Background: Farming of Muscovy ducks (Cairina moschata) is an important part of the poultry industry in developed countries. However, the lack of research and improvement programs has led to poor ...productive outcomes in developing regions where this duck breed is important to procure adequate food security. Objective: To evaluate the effect of improved management conditions and the use of commercial probiotics on the growth performance of Muscovy ducks in a semi-intensive system farm in Colombia. Methods: We recorded the weight gain and feed conversion ratio (FCR) of ducks under three treatments: Backyard management, improved management, and improved management plus probiotic supplementation. Results: The backyard farming system led to poor weight gains (male=2,797 g; female=1,605 g) and less efficient FCR (4.06). Improvement of management conditions led to a better (p<0.05) FCR (3.1) and a greater (p<0.05) weight gain (male=2,888 g; female=1,637 g). The FCR under improved management is comparable to those reported in developed duck farming industries, but the final weight was notably lower than those obtained with selected lines. The use of commercial probiotics led to significant (p<0.05) improvement in weight gain (male=2,930 g; female=1,692 g); however, it also increased the FCR (3.5; p<0.05). Conclusions: The improvement of management conditions enhance the productivity of Muscovy ducks, but further genetic selection processes or use of selected lines is required in developing countries such as Colombia. Further studies are required to assess if probiotic supplementation can lead to improvement in Muscovy ducks farming due to the contrasting effect over the weight gain and FCR.
Antecedentes: Criação de pato almiscarado (Cairina moschata) é uma parte importante da indústria avícola nos países desenvolvidos; sem embargo, a falta de programas de investigação e melhorar os resultados produtivos deficientes nas regiões desarrolho donde esta raça de pato é importante para a segurança alimentar. Objetivo: Avaliou o efeito de melhorias nas condições de manejo e o uso de probióticos comerciais no crescimento de patos-almiscarados em uma granja de semi-intensiva colombiana. Métodos: Registramos o ganho de peso e o índice de conversão alimentar (ICA) de patos baixos três tratamentos: Manejo de quintal, manejo melhorado e manejo melhorado com suplemento de probióticos. Resultados: Observamos que o sistema de quintal conduz a ganhos de peso deficientes (machos=2.797 g; fêmeas=1.605 g) e uma ICA menos eficiente (4,06). A melhor das condições de manejo conduz a um ICA (3,1) maior (p<0,05) e maior (p<0,05) ganho de peso (machos=2.888 g; fêmeas=1.637 g). O ICA baixo manejo melhorado é comparável aos reportados nas indústrias de criação de patos desenvolvidos, mas o peso final é notavelmente mais baixo que os obtidos com as linhas selecionadas. O uso de probióticos comerciais conduz a uma maior significância (p<0,05) no aumento de peso (machos=2.930 g; fêmeas=1.692 g); sem embargo, também aumentou o ICA (3,5; p<0,05). Conclusões: A melhor das condições de manejo aumenta a produtividade dos patos-almiscarados, mas requer mais processos de seleção genética ou o uso de linhas selecionadas em países em desenvolvimento como a Colômbia. Se precisar de mais estudos para avaliar se a suplementação com probióticos pode conduzir a uma melhora na criação de patos almiscarados devido ao efeito contrastante do ganho de peso e do ICA.
Antecedentes: La cría de patos criollos (Cairina moschata) es una parte importante de la industria avícola en los países desarrollados. Sin embargo, la falta de programas de investigación y mejora ha llevado a resultados productivos en regiones en desarrollo donde esta raza de pato es importante para la seguridad alimentaria. Objetivo: Evaluar el efecto de mejoras en las condiciones de manejo y el uso de probióticos comerciales sobre el crecimiento de patos criollos en una granja semi-intensiva en Colombia. Métodos: Registramos la ganancia de peso y el índice de conversión alimenticia (ICA) de patos bajo tres tratamientos: Manejo de traspatio, manejo mejorado y manejo mejorado más suplemento de probióticos. Resultados: Observamos que el sistema de crianza de traspatio conduce a ganancias de peso deficientes (machos=2.797 g; hembras=1.605 g) y un ICA menos eficiente (4,06). La mejora de las condiciones de manejo condujo a una mejor (p<0,05) ICA (3,1) y mayor ganancia (p<0,05) de peso (machos=2.888 g; hembras=1.637 g). El ICA observado en el manejo mejorado es comparable a los reportados en industrias desarrolladas, pero el peso final fue notablemente más bajo que los obtenidos con líneas seleccionadas. El uso de probióticos comerciales condujo a una mejora significativa (p<0,05) en el aumento de peso (machos=2.930 g; hembras=1.692 g); sin embargo, también aumentó el ICA (3,5; p<0,05). Conclusiones: La mejora de las condiciones de manejo aumenta la productividad de los patos criollos, pero se requieren realizar selección genética o usar líneas seleccionadas en países en desarrollo como Colombia. Se requieren más estudios para evaluar si la suplementación con probióticos puede conducir a una mejora en la cría de patos criollos debido al efecto contrastante entre la ganancia de peso y el ICA.
