Maria Paola Ponzetta

Control of bracken (Pteridium aquilinum) and feeding preferences in pastures grazed by wild ungulates in an area of the Northern Apennines (Italy).

The diminution of pastoral activities in marginal areas, and consequently of livestock grazing, implies a strong encroachment of invasive vegetation. The conservation of the open areas is however particularly important for wildlife management. With this aim, this paper describes the results obtained in a protected area on the Apennine mountains (Italy), encroached by Pteridium aquilinum (L.) Kuhn. Two restoration practices were carried out by the Administration of the Regional Park of the Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone (Bologna, Italy), in order to reverse the infestation of bracken and restore pastures within the park. The pasture, only grazed by wild animals, was improved through different treatments (ploughing followed by cuttings vs harrowing), each followed by seeding of a forage mixture. Our results showed better performance of the ploughing both as pastoral value of recovered pasture and as botanical composition. Some differences in the effects of the two restoration techniques were also found on the biodiversity index and on floristic richness. Data about grazing selection of the single botanical species have also been collected. The tesults also showed different behaviour in feeding preferences for wild ungulates in comparison to domestic stocks, giving a better evaluation of the real forage availability for wild herbivores.

Field bean (Vicia faba var. minor) as a protein feed for growing lambs with and without protected lysine and methionine supplementation

Abstract Thirty-two Appenninica lambs were submitted to a growth trial from day 60 to day 110 of age (on average) and the composition of gains was estimated by means of the comparative slaughter technique. Sixteen different diets, based on wheat straw as the forage and on field bean (Vicia faba var. minor) as the sole protein feed, were tested both by means of ANOVA and of response surface analysis, a multiple regression method designed to study additive and interaction effects. This study thus examined the combined effect of 4 levels of dietary CP (13, 15, 18, 20% DM) and 4 levels of rumen protected lysine and methionine, replacing 4 levels of field bean CP (0, 1, 2, 3 percent units), upon intakes, gains, digestibility and retentions of nutrients within gains. The animals had rather high gains (250 g/d on average) and retention efficiencies both of feed nitrogen and energy. Dietary CP levels higher than 18% and amino acid supplementation appeared of no use in improving the lambs’ performance. It is concluded that field bean may represent a valid alternative to soy bean as a protein feed for growing ruminants in the so-called “organic” animal production where transgenic soy is banned.

Feeding evaluation of spontaneous species used by wild ungulates

Abstract Abandonment of traditional agricultural practices can produce remarkable effects on land use and on the vegetal composition of marginal areas. This is particularly true in the once grazed zones in the mountain environments, that are now affected by encroachment of shrubby vegetation. The conservation of these open areas and the preservation of a correct ratio pasture/wood are of extremely importance for wild animals. In this note we describe the effectiveness of agronomical intervention carried out to enhance pasture quality in a protected area of central Italy. Data collection concerned botanical composition, floristic richness and biodiversity of vegetation, before and after the intervention efforts. Moreover, data onutilization of single species were collected in order to evaluate the real consumption of each plant species by wild animals. Results confirmed the efficiency of the improvement of the studied area in terms of botanical composition and of pastoral value and they provided useful indications about the actual utilization of non forage plants by wild ungulates.

Morphological characteristics and chemical composition of muscle in the mirror carp (Cyprinus carpio var. specularis) as influenced by body weight

Abstract The evolution of morphological traits and muscle chemical composition during growth was analysed by allometric or normal regression (on body weight or total length or total lipid) utilizing a preliminary series of data obtained from mirror carps ranging from 39 to 2776 g body weight. The fish came from earthen ponds fed with warm water (refluent from a thermal power station) at about 10 °C above natural temperature. As regards allometric coefficients of components on body weight, gills (0.70) and filleting remnants (0.85) were the earliest growing while viscera (1.18) and skin (1.11) were the latest. Isoauxesis resulted for fins, excluding pelvic fins that were later growing (1.08). As regards relative growth of lengths and thicknesses on total body length, head length (0.82) was the earliest and abdomen (1.15) and trunk lengths (1.12) were the latest growing; all body thicknesses showed tachyauxesis, particularly on the hind-portions. As regards the chemical composition of muscle, cholesterol (mg/100 g) and the C20:4 and C22:6 percentages showed a linear decreasing trend with increasing body weight, while the opposite resulted for C18:1, SFA and MUFA content. Lipid, C16, C16:1, C20:5 and n − 3 PUFA content presented a decreasing trend followed by an increase, while C18:2 and n − 6 PUFA content showed the opposite behaviour. Intramuscular lipid content influenced the chemical composition of muscle: as lipid content increased, C18:1 also increased, while C18:2 and n − 3 PUFA decreased; C14, C16:1 and MUFA showed an increasing trend followed by a decreasing phase, while C16, C18, C20:4, C22:6, SFA and n − 6 PUFA showed the opposite.

Fecal nitrogen and dietary quality relationships in Fallow deer

Fecal nitrogen of free ranging and captive herbivores is correlated with dietary nitrogen, as well as other dietary chemical characteristics. Besides, only few experimental studies examined in depth the precision of these relationships. This study investigates the correlation between fecal and dietary nitrogen in fallow deer (Dama dama), using data from 38 feeding trials collected from captive subjects. Significant linear regressions were found for all the dietary and fecal chemical components, but only nitrogen showed a noteworthy result (R2=0.76), very similar to the results obtained by several authors in other deer species (Robbins, 1993). Use of fecal nitrogen however, has been criticised because plant secondary compounds, such as tannin, may artificially inflate levels of fecal nitro-gen; moreover, the binding effect of tannin is strongly reduced in mixed diets. After all, fecal nitrogen confirms its usefulness in studies about feeding strategies of free living ruminants.

