On-farm performance of Bunaji (White Fulani) cattle 1. Herd structures and cattle disposal

1993 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 199-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. E. O. Rege ◽  
R. R. von Kaufmann ◽  
R. I. Mani
Keyword(s):  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Herd Size ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Social Functions ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Arable Farming ◽  
Herd Structure ◽  
Milk Market

AbstractA study urns conducted to examine herd structures and cattle disposal patterns of Bunaji herds kept under traditional management at four locations in the subhumid zone of Nigeria. Sale for meat was the single most important disposal reason, accounting for proportionately 0·55 of all disposals. Mean age of cattle sold for meat was 8 years but the age range was wide: animals as old as 17·4 years were involved in such sales. Male animals were sold at a younger age (6·2 years) than females (9·3 years). Sale of calves was an important exit avenue for rural herds with less access to milk market. Calves were sold at a mean age of 1·1 years and male calves accounted for a larger proportion (0·62) of such sales. Animal sales were highest in the early dry season and lowest in the early wet season. The predominantly arable farming location, Ganawuri, had the highest frequency of animal sales and lowest frequency of exits for ‘social functions’ (exchanges, transfers and gifts). Animal transfers, gifts and exchanges were important disposal routes in the traditionally pastoral communities, especially in locations with good grazing (e.g. Abet). Exits involving exchanges, transfers and gifts were more frequent during the dry season and least frequent in the wet season. An average herd had 77 head of cattle composed proportionately of 0·54 adult females (>3 years), 0·13 adult males (>3 years), 0·08 young bulls (1 to 3 years), 0·13 heifers (1 to 3 years) and 0·11 calves (0 to 1 year). There was a tendency toward smaller herds in later years (97 in 1980 to 51 in 1989) and a decrease in the ratio of adult females to males (from 6:1 in 1980 to 3:1 in 1989). Substantial between-location differences existed in herd size ami herd structure, ranging from the ‘beef orientation’ of the arable Ganawuri with a high proportion of immatures and calves, to the pastoral situation in Abet and Kurmin Biri with high proportion of adult animals. The proportions of adults were lowest in the early dry season, reflecting seasonal pattern in disposal and calving. The pattern in disposal reasons over time indicated a decrease in the proportion of animals exiting herds through exchanges, transfers and gifts and signified a possible shift from tradition, probably a response to population pressures and emergence of cash economies.

The Biology of the Northern Brown Bandicoot, Isoodon-Macrourus (Marsupialia, Peramelidae) at Mitchell Plateau, Western-Australia

1989 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 627 ◽  
Author(s):  
C Kemper ◽  
DJ Kitchener ◽  
WF Humphreys ◽  
RA How ◽  
LH Schmitt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Blood Cells ◽  
White Blood Cells ◽  
Breeding Population ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Physiological Parameters ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Young Females ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Overall Ratio

Breeding, population dynamics and seasonal changes in physical and physiological parameters were examined in Isoodon macrourus at the Mitchell Plateau between September 1981 and November 1982. Females gave birth to litters of 2.5 � 1.0 (16) young between September and April. They produced up to three litters in a breeding season with an average interval between successive litters of 89.5 (51-108) days. Adult testosterone levels and scrota1 size began to increase in July and peaked in September 1982. The overall ratio of adult males to adult females was 1:0.54; it was 1:0.80 for pouch young. Females were more frequently trapped on sequential trips than were males. Density on the grids increased towards the end of the dry season (July and September 1982)-mostly as a result of increased numbers of females. Adult males and females moving onto the grids during the dry season tended to select different habitats. Adult males moved significantly more in the wet season (September 1981, January and April) than they did in the dry season (July and September 1982); they also moved significantly more than adult females in the wet season. Seasonal variations were recorded for most physical and physiological parameters. During the wet period from September 1981 to January 1982, body weight, haemoglobin, haematocrit and total plasma albumin declined, while total white blood cells and proportion of lymphocytes to granular leucocytes rose. This indicated that this period was one of change in condition for this species. Compared to adult females, adult males were larger and heavier, had higher values of haematocrit and lymphocytes, and lower values of granular leucocytes, free steroids, CBGBd and albumin bound corticosteroid. There was considerable between-year variability in condition of individuals and both sexes differed significantly in September 1981 and 1982 in their weight, haematocrit, total white blood cells, granular leucocytes, MCBC and testosterone. Individuals at disparate localities at the Mitchell Plateau showed similar seasonal physiological and physical responses, except for one grid where they were heavier.

