Carnivore impact on cave bear bones and the analysis of their dispersion. Case study: UrŞilor cave (NW Romania)

In taphonomy, the study of carnivore modification of fossil bones and the analysis of their dispersion represent the best approach to assessing the extent of bone modification and displacement for a given bone assemblage. Here we analyze the excavated bone deposit from Urşilor Cave, a well-documented and fossil-rich Upper Pleistocene cave bear site from the Romanian Carpathian Mountains. More than 1400 limb bones or bone remains were analyzed (NISPleft and right = 1424) and 69 measurable puncture marks were identified, measured and morphologically analyzed. Moreover, for assessing the degree of bone scattering, almost 540 cave bear limb bones and mandibles were refitted and the Index of Skeletal Disjunction (ISD) was calculated for the entire bone assemblage. More than 30 % of the analyzed cave bear limb bones were affected by carnivores: the ulnae were the most affected (39.3 %) while the humeri and femora were less modified (24.7 % and 25.5 %, respectively). The range of variation in size of the puncture marks, the morphological features of various tooth marks and the faunal composition of the studied bone assemblage indicate that at least two carnivore taxa are responsible for the bone modifications. The results obtained for the ISD index indicate higher displacement for femora when compared to other bones (e.g. tibiae, mandibles, humeri). Our analyses of bone modifications caused by carnivores indicate a low level of the scattering of intensely modified (by in situ consumption) bones, and notable carnivore impact on the configuration of the bone assemblage.Key words: Ursus spelaeus, taphonomy, ISD, tooth marks, Urşilor Cave, Romanian Carpathians.Vpliv zveri na kosti jamskih medvedov iz jame UrŞilor (SZ Romunija) in analiza njihove razkropljenostiProučevanje sledov zveri na fosilnih kosteh in razkropljenosti kosti v prostoru je najboljše tafonomsko orodje za pridobivanje podatkov o obsegu takšnih pojavov znotraj posameznega paleontološkega zbira. V raziskavi obravnavamo kosti jamskega medveda iz jame Urşilor, dobro raziskanega mlajšepleistocenskega najdišča v Romunskih Karpatih. Analizirali smo več kot 1424 dolgih cevastih kosti okončin ali njihovih odlomkov in pri tem prepoznali, izmerili in morfološko analizirali 69 odtiskov zob. Poleg tega smo izračunali indeks razkropljenosti okostja (Index of Skeletal Disjunction, ISD) za celotni paleontološki zbir, zaradi česar smo sestavili skoraj 540 dolgih cevastih kosti okončin in spodnjih čeljustnic jamskega medveda. Sledove zveri smo prepoznali na več kot 30 % kosti okončin, najpogosteje na komolčnicah (39.3 %), nekoliko redkeje pa na nadlahtnicah in stegnenicah (24.7 % oz. 25.5 %). Variabilnost v velikosti odtiskov zob, njihovih morfoloških značilnostih in favnistični sestavi proučevanega paleontološkega zbira pričajo o tem, da sta ugotovljene spremembe medvedjih kosti povzročili vsaj dve različni zveri. Vrednosti indeksa razkropljenosti okostja kažejo na izrazitejšo razkropljenost stegnenic v primerjavi z drugimi kostmi (npr. golenicami, nadlahtnicami, spodnjimi čeljustnicami). Naša analiza kaže na skromno razkropljenost intenzivno obgrizenih kosti (zaradi hranjenja v sami jami) in znaten vpliv zveri na konfiguracijo paleontološkega zbira.Ključne besede: Ursus spelaeus, tafonomija, ISD, ugrizi, jama Urşilor, Romunski Karpati

Dietary Willow Bark Extract for Broilers Reared Under Heat Stress

A 28-day feeding trial was conducted on 60, Cobb 500 broilers (14 days), assigned to 2 groups (C, E) housed in an experimental hall (32° C, 23 h light regimen). Compared to the conventional diet C, the experimental diet (E) included 1% white willow bark extract (WBE). At 42 days of age, 6 blood samples /group were collected and 6 broilers/ group were slaughtered and caecal content was collected. The dietary WBE didn’t influence broiler performance. The serum concentrations of glycaemia, cholesterol and triglycerides were lower (P <0.05) in E group than in C group. E broilers had the lowest count (P<0.05) of Enterobacteriaceae, E. coli and staphylococci colony forming units in the caecal content. The inclusion of WBE (1%) in the diet of broilers reared at 32° C had an hypocholesterolemiant and hypoglycaemic effect and reduced the pathogenic bacteria in the caecum

Ranking the dietary treatments of broiler chickens in order to reduce nitrogen pollution of the environment

The Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology was used to rank the tested nutritional solutions and to choose the best nutritional solution in order to reduce environmental pollution with nitrogen. The evaluation methodology consisted in comparing by three evaluators the diets based on the zootechnical performances/thigh meat quality / environmental impact. The diets of tested nutritional solutions were contained either medicinal and aromatic plants (basil, thyme, sage) in a proportion of 1% (batch 2), respectively essential oils (0.05%) of the same plants (batch 1). The application of the AHP methodology indicated that the best nutritional alternative was obtained for basil, either in the form of essential oil or vegetal material

Synthesis of Chitosan Based Bioflocculants and Their Use for Microalgae Harvesting

The aim of this paper was to study the harvesting of microalgae, specifically Chlorella vulgaris [...

