Nutritional composition of the diet of the gorilla (Gorilla beringei): a comparison between two montane habitats

The mountain gorilla (Gorilla beringei beringei) lives in two geographically separated populations, Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda and in three national parks spanning the Virunga mountain region in Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, and Uganda. The altitude, climate and plant composition of these habitats differ. Our goal was to compare the diets of gorillas living in each of these habitats. The nutrients in staple foods and in the diets of individuals in a group of gorillas in Bwindi (N = 12 individuals) and a group in the Virungas (N = 7 individuals) were compared to determine if differences in dietary composition affected concentrations of nutrients in their diets. At both sites gorilla diets consisted primarily of herbaceous leaves, but the diet of Bwindi gorillas contained more tree leaves, fruit, pith and dry wood, and fewer stems. Despite differences in habitat and dietary composition, the nutrient concentrations in both gorilla diets were remarkably similar. On a dry matter basis, the diets and staple foods of Bwindi and Virunga gorillas contained similar concentrations of crude protein (CP), fibre (NDF) and non-structural carbohydrates (TNC). Bwindi gorillas ate diets containing 18% CP, 43% NDF and 19% TNC on a dry-matter basis, while the diets of the Virunga gorillas contained 17% CP, 41% NDF and 18% TNC. Our results demonstrate that gorillas consume diets that differ by plant species and part, but contain similar concentrations of nutrients. This suggests that classifying animals by broad dietary strategy (e.g. frugivory and folivory) does not provide a reliable indicator of the nutritional quality of their diet, and that our previous assumptions about these categories should be re-evaluated.

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Behavioral responses around conspecific corpses in adult eastern gorillas (Gorilla beringei spp.)

PeerJ ◽

10.7717/peerj.6655 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

pp. e6655 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Amy Porter ◽

Winnie Eckardt ◽

Veronica Vecellio ◽

Katerina Guschanski ◽

Peter Philip Niehoff ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Relationships ◽

Disease Transmission ◽

National Park ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Behavioral Responses ◽

Mountain Gorilla ◽

Adult Females ◽

Gorilla Beringei Beringei ◽

Gorilla Beringei ◽

Group Members

Humans were once considered unique in having a concept of death but a growing number of observations of animal responses to dying and dead conspecifics suggests otherwise. Complex arrays of behaviors have been described ranging from corpse removal and burial among social insects to quiet attendance and caregiving among elephants and primates. Less frequently described, however, are behavioral responses of individuals from different age/sex classes or social position toward the death of conspecifics. We describe behavioral responses of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) to the deaths of a dominant silverback and a dominant adult female from the same social group in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda and the responses of Grauer’s gorillas (Gorilla b. graueri) to the corpse of an extra-group silverback in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo. In gorillas, interactions between groups or with a lone silverback often result in avoidance or aggression. We predicted that: (i) more individuals should interact with the corpses of same-group members than with the corpse of the extra-group silverback; (ii) adult females with infants should avoid the corpse of the extra-group silverback; and (iii) in the mountain gorilla cases, individuals that shared close social relationships with the dead individual should spend more time with the corpse than other individuals in the group. We used a combination of detailed qualitative reports, photos, and videos to describe all occurrences of affiliative/investigative and agonistic behaviors observed at the corpses. We observed similar responses toward the corpses of group and extra-group individuals. Animals in all three cases showed a variety of affiliative/investigative and agonistic behaviors directed to the corpses. Animals of all age/sex classes interacted with the corpses in affiliative/investigative ways but there was a notable absence of all adult females at the corpse of the extra-group silverback. In all three cases, we observed only silverbacks and blackbacks being agonistic around and/or toward the corpses. In the mountain gorilla cases, the individuals who spent the most time with the corpses were animals who shared close social relationships with the deceased. We emphasize the similarity in the behavioral responses around the corpses of group and extra-group individuals, and suggest that the behavioral responses were influenced in part by close social relationships between the deceased and certain group members and by a general curiosity about death. We further discuss the implications close interactions with corpses have for disease transmission within and between gorilla social groups.

