6 research outputs found
Slaughter weight rather than sex affects carcass cuts and tissue composition of Bisaro pigs
Carcass cuts and tissue composition were assessed in Bisaro pigs (n=64) from two sexes (31 gilts and 33 entire
males) reared until three target slaughter body-weights (BW) means: 17 kg, 32 kg, and 79 kg. Dressing percentage
and backfat thickness increased whereas carcass shrinkage decreased with increasing BW. Slaughter
weight affected most of the carcass cut proportions, except shoulder and thoracic regions. Bone proportion
decreased linearly with increasing slaughter BW, while intermuscular and subcutaneous adipose tissue depots
increased concomitantly. Slaughter weight increased the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportion but this impaired
intramuscular and intermuscular adipose tissues in the loin primal. The sex of the pigs minimally affected
the carcass composition, as only the belly weight and the subcutaneous adipose tissue proportions were greater
in gilts than in entire males. Light pigs regardless of sex are recommended to balance the trade-offs between
carcass cuts and their non-edible compositional outcomes.Work included in the Portuguese PRODER research Project
BISOPORC – Pork extensive production of Bísara breed, in two alternative
systems: fattening on concentrate vs chesnut, Project PRODER SI
I&DT Medida 4.1 “Cooperação para a Inovação”. The authors are
grateful to Laboratory of Carcass and Meat Quality of Agriculture
School of Polytechnic Institute of Bragança ‘Cantinho do Alfredo’. The
authors are members of the MARCARNE network, funded by CYTED
(ref. 116RT0503).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Biological control of water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes L., facilitates macroinvertebrate biodiversity recovery: a mesocosm study
Plastic debris in lakes and reservoirs
Plastic debris is thought to be widespread in freshwater ecosystems globally. However, a lack of comprehensive and comparable data makes rigorous assessment of its distribution challenging. Here we present a standardized cross-national survey that assesses the abundance and type of plastic debris (>250 μm) in freshwater ecosystems. We sample surface waters of 38 lakes and reservoirs, distributed across gradients of geographical position and limnological attributes, with the aim to identify factors associated with an increased observation of plastics. We find plastic debris in all studied lakes and reservoirs, suggesting that these ecosystems play a key role in the plastic-pollution cycle. Our results indicate that two types of lakes are particularly vulnerable to plastic contamination: lakes and reservoirs in densely populated and urbanized areas and large lakes and reservoirs with elevated deposition areas, long water-retention times and high levels of anthropogenic influence. Plastic concentrations vary widely among lakes; in the most polluted, concentrations reach or even exceed those reported in the subtropical oceanic gyres, marine areas collecting large amounts of debris. Our findings highlight the importance of including lakes and reservoirs when addressing plastic pollution, in the context of pollution management and for the continued provision of lake ecosystem services