Locomoting organisms often carry loads such as captured prey or young. Load-carrying effects on high-Reynolds-number flight have been studied, but the fluid dynamics of load carrying by low-Reynolds-number microorganisms has not. We studied low-Reynolds-number load carrying using unicellular choanoflagellates, which wave a flagellum to swim and create a water current transporting bacterial prey to a food-capturing collar of microvilli. A regularized Stokeslet framework was used to model the hydrodynamics of a swimming choanoflagellate with bacterial prey on its collar. Both the model and microvideography of choanoflagellates showed that swimming speed decreases as number of prey being carried increases. Flux of water into the capture zone is reduced by bacteria on the collar, which redirect the water flow and occlude parts of the collar. Feeding efficiency (prey captured per work to produce the feeding current) is decreased more by large prey, prey in the plane of flagellar beating and prey near microvillar tips than by prey in other locations. Some choanoflagellates can attach themselves to surfaces. We found that the reduction in flux due to bacterial prey on the collars of these attached thecate cells was similar to the reduction in flux for swimmers.

The diet and feeding of juvenile common two-banded sea bream, Diplodus vulgaris, in the eastern central Adriatic Sea was studied to better understand local ecosystem dynamics in this region. Stomach contents of 140 individuals with total length (TL) between 22 and 106 mm, collected by small beach seines from February to November, were analysed. Food items identified in stomachs belonged to 16 prey groups: Copepoda, Gastropoda, Teleost eggs, Ostracoda, Polychaeta, Bivalvia, unidentified Crustacea, Amphipoda, Decapoda, Cumacea, Echinoidea, Anisopoda, Euphausiacea, Mysidacea, Branchiopoda and Isopoda. Overall, planktonic copepod crustaceans were the most important prey group (percentage index of relative importance, %IRI = 78.9), followed by gastropods (%IRI = 14.9). All other prey groups had much lower %IRI values and thus were of less importance. Fish size was an important factor influencing food composition. Planktonic copepods were the most important prey in juveniles of smaller sizes (up to 76 mm TL), whereas large-sized juvenile individuals (>76 mm TL) mainly consumed benthic prey, such as gastropods, polychaetes and bivalves. Feeding intensity was very high as indicated by the low vacuity index.

There is a growing awareness that non-human primates kept in zoos and laboratories deserve more species-appropriate stimulation because of their biological adaptation to a challenging environment.

Numerous attempts have been made to effectively emulate the gathering and processing aspects of natural feeding. Whole natural food-items, woodchips mixed with seeds, the puzzle ceiling and the puzzle feeder stocked with ordinary biscuits, cost little or nothing but induce sustained food gathering and/or food processing. Turf and fleece substrates sprinkled with particles of flavoured food, foraging trays, probe feeders and puzzles baited with food treats also promote more foraging behaviour, but they are relatively expensive and require added labour time to load and clean them.

Captive primates rarely have to spend as much time searching for, obtaining and processing food as do their wild counterparts. Enrichment techniques designed to encourage captive primates to spend more species-appropriate amounts of time in foraging behaviours have been successful. The present study measured the behavioural effects of four feeding enhancements: two devices (mats and puzzles) and two foods (produce and frozen juice), on four cohorts (n = 63) of single-caged, yearling rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). Devices required considerable manipulation to retrieve rewards, whereas enrichment foods required additional processing. Analyses compared periods when one of the enhancements was available to interim periods when no enhancements were available. Planned comparisons revealed that subjects spent more time feeding, and less time inactive, self-grooming, exploring and behaving socially when feeding enrichment was available. Significantly more time was spent feeding when enrichment foods were provided, but more time was spent playing and using enrichment when devices were in the cage. More time was spent self-grooming and exploring with the acrylic puzzle than with the artificial turf mat. Subjects spent significantly more time feeding when produce was available than when frozen juice was available. Feeding enhancements resulted in more species-typical patterns of activity for single-caged, yearling rhesus. Since feeding devices were used in species-typical activities in addition to feeding, devices may be more valuable than foods. Feeding enrichment programmes which combine stimulating devices with foods that are novel and require processing can positively affect the behaviour of captive primates.

