Digestibility of ringed seals by the polar bear

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 1033-1036 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robin C. Best
Keyword(s):  
Energy Content ◽  
Relative Proportion ◽  
Gastrointestinal Transit ◽  
Limiting Factors ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Dietary Energy ◽  
Digestive Efficiency ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
Daily Energy

The digestive efficiency of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) feeding on their principal prey, the ringed seal (Phoca hispida) is high. Apparent digestibilities of 83.7 ± 10.3% for dietary protein, 97.3 ± 2.1% for dietary fat, and an assimilation of dietary energy of 91.7 ± 5.8% were found for the five diets. Presence of hair and bone in the diet significantly reduced the apparent digestibility of protein N. Gastrointestinal transit times were affected principally by the fat (energy) content of the diet and varied between 12.3 ± 1.9 to 38.0 ± 8.0 h. The results explain the apparent preference for seal blubber by polar bears in the arctic as well as demonstrate that any seal > 1 month of age would satisfy the bear's daily energy requirements. The limiting factors in energy intake at a given feeding are the stomach capacity of the bear and the relative proportion of blubber and meat ingested.

The influence of intake of dietary energy in pregnancy and lactation upon sow productivity

1968 ◽  
Vol 71 (2) ◽  
pp. 215-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
F. W. H. Elsley ◽  
R. M. MacPherson ◽  
I. McDonald
Keyword(s):  
Daily Intake ◽  
Dietary Energy ◽  
Large White ◽  
Treatment Groups ◽  
Daily Energy ◽  
Reproductive Life ◽  
Pregnancy And Lactation ◽  
Daily Intakes ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
In Pregnancy

SUMMARYFifty-two Large White gilts, arranged in thirteen groups of four litter sisters, were allocated at mating to one of four treatment groups. These treatments, arranged as a 2 × 2 factorial, allowed daily energy intakes in pregnancy of 8·3 Meal (H(e)) or 5·2 Meal (L(e)) and of average daily intake during lactation of 20 Meal (h(e)) or 13·8 Meal (m(e)). Daily intakes of protein, minerals and vitamins were similar for all treatments. There were no consistent differences in health or breeding regularity between the treatments.The H(e) sows had a net gain in pregnancy 22 kg greater than the L(e) sows. Feeding the higher level in lactation (h(e) resulted in a reduced sow weight loss during lactation of 20, 12 and 10 kg in the first, second and third parities respectively, as compared with the m(e) sows. There were no consistent effects on the numbers of pigs born apart from the first litter in which L(e) sows produced significantly larger litters at birth. The higher energy intakes in pregnancy and lactation led to very similar increases in the weights of the piglets, of the order of 0.1 kg at birth, 0.4 kg at 3 weeks of age, and 1.1 kg at 8 weeks of age. Sowsgiven the same overall energy intake throughout their reproductive life (H(e) m(e), L(e) h(e)) at the end of the third litter had similar live weights and had produced a similar total weight of weaned pigs. The practical implications of these results are discussed.

Gastrointestinal transit times in juvenile green turtles: An approach for assessing digestive motility disorders

2021 ◽  
Vol 544 ◽  
pp. 151616
Author(s):  
Daniel González-Paredes ◽  
Ellen Ariel ◽  
Maria Florencia David ◽  
Virginia Ferrando ◽  
Helene Marsh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gastrointestinal Transit ◽  
Motility Disorders ◽  
Green Turtles ◽  
Transit Times

‘Verscheurende Beyren’

2022 ◽  
Vol 71 (1) ◽  
pp. 92-115
Author(s):  
Robert Bauernfeind
Keyword(s):  
Polar Bear ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Bears

This article examines the depiction of polar bears in Dutch painting and graphics from the late 16th to the early 18th centuries. Reports of the first encounters between Dutch humans and polar bears established the idea of these animals as aggressive predators. This idea dominated the image of the bear in illustrated travelogues as well as in allegorical depictions of the Arctic and whaling pictures. The polar bear thus became a symbol for the dangers of the region and appears as an obstacle to the human exploitation of the Arctic. However, depictions of the bloody hunt for polar bears indicate the economically motivated triumph of Europeans in this inhospitable area.

