Effects of dietary calcium and phosphorus regimen on growth performance, bone strength and carcass quality and yield of large white tom turkeys

An experiment was conducted to estimate the calcium (Ca) and nonphytate phosphorus (npP) levels needed for toms in the starter (ST) (3-9 wk of age) and the grower/finisher (G/F) (9-15/15-17 wk of age) periods to support growth performance, bone breaking strength and carcass parameters. After 3 wk of group brooding, poults (B.U.T.) were divided into treatment (trt) pens and fed pellets containing Ca and npP at approximately NRC requirements (3 wk interval basis) or at typical industry (IND) levels (breeder recommendations). At 9 wk of age, birds from each ST trt were fed either a low npP (75% of NRC requirement) diet, the NRC recommended level, or an IND level of npP (Ca:npP=2:1 for all trts) until marketed at 17 wk of age. The birds were weighed every 3 wks and at 17 wk of age. Feed intake was estimated by feed disappearance to calculate feed efficiency. There were 15 pens of 31 birds/pen for each trt in the ST period and 5 pens for each of the 6 trt combinations during the G/F period. Three toms/pen were selected at 15 and 17 wk for bone and component yield measurements. All birds from 3 pens/trt were judged for a walking score (range 1-5, 5 best) during the 17th wk. There was no difference in body weight or feed intake in the ST period. Body weight was decreased when the NRC ST-low npP G/F trt was fed relative to the products in this experiment, especially, for FTM. There was an average moisture reduction of 2.4% for both PBMs and FTMs used in this experiment

Global patterns in endemicity and vulnerability of soil fungi.

Fungi are highly diverse organisms, which provide multiple ecosystem services. However, compared with charismatic animals and plants, the distribution patterns and conservation needs of fungi have been little explored. Here, we examined endemicity patterns, global change vulnerability and conservation priority areas for functional groups of soil fungi based on six global surveys using a high-resolution, long-read metabarcoding approach. We found that the endemicity of all fungi and most functional groups peaks in tropical habitats, including Amazonia, Yucatan, West-Central Africa, Sri Lanka, and New Caledonia, with a negligible island effect compared with plants and animals. We also found that fungi are predominantly vulnerable to drought, heat and land-cover change, particularly in dry tropical regions with high human population density. Fungal conservation areas of highest priority include herbaceous wetlands, tropical forests, and woodlands. We stress that more attention should be focused on the conservation of fungi, especially root symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi in tropical regions as well as unicellular early-diverging groups and macrofungi in general. Given the low overlap between the endemicity of fungi and macroorganisms, but high conservation needs in both groups, detailed analyses on distribution and conservation requirements are warranted for other microorganisms and soil organisms