An observational analysis of Canada Jay (Perisoreus canadensis) foraging and caching ecology in Denali National Park and Preserve, Alaska, USA

Arctic and subarctic wildlife are among the most vulnerable species to climate change. Canada Jays (Perisoreus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1776)) are generalist residents of northern boreal forests and scatter-hoard food to insulate against food scarcity during winter. Unlike most scatter-hoarders, however, Canada Jays primarily cache perishable food, rendering their caches more susceptible to climate change induced degradation and loss. Here we use a mostly noninvasive approach to document Canada Jay foraging ecology among a population in interior Alaska, USA, including the types of food acquired, foraging and caching rates, and cache longevity and loss. We also tested for associations between foraging and caching rates with reproductive metrics to assess possible relationships among food and productivity. We found that Canada Jays have a varied diet that changed seasonally, and responded to a record-setting warm spring by directing foraging efforts away from cache recovery and towards the emergence of fresh food. We did not find evidence for relationships between foraging and caching rate with reproductive output, possibly owing to small sample sizes. We found that caches were recovered quickly (<4 weeks) and frequently lost to conspecific and heterospecific competitors. Our study suggests that Canada Jays may be better poised to respond to changes in cache integrity and food availability than has been previously recognized.

Food glorious food

Food is an important part of the child's day in the early years setting. There are many ways to support healthy eating and a varied diet, and much fun to be had exploring and learning about food.

NUTRITIONAL STATUS IDENTIFICATION AND EATING HABITS OF A REPRESENTATIVE GROUP OF PREGNANT WOMEN

There are special nutritional requirements in pregnancy, in which the intake of nutrients exerts its action both on the woman and the conception product. Therefore, the balance and diversity are the key of a proper nutrition during the pregnancy. Combining food categories is the best way to ensure nutritional balance during pregnancy period. A market research was performed on a representative sample at national level of 120 persons, in order to identify the nutritional status of pregnant women in this group. The market research highlighted the diet structure of the studied group, the categories of foods consumed weekly by the group members, as well as their frequency of consumption. The results of the study indicated a varied diet of pregnant women, but the frequency of consumption should be reviewed for certain food categories, thus: increased for: milk and dairy products, fish, oily fruits; lower, in fatty foods and salt.

Varied diets: Implications for lamb performance, rumen characteristics, total antioxidant status, and welfare

Intensive pastoral systems have moved away from diverse and varied diets towards overly simple monotonous diets. Feed choice through time is an obsolete way of providing forage to animals, as intensive management schemes generally allocate a single herbage or a dyad mixed sward. Monotonous feeding regimes impose nutritional repetition, which may impair animal performance and welfare. The objective of this experiment was to determine the impact of a diverse diet [DIV; free choice from perennial ryegrass (Lolium perenne L.), plantain (Plantago lanceolata L.), alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.), and chicory (Cichorium intybus L.) at all times], a varied diet [VAR; choice from ryegrass and plantain in the AM (0700 – 1600 h), and chicory and alfalfa in PM (1600 – 0700 h)], and a single forage diet of alfalfa [SFA; alfalfa at all times], on DMI, performance, and welfare of lambs. Six-month-old Coopworth ram lambs (n=21) were offered their respective fresh-forage treatment (n = 7) diet indoors for 20 days. The DIV lambs consumed 1.64 ± 0.03 kg DM/d (mean ± SEm), which was 6% more (P &lt; 0.05; 1.54 ± 0.03 kg DM/d) than the SFA and were not different (P &gt; 0.05; 1.59 ± 0.03 kg DM/d) to the VAR lambs. Average daily gain (ADG) of DIV (296 g/d) and VAR (378 g/d) was 30 and 67 % greater (P &lt; 0.05) compared with the SFA lambs (227 g/d), respectively. The VAR lambs had 28% greater (P &lt; 0.05) ADG than the DIV lambs. Differences among treatments were detected (P &lt; 0.05) for the proportion of the day spent conducting the following behaviors: eating, ruminating, idling, lying, and standing. In addition, the number of bouts of stereotypic behaviors recorded from the SFA lambs (13.2 ± 2.2) was 150% greater (P &lt; 0.05) than the DIV (5.1 ± 1.0) and VAR (5.5 ± 1.0) lambs. Our results suggest that the varied diet offered can improve animal performance and welfare compared to a monotonous SFA diet. Feeding management to provide a varied diet can improve performance relative to giving lambs free choice from taxonomically diverse forage options. Moreover, performance is affected by more than the primary chemical composition of the diet consumed, but how the diet is presented through time and the herbage species and quantities of each that are consumed to reach that chemical composition.

