The social organization of marked Helmeted Guineafowl(Numida meleagris) was studied in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve(Gauteng Province,South Africa) during March 1982 to February 1984.Flock members(7-10 guineafowl) did ...The social organization of marked Helmeted Guineafowl(Numida meleagris) was studied in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve(Gauteng Province,South Africa) during March 1982 to February 1984.Flock members(7-10 guineafowl) did not associate randomly.Helmeted Guineafowl must live in a sociable flock to survive in the wild.The highest ranking male(male A) formed the pivot of the daily activities of the flock,such as determining foraging direction.High ranking males(males A and B) associated closely to repulse conspecific intruders.Breeding females associated more often with the high ranking males during the breeding season.Although a pecking order was established among males,the frequency of agonistic actions within the flock was very low,which suggests that agonistic interactions are limited to maintain cohesion.Adult females remained between the dominant male and the juveniles to minimize victimization.The second highest ranking male(B) took center stage while the dominant male and his female left temporarily to breed and then the rest of the flock clustered around him to maintain the cohesive nature of the flock.Most adults assisted with the brooding of the chicks of the highest ranking male.Flocking is,among other functions,a predator surveillance strategy that enables the Helmeted Guineafowl to forage under conditions with very limited ground cover and to maximize food finding during winter.展开更多
The main aims of this research were to study possible differences in objective morphometric sperm characteristics, establish normative sperm morphometry standards, and evaluate the presumed different subpopulation dis...The main aims of this research were to study possible differences in objective morphometric sperm characteristics, establish normative sperm morphometry standards, and evaluate the presumed different subpopulation distribution of avian spermatozoa from the rooster （Gallus domesticus） and Guinea fowl （Numida meleagris） as model avian species. Seventy-two ejaculates （36 per species studied） were obtained manually, following a training period involving gently combined dorso-abdominal and lumbo.sacral massage of the birds. Ejaculates were processed for volume, sperm concentration, viability, motility, and morphology. Moreover, samples were submitted for sperm morphometric assessment using objective Computer-Assisted Semen Analysis for Morphometry （CASA-Morph） methods, with sperm morphometric descriptors evaluated by Principal Component Analysis （PCA） and multivariate clustering analyses. There were several differences observed between the avian species in values obtained for ejaculate volume and sperm concentration （P 〈 0.001）. Irrespective of species, PCA revealed two Principal Components （PCs） explaining more than 80% of the variance. In addition, the number of subpopulations differed with species （three and five subpopulations for rooster and Guinea fowl, respectively）. Moreover, the distribution of the sperm subpopulations was found to be structurally different between species. In conclusion, our findings from using CASA-Morph methods indicate pronounced sperm morphometric variation between these two avian species. Because of the strong differences observed in morphometric parameter values and their subpopulation distribution, these results suggest that application of objective analytical methods such as CASA-Morph could substantially improve the reliability of comparative studies and help establish valid normative sperm morphological values for avian species.展开更多
