Measures Of Reproductive Performance Research Articles

Reproductive performance of Peregrine falcons relative to the use of organochlorine pesticides, 1946-2021.

Populations of some fish- and meat-eating birds suffered dramatic declines globally following the introduction of organochlorine pesticides during the late 1940s and 1950s. It has been hypothesised that these population declines during the 1950s-1970s were largely driven by a combination of reproductive failure due to eggshell-thinning, egg breakage and embryonic death attributable to DDT and its metabolites, and to enhanced mortality attributable to the more toxic cyclodiene compounds such as aldrin and dieldrin. Using 75 years (1946-2021) of Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus) monitoring data (315 unique nest-sites monitored for 6110 nest-years), we studied the breeding performance of a resident Peregrine population in southern Scotland relative to the spatiotemporal pattern of organochlorine pesticide use. We show that (i) Peregrine breeding success and measures of breeding performance increased substantially following the reduction in, and subsequently a complete ban on, the use of organochlorine pesticides; (ii) improvements in Peregrine breeding performance were more dramatic in southeastern Scotland where agriculture was the predominant land use than in southwestern Scotland where there was less arable and more forested land; (iii) Peregrines nesting closer to the coast generally had higher fledging success (that is, a higher proportion of clutches that produced at least one fledgeling) than those nesting inland farther away from the coast; (iv) low temperatures and excessive rain in May negatively affected Peregrine fledging success; and (v) Peregrine abundance increased in parallel with improvements in reproductive performance following the reduction and then complete ban on the use of organochlorine pesticides in the UK. However, recovery was gradual and occurred over four decades, and rate of recovery varied among measures of reproductive performance (egg, nestling and fledgeling production). Our results suggest that the temporal pattern of organochlorine pesticide use strongly influenced Peregrine reproductive parameters but that the pattern of influence differed regionally. Overall results are consistent with the hypothesis that reproductive failure caused by organochlorine pesticides was an important driver of the decline in the south Scottish Peregrine population, and that improvements in all measures of breeding performance following a reduction and eventual ban on organochlorine use facilitated the observed increase in this population.

Validating the female fertility estimated breeding value in Australian commercial dairy herds

We conducted a retrospective cohort study to validate the efficacy of the Australian multitrait fertility estimated breeding value (EBV). We did this by determining its associations with phenotypic measures of reproductive performance (i.e., submission rate, first service conception rate, and early calving). Our secondary aim was to report the associations between these reproductive outcomes and management and climate-related factors hypothesized to affect fertility. Our study population included 38 pasture-based dairy herds from the northern Victorian irrigation region in Australia. We collected records for 86,974 cows with 219,156 lactations and 438,578 mating events from the date on which managers started herd recording until December 2016, comprising both fertility-related data such as insemination records, calving dates, and pregnancy test results, and systems-related data such as production, herd size, and calving pattern. We also collected hourly data from 2004 to 2017 from the closest available weather station to account for climate-related factors (i.e., temperature humidity index; THI). Multilevel Cox proportional hazard models were used to analyze time-to-event outcomes (days to first service, days to cow calving following the planned herd calving start date), and multilevel logistic regression models for binomial outcomes (conception to first service) in the Holstein-Friesian and Jersey breeds. A 1-unit increase in daughter fertility EBV was associated with a 5.4 and 8.2% increase in the daily hazard of calving in the Holstein-Friesian and Jersey breeds respectively. These are relative increases (i.e., a Holstein-Friesian herd with a 60% 6-wk in-calf rate would see an improvement to 63.2% with a 1-unit increase in herd fertility EBV). Similar results were obtained for submission and conception rate. Associations between 120-d milk yield and reproductive outcome were complicated by interactions with 120-d protein percentage and calving age, depending on the breed and outcome. In general, we found that the reproductive performance of high milk-yielding animals deteriorated faster with age than low milk-yielding animals, and high protein percentage exacerbated the differences between low and high milk-yielding animals. Climate-related factors were also associated with fertility, with a 1-unit increase in maximum THI decreasing first service conception rate by 1.2% for Holstein-Friesians but having no statistically significant association in the Jersey breed. However, THI had a negative association in both breeds on the daily hazard of calving. Our study validates the efficacy of the daughter fertility EBV for improving herd reproductive performance and identifies significant associations between 120-d milk and protein yields and THI on the fertility of Australian dairy cows.

Predictors of foaling outcomes in barren and maiden Thoroughbred mares in South Africa.