A case control study with a questionnaire was carried out to compare feeding practices, diet composition, housing and management in 78 herds with or without a history of tail-biting in undocked pigs (Sus scrofa) in Finland. Tail-biting was measured as the mean annual prevalence score of tail-biting damage (TBD) for a farm. Logistic regression parameters were calculated separately for risk factors present in piglet (lactation), weaner, and finishing units. Risk factors found in piglet units for TBD were slatted floors and area of slats. In the weaner units, slatted floors, area of slats, use of whey or wheat in the diet, and use of purchased compound feeds were associated with a risk of TBD. In the finishing units, slatted floors, area of slats, increasing number of finisher pigs at the farm, absence of bedding, liquid feeding, several meals per day, specialised production type and a group size greater than nine pigs were found as risk factors for TBD. Increased farm size was connected to risk for TBD in the overall dataset. The nutritional risk factors seem to operate together with other risk factors, but with relatively lower odds. The risk factors of undocked herds in this study seem to be similar to the risk factors from earlier studies of docked pigs. This study provides information which can be used to refine decision-support tools for management of the potentially higher risk for tail-biting among long-tailed pigs, thus aiding compliance with EU law and enhancing pig welfare.

Preferences for the height of feeding troughs of seven mares were evaluated and, as awareness of surroundings when feeding is adaptive for horses, the relationship between preference responses and attention behaviours was also assessed. First, feeding troughs at four heights (0, 25, 50, and 75 cm) were provided for 16 days, and the amount of time animals ate from each height option was measured daily. These data were used to determine the preferred/non-preferred options for each individual. An overall preference for heights of 50 and 75 cm was detected, but responses showed significant individual variation The same animals were subsequently observed, when feeding from preferred (four days) or non-preferred (four days) trough heights, while their behaviours were recorded. Moving ears/head (attention behaviours) occurred more frequently when feeding from preferred heights of feeding troughs. We concluded that to ensure better welfare conditions for the mares in this study, it was important to consider the individual variation of such preferences if possible, however, by using troughs positioned at 50 or 75 cm, the general preference could be assured. Moreover, when feeding from their preferred heights, the study mares paid more attention to their surroundings than when feeding from their non-preferred height and thus it is likely that they defended their preferred options more. However, further studies are needed to evaluate the generalisability of these findings. We have demonstrated a methodology to assess mares’ preferences and provided some preliminary data on the relationship between preferences/non-preferences and the possible emotional states of mares.

The aim of this study was to investigate factors responsible for between-herd variation in milk production, when genetic variation is controlled. Quantitative information regarding farms’ production environment and animal welfare, as evaluated annually by veterinarians and health and feeding records, were the factors studied. Principal component analysis was used to reduce the production environment variables as well as the welfare data. Two linear regression models were devised. The first model used welfare indicators and veterinary treatments to predict the difference between herds’ observed and potential milk yield. The second model explained the residual of the first model by feeding and animal-based indicator data. Together, these two models explained 62% of the variance in milk yield differences between herds. Specifically, feeding of the herd was the most important factor, accounting for 67%, followed by the production environment/animal welfare (30%) and finally animal health, assessed through veterinary treatments, explained the remaining 3% of the variance. A poor welfare rating adversely affected milk production. Similarly, a low score for fatness at slaughter, poor milk quality and high mortality all showed a clear negative association with production. It was found that while feeding remains a major factor, production environment and animal welfare also have significant roles to play when it comes to production. Notably, those farms with major animal welfare problems were shown to display milk yield below the Finnish average.

Size-frequency analysis of the echinoid Echinocyamus pusillus from six offshore areas in the southern North Sea and eastern English Channel reveal five distinct cohorts, suggesting a lifespan of five years. In all six individual areas one or more year-groups are absent, due to the unsuccessful recruitment of planktonic larvae to the seabed in some years, giving a false impression of a shorter lifespan. A relatively long lifespan and planktotrophic larval development are remarkable for such a small species, which reaches a maximum test length of 7.3 mm in the area, such traits being more typical of large-sized macrobenthic species. The feeding mode is akin to that of many meiobenthic taxa. The architecture of the test confers exceptional strength and resilience to mechanical perturbation.

