Husbandry factors and health conditions influencing the productivity of French rabbit farms

[EN] In 2009 productivity data from 95 kindling to finishing rabbit farms in France were analysed to identify rearing factors and health conditions that influenced their productivity. Farm productivity, expressed on a yearly basis, was described with 4 productivity indices: doe fertility and prolificacy, viability of young rabbits in the nest and mortality during the fattening period. The productivity data were obtained with the technical support of the farm and expressed in a standardised way. The average numerical productivity observed in the sample of farms was 50.9 rabbits produced per doe and per year (CI95% [49.6-52.2]). The husbandry management and health conditions were described based on a questionnaire filled out during an interview with the farmer and a farm visit. Explanatory data were organised into meaningful blocks relative to biosecurity measures, del using a Partiamaternity management, the sanitary context and the farm structure. The relationship between the 4 thematic blocks and the productivity indices was studied in a single mol Least Squares (PLS) regression model. Fertility (81.0%, CI95% [80.0-82.0]) and viability of young at nest (85.1%, CI95% [85.0-85.3] and mortality rate during fattening: 7.2%, CI95% [6.4-7.9]) were significantly associated with common factors relative to maternity management and the health context whereas prolificacy (9.7 live kits per parturition, CI95% [9.5-9.9]) was mostly influenced by a specific set of variables pertaining to those 2 blocks. Farm structure and biosecurity measures had a limited impact on fertility and on kit viability before weaning. The health conditions of the doe herd and the fattening rabbits were found to be significantly associated with several productivity indexes, but their impacts on productivity were as high as the impact of the other blocks. Genetic strain of the females, doe replacement strategy and nursing and weaning practices appeared to significantly influence reproductive performance, viability of kits before weaning and mortality rate during the fattening period. Maternity management therefore seemed to be the key point in rabbit unit management that governed the numerical productivity of the farm.The authors wish to acknowledge the CLIPP-Lapin de France, the SNGTV (French Veterinary Society - rabbit branch) and the FFC (French Federation of Cuniculture) for their collaboration. We also wish to thank the farmers and the rabbit production organisations who participated in the study. The authors are grateful to Ms. Anaïs Croisier for her participation as an investigator and to Mr. Guillaume Coutelet from the French Institute for Avian Production for his technical expertise. Funding was provided by the French Agency for Veterinary Medicinal Products (ANSES-ANMV)Huneau-Salaün, A.; Bougeard, S.; Balaine, L.; Eono, F.; Le Bouquin, S.; Chauvin, C. (2015). Husbandry factors and health conditions influencing the productivity of French rabbit farms. World Rabbit Science. 23(1):27-37. https://doi.org/10.4995/wrs.2015.3076SWORD2737231Castellini, C., Dal Bosco, A., Arias-Álvarez, M., Lorenzo, P. L., Cardinali, R., & Rebollar, P. G. (2010). The main factors affecting the reproductive performance of rabbit does: A review. Animal Reproduction Science, 122(3-4), 174-182. doi:10.1016/j.anireprosci.2010.10.003Coutelet G. 2011. Performances moyennes des élevages cunicoles en France pour l'année 2010. Cuniculture Magazine, 38: 24-27.EFSA. 2005. Scientific Opinion of the Scientific Panel on Animal Health and Welfare on the impact of the current housing and husbandry systems on the health and welfare of farmed domestic rabbits. EFSA J., 2005: 1-31.Lebas F. 2010. Situation cunicole en France en 2009: performances moyennes des élevages selon les résultats du RENACEB pour l'année 2009, situation du marché cunicole français et premières évaluations pour l'année 2010. Cuniculture Magazine, 37: 74-82.Licois D., Coudert P., Marlier D. 2006. Epizootic rabbit enteropathy. In: L. Maertens, P. Coudert (ed). Recent advances in rabbit sciences. Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Melle, Belgium, 163-170.Marongiu M.L., Dimauro C., Floris B. 2007. A six-year investigation on reproductive performance of hybrid rabbits. 1. Pregnancy rate and numerical productivity at weaning as affected by season. Ital. J. Anim. Sci., 6: 770-772.Rommers J., Maertens L., Kemp B. 2006. New perspectives in rearing systems for rabbit does. In: L. Maertens, P. Coudert (ed). Recent advances in rabbit sciences. Institute for Agricultural and Fisheries Research, Melle, Belgium, 39-51.Serrano P., Pascual M., Gómez E.A. 2012. Analysis of management techniques on productivity indicators using the bdcuni Spanish database. In Proc.: 10th World Rabbit Congress, 3-6 September, 2012. Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt. 1: 803-807