Population demographics and reproductive performance of Thoroughbred populations have been described, but the most recent assessment of the South African Thoroughbred population was reported two decades ago. Objectives of this study were to report demographic data for selected Thoroughbred breeding populations and to analyse selected mare-level variables in association with foaling outcomes, as predictors of reproductive performance. The National Horseracing Authority of Southern Africa's stud health scheme requires annual screening of Thoroughbred stallions, maiden and barren mares for venereal pathogens prior to breeding. In 2018 and 2019, 1 065 and 1 207 horses were sampled, respectively. Demographic data were sourced from laboratory sample submission forms that accompanied samples and supplemented by data gathered from the annual Thoroughbred foal identification programme. Univariate analysis of candidate predictors of successful foaling outcomes was performed followed by assessment in a multivariable model.Median ages of mares and stallions tested in 2018 and 2019 were nine and 11 years, respectively. Nearly twice the number of barren compared to maiden mares were tested in each year, and failure to conceive was the most common reported reason for classification as barren. Of mares tested in 2018 and 2019, 68.1% (95% CI 65.1, 70.9) and 63.3% (95% CI 60.4, 66.1), respectively, subsequently produced foals that were presented for identification. Mare age, rather than reproductive status, was a significant predictor of having a foal presented for identification. In conclusion, novel demographic data were described for South African Thoroughbred populations. Seasonal foaling rate as the selected measure of reproductive performance for sampled mares ranged from 63.3% to 68.1% and declined with increasing mare age.

Associations between skin lesion counts, hair cortisol concentrations and reproductive performance in group housed sows

The effects of acute stress on sow reproductive performance are well established, but we know less about the implications of chronic stress for sow performance. This study investigated associations between total skin lesion counts 24hr and 3 weeks post-mixing, hair cortisol concentrations at the end of pregnancy, and reproductive performance of sows. Sows (n = 264; parity 1-5) were artificially inseminated and locked into individual feeding stalls within 11 fully slatted gestation pens, immediately after service. Sows were released from the stalls at approximately 25 days post-service, allowed to mix, and thereafter had free access to the stalls. Skin lesions were counted 24hr post-mixing (i.e. one day after release from the stalls), and 3 weeks post-mixing on the anterior (head, neck, shoulders and front legs), middle (flanks and back), and posterior (rump, hind legs and tail). The sum of counts across all sites yielded a total skin lesion count for each sow. Back fat depth measurement and hair collection were carried out one week prior to farrowing. Sow reproductive performance measures included the number of piglets born alive, born dead, mummified, and total born. Piglets from 75 sows were tagged, weighed and scored for vitality (0 = least vital, to 4 = perfect) and intra-uterine growth retardation (IUGR; 0 = none, to 3 = severe). There was a positive association between total skin lesion counts 3 weeks post-mixing and both the number of mummified piglets (P = 0.045), and IUGR scores (P = 0.018). There was no correlation between total skin lesion count either 24hr (Rho = 0.10; P > 0.05) or 3 weeks post-mixing (Rho = -0.02; P > 0.05) and hair cortisol concentrations. There was also no association between hair cortisol concentrations and measures of sow reproductive performance (P > 0.05). Higher skin lesion counts 3 weeks post-mixing were associated with aspects of sow reproductive performance. This suggests that chronic stress caused by sustained aggression had a negative impact on the reproductive system. Nevertheless, given the lack of significant associations between hair cortisol, skin lesion counts, and measures of reproductive performance, this was not supported by the findings for hair cortisol.

Towards objective measurement of reproductive performance of traditionally managed goat flocks in the drylands of Ethiopia

Reproductive performance is a key determinant for the efficiency of goat production. Regular monitoring of reproductive efficiency is essential to assess management and to avoid financial losses due to poor performance. To allow more objective measurement and comparisons over time, we propose a novel quantitative approach for defining annual reproductive performance by combining common performance indicators into a goat flock index. Commonly used reproductive performance measures were collected from 242 goat flocks in four districts in dryland of Ethiopia between July 2018 and February 2019. Principal component analysis (PCA) was performed to identify biologically meaningful latent components that explain annual reproductive output (ARO) and annual reproductive wastage (ARW). Together with the remaining annual reproductive performance measures, the ARO and ARW components were included in a PCA to derive an algorithm for a goat annual reproductive performance index (G-ARPI). One component representing variation in kidding interval, PCARO1 and PCARW1 was extracted and normalized to a 10-scale value. The flocks were classified into good performing (15.63%) with index > 8.5, moderately performing (48.21%) with index values ranging from 6.5 to 8.5 and poor performing (36.16%) with index < 6.5. Good performing flocks have higher scores for reproductive output measures, lower scores for reproductive wastage and lower kidding interval. The proposed G-ARPI can be used as an objective tool to compare reproductive performance between management systems, evaluate the costs of poor reproductive management and will be useful for economic models that aim to identify the most cost-efficient intervention option and monitor the impact of interventions. We present here the index for goat production in dryland systems in Ethiopia; the approach can easily be adapted to other production systems elsewhere.

