Nutrient digestion efficiency: a comparison between broiler chickens and growing pigs fed maize, barley, and oats-based diets with an emphasis on starch.

We investigated the hypotheses that broilers and pigs have distinct starch digestion capacities, and that different cereals could trigger diet-species interactions. Ten replicates of 2 broilers (14-d-old) or 1 pig (50-d-old) each were distributed into a 3x2 randomized factorial design with 3 pelleted diets (maize, barley, or oat-based) and the 2 species. Nutritional composition was equal for both species.

Novel thermal stability enhanced xylanase improves the performance and digestibility parameters in broilers.

Xylanases require thermal stability to withstand the pelleting process, pH stability to function in the gastrointestinal tract, and resistance to xylanase inhibitors in raw materials to be effective in animal feed. A GH11 family xylanase originating from an anaerobic fungus, Orpinomyces sp. strain PC-2, has high specific activity and resistance to xylanase inhibitors intrinsically.

The Diversity of Arachnid Assemblages on the Endemic Tree (Ulmaceae): An Evaluation of Fragmentation and Connectivity in Crete (Greece).

is an endemic tree growing only on eight mountain stands on the Greek island of Crete. The aim of this study was to determine the structure of the assemblages and analyze the diversity of the arachnid assemblages living on , an endemic tree species in Crete. Material for the analyses was collected from tree trunks, oftentimes covered by bryophytes or lichens.

Distribution of euptyctimous mite Phthiracarus longulus (Acari: Oribatida) under future climate change in the Palearctic.

The aim of this paper is to prepare, describe and discuss the models of the current and future distribution of Phthiracarus longulus (Koch, 1841) (Acari: Oribatida: Euptyctima), the oribatid mite species widely distributed within the Palearctic. We used the maximum entropy (MAXENT) method to predict its current and future (until the year 2100) distribution based on macroclimatic bio-variables. To our best knowledge, this is the first-ever prediction of distribution in mite species using environmental niche modelling.