Na alimentação animal, o sorgo pode ser explorado de diversas formas. Além dos grãos, a planta pode ser oferecida na forma de silagem, rolão, verde ou ainda pastejada; embora o valor nutritivo pode sofrer algumas variações pela presença ou ausência de compostos fenólicos como os taninos condensados. O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar a composição química-bromatológica, qualidade fermentativa e produção de gases in vitro nas silagens de sorgo granífero adicionados com diferentes níveis de guandu. O estudo foi dividido em dois experimentos. O primeiro estudo (Capítulo 3) avaliou os efeitos da adição de forragem de guandu sobre a composição química-bromatológica e fermentativas da silagem de sorgo granífero. Os tratamentos foram compostos por: T1 - Silagem com 100% de sorgo, T2 - Silagem com 25% de guandu e 75% de sorgo, T3 - Silagem com 50% de guandu e 50% de sorgo, T4 - Silagem com 75% de guandu e 25% de sorgo e T5 Silagem com 100% de guandu. As variáveis estudadas para a composição química e fermentativas das silagens foram: matéria seca (MS), proteína bruta (PB), fibra em detergente neutro (FDN), fibra em detergente neutro (FDA), carboidratos totais (CHOT), matéria mineral (MM), fenóis totais (FT), taninos totais (TT), taninos condensados (TC), pH, capacidade tampão (CT), perdas fermentativas e ácido lático. A adição de guandu promoveu efeito linear (P<0,01) nas silagens para os teores de MS, PB, FDN, FDA, FT, assim como para as perdas fermentativas de MS da silagem. Enquanto para os teores de CHOT, MM e TC verificaram-se respostas quadráticas (p<0,01) entre as silagens. Inclusões de 25, 50 e 75% de guandu, com base na matéria fresca, seriam suficientes para melhorar o valor nutricional assim como para se obter melhor padrão fermentativo da silagem de sorgo. O segundo estudo (Capítulo 4) avaliou a produção total de gases, metano, degradabilidade da MS (DMS) e degradabilidade da MO (DMO) em silagens de sorgo granífero com níveis crescentes de guandu através da técnica in vitro de produção de gases. Foram avaliadas as cinco silagens de sorgo granífero com níveis crescentes (0, 25, 50, 75 e 100%) de guandu utilizados como substratos. Para avaliar o efeito do tanino nas silagens sobre a produção de gases, procedeu-se um bioensaio, no qual os substratos foram incubados na presença de polietileno glicol (PEG), macro molécula capaz de ligar-se aos taninos presente no substrato, liberando os nutrientes para a fermentação; sendo o efeito do tanino medido pelo incremento na produção de gases. Não houve diferença estatística para a produção total de gases e metano para os níveis de inclusão do guandu, entretanto houve diferença significativa para o contraste nível zero e a inclusão do guandu. Para os incrementos também não houve diferença significativa para as variáveis (PG, CH4, DMS e DMO). Por outro lado, houve maior PG e maior incremento para o nível de 25% de guandu com a presença do PEG. Foi encontrado maior emissão de metano e incremento de metano para o nível 50% de guandu, quando comparado com os demais níveis. Houve maior DMS e DMO no substrato com 100% de guandu com a presença do PEG. Concluiu-se que a adição de forragem de guandu na silagem de sorgo aumentou o conteúdo de PB e reduziu os teores de FDN, implicando um melhor valor nutritivo das silagens, contudo os taninos condensados precisariam ser monitorados para futuros experimentos in vivo / In animal nutrition, sorghum can be used in various ways. Besides grain, the plant can be offered as silage, pollard, green or even grazed. Although the nutritional value may undergo some changes by the presence or absence of phenolic compounds such as condensed tannins. The objective of this study was to evaluate the chemical composition, fermentation quality and gas production in vitro in sorghum silage added with different levels of pigeon pea. The study was divided into two experiments. The first study (Chapter 3) evaluated the effects of the addition of pigeon pea grass on the chemical composition and fermentation of sorghum silage. The treatments were: T1 - silage with 100% sorghum, T2 - silage with 25% of pigeon pea and sorghum 75%, T3 - silage with 50% of pigeon pea and sorghum 50%, T4 - silage with 75% pigeon pea and 25% of sorghum and T5 - silage with 100% pigeon pea. The parameters of chemical composition and fermentation of the silage were: dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF), total carbohydrates (TCHO), ash, total phenolics (TP), total tannins (TT), condensed tannins (CT), pH, buffer capacity (BC), losses of fermentation and lactic acid. The addition of pigeon pea showed linear effect (P <0.01) in silage for DM, CP, NDF, ADF, TP, as well as the levels of CT and fermentation losses in DM of silage. As for the contents of TCHO, CT and MM there were quadratic responses (p <0.01) among silages. The results observed that, inclusion of 25, 50 and 75% pigeon pea, based on fresh weight, are sufficient to improve the nutritional value and to achieve better fermentation pattern of sorghum silage. The second study (Chapter 4) evaluated the production of gases, methane, DM degradability and degradability of OM in silage sorghum with increasing levels of pigeon pea using the technique of bioassay gas production. Five types of grain sorghum silage with increasing levels (0, 25, 50, 75 and 100%) of pigeon pea were used as substrates and evaluated by gás production technique. There were no significant differences with and without the presence of PEG within each level using regression, for (GP, CH4 and DMD), but there were significant effect for using of contrast for the variables (GP, CH4 and OMD). No significant difference was observed for the increments for the variables (GP and CH4,). On the other hand GP was more increase in the level of 25% of pigeon pea in the presence of PEG. Compared with the other levels of pigeon pea the level 50% showed higher emissions of methane. In the presence of PEG,DMD and OMD Showed higher percentage on the substrate with 100% of pigeon pea . it can be concluded that ,the addition of pigeon pea in sorghum silage increased the PC content and decreased the NDF, implying a higher nutritive value of silages, but the tannins need to be monitored for future experiments in vivo

Submitted in fulfilment of the academic requirements for the Degree in Master's in Food Science and Technology, Durban University of Technology, 2017. / Pigeon pea (Cajanus Cajan) is consumed in many parts of Africa as a source of protein and carbohydrate. It is underutilised and mainly grown for subsistence. Researching on pigeon pea may enhance value addition and increase its utilization. In this study, a non-dairy probiotic yoghurt was prepared from pigeon pea milk. Yoghurt samples were prepared, using 100% pigeon pea milk, pigeon pea/soy milk in the ratio 50:50 and 100% soy bean milk. The yoghurts were inoculated with yoghurt starter cultures and divided into two equal parts. One part inoculated with Propionibacterium freudenreichii was referred to as probiotic yoghurt, while the other part served as the control. The nutritional, sensory and some functional properties of the yoghurt were determined. The microbiological quality of yoghurt samples stored at 4, 10 and 21°C, respectively, for 4 weeks, were monitored and analysed for aerobic spores’ formers, E. coli, total plate counts, mould and Propionibacterium freudenreichii weekly. The protein contents of the yoghurt samples varied from 4.54-5.85% for 100% soymilk and 100% pigeon pea yoghurt respectively. The probiotic yoghurt showed slightly lower protein content than pigeon pea yoghurt alone. All the yoghurt samples had considerably high total solids (16.04-17.41%) and were fairly good sources of amino acids. Essential amino acids in the yoghurt samples were comparable to the FAO/WHO (2007) recommended amino acid requirement for adults. Anti-nutritional factors of yoghurt samples were significantly lower (P≤0.05) than their milk counterparts, which may be attributed to the fermentation process. Probiotic yoghurt samples showed higher firmness than non-probiotic samples. Total plate counts (log 7.01- 7.46 CFU/ml) samples stored for 2 weeks at 4° C were similar. Predominant organisms were LAB and Propionibacterium freudenreichii. Storage temperature of yoghurt samples had an influence on the total plate count and LAB. Total plate count and LAB significant increased approximately by log 2 CFU/ml for the first two weeks of storage. However, moulds and E. coli were not detected in all samples. Beyond 2 weeks of storage, there was significant decline in total plate counts and LAB, while mould grew and increased. Aerobic spore formers and moulds were observed in the control yoghurt. However, E. coli was not found in all yoghurt samples throughout storage period. The pH of the milk in which yoghurt mixtures were formulated, ranged from pH 7 to 6.8 for pigeon pea and soymilk declined significantly as a result of acidification. Decline in pH at 4, 10 and 21°C was significant (p≤0.05) with the rate higher at 21, 10 than 4° C. Decline in pH resulted in increased TTA values over storage temperatures and periods. Samples stored at 21°C and 10°C had significantly higher TTA values than samples stored at 4° C. The colour values evaluated were recorded as L*, b*, a* and ∆E* during 4 weeks storage at 4, 10 and 21° C. Significantly high values (p≤0.05) were recorded for L* yoghurt samples with soymilk. The colour scale defines positive (red) and negative (green) for a* and b* positive (yellow) and negative (blue). All a* values both positive and negative were less than 3. There was no negative value recorded for