Effects of Positive Human Contact during Gestation on the Behaviour, Physiology and Reproductive Performance of Sows.

Simple SummaryStress can compromise animal welfare and impact the productivity of farm animals. In intensive production systems where close interactions between stockpeople and animals occur regularly, human contact of a positive nature may facilitate stress resilience. This experiment studied the effects of human interaction on stress in pigs, by providing sows in their home pens with either regular positive handling by stockpeople or routine human contact. Stress resilience was studied by assessing the behaviour, physiology and productivity of pigs in these two treatments. Positive human contact was effective at reducing the fear responses of sows towards stockpeople conducting routine husbandry practices in the home pens. However, the positive handling treatment did not affect the behaviour of pigs towards other stressors imposed outside of the home pen, acute or basal physiological measures of stress or reproductive performance. Sows receiving positive handling showed reduced physical interaction with the stockpeople delivering the treatment over time, which may indicate habituation to the novel or possible rewarding elements of the human contact treatment. This work confirms that regular positive interaction with stockpeople does reduce the fear of sows to stockpeople, but does not always confer stress resilence.Previous positive interactions with humans may ameliorate the stress response of farm animals to aversive routine practices such as painful or stressful procedures, particularly those associated with stockpeople. We studied the effects of positive handling by providing younger (parity 1–2) and older (parity 3–8) sows housed in pens of fifteen (n = 24 pens in total) with either positive human contact (+HC) or routine human contact (control) during gestation. The +HC treatment involved a familiar stockperson patting and scratching sows and was imposed at a pen-level for 2 min daily. Measurements studied included behavioural, physiological and productivity variables. The +HC sows showed reduced avoidance of the stockperson conducting pregnancy testing and vaccination in the home pens, however the behavioural and cortisol responses of sows in a standard unfamiliar human approach test did not differ. There were no effects of +HC on aggression between sows, serum cortisol or serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor concentrations during gestation, or on the behavioural and cortisol response to being moved to farrowing crates. There were also no effects of +HC on the maternal responsiveness of sows, farrowing rate or the number of piglets born alive, stillborn or weaned. Sows in the +HC pens reduced their physical interaction with the stockpeople imposing the treatment after 2 weeks, which suggests the sows may have habituated to the novel or possible rewarding elements of the handling treatment. This experiment shows that regular positive interaction with stockpeople does reduce sows’ fear of stockpeople, but does not always confer stress resilence.

43 Correlates of reproductive tract anatomy and uterine histomorphometrics with fertility in swine

Economic potential of the swine industry hinges upon the reproductive performance of sows, which may be enhanced by improving uterine capacity, a component trait of litter size and piglet productivity. Previous attempts at characterising morphological traits indicative of high uterine volume have not been completely successful, resulting in the continued need for a reliable method of predicting reproductive value to improve production efficiency of the sow. Hence, the main objective of this study was to scrutinize macro- and micro-morphology of the sow’s reproductive tract for quantitative correlations with fertility indices. Reproductive records from Polish Landrace×Polish Large White sows (mean±s.e.m. parity: 4.3±0.6, range: 2–8) were used to examine the associations between fertility and ovarian/uterine morphology (n=34) or uterine histomorphometry (n=10) posthumously. Simple linear regression was performed to determine the relationship between anatomical or histological parameters and various measures of reproductive performance. Several measures related to the ovary, including right and left ovarian weight (r=0.50, P=0.005, and r=0.49, P=0.006, respectively), were positively correlated with the litter size, whereas left ovarian number of corpora lutea (r=−0.38, P=0.04) was negatively correlated with the mean litter size. Analysis of histomorphological characteristics of the uterine wall collected during the luteal phase of the oestrous cycle revealed correlations between mean litter size and myometrial vascular content (r=0.75, P=0.03), the proportion of myometrial stroma (r=−0.68, P=0.03), and the variability of endometrial thickness (r=−0.72, P=0.02) in sows. Eight ovarian, vaginal, and uterine characteristics were significantly correlated with mean lifetime numbers of live born and stillborn piglets/litter or the last litter size before slaughter. In conclusion, several anatomical and histomorphological metrics that relate to reproductive performance of swine may be used to inform production protocols and as a tool for selection of elite breeding sows, warranting future research into noninvasive or minimally invasive techniques for obtaining such measures.

