The Disturbed Habitat and Its Effects on the Animal Population

Capucchio, Maria Teresa; Colombino, Elena; Tarantola, Martina; Biagini, Davide; Alborali, L.; Maisano, A; Scali, Federico; Raspa, Federica; Valle, Emanuela; Biasato, Ilaria; Schiavone, Achille; Salogni, Cristian; Bar, Valentina; Gili, Claudia; Guarda, F.

doi:10.5772/intechopen.84872

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…Our study confirms this relation and further reveals that grassland specialists are the first to disappear from intensively grazed grasslands, since we found that the number of grassland specialists was lower in intensively grazed grasslands compared to those mown or abandoned. Our results also support the concern of many Romanian ecologists towards the increasing problem of overgrazing in the last decade (Roman et al, 2019). According to our findings, besides current management, land use history had a marked effect on the species composition and diversity of the studied grasslands.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Grassland management and land use history shape species composition and diversity in Transylvanian semi‐natural grasslands

Kühn

Domokos

Kiss

et al. 2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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Aims Semi‐natural grasslands are among the most biodiverse habitats in Europe, and they are of great conservation and agricultural value. However, changes in land use like grazing intensification and the cessation of traditional management have dramatic effects on the extent and biodiversity of these ecosystems. In this study we investigated how current management practices and land use history shape species composition and diversity patterns in semi‐natural grasslands of the Eastern hills of the Cluj region. Location Eastern hills of Cluj (“Dealurile Clujului de Est” ‐ ROSCI0295) Natura 2000 conservation site and close surroundings, Transylvania, Romania. Methods We surveyed plots in extensively and intensively grazed grasslands, grasslands mown by hand or heavy machinery, and abandoned grasslands. To quantify grassland continuity, we analysed a series of historical cadastral and more current maps ranging from the 18th to the 21st century. Results Species composition was significantly influenced by current management, grassland continuity and environmental factors. Mown and extensively grazed grasslands had more grassland and forest edge specialists than abandoned and intensively grazed grasslands. In addition, there was a positive relationship between the number of grassland specialists, forest edge species and grassland continuity, while the number of ruderal species related negatively to grassland continuity. The highest diversity values were recorded in traditionally mown grasslands. However, diversity‐related variables were poorly reflected by grassland continuity. Conclusions This study provides evidence that short‐term abandonment may not be as detrimental for grasslands as often suggested, and intensive grazing results in the greatest loss in species diversity. Grassland continuity tightly influences the persistence of grassland specialist species. Thus, we recommend land use history to be included in the selection and identification of high‐nature‐value grasslands by prioritizing conservation efforts for older grasslands.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Grassland management and land use history shape species composition and diversity in Transylvanian semi‐natural grasslands

Kühn

Domokos

Kiss

et al. 2021

Applied Vegetation Science

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“…The plumage conditions and body lesions confirmed that the more static genotypes (M and CY) also exhibited the lowest scores. Accordingly, it has been reported that these body lesions are associated with the contact of the body, mainly the plumage of the breast and the feet, with the humid and soiled bedding [24].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Assessment of a Multifactorial Score for the Adaptability Evaluation of Six Poultry Genotypes to the Organic System

Mancinelli

Mattioli

Menchetti

et al. 2021

Animals

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This study aimed to develop an adaptability score (AS) for chicken strains, which includes behavioral, plumage conditions, and body lesion indicators through a multifactorial approach. A total of 600 male chickens from 6 poultry genotypes—Ranger Classic (R1), Ranger Gold (R2), Rowan Ranger (R3), Hubbard Red JA (A), CY Gen 5 × JA87 (CY), and M22 × JA87 (M)—were reared under organic conditions, fed ad libitum, and individually weighed weekly to calculate the daily weight gain (DWG). The behavioral observations consisted of the explorative attitude (EA), recorded at 21 days, and the behavioral patterns (BPs) recorded the week before the slaughter. The AS was established by a principal component analysis, and the AS of these genotypes was compared. Moreover, the effect of DWG and genotype on the AS was evaluated by univariable and multivariable regression models. Although the DWG and genotype were strictly dependent, genotype was the most important factor affecting the AS. In fact, its effect was significant both in univariable (p < 0.001) and multivariable models (p < 0.001). Conversely, the DWG was significant only in the univariable and lost significance when the effect of genotype was introduced in the model.

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“…Although the hippocampus is a common brain area for the consolidation process of both types of memory, the functional network for each includes different adjacent areas whose process of both maturation and aging varies in a multifactorial manner and at different temporal levels (de Oliveira et al, 2011 ; Jacobs et al, 2015 ). From an evolutionary point of view, young and adult animals face ecological pressures with adaptive solutions that can be different but equally effective (Martins, 2011 ; Croft et al, 2015 ; Capucchio et al, 2019 ). With aging, ecological demands change, so do their adaptive strategies and the physiological and neural mechanisms that evolve to support them (Austad, 1997 ; Rovee-Collier and Cuevas, 2009 ; Martins, 2011 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Multivariate Assessment of Age-Related Cognitive Impairment in Octodon degus

Rivera

Lindsay

Oliva

et al. 2021

Front. Integr. Neurosci.

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Aging is a progressive functional decline characterized by a gradual deterioration in physiological function and behavior. The most important age-related change in cognitive function is decline in cognitive performance (i.e., the processing or transformation of information to make decisions that includes speed of processing, working memory, and learning). The purpose of this study is to outline the changes in age-related cognitive performance (i.e., short-term recognition memory and long-term learning and memory) in long-lived Octodon degus. The strong similarity between degus and humans in social, metabolic, biochemical, and cognitive aspects makes it a unique animal model for exploring the mechanisms underlying the behavioral and cognitive deficits related to natural aging. In this study, we examined young adult female degus (12- and 24-months-old) and aged female degus (38-, 56-, and 75-months-old) that were exposed to a battery of cognitive-behavioral tests. Multivariate analyses of data from the Social Interaction test or Novel Object/Local Recognition (to measure short-term recognition memory), and the Barnes maze test (to measure long-term learning and memory) revealed a consistent pattern. Young animals formed a separate group of aged degus for both short- and long-term memories. The association between the first component of the principal component analysis (PCA) from short-term memory with the first component of the PCA from long-term memory showed a significant negative correlation. This suggests age-dependent differences in both memories, with the aged degus having higher values of long-term memory ability but poor short-term recognition memory, whereas in the young degus an opposite pattern was found. Approximately 5% of the young and 80% of the aged degus showed an impaired short-term recognition memory; whereas for long-term memory about 32% of the young degus and 57% of the aged degus showed decreased performance on the Barnes maze test. Throughout this study, we outlined age-dependent cognitive performance decline during natural aging in degus. Moreover, we also demonstrated that the use of a multivariate approach let us explore and visualize complex behavioral variables, and identified specific behavioral patterns that allowed us to make powerful conclusions that will facilitate further the study on the biology of aging. In addition, this study could help predict the onset of the aging process based on behavioral performance.

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The Disturbed Habitat and Its Effects on the Animal Population

Cited by 7 publications

References 34 publications

Grassland management and land use history shape species composition and diversity in Transylvanian semi‐natural grasslands

Grassland management and land use history shape species composition and diversity in Transylvanian semi‐natural grasslands

The Assessment of a Multifactorial Score for the Adaptability Evaluation of Six Poultry Genotypes to the Organic System

A Multivariate Assessment of Age-Related Cognitive Impairment in Octodon degus

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