Chicory (Cichorium intybus) reduces cyathostomin egg excretion and larval development in grazing horses.

Cyathostomins are the most prevalent parasitic nematodes of grazing horses. They are responsible for colic and diarrhea in their hosts. After several decades of exposure to synthetic anthelmintics, they have evolved to become resistant to most compounds.

Effect of sainfoin () on cyathostomin eggs excretion, larval development, larval community structure and efficacy of ivermectin treatment in horses.

Alternative strategies to chemical anthelmintics are needed for the sustainable control of equine strongylids. Bioactive forages like sainfoin () could contribute to reducing drug use, with the first hints of activity against cyathostomin free-living stages observed in the past. We analysed the effect of a sainfoin-rich diet on cyathostomin population and the efficacy of oral ivermectin treatment.

The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project.

The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.

Do sheep (Ovis aries) categorize plant species according to botanical family?

The ability of grazing herbivores to assign food types to categories by relying on certain relevant criteria could considerably reduce cognitive demand and increase their foraging efficiency when selecting among many different plant items. Grasses and legumes differ functionally in vegetation communities as well as in nutritive value. We aimed to determine whether sheep can generalize an aversion they learnt for a grass or a legume species to another species of the same functional type and consequently whether botanical family is a potential level of categorization.

Do grazing sheep use species-based categorization to select their diet?

Food item categorization should reduce the cost of information processing by herbivores when selecting their diet in complex environments. We assessed the ability of sheep to categorize food items by offering them ryegrass (Rg) and fescue (Fe) in pots cut tall (T) or short (S). Ewes' preferences were tested in three binary choices, RgS-FeT, RgS-FeS and FeT-FeS, before and after aversive conditioning against RgT.

Selection for nutrients by red deer hinds feeding on a mixed forest edge.

We studied the nutritional behaviour of hinds foraging on a mixed-forest edge by direct observation of their choices at each season and by measuring nutrient concentration in the plants. We compared nutrient concentrations in the observed diets with those in the total available vegetation, and with those of 1,000 randomly simulated diets in which we included only those plants that were actually eaten by the animal. Whether the available or the consumed feeds were used as the basis for comparisons had important consequences due to the presence of conifers and ferns, which were high in soluble sugars but were never eaten by the animals (potentially due to their toxicity).

Generalization of conditioned food aversions in grazing sheep and its implications for food categorization.

When grazing on heterogeneous pastures, herbivores may rely on food item generalization and categorization processes for reducing information processing while selecting their diet. The objective of this study was to assess the generalization of an aversion by grazing sheep for items differing by one or two criteria from an item against which they were negatively conditioned. Four items cultivated in pots were offered to the animals, resulting from the combination of an intrinsic criterion, i.