Control of follicular development and ovulation rate in pigs

There is considerable evidence that nutritional and metabolic control of follicular growth is mediated by metabolic hormones and growth factors, particularly with processes mediated by insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and its binding proteins (IGFBPs). From knowledge that hormones and growth factors which can be affected by diet also positively affect ovarian function, the concept has emerged that metabolic modifiers of gonadotrophin action, rather than gonadotrophins themselves, could affect follicle development. While ovulation rate can be enhanced under certain conditions in cyclic gilts, assessing influences of metabolic modifiers on the post-lactational sow is confounded by variability in the return to oestrus after weaning. In a series of studies involving insulin administration between weaning and oestrus, successive experiments produced different results, but several measures of reproductive performance were enhanced. Administration of somatotrophin (ST) has also been shown to increase follicular development in both gilts and sows. Both insulin and ST increase IGF-I production by pig ovarian follicles, and insulin is more effective than IGF-I in reducing atresia and increasing progesterone in cultured pig follicles. Whether increases in litter size are achieved after an increase in ovulation rate involves many factors, including the quality of ova and whether the increase in ovulation rate exceeds the uterine capacity to maintain pregnancy. Given the variation in genetics and management practices, development of treatments to enhance follicle quality leading to maximal litter size is challenging.

Field trial on the post-insemination intrauterine treatment of dairy cows with mild endometritis with cephapirin

Cows in estrus but with signs of clinical endometritis (CE) are often not inseminated or undergo an intrauterine treatment after artificial insemination (AI). Decades ago, the so-called Aström method was described as intrauterine infusion of iodine-potassium solution 2–4 days after AI. Nowadays, it is common to use antibiotics instead of iodine solution and the treatment is performed only a few hours after AI. Although widespread in practice, there is only little information about the efficacy of this treatment. Thus, this study evaluated the effect of a post-breeding intrauterine treatment with cephapirin on insemination success in cows with signs of mild CE. In total, 281 cows subjected to an Ovsynch program with fixed-time AI and examined for vaginal discharge straight after AI by use of the Metricheck device were included. Cows with cloudy discharge or flecks of pus in the mucus were assigned to a treatment or a control group. The treatment group (MET; n = 87) received 6 ± 1 h after AI an intrauterine treatment with 500 mg of cephapirin (Metricure, Intervet Deutschland GmbH). Control cows (CON; n = 91) remained untreated. Animals with clear discharge were assigned to a healthy comparison group (HE; n = 103). Pregnancy diagnosis was performed 39 days after AI. The proportion of pregnant cows after the AI directly preceding the enrollment did not differ significantly (P > 0.05) between HE (35.0%), CON (27.5%) and MET (32.2%). Cephapirin treatment had also no positive effect on other reproductive performance measures, i.e, the percentage of pregnant cows 200 days after enrollment (HE: 64.1%, CON: 73.6%, and MET: 73.6%) or the mean interval from enrollment to conception (HE: 25.4 days, CON: 30.0 days, and MET: 29.7 days). The binary logistic regression showed that the only risk factors with a detrimental effect on fertility were a history of CE 28–34 days postpartum and season. Although cows in MET and HE were 1.74 and 1.37 times more likely to conceive after AI than CON, this effect was not significant.Uterine sampling of a subset of cows with CE (n = 50) revealed 127 bacterial isolates. The most frequently found genera were Staphylococcus (19.7%), Bacillus (12.6%), Streptococcus (10.2%), Corynebacterium (8.7%), and Lysinibacillus (7.9%). The finding that common uterine pathogenic bacteria were rarely detected additionally questions an intrauterine antibiotic treatment of cows with mild CE at AI.

A Genome-Wide Association Study for Calving Interval in Holstein Dairy Cows Using Weighted Single-Step Genomic BLUP Approach.

