Search Results (3,244)

Rumen microbial fermentation plays a central role in nutrient utilization and milk production in dairy cows. This study evaluated the effects of supplementation with exogenous fibrolytic enzymes, alone or in combination with live yeast on rumen microbiota, fermentation characteristics, nitrogen-related metabolites, and production performance during the transition from outdoor grazing to indoor housing. Thirty Lithuanian Red dairy cows were assigned to control (CTR), enzyme (E), or enzyme plus yeast (YE) treatments across outdoor (OD) and transit (T) periods, while nine cows (three per group) were selected for rumen and microbiota analysis. Rumen bacterial communities were characterized using 16S rRNA gene sequencing, and functional parameters were evaluated using linear mixed-effects models. Supplementation resulted in selective changes in several bacterial genera, including Blautia spp., WPS-2, Ruminococcus spp., Erysipelotrichaceae UCG-009, Sharpea spp., uncultured Bacteroidales, and Prevotellaceae UCG-003, and was associated with alterations in fermentation patterns, particularly propionate concentration, and in nitrogen metabolism, including putrescine dynamics. The transition period significantly influenced microbial diversity and total bacterial abundance across treatments. Cows in the YE group maintained higher milk yield during the transition period. Overall, dietary supplementation modulated specific rumen metabolic responses and contributed to production stability without causing large-scale changes in overall microbial structure. Full article

Nature-based solutions (NbSs) are increasingly recognized as sustainable and cost-effective strategies for mitigating drought impacts. However, robust quantitative evidence on the effectiveness of NbSs for drought mitigation, especially under future climate change scenarios, remains limited. In particular, the extent to which grazing management can reduce agricultural and hydrological droughts over long time horizons is still poorly understood. This study examines the long-term effectiveness of grazing management as a NbS for mitigating drought under historical and future climate conditions in the Ganale Dawa River Basin, Ethiopia. We combined remote sensing, machine learning, and climate projections to simulate soil moisture and runoff using a long short-term memory (LSTM) model. Protected areas were used as proxies for light grazing, while adjacent non-protected areas represented heavy grazing. Agricultural and hydrological droughts were quantified using the standardized soil moisture index (SSMI) and standardized runoff index (SRI), respectively. The results show that light grazing consistently reduced drought severity compared to heavy grazing across all periods. Agricultural drought severity was reduced by up to ~15% under SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5, while hydrological drought severity showed substantially larger reductions, exceeding ~40% in mid- and late-future periods. Differences between grazing regimes widened under stronger climate forcing, indicating that grazing management benefits become more pronounced under future climate stress. These findings demonstrate that grazing management is an effective NbS for enhancing long-term drought resilience. Scaling up sustainable grazing practices could, therefore, serve as a practical climate adaptation strategy for drought-prone basins in Ethiopia and similar regions. Full article

Extensive animal production systems based on dryland pastures in Mediterranean regions have low profit margins. Improvements in soil fertility or grazing management and stocking rates are recognized strategies for reversing this situation and to ensure long-term agricultural sustainability. This article aims to assess whether this strategy of possible intensification of sheep production has a significant impact on soil compaction, which is a manifestation of soil functionality degradation resulting from trampling. An experimental design with four treatments was implemented (with and without dolomitic limestone application; continuous grazing with low stocking rates, CG-LSR, and deferred grazing with high stocking rates, DG-HSR). The study involved cone index (CI, in kPa) measurements (48 sampling areas, 12 in each treatment) on eight dates during two annual pasture/grazing cycles (2023/2024 and 2024/2025). Other soil parameters, the presence of trees and grazing preferences were also monitored and correlated with CI. The main results showed: (i) significantly higher soil compaction under CG-LSR than under DG-HSR; (ii) a negative and significant effect of soil moisture content (SMC) on CI (r = −0.381; p < 0.05); (iii) a significant CI increase in preferential grazing areas, but only in the topsoil layer (0–10 cm) and with a very weak correlation coefficient (r = 0.172; p < 0.05); and (iv) no significant differences in CI under and outside tree canopy areas (UTC and OTC, respectively) for the depth range of 0–30 cm. These results are good indicators of the desired and sustainable intensification of extensive livestock grazing systems. Full article