Objective: To determine the gastrointestinal tract helminthic fauna in domestic and wild guineafowl in Zambia.Methods: Post-mortem and laboratory parasitological examinations for helminth identification and enumeratio...Objective: To determine the gastrointestinal tract helminthic fauna in domestic and wild guineafowl in Zambia.Methods: Post-mortem and laboratory parasitological examinations for helminth identification and enumeration were conducted on 198 guineafowls(148 domestic and 50 wild) from November 2010 to October 2011.Results: All guineafowls were infested with one or more helminths. Eleven helminth species, namely, Raillietina echinobothrida, Raillietina tetragona, Raillietina cesticillus, Ascaridia galli, Allodapa suctoria, Gongylonema ingluvicola, Tetrameres spp., Heterakis spp., Acuaria spiralis, Syngamus trachea, and Streptocara pectinifera were identified with no trematodes recorded. Mean nematode burden between domestic and wild fowl showed no differences having 113.7 [confidence interval(CI) 98.9-128.6] and 108(CI 76.6-139.5) nematodes respectively. In contrast, female guineafowls had a mean of 151.9(CI 128.4-177.8) nematodes per host which was significantly more than the males that had a mean of 79.6(CI 66.8-94.4). However, there were differences in helminth species richness between domestic and wild guineafowls with domestic guineafowls having more species present at a mean of 4.2(CI 3.91-4.44) than the wild ones at a mean of 3.4(CI 2.92-3.88) but there were no sex differences. Eight of the eleven helminth species co-occurred in domestic and wild fowl and five of the helminth species had higher prevalence in domestic guineafowls.Conclusions: Syngamus trachea, Streptocara pectinifera and Acuaria spiralis are reported for the first time in domestic poultry in Zambia. This study represents the first comparative study of helminths in domestic and wild guineafowls at an interface area and adds to the knowledge base in a discipline where a dearth currently exists.展开更多
克隆了乌骨鸡(BF2*SI)和珍珠鸡(BF2*NM)群主要组织相容性复合体I(MHC class I)和β微球蛋白(β2m)基因,分析了其分子特征与等位基因多态性。BF2*SI相互间氨基酸同源率为75.5%~93.9%,保留了人HLA-A2与抗原多肽结合的7个关键性氨基酸。BF2...克隆了乌骨鸡(BF2*SI)和珍珠鸡(BF2*NM)群主要组织相容性复合体I(MHC class I)和β微球蛋白(β2m)基因,分析了其分子特征与等位基因多态性。BF2*SI相互间氨基酸同源率为75.5%~93.9%,保留了人HLA-A2与抗原多肽结合的7个关键性氨基酸。BF2*NM相互间氨基酸同源率为81.1%~98.5%,保留了人HLA-A2与抗原多肽结合的6个关键性氨基酸。BF2*SI在α1和α2区(抗原多肽结合区,PBD)有24个高置换率位点,置换率最高的为69位和9位。BF2*NM在PBD区共有6个高置换率位点。BF2*SIPBD发生氨基酸置换的位点数大于来航鸡BF2,BF2*NMPBD区氨基酸置换的位点数和置换率则远远小于来航鸡BF2。根据同源率,将BF2*SIα1区分为4类,α2区分为3类,α3区分为3类,并由此聚类为5个系谱(A^E)。将BF2*NMα1区分为3类,α2区分为3类,α3区分为1类,并由此聚类为3个系谱(A^C)。比较发现BF2*03SI、BF2*04SI和BF2*05NM的α1区与抗马立克氏病的BF2*21同源率最高(分别为86.4%、86.4%和87.5%);BF2*05SI和BF2*05NM的α2区与BF2*21同源率最高(均为93.4%)。另外,根据成熟肽区的氨基酸序列可将乌骨、珍珠鸡β2m分为两类,第一类和来航鸡β2m(M84767)氨基酸序列完全相同,第二类与第一类相比,氨基酸序列相互间同源率为85.7%。结果揭示了各类鸡的MHCⅠ和β2m基因具有品种分子特征。展开更多
文摘The social organization of marked Helmeted Guineafowl(Numida meleagris) was studied in the Krugersdorp Game Reserve(Gauteng Province,South Africa) during March 1982 to February 1984.Flock members(7-10 guineafowl) did not associate randomly.Helmeted Guineafowl must live in a sociable flock to survive in the wild.The highest ranking male(male A) formed the pivot of the daily activities of the flock,such as determining foraging direction.High ranking males(males A and B) associated closely to repulse conspecific intruders.Breeding females associated more often with the high ranking males during the breeding season.Although a pecking order was established among males,the frequency of agonistic actions within the flock was very low,which suggests that agonistic interactions are limited to maintain cohesion.Adult females remained between the dominant male and the juveniles to minimize victimization.The second highest ranking male(B) took center stage while the dominant male and his female left temporarily to breed and then the rest of the flock clustered around him to maintain the cohesive nature of the flock.Most adults assisted with the brooding of the chicks of the highest ranking male.Flocking is,among other functions,a predator surveillance strategy that enables the Helmeted Guineafowl to forage under conditions with very limited ground cover and to maximize food finding during winter.