Simple SummaryReproductive performance is an important factor, which determines productive life and drives culling decisions in dairy herds. There are strong motives for including reproductive performance in genetic selection programs of dairy cows; however, low heritability estimates reported for reproductive performance measures limit the genetic selection efficiency. More effective genetic selection could be achieved using genomic information. The aim of this study was to identify genomic region(s) associated with the length of the calving interval in Holstein cows. The accuracies of genomic estimated breeding values (GEBVs) with single-step genomic BLUP (ssGBLUP) and the pedigree-based BLUP were compared as well. The results showed that the accuracies of GEBVs using the single-step genomic BLUP were much higher than those estimated using the pedigree-based BLUP. We identified three genomic regions (BTA3, BTA6, and BTA7) associated with the length of the calving interval in Holstein dairy cows.The aim of the present study was to identify genomic region(s) associated with the length of the calving interval in primiparous (n = 6866) and multiparous (n = 5071) Holstein cows. The single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) solutions were estimated using a weighted single-step genomic best linear unbiased prediction (WssGBLUP) approach and imputed high-density panel (777 k) genotypes. The effects of markers and the genomic estimated breeding values (GEBV) of the animals were obtained by five iterations of WssGBLUP. The results showed that the accuracies of GEBVs with WssGBLUP improved by +5.4 to +5.7, (primiparous cows) and +9.4 to +9.7 (multiparous cows) percent points over accuracies from the pedigree-based BLUP. The most accurate genomic evaluation was provided at the second iteration of WssGBLUP, which was used to identify associated genomic regions using a windows-based GWAS procedure. The proportion of additive genetic variance explained by windows of 50 consecutive SNPs (with an average of 165 Kb) was calculated and the region(s) that accounted for equal to or more than 0.20% of the total additive genetic variance were used to search for candidate genes. Three windows of 50 consecutive SNPs (BTA3, BTA6, and BTA7) were identified to be associated with the length of the calving interval in primi- and multiparous cows, while the window with the highest percentage of explained genetic variance was located on BTA3 position 49.42 to 49.52 Mb. There were five genes including ARHGAP29, SEC24D, METTL14, SLC36A2, and SLC36A3 inside the windows associated with the length of the calving interval. The biological process terms including alanine transport, L-alanine transport, proline transport, and glycine transport were identified as the most important terms enriched by the genes inside the identified windows.

Reproductive performance of northern Australia beef herds. 1. Survey of nutritional, breeding and herd health management practices and of the environment

Data concerning the practices and policies of collaborating properties for nutritional, breeding and health management of herds were captured by survey of herd owners/managers (n = 78) at the commencement of a large observational study conducted across northern Australia to identify and quantify the effect of major animal-, management group- and property-level risk factors on measures of reproductive performance. The cooperating herds in this study were considered to be broadly representative of north Australian beef breeding enterprises in terms of geography, size and ownership. Using four broad regional categories, this paper presents descriptive summaries of the management practices and nutritional conditions of cooperating herds in what was known as the Cash Cow project. Property sizes were largest within the Northern Downs and Northern Forest, and smallest within the Southern Forest. The expected average annual growth of yearling steers was &gt;50 kg less in the Northern Forest, compared with the other country types, which also appeared to be associated with the identified production system and turnoff animal. Despite the exacerbated nutrition and environmental challenges and likely increased time required for new managers within the Northern Forest to attain an in depth understanding of the cattle and property dynamics, this region had the greatest incidence of management changes. The nutritional information summarised in this study highlights that available phosphorus during the wet season, as indicated by faecal levels in proportion to dietary energy, was likely to limit animal production within the Northern Downs and Northern Forest. During the dry season, pasture digestibilty and protein levels were likely to be approaching maintenance for cows on ~50% of properties in each country type and that responses to rumen degradable protein were also likely on 50% of properties. Despite this finding, low use of dry season supplements was observed for the Northern Downs, which was partially explained by the high incidence of the management systems based on segregating cows on lactation status and pregnancy. In all country types, the ratio of bulls to cows was higher than the 2.5% recommended for extensively managed situations, while limited use of vaccines to control infectious causes of reproductive loss was also observed. The major conclusion of this study is that there was marked variation in the adaption of interventions to specific businesses, indicating considerable opportunity exists for further adaptation in the region.

The dynamics of energy supply and demand of foaling mares managed at pasture: a deterministic modelling approach