The development of accident-tolerant fuels has significantly enhanced the safety of fission reactors. The TiNbZrO alloy system has garnered considerable attention due to its excellent mechanical properties and outstanding irradiation resistance. Its unique compositional design enables effective suppression of irradiation-induced defect formation. In this study, TiNbZrO thin films are fabricated via radio-frequency magnetron sputtering and irradiated with 50 keV He ions to fluences of 5 × 10¹⁶, 1 × 10¹⁷, and 2 × 10¹⁷ ions/cm². The microstructural evolution before and after irradiation is characterized by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) and Grazing Incidence X-ray Diffraction (GIXRD), and the changes in mechanical properties are evaluated by nanoindentation. With increasing irradiation fluence, the average size of He bubbles increases from 1.10 nm to 2.06 nm, the number density decreases from 5.27 × 10²⁴ m⁻³ to 1.39 × 10²⁴ m⁻³, and the swelling rate rises from 0.37% to 0.64%. Although significant irradiation hardening is observed in all samples, the maximum hardening rate reaches only 31.91%, a value substantially lower than that reported for many conventional nuclear materials. This demonstrates the superior irradiation resistance of TiNbZrO thin films. The superior irradiation resistance of TiNbZrO thin films stems from two synergistic effects: high-entropy lattice distortion suppresses atomic diffusion, while oxygen complexes pin defects. Full article

To explore the seasonal variation patterns of the skin microecology of Altay sheep under transhumant grazing conditions, skin swabs were collected from 60 free-grazing Altay sheep at seasonal transition nodes in the Altay region. Metagenomic sequencing combined with untargeted metabolomics was used to characterize their bacterial community structure, functional pathways, and metabolite profiles. The results showed that the skin microecology of Altay sheep presented obvious seasonal variation patterns. In spring, 35 of the 39 highly abundant bacteria were environmentally derived, five proliferation-related pathways were significantly enriched, and the levels of five metabolites associated with microbial community regulation and skin barrier defense were elevated. In summer, the abundance of three skin symbiotic bacteria increased, the activities of eight pathways mainly related to biofilm formation were significantly enhanced, and the contents of five metabolites primarily associated with membrane lipid homeostasis and selective bacteriostasis increased. In autumn, the abundances of nine radiation-resistant and cold-tolerant strains increased, together with the elevated abundance of two opportunistic pathogens; five repair-related pathways were active, and the levels of four anti-inflammatory and repair-associated metabolites were synchronously increased. In winter, the abundance of two cold-tolerant strains increased, the activities of pathways related to nitrogen metabolism and energy synthesis were enhanced, and one lignan compound was identified as the key metabolite. These findings elucidate the seasonal dynamic patterns of the skin microecology of Altay sheep and provide a theoretical basis for research on the adaptive mechanisms and seasonal health management of Altay sheep and other sheep in alpine regions. Full article

Pasture ecosystems in the arid regions of Kazakhstan are highly vulnerable to the combined effects of climatic variability and increasing grazing pressure, while long-term spatial assessments of degradation remain limited. This study develops an integrative remote sensing-based framework for assessing pasture degradation in Atyrau Oblast by combining long-term NDVI time series (2000–2023) with grazing pressure indicators ($K_{sust}$ and LIPS), field observations, and climatic data. The results show that 49.3% of pasturelands are degraded, with statistically significant negative NDVI trends observed across most administrative districts. Areas experiencing pasture overload ($K_{sust}$ > 1.2) spatially coincide with persistent vegetation decline, and significant negative relationships between NDVI and livestock numbers are identified in several districts. The analysis also reveals spatial heterogeneity and lagged responses of vegetation dynamics to grazing pressure under varying climatic conditions. The proposed approach provides a novel integrative framework that links spectral vegetation indicators with climate-adjusted grazing metrics, enabling the identification of degradation hotspots and supporting spatially differentiated pasture management. This framework can be applied in regional land monitoring systems to improve decision-making for sustainable rangeland use under climate change. Full article

Grazing is a widespread land use practice with significant implications for biodiversity and ecosystem functioning. Wild ungulates, as key components of terrestrial ecosystems, play a vital role in maintaining ecosystem health. Dietary overlap exposes wild ungulates to intense competition with livestock, yet the effects of grazing on them remain underexplored. Using camera-trapping data from Xinglong County in the mountains of Southeast China, we investigated the spatiotemporal responses of eight wild ungulates to livestock (cattle and horses). Our results showed the following: (1) The potential distribution of suitable habitats for ungulates was primarily shaped by elevation (ELE), distance to temple (DTT), precipitation of the coldest quarter (bio19), and distance to water (DTW). Among the species, blue sheep (Pseudois nayaur) showed the strongest response to livestock presence. (2) Spatially, most ungulates appeared to avoid livestock; forest musk deer (Moschus berezovskii) showed spatial avoidance of horses. (3) Temporally, the daily activity patterns of most ungulates generally showed low to moderate overlap with those of cattle. These findings suggest that livestock grazing may be associated with negative effects on wild ungulates in Xinlong County. Given the ecological importance of ungulates, the need to maintain wildlife community integrity, and the long history of grazing in the region, further research is warranted to understand the role of livestock in shaping wildlife communities. Full article

