella spp. It is necessary to implement a nationwide antimicrobial resistance monitoring program in Colombia, together with proper antimicrobial prescribing guidelines for pigs. The indiscriminate use of antimicrobial growth promoters by the swine industry is generating widespread bacterial resistance and should be discontinued.

Background: A single, 200-mg iron injection for newborn pigs is a common practice in swine production. It is required to provide sufficient iron for newborn pigs while avoiding the potential risk of excessive amount of iron causing oxidative stress. Objective: To evaluate the quantity and timing of a single or second iron injection into suckling piglets on growth performance and hematocrit levels. Methods: A total of 24 piglets from 4 litters were used in each experiment (3). Treatments were: Experiment 1- 1) Control: 150 mg iron injection at d 1-3 of age, 2) Iron14: additional 100 mg iron injection at 14 d before weaning, and 3) Iron7: additional 100 mg iron injection at 7 d before weaning; Experiment 2- 1) Control: 100 mg iron injection at d 1-3 of age, 2) Iron100/100: 100 mg iron at d 1-3 of age and 9 d after the first injection, and 3) Iron200: 200 mg iron injection at d 1-3 of age; and Experiment 3 (at d 3-4 of age)- 1) Fe100: 100 mg iron injection, 2) Fe200: 200 mg iron injection, and 3) BW200: 125 mg iron injection/kg body weight. Pigs were weaned at d 25-28 of age. Growth performance and hematocrit levels were measured until d 13-14 postweaning. Results: In Experiment 1, the Iron14 treatment had a greater final body weight than the control treatment (p=0.07). Hematocrit levels were greater in the Iron14 (p=0.10) and Iron7 (p<0.05) treatments than in the control treatment at d 14 postweaning. In Experiment 2, average daily gain in the postweaning period was greater in the Iron100/100 treatment than in the control (p<0.05) and Iron200 (p=0.08) treatments. Hematocrit levels in the Iron200 treatment were greater than those in the control treatment (p<0.05) at d 13 postweaning. In Experiment 3, there was no difference in growth performance, but the BW200 treatment increased hematocrit levels to a greater degree than the Fe200 treatment (p<0.10). Conclusion: An additional iron injection earlier and a split iron injection to newborn pigs could benefit postweaning growth, but not by body weight-based iron injection. Hematocrit levels increase with a greater dose of iron injected although the magnitude varies depending on injection strategies.

The Rosalia longicorn or Alpine longhorn (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) is an endangered and strictly protected icon of European saproxylic biodiversity. Despite its popularity, lack of information on its demography and mobility may compromise adoption of suitable conservation strategies. The beetle experienced marked retreat from NW part of its range; its single population survives N of the Alps and W of the Carpathians. The population inhabits several small patches of old beech forest on hill-tops of the Ralska Upland, Czech Republic. We performed mark-recapture study of the population and assessed its distribution pattern. Our results demonstrate the high mobility of the beetle, including dispersal between hills (up to 1.6 km). The system is thus interconnected; it contained ∼2000 adult beetles in 2008. Estimated population densities were high, ranging between 42 and 84 adult beetles/hectare a year. The population survives at a former military-training ground despite long-term isolation and low cover of mature beech forest (∼1%). Its survival could be attributed to lack of forestry activities between the 1950s and 1990s, slow succession preventing canopy closure and undergrowth expansion, and probably also to the distribution of habitat patches on conspicuous hill-tops. In order to increase chances of the population for long term survival, we propose to stop clear-cuts of old beech forests, increase semi-open beech woodlands in areas currently covered by conifer plantations and active habitat management at inhabited sites and their wider environs.

