Lactic Acid Bacteria as Microbial Silage Additives: Current Status and Future Outlook

Silage making is not a novel technique. However, the agricultural industry has made great strides in improving our understanding of—and efficiency in—producing high-quality silage for livestock. Silage microbiology research has been using the newest molecular techniques to study microbial diversity and metabolic changes. This chapter reviews important research that has laid the foundation for field-based utilization of silage inoculants. We also outline areas of current, and future, research that will improve global livestock production through the use of silage

Invariant Causal Set Covering Machines

Rule-based models, such as decision trees, appeal to practitioners due to their interpretable nature. However, the learning algorithms that produce such models are often vulnerable to spurious associations and thus, they are not guaranteed to extract causally-relevant insights. In this work, we build on ideas from the invariant causal prediction literature to propose Invariant Causal Set Covering Machines, an extension of the classical Set Covering Machine algorithm for conjunctions/disjunctions of binary-valued rules that provably avoids spurious associations. We demonstrate both theoretically and empirically that our method can identify the causal parents of a variable of interest in polynomial time

Species composition of saproxylic fungal communities on decaying logs in the boreal forest

Abstract Coarse woody debris supports large numbers of saproxylic fungal species. However, most of the current knowledge comes from Scandinavia and studies relating the effect of stand or log characteristics on the diversity and composition of decomposer fungi have not been conducted in Northeastern Canada. Logs from five tree species were sampled along a decomposition gradient in nine stands representing three successional stages of the boreal mixed forest of Northwestern Quebec, Canada. Using a molecular fingerprinting technique, we assessed fungal community Shannon-Weaver diversity index, richness, and composition. We used linear mixed models and multivariate analyses to link changes in fungal communities to log and stand characteristics. We found a total of 33 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) including an indicator species for balsam fir (similar to Athelia sp.) and one found only in aspen stands (similar to Calocera cornea). Spruce logs supported the highest fungal Shannon-Weaver diversity index and OTU number. Our results support the hypothesis that log species influences fungal richness and diversity. However, log decay class does not. Stand composition, volume of coarse woody debris, and log chemical composition were all involved in structuring fungal communities. Maintaining the diversity of wood-decomposing communities therefore requires the presence of dead wood from diverse log species

Quantifying migratory capacity and dispersal of the invasive tench (Tinca tinca) in the St. Lawrence River using otolith chemistry

ABSTRACT The study of distribution and dispersal of invasive fishes is challenging during the early stages of invasion. Quantification of trace elements incorporated into fish hard parts represents an innovative technique for this task. Otolith chemistry has been used to describe fish stock structure, migratory behaviour and to support the management of several species. We used otolith chemistry to study the dispersal and population structure of tench (Tinca tinca), an invader in the St. Lawrence River. Tench movements throughout the invaded portion of the system were reconstructed using a Random Forests algorithm. The results showed that, despite the presumed limited dispersal capacity of the species, tench are capable of extensive migratory movements (up to 250 km). The variability in migratory patterns among individuals, including both short- and long-distance movements, supports a stratified diffusion. Such a strategy may explain the successful invasion of tench in the St. Lawrence River ecosystem. Our study represents a flexible framework for the study of tench ecology in its invaded and native range, as well as for other freshwater invasive fishes. RÉSUMÉ L’étude de la répartition et de la dispersion de poissons envahissants durant les premières étapes de l’envahissement n’est pas chose facile et, pour ce faire, la quantification d’éléments en traces incorporés dans les parties dures de poissons constitue une approche novatrice. La chimie des otolites a été utilisée pour décrire la structure de stocks et le comportement migratoire des poissons, ainsi que pour appuyer la gestion de plusieurs espèces. Nous avons utilisé la chimie des otolites pour étudier la dispersion et la structure de la population de tanche (Tinca tinca), une espèce envahissante dans le fleuve Saint-Laurent. Les déplacements des tanches dans toute la portion envahie du système ont été reconstitués à l’aide d’un algorithme de forêts aléatoires. Les résultats montrent que, malgré une capacité de dispersion limitée présumée pour cette espèce, les tanches sont capables d’effectuer de grands déplacements migratoires (jusqu’à 250 km). La variabilité des habitudes migratoires d’un individu à l’autre, qui comprend des déplacements tant sur de longues que sur de courtes distances appuie une stratégie de diffusion stratifiée. Une telle stratégie pourrait expliquer l’envahissement de l’écosystème du fleuve Saint-Laurent par la tanche. Notre étude offre un exemple d’approche polyvalente pour l’étude de l’écologie de la tanche dans ses aires de répartition indigène et envahis, mais aussi chez d’autres poissons d’eau douce envahissants

Effects of inoculation of corn silage with Lactobacillus hilgardii and Lactobacillus buchneri on silage quality, aerobic stability, nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of growing beef cattle

This study evaluated the effects of inoculation of whole crop corn silage with a mixture of heterofermentative lactic acid bacteria (LAB) composed of Lactobacillus hilgardii and Lactobacillus buchneri on ensiling, aerobic stability, ruminal fermentation, total tract nutrient digestibility, and growth performance of beef cattle. Uninoculated control corn silage (CON) and silage inoculated with 3.0 × 105 cfu g-1 of LAB containing 1.5 × 105 cfu g-1 of L. hilgardii CNCM I-4785 and 1.5 × 105 cfu g-1 of L. buchneri NCIMB 40788 (INOC) were ensiled in silo bags. The pH did not differ (P > 0.05) between the two silages during ensiling but was greater (P 0.05) between heifers fed the two silages, while there was a tendency (P ≤ 0.07) for lower CP and starch digestibility for heifers fed INOC than CON. Total nitrogen (N) intake and N retention were lower (P ≤ 0.04) for heifers fed INOC than CON. Dry matter intake as a percentage of BW was lower (P < 0.04) and there was a tendency for improved feed efficieny (G:F; P = 0.07) in steers fed INOC vs. CON silage. The NEm and NEg contents were greater for INOC than CON diets. Results indicate that inoculation with a mixture of L. hilgardii and L. buchneri improved the aerobic stability of corn silage. Improvements in G:F of growing steers fed INOC silage even though the total tract digestibility of CP and starch tended to be lower for heifers fed INOC are likely because the difference in BW and growth requirements of these animals impacted the growth performance and nutrient utilization and a greater proportion of NDICP in INOC than CON.Fil: Nair, Jayakrishnan. Lethbridge Research Centre; CanadáFil: Huaxin, Niu. Inner Mongolia University for Nationals; ChinaFil: Andrada, Lidia Estefania. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Tucumán. Centro de Referencia para Lactobacilos; ArgentinaFil: Yang, Hee-Eun. Lethbridge Research Centre; CanadáFil: Chevaux, Eric. Lallemand SAS; FranciaFil: Drouin, Pascal. Lallemand Specialties Inc; Estados UnidosFil: McAllister, Tim A.. Lethbridge Research Centre; CanadáFil: Wang, Yuxi. Lethbridge Research Centre; Canad