b*. Colour difference ∆E* values trends increased as storage time and temperature increased. There were significant (p≤0.05) differences between samples stored at same and different storage temperatures and periods. Water holding capacity was significantly different (p≤0.05) in all the yoghurt samples stored at 4, 10 and 21°C for 4 weeks. Formulation with 100% soymilk recorded higher values. Soy yoghurt and probiotic yoghurts (100 %) showed higher water holding capacity compared to pigeon pea yoghurt and pigeon pea/soymilk yoghurt. The addition of Propionibacterium freudenreichii did not significantly affect sensory properties of the yoghurts. Acceptable yoghurt was produced from pigeon pea with comparable quality to soy which serves as control. Proximate composition was comparable to previous reports. Microbial quality and profile of all the yoghurt samples were similar. The absence of pathogenic bacteria in all the yoghurt samples confirm their safety. Soy yoghurt was most acceptable amongst the yoghurt samples but all the samples had comparable ratings, and these ratings are within commercially acceptable range (4 to 9) for yoghurt. Storage at 4oC should be the most acceptable, as storage at 21oC encourage proliferation of contaminant / M

Les métaux traces comme le plomb, le zinc sont essentiellement émis par les activités anthropiques et se retrouvent de ce fait à des concentrations beaucoup plus élevées en milieux urbains qu’en milieux ruraux. Durant ma thèse, j’ai tout d’abord testé les effets écotoxicologiques d’une exposition chronique au plomb et/ou au zinc, deux métaux particulièrement abondants en milieu urbain, chez le pigeon biset (Columba livia). J’ai ainsi pu montrer des effets nocifs du plomb, et bénéfiques du zinc sur l’immunité, le maintien de la corpulence et plusieurs paramètres de la reproduction. Du fait de la variabilité des réponses écophysiologiques des individus, les métaux traces sont susceptibles d’exercer de nouvelles pressions de sélection sur les populations urbaines et favoriser les individus capables de se détoxifier ou de tolérer de fortes concentrations en métaux. Au cours de ma thèse, j’ai mis en évidence le rôle de la mélanine dans la fixation du zinc et du plomb au niveau des plumes. Par ailleurs la coloration mélanique du plumage semblent moduler les effets du plomb et du zinc sur certains paramètres physiologiques, et les juvéniles au plumage davantage mélanique survivent mieux dans un environnement pollué en plomb. Quels que soient les mécanismes sous-jacents (i.e. rôle détoxifiant de la mélanine ou effets pléiotropes associés à sa synthèse), mes résultats soulignent l’avantage sélectif potentiel de la mélanisation du plumage dans un environnement pollué en métaux traces, dont notamment le milieu urbain. Cette étude apporte des réponses essentielles sur l’impact écologique de l’urbanisation et les mécanismes permettant le maintien du polymorphisme de coloration mélanique du plumage, et plus largement des phanères. / Trace metals, such as lead and zinc are mainly emitted by human activities, explaining their high concentrations in urban areas in comparison with rural environments. During my PhD, I first investigated the ecotoxicological effects of a chronic exposure to lead and/or zinc, two abundant metals in urban areas, in feral pigeons (Columba livia). I stressed deleterious effects of lead, while beneficial effects of zinc on immunity, body mass index maintenance and several parameters of reproduction. Because sensitivity to trace metals differs between individuals, trace metals may exert new selective pressures on urban populations and favour individuals with higher detoxification capacities and that are more tolerant to elevated environmental trace metals concentrations. My work puts ahead the role of melanin in the storage of zinc and lead in the feathers. Moreover, melanin-based plumage colouration seems to modulate the effects of lead and zinc on some of the physiological parameters measured and darker juveniles were more prone to survive than paler ones when exposed to lead. Whatever the underlying mechanism (i.e. the detoxification role of melanin or the pleiotropic effects associated with its synthesis), my results suggest a selective advantage of plumage melanism in environments polluted with trace metals, such as urban areas. This study brings key answers on the ecological impact of urbanization and on the mechanisms explaining melanin-based plumage colouration polymorphism maintenance.