Nectar-Feeding Behavior in the Mallee Ringneck, .

Opportunistic nectarivory occurs in many avian lineages around the world. In order to understand the implications of this behavior to plant reproduction via pollination and to other nectarivores via competition, more thorough descriptions of opportunistic nectar-feeding behavior are necessary. We observed nectar feeding of the mallee ringneck, , on flowers of the spotted emu bush, , in the temperate mallee of South Australia.

Unravelling the maternal evolutionary history of the African leopard ().

The African leopard () has lost a significant proportion of its historical range, notably in north-western Africa and South Africa. Recent studies have explored the genetic diversity and population structure of African leopards across the continent. A notable genetic observation is the presence of two divergent mitochondrial lineages, PAR-I and PAR-II.

Dietary inclusion of a Saccharomyces cerevisiae metabolite improved reproductive performance but did not affect intestinal permeability in two chicken meat breeder lines.

Gastrointestinal dysbiosis is a disturbance in mucosal homeostasis, producing low-grade chronic intestinal inflammation and impaired intestinal barrier function. It is induced by several factors, including nutrition and stress, which are both significant factors when considering current broiler breeder practices. A great grandparent (GGP) chicken meat line was identified displaying clinical signs characteristic of potential dysbiosis, including wet droppings and litter, in addition to reduced reproductive performance when compared to a consistently high performing line.

Thermoregulation during Field Exercise in Horses Using Skin Temperature Monitoring.

Hyperthermia and exertional heat illness (EHI) are performance and welfare issues for all exercising horses. Monitoring the thermoregulatory response allows for early recognition of metabolic heat accumulation during exercise and the possibility of taking prompt and effective preventative measures to avoid a further increase in core body temperature (T) leading to hyperthermia. Skin temperature (T) monitoring is most used as a non-invasive tool to assess the thermoregulatory response pre- and post-exercise, particularly employing infrared thermographic equipment.

Single-step genomic predictions for heat tolerance of production yields in US Holsteins and Jerseys.

The physiological stress caused by excessive heat affects dairy cattle health and production. This study sought to investigate the effect of heat stress on test-day yields in US Holstein and Jersey cows and develop single-step genomic predictions to identify heat tolerant animals. Data included 12.

A comparison of staff presence and signage on zoo visitor behavior.

Many zoos favor the use of signage to encourage learning and positive visitor experiences as well as discourage negative behaviors by visitors because of its simplicity, relatively low maintenance needed, and low cost. However, current literature suggests that conventional signage has limited impact on visitors in zoos. This study hypothesized that visitors would be less likely to exhibit negative behaviors (e.

Magnetic structures and excitations in sawtooth olivine chalcogenides MnSiX (X = S, Se).

The Mn lattice in olivine chalcogenide MnSiX (X = S, Se) compounds forms a sawtooth, which is of special interest in magnetism owing to the possibility of realizing flat bands in magnon spectra, a key component in magnonics. In this work, we investigate the MnSiX olivines using magnetic susceptibility, and X-ray and neutron diffraction. We have determined the average and local crystal structures of MnSiS and MnSiSe using synchrotron X-ray, neutron diffraction, and X-ray total scattering data followed by Rietveld and pair distribution function analyses.

pH-Responsive Polymer Implants for the Protection of Native Mammals: Assessment of Material Properties and Poison Incorporation on Performance.

Efforts to mitigate the effects of feral cats through the management of remnant or reintroduced populations of threatened species, are often unsuccessful due to predation by control-averse feral cats, or 'problem individuals'. In order to target these animals, we have developed the Population Protecting Implant (PPI). PPIs are designed to be implanted subcutaneously in a native animal.

Implication of the order of blending and tuning when computing the genomic relationship matrix in single-step GBLUP.

Single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) relies on the combination of the genomic ( ) and pedigree relationship matrices for all ( ) and genotyped ( ) animals. The procedure ensures and are compatible so that both matrices refer to the same genetic base ('tuning'). Then is combined with a proportion of ('blending') to avoid singularity problems and to account for the polygenic component not accounted for by markers.

Is Continuous Monitoring of Skin Surface Temperature a Reliable Proxy to Assess the Thermoregulatory Response in Endurance Horses During Field Exercise?

Hyperthermia is a performance and welfare issue for exercising horses. The thermoregulatory stressors associated with exercise have typically been estimated by responses in the laboratory. However, monitoring surface skin temperature (T ) coincident with core temperature (T ) has not previously been investigated in horses exercising in the field.

Continuous Monitoring of the Thermoregulatory Response in Endurance Horses and Trotter Horses During Field Exercise: Baselining for Future Hot Weather Studies.

Establishing proper policies regarding the recognition and prevention of equine heat stress becomes increasingly important, especially in the face of global warming. To assist this, a detailed view of the variability of equine thermoregulation during field exercise and recovery is essential. 13 endurance horses and 12 trotter horses were equipped with continuous monitoring devices [gastrointestinal (GI) pill, heartrate (HR) monitor, and global positioning system] and monitored under cool weather conditions during four endurance rides over a total of 80 km (40 km loops) and intense trotter track-based exercise over 1,540 m.

Sucrose digestion capacity in birds shows convergent coevolution with nectar composition across continents.

