Livestock Science最新文献

{"title":"Effect of pre-weaning nutrition on the epigenetic and transcriptomic regulation of mammary gland development in Holstein heifers","authors":"Ewelina Semik-Gurgul ,&nbsp;Klaudia Pawlina-Tyszko ,&nbsp;Artur Gurgul ,&nbsp;Tomasz Szmatoła ,&nbsp;Justyna Rybińska ,&nbsp;Iwona Furgał-Dzierżuk ,&nbsp;Barbara Niwińska","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105838","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Dairy calves require a balanced diet that ensures adequate nutrient intake to support optimal growth and physiological development, which may subsequently influence future lactational performance and reproductive capacity through favourable epigenetic modifications in body tissues. This study aimed to investigate the impact of pre-weaning nutritional strategies on the epigenome and transcriptome of the mammary gland tissues in Holstein heifers. Twelve Holstein-Friesian heifer calves were included in the experiment. During their first two weeks of life, all calves received a milk replacer (MR) that met their nutritional requirements, along with unlimited access to concentrate feed and water. At 14 ± 1 days of age, the calves were randomly assigned to one of two feeding treatments. The applied diets involved restricted milk replacer intake (R, <em>n</em> = 6) and ad libitum milk replacer intake (AL, <em>n</em> = 6). Feeding treatments lasted for 48 days, after which all calves were euthanised at 62 ± 1 days of age. Mammary parenchyma (PAR) and mammary fat pad (MFP) tissues were collected and analysed using RRBS, miRNA-seq, and RNA-seq approaches. When comparing two diets, 268 differentially methylated sites (DMSs) were identified in the PAR, and 288 DMSs were found in MFP tissue. The obtained data allowed identification of four differentially expressed miRNAs (DE miRNAs) in PAR and 35 DE miRNAs in MPF tissue. Furthermore, transcriptomic analysis revealed that mammary fat pad tissue reacted to varying diets with a higher number of differentially expressed genes, indicating that parenchyma tissue is less responsive to nutritional changes. Based on integrative omics analysis, specific genes were identified in MFP tissue, whose expression levels were correlated with the level of CpG methylation and miRNA expression, revealing enriched biological processes. However, several important limitations should be considered when interpreting these results, including the relatively small sample size and the absence of long-term follow-up. These findings suggest that pre-weaning feeding strategies have a significant influence on the epigenetic regulation of gene expression, potentially determining the future lactation potential of dairy heifers.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105838"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321710","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A diet containing Cyberlindnera jadinii yeast as a protein source demonstrates comparable benefits to a formic acid and probiotic supplemented diet in post-weaning piglets","authors":"Özgün C Onarman Umu ,&nbsp;Henning Sørum ,&nbsp;Anne Stine Ekker ,&nbsp;Peng Lei ,&nbsp;Purushothaman Kathiresan ,&nbsp;Charles McLean Press ,&nbsp;Kari Ljøkjel ,&nbsp;Liv Torunn Mydland ,&nbsp;Nils Petter Kjos ,&nbsp;Margareth Øverland","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105835","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The increasing demand for sustainable protein sources in livestock production necessitates the evaluation of novel feed ingredients that can reduce environmental impact while maintaining animal health and performance. The effects of replacing soybean meal with <em>Cyberlindnera jadinii</em>, a locally produced microbial yeast protein, in the diet of post-weaning piglets under commercial production conditions were analyzed. A total of 840 piglets were enrolled in a field experiment conducted over 3 consecutive production periods. Piglets were allocated to 2 dietary treatments: a control diet containing soybean meal, formic acid products and a probiotic, and an experimental diet where <em>C. jadinii</em> yeast replaced 45% of the dietary protein. Growth performance, fecal consistency, and gut microbiota composition were evaluated over a 4 wk post-weaning period. Piglets fed the yeast-based diet exhibited an overall lower average daily gain (ADG; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) and average daily feed intake (ADFI; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.01) compared to those on the control diet, while feed conversion ratio (FCR) remained similar between groups. No differences in fecal consistency or clinical signs of diarrhea were observed, indicating maintained gut health despite reduced feed intake. Microbiota profiling revealed dietary effects on microbial diversity and composition in both the ileum and colon. Notably, the yeast-fed piglets showed greater relative abundances of <em>Lactobacillus johnsonii, Streptococcus gallolyticus</em>, and members of the Prevotellaceae family, while the control-fed piglets had greater abundances of <em>Lactobacillus amylovorus</em> and <em>Blautia hansenii</em>. These findings indicate that <em>C. jadinii</em> yeast can partially replace soybean meal and formic acid in weaner pig diets without compromising health status, although some reduction in growth performance was observed. The altered gut microbiota, including enrichment of beneficial taxa such as <em>L. johnsonii</em>, suggests functional modulation of gut health, supporting the potential of yeast-based proteins as a sustainable feed strategy in pig production systems.