The New Tendencies of Environmental Impact Assessment of Livestock Production: A Road Testing of LEAP/FAO Biodiversity Assessment Guidelines in Pastoral Systems in Uruguay

After the publication of the “long shadow of cattle” report, ruminant production systems have received great pressure for their contributions in greenhouse gases (GHG). However, the environmental effects of human activities are much broader than GHG production and in some cases, there are positive contributions. In order to broaden the environmental perspective and with the encouragement of governments, the private sector and NGOs, LEAP-FAO has developed environmental assessment guidelines for the world\u27s livestock production systems. This paper presents a road-testing of the Biodiversity Assessment Guideline at farm scale for six case studies in pastoral livestock systems in Uruguay. The producers involved correspond to farmers with a mixed livestock system (cows and sheep) with a full cycle and areas ranging between 2000 and 5000 hectares. Three of the farms have production based 100% on natural grasslands, while the other three had 30% of their area with sown pastures. The application of the guide at local level implies the use of the system of pressure, state and response indicators (PSR). The recommendation of the guide in its public review version requires a minimum set of 24 indicators, which can also be divided into several measurable variables. The results obtained in this study showed that the complete set is a reliable tool to evaluate the functioning of the systems in terms of their contribution to biodiversity conservation. However, some are more sensitive than others to evaluate changes depending on the scale. For example, the change in land use due to planting of forage crops clearly affects birds and arthropods such as spiders; though, due to scale of habitat use is less clear the global effect in bird population. The state indicators related to richness and diversity of species from different taxonomic groups is very relevant but result the more expensive issue in the assessment. Global indicators as the Ecosystem Integrity Index (EII) show a consistent effect of intensification but the connectivity in the actual percentages of natural grassland substitution is still good

The diet of the black widow spider Latrodectus mirabilis (Theridiidae) in two cereal crops of central Argentina

The spider Latrodectus mirabilis (Holmberg, 1876) is commonly found in cereals crops of central Argentina. We studied its diet composition at the field and capture rate on leaf-cutting ants based on laboratory experiments. This study comprises the first approach that documents the diet of L. mirabilis in wheat and oat fields of central Argentina. We identified 1,004 prey items collected from its webs during the last phenological stages of both cereal crops. The prey composition was variable but the spiders prey mainly on ants (Formicidae, Hymenoptera), who represented more than 86% of the total. Meanwhile, in the capture rate experiences we registered a high proportion of ants captured by spiders at the beginning of experiences, capturing the half of the ants from total in the first four hours. Summarizing, we reported a polyphagous diet of this spider species in wheat and oat fields. Ants were the most important prey item of this spider, as found in other Latrodectus spiders around the world

Prediction of metabolic clusters in early lactation dairy cows using models based on 2 milk biomarkers

The aim of this study was to describe metabolism of early-lactation dairy cows by clustering cows based on glucose, insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), free fatty acid, and beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) using the k-means method. Predictive models for metabolic clusters were created and validated using 3 sets of milk biomarkers (milk metabolites and enzymes, glycans on the immuno-gamma globulin fraction of milk, and Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectra of milk). Metabolic clusters are used to identify dairy cows with a balanced or imbalanced metabolic profile. Around 14 and 35 d in milk, serum or plasma concentrations of BHB, free fatty acids, glucose, and IGF-I were determined. Cows with a favorable metabolic profile were grouped together in what was referred to as the "balanced" group (n = 43) and were compared with cows in what was referred to as the "other balanced" group (n = 64). Cows with an unfavorable metabolic profile were grouped in what was referred to as the "imbalanced" group (n = 19) and compared with cows in what was referred to as the "other imbalanced" group (n = 88). Glucose and IGF-I were higher in balanced compared with other balanced cows. Free fatty acids and BHB were lower in balanced compared with other balanced cows. Glucose and IGF-I were lower in imbalanced compared with other imbalanced cows. Free fatty acids arid BHB were higher in imbalanced cows. Metabolic clusters were related to production parameters. There was a trend for a higher daily increase in fat- and protein-corrected milk yield in balanced cows, whereas that of imbalanced cows was higher. Dry matter intake and the daily increase in dry matter intake were higher in balanced cows and lower in imbalanced cows. Energy balance was continuously higher in balanced cows and lower in imbalanced cows. Weekly or twice-weekly milk samples were taken and milk metabolites and enzymes (milk glucose, glucose-6-phosphate, BHB, lactate dehydrogenase, N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase, isocitrate), immunogamma globulin glycans (19 peaks), and Fourier-transform mid-infrared spectra (1,060 wavelengths reduced to 15 principal components) were determined. Milk biomarkers with or without additional cow information (days in milk, parity, milk yield featurs) were used to create predictive models for the metabolic clusters. Accuracy for prediction of balanced (80%) and imbalanced (88%) cows was highest using milk metabolites and enzymes combined with days in milk and parity. The results and models of the present study are part of the GplusE project and identify novel milk-based phenotypes that may be used as predictors for metabolic and performance traits in early-lactation dairy cows

Genome-wide association for milk production and lactation curve parameters in Holstein dairy cows

peer reviewe

A genome-wide association study for calving interval in holstein dairy cows using weighted single-step genomic BLUP approach

peer reviewe

Los pastizales naturales en sistemas ganaderos de Uruguay como reservorios de la diversidad de arañas.

En Uruguay los pastizales naturales son el sustento de la ganadería y por lo tanto el principal recurso natural renovable del país. El mantenimiento de la biodiversidad en estos sistemas es valioso para garantizar la provisión de diversos servicios ecosistémicos. Las arañas como grupo mega-diverso son excelentes modelos de estudio para la evaluación de impactos ambientales de este tipo. El primer objetivo de este estudio fue describir la comunidad de arañas de los pastizales naturales en sistemas ganaderos de Uruguay. El segundo objetivo fue evaluar el efecto de la sustitución de pastizal natural por pasturas sembradas sobre la diversidad y la composición especifica de la araneofauna en estos sistemas