فصلنامه محیط زیست جانوری
سال چهاردهم شماره 4 (زمستان 1401)

The bias in the selection of superior animals and accurate prediction of hereditary values of animal offspring selected in future generations is one of the important topics of breeding; therefore, the study of oblique trends in successive generations can be effective in the method of unbiased selective animals in the future. The statistical distribution of the effects of single nucleotide markers can be different in different traits and occupy a range from the normal distribution to the gamma distribution; therefore, the study of the amount of bias caused by pre-selection for different traits can be different according to their genetic structure. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of statistical distribution of the effects of SNPs on the biased process of estimating breeding values resulting from pre-selection of animals by genomic selection method. The statistical distributions studied included two distributions of normal and gamma, the biased trend of each of which was studied during consecutive generations. The bias criterion includes the regression of actual correction values on the estimated correction values. Initial Simulation and historical population in the form of two selection scenarios in three different traits with different heritability in 10 consecutive generations by two selection scenarios of 10% and 50% and the number of three QTL species were simulated accurately to estimate genomic breeding values using QMSim software. The need for calculations was analyzed using R software. The regression of TBVs on their GEBVs in the first generation whose genotyping was random was about one and unbiased; But by making choices based on superior breeding values from the second generation onwards it created a bias. As the number of consecutive selection generations increases so does the amount of bias but the rate of change in this bias decreased dramatically after the second generation and remained almost constant in the fourth generation which could be due to a reduction in genetic and phenotypic variance as a result of continuous selection known as the Bolmer effect. The results showed that in both statistical distributions, the amount and intensity of bias and its trend are almost the same and the difference in the statistical distribution of effects will not cause a difference in the amount and trend of bias. Moreover, due to the stabilization of the amount of bias in the 4th generation onwards, it is possible to correct the amount of bias from the 4th generation onwards by using a scale corrector.

This experiment carried out to investigate the effect of feeding gamma-irradiated cottonseed meal on yield, serum lipid profile and liver enzymes in Japanese quails. A total of 384 Japanese quails were used in a completely randomized design with four experimental treatments with six replications and sixteen quail per replication for 35 days. Experimental diets included diets without gamma ray irradiated cottonseed meal (control treatment) and diets containing levels of 6, 12, and 18% protein of the diet with gamma irradiated cottonseed meal. At the end of the experimental period (35 days), feed intake, weight gain, feed conversion ratio were calculated. On the last day of the experimental period, blood samples were taken from a vein of two male quail whose body weight was close to the body weight of each replicate. The results of the effect of experimental treatments on feed intake show that there is a statistically significant difference between treatments (p<0.05). With the increase of irradiated meal in the diet composition, the amount of feed consumption in quails increased significantly (p<0.05). So that the highest amount of feed consumption belonged to the group receiving 18% of irradiated cotton seed meal with 613.85 g and the lowest amount of feed consumption related to the control treatment was 591.46 g (P<0.05). The mean weight gain in the whole rearing period was significantly different between the experimental treatments, so that the results show that the weight gain of chickens increased with increasing the level of irradiated cottonseed meal (p<0.05). The highest weight gain belonged to the birds fed with 18% of irradiated cottonseed meal with 217.60 g and the lowest weight gain belonged to the control group with 204.30 g (p<0.05). Concentrations of cholesterol, triglycerides, VLDL-C, HDL-C and LDL-C in serum of avian birds were not affected by experimental treatments. Therefore, this processing method can increase the use of cottonseed meal in poultry feed and increase the capacity to use cottonseed to replace soybean meal.

