| 1. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N, et al.
(författare)
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The database of the PREDICTS (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems) project
- 2017
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 2045-7758. ; 7:1, s. 145-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The PREDICTS project-Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems (www.predicts.org.uk)-has collated from published studies a large, reasonably representative database of comparable samples of biodiversity from multiple sites that differ in the nature or intensity of human impacts relating to land use. We have used this evidence base to develop global and regional statistical models of how local biodiversity responds to these measures. We describe and make freely available this 2016 release of the database, containing more than 3.2 million records sampled at over 26,000 locations and representing over 47,000 species. We outline how the database can help in answering a range of questions in ecology and conservation biology. To our knowledge, this is the largest and most geographically and taxonomically representative database of spatial comparisons of biodiversity that has been collated to date; it will be useful to researchers and international efforts wishing to model and understand the global status of biodiversity.
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| 2. |
- Hudson, Lawrence N., et al.
(författare)
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The PREDICTS database : a global database of how local terrestrial biodiversity responds to human impacts
- 2014
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 4:24, s. 4701-4735
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biodiversity continues to decline in the face of increasing anthropogenic pressures such as habitat destruction, exploitation, pollution and introduction of alien species. Existing global databases of species' threat status or population time series are dominated by charismatic species. The collation of datasets with broad taxonomic and biogeographic extents, and that support computation of a range of biodiversity indicators, is necessary to enable better understanding of historical declines and to project - and avert - future declines. We describe and assess a new database of more than 1.6 million samples from 78 countries representing over 28,000 species, collated from existing spatial comparisons of local-scale biodiversity exposed to different intensities and types of anthropogenic pressures, from terrestrial sites around the world. The database contains measurements taken in 208 (of 814) ecoregions, 13 (of 14) biomes, 25 (of 35) biodiversity hotspots and 16 (of 17) megadiverse countries. The database contains more than 1% of the total number of all species described, and more than 1% of the described species within many taxonomic groups - including flowering plants, gymnosperms, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, beetles, lepidopterans and hymenopterans. The dataset, which is still being added to, is therefore already considerably larger and more representative than those used by previous quantitative models of biodiversity trends and responses. The database is being assembled as part of the PREDICTS project (Projecting Responses of Ecological Diversity In Changing Terrestrial Systems - ). We make site-level summary data available alongside this article. The full database will be publicly available in 2015.
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| 3. |
- Bolarin, A., et al.
(författare)
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Use of frozen-thawed semen aggravates the summer-autumn infertility of artificially inseminated weaned sows in the Mediterranean region
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Animal Science. - : American Society of Animal Science. - 0021-8812 .- 1525-3163. ; 87:12, s. 3967-3975
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Improvement of farrowing rate (FR) and litter size (LS) of sows that are AI with frozen-thawed (FT) semen can hardly be reached without identification of the factors behind the high variability seen among trials. Three experiments using weaned (4-d wean-to-estrus interval) multiparous (parity 2 to 7) sows were conducted to evaluate the effect of period of the year on FR and LS of FT-inseminated sows in southern Spain. Sows were grouped into 2 periods of the year: winter-spring (November to April; WS) and summer-autumn (May to October; SA). Ovarian status was monitored by transrectal ultrasonography to record how long before or after ovulation AI was performed (pre-, peri-, or postovulatory AI) and to determine the onset of estrus-to-ovulation interval (EOI). Inseminations were performed using deep intrauterine AI with 1.5 x 109 FT sperm per dose. The first experiment was designed to determine the influence of the period of the year on FR and LS of FT semen. Sows (116 in WS and 100 in SA) were AI at 33 and 39 h after the onset of estrus. The period of the year influenced the FR and LS (P less than 0.01). Farrowing rate and LS were least in SA (P less than 0.05). This pattern of annual variation was similar to that shown by sows on the same farm currently undergoing AI with liquid semen (cervical AI at 12 and 36 h after the onset of estrus with 3 x 109 sperm per dose). However, the FR reduction in SA respect to WS was more substantial in sows artificially inseminated with FT (77.6 vs. 50%, P less than 0.001) than those artificially inseminated with liquid semen (83.9 vs. 71.8%, P less than 0.05). More pre- and less periovulatory AI were performed in SA sows than in WS sows (P = 0.05). Experiment 2 was designed to evaluate whether the period of the year influenced EOI. Ovarian status was transrectal ultrasonography scanned every 6 h after the onset of estrus until the end of ovulation (WS: 30; SA: 31 sows). There were more sows with long EOI (greater than48 h) in SA than in WS (P = 0.05). Experiment 3 aimed to improve the reduced FR and LS recorded in SA sows when using FT semen (Exp. 1) by inducing ovulation with eCG + hCG. A single AI with FT semen was performed 5 h before the expected ovulation (55 sows). As a control, spontaneously ovulating sows (n = 53) were FT-inseminated as in Exp. 1. Hormonal induction of ovulation did not improve FR and LS (P greater than 0.05). In the Spanish Mediterranean area, a longer EOI during SA negatively influenced the FR and LS of weaned sows after AI. This effect was particularly evident when FT semen was used. These findings were not ameliorated by hormonal induction of ovulation.
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| 4. |
- Cuello, C., et al.