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a emissão de metano por cordeiros alimentados em diferentes pastagens tropicais: Panicum maximum cv. IZ-5 (capim aruana) e Cajanus cajan cv. anão (feijão guandu), e suas relações com a composição química destas pastagens. Os trabalhos foram conduzidos na Estação Experimental Agronômica da UFRGS, nos anos de 2015 e 2016. O delineamento experimental foi de blocos completos casualizados com três repetições. O capítulo II relata os resultados da emissão de metano por cordeiros pastejando nos seguintes tratamentos: 1) ARU – somente capim aruana; 2) FG - somente feijão Guandu; 3) AFG – meio piquete com capim aruana, e a outra metade com feijão Guandu. Para avaliação de metano foi utilizado a técnica com marcador SF6 . No experimento do capítulo II, utilizou-se parcela subdividida, sendo a subparcela dois animais testes que receberam polietileno glicol (PEG) para quelar o tanino presente no feijão guandu, e dois que receberam água como controle. As emissões de metano por consumo de matéria seca (EMICONMSDIA) não apresentaram diferença entre os tratamentos, mesmo considerando as dosificações com polietileno glicol (PEG) ou água (P=0,9235). O tratamento FG (P=0,036) apresentou mais altos níveis de taninos condensados do que os demais tratamentos Apesar de diferenças nas suas características químicas, a emissão de metano de cordeiros é semelhante entre pastagens tropicais de capim aruana (Panicum maximum cv. IZ-5), feijão Guandu (Cajanus cajan cv. Anão. Os taninos condensados presentes na forrageira feijão guandu, nas condições experimentais deste trabalho, não demonstraram potencial para contribuir na redução da emissão de metano por cordeiros. No capítulo III, os tratamentos, manejo dos animais e delineamento experimental foram semelhantes ao capítulo II. Os resultados demonstraram que não há uma relação direta entre as características bioquímicas do alimento e a emissão de metano. Essa desassociação entre a emissão de metano e a composição química da pastagem foi constatada tanto quando relacionou-se a emissão por animal (EMI), quanto quando relacionou-se com a emissão por quilograma de matéria seca ingerida (EMICONMSDIA). Conclui-se, então, que não é possível relacionar a emissão de metano de cordeiros com as características químicas das plantas forrageiras tropicais perenes, capim aruana e feijão Guandu. / The researches carried out in the present work had the objective of evaluating the emission of methane by lambs fed on different tropical pastures: Panicum maximum cv. IZ-5 (Aruana grass) and Cajanus cajan cv. dwarf (pigeon pea), and their relationships with the chemical composition of these pastures. The works were conducted at the Experimental Agronomic Station of UFRGS, between January and April 2016, Chapter II; and from February to April 2015, Chapter III. The experimental design was of randomized complete blocks with three replicates. The blocking was carried out with the objective of eliminating variations of slope of the terrain (flat area, sloping at the top and sloping slope). Chapter II reports the results of methane emission by grazing lambs in the following treatments: 1) ARU - only aruana grass; 2) FG - only Guandu beans; 3) AFG - half picket with aruana grass, and the other half with Guandu beans. For methane evaluation, the SF6 marker technique was used. In the experiment of chapter II, a subdivided plot was used, the subplot being two test animals that received polyethylene glycol (PEG) to chelate the tannin present in the pigeon pea, and two that received water as control. Emissions of methane by dry matter intake (EMICONMSDIA) did not show any difference between treatments, even considering the dosages with polyethylene glycol (PEG) or water (P = 0.9235) FG treatment (P = 0.036) presented higher levels of condensed tannins than the other treatments. Despite differences in their chemical characteristics, the methane emission of lambs is similar between tropical pastures of Aruana grass (Panicum maximum cv. IZ-5), Guandu beans (Cajanus cajan cv. Dwarf), and when these forages are offered at will , in two lanes in the picket. The condensed tannins present in the forage pigeon pea, under the experimental conditions of this work, did not demonstrate the potential to contribute in the reduction of the methane emission by lambs. In Chapter III, treatments, animal management and experimental design were similar to Chapter II. The relationships between the chemical composition of pastures of nutritional influence showed to be quite variable in the methane emission response. The results showed that there is no direct relationship between the biochemical characteristics of the food and the emission of methane. This dissociation between the methane emission and the chemical composition of the pasture was verified both when the emission per animal (EMI) was related and when it was related to the emission per kilogram of ingested dry matter (EMICONMSDIA). It is concluded that it is not possible to relate the emission of methane with the chemical characteristics of perennial tropical forage plants Panicum maximum cv. IZ-5, and Cajanus cajan cv. Dwarf.