The skin is a complex structure and has three layers (epidermis, dermis and hypodermis). The skin has different cell types such as Langerhans cells, keratinocytes and etc. The skin is the first layer of the body's defense and protects the body against external factors (such as chemicals, physical damage and etc). The wound healing process begins following any damage to the skin. Wound healing consists of four stages (inflammation, debridement, proliferation and maturation). Wound healing is affected by many factors, including the circadian rhythm. In this regard, circadian rhythm is a biological process that follows a 24-hour cycle and affects the skin cells and other body organs. The aim of the present study was to compare the speed of wound healing during days and nights. Forty male Sprague-Dawley rats were prepared and kept at a constant temperature, light (12 hours light / 12 hours dark) and proper nutrition. Rats were randomly selected and divided into groups A and B. In group A, ulcers were created at 8-10 am and in group B, ulcers were created at 11-9 pm. Evaluation of results based on daily measurement of wound surface (by Digimizer program) immediately after wound creation and (3, 7, 10, 14 and 21 days after wound creation) to determine the rate of clinical healing and biochemical test (hydroxyproline assay) were performed to compare the rate of wound healing on the 10th and 21st day of the study on skin samples in both groups. Hydroxyproline level was markedly increased on day 21 in group A as compared to group B. Measurements of wound dimensions and the healing process showed a significant increase on day 21 in group A in comparison with group B. The results of the present study show that daytime wounds creation healing faster than nighttime wounds creation.

In order to identify the risk factors affecting abortion in sheep and goat population in southern of Kerman, two questionnaires were prepared, the first was related to individual and environmental risk factors related to mother and fetus and the second questionnaire was related to risk factors related to livestock and herds. Data analysis was performed using Minitab software and regression method and the correlation coefficient and significance for the predictor variables were presented. The results showed that the mean age of mothers was 33.4 months and the mean age of aborted fetuses was 3.5 months. Data analysis also showed that the highest rate of aborted fetuses occurred at the age of 3 to 4 months with about 57% and the lowest rate of abortions occurred in fetuses less than one month old with about 6%.80% of abortions on the farm, 34% of abortions were twins and 81% of abortions occurred in hot weather. The results of this study showed that the maintenance system and the region had a significant effect on the incidence of abortion and in animals that kept in the open system and animals kept in warm areas had significantly higher abortion rates. With increasing the age of livestock and the number of livestock, the rate of abortion increased significantly. Manual feeding and use of disinfectants significantly reduced the rate of abortion. With decreasing ratio of manger to livestock Abortion increased significantly.

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of soybean meal replacement with poultry byproduct meal on milk yield, nutrient digestibility, feeding behavior and excreted nitrogen in lactating cows 32 cows with 2 calving with average milk production of 33 ± 3.7 kg were used. This experiment was performed in a completely randomized design with four treatments and eight replications. Treatments included: control treatment (diet without poultry byproduct meal), second treatment (diet containing 33% substitution), third treatment (diet containing 67% substitution) and fourth treatment (diet containing 100% poultry byproduct meal replacement diet instead of soybean meal). The results of this experiment showed that, among the experimental treatments, there was a significant difference in dry matter intake, percentage of dry matter consumption in relation to body weight and body score, daily milk production, milk production efficiency, corrected milk based on milk fat, number and somatic cell score and milk pH were observed. But density, electrical conductivity and freezing point of milk were affected by experimental treatments. With increasing levels of poultry byproduct meal replacement with soybean meal, the percentage of these cases also increased (P<0.05). Nutrient digestibility, nutritional behavior and percentage and grams per liter of fecal nitrogen and fecal pH and urine were not affected by experimental treatments. According to the obtained results, soybean meal can be completely replaced by poultry byproduct meal, which is a source of animal protein, up to 10% of dietary dry matter.

Placentome in cattle comprises fetal cotyledon and maternal caruncle and is a vital site for feto-maternal substance exchanges. There are considerable metabolic and hormonal interactions in the placentomes that could affect the body of the fetus and the mother. Despite the importance of this tissue in reproduction of cattle, there are few studies on this tissue probably due to worries about the invasive trait of placentome collection and its implications for the future reproductive performances of the cow. In this study, we described a method of placentome collection from cows and investigated its implications for the cows’ subsequent reproductive performance. In this study, placentomes were collected from six cows within 30 minutes after parturition by using a guitar string and a hygienic protocol. Then, one dose of vitamin K and two doses of B-complex (during two days) were administered and the health status of the cows was monitored for several days. The number of inseminations until conception, the length of open days, the interval between two subsequent parturitions and the health status of the following calf were recorded for each cow. These six cows considered as placentome collected group and their data were compared to 45 cows in the same herd as control group. Cows in the control group had at most 430 days of interval between their two subsequent parturitions and underwent no manipulation. According to the results, general health of the placentome collected cows was not affected after placentomectomy. None of the reproduction related parameters including the number of insemination until conception, the length of open days, the interval between two parturitions and the health status of the calves showed significant difference between the placentome collected group compared to control. However, the interval between the first parturition and the second insemination was significantly shorter in the cows that underwent placentome collection. In this study, we described an easy and efficient method of placentome collection from alive cows and showed that this method does not have considerable implications for the cows’ reproductive performance. Therefore, by careful collection of placentomes and by having justifiable research purposes, placentome collection from the cows could be considered for future studies.