The Neoproterozoic-Cambrian (Brasiliano) intracontinental Patos-Pernambuco shear system is developed in Archean to Neoproterozoic crust, reactivating rift margins N of the São Francisco Craton. We ...here use enhanced aeromagnetic images to reveal internal details of the broad E-W dextral Patos and Pernambuco shear zones, the intervening Central (Transversal) Domain and the adjacent Northern Domain. We estimate shear strains up to 50–60 and a total of ca. 350 and 200 km dextral displacement for the Patos and Pernambuco shear zones, respectively. Deflection of foliations, fold axial surfaces and plutons as well as internal S-C fabrics and asymmetric folds within these large shear zones confirm dextral displacement. However, the dominant population of NE-trending shear zones in the Central Domain, by many considered dextral, are here confirmed to be sinistral and thereby elongating this domain. The Northern Domain behaved differently, hence large-scale Ediacaran strain partitioning in the region is suggested, where different blocks experienced different deformation between major simple-shear dominated shear zones. We show how much more structural information can now be obtained from enhanced aeromagnetic data than from field mapping alone; aeromagnetic interpretations, nevertheless, still draw on analysis techniques epitomized by John Ramsay.
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•Enhanced aeromagnetic and pseudo-gravity data reveal shear structures in NW Brazil.•550 km dextral displacement deduced on a 2000 km long ductile shear system.•Structural pattern implies large-scale strain partitioning.
Plastics pose a major threat to aquatic ecosystems especially in smaller size fractions. Salt marshes play a crucial role in maintaining the coastal zone and aquatic food web, yet their ...contamination, including by plastic materials, is still poorly investigated. This work investigated meso- (MEP, 5–25 mm) and microplastic (MIP, 1 μm–5 mm) contamination of a salt marsh, which reached average levels of 279.63 ± 410.12 items kg−1, 366.92 ± 975.18 items kg−1, and 8.89 ± 8.75 items L−1 in surface sediment, sediment cores and water, respectively. Photomicrographs revealed a complex fouling community on plastics surface for both different salt marsh zones and plastic formats. Abundance of plastics in sediment was higher in the dryer, vegetated zones compared to flooded, unvegetated zones. This is consistent with the role of vegetation as a trap for solid litter and final fate of plastic deposition, but also with local hydrodynamics influencing deposition pattern. Plastics were detected up to 66 cm-depth, presenting higher levels at surface sediments. It was also possible to identify the main groups of microorganisms (1638 bacterial cells, 318 microalgae cells, and 20049.93 μm2 of filamentous fungi) composing the Plastisphere communities on all plastic items recorded in the different zones. These results are a pioneer contribution, highlighting that regional salt marshes participate in sequestration and longstanding accumulation of plastic particles in estuarine environments, before exportation to the ocean.
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•Salt marshes are transitional biotopes heavily contaminated by meso/microplastics.•Microplastic abundance reached 1123.16 items kg−1 in sediment surface.•Sediment mixing processes promote microplastic contamination within deep layers.•Plastic sequestration was modulated by vegetation, flooding rate and marsh zonation.•A diverse Plastisphere in salt marsh was composed by bacteria, microalgae and fungi.
Microplastics (MPs) represent an emergent contamination marker. For this reason, we analyzed the vertical distribution of MPs in six sediment cores retrieved from the Patos-Mirim System, the world's ...largest coastal lagoonal system. The sediment cores span from mid Holocene to present times according to both radiocarbon and lead dating and are located close to both urban/industrial and agricultural regions. We identified a basal pre-disturbance MP-free zone in all cores and an uppermost contaminated 70-cm-zone, where a general increasing trend in MPs content resembling the human anthropization process was recorded. The predominant format of MPs was fiber, followed by fragments. The most commonly identified polymers were rayon, PVC, acrylate, polycarbonate and cellophane. Urban/industrial and agricultural activities were shown as clear sources of MPs, leading to comparable MPs concentration values in the sediment cores. Thus, MPs are collectively a reliable indicator of the Anthropocene onset, and in the Patos-Mirim System the most appropriate chronology can be assigned to the beginning of 1970s, matching the intensification of anthropogenic activities in the area.