Thesis (M. Sc. Agriculture (Agronomy)) -- University of Limpopo, 2019 / Pigeonpea (Cajanus cajan (L) Millsp.) is an important grain legume crop in tropical and subtropical countries, where it provides a cheap source of protein. Smallholder farmers in Limpopo Province cultivate landraces of pigeonpea, which are characterised with late maturity, low grain yield and being sensitive to photoperiod. To increase the productivity of the cropping system involving pigeonpea, several earlymedium maturity varieties have been introduced. However, performance of the varieties has not been tested in strip intercropping in Limpopo Province. Farmers plant these landraces by using mixed intercropping without definite row arrangement. This practice does not optimise plant density; it hinders farm inputs application and is characterised producing low yields. Therefore, the inclusion of early maturing varieties of pigeonpea in an intercrop will enable farmers to select the best variety for planting in future and thus enhance their output as well as their productivity. The objectives of this study were to assess the agronomic performance of five pigeonpea varieties in pigeonpea-maize strip intercropping, to determine the effect of strip intercropping on maize yield and establish the effect of location and season variations on the performance of both component crops under the intercropping system. Experiments were conducted at the University of Limpopo Experimental Farm (UL Farm) and Ga-Thaba village during the 2015/16 and 2016/17 season. Five improved early-medium maturing pigeonpea varieties (ICEAP 001284, ICEAP 00604, ICEAP 87091, ICEAP 00661 and ICEAP 01101-2) from ICRISAT were evaluated under strip intercropping with maize cultivar PAN 6479. The varieties were selected as earlymedium maturing varieties from previous pigeonpea trials. The trials were laid in a split plot design. The main plot comprised cropping systems (intercrop and monocrop), while the subplot comprised the varieties with three replications. Data collected on pigeonpea were number of days to 50% flowering and 90% maturity number of primary branches; plant height (cm); number of pods per plant; pod length (cm); number of seed per pod; hundred seed weight (g); and grain yield (kg ha-1), whereas on maize, number of days to 50% tasselling and silking; plant height (cm); cob length (cm); cob per plant; grain yields (kg ha-1); and stover (kg ha-1) were recorded. LER was calculated to determine intercropping productivity. Data analysis was done using Statistic 10.0; and Least Significance Difference (LSD) was used to separate the means that showed significant differences at an alpha level of 0.05. The results revealed significant differences in nearly all pigeonpea variables expect (pod length, number of seed per pod and hundred seed weight). Variables that showed significant differences in maize were plant height, cob length, grain yields and stover. Number of days to 50% flowering and 90% physiological maturity differed significantly (P ≤ 0.05) among varieties at the UL Farm and Ga-Thaba. Varieties (ICEAP 001284 and ICEAP 00604) exhibited the shortest number of days to 50% flowering and 90% maturity in both locations during both seasons. The interaction between variety x season (V x S) showed significant (P ≤ 0.05) differences in pigeonpea grain yield. The top yielders during 2015/16 at the UL Farm were ICEAP 01101-2 (1555 kg ha-1) and ICEAP 001284 (1280 kg ha-1), while during the 2016/17 season, they were ICEAP 001284 (937 kg ha-1) and ICEAP 01101-2 (912 kg ha-1). High yielder at Ga-Thaba during the 2016/17 season were ICEAP 001284 and ICEAP 01101-2 with grain yields of 671 kg ha-1 and 627 kg ha-1, respectively. Furthermore, varieties that obtained high yields during the 2015/16 season were ICEAP 001284 (504 kg ha-1) and ICEAP 00604 (541 kg ha-1). Most of the varieties during both seasons at the UL Farm and Ga-Thaba yielded more than 500 kg ha-1 under strip intercropping as compared to mixed intercropping, which obtained yields averages of below 400 kg ha-1. The highest maize grain yields of 1450 kg ha-1 were recorded during 2015/16 as compared to 958 kg ha1 during the 2016/17 season at the UL Farm. The calculated total Land Equivalent Ratio (LER) for the two crops in both locations gave positive and higher than 1 values, which suggests a favourable grain yield advantage for maize-pigeonpea strip intercrop over mixed intercropping. Key words: Cajanus cajan, maize, cropping system, maturity, grain yields, land equivalent ratio

