The degree of plasticization of the alloscutal cuticle of a 'hard' (ixodid) tick, Amblyomma hebraeum, and a 'soft' (argasid) tick, Ornithodoros moubata, was assessed throughout the blood-feeding period. Cuticle viscosity was calculated from rate of creep of cuticle under constant load using a Maxwell model. Feeding-related plasticization (i.e. increased rate of extension under a constant load) ...

this study develops a long run optimal pattern for nomadic ranchers of fars province under climate uncertainty by simulating dynamic process of livestock and forage productivity as well as employing dynamic stochastic programming. results indicate that the nomadic representatives do not perform, optimally. despite their attachments to livestock as an asset, and their life dependency on livestoc...

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of feeding pigs with inulin and/or benzoic acid on post-weaning diarrhoea (PWD), indices of fermentation in the gastrointestinal tract, and production in pigs experimentally infected with an enterotoxigenic strain of Escherichia coli (ETEC). Forty-eight entire male pigs (Large White×Landrace) aged 21 ± 3 days of age and weighing 4.97 ± 0.08 ...

Large cats feeding habits have been studied through two main methods: scat analysis and the carcasses of prey killed by monitored animals. From November 2001 to April 2004, we studied jaguar predation patterns using GPS telemetry location clusters on a cattle ranch in southern Pantanal. During this period, we recorded 431 carcasses of animals preyed upon by monitored jaguars. Concurrently, we c...

Cracids are generalist frugivores, which often exploit plant food resources such as flowers and leaves, mainly when fruit production declines. The Chaco chachalaca (Ortalis canicollis) is the most abundant cracid in the Pantanal (Brazil), and particularly common in the gallery forests. However, the factors related to their occurrence in this habitat type are unclear. In this study I describe th...

– The Toco Toucan (Ramphastos toco) is a large canopy frugivore common in the seasonal areas of the interior of Brazil. In this study, I evaluated fruit production and analyzed the toucan’s feeding habits in two types of dry forests, one deciduous, although rich in figs, and another semi-deciduous, both in the western Brazil. Both areas exhibited marked fruiting patterns, which peaks overlapped...

This study was conducted to determine the effects of feeding by-product feed (BF)-based silage on the performance, blood metabolite parameters, and carcass characteristics of Hanwoo steers. The BF-based silage was composed of 50% spent mushroom substrate, 21% recycled poultry bedding, 15% cut ryegrass straw, 10.8% rice bran, 2% molasses, 0.6% bentonite, and 0.6% microbial additive (on a wet bas...