Using art to explore children’s perceptions of their Arctic community in a changing climate 

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Lipson ◽  
Kim Reasor ◽  
Kååre Sikuaq Erickson
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Sea Ice ◽  
Marine Mammals ◽  
School Curriculum ◽  
Arctic Sea Ice ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
Way Of Life ◽  
Subsistence Hunting ◽  
Sea Ice Decline

<p>In this project we analyze artwork and recorded statements of 5<sup>th</sup> grade students from the community of Utqiaġvik, Alaska, who participated in a science-art outreach activity. The team consisted of a scientist (Lipson), an artist (Reasor) and an outreach specialist (Erickson) of Inupiat heritage from a village in Alaska. We worked with four 5th grade classes of about 25 students each at Fred Ipalook Elementary. The predominantly Inupiat people of Utqiaġvik are among those who will be most impacted by climate change and the loss of Arctic sea ice in the near future. Subsistence hunting of marine mammals associated with sea ice is central to the Inupiat way of life. Furthermore, their coastal homes and infrastructure are increasingly subject to damage from increased wave action on ice-free Beaufort and Chukchi Seas. While the people of this region are among the most directly vulnerable to climate change, the teachers reported that the subject is not generally covered in the elementary school curriculum.</p><p>The scientist and the local outreach specialist gave a short presentation about sea ice and climate change in the Arctic, with emphasis on local impacts to hunting and infrastructure. We then showed the students a large poster of historical and projected sea ice decline, and asked the students to help us fill in the white space beneath the lines. The artist led the children in making small paintings that represent things that are important to their lives in Utqiaġvik (they were encouraged to paint animals, but they were free to do whatever they wanted). We returned to the class later that week and had each student briefly introduce themselves and their painting, and place it on the large graph of sea ice decline, which included the dire predictions of the RCP8.5 scenario. Then we added the more hopeful RCP2.6 scenario to end on a positive note.</p><p>Common themes expressed in the students’ artwork included subsistence hunting, other aspects of traditional Inupiat culture, nature and family. Modern themes such as sports and Pokémon were also common. The students reacted to the topic of climate change with pictures of whales, polar bears and other animals, and captions such as “Save the world/ice/animals.” There were several paintings showing unsuccessful hunts for whales or seals. Some students displayed an understanding of ecosystem science in their recorded statements. For example, a student who painted the sun and another who painted a krill both succinctly described energy flow in food webs that support the production of whales (for example, “I drew krill because without krill there wouldn’t be whales”). Some of the students described the consequences of sea ice loss to local wildlife with devastating succinctness (sea ice is disappearing and polar bears will go extinct). The overall sense was that the children had a strong grasp of the potential consequences of climate change to their region and way of life.</p>

AN EVALUATION OF THE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN DIETARY PARAMETERS AND RUMEN LIQUID TURNOVER RATE

1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
ESSI EVANS
Keyword(s):  
Feed Intake ◽  
Turnover Rate ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
Energy Concentration ◽  
Dietary Energy ◽  
Regression Analyses ◽  
Turnover Rates ◽  
Independent Variables ◽  
Independent Variable ◽  
Ration Composition

Data were accumulated from published sources and were combined in order to estimate the effects of level of feed intake, dietary energy concentration, energy intake level and dietary forage percentage on rumen liquid turnover rates in sheep and cattle. The effects of the dietary parameters on liquid turnover rates were estimated by regression analysis, where all possible combinations of independent variables were considered. It was found that rumen liquid turnover rates increased (P < 0.05) as feed intake increased with both sheep (r = 0.610) and cattle (r = 0.715). From multiple regression analyses it was learned that the inclusion of independent variables that were related to the physical composition of the diet along with variables for intake improved the estimation of liquid turnover rates, although the independent variable related to ration composition differed between sheep and cattle. With data from sheep experiments, elevations in the digestible energy content of the diet depressed (P < 0.05) liquid turnover rate. Based upon data from cattle, decreases in the forage portion of the diet had a similar depressing (P < 0.05) effect.

Global Warming

Antarctica ◽  
2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Day
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Global Warming ◽  
The Arctic ◽  
Polar Bears ◽  
The World

How vulnerable to climate change are Antarctica’s fauna? Antarctica’s fauna are very vulnerable to climate change. All we have to do is look at the penguins. With the recent dramatic loss of ice in the Arctic, the world has focused on whether polar bears are...

scholarly journals Milk Urea Concentration in Dairy Sheep: Accounting for Dietary Energy Concentration

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (12) ◽  
pp. 1118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valeria Giovanetti ◽  
Filippo Boe ◽  
Mauro Decandia ◽  
Giovanni Cristoforo Bomboi ◽  
Alberto Stanislao Atzori ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mean Squared Error ◽  
Energy Content ◽  
High Energy ◽  
Urea Concentration ◽  
Energy Concentration ◽  
Net Energy ◽  
Dietary Energy ◽  
Dairy Sheep ◽  
Dairy Ewes ◽  
Milk Urea

