The effect of feeder system and diet on welfare, performance and meat quality, of growing-finishing Iberian × Duroc pigs under high environmental temperatures

The present study investigated the replacement of 5% of starch (ST) by 5% of sunflower oil (SO), with or without feed restriction, in the diet of growing-finishing Iberian × Duroc pigs exposed to heat stress conditions. The effects of these strategies on the welfare, performance and meat quality of the animals were evaluated. Seventy-two crossbred males [51.00 ± 6.29 kg body weight (BW)] were housed in collective pens and randomly distributed according to their initial BW in climate-controlled rooms under heat stress conditions (30–32 °C; 35%–50% humidity). The experiment was carried out in a randomized block design, in a 2 × 2 factorial design composed of two diets (control or oil) and two feed management (ad-libitum and restriction) types. The investigated treatments were: 1) control diet (5% ST × 0% SO) with ad-libitum feed intake, 2) oil diet (replacement of 5% of ST by 5% SO) with ad-libitum feed intake, 3) control diet with restriction feed intake, and 4) oil diet with restriction feed intake. The pigs’ behavior and dirtiness score were observed daily, and their performance was assessed weekly. Furthermore, three blood samples were collected from each animal for hemogram analysis during the period of study. The analysis of meat and carcass quality was performed 24 h post-mortem once the animals had reached an average BW of 130–140 kg. Statistical analyses were performed using the PROC MIXED and PROC GENMOD procedures of the Statistical Analysis System (SAS). The diet-regimen interaction produced no effects (P > 0.05) on the analyzed variables, except for behavior. Animals on the control diet associated with ad-libitum feed management spent more time in the lateral decubitus position and showed reduced activity. In addition, pigs fed ad-libitum and those that received the control diet displayed the highest level of dirtiness during the experiment. Evaluation of performance revealed that pigs receiving the oil diet showed reduced feed intake (P < 0.05) with no difference in average daily gain and consequently presented better feed conversion values compared to animals on the control diet. Furthermore, the oil diet resulted in a higher (P < 0.05) carcass yield as well as a higher oleic fat content in the meat. Pigs on restricted feeding management with lower body and carcass weights produced higher values of leanness percentage and carcass compared to animals in the ad-libitum group. In conclusion, the replacement of 5% of starch by 5% of sunflower oil in the pigs’ diet during high ambient temperatures improved the animals’ welfare, feed efficiency, and carcass characteristics.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

Brazilian Flora 2020: Leveraging the power of a collaborative scientific network

International audienceThe shortage of reliable primary taxonomic data limits the description of biological taxa and the understanding of biodiversity patterns and processes, complicating biogeographical, ecological, and evolutionary studies. This deficit creates a significant taxonomic impediment to biodiversity research and conservation planning. The taxonomic impediment and the biodiversity crisis are widely recognized, highlighting the urgent need for reliable taxonomic data. Over the past decade, numerous countries worldwide have devoted considerable effort to Target 1 of the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC), which called for the preparation of a working list of all known plant species by 2010 and an online world Flora by 2020. Brazil is a megadiverse country, home to more of the world's known plant species than any other country. Despite that, Flora Brasiliensis, concluded in 1906, was the last comprehensive treatment of the Brazilian flora. The lack of accurate estimates of the number of species of algae, fungi, and plants occurring in Brazil contributes to the prevailing taxonomic impediment and delays progress towards the GSPC targets. Over the past 12 years, a legion of taxonomists motivated to meet Target 1 of the GSPC, worked together to gather and integrate knowledge on the algal, plant, and fungal diversity of Brazil. Overall, a team of about 980 taxonomists joined efforts in a highly collaborative project that used cybertaxonomy to prepare an updated Flora of Brazil, showing the power of scientific collaboration to reach ambitious goals. This paper presents an overview of the Brazilian Flora 2020 and provides taxonomic and spatial updates on the algae, fungi, and plants found in one of the world's most biodiverse countries. We further identify collection gaps and summarize future goals that extend beyond 2020. Our results show that Brazil is home to 46,975 native species of algae, fungi, and plants, of which 19,669 are endemic to the country. The data compiled to date suggests that the Atlantic Rainforest might be the most diverse Brazilian domain for all plant groups except gymnosperms, which are most diverse in the Amazon. However, scientific knowledge of Brazilian diversity is still unequally distributed, with the Atlantic Rainforest and the Cerrado being the most intensively sampled and studied biomes in the country. In times of “scientific reductionism”, with botanical and mycological sciences suffering pervasive depreciation in recent decades, the first online Flora of Brazil 2020 significantly enhanced the quality and quantity of taxonomic data available for algae, fungi, and plants from Brazil. This project also made all the information freely available online, providing a firm foundation for future research and for the management, conservation, and sustainable use of the Brazilian funga and flora