Reproduction in the northern brown bandicoot (Isoodon macrourus) in the Australian Wet Tropics

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karl Vernes ◽  
Lisa Claire Pope
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Wild Population ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Timing Of Reproduction ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Wet Tropics ◽  
Almost All ◽  
The Tropics

We investigated timing of reproduction in a wild population of northern brown bandicoots (Isoodon macrourus) in the Australian Wet Tropics. Almost all births occurred during the late dry season and early wet season, and most adult females (78–96%) were carrying pouch young during those times. Litter sizes ranged from 1 to 6 pouch young (mean = 3.1) and was not influenced by season. Adult males had significantly larger testes in the late dry and early wet seasons, corresponding with the peak in births. Daylength was the only environmental factor that predicted the presence of a litter; when daylength exceeded 12 h, more than 70% of captured females were carrying pouch young, and most (94%) births were estimated to have occurred on days with >12 h of daylight. Various environmental factors have been proposed as a cue for breeding in I. macrourus, with daylength though to be the primary cue initiating breeding in temperate Australia, but temperature and rainfall thought to be more important in the tropics. Our data suggest that in the Australian Wet Tropics, increasing daylength in the late dry season acts as the primary cue for breeding.

scholarly journals Timing of emergence and cave return, and duration of nocturnal activity in an endemic Malagasy fruit bat

2020 ◽  
Vol 33 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Riana V. Ramanantsalama ◽  
Steven M. Goodman
Keyword(s):  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Nocturnal Activity ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Fruit Bat ◽  
Adult Females ◽  
Narrow Passage ◽  
Age And Sex

Bats emerge from their day roost after dusk and different factors can affect the timing of departure, return, and duration of nocturnal activities. This study provides information on the time of emergence and return of an endemic Malagasy fruit bat, Rousettus madagascariensis, in a cave located in the Réserve Spéciale d’Ankarana, northern Madagascar. Individuals were captured in a narrow passage between the roost and cave exit and capture time for each individual was noted. Variation according to sex, age, and body condition, as well as the influence of season, and the sunset and sunrise time were analyzed. During the dry season, individuals started to emerge at 1913 hours and returned to the cave generally by 0505 hours; the duration of time outside the cave during the dry season was higher in adult females (0952 hours) followed by subadult males (0937 hours), sub-adult females (0931 hours), and adult males (0910 hours). During the wet season, individuals exited at 1926 hours and returned at 0351 hours; as in the dry season, adult females spent more time outside the cave (0833 hours), than sub-adult females (0800 hours), and adult males (0752 hours). The period of emergence varied according to the age and sex classes, and time of predawn return associated with the previous nocturnal activity. The period of return was influenced by season, and age and sex classes. Such information is useful to quantify shifts in bat ecology, especially for endemic species with limited distribution or those playing an important role in ecosystem services.

Seasonal variations in the fat content and size of Glossina swynnertoni Austen.

1961 ◽  
Vol 51 (4) ◽  
pp. 705-713 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. P. Glasgow ◽  
E. Bursell
Keyword(s):  
Time Lag ◽  
Fat Content ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Adult Males ◽  
Progressive Decrease ◽  
Causal Interpretation ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Pupal Development ◽  
Saturation Deficit ◽  
Glossina Swynnertoni

A population of Glossina swynnertoni Aust., at Shinyanga, Tanganyika, has been studied in respect of size and fat content of non-teneral males by monthly samples over a period of 13 years.Flies are large from February to July and small from August to January, and this change in size suggests an effect of the wet season (December to May) and dry season (June to November) upon the parent females, allowing for the time-lag of two months representing pupal development and mean age of adult males at capture. Male flies have more fat in the rains and less in the dry season and it is possible that similar changes in the nutritional status of females are responsible for the observed size changes.The correlation found in earlier work between the size of male flies in any month and saturation deficit two months earlier is confirmed, but reasons are given for rejecting a simple causal interpretation of this correlation.Since 1951, there has been a progressive decrease in size of G. swynnertoni in the area studied, more especially as regards those produced in the dry season.