The genus Anaplasma includes species of gram-negative, intracellular bacteria that can affect human and animal health. Anaplasmosis is of special economic importance in the tropical and subtropical regions of the world. These arthropod-borne bacteria all infect the blood cells of eukaryotic hosts and are located exclusively in the intracytoplasmic vacuoles of the cell. The aim of this study was molecular identification of Anaplasma bovis and Anaplasma marginale species in cows of Gilan province. This study was performed on 200 samples of cow blood collected from different parts of Gilan province during 1397. DNA was first extracted from blood samples, and using nested-PCR method, in the first stage, fragment of 1468 bp of Anaplasma16 S rRNA gene was amplified with a specific primer pair. Then, using the original PCR product, the 345 bp fragment was amplified by another specific primer pair. All positive bovine samples were examined by specific nested-PCR for the presence of Anaplasma bovis. Also from positive DNA extraction samples, using a pair of specific primers that amplified the 866 bp fragment of the Anaplasma marginale msp4 gene, reproduced. In total, 17% of cows were infected with Anaplasma bovis and 20% with Anaplasma marginale. In connection with the effect of variables: Different seasons, different ages and types of livestock on the level of livestock pollution, no significant difference was observed (P>0.05).  Since in Gilan province, suitable conditions are provided for the activity of most hard ticks, therefore, different species of Anaplasma are common in cows of Gilan province.

Afalatoxins are among the most poisoning secondary metabolites produced by different fungi species such as Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus paraziticus. These fungi contaminate different animal feed materials including oil seeds, oil seed meals and forages.  Elimination and reduction of aflatoxines in feed using biological, chemical and physical methods of aflatroxin detoxification in large scales are not only non practical and cost efficient, but also are dangerous for animal health. Therefore, it seems continuously monitoring of animal feed and products is the best method for avoiding of human food chain contamination with these toxins. This research was conducted to investigate the feed and milk aflatoxin contamination and their relationship with feed fungi flora in some dairy cow farms. Concentrate and corn silage were sampled from 5 traditional and 5 industrial dairy farm among dairy farms located around the Sabzevar county, cultivation and identification of feed fungi were done. Milk samples were taken from cooling tank of each farm and transferred to lab in an ice containing flask and were centrifuged to remove fat and then stored in -22°C until analysis. Milk and feed aflatoxin were measured using HPLC method. The most comon feed pollutants were Aspergilus, Penicillium, Trichoderma, Alternaria, Cladosporium and Rhizopus species. The results of HPLC and fungal culture showed a low level of aflatoxin contamination. The results of this research showed a significant negative correlation between Aspergilus contamination and yeast population in silage samples. Aflatoxin M1 contamination was observed in 60 percent of milk samples, however aflatoxin amount was lower than permissive levels in all cases. Mean Aspergilus population in concentrate and aflatoxin concentration of milk Comparison among two farm systems, showed that relative contamination in industrial farms was significantly higher than traditional farms. Results of this research showed that aflatoxin contamination of feed and milk was lower than permissive levels. Based on fungi culture results, it seems that concentrate is more susceptible to fungi and aflatoxin contamination than silage.

The quantity and quality of water are of the most important environmental challenges in the world's arid and semi-arid regions, including Iran. In the present conditions, water shortage as well as water salinity are the most important threats to the livestock and poultry industry in Iran and even many parts of the world. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of different levels of water salinity on rumen degradability of dry matter and crude protein of alfalfa hay using nylon bags technique in Iranian shal rams. Rumen degradability of dry matter and crude protein of alfalfa hay were determined by nylon bags technique at different times using eight cannulated Iranian Shal rams which received different levels of drinking saline water including control group (480), 4000, 8000 and 12000 mg/L. The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental treatments in terms of dry matter degradability in most incubation times, but there was no significant difference in protein degradability (except for 0, 2 and 72 h incubation times). At the longest incubation time, dry matter degradability increased with increasing salinity level. There was a significant difference between the treatments in terms of effective degradability of dry matter; but the effective degradability of the protein was not affected by the experimental treatments. Quickly degradable protein (QDP) decreased and slowly degradable protein (SDP) increased by enhancing salinity level. Metabolizable protein (MP) was significantly different between experimental treatments. The highest amount of MP was observed in the highest salinity level treatment and there was no significant difference between other salinity levels and control treatment. In general, it seems that increasing salinity level affects rumen degradability of alfalfa hay. The treatment containing 12000 mg/L TDS decreased the amount of quickly degradable protein and increased the metabolizable protein.