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105835"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321715","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of heat stress and feed restriction on performance, carcass traits, and meat quality of growing rabbits","authors":"Emanuele Pontalti ,&nbsp;Marco Cullere ,&nbsp;Zsolt Szendrő ,&nbsp;Zsolt Matics ,&nbsp;Zsolt Gerencsér ,&nbsp;Bianca Palumbo ,&nbsp;Antonella Dalle Zotte","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105836","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105836","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The effects of heat stress and feed restriction were evaluated on a total of 180 weaned rabbits divided into three experimental groups (60 animals/group): 2 groups were fed <em>ad libitum</em> and reared under different temperatures (20 °C – 20AD and 30 °C – 30AD), while a third group was housed under controlled temperature (20 °C) but pair-fed to 30AD rabbits, thus feed restricted (20FR). During the trial, both 30AD and 20FR groups exhibited reduced growth performance, including body weight and daily weight gain (both, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), although feed conversion ratio improved (<em>P</em> = 0.016). The reference carcasses of 20FR and 30AD rabbits were lighter and leaner (both, <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) than that of 20AD rabbits, while the slaughter yield decreased only in 20FR rabbits (<em>P</em> = 0.001). Regarding meat physical traits, 20FR rabbits exhibited the highest pHu (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and the lowest total losses (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001), whereas the meat-to-bone ratio decreased in both 20FR and 30AD groups (<em>P</em> = 0.007). As for meat proximate composition, protein and lipid contents were lower (<em>P</em> = 0.008 and <em>P</em> = 0.0002, respectively) in 20FR and 30AD rabbits, while water content was greater (<em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) compared to 20AD rabbits. At the lipid level, higher TBARS (<em>P</em> = 0.001) were found in both 20FR and 30AD groups. The 20FR and 30AD groups showed some differences in their carcass and meat quality traits, however the majority of changes induced by chronic heat stress were mostly attributed to the reduced feed intake.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105836"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321711","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Calf presence in the cow herd: Associations with growth, health, and herd horn status in a cow-calf contact system","authors":"Romane Gillet ,&nbsp;Marie Schneider ,&nbsp;Kerstin Barth","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105834","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105834","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Prolonged cow-calf contact in dairy farming is receiving considerable attention. However, research on systems that allow calves to access the whole dairy herd has been limited. This study investigated the time that German Holstein calves spent daily within the dairy herd of their dams, its association with calf growth and health, and the effect of herd (horned vs. polled). The calves with whole-day contact (WDC, <em>n</em>= 23) could enter the herd at any time during the day, except during milking; the calves with daytime contact (DTC, <em>n</em>= 26) had only access between morning and evening milking. Calves with no herd contact (NOC, <em>n</em>= 42) served as a control. Calves were weighed weekly and their health status was assessed. Between the 2nd and 11th weeks of life, the time spent in the cow herd decreased in WDC calves (h d^-1, horned WDC: - 10.9, polled WDC: - 3.7, <em>P</em>&lt; 0.001), but did not differ in DTC calves (<em>P</em>&gt; 0.1). More time in the herd was associated with higher growth rates (<em>P</em>= 0.003). However, no effect of the herd was observed on calf growth or health. WDC calves had the highest growth rate compared to DTC and NOC (g d^-1, 991 ± 36, 718 ± 35, 869 ± 28, respectively, <em>P</em>&lt; 0.05). Unrestricted access to the cow herd resulted in individual variation in the time calves spent within the herd, with no observed effects on growth or health.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105834"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321712","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards a balanced view of livestock: Benefits of grazing farming systems to produce meat","authors":"Jean-Louis Peyraud ,&nbsp;Jean-François Hocquette","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105829","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105829","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Debates about livestock and meat consumption are generally fragmented, and to date no study has simultaneously analyzed all the dimensions affected by livestock farming. The environmental impacts of livestock are well described and often emphasized in the media as the negative effects of methane emission from ruminants, but the associated benefits are poorly described in scientific literature thus giving an unbalanced picture of livestock farming. Based on various findings from research, this review aims to propose a multidimensional view on this topic.