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•Microplastics collectively represent an emergent contamination marker.•The chronology of the Anthropocene onset in Southeastern South America is still unknown.•Sediment cores contain evidence on the urban-industrial and agricultural intensification process.•Both direct historical and paleolimnological observations indicate the regional Anthropocene onset as of 1970s.
Bioturbation promoted by benthic macrofauna impacts the biogeochemical processes in the sediment and water column, being an important process in estuaries, which are depositional ecosystems of high ...ecological importance. Functional diversity provides clear connections between biota and environmental variables, enabling researchers to comprehend the structure and functioning of ecosystems. The functional approach is still an emerging field of studies for estuaries, especially in the context of weather events such as the ENSO – El Niño. We investigated the functional diversity on a sandflat in the Patos Lagoon Estuary, regarding the bioturbation related traits of the benthic macrofauna, during and following the 2002/2003 El Niño event. Our study evidenced that the decrease in salinity caused by the high precipitation during the El Niño was the most influential factor affecting the functional diversity of the macrofauna. This led to assemblages with less potential for bioturbation, decreased stability, and higher prevalence of opportunistic traits. We also found that despite using bioturbation related traits for our analysis, the proportions of sand, silt, and clay in the sediment were not the main drivers of changes in the functional indices or trait composition, presenting less influence than the seasonal variation of temperature.
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•Changes in salinity due to the El Niño were the most influential environmental factor affecting the functional diversity.•Although the traits studied related to bioturbation, sediment composition had a minor influence over functional diversity.•Sediment reworking and irrigation, with different taxa as the most influential, both varied similarly due to the ENSO.
•Pollution of Patos Lagoon (south of Brazil) by microplastics was confirmed.•Microplastic pollution was verified by using a simple and low-cost procedure.•Polyethylene and polytetrafluoroethylene ...microplastics were found.•First work in the literature concerning the subject carried on Laranjal beach.•Patos Lagoon has great importance in the region in which it is situated.
The presence of plastic microparticles (microplastics) is gradually more common in water bodies. These particles are present in products consumed daily by society for at least 50 years, as well as the wear and natural degradation of plastic residues inadequately discarded. Most of these particles find their way to the oceans and are ingested by marine animals, which may cause premature death and even accumulation in the food chain. It is extremely important to detect contamination before damages to the local ecosystem are irreversible, being this crucial information to assist implementation of policies and regulations against plastic litter and to raise awareness of the population. This work aims to verify, for the first time in the literature, the presence of microplastics in Patos Lagoon (Laranjal beach), a very important lagoon in the south of Brazil and the largest in South America, through low-cost procedures to filter water from the place to retain particles and, later, to know the composition of some particles by using Attenuated Total Reflectance-Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR). The results show that, in 400 L of filtered water, approximately 0.0846 g of microplastics were found, showing the pollution of the place by, at least, microparticles of low-density polyethylene (LDPE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), which resembles the vast majority, and polytetrafluoroethylene (PFTE).
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El Niño events and their climatic effects vary markedly in intensity due to several factors related to oceanographic and atmospheric conditions in the Pacific equatorial ocean. As a result of ...fluctuations in the climate system, rainfall and temperature deviate from average conditions which causes severe biological, economic and social impacts worldwide. In this study, long-term (23 years) standardized monthly sampling of Brazilian silverside, Atherinella brasiliensis, resident fish that inhabits the shallow waters of a subtropical estuary, was performed to investigate the temporal variability in its abundance and relationship with local and regional environmental factors associated with El Niño events and temporal changes in seagrass meadows biomass. We investigated the following hypotheses: (i) A. brasiliensis abundance has presented a long-term decreasing trend, (ii) El Niño events with higher intensities are related to a higher decrease in the species abundance in the estuary and (iii) the decline in A. brasiliensis abundance is influenced by reduction of seagrass meadows, which serve as attachment sites for developing embryos of this species. Time series analysis revealed a statistically significant decrease in the abundance of A. brasiliensis, which was characterized by marked decline between 1996 and 2004 followed by a relative stability between 2005 and 2019. Generalized linear mixed models (GLMM) showed that its abundance decreased during high rainfall and lower salinity conditions associated with moderate and very strong El Niño events, but not during neutral and weak events. An additional GLMM also revealed significant effects of seagrass biomass on the fish abundance. In fact, years with marked decline in the fish abundance coincided with lower or absence of seagrass biomass in the estuary, especially between 1997 and 2005. Hence, negative climatic impacts on A. brasiliensis abundance may have been intensified by synergistic effects caused by periods of reduction in seagrass meadows. These findings raise concerns for conservation, especially when we consider that the studied species is ubiquitous in southwestern Atlantic estuaries and that climate disturbances such as El Niño are expected to become more frequent in the future due to rising ocean temperatures driven by global warming.