Context. At pasture, the nutritional status of mares will change due to a dynamic association between their energy requirements and the energy supply. Change in the plane of nutrition can influence reproductive performance measures in the mares. To help optimise nutritional and operational management of mares on stud farms, the nutritional status of Thoroughbred broodmares and the factors influencing the energy supply and demand were investigated. Aims. To assess nutritional status of the Thoroughbred broodmare herds under ‘normal’ New Zealand commercial stud-farm conditions. Methods. The energy intake, energy requirement and energy balance during the last 3 months of pregnancy and the first 5 months of lactation were modelled for mares with an initial bodyweight of 450 kg, 500 kg, 550 kg and 600 kg, and foaled at 0, 15, 50, and 90 days after 1 September. Key results. For all foaling dates and bodyweights, mares were in positive energy balance during the last 3 months of pregnancy (6.1–8.5%). Energy balance decreased as pregnancy progressed, followed by a large and acute energy deficit that was initiated soon after foaling and continued during lactation. The energy deficit during lactation varied between –8.6% and –12.4%, depending on the foaling date modelled. Mares foaling later in the season (50–90 days after 1 September) had greater and longer (30–50 days) postpartum energy deficit than did mares that foaled earlier in the season, who recovered within 20 days postpartum. The modelled changes in the energy balance would be large enough to initiate mobilisation of the fat reserve (body condition), and could, therefore, explain the observation of delayed postpartum to conception interval observed with later-foaling mares on commercial farms. Conclusions. There is a large and prolonged energy deficit soon after foaling and throughout 150 days of lactation in Thoroughbred mares managed under New Zealand commercial grazing conditions. Foaling later in the season can cause a mismatch in energy supply and demand that would increase and prolong the energy deficit. Implications. These findings suggest a need for stud farms to actively manage the pasture supply and monitor the mare’s BWT and BCS changes in an attempt to optimise the mare’s nutritional status and reproductive performance.

Hayvancılık İşletmelerinde Kayıtların Veri Tabanlarında Saklanması ve Değerlendirilmesi

Hayvancılık işletmelerinde uzun süre saklanan veriler, hayvansal üretimlerde verimliliğin artırılabilmesi, hayvan damızlık değerlerinin ortaya konulabilmesi, nitelikli damızlık ihtiyaçlarının karşılanabilmesi, etkin ıslah organizasyonlarının yapılabilmesi, yüksek gelir elde edilebilmesi, sürüden ayıklanacak veya damızlık olarak elde tutulacak hayvanların belirlenmesinde etkin rol oynayacaktır. Hayvancılık işletmelerinde tutulan önemli teknik veriler arasında; damızlık koç/boğa/teke kayıtları ve bunlara ilişkin üreme, büyüme- gelişme, verim kayıtları (küçükbaş hayvanlarda yapağı ve kıl verimi, besideki canlı ağırlık artışları, yem tüketimi, laktasyon ve süt verimi), döl verimi ölçütleri, kesim ve karkas ölçü ve özellikleri, et kalitesine ilişkin kayıtlar, hayvan hastalıkları ile aşı uygulamaları ile ilgili kayıtlar gösterilebilir. Bu verilerden hayvana ait tanımlayıcı bilgilerin veritabanlarında saklanması ve hayvan takiplerinin yapılması gibi konularda Türkiye‘nin AB‘ne uyum programı çerçevesinde Tarım ve Orman Bakanlığı‘nın 10.02.2009 tarihli 27137 sayılı resmi gazetede yayımlanan “Koyun ve keçi türü hayvanların tanımlanması, tescili ve izlenmesi yönetmeliği” kapsamında zorunlu hale getirilmeye çalışılmıştır. Günümüzde sağlıklı verilerin elde edilebilmesi ve eldeki verilerin de güvenle saklanabilmesi amacıyla MySQL, MS SQL, Postrage SQL, Oracle, Firebird, IBM DB2, MS Access gibi veri tabanı yazılımlarından yararlanılmaktadır. Bu veritabanı yazılımlarının ve Veritabanı Yönetim Sistemlerinin (VTYS) kullanımının ve işletmeye maliyetinin bilinmesi, işletme için önemlidir. Bu çalışma ile bu yazılımların işletmeye kattığı değer ve işletmeye maliyetleri konusunda bilgi vermek amaçlanmıştır.

Vertical Distribution and Elevation Preference for the Breeding of Fairy Pittas on Jeju Island, Korea

Elevation often becomes an important component in the breeding site selection of forest birds because it may affect individual fitness. To understand how the threatened fairy pitta (Pitta nympha Temminck &amp; Schlegel) selects a particular elevation for breeding and whether the pitta achieves better reproductive performance in its preferred elevation, we surveyed for the presence of breeding pittas and recorded their reproductive performances at six different elevation zones on Mount Halla in Jeju Island, Korea. We expected that preference for breeding sites and reproductive performance would gradually decrease with increasing elevation. In fact, 73 presence and 78 absence records indicated no preference for breeding sites at elevations lower than 400 m. However, forest habitats between 400 and 600 m were strongly preferred, while locations above 800 m were clearly avoided. The egg-laying date was significantly earlier at lower elevations, but other measures of reproductive performance did not differ between the preferred and non-preferred elevations. Contrary to our expectations, this indicates that there was no clear advantage to a pitta’s reproductive performance based on elevation preference. Our findings suggest that the inherent optimal selection for the best reproductive outcomes was not a key driving factor for the pattern of elevation preference observed, and that the pitta’s preference might be a response to external and environmental factors such as climate conditions. The reduction of anthropogenic impacts by mitigating human–pitta conflicts at lower elevations, such as accidental non-reproductive mortality and forest loss, would help enhance the conservation of the fairy pitta on Jeju Island, a stronghold of this threatened species in Korea.

