Extraction from woody forest plants in flood plain communities in Amazonian Peru:use, choice, evaluation and conservation status of resources

The extraction and use of materials from woody forest species in communities along the lower Ucayali river in Amazonian Peru is discussed distributed at the categories food, construction, technical uses, medicine and commerce, represented with 5, 8, 11, 12 and 7 uses for specific purposes, respectively. The amounts of materials extracted are compared with the evaluation of the same resources. Three methods served to quantify the extraction, namely (1) recording of the plant-resources extracted by 12 households during a 1-year-long study; (2) observations of peoples activities in the forests and elsewhere and (3) recording of originally extracted materials present in or near the houses of 42 households. Two methods served to evaluate local perceptions of these materials, namely (4) village studies mostly of medicinal plants selected and described by informants and (5) forest plot-studies. Informants were interviewed on the potential uses of 276 pre-selected tree and liana species. Main conclusions are (1) probably all local tree and liana species may be used, but among thousands of potential uses only 291 uses of 156 species were found to be extracted frequently and/or evaluated to be particularly useful in interviews; (2) the importance interviewed informants give to forest resources does often not correlate with how often they extract them; (3) forest types vary much in their potential to provide extracted products, mostly in accordance with floristic compositions; (4) for nearly all purposes the population extracts from a few preferred species constituting a small percentage of the trunks in the forests, while more species representing a larger share of the trunks are recognised as potentially useful; (5) nearly all extracted plant-resources important for the livelihood of the population can be replaced with materials from other local species reducing the consequences of depletion and (6) an intensive exploitation mainly for commerce has depleted local populations of 10 plant species, and 15 species may currently get depleted

Blood values of adult captive cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) fed either supplemented beef or whole rabbit carcasses

This study evaluated nutrient intake and relevant blood parameters of 14 captive cheetahs, randomly assigned to a meat-only diet (supplemented beef, SB) or a whole prey diet (whole rabbit, WR) for 4 weeks each. Despite a higher food intake, daily metabolizable energy intake was lower when fed WR (308 kJ BW(-1) ) compared with SB (347 kJ BW(-1) ) (P = 0.002). The ratio of protein to fat was markedly lower for WR (2.3:1) compared with SB (8.8:1), which was reflected in higher serum urea levels when fed SB (P = 0.033), and a tendency for elevated cholesterol levels when fed WR (P = 0.055). Taurine intake of cheetahs fed WR was low (0.06% on DM basis); however, analytical error during taurine analysis cannot be ruled out. Feeding WR resulted in a well-balanced mineral intake, in contrast to SB. The latter provided a low calcium:phosphorus ratio (1:2.3), thereby increasing the risk of metabolic bone disease. The high zinc content of SB (200 mg/kg DM), compared with WR (94 mg/kg DM), was reflected in higher serum zinc concentrations (P = 0.011). Feeding WR resulted in an increase in serum vitamin A (P = 0.011). Therefore, the risk of hypervitaminosis A in captive cheetahs when fed WR exclusively on a long-term basis should be evaluated. Our findings suggest that neither diet is likely to provide appropriate nutrition to captive cheetahs when fed exclusively.status: publishe

Cryopreservation of onager (Equus hemionus onager) epididymal spermatozoa

Genetic diversity is a primary component of adaptive evolution, and its loss or reduction can decrease the long-term survival probability of populations. Utilization of cryopreserved semen may be considered a perfect tool to improve genetic diversity, reduce inbreeding, and avoid animal translocation for breeding. The present study aimed at finding a reliable epididymal sperm freezing protocol for the critically endangered onager (Equus hemionus onager). Six testicles from three animals were processed postmortem. The effects of two transportation temperatures (22°C and 4°C; testicles submerged in saline), two cryopreservation techniques (conventional liquid nitrogen vapor freezing in straws and directional freezing in 8-ml HollowTubesTM), and two postthaw incubation temperatures (22°C and 37°C; evaluated after 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 hr) were tested in a 2 × 2 × 2 experimental design. Sperm samples were evaluated for motility, viability, acrosome integrity, and sperm morphology. The resulting optimal freezing protocol includes transportation of testicles at 4°C, cryopreservation by directional freezing, and, if needed, postthaw incubation at 22°C. With this combination of transportation temperature and cryopreservation technique, the authors obtained the following postthaw values normalized to prefreezing values 60.3 ± 8.8% motility, 60.7 ± 13.3% viability, 75.3 ± 9.5% acrosome integrity, and 94.7 ± 2.9% normal morphology (excluding defects due to the epididymal origin of the sperm). After incubation at 22°C, motility values for the above combination were 40 ± 5.7%, 30.3 ± 5.2%, 28.3 ± 4.4%, and 16.7 ± 4.4% for 0.5, 1, 2, and 3 hr, respectively. In conclusion, with this protocol, good quality semen can be stored for future use in artificial inseminations when and where needed. © 2015 by American Association of Zoo Veterinarians