Thesis (MPhil (Animal Sciences))--University of Stellenbosch, 2007. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Over the last few decades various authors have reported the influence of day old chick quality on integrated broiler industries. Although various methods of determining chick quality have been reported, defining a good or a first grade day old chick can be problematic as it involves many subjective measurements. Incubation temperature (embryo temperature) is probably the biggest, most influential factor during incubation on chick quality. High temperatures cause the most damage. It leads to poor growth, stress, black buttons, threads, weak chicks, chicks with poorly erupted down that are bleached in appearance, low hatchability, late embryonic death and early broiler mortality. This trial was designed to test whether 37.2, 37.4 or 37.5ºC was the optimum incubation temperature for hatching Hybro G+ chicks with superior quality. The parameters that were measured were the chick length, bodyweight, and the yolk residue of the day old chicks of the flocks set at different setter temperatures. After hatching, 1 440 chicks (480 chicks per temperature treatment) were placed at a broiler facility where the daily mortalities, weekly bodyweight gain and feed conversion were recorded and calculated. The age of the breeder flock had a significant effect on all three parameters measured in the incubation trial with p values of <0.001, <0.001 and 0.005 respectively. There were no significant differences in chick quality parameters due to different incubation temperatures. The age x temperature interaction could be attributed to the large influence of the age of the breeder on egg size and consequently chick parameters. The results could be related to the fact that bigger eggs from older breeder flocks have higher initial egg mass, which will result in heavier embryos and thus converted to a larger day old chick. The performance trial performed after the incubation trial showed no significant effect of the incubation temperature on 7-day and daily mortalities, weekly bodyweight gain and feed conversion efficiency to 42 days of life. The lack of effects observed in these trials could be attributed to the small range of temperatures used in addition to the difficulties brought about the use of multi-stage incubators.

No description available.

The onset of agriculture about 12,000 years ago has had a major influence on the biodiversity of plants and animals. Unfortunately, the rapid changes in agricultural practices that has occurred in recent times has negatively affected many farmland species. One such species is the grass snake (Natrix natrix), which has been reported to decline in many parts of Europe, including Sweden. The grass snake is unique, not only in that it is the most northerly distributed oviparous reptile in the world, but also because of its habit of using anthropogenic heat sources such as manure heaps and composts as nesting-sites. Unfortunately changes in manure management and abandonment of farmlands have resulted in a decline and fragmentation of these environments. This may pose a threat for the northernmost populations of the grass snake, because natural nests in these areas may not provide sufficient heat for the eggs to hatch. The eggs and embryos of reptiles are highly sensitive to incubation temperatures, which can influence not only hatching success but also many phenotypic traits in the hatchlings. In this thesis I used a series of laboratory and field experiments to investigate the importance of anthropogenic heat sources for the reproductive ecology of cold-climate populations of grass snakes.  More specifically, I aimed to investigate thermal regimes of nests and how they influence embryonic development and offspring traits associated with survival and fitness. The results showed that manure heaps and composts are significantly warmer than potential natural nests and that natural nests do not provide sufficient heat to sustain embryonic development. Further, manure heaps were warmer and more constant in temperature than composts, resulting in higher hatching success and earlier hatching in manure heaps. The higher thermal variability in composts increased the frequency of abnormalities that are likely to negatively affect survival and fitness. In conclusion, this thesis shows that the use of anthropogenic heat sources has enabled grass snakes to expand their range farther north than any other oviparous reptile and that the thermal dichotomy in the primary nesting environments used by grass snakes contribute to important life-history variation in this species. These findings have important implications for conservation of reptile populations in general and grass snakes in particular.

Abstract The main purpose of this research is to explore the development characteristics, types, functions and operating mechanisms of incubation center in Taiwan and to analyze their relationships. The research processes mainly through case study.And Incubation Center of Taiwan University is selected for data collection and interview because of its outstanding performance. We analyze the operating mechanisms and the current state of our research target.To obtain more objective conclusions, we also interview and collect data from some tenants as comparation. The results and suggestions are as followed: 1.The float rate of the prjoect manager will influence the Incubation Center. 2.Government's relevant policies will influence the operating mechanisms and goals of Incubation Center. 3.The extent the school supports their own Incubation Center will influence the elasticity. 4.The completeness of incubation system will promote the efficiency of Incubation Center. 5.The operating model that Incubation Center, together with Incubation Company, channels into flexible and efficient corporatization management can plurally extend their targets and methods of service. 6.Because of the slow progress of the government¡¦s efforts in revising relevant law, the realistic operation can not be integrated. 7.The operations of the incubation center need to be set up on the basis of cooperartion in the manufacturer, school and incubation center to reach sustainablity.

No description available.