Attentional biases occur with various psychological disorders, including drugaddiction and anxiety. Conditioned reinforcement likely plays a role in maintainingattentional biases to stimuli associated with reinforcement for unwanted behavior. Theobserving-response procedure is considered a model of attending as reflected byresponding maintained by conditioned reinforcement. Effects of primary reinforcement on the persistence of observing have been studied in the framework of behavioral momentum theory. Studies have shown observing-responses to be more resistant tochange in contexts arranging relatively higher rates of primary reinforcement. Recently, behavioral momentum theory has been extended to describe the effects of primary reinforcement context in relapse phenomena. The present thesis aimed to extend research on the resistance to change of observing to animal models of relapse. Pigeons responded on a two-component multiple schedule of observing-response procedures. In a rich component, observing responses produced stimuli correlated with a high rate of variableinterval (VI) food reinforcement (Rich S+). In a lean component, observing responses produced stimuli correlated with a low rate of VI food reinforcement (Lean S+). Following stable performance, responding was extinguished by removing food and S+ presentations. After extinction, relapse was assessed by reinstatement tests consisting of response-independent presentations of food or S+. Replicating earlier results, observingand food-key responding was more resistant to extinction in the Rich component. Food reinstatement had no systematic effect on extinguished food- and observing-key responding. However, S+ reinstatement resulted in relapse of extinguished observingand food-key responding. Relapse during S+ reinstatement was greater in the Rich component than the Lean component. Reinstatement of responding by S+ presentations resulted in a greater overall increase in responding on the food-key relative to the observing-key. This result suggests that an important functional relationship between the presence of S+ stimuli and increased rates of primary reinforcement for food key responding remained intact during extinction. The results show that observing is susceptible to relapse, and the magnitude of relapse depends on baseline primary reinforcement rate in a context.

No description available.

In the modern poultry industry, intense genetic selection for meat production has negatively influenced the reproductive performance of commercial birds. Parthenogenesis, embryonic development in unfertilized eggs without any sperm-egg interactions, is known to hinder the normal fertilization process and could be one of the reasons for this reduced reproductive performance in the poultry industry. Therefore, the overall objective of this research was to gain a better understanding of the process of parthenogenesis using Chinese painted quail as the model. Studies on Chinese painted quail reproduction revealed that they are very inefficient in sustained sperm storage and that number of sperm penetrating the egg and subsequent embryonic development potentially alter egg transit time through the oviduct. This poor sperm storage capacity and high sperm-egg interaction requirement might be responsible for the occurrence of parthenogenesis in this species; and in fact, this makes Chinese painted quail an excellent choice for parthenogenesis research. Further, dams selected for parthenogenesis as well as embryonic development, including parthenogen size, alter egg components by possibly delaying the transit time of the egg through the oviduct. Also, both dams and sires selected for the parthenogenesis trait appear to influence their progenies performance, including 1st wk mortality and occurrence of parthenogenesis. Additionally, vaccination of virgin hens with live pigeon pox virus increases parthenogenesis as well as parthenogen size and livability by the direct action of the virus on the embryo. Moreover, live Newcastle disease virus under in vitro conditions was found to have similar effects on the embryo. Because parthenogenesis exists in the modern poultry industry, even the accidental selection of the trait in either males or females could have a negative impact on overall chick production and performance. Also, as vaccination is a routine practice in the industry, it is possible that vaccination of birds that carry the trait will reduce fertility and hatchability due to enhanced parthenogenesis. Overall, currently it appears that, parthenogenesis is adversely affecting the poultry industry; and therefore, additional research on the accurate determination of losses in the poultry industry due to parthenogenesis could further benefit the industry.

