Distribution of some important honey plants visited by honey bees for feeding purposes in Narman (Erzurum, Turkey) natural pasture vegetation

Narman district is located at Eastern Anatolia Region of Turkey. Average altitude is 1650 m, annual total precipitation is about 420 mm. In study area main economic activity is animal husbandry and animal production has made traditional practices, based on rangelands. This study carried out to determine honey plants, frequently visited by honey bees in 20 different locations of Narman. Total 56 plant species were determined and half of these plant species determined as visited plant species by honey bees. Most of honey plant species, determined in locations were wide leafy forbs and some of them were legume species. To determine botanical composition of rangeland vegetation in different locations line intercept method was used. The percentage of all plant species was calculated and each individual honey plant species percentages were determined. Some Alfalfa, Sainfoin, Lotus, Melilotus, Coronilla and Trifolium species were determined in locations. Thymus, Stachys, Centaurea and Campanula species were determined common plant species visited by honey bees.

Effects of Alysacrpus Monilifer fodder intake on feed consumption and performance of desert goats

This study was conducted to study the effects of the intake of the Alysacrpus Monilifera on dry matter intake, digestibility of nutrients and performance of Desert bucks. Twelve Desert goats bucks 4-5 years old with an average weight of 11 + 0.250 kg, were divided into three equal groups. The first group was fed A. Monilifera fodder, while the second group consumed the natural pasture free of A. Monilifera while the third group consumed the groundnut haulms. After observing the cases of deadly diarrhea in the first group, the feeding pattern was modified with 50% natural pasture and 50% A. Monilifer fodder. The fodder was analyzed as well as conducting in vitro digestibility. The experimental design was randomized and the data were analyzed using the analysis of variance and the detection of differences among means using least significant difference test. The results showed that feeding A. Monilifer alone resulted in fatal diarrhea in bucks without affecting appetite, and the dry matter digestibility and organic matter in vitro digestibility was significantly (P<0.05) higher in A. Monilifer than compared to the groundnut haulms or the natural grazing. The weight gain was significantly (P<0.05) higher for the group on groundnut haulms and the natural grazing than those on A. Monilifer alone but when 50% of the plant biomass was replaced by the natural grazing the gain was significantly higher. The study concluded that the intake of A. Monilifer at the growth stage was good quality roughage when fed as part of the diet.

SEASONAL VARIATIONS IN THE CHEMICAL COMPOSITION OF GRASSES HARVESTED FROM THE NATURAL PASTURE IN OGUN STATE SOUTH-WESTERN NIGERIA

The research was carried was carried out to evaluate the chemical composition of the dominant grasses harvested from the natural pasture in selected villages in Ogun State, South-western Nigeria at different seasons. The study was carried out using a 4 × 6 factorial arrangement comprising four seasons (early rain, late rain, early dry and late dry) at six locations (Afami, Atokun, Ibooro, Ileniku, Ipaaya, and Okerori). Results showed that the crude protein (CP) content significantly (p<0.05) varied from 5.56 % for Okerori to 7.34 % for Ibooro and the grasses harvested at Afami had the highest (72.75 %) neutral detergent fibre (NDF) values with the least (68.75 %) value recorded for Okerori, while the acid detergent fibre (ADF) values ranged from 41.00 % for Atokun to 48.25 % for Okerori. Also, CP value as affected by the season ranged from 4.23 % for late rainy to 9.44 % for the early rainy season and NDF values from 67.33% for late dry to 72.33 % for late rainy season while the early dry season had the highest value (48.00 %) for ADF with the least value (40.33 %) was recorded for the early rainy season. The phosphorus (P) value was highest at Ipaaya (2.99 g/kg) with the least value observed at Okerori (1.62 g/kg). The value for calcium ranged from 2.55 g/kg at Afami to 6.59 g/kg at Okerori. The P value of grasses as affected by seasons ranged from 1.46 g/kg for early dry to 2.66 g/kg for early rainy seasons.

Beyond livestock carrying capacity in the Sahelian and Sudanian zones of West Africa

We applied the process-based model, LandscapeDNDC, to estimate feed availability in the Sahelian and Sudanian agro-ecological zones of West Africa as a basis for calculating the regional Livestock Carrying Capacity (LCC). Comparison of the energy supply (S) from feed resources, including natural pasture, browse, and crop residues, with energy demand (D) of the livestock population for the period 1981–2020 allowed us to assess regional surpluses (S > D) or deficits (S < D) in feed availability. We show that in the last 40 years a large-scale shift from surplus to deficit has occurred. While during 1981–1990 only 27% of the area exceeded the LCC, it was 72% for the period 2011–2020. This was caused by a reduction in the total feed supply of ~ 8% and an increase in feed demand of ~ 37% per-decade, driven by climate change and increased livestock population, respectively. Overall, the S/D decreased from ~ 2.6 (surplus) in 1981 to ~ 0.5 (deficit) in 2019, with a north–south gradient of increasing S/D. As climate change continues and feed availability may likely further shrink, pastoralists either need to source external feed or significantly reduce livestock numbers to avoid overgrazing, land degradation, and any further conflicts for resources.