The Mediterranean Sea is a major biodiversity hotspot increasingly affected by biological invasions, climate warming, and habitat degradation. Among the most successful invaders are the rabbitfish species Siganus luridus and Siganus rivulatus, Lessepsian migrants from the Red Sea that are now widespread across the eastern Mediterranean. This study examined how these invasive herbivores influence native herbivore assemblages in shallow coastal habitats around Lipsi Island in the Aegean Sea, Greece. Using Underwater Visual Census (UVC) surveys and in situ feeding observations, we quantified the abundance and grazing activity of invasive rabbitfish relative to that of the native herbivores Sparisoma cretense and Sarpa salpa. Invasive rabbitfish represented approximately 35% of the herbivore assemblages and showed clear habitat and dietary preferences. Significant negative correlations were observed between invasive foraging activity and the feeding rate of the native S. cretense, while no such effect was found for S. salpa. High habitat overlap between S. luridus and S. cretense suggests that this native species may be more susceptible to competition on rocky substrates. Evidence of partial resource partitioning was observed, including increased use of seagrass habitats by S. salpa. These findings highlight how invasive herbivores can restructure native herbivore communities and alter grazing dynamics in eastern Aegean coastal ecosystems. Given the ongoing sea warming and widespread decline of seagrass habitats across the Mediterranean, understanding these competitive interactions is therefore essential for assessing future biodiversity trajectories and informing management strategies. Full article

Brucellosis poses a persistent threat to livestock health in high-altitude pastoral regions of China, where harsh environments and semi-nomadic grazing increase transmission risk. Existing surveillance systems rely mainly on periodic serological testing and lack effective early warning capability. This study proposes an ensemble learning-based early warning framework integrating veterinary epidemiological indicators with environmental and herd-movement data. A total of 4826 herd-level records collected over five years (2019–2024) were analyzed, with an overall positivity rate of 11.4%. Multi-source data, including serological, clinical, reproductive, vaccination, meteorological, pasture-management, and herd-movement information (from GPS tracking and structured surveys), were integrated through epidemiology-guided feature engineering. To address class imbalance and temporal dynamics, Synthetic Minority Over-sampling Technique (SMOTE) resampling and sliding time-window features were applied. The proposed ensemble model combines Random Forest, XGBoost, and LightGBM using a soft-voting strategy, with logistic regression as a baseline. Results show that the ensemble model outperforms single models, achieving an AUC of 0.86 and a PR-AUC of 0.65. After threshold optimization, sensitivity increased from 0.78 to 0.87. Under field conditions, the system provided herd-level early warnings with an average lead time of approximately 12 days before confirmed outbreaks, demonstrating its feasibility and practical value for proactive brucellosis surveillance in high-altitude pastoral systems. Full article

Alpine meadow degradation is a serious challenge for animal husbandry and ecosystem safety in the Qilian Mountain area, northwest China. Although some restoration methods have been used, fertilization practices still rely heavily on chemical fertilizers. As a type of green and effective fertilizer, microbial fertilizer was put into a degraded alpine meadow in this study, and six fertilization treatments, including no fertilization (CK), diammonium phosphate (600 kg∙ha⁻¹) (DP), microbial fertilizer (75 kg·ha⁻¹) (MF), diammonium phosphate (600 kg∙ha⁻¹) with microbial fertilizer (75 kg·ha⁻¹) (DPMF1), diammonium phosphate (450 kg∙ha⁻¹) with microbial fertilizer (75 kg·ha⁻¹) (DPMF2), and diammonium phosphate (300 kg∙ha⁻¹) with microbial fertilizer (75 kg·ha⁻¹) (DPMF3), were conducted on a moderately degraded alpine meadow using field plot experimental methods to evaluate the effects of reduced chemical fertilizer combined with microbial fertilizer on the vegetation and soil characteristics of degraded alpine meadow in 2023 and 2024. The results indicated that DP showed the highest biomass production in the two study years, but there was no significant difference between DPMF2 and DP in 2024. The dominance of originally fine forage Kobresia humilis and Medicago ruthenica showed the highest values for the DPMF3 treatment in 2023 and for the DPMF2 treatment in 2024. The vegetation Shannon–Wiener diversity and richness indices of DPMF1, DPMF2 and DPMF3 were significantly higher than those of CK. However, community diversity decreased in the second year of fertilization. DPMF2 treatment significantly increased the contents of soil organic matter, available nitrogen and available phosphorus in 2024. Grey correlation analysis indicated that 450 kg·ha⁻¹ of diammonium phosphate combined with 75 kg·ha⁻¹ of microbial fertilizer was the most suitable regime for moderately degraded alpine meadow restoration in the study area. Full article

