Associative effects of ensiling mixtures of sweet sorghum and alfalfa on nutritive value, fermentation and methane characteristics

Combining sweet sorghum (SS) with alfalfa (AF) for ensiling has the potential to improve the nutritive value and fermentation characteristics of resultant silages. However, the optimal combination and the associative effects of SS and AF for ensilage have not been studied. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the fermentation characteristic and nutritive value of silage mixtures with six different SS to AF ratios. The two forages were ensiled in air free silos for 150 days at room temperature as mixtures containing 0:100, 20:80, 40:60, 60:40, 80:20, and 100:0 of SS:AF on a fresh weight basis. As the proportion of SS increased in silage, the content of ash, crude protein, saponins, ammonia, acetic acid, propionic acid and pH decreased, while neutral detergent fiber, acid detergent fiber in organic matter, acid detergent lignin, water-soluble carbohydrate, starch, total phenolics and condensed tannins content increased. The silages were evaluated in 24-h incubations with rumen liquor. The in vitro rumen degradability of dry matter and organic matter as well as gas production, pH, ammonia, total volatile fatty acids and methane decreased as the proportion of SS increased in the silage mixtures. This study suggests that high quality silages can be made with SS:AF ratios of 20:80 and 40:60. These silage mixtures offer an opportunity to optimize the nutrient supply for ruminant production

Data from: Resource tracking and its conservation implications for an obligate frugivore (Procnias tricarunculatus, the three-wattled bellbird)

In Monteverde, Costa Rica, the vulnerable Three-wattled Bellbird (Procnias tricarunculatus) feeds primarily upon the fruit of Lauraceae species during its reproductive and post-reproductive seasons. To understand and advance appropriate conservation measures, this study identified the bellbird’s foraging challenges in its search for a temporally and spatially fluctuating resource. Although there are at least 96 species of Lauraceae found in the five life zones of Monteverde, the distinct distributions of tree species both among and within life zones require the bellbirds to track seasonal fruiting across the various zones. In this six-year study, we monitored the fruiting of tree species and bellbird abundance in 24 study plots within its post-reproductive life zone, the Premontane Wet forest, in order to identify preferred bellbird food resources and how the fruiting of these species drives the spatial distribution of the bellbird. Our research revealed phenological patterns of annual, biennial, and triennial fruiting with high levels of fruiting synchrony within several identified key fruit species. Of critical conservation importance is that no single species of Lauraceae produced a consistent food supply for bellbirds each year. Therefore, even within life zones, the bellbird’s survival depends on its mobility to search for and obtain fruit, as well as the availability of fruits of multiple tree species. The conservation implications include focused attention on multiple core areas within given life zones, protection of existing forest and remnant trees, and forest restoration with plantings of multiple tree species. We suspect that other tropical frugivorous species face similar conservation challenges