In dairy sheep milk urea concentration (MUC) is highly and positively correlated with dietary crude protein (CP) content and, to a lesser extent, with protein intake. However, the effect of dietary energy and carbohydrate sources on MUC of lactating ewes is not clear. Thus, the objective of this study was to assess the effects of diets differing in energy concentration and carbohydrate sources on MUC values in lactating dairy ewes. Two experiments were conducted (experiment 1, E1, and experiment 2, E2) on Sarda ewes in mid and late lactation kept in metabolic cages for 23 d. In both experiments, homogeneous groups of five ewes were submitted to four (in E1) or three (in E2) dietary treatments, consisting of pelleted diets ranging from low energy (high-fiber diets: 1.2–1.4 Mcal of net energy for lactation (NEL)) to high energy (high-starch diets: 1.7–1.9 Mcal of NEL) contents, but with a similar CP concentration (18.4% dry matter (DM), on average). Each diet had a different main ingredient as follows: corn flakes, barley meal, beet pulp, or corn cobs in E1 and corn meal, dehydrated alfalfa, or soybean hulls in E2. Regression analysis using treatment means from both experiments showed that the best predictor of MUC (mg/100 mL) was the dietary NEL (Mcal/kg DM, MUC = 127.6 − 51.2 × NEL, R2 = 0.85, root of the mean squared error (rmse) = 4.36, p < 0.001) followed by the ratio CP/NEL (g/Mcal, MUC = −14.9 + 0.5 × CP/ NEL, R2 = 0.83, rmse = 4.63, p < 0.001). A meta-regression of an extended database on stall-fed dairy ewes, including the E1 and E2 experimental data (n = 44), confirmed the predictive value of the CP/ NEL ratio, which resulted as the best single predictor of MUC (MUC = −13.7 + 0.5 × CP/NEL, R2 = 0.93, rmse = 3.30, p < 0.001), followed by dietary CP concentration (MUC = −20.7 + 3.7 × CP, R2 = 0.82, rmse = 4.89, p < 0.001). This research highlights that dietary energy content plays a pivotal role in modulating the relationship between MUC and dietary CP concentration in dairy sheep.

scholarly journals Evaluation of terrestrial pan-Arctic carbon cycling using a data-assimilation system

2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. 233-255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Efrén López-Blanco ◽  
Jean-François Exbrayat ◽  
Magnus Lund ◽  
Torben R. Christensen ◽  
Mikkel P. Tamstorf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
The Arctic ◽  
Soil Organic C ◽  
Area Index ◽  
Organic C ◽  
Soil C ◽  
Transit Times ◽  
C Cycle ◽  
C Stocks ◽  
Data Assimilation System ◽  
Assimilation System

Abstract. There is a significant knowledge gap in the current state of the terrestrial carbon (C) budget. Recent studies have highlighted a poor understanding particularly of C pool transit times and of whether productivity or biomass dominate these biases. The Arctic, accounting for approximately 50 % of the global soil organic C stocks, has an important role in the global C cycle. Here, we use the CARbon DAta MOdel (CARDAMOM) data-assimilation system to produce pan-Arctic terrestrial C cycle analyses for 2000–2015. This approach avoids using traditional plant functional type or steady-state assumptions. We integrate a range of data (soil organic C, leaf area index, biomass, and climate) to determine the most likely state of the high-latitude C cycle at a 1∘ × 1∘ resolution and also to provide general guidance about the controlling biases in transit times. On average, CARDAMOM estimates regional mean rates of photosynthesis of 565 g C m−2 yr−1 (90 % confidence interval between the 5th and 95th percentiles: 428, 741), autotrophic respiration of 270 g C m−2 yr−1 (182, 397) and heterotrophic respiration of 219 g C m−2 yr−1 (31, 1458), suggesting a pan-Arctic sink of −67 (−287, 1160) g Cm−2 yr−1, weaker in tundra and stronger in taiga. However, our confidence intervals remain large (and so the region could be a source of C), reflecting uncertainty assigned to the regional data products. We show a clear spatial and temporal agreement between CARDAMOM analyses and different sources of assimilated and independent data at both pan-Arctic and local scales but also identify consistent biases between CARDAMOM and validation data. The assimilation process requires clearer error quantification for leaf area index (LAI) and biomass products to resolve these biases. Mapping of vegetation C stocks and change over time and soil C ages linked to soil C stocks is required for better analytical constraint. Comparing CARDAMOM analyses to global vegetation models (GVMs) for the same period, we conclude that transit times of vegetation C are inconsistently simulated in GVMs due to a combination of uncertainties from productivity and biomass calculations. Our findings highlight that GVMs need to focus on constraining both current vegetation C stocks and net primary production to improve a process-based understanding of C cycle dynamics in the Arctic.

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