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267 Supplementing Ca salts of soybean oil to late-gestating beef cows: Impacts on performance and physiological responses of the offspring

Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.1093/jas/skaa278.353 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 98 (Supplement_4) ◽

pp. 192-192

Author(s):

Alice Brandão ◽

Reinaldo F Cooke ◽

Kelsey Schubach ◽

Bruna Rett ◽

Osvaldo Souza ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Soybean Oil ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Body Condition Score ◽

Physiological Responses ◽

Average Daily Gain ◽

Plasma Concentrations ◽

Beef Cows ◽

Late Gestation ◽

Muscle Area ◽

Matter Basis

Abstract This experiment compared performance and physiological responses of the offspring from cows supplemented with Ca salts of soybean oil (CSSO) or prilled saturated fat (CON) during late gestation. Non-lactating, pregnant Angus × Hereford cows (n = 104) that conceived during the same fixed-time artificial insemination protocol, using semen from 2 sires, were used in this experiment. Cows were ranked by pregnancy sire, body weight (BW), and body condition score (BCS). On d 180 of gestation (d -15), cows were randomly assigned to receive (dry matter basis) 415 g of soybean meal per cow daily in addition to 1) 195 g/cow daily of CSSO (n = 52) or 2) 170 g/cow daily of CON (n = 52). Cows were maintained in 2 pastures (26 cows/treatment per pasture), and received daily 12.7 kg/cow (dry matter basis) of grass-alfalfa hay. From d 0 until calving, cows were segregated into 1 of 24 feeding pens thrice weekly and received treatments individually. Cow BW and BCS were recorded, and blood samples were collected on d -15 of the experiment and within 12 h after calving. Calf BW was also recorded and blood sample collected within 12 h of calving. Calves were weaned on d 290 of the experiment, preconditioned for 35 d (d 291 to 325), and transferred to a feedyard where they remained until slaughter. Upon calving, CSSO cows and calves had greater (P < 0.01) plasma concentrations of linoleic acid and total ω - 6 FA compared with CON cohorts. No differences in calf birth BW, weaning BW, and final preconditioning BW were noted (P ≥ 0.36) between treatments. Average daily gain and final BW in the feedlot were greater (P ≤ 0.05) in steers from CSSO cows compared with CON. The incidence of calves diagnosed with BRD that required a second antimicrobial treatment was less (P = 0.03) in calves from CSSO cows, resulting in reduced (P = 0.05) need of treatments to regain health compared with CON (Table 5). Upon slaughter, longissimus muscle area was greater (P = 0.03) in calves from CSSO cows compared with CON. Collectively, these results suggest that supplementing CSSO to late-gestating beef cows stimulated programming effects on postnatal offspring growth and Page 2 of 15 For Peer Review health. Therefore, supplementing late-gestating beef cows with CSSO appears to optimize offspring welfare and productivity in beef production systems.

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Effects of genotype and dietary forage to concentrate ratio during the finishing period on carcass characteristics and meat quality of lambs from hill sheep systems

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s0021859601001289 ◽

2001 ◽

Vol 137 (2) ◽

pp. 205-220 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

A. F. CARSON ◽

B. W. MOSS ◽

L. E. R. DAWSON ◽

D. J. KILPATRICK

Keyword(s):

Meat Quality ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Carcass Characteristics ◽