Three large saproxylic cerambycids with different pest/legal status co-occur in the Iberian oak woodlands, Cerambyx welensii (Cw), Cerambyx cerdo (Cc) and Prinobius myardi (Pm): Cw is an emerging pest, Cc is a protected but sometimes harmful species and Pm is a secondary/minor pest. A precise taxonomic diagnosis is necessary for research, management or protection purposes, but may be problematic mainly because Cw and Cc larvae are morphologically indistinguishable. To resolve this constraint, we genotyped adults, larvae and eggs collected over a wide geographical range using the mitochondrial barcoding of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI). A Neighbour-Joining tree phylogram revealed three distinct clusters corresponding to Cw, Cc and Pm. We further first sequenced for Cw and Cc two mitochondrial (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and one nuclear (28S rRNA) gene fragments. For the first two genes, interspecific divergence was lower than in COI, and for the 28S (lower mutation rate), the two species shared identical haplotypes. Two approaches for species delimitation (General Mixed Yule Coalescent (GMYC), Barcode Index Number (BIN)) confirmed the species distinctiveness of Cc and Cw. The Bayesian COI gene tree showed a remarkable genetic divergence between Cc populations from Iberia and the rest of Europe. Such divergence has relevant taxonomic connotations and stresses the importance of a wide geographical scale sampling for accurate DNA barcoding species identification. Incongruities between morphology/lineage and COI barcodes in some individuals revealed natural hybridization between Cw and Cc. Natural hybridization is important from a phylogenetic/evolutionary perspective in these cerambycids, but the prevalence of (and the behavioural/ecological factors involved in) interspecific cross-breeding remain to be investigated.

Large veteran trees are key structures sustaining biodiversity in wooded landscapes. Many organisms associated with such trees are, however, also able to inhabit suitable trees with smaller diameters or other surrogate habitats. Understanding the mechanisms behind the importance of veteran trees and the conditions enabling veteran tree specialists to exploit smaller trees might help conservation efforts targeted at the diverse and highly endangered biota associated with veteran trees. To investigate this, we studied local patterns in the exploitation of trees by a veteran tree specialist, the great capricorn beetle (Cerambyx cerdo), at three sites with different soil characteristics, namely floodplain, dry-sandy and dry-rocky sites, where this beetle exploits oaks of large (~1.5 m), medium (~0.75 m) and small (~0.25 m) diameters, respectively. We recorded the presence and number of exit holes made by C. cerdo on each tree and related these to the characteristics of the trees: their diameters, openness of the canopy around them and their state of health. The probability of occurrence and the number of exit holes increased with tree diameter, canopy openness, and decreasing tree health, but these relationships differed considerably among the study sites. In dry conditions, trees of small diameters were more likely to be exploited by the beetle than in the fl oodplain. The number of exit holes, on the other hand, was a function of tree diameter, with large trees sustaining more beetles and thus acting as larger habitat patches. The species of oak affected the probability of exit hole presence as the sessile oak (Quercus petraea) and pedunculate oak (Q. robur) were preferred over Turkey oak (Q. cerris). The slope orientation also affected the presence of exit holes as trees on slopes with either an eastern or northern orientation were not exploited by the beetle. This study revealed a high level of between-site variability in the tree characteristics relevant to predicting the occurrence of C. cerdo, mainly with respect to diameter. Therefore, while the general patterns of habitat use and the fundamental niche of this beetle are well known, survival and protection of local populations is dependent on site-specifl c characteristics. The realized niche of this beetle must therefore be carefully considered when planning conservation management for a particular site. The results also signify that at some sites, small trees can, at least temporarily, substitute for scarce large trees if the state of their health is managed using proper conservation measures.

Oak open woodlands (dehesas) have outstanding socioeconomic and ecological values, sustain traditional agro-silvo-pastoral uses, provide high-value ecosystem services, and constitute key biodiversity hotspots. Cerambyx cerdo and Cerambyx welensii are two large, oak-living, wood-boring, sympatric longhorn beetles (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) that may reach pest status in SW Spain, contributing to oak decline. Understanding species-specific habitat requirements determining occupancy–abundance patterns is needed to develop management or control strategies. We conducted a large-scale, four-year study using 1650 feeding traps to ascertain longhorn abundance and species-specific habitat suitability in relation to 18 ecological variables, 9 biotic (oak species, forest mass, trunk diameter, tree density, basal area, forest cover, shrub cover, ground cover, oak renewal), and 9 abiotic (bedrock outcrops, altitude, ground slope, aspect, mean temperature: annual/July/January, annual precipitation, insolation). Results showed that longhorn abundance was sensitive to most ecological variables and to many interactions between them. Interestingly, interactions between ecological variables and longhorn species were widespread, signifying that responses were species-specific and therefore predictive Generalized Linear Mixed Models (GLMMs) were different between species. Our research contributes to the understanding of the ecological factors that shape longhorn species-specific occupancy–abundance patterns, delves into their sympatric relationship, and contributes toward improving sustainable forest practices that will mitigate longhorn impact in oak open forests.