The role of intra-guild indirect interactions in assembling plant-pollinator networks.

Understanding the assembly of plant-pollinator communities has become critical to their conservation given the rise of species invasions, extirpations, and species' range shifts. Over the course of assembly, colonizer establishment produces core interaction patterns, called motifs, which shape the trajectory of assembling network structure. Dynamic assembly models can advance our understanding of this process by linking the transient dynamics of colonizer establishment to long-term network development.

A bioenergetic framework for aboveground terrestrial food webs.

Bioenergetic approaches have been greatly influential for understanding community functioning and stability and predicting effects of environmental changes on biodiversity. These approaches use allometric relationships to establish species' trophic interactions and consumption rates and have been successfully applied to aquatic ecosystems. Terrestrial ecosystems, where body mass is less predictive of plant-consumer interactions, present inherent challenges that these models have yet to meet.

Differences in carcass chilling rate underlie differences in sensory traits of pork chops from pigs with heavier carcass weights.

Pork hot carcass weights (HCW) have been increasing 0.6 kg per year, and if they continue to increase at this rate, they are projected to reach an average weight of 118 kg by the year 2050. This projection in weight is a concern for pork packers and processors given the challenges in product quality from heavier carcasses of broiler chickens.

Sampling and detection of African swine fever virus within a feed manufacturing and swine production system.

Transmission of biological hazards capable of causing disease in livestock can occur through a wide variety of direct and indirect routes. In swine production, there are a large number of possible routes of exposure of a pathogen into a susceptible population. African swine fever virus (ASFV) has been a significant challenge for Southeast Asia since first detected in China in 2018 and has spread through many countries within the region.

The effects of pharmacological levels of zinc, diet acidification, and dietary crude protein on growth performance in nursery pigs.

This experiment was conducted to evaluate potential replacements for pharmacological levels of Zn (provided by Zn oxide), such as diet acidification (sodium diformate) and low dietary crude protein (CP: 21 vs 18%) on nursery pig performance and fecal dry matter (DM). A total of 360 weaned pigs (Line 200 × 400, DNA, Columbus, NE; initially 5.90 ± 0.

Determining the effects of manganese source and level on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effects of Mn source and level on finishing pig growth performance and carcass characteristics. Dietary treatments were arranged in a 2 × 3 factorial with main effects of Mn source (MnSO; Eurochem, Veracruz, Mexico, or Mn hydroxychloride (IBM); Micronutrients, Indianapolis, IN) and increasing added Mn (8, 16, and 32 mg/kg of complete diet). The trace mineral premix was formulated without added Mn.

Using environmental sampling to evaluate the effectiveness of decontamination methods to reduce detection of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus RNA on feed manufacturing surfaces.

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) is a possible biological hazard in feed mills. If the virus enters a feed mill, it becomes widely distributed and is difficult to decontaminate from both feed contact and non-feed contact surfaces. The objective of this study was to evaluate a variety of liquid and dry decontamination treatments that could be used to reduce the amount of PEDV found on feed manufacturing surfaces.

Effects of dietary chromium propionate and space allowance on performance and carcass responses of growing-finishing pigs.

In a 72-d trial, 256 pigs (Line 600 × 241, DNA Columbus, NE) were used to determine the effect of dietary Cr (Cr propionate; Kemin Industries, Des Moines, IA) and physical space restriction on performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs. Pens were blocked by initial weight and randomly assigned to treatments with eight pigs per pen and eight pens per treatment. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 factorial with main effects of Cr (control and Cr propionate, 200 µg/kg added Cr) and space allowances (0.

Effects of different diet alternatives to replace the use of pharmacological levels of zinc on growth performance and fecal dry matter of weanling pigs.

A total of 300 weanling pigs (Line 400 × 200, DNA, Columbus, NE, initially 4.83 kg) were used in a 46-d trial to evaluate the effects of different nutritional strategies to replace pharmacological levels of Zn, provided by zinc oxide (ZnO), in nursery diets on growth performance and fecal dry matter (). Six treatments with 10 replicate pens per treatment and 5 pigs per pen were used.

Effects of increasing standardized ileal digestible lysine during gestation on reproductive performance of gilts and sows.

Limited information is available on lysine requirement estimates of modern, high-producing gestating sows Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of increasing standardized ileal digestible (SID) lysine during gestation on piglet birthweight and reproductive performance of gilts and sows. A total of 936 females (498 gilts, 438 sows; Camborough®, PIC, Hendersonville, TN) were group-housed (approximately 275 females per pen) and individually fed with electronic sow feeders. Females were moved from the breeding stall to pens on d 4 of gestation and allotted to one of four dietary treatments on d 5.

Evaluation of Enogen Feed Corn on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs.

Enogen Feed Corn (; Syngenta Seeds, LLC, Downers Grove, IL) hybrids contain a trait for expression of heat-stable α-amylase in the grain. α-Amylase is an enzyme responsible for breakdown of starch in the small intestine; supplementation of exogenous α-amylase to pigs may result in greater starch digestibility and thus improved gain efficiency. A total of 288 pigs (Line 600 × 241, DNA, Columbus, NE; initially 41.

Evaluation of high-protein distillers dried grains on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growing-finishing pigs.