Grazing diverse combinations of tanniferous and non-tanniferous legumes: Implications for foraging behavior, performance, and hair cortisol in beef cattle

A diversity of forages with different types and concentrations of nutrients and plant secondary compounds may lead to complementary relationships that enhance cattle performance and welfare. We determined whether grazing combinations of tanniferous legumes (Lotus corniculatus, birdsfoot trefoil [BFT], Onobrychis viciifolia, sainfoin [SF]), and alfalfa [ALF] (Medicago sativa) influence foraging behavior, performance, and hair cortisol concentration in beef cattle compared with grazing the same legumes as monocultures. Twenty-one pairs of heifers grazed 3 spatial replications of seven treatments: monocultures of BFT, SF, or ALF, and all possible 2- and 3-way choices among strips of these legumes: SF-BFT, ALF-BFT, ALF-SF, and ALF-SF-BFT in 2 periods of 25 d each (adaptation phase + experimental period) during two consecutive years. The lowest incidence of grazing events occurred in the BFT treatment (42.0% of the total scans recorded; P &lt; 0.10), with the rest of the treatments ranging between 47.8 (SF-BFT) and 52.6% (ALF-SF) of the total scans recorded. Heifers selected a varied diet, preferring sainfoin over birdsfoot trefoil or alfalfa in a 46:27:27 ratio for the 3-way choice, and in a 70:30 ratio for both 2-way choices. Heifers preferred birdsfoot trefoil over alfalfa (62:38 ratio) in a 2-way choice. All treatments followed similar daily grazing patterns (P &gt; 0.10), with two major grazing events (1 hour after sunrise and 3 hours before dark). No differences among treatments were observed for the number of steps taken by heifers on a daily basis, motion index, or the percentage of time heifers spent standing (1599, 5356, and 45.3%, respectively; P &gt; 0.10), suggesting that heifers on choice treatments did not invest extra time in walking, searching or patch switching activities relative to heifers grazing monocultures. Heifers grazing the 3-way choice gained more BW (1.27 Kg/d) than the average gains observed for animals grazing in all legume monocultures (1.00 kg/d; P = 0.014) or 2-way choices (0.97 kg/d; P = 0.007), suggesting a synergism among pasture species for the treatment with the highest diversity. No differences in hair cortisol concentration were observed among treatments, with values ranging between 1.4 (BFT) and 2.12 ng/g (3-way choice) (P &gt; 0.10). Thus, forage diversity has the potential to enhance animal performance without affecting grazing efficiency, likely explained by the spatial arrangement of the forage species presented in the study.

Diet of the introduced Gough Moorhen Gallinula comeri on Tristan da Cunha

Gough Moorhens Gallinula comeri were introduced to Tristan da Cunha in the 1950s, and are now numerous in lowland habitat, filling the ecological niche of the extinct Tristan Moorhen G. nesiotis. On their native Gough Island, moorhens have a varied diet, ranging from vegetation and fruits to scavenging and even predatory behaviour. Here, we examined the stomach contents of four birds on Tristan da Cunha to provide insight into their diet. Moorhens mostly ate vegetation, but we also recorded spiders (Arthropoda: Aranea), earthworms (Oligochaeta: Lumbricidae), remains of introduced rodents (Mus musculus), and anthropogenic debris. As on Gough Island, moorhens on Tristan have a generalist diet, and the impact of ecosystem restoration (and of the moorhens themselves) should be considered.

Deficiency of Vitamin B-Complex and Its Relation with Body Disorders

Vitamins B denote to some diverse kinds of vitamins which collectively, are recognized as B-complex vitamin. At hand are eight types of vitamins in vitamin B complex; thiamine (B1), riboflavin (B2), niacin (B3), pantothenic acid (B5), pyridoxine (B6), biotin (B7), folate (B9) also known as folic acid and cobalamin (B12). B vitamins have a direct impact on body energy levels, brain function and cell metabolism. There is a roundup of four top causes of vitamin B deficiency; a non-balanced diet, excessive alcohol consumption, various medications and gut malabsorption conditions. Deficiencies in these B vitamins can lead to a number of different symptoms like paresthesias, peripheral neuropathy, psychosis and heart attack and stroke over time if the deficiency is not reversed. Vitamins are found in highest abundance in meat, eggs and dairy or milk products such as butter, yogurt and cheese produced from milk of mammals usually buffaloes, cattle, goats, sheep and camels. Most people can get many nutrients they need, including B vitamins, by eating a varied diet of lean meats, grains, fruits and vegetables. This chapter provides an affluent of the most common types of vitamins B, including why body needs these, their deficiency symptoms and which foods contain them.