Effects of Management, Dietary Intake, and Genotype on Rumen Morphology, Fermentation, and Microbiota, and on Meat Quality in Yaks and Cattle

Traditionally, yaks graze only natural grassland, even in harsh winters. Meat from grazing yaks is considered very healthy; however, feedlot fattening, which includes concentrate, has been introduced. We questioned whether this change in management and diet would have an impact on the rumen and meat quality of yaks. This study examined the morphology, fermentation, and microbiota of the rumen and the quality of meat of three groups of bovines: (1) grazing yaks (GYs, 4-year olds), without dietary supplements; (2) yaks (FYs, 2.5-year olds) feedlot-fattened for 5 months after grazing natural pasture; and (3) feedlot-fattened cattle (FC, Simmental, 2-year olds). This design allowed us to determine the role of diet (with and without concentrate) and genotype (yaks vs. cattle) on variables measured. Ruminal papillae surface area was greater in the FYs than in the GYs (P = 0.02), and ruminal microbial diversity was greater but richness was lesser in the GYs than in the FC and FYs. Concentrations of ruminal volatile fatty acids were greater in the yaks than in the cattle. In addition, both yak groups had higher protein and lower fat contents in meat than the FC. Meat of GY had a lower n6:n3 ratio than FY and FC, and was the only group with a ratio below r, which is recommended for healthy food. Essential amino acids (EAA), as a proportion of total AA and of non-essential AA of yak meat, met WHO criteria for healthy food; whereas FC did not.

The Apelinergic System Immuno-Detection in the Abomasum and Duodenum of Sheep Grazing on Semi-Natural Pasture

Apelin (APLN) is an adipokine mainly produced by adipose tissue and related to an individual’s nutritional status as well as digestive apparatus functions. In this work, APLN and its receptor (APLNR) were investigated, by immunohistochemistry, in the abomasum and duodenum of 15 Comisana × Appenninica adult sheep reared in a semi-natural pasture. Organ samples were collected after maximum pasture flowering (M × F group) and after maximum pasture dryness (M × D group); the experimental group (E × p group) received a feed supplementation of 600 grams/day/head of barley and corn in addition to M × D group feeding. APLN and APLNR were identified in the lining epithelium and the fundic gland chief cells of the abomasum. APLNR was observed in the lining epithelium, in the crypts and the serotonin secreting cells of the duodenum. Similar reactivity was observed between the M × F and E × p groups, while the M × D group showed a lower intensity of immunostaining for both APLN and APLNR in all positive structures but the duodenal serotonin neuroendocrine cells. Hence, our findings show that the E × p group presents a picture quite overlapped with M × F and suggest that food supplementation has a maintaining effect on the apelinergic system expression in the investigated digestive tracts of the sheep.

Assessment of Human-Induced Effects in the Sultan Marshes (Ramsar Protection) Kayseri (Turkey)

Sultan Marshes is one of Turkey's Ramsar wetlands and has faced significant threats in recent years. Although the water was brought from other basins for restoration, observed temporal human-induced impacts and the current drought have damaged the wetland qualities of the Marshes. In this study, the temporal change of the Marshes and the human-induced effects are analyzed. Spatiotemporal surface water area (1984-2020) and whole land use changes (1990-2018) are evaluated with the temporal change of the Human Development, Global Terrestrial Human Footprint, and Ecological Footprint Indexes. The land use changes since 1990 reveal how the wetland has lost its functions. Especially between 1990-2000, the water area largely shifted into the sandy and swampy areas. In the swampy areas between 1990-2000, natural pasture formation was also observed in 2000. In addition, it is found that mining fields were constructed in the region between 1990-2000, albeit relatively small. According to the study, the most remarkable change occurred in the 1990-2000 period, considering the entire study timeline (1990-2018). In this period, there was also a transformation into irrigated agricultural lands around the national park. Moreover, there was a transformation from orchards and pasture areas to irrigated agricultural areas. When the changes in the wetland are evaluated with the human footprint data for 1993 and 2009, it was found that human impact was more substantial, especially in 1993 compared to 2009. This is in line with the continuous increase in HDI values between 1990 (0.54) and 2018 (0.81). Besides, the ecological footprint has increased since 1983. After 1983, the biocapacity in the region has steadily decreased to negative values.