(författare)
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Superfine open pulled straws vitrification of porcine blastocysts does not require pretreatment with cytochalasin B and/or centrifugation
- 2010
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Ingår i: Reproduction, Fertility and Development. - : CSIRO Publishing. - 1031-3613 .- 1448-5990. ; 22:5, s. 808-817
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The present study investigated the in vitro development of and cytoskeletal disruption suffered by in vivo-derived porcine blastocysts subjected to superfine open pulled straws (SOPS) vitrification. Blastocysts were either untreated prior to SOPS vitrification or were subjected to one of the following three pretreatment protocols: (1) centrifugation (12 min, 13 000g); (2) 25 min equilibration with 7.5 mu g mL(-1) cytochalasin B; or (3) equilibration with cytochalasin B followed by centrifugation. After 24 h culture, fresh (n = 32) and vitrified-warmed (n = 188) blastocysts were evaluated by stereomicroscopy, with survival and hatching rates recorded. Some blastocysts were stained with 4,6-diamidino2- phenylindole and processed for cytoskeletal evaluation. Three cytoskeletal patterns were identified: Grade I, intact cytoskeleton; Grade II, gross maintenance of integrity, but with some clumps of actin within the cytoplasm; and Grade III, a highly disrupted cytoskeleton. There were no differences in the survival, hatching and cell death rats, total cell number or cytoskeletal integrity between the different vitrification groups. Cell death was greater for vitrified blastocysts than for fresh blastocysts (3.6 +/- 0.4% v. 0.4 +/- 0.7%, respectively; P less than 0.05) and the percentage of blastocysts with a Grade I cytoskeletal pattern was lower for vitrified compared with fresh blastocysts (60.8% v. 92%, respectively; P less than 0.05). The vitrified-warmed blastocysts that hatched during culture exhibited a Grade I cytoskeletal pattern. In conclusion, successful SOPS vitrification of porcine blastocysts does not require pretreatment with cytochalasin B and/or centrifugation.
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| 5. |
- Sanchez-Osorio, J., et al.
(författare)
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In vitro postwarming viability of vitrified porcine embryos: Effect of cryostorage length
- 2010
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Ingår i: Theriogenology. - : Elsevier. - 0093-691X .- 1879-3231. ; 74:3, s. 486-490
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Porcine embryos, which had been vitrified and stored in liquid nitrogen for up to three yr, were retrospectively analyzed to evaluate the influence of duration of storage on their in vitro viability post-warming. All embryos were vitrified (OPS or SOPS) and warmed (three-step or direct warming) using procedures that resulted in the same in vitro survival, hatching rates, and numbers of cells. Therefore, embryo data obtained using the different procedures were pooled according to their developmental stage as morulae (n = 571) or blastocysts (n = 797) and to the length of their storage in liquid nitrogen: a) 1-9 d; b) 10-30 d; c) 31-90 d; d) 1-3 yr. Non-vitrified embryos of corresponding developmental stages were used as a fresh control group (n = 280). Survival and hatching rates were evaluated after in vitro culture to assess embryo viability. The total number of cells was counted in the resulting viable blastocysts as an indicator of quality. A total of 1,648 fresh and vitrified embryos were analyzed. In vitro survival and hatching rates, but not the number of cells, differed significantly between vitrified morulae and their fresh counterparts irrespective of the duration of cryostorage. Length of storage in liquid nitrogen (LN(2)) did not influence in vitro viability among different groups of vitrified/warmed morulae nor embryos at the blastocyst stage. In conclusion, duration of storage in LN2 has no effect on the post-warming viability of porcine embryos vitrified at morula or blastocyst stage. (C) 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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| 6. |
- Rodriguez-Martinez, Heriberto, et al.
(författare)
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Spermadhesin PSP-I/PSP-II heterodimer induces migration of polymorphonuclear neutrophils into the uterine cavity of the sow
- 2010
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Ingår i: Journal of Reproductive Immunology. - : Elsevier. - 0165-0378 .- 1872-7603. ; 84:1, s. 57-65
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Seminal plasma (SP) is a complex fluid which exerts biological actions in the female reproductive tract. In pigs, SP elicits endometrial inflammation and consequent immune changes after mating. This study tested whether heparin-binding spermadhesins (HBPs) and the heterodimer of porcine sperm adhesions I and II (PSP-I/PSP-II) in SP recruit different lymphocyte subsets (CD2(+), CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells) or polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) to the superficial endometrium or luminal epithelium and lumen, respectively, of oestrous sows. In Experiment 1, endometrial biopsies were taken between 2 and 120 min after infusion of uterine horns with HBPs, PSP-I/PSP-II or saline and evaluated by immunohistochemistry or histology. In Experiment 2, the uterus of oestrous sows was infused with PSP-I/PSP-II or saline to assess PMN numbers in the uterine lumen 3 h later. PSP-I/PSP-II elicited CD2(+) T cell recruitment from 10 min, and CD8(+) T cells from 60 min after infusion, while HBPs increased CD4(+) T cell recruitment by 120 min. PSP-I/PSP-II but not HBPs induced PMN migration to the surface epithelium by 10 min. PMN numbers were elevated 5-fold by 30 min and 7-fold from 60 min. with PMNs detectable in the lumen from 30 min after infusion. Six-fold more PMNs were collected from the uterine lumen of PSP-I/PSP-II-infused sows compared to controls at 3 h after infusion. These data show that PSP-I/PSP-II heterodimer in seminal plasma has a predominant role in triggering the recruitment of uterine PMNs and T cells after mating, initiating a cascade of transient and long-lasting immunological events. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
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