Phenological changes in a Sumatran rain forest

1986 ◽  
Vol 2 (4) ◽  
pp. 327-347 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. P. Van Schaik
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Rain Forest ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Phenological Changes ◽  
Young Leaves ◽  
Fig Trees ◽  
One Year ◽  
Made In

ABSTRACTPhenological observations were made in a Sumatran rain forest during three years (1980–1982). Phenological changes followed a consistent seasonal pattern. The abundance of young leaves and the fall of leaf litter peaked between December and February (first dry season); flowers were most abundant between January and April (first dry and first wet sea son), and ripe fruits in July-August (the second dry season). The fruit of strangling fig trees showed peaks in April and October, both wet season months. Within the study area there was variation in both the phase and the amplitude of the phenological cycles. One year, 1981, displayed mast flowering and fruiting. The observations indicate that the conditions for production were better during the mast year, a finding that facilitates our understanding of the evolution of mast fruiting.

scholarly journals Epidemiological studies of Schistosoma mattheei infections in cattle in the highveld and lowveld communal grazing areas of Zimbabwe

2006 ◽  
Vol 73 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
D.M. Pfukenyi ◽  
S. Mukaratirwa ◽  
A.L. Willingham ◽  
J. Monrad
Keyword(s):  
Intermediate Host ◽  
Climatic Factors ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Chemical Properties ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Adult Cattle ◽  
Host Snail ◽  
Faecal Samples ◽  
Hot Dry Season

During the period between January 1999 and December 2000, the distribution and seasonal patterns of Schistosoma mattheei infections in cattle in the highveld and lowveld communal grazing areas of Zimbabwe were determined through monthly coprological examination. Faecal samples of cattle were collected from 12 and nine dipping sites in the highveld and lowveld communal grazing areas, respectively. Patterns of distribution and seasonal fluctuations of the intermediate host-snail populations and the climatic factors influencing the distribution were also determined at monthly intervals from November 1998 to October 2000, a period of 24 months, in six dams and six streams in the highveld and nine dams in the lowveld communal grazing areas. Monthly, each site was sampled for relative snail density, the vegetation cover and type, and physical and chemical properties of the water. Mean monthly rainfall and temperature were recorded. Snails collected at the same time were individually examined for shedding of cercariae of S. mattheei and Schistosoma haematobium. A total of 16 264 (5 418 calves, 5 461 weaners and 5 385 adults) faecal samples were collected during the entire period of study and 734 (4.5 %) were positive for S. mattheei eggs. Significantly higher prevalences were found in the highveld compared to the lowveld (P < 0.001), calves compared to adult cattle (P < 0.01) and the wet season compared to the dry season (P < 0.01). Faecal egg output peaked from October/ November to March / April for both years of the study. Bulinus globosus, the snail intermediate host of S. mattheei was recorded from the study sites with the highveld having a significantly higher abundance of the snails than the lowveld (P < 0.01). Monthly densities of B. globosus did not show a clearcut pattern although there were peaks between March / May and September / November. The mean num ber of snails collected was positively correlated with the water plants Nymphaea caerulea and Typha species. Overall, 2.5 % of B. globosus were shedding Schistosoma cercariae. In the highveld, 2.8 % of B. globosus were infected with schistosome cercariae and 1.5 % in the lowveld, with the figures at individual sites ranging from 0-18.8 % in the highveld and from 0-4.5 % in the lowveld. The cercariae recorded here were a mixture of S. mattheei and S. haematobium since they share the same intermediate host. The transmission of Schistosoma cercariae exhibited a marked seasonal pattern, being more intensive during the hot, dry season (September / November).