Live Weight ◽

The Other ◽

Grass Silage ◽

Classification Score ◽

Forage:Concentrate Ratio ◽

Matter Basis

The study investigated the effects of lamb genotype produced from hill flocks on feed efficiency, carcass characteristics and meat quality in animals finished on either a high forage:concentrate ratio diet (HFC) or a low forage:concentrate ratio diet (LFC). Purebred Scottish Blackface (BXB) lambs were compared with Blue-Faced Leicester×Scottish Blackface (BLXB) and Texel×Scottish Blackface (TXB) lambs. Purebred Cheviot (CXC), Suffolk×Cheviot (SXC) and Texel×Cheviot (TXC) lambs were also investigated. Lambs on the LFC diet were offered grass silage and concentrates mixed in the proportion of 0·80 silage and 0·20 concentrates on a dry matter basis. The LFC diet consisted of 0·20 grass silage and 0·80 concentrates on a dry matter basis. Representative lambs were slaughtered at the start of the experiment and on reaching 38 and 46 kg live weight. Averaged over the two slaughter weights, within the Blackface cross lambs, BXB had a lower liveweight gain (P < 0·01) than either BLXB or TXB (138, 207 and 203 (S.E. 11·1) g/day, respectively). Within the Cheviot cross lambs, CXC had a lower liveweight gain (P < 0·05) than SXC (188 v. 220 (S.E. 11·1) g/day), while SXC and TXC (204 g/day) had similar liveweight gains. Lambs on the LFC diet had a higher dressing proportion (P < 0·001) compared with lambs finished on the HFC diet (0·466 v. 0·434 (S.E. 0·0018) kg carcass per kg live weight). Averaged over the two slaughter weights BXB lambs had a lower (P < 0·05) dressing proportion than the other genotypes. Carcass conformation classification (assessed on a five-point scale) was higher (P < 0·001) in lambs finished on the LFC diet (3·0 v. 2·4 (S.E. 0·04)). Conformation classification was higher in lambs produced from Cheviot compared with Blackface ewes (P < 0·05). Within the Blackface cross lambs, BXB and BLXB lambs had a lower conformation classification (P < 0·001) than TXB lambs (2·4, 2·4 and 2·9 (S.E. 0·08) respectively). Within the Cheviot ewes, TXC lambs had a higher (P < 0·001) classification than either CXC or SXC (3·1, 2·7 and 2·7 (S.E. 0·08) respectively). Lambs finished on the LFC diet had a higher fat classification score compared with lambs on the HFC diet (P < 0·001) (3·4 v. 2·8 (S.E. 0·04)). Fat classification was similar across all genotypes. Lambs finished on the LFC diet had a lower ash content in the carcass than lambs finished on a HFC diet (P < 0·01) (44 v. 47 (S.E. 0·8) g/kg). Lamb genotype and dietary forage:concentrate ratio had no significant effect on cooking loss, sarcomere length, Warner–Bratzler shear force and L* values. Ultimate pH (pHU) was not influenced by dietary forage:concentrate ratio, but was significantly (P < 0·01) higher in BXB lambs compared with BLXB, TXB, CXC and TXC lambs. Lambs offered the LFC diet during the finishing period had significantly higher values for a* (P < 0·05), b* (P < 0·001), C* (P < 0·001) and H0 (P < 0·05) than lambs offered a HFC diet. Of these parameters only b* was significantly affected by lamb genotype, with BXB lambs having a lower value (P < 0·05) than the other genotypes.

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Proximate composition of milk from free-ranging mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei)

Zoo Biology ◽

10.1002/zoo.20363 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 30 (3) ◽

pp. 308-317 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Christopher A. Whittier ◽

Lauren A. Milligan ◽

Felicia B. Nutter ◽

Michael R. Cranfield ◽

Michael L. Power

Keyword(s):

Proximate Composition ◽

Mountain Gorillas ◽

Gorilla Beringei Beringei ◽

Gorilla Beringei ◽

Free Ranging

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The effects of different amounts of liquid skim-milk on pork pigs with particular reference to carcass quality