The major lineages of nectar-feeding birds (hummingbirds, sunbirds, honeyeaters, flowerpiercers, and lorikeets) are considered examples of convergent evolution. We compared sucrose digestion capacity and sucrase enzymatic activity per unit intestinal surface area among 50 avian species from the New World, Africa, and Australia, including 20 nectarivores. With some exceptions, nectarivores had smaller intestinal surfaces, higher sucrose hydrolysis capacity, and greater sucrase activity per unit intestinal area.

(NH)AgX (X = Br, I): 1D Silver Halides with Broadband White Light Emission and Improved Stability.

Recently, ternary copper(I) halides have emerged as alternatives to lead halide perovskites for light emission applications. Despite their high-efficiency photoluminescence (PL) properties, most copper(I) halides are blue emitters with unusually poor tunability of their PL properties. Here, we report the impact of substitution of copper with silver in the high-efficiency blue-emitting Cu(I) halides through hydrothermal synthesis and characterization of (NH)AgX (X = Br, I).

Investigating conception rate for beef service sires bred to dairy cows and heifers.

The widespread use of sexed semen on US dairy cows and heifers has led to an excess of replacement heifers' calves, and the sale prices for those calves are much lower than in the past. Females not selected to produce the next generation of replacement heifers are increasingly being bred to beef bulls to produce crossbred calves for beef production. The purpose of this study was to investigate the use of beef service sires bred to dairy cows and heifers and to provide a tool for dairy producers to evaluate beef service sires' conception.

Organ Histopathology and Hematological Changes Associated With Heat Exposure in Australian Desert Birds.

An inability of the body to appropriately respond to extreme temperatures will result in pathological changes to vital organs and adverse hematological changes. Mild heat exposure of a bird to a temperature above the zone of thermoneutrality can induce subclinical heat stress, which may be a precursor to illness. The ability to identify subtle changes that may be associated with subclinical heat stress can be important in early diagnosis and treatment of heat stress in birds.

Physiological, biochemical and histopathological changes associated with heatstroke in the galah (Eolophus roseicapilla) and rock dove (Columba livia).

The pathophysiology of heat illnesses in birds has not been well characterized. In this study, we describe the changes in heart rate, respiratory rate, blood biochemistry and histopathological findings in galahs and rock doves after heat exposure under standardized conditions designed to induce heatstroke. Birds in the heat-exposed group were exposed to environmental heat stress and compared to control birds.

Avian thermoregulation in the heat: evaporative cooling capacity of arid-zone Caprimulgiformes from two continents.

Birds in the order Caprimulgiformes (nightjars and allies) have a remarkable capacity for thermoregulation over a wide range of environmental temperatures, exhibiting pronounced heterothermy in cool conditions and extreme heat tolerance at high environmental temperatures. We measured thermoregulatory responses to acute heat stress in three species of Caprimulgiformes that nest in areas of extreme heat and aridity, the common poorwill (: Caprimulgidae) and lesser nighthawk (: Caprimulgidae) in the Sonoran Desert of Arizona, and the Australian owlet-nightjar (: Aegothelidae) in the mallee woodlands of South Australia. We exposed wild-caught birds to progressively increasing air temperatures () and measured resting metabolic rate (RMR), evaporative water loss (EWL), body temperature () and heat tolerance limit (HTL; the maximum reached).

Stress Responses to Heat Exposure in Three Species of Australian Desert Birds.

Birds need to respond to weather changes quickly and appropriately for their own well-being and survival. The inability to respond appropriately to heat waves can be fatal to individual birds and can translate into large-scale mortality events. We investigated corticosterone (CORT) and heterophil∶lymphocyte (H∶L) ratio responses of budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus), zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata), and diamond doves (Geopelia cuneata) to heat exposures.

Using individual-condition measures to predict the long-term importance of habitat extent for population persistence.

Habitat loss and fragmentation are causing widespread population declines, but identifying how and when to intervene remains challenging. Predicting where extirpations are likely to occur and implementing management actions before losses result may be more cost-effective than trying to reestablish lost populations. Early indicators of pressure on populations could be used to make such predictions.

Avian thermoregulation in the heat: efficient evaporative cooling allows for extreme heat tolerance in four southern hemisphere columbids.

Birds show phylogenetic variation in the relative importance of respiratory versus cutaneous evaporation, but the consequences for heat tolerance and evaporative cooling capacity remain unclear. We measured evaporative water loss (EWL), resting metabolic rate (RMR) and body temperature (Tb) in four arid-zone columbids from southern Africa [Namaqua dove (Oena capensis, ∼37 g), laughing dove (Spilopelia senegalensis, ∼89 g) and Cape turtle dove (Streptopelia capicola, ∼148 g)] and Australia [crested pigeon (Ocyphaps lophotes), ∼186 g] at air temperatures (Ta) of up to 62°C. There was no clear relationship between body mass and maximum Ta tolerated during acute heat exposure.

Alligators and Crocodiles Have High Paracellular Absorption of Nutrients, But Differ in Digestive Morphology and Physiology.

Much of what is known about crocodilian nutrition and growth has come from animals propagated in captivity, but captive animals from the families Crocodilidae and Alligatoridae respond differently to similar diets. Since there are few comparative studies of crocodilian digestive physiology to help explain these differences, we investigated young Alligator mississippiensis and Crocodylus porosus in terms of (1) gross and microscopic morphology of the intestine, (2) activity of the membrane-bound digestive enzymes aminopeptidase-N, maltase, and sucrase, and (3) nutrient absorption by carrier-mediated and paracellular pathways. We also measured gut morphology of animals over a larger range of body sizes.