Nearly 30 percent of the earth’s terrestrial surface is mountainous and despite representing a large proportion of the planet’s protected areas, the ecology of vertebrates in high elevation areas have received little attention from researchers and managers. I studied two subspecies of horned larks (Eremophila alpestris articola and E. a. strigata) that breed at high elevation and latitude in British Columbia, Canada and at low elevation and latitude in Washington, USA, respectively. I addressed the question of how the life history of alpine breeding songbirds differs from their low elevation conspecifics and showed that life history variation can be found among closely related groups. My results were consistent with other comparative demographic studies which suggest that alpine vertebrate populations tend to show survivor life history strategies when compared to their low elevation counterparts. In addition, population growth rates were stable for E. a. articola suggesting that this subspecies is well adapted to the challenges of breeding in alpine environments. E. a. strigata, however, is declining rapidly and the remaining breeding habitats in Washington do not support stable populations. I used demographic models to show that within reasonable ranges for each vital rate (fecundity, adult and juvenile survival), management actions that target a single rate independently are unlikely to result in stable or recovering populations and management actions that target multiple vital rates should be prioritized. Finally, to further investigate adaptations of E. a. articola to alpine environments I examined how they modify their incubation behavior in response to changes in ambient temperatures which were generally well outside the optimal temperature range for normal embryonic development. Females adjusted the amount of time spent incubating by varying the frequency rather than the duration of recesses. At low ambient temperatures they appeared to shift their investment toward the survival of their eggs by increasing the total time spent on the nest instead of taking longer or more frequent foraging bouts. Overall, the results of my study indicate that alpine populations of horned larks have life history traits and breeding behaviors that allow them to persist in these areas despite the challenging breeding conditions.

Energetic constraint during reproduction may limit the number or quality of young that a parent can produce per breeding attempt or the parent's longevity or future productivity, ultimately constraining lifetime reproductive success. The Eurasian dotterel Charadrius morinellus experienced energetic constraint during the Incubation period. Dotterel breed in the cold arctic-alpine zone and most breeding attempts are cared for by the male alone. The combination of a cold climate, giving high energetic costs of incubation and thermoregulation, and restricted foraging time due to uniparental Incubation, resulted in non-adaptive mass loss and constrained Investment of time and energy In incubation. If the incubation period is potentially energetically constrained, then behavioural mechanisms that reduce energetic costs could increase the production of young. When more energetically constrained, dotterel reduced the energetic cost of incubation by scheduling trips in conditions when the unattended eggs would have cooled more slowly and by making fewer, but longer trips. When suffering severe energetic constraint, some dotterel neglected their eggs for many hours: dotterel embryos' high chilling tolerance may have been necessary for successful uniparental incubation In a cold and unpredictable environment. Dotterel selected nest sites that allowed them to build larger nests with larger linings. Larger, better insulated nests probably decreased heat loss from the eggs and sitting parents, so reducing energetic costs during incubation. Sitting dotterel oriented into the wind, which probably reduced the disruption of their plumage and minimised their energetic expenditure on thermoregulation. In cooler conditions, dotterel changed their nest defence strategy and used energetically cheaper but probably riskier responses to simulated predators. Behaviours may be shaped under conflicting selective pressures and dotterel's management of their high energetic costs during the incubation period was constrained by egg-predation: dotterel's incubation scheduling appeared to be influenced by diurnal variation in the risk of predation and dotterel's nest defence behaviour traded-off energetic costs and the risk of predation. I declare that this thesis has been composed by myself and that it embodies the results of my own research. Where appropriate, I have acknowledged the nature and extent of work carried out in collaboration with others. This thesis presents data collected by myself over 2,212h spent in the alpine study areas from 288 days during my PhD field seasons in 1996,1997 and 1998. I also analyse some of Scottish Natural Heritage's dataset on dotterel biology collected between 1987 and 1999 by a team of fieldworkers, including myself (in Chapters 2,7 and 8).

Nearly 30 percent of the earth’s terrestrial surface is mountainous and despite representing a large proportion of the planet’s protected areas, the ecology of vertebrates in high elevation areas have received little attention from researchers and managers. I studied two subspecies of horned larks (Eremophila alpestris articola and E. a. strigata) that breed at high elevation and latitude in British Columbia, Canada and at low elevation and latitude in Washington, USA, respectively. I addressed the question of how the life history of alpine breeding songbirds differs from their low elevation conspecifics and showed that life history variation can be found among closely related groups. My results were consistent with other comparative demographic studies which suggest that alpine vertebrate populations tend to show survivor life history strategies when compared to their low elevation counterparts. In addition, population growth rates were stable for E. a. articola suggesting that this subspecies is well adapted to the challenges of breeding in alpine environments. E. a. strigata, however, is declining rapidly and the remaining breeding habitats in Washington do not support stable populations. I used demographic models to show that within reasonable ranges for each vital rate (fecundity, adult and juvenile survival), management actions that target a single rate independently are unlikely to result in stable or recovering populations and management actions that target multiple vital rates should be prioritized. Finally, to further investigate adaptations of E. a. articola to alpine environments I examined how they modify their incubation behavior in response to changes in ambient temperatures which were generally well outside the optimal temperature range for normal embryonic development. Females adjusted the amount of time spent incubating by varying the frequency rather than the duration of recesses. At low ambient temperatures they appeared to shift their investment toward the survival of their eggs by increasing the total time spent on the nest instead of taking longer or more frequent foraging bouts. Overall, the results of my study indicate that alpine populations of horned larks have life history traits and breeding behaviors that allow them to persist in these areas despite the challenging breeding conditions.