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0003356100025575 ◽

1965 ◽

Vol 7 (2) ◽

pp. 153-164 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

R. S. Barber ◽

R. Braude ◽

Zena D. Hosking ◽

K. G. Mitchell

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Skim Milk ◽

Live Weight ◽

Experimental Period ◽

Carcass Quality ◽

Eye Muscle ◽

Caloric Value ◽

Calculated Energy ◽

Matter Basis

SUMMARY1. Seventy-two individually fed pigs on six treatments were used to determine the effects on performance and in particular on carcass quality of (a) giving quantities of liquid skim-milk (preserved with formalin) in excess of those normally recommended; (b) replacing meal by skim-milk in the ration on a calculated dry-matter basis (1 gal. skim-milk equivalent to 1 · 1 lb. meal) as compared with a calculated energy basis (1 gal. skim-milk equivalent to 1 · 3 lb. meal) and (c) giving skim-milk for only a part of the growing period instead of throughout. The experimental period continued from 9–10 weeks of age until slaughter at an average live-weight of 135 lb.2. Extensive carcass measurements were taken and in addition assessment of the carcasses was made by a representative of the County Quality Pork Association and by an expert pork butcher.3. Carcasses from pigs given an all-meal diet were comparable in all respects with those from pigs given skim-milk throughout up to a maximum of either 5¼ or 10½ pints per pig per day.4. Carcasses from pigs given the highest level of skim-milk (maximum of 15¾ pints per pig per day) were superior in many respects to those on any of the other treatments, but the possibility that this was due to their slower rate of growth rather than to the high level of milk per se, is discussed.5. Pigs given skim-milk as replacement of part of their meal allowance on a calculated dry matter basis grew significantly faster than those in which the replacement was made on a calculated energy basis or than those given an all-meal diet. The importance is stressed of ensuring that in assessing the value of skim-milk for pigs the caloric value of the rations being compared is similar. The need for experiments based on actual determinations of the caloric value of the rations used is also emphasised.6. While the performance of pigs given skim-milk up to 75 lb. live-weight only was similar to that of pigs given skim-milk throughout, evidence was obtained that the quality of their carcasses was slightly inferior.7. There was some suggestion that as the level of skim-milk in the diet increased an eye muscle of a rather paler colour was produced.

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Three new mountain national parks for Uganda

Oryx ◽

10.1017/s003060530002812x ◽

1993 ◽

Vol 27 (4) ◽

pp. 214-224 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

Thomas M. Butynski ◽

Jan Kalina

Keyword(s):

National Parks ◽

Central Africa ◽

Gorilla Gorilla ◽

Gorilla Gorilla Gorilla ◽

East Central ◽

Albertine Rift ◽

Gorilla Beringei ◽

Conservation Values ◽

Gorilla Gorilla Beringei

For many years the Fauna and Flora Preservation Society has supported efforts to conserve forests in the Albertine Rift Afromontane Region of east-central Africa. The biodiversity of these forests is especially high but most have been destroyed or badly degraded. There are a large number of local, national and international initiatives to conserve at least some of the forests that remain. In 1991 Uganda created the Rwenzori Mountains, Mgahinga Gorilla, and Bwindi-Impenetrable National Parks, thus protecting all three of its Albertine Rift montane forests. This paper presents a synopsis of the conservation values of these three parks, and describes the conservation problems and the efforts to help ensure their proper development and long-term viability. Considerable progress towards the conservation of all three areas has already been made and future prospects are good, particularly for the mountain gorilla Gorilla gorilla beringei.

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Studies of the chemical composition of kales and rapes. I. The kales

The Journal of Agricultural Science ◽

10.1017/s002185960003673x ◽

1959 ◽

Vol 52 (2) ◽

pp. 230-237 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

D. J. C. Jones

Keyword(s):

Crude Protein ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Chemical Constituents ◽