This experiment was aimed to study the effect of mixture of garlic oil and sunflower oil in diet containing equal ratio of concentrate to forage. The mixture of garlic oil and sunflower oil was added at 2% of diet DM. Gas production parameters, pH, N-ammonia and total protozoa population were measured and metabolizable energy (ME), short -chain fatty acid (SCFA) and organic matter digestibility (OMD) was estimated. The results showed that the mixture of garlic oil and sunflower oil increased gas production (128.64 vs 108.51 mL, P<0.05) but had no significant effect on gas production rate, half-life and lag phase. The addition of the mixture of garlic oil and sunflower oil to diet, increased OMD, SCFA and ME in compare to the control diet (P<0.05). The concentration of Ammonia-N, pH, total protozoa population, Entodinium, Diplodinium and Ophryoscolex population did not affected by the inclusion of the oil mixture. It is concluded that the addition of a mixture of garlic oil and sunflower oil not only had no negative effect on rumen fermentation but also, improved some of the fermentation parameters.

Increasing the speed of wound healing with the least scar tissue prevents wound infection and restores the integrity and health of the skin to normal. In this regard, medicinal plants with restorative effects have long been considered to prevent infection and rapid healing of superficial wounds. The aim of this study was to evaluate the wound healing after topical application of ointment containing Citrus aurantium extract (5%) in comparison with phenytoin ointment in rats. For this purpose, 32 adult rats were randomly divided into 4 groups, including negative control group, positive control group (without treatment), Citrus aurantium ointment treatment group (5%) and phenytoin ointment treatment group (1%). In this experiment, the skin of the lumbar region of mice was cut into 1 cm2 after anesthesia. Ointment containing Citrus aurantium extract and phenytoin ointment was applied topically twice a day for 14 days. Tissue samples were taken at 4, 7, 10 and 14 days after incision and microscopic images were obtained. Blood samples were taken from mice every 6 days to check the growth factor. On microscopic examination on the fourth day, budding tissue including fibroblast cell proliferation and developing blood vessels (angiogenesis) was observed in both treatment groups. On the seventh day, the bud tissue was less formed in the treated groups than in the control group. On the tenth day, the formation of epithelial tissue was observed in the group treated with Citrus aurantium extract as opposed to the group treated with phenytoin. On the fourteenth day, more collagen deposition and absence of inflammatory cells were observed in the group treated with Citrus aurantium extract than in the group treated with phenytoin. Growth factor levels were not significantly different in the study groups. Examination of microscopic images and measurement of wound shrinkage revealed that the group treated with spring orange extract had a higher percentage of improvement than the group treated with phenytoin, which was statistically significant (p<0.001). The results show that Citrus aurantium extract (5%) heals wounds faster than phenytoin ointment.