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•Climatic impacts induced by El Niño trigger alterations in hydrological cycles.•Abundance declined during moderate and very strong, but not in neutral and weak El Niño events.•Abundance dropped abruptly between 1996 and 2004, but stabilized from 2005 to 2019.•Climatic impacts maybe were intensified by synergistic effects caused by estuarine habitat loss.
Plastics are abundant artificial substrates in aquatic systems that host a wide variety of organisms (the plastisphere), including potential pathogens and invasive species. Plastisphere communities ...have many complex, but not well-understood ecological interactions. It is pivotal to investigate how these communities are influenced by the natural fluctuations in aquatic ecosystems, especially in transitional environments such as estuaries. Further study is needed in subtropical regions in the Southern Hemisphere, where plastic pollution is ever increasing. Here we applied DNA-metabarcoding (16S, 18S and ITS-2) as well Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) to assess the diversity of the plastisphere in the Patos Lagoon estuary (PLE), South Brazil. Through a one-year in situ colonization experiment, polyethylene (PE) and polypropylene (PP) plates were placed in shallow waters, and sampled after 30 and 90 days within each season. Over 50 taxa including bacteria, fungi and other eukaryotes were found through DNA analysis. Overall, the polymer type did not influence the plastisphere community composition. However, seasonality significantly affected community composition for bacteria, fungi and general eukaryotes. Among the microbiota, we found Acinetobacter sp., Bacillus sp., and Wallemia mellicola that are putative pathogens of aquatic organisms, such as algae, shrimp and fish, including commercial species. In addition, we identified organisms within genera that can potentially degrade hydrocarbons (e.g. Pseudomonas and Cladosporium spp). This study is the first to assess the full diversity and variation of the plastisphere on different polymers within a subtropical Southern Hemisphere estuary, significantly expanding knowledge on plastic pollution and the plastisphere in estuarine regions.
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•Season had a stronger influence in shaping the plastisphere compared to polymer and incubation time.•We identified 14 bacterial and 6 fungal phyla, as well as 39 groups of eukaryotes.•We found putative plastic biodegraders and pathogens within the plastisphere in the PLE.
The Patos Lagoon, located in the southernmost part of Brazil, is a shallow and turbid lagoon of enormous ecological and economical importance. The seasonal, annual, and interannual variability of ...suspended sediment concentrations (SSC) in the lagoon was investigated in this study based on five years (2002–2006) of hydrodynamics + SSC simulations using the TELEMAC – 3D hydrodynamic model. The model was first calibrated and validated by comparing results with in situ current velocities, salinity, water levels, and SSC measurements, indicating a reasonable/good performance for the majority of the time. Modelling results were then combined with river discharge, wind, precipitation rates, and climate indices (El-Niño Southern Oscillation - ENSO) data to identify their influence on SSC throughout the lagoon. The relation between daily time series of SSC and river discharge was high (r ≈ 0.80), suggesting a strong correlation between these time series in the Patos Lagoon. SSC seasonal variability was also observed, with high SSC from winter to spring, and moderate to low SSC during summer and fall, indicating a relation with the river discharge pattern. On the interannual variability scale, the ENSO influence promoted high SSC values throughout the lagoon, mainly during El Niño years and near the tributaries mouth, while the opposite pattern was observed during La Niña years. Thus, the Patos Lagoon proved to be a dynamic system where SSC are mainly controlled by river discharges at longer timescales and modulated by the wind action at shorter timescales.
•SSC was modelled for five years at Patos Lagoon using Telemac-3D model.•SSC is related to river discharges and winds influence SSC propagation.•ENSO influences SSC on interannual timescales.•SSC is driven by river discharges (long timescales) and winds (short timescales).
This case study is part of a series centered on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) healthcare-associated infection (HAI) surveillance ...definitions. This specific case study focuses on the application of common surveillance concepts included in the Patient Safety Component, Chapter 9 – Surgical Site Infection Event (SSI). The intent of the case study series is to foster standardized application of the NHSN HAI surveillance definitions and encourage accurate HAI event determination among Infection Preventionists (IPs).
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