Environmental improvement and conservation of useful pastures for wild herbivores in a Regional Park on the Apennines mountains

Abstract In order to investigate some effects of the environmental management with faunistic purpose on pastures located on the Apennines mountains, in open areas subjected to bracken fern (Pteridium aqulinum) infestation, samples of vegetation were taken for three years on an open area in the Regional Park of “Laghi di Suviana e Brasimone” (BO). Experimental samples, taken before and after the agronomical works, showed the effects of the pasture improvement on botanical composition, richness and biodiversity. The agronomical pasture management produced a considerable decrease in bracken density and an increase on biodiversity, and the final average value of the Pastoral Value index was quadruplicate. These results confirmed the effectiveness of the actions carried out and the importance of maintaining a continuous programme of pasture management through annual clearing of vegetation.

GPS/GSM collars monitoring of red deer in the Tosco-Emiliano Apennine Mountains

Abstract Nine red deer hinds were captured in the Nature Reserve of Acquerino-Cantagallo in the Apennine mountains and fitted with GPS/GSM collars to monitor spatial movement and habitat use. Preliminary results of interfix distances in the first 48 hours after capture showed highly variable distances immediately after release and a decreasing during the following day. Possible effects of capture were evaluated.

Sanitary Monitoring Models for Wild Ungulate Stock Farms in Tuscany

Over and above general ecological problems, health problems must also often be confronted when managing fauna. Diseases common to both domestic and wild animals are indicated in lists A and B of the OIE. The health problems of wild animals are a focus of attention in the European Community, particularly within the context of the rules for the Conservation of Fauna, and to the World Trade Organisation in terms of their commercial repercussions. Improving sanitary control is important to achieve higher productive performances and to guarantee the health of animals and safety of products for human consumption. Animal health is also an intricate part of the general concept of animal welfare. This concept, which has already been well defined and consolidated for domestic species, is in the process of being affirmed for wild animals. The maintenance of wild game in captivity may present health problems common to domestic species. A greater resistance to diseases on the part of game stock may induce conditions where these animals act as disease carriers without showing any clinical evidence. This may in turn lead to the risk of disease transmission both to domestic stock and to animals in the wild, and also to man in the case of zoonotic pathogens (Daszak et al., 2000). Sanitary monitoring of wild animals is subject to complication. For example, problems may arise from the frequent commercial transportation of certain stock individuals, which then come into contact with other individuals of the same species living either in the wild or being transferred to another location. Contact with animals from a different species may also occur. Moreover, in situations where there is a high density of animals, either in captivity or in the wild and/or where there is a scarcity of food, the virulence and pathogenecity of the causative agents may increase, thereby resulting in increased diffusion between the hosts. In the general context, sanitary monitoring represents

Body measurements from selective hunting: biometric features of red deer (Cervus elaphus) from Northern Apennine, Italy

Abstract Morphometric studies on European red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) living in sub-Mediterranean areas are rare. In this paper, we provide the first morphometric description of red deer from Apennine living in Prato Province, as well as a description of its skeletal growth pattern. We analysed 18 body, cranial and antler measurements from 905 deer carcasses, collected during 12 hunting seasons (2000–2012). The body size of red deer from Prato appeared comparable to that of other populations from Northern Apennine and Central Alps. A significant variation in weight during the hunting season was detected only in adult stags: they were estimated to lose 23% of their eviscerated body weight from the beginning of the rutting season until the end of winter. The relationship between eviscerated body weight (EW) and whole body weight (WW) was highly significant in both sexes within every age class (R2 always higher than 0.75), thus linear regressions were assessed in order to estimate EW from WW, allowing to complete datasets when such information is missing. Growth equations were utilised to describe the development of a subset of skeletal measures (height at shoulder, hind foot length, mandible length, head–trunk length) commonly collected on hunted cervids. Hind foot length was the measure which first ceased to grow and with the highest growth constant; although the relationship between cohort hind foot length and environmental, climatic and demographic variables has to be tested for red deer from Apennine, these bones appeared a suitable biological indicator for long-term monitoring of the species.

Acoustic Analysis of Some Characteristics of Red Deer Roaring

Different strategies have been adopted to track and monitor red deer (Cervus elaphus) populations according to different habitats and ecosystems. The population census techniques usually carried out are time consuming and involve lot of manpower. A method that relies on individual animal signs like acoustic indices could be useful to support the wildlife management, since vocalisations can encode and transmit a variety of biologically significant information. The present study considered 460 roars recorded from 14 adult deers, from five to eight years old. Recordings were performed in five different locations of northern-central Italy. The acoustic spectrum of each roar was analysed in order to extract its main features, namely: the fundamental frequency (F0), the peak frequency (PF), the sound length (SL) and 24 frequency bins of 174.3 Hz, representing the sound distribution between 50 and 4233.2 Hz (F1 to F24). Statistical analyses showed that individuality and age of animals were significant on F0 (P<0.001), PF (P<0.001) and SL (P<0.001). Results also showed a correlation among the 24 F-variables of roars emitted by deer of similar age (r>0.90; P<0.001), indicating that age could influence the spectral features of roaring. The roaring frequency variables appear to be indicators of the individuality of male deer, even if the strong influence of age on the emitted sounds could compromise the reliability of the method over long periods of time.