A total of 1,890 growing-finishing pigs (PIC; 359 × 1,050; initially 27.1 kg) were used in a 124-d growth trial to compare the effects of high-protein distillers dried grains (HPDDG; 39% crude protein [CP]) or conventional distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS; 29% CP) on growth performance and carcass characteristics. Treatments were arranged in a 2 × 2 + 1 factorial with main effects of distillers dried grains source (conventional DDGS or HPDDG) and level (15% or 30%).

Influence of particle size of Enogen Feed corn and conventional yellow dent corn on lactating sow performance.

Enogen Feed corn is a variety developed by Syngenta Seeds (Downers Grove, IL) that has been genetically modified to contain an -amylase enzyme trait (SYT-EFC). Originally, Enogen feed corn was developed for the ethanol industry due to its properties for reducing the viscosity of its corn mash. There is potential application for Enogen Feed corn to be used in livestock diets due to the potential for the increase in - amylase enzyme to increase the starch digestibility.

Lysine requirements of finishing boars and gilts: A meta-analysis.

The expected increase in boar (pig entire male) production while societal concerns for castration increase requires good estimations of their nutrient requirements. In this work, a meta-analytical approach was used to overcome the inconsistent results between studies that compared lysine requirements of boars and gilts. For this meta-analysis, data from 14 different studies analysing the effect of increasing dietary lysine on growth performance of finishing pigs, 70-100 kg average body weight, were extracted from 11 publications.

Effects of high-protein distillers dried grains on growth performance of nursery pigs.

A total of 300 pigs (DNA 400 × 200, Columbus, NE), initially 11.1 kg, were used in a study to evaluate the effects of increasing amounts of high-protein distillers dried grains (HP DDG) on growth performance and to estimate its energy value relative to corn. Pigs were weaned, placed in pens with five pigs each, and fed a common diet for 21 d after weaning.

Improving performance of finishing pigs with added valine, isoleucine, and tryptophan: validating a meta-analysis model.

Based on results of a recent meta-analysis, we hypothesized that increased dietary Val, Ile, or Trp could correct possible amino acid interactions because of excess Leu in diets containing high levels of corn protein, namely dried distiller's grains with solubles (DDGS). A total of 1,200 pigs (PIC TR4 × (Fast LW × PIC L02); initially 33.6 ± 0.

Effect of high-phytase supplementation in lactation diets on sow and litter performance.

A total of 109 sows (Line 241; DNA, Columbus, NE) were used to evaluate the effect of increasing dietary phytase in lactation diets, already adequate in P, on sow and litter performance. On d 107 of gestation, sows were blocked by body weight and parity and allotted to 1 of 3 dietary treatments of increasing phytase concentration (0, 1,000, or 3,000 FYT/kg; Ronozyme HiPhos GT 2700, DSM Nutritional Products, Inc., Parsippany, NJ).

Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli in Feces of Finisher Pigs: Isolation, Identification, and Public Health Implications of Major and Minor Serogroups†.

Abstract: Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli (STEC) are major foodborne human pathogens that cause mild to hemorrhagic colitis, which could lead to complications of hemolytic uremic syndrome. Seven serogroups, O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145, and O157, account for the majority of the STEC illnesses in the United States. Shiga toxins 1 and 2, encoded by stx1 and stx2, respectively, and intimin, encoded by eae gene, are major virulence factors.

Efficacy of commercial products on nursery pig growth performance fed diets with fumonisin contaminated corn.

Two experiments were conducted to determine the efficacy of various commercial products on growth performance of nursery pigs fed diets high in fumonisin. In experiment 1, 350 pigs (241 × 600; DNA, Columbus, NE; initially 9.9 kg) were used with five pigs per pen and 14 replicates per treatment.

Relationship between weaning age and antibiotic usage on pig growth performance and mortality.

A total of 2,184 pigs (DNA 600 × PIC L42) were used to evaluate the effects of weaning age and antibiotic (AB) use on pig performance from weaning to marketing in a commercial production system. Experimental treatments were arranged in a 3 × 2 factorial with main effects of weaning age (18.5, 21.

Associations between piglet umbilical blood hematological criteria, birth order, birth interval, colostrum intake, and piglet survival.

A total of 656 pigs (623 live-born and 33 stillborn) from 43 sows were used to evaluate hematological criteria at birth and their association with piglet survival. At birth of each piglet, birth time and order within the litter, weight, umbilical cord status (intact or ruptured) and whether the pig was live-born or stillborn were recorded. A 200µL sample of blood from the umbilical cord was collected and immediately analyzed for concentrations of glucose, oxygen partial pressure (pO2), carbon dioxide partial pressure (pCO2), pH, base excess (BE), bicarbonate (HCO3), saturated oxygen (sO2), total carbon dioxide (TCO2), sodium, potassium, ionized calcium (iCa), hematocrit (Hct), and hemoglobin (Hb) on a hand held iStat portable clinical analyzer (iStat Alinity, Abbott Point of Care Inc.

Effects of Fumonisin-Contaminated Corn on Growth Performance of 9 to 28 kg Nursery Pigs.

Fumonisin contamination in corn is an emerging issue in animal feed production. Fumonisin disrupts the metabolism of sphingolipids and reduces growth performance. This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of feeding fumonisin-contaminated corn on growth performance and sphinganine (SA) to sphingosine (SO) ratios of 9 to 28 kg pigs.