</div><div>Firstly, most of the environmental or nutritional arguments generally put forward against meat are provided without enough nuances. Without ignoring the negative impact of livestock on the climate and the environment, we show they need to be better deciphered. We provide examples dealing with the competition between feed and food, the water footprint of livestock, and the carbon footprint of meat production and consumption.</div><div>On the other hand, livestock farming produces several ecosystem services beyond human food production that are not well known. Indeed, livestock production is the basis of agricultural activities and rural vitality in many parts of the world. Herbivores contributes to valorize large grassland areas that are not suitable for crop production and are hotspot of biodiversity. Livestock, notably ruminants, plays a key role in maintaining soil carbon content and soil fertility, and manure from livestock is a source of organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus.</div><div>An original service-bundle methodology designed to capture European livestock production in a global manner highlights antagonism between certain services. Thus, it is not possible to summarize livestock effects and impacts in a single indicator, be it positive or negative. Finally, we show that different scenarios exist to reduce the negative impacts of livestock. More global actions are needed on all fronts: improving meat production and supply, reducing demand, losses and waste of food. Eating less meat on average in developed countries and lowering the proportion of animal protein in diets may also be part of a global solution. Improving livestock farming systems in favor of grassland-based systems, which rely on natural resources without competing with human food production and which provide environmental services is also an essential strategy. In any case, a world without meat–producing livestock is unlikely to be sustainable as suggested by several studies.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105829"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321713","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effect of water supplementation with Eurycoma longifolia (Tongkat Ali) root extract on growth performance, carcass characteristics, antioxidant responses, and gene expression in brown and white Japanese quails","authors":"NM Elbanhawy ,&nbsp;S El-Kassas ,&nbsp;MM. Sharaf ,&nbsp;IA Elkhaiat ,&nbsp;HA Basha ,&nbsp;MI. Abo-Samaha","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105833","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105833","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;&lt;div&gt;The impact of varying doses of water-soluble &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; root extract was evaluated on growth performance, blood biochemistry, antioxidant enzymes, histology, and expression of some related genes in brown- and white-feathered Japanese quails. Seven hundred and twenty 2-wk old quails (360 brown- and 360 white-feathered quails, 180 males and 180 females each) were randomly assigned to 8 treatments with 3 replicates having 30 quails per replicate (15 females and 15 males from the same quail’s variety). The &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; was incorporated in drinking water at 0, 125, 250, and 500 mg &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt;/L for treatment 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. This experiment lasted for 4 wk. Drinking water with &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt;, especially at 125 mg &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt;/L increased body gains and feed consumption as well as gain-to-feed ratio (linear; quadratic, cubic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05) with brown females, compared to brown males and both sex of white-feathered quails, displayed greater improvement. Growth-related genes: growth hormone receptors and insulin growth factor-1, and ghrelin mRNA concentrations were upregulated while leptin mRNA copies were reduced with &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; (linear; quadratic, cubic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001). Increasing the dose of &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; reduced water consumption (linear, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001). The brown-feathered quails drank more water compared to the white-feathered ones, especially with increasing the &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; supplementation rate (&lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.004). &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; also caused distinct improvement of quails’ immunity manifested by a reduced heterophils-to-lymphocytes ratio (quadratic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.005) and increases in the superoxide dismutase (cubic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; = 0.015), catalase and glutathione peroxidase enzyme activities and their mRNA copies (linear; quadratic, cubic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001). Additionally, &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; supplementation caused increases in cholesterol concentrations in white-feathered females and males and brown females while increased triglycerides concentrations, particularly at 125 mg/L in all quails except in brown female, &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; reduced its concentration (quadratic, cubic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05). Increasing supplementation dose to 500 mg &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt;/L lowered these concentrations compared to the lower doses. Incorporating &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; also caused increases in the intestinal villi lengths (linear, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001; quadratic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05) with fat vacuolation in hepatic tissue. Moreover, reduction in estrogen (linear, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.001) and changes in testosterone concentrations (quadratic, &lt;em&gt;P&lt;/em&gt; &lt; 0.05) were measured with &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; treatment. In conclusion, &lt;em&gt;E. longifolia&lt;/em&gt; root extract could be used as a potential alternative osteogenic herbal additive to enhance bird’s performance. Its impacts in quail’s drinking water significan","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105833"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Dietary linseed with apple pomace and milk thistle improves fatty acids profile of pork and its oxidative status","authors":"M. Kasprowicz-Potocka ,&nbsp;A. Zaworska-Zakrzewska ,&nbsp;D. Łodyga ,&nbsp;A. Ludwiczak ,&nbsp;J. Składanowska-Baryza ,&nbsp;A. Cieślak ,&nbsp;A. Czech ,&nbsp;G. Cieleń ,&nbsp;M. Muzolf-Panek ,&nbsp;E. Sell-Kubiak","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105831","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105831","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Pork is a major source of dietary fat but has a poor <em>n</em>-6/<em>n</em>-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) ratio. Feeding <em>n</em>-3 PUFA-rich sources to pigs can improve this ratio, but it may also lead to oxidation-related changes affecting meat quality and shelf life. The study investigated the effect of dietary mixture (LAM) composed of linseed, apple pomace, and milk thistle on the growth performance, fatty acid content, and health status of fattening pigs. Ninety pigs (31 kg of body weight) were divided into three groups: Control (CON) - diet without LAM, LAM-F and LAM-GF with 5 % LAM supplement during the finisher phase only or in grower and finisher, respectively. At the end of the experiment, 14 pigs per group were slaughtered, and muscle samples were analysed for fatty acid composition, oxidative stability, and quality parameters. Daily weight gain were similar in total fattening period (<em>P</em> &gt; 0.05). LAM supplementation increased <em>n</em>-3 PUFA content and reduced the <em>n</em>-6/<em>n</em>-3 ratio in meat. Moreover, the LAM diet improved liver antioxidant enzyme activity, but LAM-F pigs had higher malondialdehyde levels in the blood, indicating more pronounced lipid oxidation. LAM also reduced inflammatory markers (interleukins) and increased antioxidant-related compounds in the liver and blood, suggesting health benefits, increased the change in thaw loss, and tenderness of meat stored for 3 or 7 days under refrigerated conditions. The LAM diet effectively improved the fatty acid profile of pork and enhanced oxidative stability and immune function without negatively affecting growth performance.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105831"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145321714","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Excitable temperament impairs oocyte quality and in vitro embryo production efficiency in Nellore donors","authors":"Samuel Rodrigues Bonamichi do Couto ,&nbsp;Nicolas Moreira Piedras Monnerat Caparelli ,&nbsp;Thiago Souza Vieira ,&nbsp;Daniela Cristina Rocha de Freitas ,&nbsp;Mateus Gonçalves Costa ,&nbsp;Mellyssa Sad Rodrigues Gomes ,&nbsp;João Paulo Nascimento Andrade ,&nbsp;Rondineli Pavezzi Barbero ,&nbsp;Felipe Zandonadi Brandão ,&nbsp;Marco Roberto Bourg de Mello","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105827","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105827","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study aimed to evaluate the effects of temperament and reactivity on oocyte recovery and in vitro embryo production (IVEP) efficiency in Nellore females. We hypothesized that stress from an excitable temperament would impair IVEP outcomes. This study was conducted on a commercial farm in Paraná, Brazil, involving 133 Nellore females, yielding 3,820 oocytes. Temperament was scored on a scale of 1–4 based on behavior during handling, categorizing animals into calm (ADQ; score ≤ 2) or excitable (EXC; score &gt; 2) groups. Cortisol concentrations were measured to validate the temperament assessments. Oocytes were morphologically evaluated and subjected to a commercial IVEP protocol. Statistical analyses were performed using the GLIMMIX procedure in SAS (<em>P</em> ≤ 0.05). Excitable females (n = 32) had higher cortisol levels than calm ones (n = 101) (62.5 ± 7.2 vs. 42.2 ± 3.8 ng/mL; <em>P</em> = 0.008). The ADQ group had a higher proportion of viable oocytes (79.3%¦vs. 75.5%; <em>P</em> = 0.01) and lower degeneration rates (20.6%¦vs. 24.4%; <em>P</em> = 0.01). The cleavage (74.9%¦vs. 64.7%; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001) and blastocyst (25.4%¦vs. 19.2%; <em>P</em> = 0.02) rates were also higher in calm females, with greater blastocyst production per donor (6.2 vs. 3.0 embryos; <em>P</em> &lt; 0.001). In conclusion, excitable temperament negatively affects oocyte quality and IVEP efficiency, suggesting that temperament-based selection and management can enhance IVEP success in Nellore cattle.