The Other ◽

Winter Period ◽

Crude Fibre ◽

Whole Plant ◽

Phosphorus And Potassium ◽

Plant Basis ◽

Matter Basis

1. Four varieties of marrow stem kale, three of thousand headed kales, Hungry Gap Kale and Rape-Kale were grown at three centres in mid-Wales. They were sampled in the early winter period and separate leaf and stem samples analysed for the proximate constituents and minerals.2. Leaf to stem ratios were measured on both a green and dry matter basis and the latter values used to calculate whole plant values for the chemical constituents.3. The leaves of the marrow stem kales were higher in dry matter than the stems, except in the case of the Purple Stem Kale. This variety resembled the thousand headed and rape-type kales in having a higher dry matter in the stems. On a dry matter basis, the leaves of all the varieties were richer than the stems in ether extract, crude protein, total ash and all the minerals except potassium and sodium. These elements occurred to a greater extent in the stems of the fleshy stemmed marrow stem kales than in the leaves. The stems were higher in crude fibre and nitrogen-free extractives.4. The leaves of the rape-type kales were higher than those of the other varieties in silica, phosphorus and potassium. They were the best source of phosphorus on a whole plant basis. The marrow stem kales had considerably higher leaf and stem values for sodium and were markedly superior to the other varieties as a source of the element.

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Supplemental Fiber Affects Body Temperature and Fecal Metabolites but Not Respiratory Rate or Body Composition in Mid-Distance Training Sled Dogs

Frontiers in Veterinary Science ◽

10.3389/fvets.2021.639335 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 8 ◽

Author(s):

Emma Thornton ◽

Eve Robinson ◽

James R. Templeman ◽

Lindy Bruggink ◽

Michael Bower ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Body Composition ◽

Body Temperature ◽

Respiratory Rate ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Gut Health ◽

Soluble Fiber ◽

Post Exercise ◽

Distance Training ◽

Sled Dogs ◽

Matter Basis

Dietary fiber affects canine physiology in many ways, such as increasing colonic absorption of water and improving gut health, both of which may positively impact exercise performance. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of increased dietary soluble fiber and incremental training on respiratory rate (RR), internal body temperature (BT), body composition, and fecal metabolites in mid-distance training sled dogs. Fourteen dogs (12 Siberian and 2 Alaskan Huskies) were blocked by age, sex, and body weight (BW) and then randomly allocated into one of two diet groups. Seven dogs were fed a dry extruded control diet (Ctl) with an insoluble:soluble fiber ratio of 4:1 (0.74% soluble fiber on a dry-matter basis), and seven dogs were fed a dry extruded treatment diet (Trt) with an insoluble:soluble fiber ratio of 3:1 (2.12% soluble fiber on a dry-matter basis). Fecal samples were taken once a week. All dogs underwent 9 weeks of incremental exercise conditioning where the running distance was designed to increase each week. Every 3 weeks, external telemetry equipment was used to non-invasively measure and record RR and internal BT at resting, working, and post-exercise recovery states. Body composition was measured on weeks −1 and 9 using quantitative magnetic resonance. Body composition, RR, BT, and fecal metabolites were analyzed using a mixed model with dog as a random effect and week and diet group as fixed effects. Dogs on Trt had lower working and post-exercise BT than Ctl (P < 0.05). In addition, Trt dogs had lower recovery BT at weeks 2 and 5 than Ctl dogs (P < 0.05). Treatment dogs had greater fecal short-chain fatty acid concentrations than Ctl (P < 0.05). Diet had no effect on RR or body composition (P > 0.10), but exercise resulted in an overall 7% increase in lean and 3.5% decrease in fat mass (P < 0.05). These data suggest that increasing dietary soluble fiber may positively influence BT and gut health; however, it has no effect on RR or body composition. Soluble fiber did not negatively impact any measures of overall health and performance and should be considered for use in performance dogs.