Phenological studies of shrub and treelet species in tropical cloud forests of Costa Rica

1988 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 323-346 ◽  
Author(s):  
Suzanne Koptur ◽  
William A. Haber ◽  
Gordon W. Frankie ◽  
Herbert G. Baker
Keyword(s):  
Costa Rica ◽  
Cloud Forest ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
First Year ◽  
Pollination Syndromes ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Flowering Season ◽  
Fly Pollination ◽  
Lowland Wet Forest

ABSTRACT(1) During 1978–1981, marked individuals of 107 species of treelets and shrubs in three forest types between 1300–1650 m elevation at Monteverde, Costa Rica, were monitored at monthly intervals for behaviour of leafing, flowering, and fruiting.(2) Although there was not a pronounced seasonal pattern of leafing activity, more species produced new leaves in the dry season. Species that flush large quantities of new leaves do so more commonly in the drier months. Leaf loss was gradual and unobtrusive in species observed.(3) Flowering activity was greatest in the late dry season and early wet season. Most species exhibited extended flowering; only 15% of the species were massively flowering. Massive flowerers showed less seasonality than extended flowerers.(4) Of the species studied, the majority had relatively unspecialized flowers which were visited by a variety of insects; small bee-pollination was the next most common, followed by hummingbird, beetle, settling moth, sphingid, butterfly, large bee and fly pollination (the pollination system of 18 species was unknown). Hummingbird pollinated species showed little seasonality of flowering when compared with species exhibiting small moth, and beetle pollination syndromes, as well as those with unspecialized flowers.(5) The vast majority of species studied have fleshy fruits (sarcochores). Fruiting activity was less markedly seasonal than flowering. Species with fruit are more numerous in the second half of the year (the wet season and early dry season). The second year of the study saw substantially fewer species in fruit than the first year; this is attributed to the greater than usual rainfall and inclement weather during the peak flowering season.(6) Cloud forest shrub and treelet phenology is compared with patterns of other forests that have been studied. In general, the greater the rainfall, the less seasonality of flowering and fruiting is seen. Although Monteverde is very wet, rainfall is intermediate between that of lowland dry and lowland wet forest in Costa Rica. Seasonality of flowering and fruiting at Monteverde is more pronounced than at La Selva (wet) and less obvious than in Guanacaste (dry).

Effect of the red land crab (Gecarcinus lateralis) on leaf litter in a tropical dry forest in Veracruz, Mexico

1993 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Kellman ◽  
Bianca Delfosse
Keyword(s):  
Leaf Litter ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Coastal Dunes ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Dry Forest ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Nutrient Pools ◽  
Land Crab ◽  
Litter Biomass ◽  
Gecarcinus Lateralis

ABSTRACTThe effect of the red land crab (Gecarcinus lateralis) on leaf litter biomass and nutrient transformation was investigated in a semi-deciduous tropical forest on coastal dunes using access and exclusion plots observed for six months. Crabs were in burrows during drought, but began foraging immediately after rainfall. Crabs accelerated litter disappearance significantly during the wet season at one site located beneath Brosimum alicastrum, but had no effect beneath a nearby Enterolobium cyclocarpum. The difference is tentatively attributed to small leaflet size in the latter species which crabs were unable to handle and consume. At both sites, litter in exdosures had approximately doubled by the end of the ensuing dry season. At the Brosimum site it is attributed to sporadic crab detritivory occurring after dry seasonal rains. At the Enterolobium site it is attributed to preferential retention of litter in the cxclosures during strong dry season winds. The nutrient content of litter exposed to, or protected from, crabs was not significantly different at either site and differences in litter nutrient pools reflected differences in litter biomass. Accelerated nutrient mineralization due to crab detritivory was concentrated early in the wet season before leaching began from the soils, and it is suggested that this altered seasonal pattern of mineralization may reduce the loss of nutrients from the site in percolating water.

scholarly journals Life in a harsh environment: the effects of age, sex, reproductive condition, and season on hair cortisol concentration in a wild non-human primate

PeerJ ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. e9365
Author(s):  
Paul A. Garber ◽  
Anna McKenney ◽  
Evelyn Bartling-John ◽  
Júlio César Bicca-Marques ◽  
María Fernanda De la Fuente ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dry Season ◽  
Cortisol Concentration ◽  
High Rate ◽  
Northeastern Brazil ◽  
Hair Cortisol ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Common Marmosets ◽  
Wild Mammals ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
Adult Females