Assessment of the Risk of Contamination of Food for Infants and Toddlers

Infants and toddlers are highly sensitive to contaminants in food. Chronic exposure can lead to developmental delays, disorders of the nervous, urinary and immune systems, and to cardiovascular disease. A literature review was conducted mainly in PubMed, Google Scholar and Scopus databases, and took into consideration papers published from October 2020 to March 2021. We focused on contaminant content, intake estimates, and exposure to contaminants most commonly found in foods consumed by infants and children aged 0.5–3 years. In the review, we included 83 publications with full access. Contaminants that pose a high health risk are toxic elements, acrylamide, bisphenol, and pesticide residues. Minor pollutants include: dioxins, mycotoxins, nitrates and nitrites, and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. In order to reduce the negative health effects of food contamination, it seems reasonable to educate parents to limit foods that are potentially dangerous for infants and young children. An appropriate varied diet, selected cooking techniques, and proper food preparation can increase the likelihood that the foods children consume are safe for their health. It is necessary to monitor food contamination, adhere to high standards at every stage of production, and improve the quality of food for children.

The chemical composition of free-range and conventionally-farmed eggs available to Canadians in rural Nova Scotia

In rural Nova Scotia (NS), many small family farms raise free-range hens that consume a varied diet that is different from that of conventionally-farmed hens in caged housing systems. However, it is not known how this varied diet impacts the quality of these eggs. The objective of the present study was to compare the chemical composition of free-range eggs obtained from a small family farm in rural NS to that of conventionally-farmed eggs purchased from a local grocery store. The values obtained from the present study were also compared to published values in the Canadian Nutrient File (CNF) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture FoodData Central database. The egg components and the amino acid compositions were evaluated, and protein concentrations were determined using the Kjeldahl method whereas the fatty acid profiles of the egg yolks were determined using gas chromatography. No difference (P = 0.3) in protein content was observed in free-range eggs (10.6 ± 1.1%) compared to conventionally-farmed eggs (9.7 ± 0.6%). Similar values were also observed for the physical properties of the two types of eggs measured except for the weights of the egg shells. Conversely, the amino acid cysteine, was in higher amounts (P = 0.05) 0.26 g/100 g in the CNF compared to the measured values of ~0.16 g/100 g. Notably, the polyunsaturated linoleic acid (C18:2n-6) was higher (P = 0.001) in the free-range eggs (45.6%) compared to (40.8%) the conventionally-farmed eggs. The cholesterol content of egg yolks was lower in free-range eggs (253.4 ± 0.01 mg/extra-large yolk or 14 mg cholesterol/g of yolk) vs. for conventionally-farmed eggs (263 ± 0.7 mg/extra-large yolk or 15.4 mg cholesterol/g of yolk), respectively. In terms of protein nutrition, free-range eggs may be a suitable alternative to conventionally-farmed eggs, moreover, the lower cholesterol content may be a favourable attribute for Canadian consumers who wish to purchase local free-range eggs.

Serological and molecular survey of Leptospira spp. infections in wild boars and red foxes from Southeastern France

Background and Aim: Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease. Information on the recent prevalence of Leptospira in hunted wild animals is limited, particularly in southeastern France. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to assess the prevalence and diversity of Leptospira spp. among wild boars (Sus scrofa) and red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from two military camps in Southeastern France. Materials and Methods: Serological analyses were performed using microscopic agglutination tests and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were used to demonstrate Leptospira spp. infection from boar kidney DNA extracts. Results: According to the species, the positive sera were obtained from 18% of 358 boars and 6 % of 64 foxes tested. The prevalence rate is significantly higher (p=0.02) in boars than in foxes. In wild boar, Australis represents the most recorded serogroup (15.9%), followed by Sejroe (2.8%) and icterohaemorhagiae (2.8%). In red fox, icterohaemorhagiae represents the most recorded serogroup (6.25%), followed by Sejroe (1.57%) and Hebdomadis (1.57%). PCR-based detection of Leptospira DNA was positive in 6/62 (9.6%) of the wild boars tested. Conclusion: The results of this study confirmed the importance of wild boar in the epidemiology of leptospirosis among wildlife in Southeastern France. Due to their predatory behavior and their varied diet, mainly composed of small mammals, red foxes could be considered sentinel animals of environmental contamination with leptospires.