This study investigated the effects of different breeding methods on the cecal microbiota and production traits of Yimeng Black Goats (YBGs). Twenty-seven 3-month-old male YBGs were assigned to three groups (n = 9 each): total mixed ration once daily (A), concentrate in the morning and roughage in the afternoon (B), or grazing with supplementary feeding (C). Cecal bacterial communities were analyzed via 16S rRNA sequencing, and functional potential was predicted using FAPROTAX. Breeding method significantly altered microbial composition (p < 0.05). Beta diversity was highest in Group C, while alpha diversity remained similar across groups. Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes, and Proteobacteria were dominant; Proteobacteria were most abundant in Group A. At the genus level, relative abundances of nine taxa, including Lactobacillus and Fusobacterium, differed significantly (p < 0.05). At the species level, including Lactobacillus mucosae, Bacteroides massiliensis and Alistipes finegoldii, differed significantly (p < 0.05). Chemoheterotrophy and fermentation functions were most enriched, particularly in Group C. Total weight gain was highest in Group A and lowest in Group C (p < 0.05), while carcass rate showed no significant differences (p > 0.05). Correlation analysis revealed that Proteobacteria, Fusobacteria, and Euryarchaeota as the key phylum, and Bacteroides, Tyzzerella, Fusobacterium, unidentified_Prevotellaceae, Methanovrevibacter and Faecalibacterium as the key genera were influencing the production traits of YBGs. These findings highlight the adaptive responses of the cecal microbiota to breeding methods and their potential links to host performance. Full article

In Europe, the most valuable grasslands are semi-natural ecosystems maintained by long-term extensive human management, particularly pastoralism, and therefore do not represent climax vegetation. According to the Natura 2000 habitat interpretation manual (EUR-28), key habitats include xerothermic grasslands of Festuco-Brometalia (code 6210*) on calcareous soils and sandy grasslands of Koelerion glaucae (code 6120*) on poor substrates. Only 10–15% of their area in the EU has favorable conservation status. The main threat is secondary succession and encroachment (83.94%), caused by abandonment of traditional management (81.75%). Without mowing or grazing, dominant grasses replace rare species, followed by shrubs and trees. Other pressures include intensive agriculture (75.18%), habitat loss and fragmentation (69.34%), climate change (37.96%), invasive species (23.36%) and urbanization (14.60%). Multiple threats often co-occur, so cumulative percentages exceed 100%. The most effective conservation method is restoring or maintaining extensive grazing, particularly with local sheep and goat breeds. Grazing limits succession, increases structural diversity and promotes seed dispersal, creating a mosaic of microhabitats that enhances biodiversity. Effective protection requires landscape-scale actions, limiting urban development, and long-term support for farmers under the Common Agricultural Policy. Increasing public awareness of the ecological and cultural value of these ecosystems is also essential. Full article

Parasitic infections constitute a common concern for livestock breeders, since they induce animals with various physiological, behavioral, and neurological alterations. Consequently, they negatively affect their health, productivity, and welfare, leading to reduced productivity and increased mortality, and causing severe economic losses to livestock breeders. In the context of recent interest in the development of functional animal feeds and/or feed supplements with potent antiparasitic activity, we exploited the chemical contents and bioactivities of 21 wild and cultivated Fabaceae plant species against Haemonchus contortus and Trichostrongylus colubriformis, two widely prevalent gastrointestinal nematode parasites of small ruminants. The respective results revealed that four wildly grown plants exhibit potent antiparasitic activity, with Lathyrus laxiflorus exerting the most significant protective effect against both parasites tested. This plant was also found to display the highest antioxidant potency and the richest phenolic and tannin contents, with rutin molecules being the most abundant. Moreover, the extracts of 11 cultivated species were found to display potent antiparasitic activity, while Trifolium repens, Medicago sativa, and Lathyrus sativus species were determined to provide higher extraction yields and display the most potent antiparasitic activities. Results herein are indicative of Fabaceae plants’ potential to act against parasitic infections, either as grazing plants in pasture-based systems, or as bioactive dietary supplements in intensive farming systems, eventually contributing to reductions in antiparasitic drug utilization. Full article