Hair cortisol concentration (HCC) provides a long-term retrospective measure of hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis activity, and is increasingly used to assess the life history, health and ecology of wild mammals. Given that sex, age, season and pregnancy influence HCC, and that it may indicate ongoing stress, we examined HCC in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus) naturally inhabiting a hot and dry semi-desert like habitat, Caatinga, in northeastern Brazil. We trapped, measured, weighed, marked and collected shaved hair from the back of the neck of 61 wild marmosets during the wet and dry seasons. Using enzyme immunoassay, we found that HCC was higher in the dry season compared with the wet season among all age/sex classes. Females had significantly higher HCC than males, juveniles had higher HCC than adults, and reproductively active adult females and non-pregnant/non lactating adult females did not differ in HCC. There were no interaction effects of sex, age, group, or season on HCC. The magnitude of the effect of this extremely hot and dry environment (average yearly rainfall was only 271 mm) on HCC in common marmosets is difficult to ascertain as these animals are also experiencing a variety of other stressors. However, the elevated HCC seen in common marmosets during the 5–8 month dry season, suggests these primates face an extended period of heat, water and possibly nutritional stress, which appears to result in a high rate of juvenile mortality.

scholarly journals Seasonal pattern of food habits of large herbivores in riverine alluvial grasslands of Brahmaputra floodplains, Assam

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Devi ◽  
Syed Ainul Hussain ◽  
Monika Sharma ◽  
Govindan Veeraswami Gopi ◽  
Ruchi Badola
Keyword(s):  
Crude Protein ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Dry Season ◽  
Imperata Cylindrica ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Wet Season ◽  
Large Herbivores ◽  
Management Interventions

AbstractJarman–Bell (1974) hypothesized that in the dry savanna of Africa, small-bodied herbivores tend to browse more on forage with high protein and low fibre content. This implies browsing on high nutritive forage by meso-herbivores, and grazing and mixed feeding on coarse forage by mega-herbivores. We tested this hypothesis in the riverine alluvial grasslands of the Kaziranga National Park (KNP), where seasonal flood and fire play an important role in shaping the vegetation structure. We analyzed the feeding habits and quality of major forage species consumed by three mega-herbivores, viz. greater one-horned rhino, Asian elephant, and Asiatic wild buffalo, and three meso-herbivores, viz. swamp deer, hog deer, and sambar. We found that both mega and meso-herbivores were grazers and mixed feeders. Overall, 25 forage plants constituted more than 70% of their diet. Among monocots, family Poaceae with Saccharum spp. (contributing > 9% of the diet), and, among dicots, family Rhamnaceae with Ziziphus jujuba (contributing > 4% of the diet) fulfilled the dietary needs. In the dry season, the concentration of crude protein, neutral detergent fibre, calcium, sodium, and phosphorous varied significantly between monocots and dicots, whereas only calcium and sodium concentrations varied significantly in the wet season. Dicots were found to be more nutritious throughout the year. Compared to the dry season, the monocots, viz. Alpinia nigra, Carex vesicaria, Cynodon dactylon, Echinochloa crus-galli, Hemarthria compressa, Imperata cylindrica, and Saccharum spp., with their significantly high crude protein, were more nutritious during the wet season. Possibly due to the availability of higher quality monocots in the wet season, both mega and meso-herbivores consume it in high proportion. We concluded that the Jarman–Bell principle does not apply to riverine alluvial grasslands as body size did not explain the interspecific dietary patterns of the mega and meso-herbivores. This can be attributed to seasonal floods, habitat and forage availability, predation risk, and management practices such as controlled burning of the grasslands. The ongoing succession and invasion processes, anthropogenic pressures, and lack of grassland conservation policy are expected to affect the availability of the principal forage and suitable habitat of large herbivores in the Brahmaputra floodplains, which necessitates wet grassland-based management interventions for the continued co-existence of large herbivores in such habitats.

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