Land use, macroecology, and the accuracy of the Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology: A case study of Azorean arthropods

Human activity and land management practices, in particular land use change, have resulted in the global loss of biodiversity. These types of disturbances affect the shape of macroecological patterns, and analyzing these patterns can provide insights into how ecosystems are affected by land use change. The Maximum Entropy Theory of Ecology (METE) simultaneously predicts many of these patterns using a set of ecological state variables: the number of species, the number of individuals, and the total metabolic rate. The theory’s predictions have been shown to be successful across habitats and taxa in undisturbed natural ecosystems, although previous tests of METE in relation to disturbance have focused primarily on systems where the state variables are changing relatively quickly. Here, we assess predictions of METE applied to a different type of disturbance: land use change. We use METE to simultaneously predict the species abundance distribution (SAD), the metabolic rate distribution of individuals (MRDI), and the species–area relationship (SAR) and compare these predictions to arthropod data from 96 sites at Terceira Island in the Azores archipelago across four different land uses of increasing management intensity: 1. native forest, 2. exotic forest, 3. semi-natural pasture, and 4. intensive pasture. Across these patterns, we find that the forest habitats are the best fit by METE predictions, while the semi-natural pasture consistently provided the worst fit. The intensive pasture is intermediately well fit for the SAD and MRDI, and comparatively well fit for the SAR, though the residuals are not normally distributed. The direction of failure of the METE predictions at the pasture sites is likely due to the hyperdominance of introduced spider species present there. We hypothesize that the particularly poor fit for the semi-natural pasture is due to the mix of arthropod communities out of equilibrium and the changing management practices throughout the year, leading to greater heterogeneity in composition and complex dynamics that violate METE’s assumption of static state variables. The comparative better fit for the intensive pasture could then result from more homogeneous arthropod communities that are well adapted to intensive management, and thus whose state variables are less in flux.

Typology and Characteristics of Indigenous Goats and Production Systems in Different Agro-Ecological Zones of Tanzania

A study was conducted in all agro-ecological zones in Tanzania to characterize the indigenous goat populations. Qualitative and quantitative data were collected from 688 randomly selected adult female goats. A total of 220 households were interviewed for description of production system. Income generation and meat production were the primary objectives of rearing goats across all the study areas. More than 55% of respondents grazed their animals freely in communal lands where natural pasture was the chief feed resource. Mating was mainly uncontrolled with apron and castration being used by goat keepers as mating control methods. Common diseases were contagious caprine pleural pneumonia and helminthiasis but majority had access to veterinary services and vaccinated their animals regularly. Feed shortage, prevalence of diseases, and water scarcity were the major constraints to goat production. There were morphological variations between and within these goat populations and discriminant analysis clustered the goats into two groups based on quantitative data. Most individuals from Ujiji, Newala, and Tanga goats were correctly classified into their source population, while misassignment was high for other populations. High twinning was observed in Ujiji and Lindi goats and low for Sukuma. The dominant coat color was plain white in Pare, Gogo, Maasai and Tanga. Other coat colour patterns were mixed black and white for Sukuma, reddish-brown for Lindi, black and reddish-brown for Ujiji, white and reddish-brown for Pwani and Maasai. Within and between variation observed is important as it can be used as a basis for genetic improvement through selection and/or crossbreeding.

Inter-row plant spacing effects on grain and fodder yields, growth performance, digestibility and manure quality of sheep

In Ghana, peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) grain and fodder serve as important sources of protein for human and livestock nutrition, respectively. Experiments were conducted in four farming communities to determine the effects of planting annual peanut at four inter-row spacings of 30, 45, 65 and 75 cm on grain and fodder yields (experiment I), growth performance and manure quality (experiment II), and in situ digestibility (experiment III) of Djallonké sheep fed fodder from these plant spacings. Planting peanut at 30 cm inter-row spacing dually increased grain and fodder yields compared to planting at 60, and 75 cm. Peanut fodder from 30 cm inter-row spacing also had comparatively higher concentration of crude protein and lower concentrations of acid detergent fiber and acid detergent lignin, resulting in significant improvements in dry matter digestibility at 48 h and superior average daily weight gain of sheep. The concentration of N excreted in the manure of sheep fed the 30 cm fodder was greater than those fed peanut grown at 60, and 75 cm inter-row spacing. Planting peanut at an inter-row spacing of 30 cm therefore gave dual benefits of increasing grain and fodder yields as well as increasing the digestibility and growth performance of sheep fed peanut fodder as a supplementary diet to natural pasture for 70 days. Higher concentration of N in the manure of sheep fed 30 cm fodder could have additional benefits of improving soil fertility in smallholder farming systems where inorganic fertilizers are expensive and inaccessible to farmers.