La valorisation de la recherche universitaire, à travers la création d’entreprises de haute technologie, est une nouvelle mission assignée aux universités depuis la promulgation de la loi de 1999, dite Allègre. Pour cela, les incubateurs technologiques, qui sont de nouvelles structures hybrides, sont apparus aux frontières de trois sphères radicalement différentes, que sont les universités, entreprises et les gouvernements. Ils ont pour mission d’accompagner et de faciliter la mise sur marché d’innovations technologiques. Or, le propre d’une innovation est son caractère hypothétique incertain, car elle bouscule les habitudes et les pratiques routinières de l’industrie. L’incubation de entreprises technologiques ne se résume donc pas à l’accès à des ressources matérielles mais aussi processus de négociation pour donner aux inventions une légitimité et pour les faire accepter par marché. Nous montrons que ce processus requiert un accès à des ressources sociales. L’accès de nouveaux entrepreneurs à ces ressources se fait principalement à travers les réseaux sociaux dirigeants de l’incubateur, par un mécanisme de médiation et d’intermédiation. Cette médiation permet aussi un transfert de confiance, de crédibilité et de légitimité. Elle génère, en conséquence, un nouveau réseau pour le porteur de projet et facilite son intégration dans la communauté des entrepreneurs. / The valorisation of university research, through the creation of high technology enterprise, is a new mission assigned to universities since the enactment of the 1999 law, known as Allègre law. Technology incubators, which are new hybrid structures, have appeared at the border of three radically different spheres: universities, businesses and governments. Their mission is to support and facilitate the marketing of technological innovations. However, because of the uncertain and hypothetical nature of innovations, they disrupt habits and routines of the industry. Incubation of these technology companies can not then be summarized to access to material resources but as has to be also considered as a negotiating process which gives legitimacy to inventions in order to be accepted by the market. We show that this process requires also access to social resources. Access of these new entrepreneurs to these resources is done mainly through social networks of the managers of the incubator, through mediation and intermediation. This mediation allows a transfer of trust, credibility and legitimacy. Accordingly, it generates a new network for the entrepreneur and facilitates its integration into the community of entrepreneurs.

Abstract In this thesis, I examine two important aspects surrounding salmonid reproductive ecology, namely: (i) the problems with passing obstructions during migratory spawning runs and (ii) how the early life stages in boreal streams are influenced by increased levels of fine-grained particulate matter from drained peatlands. These aspects are not only critical to salmonid reproductive success but have grave implications regarding environmental quality and species conservation. Spawning runs can be re-established by constructing fishways at obstructions but the efficiency of fishways depends on several factors. The passage of multi-sea-winter salmon was enhanced in the Isohaara fishway by increasing its water flow and by creating a small waterfall at the entrance. The fishway, which consists of vertical slot and Denil sections, proved to be unsuitable for most freshwater fish, whitefish and river lamprey, whereas salmonids, once they had entered, successfully negotiated the fishway. In fishway design, the migratory behaviour and the demands of the species of interest should be considered. For salmonids, priority should be given to the attractiveness of the fish entrance. When there is a migration corridor, the availability and the quality of spawning and rearing habitats has a major effect on the success of restoration projects. In the humic rivers studied, the survival of incubated brown trout eggs was lower in riffles susceptible to increased levels of fine-grained particulate matter from drained peatlands. Additionally, an increase in the Fe content of high molecular weight dissolved organic matter followed by its precipitation and sedimentation was proposed to be involved. Correspondingly, the recapture rates of stocked yearling salmon were lower in the affected riffles, individual salmon being smaller and thinner and having less food in their stomachs than reference salmon. Based on these results, it seems probable that peatland drainage, by influencing the incubation success of salmonid embryos and the foraging, growth and survival of juveniles, eventually affects the number and quality of smolts produced. In future, such water pollution control measures should be implemented that would enhance the success of natural spawning and help ensure environmental quality.