The pigeon guillemot (Cepphus columba) population in Prince William Sound has failed to recover from declines that occurred both before and after the Exxon Valdez Oil Spill (EVOS). Post-spill studies of pigeon guillemot breeding biology have identified three potential factors limiting recovery: (1) predation on eggs and nestlings; (2) declines in the proportion of high-lipid, schooling forage fish (sand lance [Ammodytes hexapterus], herring [Clupea pallasi], and capelin [Mallotus villosus]) in the diet; and (3) continued exposure to residual oil from the spill. This laboratory study with captive-reared pigeon guillemots at the Alaska SeaLife Center investigated two aspects of the species' biology that are relevant to restoration in the aftermath of EVOS. First, we investigated the role of dietary factors (prey type, quantity of food consumed, dietary fat content, and energy intake rate) in limiting the growth, development, survival, and fledging condition of nestling pigeon guillemots. The objective was to understand how changes in prey availability and prey quality might affect pigeon guillemot productivity. Second, we fed nestlings sublethal doses of weathered Prudhoe Bay crude oil (PBCO) and then measured several potential biomarkers of effects from this pollutant. These dose-response experiments were designed to (1) better understand the impact on nestling guillemots of petroleum hydrocarbons in food, (2) calibrate existing and potential biomarkers of exposure to PBCO in pigeon guillemots in a controlled, laboratory setting, and (3) develop better nondestructive biomarkers of exposure to PBCO in pigeon guillemots in particular, and seabirds in general. Results of feeding experiments indicated that most variation in nestling growth rates could be explained by variation in daily energy intake. The type of forage fish consumed, the lipid or protein content of the forage fish, and even the quantity of food consumed daily did not have as strong an effect on nestling guillemot growth as did daily energy intake. The metabolic efficiency and growth performance of nestling guillemots was not enhanced on high-lipid diets, contrary to results with nestlings of some other seabird species. Instead, structural growth (wing length) in nestling guillemots was somewhat stunted on high-lipid diets. These attributes of guillemot nutritional requirements are associated with the guillemots' nearshore foraging niche and high food provisioning rates to nestlings. The average lipid content of sand lance, juvenile herring, and capelin may represent the optimal dietary lipid content for nestling pigeon guillemots. This study supports the hypothesis that guillemot productivity is limited by the availability of these forage fishes through effects on energy provisioning rates to nestling guillemots. Consequently, recovery of pigeon guillemot populations injured by EVOS is likely linked to recovery of these key forage fish stocks. Results of the oil-dosing experiments indicated that nestling guillemots are resistant to small doses of weathered PBCO in their food. No nestlings died or suffered noticeable health effects following dosing. The high dose in this study (0.5 ml kg����� day�����) was sufficient to induce hepatic cytochrome P450A1 (a liver enzyme indicative of contaminant exposure), but growth rate, fledging mass, and blood chemistry were largely unaffected. None of the 12 plasma or hematological markers examined responded in a dose-dependent manner to ingestion of weathered PBCO, except lactate dehydrogenase (LDH). Although baseline stress hormone (corticosterone) levels were not different between oil-dosed and control nestlings, a standardized acute stress protocol revealed that corticosterone was more elevated during stress for oiled nestlings compared to controls. Although we were not successful in identifying a noninvasive biomarker (e.g., growth) or a blood biomarker (e.g., haptoglobin) of crude oil exposure in nestlings, we were able to confirm that levels of hepatic cytochrome P4SO1AI and corticosterone during stress were elevated by the sublethal doses administered during our experiments. Based on this and other studies, it is unlikely that the failure of pigeon guillemots to recover from EVOS is due to effects on nestling health of residual oil in food. / Graduation date: 2003

The Master’s thesis deals with the issue of collecting mixed municipal waste from producers to a~waste-to-energy or landfills. The initial chapters are aimed to waste legislation and transportation of the waste by road freight transport across Europe. The objective is to collect the data, that are required for calculation in tool NERUDA. The next part describes the cluster analysis and different approaches in it. The selected methods of cluster analysis are apllied to the logistic task in the final chapters. The cluster analysis is considered from different aspects. The results are visualized using the software ArcGIS.