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105827"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145223228","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Landscape genomics of thermotolerance: Environmental and genetic determinants of the slick hair phenotype in Montana Tropical cattle","authors":"Nathalia da Silva Costa ,&nbsp;Renato Fontes Guimarães ,&nbsp;Vinícius Silva Junqueira ,&nbsp;Vanessa Peripolli ,&nbsp;José Bento Sterman Ferraz ,&nbsp;Felipe Pimentel ,&nbsp;Daniel Pimentel ,&nbsp;Luís Telo da Gama ,&nbsp;Danielle de Faria ,&nbsp;Rafael Núñez-Domínguez ,&nbsp;Concepta McManus","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105828","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105828","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The slick hair phenotype in cattle is a thermotolerance trait of increasing relevance in the context of climate change. This study evaluated 3233 Montana Tropical cattle to investigate environmental and spatial factors associated with genetic variation in the genomic region linked to the slick hair trait and to identify candidate genes potentially involved in thermotolerance. A panel of 120 SNPs spanning 5.5 Mb of the slick hair region on BTA20 was analyzed using logistic regression against six environmental variables: temperature, humidity, altitude, precipitation, NDVI, and solar radiation. Spatial genetic structure was assessed through Mantel tests, spatial autocorrelation, genetic landscape modeling, and Monmonier's algorithm. Eight SNPs were significantly associated with at least four environmental variables, with radiation and humidity showing the strongest effects. Gene annotation revealed five key genes—<em>PRLR, RAD1, BRIX1, TTC23L</em>, and <em>DNAJC21</em>—and functional annotation indicated roles in immune function, DNA repair, and ribosome biogenesis. Spatial analyses detected fine-scale genetic structure and multiple genetic barriers, particularly in southern Brazil, suggesting the combined effects of environmental selection and region-specific breeding practices. These findings enhance understanding of environmental influences on the slick hair genomic region and provide markers for breeding strategies aimed at improving heat tolerance in tropical cattle populations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105828"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145269805","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Long-term social preferences in a group of sub-adult female pigs","authors":"Piero Seddaiu ,&nbsp;Simon P. Turner ,&nbsp;Irene Camerlink","doi":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105826","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.livsci.2025.105826","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Social relationships in farm animals, including pigs, have become a focus of research, yet long-term studies are scarce. Pigs, being highly social animals, offer an excellent model to explore social preferences over time. This study aimed to investigate social preferences in female pigs across life stages by observing a group of ten gilts over one year, with each season serving as an assessment point. Social interactions (allogrooming, snout-body, and snout-head contact) were recorded through live and video observations, totaling 396 h per animal. Social Network Analysis (SNA) assessed group cohesion using measures of density, reciprocity, and degree centralization. Monte Carlo simulations, half-weight association index (HWI) and the Quadratic Assignment Procedure (QAP) were used to evaluate social preferences and their recurrence across seasons. Results showed high density (0.95) and reciprocity, with weak centralization (in-degree 0.19, out-degree 0.27), indicating uniform distribution of social interactions. On average across the four seasons, 5.8 % of connections were strong, 35.7 % weak, and 58.5 % non-preferential. Social preferences correlated modestly between autumn and winter, but not with summer and spring. This study confirms previous findings that only a small proportion of pigs form non-random associations within a group. Social preferences lasted for a maximum of two seasons, likely influenced by pregnancy and transitions from gilt to adult sow, which resulted in temporary withdrawal from the group.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":18152,"journal":{"name":"Livestock Science","volume":"302 ","pages":"Article 105826"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145157196","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"农林科学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}