This study demonstrates a hierarchical spectral modelling approach for predicting pasture nutrition metrics using TabPFN (Tabular Prior-Data Fitted Network), a transformer-based machine learning architecture. In the face of climate variability, aligning stocking rates with pasture resources is crucial for sustainable livestock grazing, requiring accurate assessments of both pasture biomass and nutrient composition. Our research, conducted across diverse growth stages at five tropical and subtropical savanna rangeland properties in Queensland, Australia, with native and introduced C4 grasses, employed a hierarchical sampling and modelling strategy that scales from laboratory spectroscopy to Sentinel-2 satellite predictions via uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) hyperspectral imaging. Spectral data were collected from leaf (laboratory spectroscopy) through field (point measurements), UAV hyperspectral imaging, and Sentinel-2 satellite imagery. Traditional laboratory wet chemistry methods determined plant leaf and stem nutrient content, from which crude protein (CP = total nitrogen (TN) × 6.25) and dry matter digestibility (DMD = 88.9–0.779 × acid detergent fibre (ADF)) were derived. TabPFN models were trained at each spatial scale, achieving validation ${\mathrm{R}}^2$ of 0.76 for crude protein at the leaf scale, 0.95 at the UAV scale, and 0.92 at the Sentinel-2 satellite scale. For dry matter digestibility, validation ${\mathrm{R}}^2$ was 0.88 at the UAV scale and 0.73 at the Sentinel-2 scale. A pasture classification masking approach using a deep neural network with 98.6% accuracy (7 classes) was implemented to focus predictions on productive pasture areas, excluding bare soil and woody vegetation. The Sentinel-2 models were trained on 462 samples from 19 site–date combinations across 11 field sites. The TabPFN architecture provided notable advantages over traditional neural networks: no hyperparameter tuning required, faster training, and superior generalisation from limited training samples. These results demonstrate the potential for accurate and efficient prediction and mapping of pasture quality across large areas (100 s–1000 s ${\mathrm{k}\mathrm{m}}^2$) using freely available satellite imagery and open-source machine learning frameworks. Full article

Urban coastal wetlands along the Peruvian Pacific coast are increasingly affected by urban expansion, pollution, and hydrological alterations, compromising their ecological integrity. In this context, the spatiotemporal variation of the aquatic macrophyte community and its relationship with limnological conditions and drivers of change were evaluated in the Santa Rosa wetland (Chancay, Lima). The objective is to evaluate the spatiotemporal variation of the aquatic macrophyte community in the Santa Rosa wetland and analyze its relationship with physicochemical limnological variables and drivers of change. Sampling was conducted during two contrasting hydrological seasons in 2022: T1 (low-water season) and T2 (high-water season), at six sampling points (P1–P6). Physicochemical variables (water depth, temperature, pH, conductivity, total dissolved solids—TDS, total suspended solids—TSS, dissolved oxygen—DO, turbidity, nitrate—NO₃⁻, ammonium—NH₄⁺, phosphate—PO₄³⁻, and dissolved organic matter—DOM) were measured, and the relative abundance of aquatic macrophytes was evaluated. Drivers of change were identified through direct observation and a structured matrix, with phosphate a PCoA performed to summarize spatiotemporal trends. Data were analyzed using Principal Component Analysis (PCA), Co-inertia analysis, and Multi-Response Permutation Procedures (MRPP). Significant spatiotemporal variation was observed in physicochemical parameters (p < 0.05), with moderate covariation between the two matrices (RV = 0.47). A total of ten aquatic macrophyte species were recorded, with higher abundance of Pontederia crassipes and Pistia stratiotes in T1, and Hydrocotyle ranunculoides and Bacopa monnieri in T2. The most relevant drivers of change were solid waste, livestock grazing, organic contamination, and urban expansion. Spatial heterogeneity was observed in the drivers of change affecting the Santa Rosa wetland, forming a mosaic of areas with different impact profiles. Despite multiple anthropogenic pressures, the Santa Rosa wetland maintains a limnological structure and a functionally coupled macrophyte community, suggesting that essential ecological processes are maintained within the temporal scope of this study. The observed covariation between physicochemical conditions and vegetation confirms the persistence of essential ecological processes, even within an altered urban context. This study demonstrates that integrating biotic components, limnological variables, and drivers of change is fundamental to understanding and monitoring the ecological dynamics of urban wetlands along the Peruvian coast. Full article