Feeding Strategies and Nutritional Quality of Animal Products

Feeding strategies play a crucial role in determining the nutritional quality of animal products [...

Effect of Vegetable By-Products Supplements on Coefficients of Apparent absorption from laying Hen Diets

The in vivo feeding trial was conducted on 6 weeks with 126 Tetra SL laying hens, 56-week old, assigned to 3 groups. The layers were housed in an experimental hall with controlled microclimate, in three-tier digestibility cages (2 layers per cage) which allowed the daily recording of the feed intake and excreta. All hens received a conventional compound feed (C), based on corn and soybean meal, which contained 2750 kcal/kg metabolizable energy and 17.50% crude protein. Each experimental group had as supplement one fat and one antioxidant vegetal source, rapeseed meal and grapeseed meal (RGM) respectively flaxseed meal and buckthorn meal (FBM). The balance study was conducted for 5 days, on the last experimental week. During this period, average weights from each cage (6 samples per group) of feed and excreta were recorded, collected and sampled for: dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), ether extractives (EE), crude fibre (CF) ash and amino acids determinations from feeds. The layers from FBM group had significantly (P<0.05) higher concentration of ingested, excreted and digested amount of CP and the lowest (P≤0.05) EE and CF absorption coefficient. Significantly higher (P<0.05) values for ingested, excreted, digested and absorption coefficient of CF nutrient, was registered for RGM group

The Influence of Dietary Citrus Peel on Performances, Carcass Traits, Color, Texture and Primary Oxidation Products of Broiler Chicken Thigh Meat

In this study, 126 Cobb 500 commercial broiler chicks were fed a control basal (C) diet (corn-soy basal diet on an ad libitum basis) alone or with two different citrus peel. A completely randomized design with 42 chickens was used to investigate the effect of 2% orange peel (OP) or 2% grapefruit peel (GP) on broiler performances and thigh meat quality. The treatment containing 2% OP had a significant (P<0.05) effect on broiler performances. At the end of the trial (d 42), 6 broiler chickens per group were sampled for determination of thigh meat color, TPA, proximate chemical composition and primary oxidation products. Rations containing up to 2% OP and GP had a slight effect on proximate composition of raw broiler thigh meat. The Cie-Lab parameters have changed significantly (P<0.05) through in an increase in lightness, L*, and yellowness, b*, but they did not affect redness, a*. The color difference, ΔE*, between the OP and GP samples vs. C samples, was highlighted. The results of Warner Bratzler mechanical test showed a significant (P<0.05) increase of hardness in OP group while the cohesiveness was significantly (P<0.05) higher in GP group compared with C group. Chewiness was significantly (P<0.05) higher in both experimental treatment while resilience and springiness were similar in all three treatments. Regarding the primary oxidation products, conjugated diene (CD) and conjugated trienes (CT) of broiler thigh meat after 7 days of refrigeration were significantly (P<0.05) lowered in both experimental treatments showing that degradation process was delayed in thigh meat from experimental treatments

Effect of the Dietary Oil Mixture for Laying Hens on the Apparent Absorption Coefficients of Some Trace Elements

A 4-week feeding trial was conducted on 48 Lohmann Brown layers (55 weeks) to evaluate the effect on zootechnical parameters and coefficients of apparent absorption of micronutrients (Cu, Fe, Mn, Zn). The layers, assigned to 2 groups, were housed in three-tier digestibility cages (4 layers/cage) which allowed the daily recording of the feed intake and excreta, located in an experimental hall under controlled environmental conditions (temperature: 22.41±0.980C; humidity: 66.35±5.68%; ventilation/chick 0.50±0.24%; CO2 level 686.39±104.38 ppm) and 16h/24h light regimen. The control group (C) received a conventional diet (2760 kcal/kg metabolizable energy and 16.8% crude protein). Compared to C formulation, the experimental diet (E) included 0.50% oils mixture (20% buckthorn oil, 20% sesame oil, 20% rosehip oil, 20% grape oil and 20% walnut oil). The daily feed intake (at weeks 3 and 4) recorded significant decreases (P≤0.05) in group E (113.29 respectively 114.38 g/chick/day) compared to C group (115 respectively 116.13 g/chick/day). Copper absorption in E group was significantly (P≤0.05) higher (with 32.21%) than in C group, which means that the concentrations of Cu in the excreta significantly (P≤0.05) decreased in E group (0.36 mg/chick/day) compared to C group (0.52 mg/chick/day). This is a positive aspect regarding the soil pollution with Cu. For Fe and Mn, the mineral concentrations in the excretion did not differ significantly (P≥0.05), showing that the supplement administered in the E diet did not affect the possible mineral load at the soil level