Effects of predator call playbacks on reproductive success and extrapair paternity in blue tits

An increase in the perceived risk of predation triggers many behavioural changes in prey species, which can have consequences for their reproductive success. Perceived predation risk may also influence investment in extrapair activities and, as a result, the frequency of extrapair paternity (EPP), but this possibility remains largely untested. Here we report on a study of a small passerine bird, the blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleus, in which we experimentally manipulated perceived predation risk by intermittently broadcasting predator calls throughout the breeding season. We found no evidence that the treatment affected two behavioural indices of extrapair activity (extrabox visits and the time of emergence from the nestbox in the morning during the fertile period) or the rate of EPP itself. The treatment also had no significant effect on clutch size, hatching success or most reproductive behaviours. However, nests in the predator playback treatment produced more fledglings, which was mainly due to a lower frequency of complete brood mortality. We discuss potential explanations for this finding, as well as for the lack of evidence for other effects of the predator playback treatment on blue tit reproductive behaviour. Several measures of reproductive performance suggest that the year in which the experiment took place was an unusually poor one and further work is therefore needed to assess the generality of our findings.

Herd and environmental determinants of reproductive performance in Swedish dairy herds, 2001–2009

This was a retrospective cohort study of Swedish dairy herds. Summary measures of production and reproductive performance, details of soil, moss mineral concentrations, and temperature and rainfall measurements at each herd location were available for the period September 2001 to August 2009. A Bayesian mixed-effects regression model including spatial and non-spatial heterogeneity terms was developed to quantify associations between hypothesised explanatory variables and mean herd breeding interval, defined as the difference between mean calving to last service interval and mean calving to first service interval for each fiscal year.Mean herd breeding intervals were shorter in herds with greater than 80% Swedish Red Cattle, herds with lower mean age at first calving, herds comprised of older cows and in larger herds. None of the soil composition or moss mineral concentration estimates were associated with mean herd breeding interval and the effect of temperature and rainfall on mean herd breeding interval was small. We conclude that environmental conditions (soil composition, moss mineral concentrations, environmental temperature and rainfall) had relatively minor effects on dairy herd reproductive performance in Sweden between 2001 and 2009.

Does acoustically simulated predation risk affect settlement and reproduction of a migratory passerine?

AbstractNest predation is one of the most important drivers of avian life history evolution and population dynamics. Increasing evidence suggests that birds are able to assess nest predation risk and avoid settling in high‐risk areas to increase their reproductive performance. However, the cues used for settlement decisions are poorly known in most species. Population sizes of the migratory wood warblerPhylloscopus sibilatrixare characterized by strong annual fluctuations, which are negatively correlated with the number of forest rodents. Wood warblers might avoid rodent‐rich areas to reduce predation risk arising either from rodents, from rodent‐hunting predators attracted to such areas or from predators not linked to rodents. To evaluate these hypotheses, we conducted a large‐scale field experiment to test whether wood warblers avoided settling in plots with high predation risk simulated by broadcasting vocalizations of rodents or predators. Moreover, we tested whether reproductive performance varied in relation to simulated predation risk. Settlement patterns did not differ between plots with rodent, predator and noise control treatments. Likewise, measures of reproductive performance did not seem to differ across treatments. Thus, the broadcasted vocalizations of rodents and predators did not seem to be perceived as threat by wood warblers. Alternatively, the species might use other cues than those presented here, either other acoustic cues, visual and/or olfactory cues or a combination of cue types during settlement. Further experimental investigations to pin point cues and senses relevant for settlement decisions in wood warblers and birds in general are needed to better understand their life history and population dynamics.

Reproductive performance of pigs raised by intensive management system in Abuja, Nigeria.