文摘The main aims of this research were to study possible differences in objective morphometric sperm characteristics, establish normative sperm morphometry standards, and evaluate the presumed different subpopulation distribution of avian spermatozoa from the rooster （Gallus domesticus） and Guinea fowl （Numida meleagris） as model avian species. Seventy-two ejaculates （36 per species studied） were obtained manually, following a training period involving gently combined dorso-abdominal and lumbo.sacral massage of the birds. Ejaculates were processed for volume, sperm concentration, viability, motility, and morphology. Moreover, samples were submitted for sperm morphometric assessment using objective Computer-Assisted Semen Analysis for Morphometry （CASA-Morph） methods, with sperm morphometric descriptors evaluated by Principal Component Analysis （PCA） and multivariate clustering analyses. There were several differences observed between the avian species in values obtained for ejaculate volume and sperm concentration （P 〈 0.001）. Irrespective of species, PCA revealed two Principal Components （PCs） explaining more than 80% of the variance. In addition, the number of subpopulations differed with species （three and five subpopulations for rooster and Guinea fowl, respectively）. Moreover, the distribution of the sperm subpopulations was found to be structurally different between species. In conclusion, our findings from using CASA-Morph methods indicate pronounced sperm morphometric variation between these two avian species. Because of the strong differences observed in morphometric parameter values and their subpopulation distribution, these results suggest that application of objective analytical methods such as CASA-Morph could substantially improve the reliability of comparative studies and help establish valid normative sperm morphological values for avian species.
基金Supported by the University of Zambia under UNZA-MAN No:07193
文摘Objective: To determine the gastrointestinal tract helminthic fauna in domestic and wild guineafowl in Zambia.Methods: Post-mortem and laboratory parasitological examinations for helminth identification and enumeration were conducted on 198 guineafowls(148 domestic and 50 wild) from November 2010 to October 2011.Results: All guineafowls were infested with one or more helminths. Eleven helminth species, namely, Raillietina echinobothrida, Raillietina tetragona, Raillietina cesticillus, Ascaridia galli, Allodapa suctoria, Gongylonema ingluvicola, Tetrameres spp., Heterakis spp., Acuaria spiralis, Syngamus trachea, and Streptocara pectinifera were identified with no trematodes recorded. Mean nematode burden between domestic and wild fowl showed no differences having 113.7 [confidence interval(CI) 98.9-128.6] and 108(CI 76.6-139.5) nematodes respectively. In contrast, female guineafowls had a mean of 151.9(CI 128.4-177.8) nematodes per host which was significantly more than the males that had a mean of 79.6(CI 66.8-94.4). However, there were differences in helminth species richness between domestic and wild guineafowls with domestic guineafowls having more species present at a mean of 4.2(CI 3.91-4.44) than the wild ones at a mean of 3.4(CI 2.92-3.88) but there were no sex differences. Eight of the eleven helminth species co-occurred in domestic and wild fowl and five of the helminth species had higher prevalence in domestic guineafowls.Conclusions: Syngamus trachea, Streptocara pectinifera and Acuaria spiralis are reported for the first time in domestic poultry in Zambia. This study represents the first comparative study of helminths in domestic and wild guineafowls at an interface area and adds to the knowledge base in a discipline where a dearth currently exists.
文摘克隆了乌骨鸡(BF2*SI)和珍珠鸡(BF2*NM)群主要组织相容性复合体I(MHC class I)和β微球蛋白(β2m)基因,分析了其分子特征与等位基因多态性。BF2*SI相互间氨基酸同源率为75.5%~93.9%,保留了人HLA-A2与抗原多肽结合的7个关键性氨基酸。BF2*NM相互间氨基酸同源率为81.1%~98.5%,保留了人HLA-A2与抗原多肽结合的6个关键性氨基酸。BF2*SI在α1和α2区(抗原多肽结合区,PBD)有24个高置换率位点,置换率最高的为69位和9位。BF2*NM在PBD区共有6个高置换率位点。BF2*SIPBD发生氨基酸置换的位点数大于来航鸡BF2,BF2*NMPBD区氨基酸置换的位点数和置换率则远远小于来航鸡BF2。根据同源率,将BF2*SIα1区分为4类,α2区分为3类,α3区分为3类,并由此聚类为5个系谱(A^E)。将BF2*NMα1区分为3类,α2区分为3类,α3区分为1类,并由此聚类为3个系谱(A^C)。比较发现BF2*03SI、BF2*04SI和BF2*05NM的α1区与抗马立克氏病的BF2*21同源率最高(分别为86.4%、86.4%和87.5%);BF2*05SI和BF2*05NM的α2区与BF2*21同源率最高(均为93.4%)。另外,根据成熟肽区的氨基酸序列可将乌骨、珍珠鸡β2m分为两类,第一类和来航鸡β2m(M84767)氨基酸序列完全相同,第二类与第一类相比,氨基酸序列相互间同源率为85.7%。结果揭示了各类鸡的MHCⅠ和β2m基因具有品种分子特征。