Past millennium hydroclimate variability from Corsican pine tree-ring chronologies

Palaeoclimatic evidence is necessary to place the current warming and drying trends of the Mediterranean region in a long‐term perspective of pre‐industrial variability. Annually resolved and absolutely dated climate proxies that extend back into medieval times are, however, limited to a few sites only. Here we present a network of long ring width chronologies from Pinus nigra tree‐line sites in northern Corsica (France) that cohere exceptionally well over centuries and support the development of a single high‐elevation pine chronology extending back to 974 CE. We apply various detrending methods to these data to retain high‐to‐low frequency ring width variability and scale the resulting chronologies against instrumental precipitation and drought observations to produce hydroclimate reconstructions for the last millennium. Proxy calibration and transfer are challenged by a lack of high‐elevation meteorological data, however, limiting our understanding of precipitation changes in sub‐alpine tree‐line environments. Our new reconstructions extend beyond existing records and provide evidence for low‐frequency precipitation variability in the central‐western Mediterranean from 974–2016 CE. Comparison with a European scale drought reconstruction network shows that regional predictor chronologies are needed to accurately estimate long‐term hydroclimate variability on Corsica

Use of environmental isotopes to assess the sustainability of intensively exploited aquifer systems (2012‐2015)

Intensive exploitation of groundwater over longer period has led, in many important aquifers, to marked lowering of water tables, increasing exploitation costs, and often, to a progressive deterioration of water quality. Concentrated pumping may also alter flow patterns permanently with the risk of migration of pollutants into aquifers from the surrounding aquifers or surface water bodies due to lack of physical protection to prevent them. Isotope hydrology tools have proven to be very useful in assessing groundwater hydrology, addressing aspects related to recharge processes, delineation of flow patterns, water quality issues and interactions with other water bodies; this unique information can be further used to evaluate long term aquifer sustainability. The objective of the Coordinated Research Project F33019 is to develop and review approaches and methodologies, mostly based on the combined use of conventional hydrogeological techniques and environmental isotopes, to assess the response of groundwater systems to intensive exploitation and groundwater availability. Access to new dating tools and approaches for groundwater dating covering different time scales offers the possibility to evaluate changes in groundwater dynamics and flow patterns, providing key data to predict the evolution of aquifers and their sustainability as major sources of water. The CRP aims to assess the performance of these new tools and approaches and the possible adoption of these methods by water management experts

Results, meta-analysis and a first evaluation of UNOxR, the urinary nitrate-to-nitrite molar ratio, as a measure of nitrite reabsorption in experimental and clinical settings

Diabetes mellitus: pathophysiological changes and therap

The Nature of the Dietary Protein Impacts the Tissue-to-Diet 15N Discrimination Factors in Laboratory Rats

Due to the existence of isotope effects on some metabolic pathways of amino acid and protein metabolism, animal tissues are 15N-enriched relative to their dietary nitrogen sources and this 15N enrichment varies among different tissues and metabolic pools. The magnitude of the tissue-to-diet discrimination (Δ15N) has also been shown to depend on dietary factors. Since dietary protein sources affect amino acid and protein metabolism, we hypothesized that they would impact this discrimination factor, with selective effects at the tissue level. To test this hypothesis, we investigated in rats the influence of a milk or soy protein-based diet on Δ15N in various nitrogen fractions (urea, protein and non-protein fractions) of blood and tissues, focusing on visceral tissues. Regardless of the diet, the different protein fractions of blood and tissues were generally 15N-enriched relative to their non-protein fraction and to the diet (Δ15N>0), with large variations in the Δ15N between tissue proteins. Δ15N values were markedly lower in tissue proteins of rats fed milk proteins compared to those fed soy proteins, in all sampled tissues except in the intestine, and the amplitude of Δ15N differences between diets differed between tissues. Both between-tissue and between-diet Δ15N differences are probably related to modulations of the relative orientation of dietary and endogenous amino acids in the different metabolic pathways. More specifically, the smaller Δ15N values observed in tissue proteins with milk than soy dietary protein may be due to a slightly more direct channeling of dietary amino acids for tissue protein renewal and to a lower recycling of amino acids through fractionating pathways. In conclusion, the present data indicate that natural Δ15N of tissue are sensitive markers of the specific subtle regional modifications of the protein and amino acid metabolism induced by the protein dietary source

Monitoring of trace metals and pharmaceuticals as anthropogenic and socio-economic indicators of urban and industrial impact on surface waters

International audienc

The « OHM projects » drivers towards the understanding of coastal groundwater dependent hydrosystems: a 5-year review of scientific progress on the Biguglia lagoon (Corsica)

International audienc