The present study was performed to determine the antioxidant protective role of garlic extract in deltamethrin-induced damages on serum parameters of rats with five treatments and six replications. In this experiment, it was hypothesized that garlic hydroalcoholic extract due to its potential antioxidant properties and cysteine compounds can reduce the damage caused by deltamethrin toxin and can have positive effects on the level of lipid peroxidation and the activity of antioxidant enzymes. Therefore, an experiment was designed in a completely randomized design. Treatments included 1- control, 2- sham, 3- deltamethrin 10 mg, 4- deltamethrin plus 20 mg of garlic extract, and 5- deltamethrin plus 40 mg of garlic extract. Data analysis of variance was done and comparison of means were performed by Duncan's multiple range test. Antioxidant indices, liver enzymes and enzymatic and biochemical markers were measured acordingly. The levels of TAC (Total Antioxidant Capacity) and GSHP (Glutathione peroxidase) in the deltamethrin group decreased significantly compared to the control (P<0.05), nevertheless with the injection of garlic extract, the activity level of these two parameters increased significantly (P<0.05). The results showed that the levels of MDA (Malondialdehyde), catalase (CAT) and glutathione S-transferase (GST) in the deltamethrin group increased significantly compared to the control (P<0.05) and injection of garlic extract in both amounts (20 and 40mg treatments) significantly reduced the level of these parameters compared to the deltamethrin group. Amounts of liver enzymes showed that the activity levels of enzymes (ALT, AST, ALP and LDH), increased by injecting the toxin, however their activities decreased significantly after receiving the garlic extract (P<0.05). Creatinine level in the deltamethrin group also increased significantly compared to the control group, which decreased significantly after treatment of mice with the garlic extract (P<0.05). It can be concluded that the present experiments confirm the protective role of garlic against deltamethrin poisoning in rats.

Market structure represents the organizational characteristics of the market and with the help of these characteristics, the relationship between market components can be determined. In this study, the structure of the chicken meat market, which is one of the most important products in the food basket of households, has been studied. The scope of this research is for the years 2008 to 2017 and the production data of the top five chicken producing countries in the world, including the United States, China, India, Brazil and Russia, became the basis for determining the market structure of this product. In order to determine the structure of the chicken market in the world, two indicators of concentration ratio and Herfindal index were used. The results showed that the global chicken market has a moderate degree of concentration and the monopoly market is not complete or dominant because the value of Herfindal coefficient is less than 1000 for all years. According to the Index of Concentration, the largest firm share index (CR1), the global chicken market in all years, more than 17% of the market has been held by the United States alone. Also during this period, about 31% of the market was controlled by the United States and China, which shows the importance of these two countries in terms of production. According to the share index of the three largest firms (CR3), with the addition of Brazil's share, the value of this index has changed significantly. According to the share index of four large enterprises (CR4), this share is more than 45%, which with the addition of India, this share will reach approximately 50%. Based on the results, it can be seen that the countries of United States, China, Brazil and Russia, with an approximate 50% share of world chicken meat production, have a multi-monopoly market structure in the production of this product, which shows the determining power of these four countries in the global market.

The aim of this study was to compare the effects of dietary supplementation of vitamin C and formic acid on performance, carcass traits, immune organs, blood hematological and biological parameters of broiler chickens during heat stress. The experiment was conducted using a total of 120 day-old broiler chicks (Ross 308) by employing a completely randomized design with 3 treatments, 4 replicates and 10 birds in each replicate. Heat stress performed by setting room temperature on 34 ˚C for 8 hours per day from 29 to 42 days of age. The experimental treatments included: 1- basal diet (control), 2- basal diet + vitamin C (240 mg per kg of diet) and 3- basal diet + formic acid (0.5% of diet) in finisher diet. At the end of the trial, two birds from each replicate were slaughtered to measure the carcass traits. Blood samples were also taken from the wing vein of the chickens on day 42 to measure the biological and hematological parameters. Dietary supplementation of vitamin C and formic acid significantly improved daily body weight gain, daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio of the chickens (P<0.05). The supplemental vitamin C resulted in lower abdominal fat (P<0.05). Relative weights of spleen and bursa of Fabricius were significantly increased by dietary vitamin C (P<0.05). Dietary treatments increased total protein and declined total cholesterol and LDL-C levels, and vitamin C decreased glucose and increased HDL-C, T3 and T4 concentration of the blood (P<0.05). Vitamin C and formic acid significantly increased red blood cells (RBCs) and mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration (MCHC) and decreased mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and heterophil to lymphocyte ratio (P<0.05). Dietary vitamin C and, to some extent, formic acid could eliminate the adverse effects of heat stress on broilers by having a positive effect on blood parameters and subsequently improved growth performance.