Estuarine habitats are major nurseries for the European flounder Platichthys flesus, with different year classes sharing food and space resources. Hence, an understanding of feeding strategies that optimize resource use and maintain carrying capacity is fundamental for sustainable and successful ecosystem management. The main feeding areas of juvenile European flounder (including 0-group and 1-group age classes) in the Lima estuary (northern Portugal) nursery ground were investigated by integrating stomach content analyses with stable isotopic values (δ13C and δ15N) and fish condition indices (Fulton K and RNA:DNA ratio). The 0-group flounder that were associated with the upstream section of the estuary presented the lowest δ13C value (−25.58 ± 1.86‰), while 1-group flounder exhibited a higher δ13C value (−22.59 ± 2.51‰), indicating use of the more saline areas of the estuary (lower and middle sections). The two age groups did not differ in terms of δ15N (0-group: 13.93 ± 0.29‰; 1-group: 13.50 ± 0.96‰), indicating similar trophic levels. The low salinity upper estuary was the main feeding area of 0-group flounder (74%), while 1-group flounder fed along the estuary both upstream (52%) and downstream (48%). Juvenile flounder showed high individual condition based on the Fulton K index (0-group: 1.05 ± 0.08; 1-group: 1.07 ± 0.05) and RNA:DNA (0-group: 1.70 ± 0.70; 1-group: 1.41 ± 0.47). These indices deal with fish health, and hence indicate nursery habitat quality. It is concluded that in this temperate nursery habitat, different feeding strategies sustained the condition of the European flounder juveniles, compared with other flounder populations.

The aim of the study was to analyse the influence on tail-biting in undocked pigs during the rearing period of crude fibre in piglets' rations. All pigs were fed the same pre-starter until weaning. The study comprised two trials with four experimental groups each. The first trial contained: a control group (CG1) with conventional feed (up to 40 g/kg crude fibre), two groups with an increased crude fibre content of up to 50 g/kg (G5) and 60 g/kg (G6), respectively, and one group with conventional feed and crude fibre provision ad libitum (AL). The second trial consisted of a control group (CG2) which received the same conventional feed as CG1 and three treatment groups with either soya hulls (SS), dried sugar beet pulp (DP) or oat fibre (OF) admixed to their ration, to achieve a crude fibre content of 60 g/kg in all three groups. The rearing week, the batch, the treatment group (only in trial one) and the interaction between batch and treatment group had a significant influence on tail-lesions (P < 0.05). The tail-biting process started in rearing week 3 (trial one) and 5 (trial two), respectively. Due to the low frequency of tail-biting during the present study, crude fibre seems to have no major influence on tail-biting during the rearing period. This unexpected result may be caused by the optimized conditions in which the piglets were kept and the intensive animal observation carried out by the employees. However, the batch effect was most influential.

This study verifies the food assimilation of a carnivorous teleost in different timescales (weeks vs months) and evaluates how it uses the food sources. The target species is the adult ribbonfish, Trichiurus lepturus, a voracious teleost caught in commercial fisheries off south-east Brazil (21°S–22°S). The isotope models indicated Chirocentrodon bleekerianus as the main food in the ribbonfish diet in the last weeks (liver: 38.5%; 95% credible intervals: 3.4–73.9%) and last months (muscle: 36.2%; 95% credible intervals: 3.4–68.7%). The contribution of other food sources ranges from 10–16% (liver) and from 10–20% (muscle). Food assimilation remains similar at different timescales. The isotope models suggested a strong and long-lasting association of the adult females of ribbonfish with coastal waters along the study area.

Neonates with CHD are at increased risk of developing necrotising enterocolitis due to mesenteric hypoperfusion. Necrotising enterocolitis results in repeated feed interruptions contributing to poor growth during the early post-operative phase. Poor weight gain and longer hospital stay are risk factors for death in neonates with CHD. Abdominal radiography is used as a diagnostic tool for necrotising enterocolitis; however, its utility is limited in the early stages of necrotising enterocolitis when pneumatosis intestinalis is absent. Calprotectin is a neutrophil activation biomarker, and elevated levels are evident in inflammatory diseases such as necrotising enterocolitis. The aim of this study was to determine whether there is a correlation between faecal calprotectin concentration and gut inflammation in neonates with CHD. This prospective single-centre study recruited newly diagnosed term patients with duct-dependent CHD between March 2018 and March 2019. Faecal calprotectin concentrations were measured in post-surgical patients using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods. A total of 30 patients were included in the analysis. Calprotectin concentration for patients who developed necrotising enterocolitis was 3528 µg/g compared with 390 µg/g without, compared with 1339 µg/g in patients with suspected necrotising enterocolitis (p = 0.0001). Patients with suspected necrotising enterocolitis had a significantly longer length of hospital stay, on average 18 days longer compared to patients without necrotising enterocolitis (p = 0.03). Faecal calprotectin concentrations may reflect severity of gut inflammation in neonates with CHD. Suspected necrotising enterocolitis contributes to longer days nil by mouth and an increase in length of hospital stay.