Background:Population growth led to an increase in the number of people raising pigs, resulting in increased demand for piglets/pigs for breeding and pork for consumption.Aim:This study was carried out to determine the reproductive performance of pigs raised by the intensive management system in Abuja, Nigeria, with a view to assist farmers in ensuring improved productivity and profitability.Materials and Methods:Using an interview-based questionnaire, data from 121 sows and 649 preweaning piglets were collected in 12 herds, from September 2017 to March 2018. Measures of reproductive and production performance assessed in this study were interfarrowing interval (IFI), number of liveborn piglets (NLB), preweaning piglet mortality (PPM), age at weaning (AAW), weaning to service interval (WSI), age at first farrowing (AFF), number of piglets weaned per litter (NPWL), and number of piglets weaned per sow per year (NPWPY).Results:The results obtained in this study were IFI 6.2±0.84 months, NLB 7.2±1.11, PPM 31%, AAW 40.2±3.12 days, NPWL 5.3±0.73, WSI 39.4±4.59 days, AFF 9.1±0.60 months, and NPWPY 8.1±1.21. The identified causes of PPM were maternal overlay 31.34%, splay leg/hypoglycemia 22.39%, cannibalism 20.40%, starvation 14.93%, and unknown cause 10.94%.Conclusion:The result showed that the reproductive performance of the sow (especially, NPWPY and PPM) needs to be improved on. There is a need to promote extension and herd health services by veterinarians and livestock personnel to potential and existing farmers in the area. This is more so because organized pig production in the studied area is relatively new and more people are establishing pig farms in the studied area.

Phenotypic, Hormonal, and Genomic Variation Among Vitis vinifera Clones With Different Cluster Compactness and Reproductive Performance.

Previous studies showed that the number of berries is a major component of the compactness level of the grapevine clusters. Variation in number of fruits is regulated by events occurring in the fruitset, but also before during the flower formation and pollination, through factors like the initial number of flowers or the gametic viability. Therefore, the identification of the genetic bases of this variation would provide an invaluable knowledge of the grapevine reproductive development and useful tools for managing yield and cluster compactness. We performed the phenotyping of four clones (two compact and two loose clones) of the Tempranillo cultivar with reproducible different levels of cluster compactness over seasons. Measures of reproductive performance included flower number per inflorescence, berry number per cluster, fruitset, coulure, and millerandage indices. Besides, their levels of several hormones during the inflorescence and flower development were determined, and their transcriptomes were evaluated at critical time points (just before the start and at the end of flowering). For some key reproductive traits, like number of berries per cluster and number of seeds per berry, clones bearing loose clusters showed differences with the compact clones and also differed from each other, indicating that each one follows different paths to produce loose clusters. Variation between clones was observed for abscisic acid and gibberellins levels at particular development stages, and differences in GAs could be related to phenotypic differences. Likewise, various changes between clones were found at the transcriptomic level, mostly just before the start of flowering. Several of the differentially expressed genes between one of the loose clones and the compact clones are known to be over-expressed in pollen, and many of them were related to cell wall modification processes or to the phenylpropanoids metabolism. We also found polymorphisms between clones in candidate genes that could be directly involved in the variation of the compactness level.

Efficacy of controlled internal drug release (CIDR) treatment durations on the reproductive performance, hormone profiles, and economic profit of Awassi ewes

This study was conducted using 80 multiparous Awassi ewes during the breeding season to compare the effects of controlled internal drug release (CIDR) treatment durations on ewe reproductive performance, hormone profiles, and economic production measures. Ewes were evenly allotted to one of various CIDR treatment durations (3, 6, 9, or 12 d) in four groups (CIDR3, CIDR6, CIDR9, and CIDR12 (control), respectively). The ewes in all groups were injected with 300 IU of equine Chorionic Gonadotropin (eCG) at the time of withdrawal. Blood samples were collected at the time of CIDR insertion and withdrawal, as well as at the time of insemination to measure serum estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) concentrations. Timed insemination was performed at 48 h post CIDR withdrawal. The heat detection rate was significantly (P < 0.05) highest in CIDR12 and CIDR9 (100% and 84.21%, respectively). The total pregnancy rate was significantly (P < 0.05) higher in CIDR9 and CIDR6 (68.4% and 60%, respectively) than in CIDR3. Additionally, fecundity was significantly (P < 0.05) lowest in CIDR3. At insemination, the P4 level was significantly (P < 0.05) lower in CIDR9 and CIDR12 than in the other groups. At insemination, the E2 level was higher (P < 0.05) in CIDR6 followed by that in CIDR3 and CIDR9, and then in CIDR12. The total variable cost, total cost, the return and net profit were higher in CIDR6 than in other groups. In conclusion, although use of CIDR for 6, 9, and 12 d is efficient to synchronize estrus in ewes with similar reproductive performance, CIDR use for 6 d provided higher return and net profit than that for 9 or 12 d. CIDR use for 3 d is inefficient for estrus synchronization in ewes.