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Valorisation of Ensiled Fodder Beets

Bulletin of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca Agriculture ◽

10.15835/buasvmcn-agr:3758 ◽

1970 ◽

Vol 66 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Thomas LAUWERS ◽

Jo VICCA ◽

Joos LATRE ◽

Didier HUYGENS ◽

Dirk LIPS

Keyword(s):

Dry Matter ◽

Nutritive Value ◽

Energy Yield ◽

Harvest Time ◽

Point Of Interest ◽

Optimal Harvest ◽

Feeding Value ◽

High Level ◽

Matter Basis ◽

The Ideal

Fodder beets (Beta vulgaris L.) are especially respected for their high feeding value and high netto-energy yield per hectare. The price per nutritive value is lowest as compared to other forages. Preservation of fodders beets demands thorough cleaning without damaging and regularly occurs as a whole in well closed piles. In addition, feeding them to the animals is labour demanding. These disadvantages enforce the research towards other preservation methods which may be able to valorise this valuable type of roughage. The preservation of fodder beets in silages using silo bags, either separately or in combination with maize was investigated. Fodder beets were harvested and ensilaged at the ideal moment of maize harvest (October) or fodder beets were harvested at the ideal moment for fodder beet harvest (November) and consequently ensilaged with previously ensilaged maize. Highest energy yields of the silages were recorded at optimal harvest time for fodder beets. Ensilaging fodder beets separately resulted in large energy losses due to effluent and dry matter losses. Using lab scale silage, possible solutions for these large losses were investigated. Addition of 10% maize did reduce the effluent losses but dry matter losses remained at a high level. Addition of 4,5 l propionic acid per ton beets reduced effluent and dry matter losses sufficiently. Ensilaging foliage was another point of interest. This appeared to result in a lowered energy yield at organic and dry matter basis, an increased amount of ashes and doubling of the iron (Fe) concentration

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Nutritional composition of 'Ponta Negra' forage sorghum silage enriched with dried Leucaena leucocephala forage

Semina Ciências Agrárias ◽

10.5433/1679-0359.2019v40n5supl1p2397 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 40 (5Supl1) ◽

pp. 2397

Author(s):

Clésio dos Santos Costa ◽

Rosane Cláudia Rodrigues ◽

Ricardo Alves de Araújo ◽

Francisco Naysson de Sousa Santos ◽

Giovanne Oliveira Costa Sousa ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Crude Protein ◽

Dry Matter ◽

Lignin Content ◽

Nutritional Composition ◽

Gas Production ◽

Neutral Detergent Fiber ◽

Acid Detergent Fiber ◽

Linear Effect ◽

Inclusion Level ◽

Sorghum Silage

he aim of this study was to evaluate fermentation and chemical characteristics and the in situ degradability of sorghum silages enriched with dried Leucaena. The experiment was conducted as completely randomized design with four treatments (0 - control silage, silage without leucaena; 10.0, 20.0, or 30.0% inclusion of Leucaena) and five replicates, totaling 20 experimental units. The inclusion levels of leucaena influenced (P 0.05), with all silages having values above 90%. Gas loss decreased (P < 0.05) as the level of leucine increased in sorghum silage. A linear increase was observed for dry matter (P ? 0.0001) and crude protein (P = 0.0008) contents in response to Leucaena inclusion. There was a linear (P < 0.05) linear effect on neutral detergent fiber, hemicellulose and acid detergent fiber. As leucaena inclusion levels increased, for each 1% inclusion a reduction of 0.179 was observed; 0.059 and 0.119% for the values of neutral detergent fiber, hemicellulose and acid detergent fiber respectively. The inclusion of leucaena influenced (P < 0.05) the increase of silage lignin levels, probably due to the higher lignin content of the legume. The soluble fraction (a) of the silages increased along with the Leucaena inclusion levels, with highest values observed at the inclusion of 20 and 30% of the legume, respectively. Potential degradation (A) increased linearly with the levels of Leucaena added to the silage; the highest value for this variable was observed at 30% inclusion. Effective degradability (ED) increased up to the inclusion level of 20% (46.77%). Degradation rate (c) decreased markedly with the use of 30% Leucaena. The use of the forage part of Leucaena dried for three hours leads to reduced gas production, increased dry matter and crude protein contents, and decreased fiber contents. The degradability of dry matter increases up to the inclusion level of 20%.

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