Chitosan is one of the derivatives of marine crustacean chitin shells and a polymer of glucosamine, which is obtained from the deacetylation of chitin. The biological activities of chitosan, such as its cholesterol-lowering effects, as well as its antibacterial and antioxidant effects, are well known in some species. Therefore, this experiment was performed to investigate the effects of chitosan on antioxidant status and some biochemical parameters in broiler chickens. For this study, 400 male broilers of Ross 308 strain were assigned to four treatments, five replications, and 20 chickens for each replication in a completely randomized design. Experimental treatments included 1) basic diet, and treatments 2, 3, and 4) were levels of 0.5, 1, and 2 g of chitosan per kg of basic diet, respectively. Blood and biochemical parameters including red blood cell count, white blood cell count, hemoglobin content, hematocrit, monocyte, heterophils and lymphocyte count, triglyceride and blood cholesterol, antioxidant enzyme activity including glutathione peroxidase, superoxide disodium, and peroxidase Plasma hepatic enzymes alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase were measured. Growth performance parameters including weight gain, feed intake and feed conversion ratio were also calculated for the whole experimental period. The results showed that different levels of chitosan significantly improved the antioxidant indices by increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase) and reducing the levels of alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase enzymes. Growth performance parameters and other blood parameters except white blood cell count were not significantly affected by different levels of chitosan. The use of chitosan significantly improved antioxidant parameters (increasing the activity of antioxidant enzymes and simultaneously decreasing the level of liver enzymes) in broilers. Therefore, the use of proposed chitosan levels in this scheme is recommended to improve the antioxidant status of broilers in conditions of oxidative stress.

This experiment was performed to investigate the effect of different levels of fly larvae with soybean meal as a source of in protein in broilers (male and female) in Arian broilers with 440 birds in a completely randomized design with four treatments, five replications and 22 birds per replication (male and female equally). The treatments used in this experiment included: treatment one (control diet), treatment two with 10% larvae substitution diets instead of soybean meal, treatment three with 20% substitution diets instead of soybean meal and treatment four with 30% substitution diets in soybean meal substitute composition. The duration of the experiment ranged from one to 45 days. Which was given to them for a week before the start of the experiment to get used to the basic diet. The birds were fed from the eighth to the 18th day of the initial feed, from the 19th to the 30th day of the growth feed and also from the 31st to the 45th day with the final feed. The results of this study showed that the performance of broilers was not affected by experimental treatments (P<0.05) so that the treatment containing 20% ​​of fly larvae had the highest live weight and the lowest weight of heart, liver and gizzard, also in treatment 20 and 30% of larvae had the highest carcass weight and the control treatment had the highest amount of abdominal fat. In general, it can be concluded that the addition of fly larvae improves the performance and carcass characteristics in Aryan broilers and can be used as a substitute for soybean meal in the diet chickens. Economically, European production efficiency factor in treatments including the fly larvae (Hermetia illucens) is better than soybean meal. However, the recommendation to use fly larvae requires a more accurate economic calculation.

Due to the physiological importance of the skin to protect the body against external factors, regulation of body temperature, secretion, fat storage, the process of absorption of light by melanocyte cells and lifestyle in reptiles, its study is interesting. This study investigated the morphology and histology of the skin of the keeled rock gecko Cyrtopodion scabrum (Heyden, 1827) (Gekkonidae), which is mainly a nocturnal gecko. Five specimens of keeled rock gecko were prepared from Razi University Zoological Museum, sections of skin tissue were isolated on the dorsal and abdominal surface and its preanal pores, and after performing the tissue passage steps, the prepared slides were stained and studied under a light microscope. The results of microscopic observations of the skin structure of the studied specimens showed that this species has a stratum corneum (keratinocyte layer), epidermal layer, dermis layer and hypodermic layer from the surface to the depth, where the thickness of the epidermal layer is small, but the layer dermis is developed and has many fat cells. The hypodermic layer is developed in its preanal pores and dorsal surface and has numerous fat cells. The epidermal layer of the keeled rock gecko is thin in the structure of scales and tubercles, which may be due to its habitat and time of activity. On the dorsal surface of the dermis is a keeled region, which has abundant collagen fibers and fat cells beneath the tubercle, which makes the tubercle stand out. The anterior vesicular pores of the keeled rock gecko have a developed hypodermis in which there are secretory glands with a tubular structure to produce secretory material. The thickness of the various layers of skin is related to the lizard's living environment, in that having a large number of fat cells insulates the body and provides energy.

This study was conducted to investigate the effects using different levels of dietary crude protein starter period length on performance, carcass characteristics and intestinal morphology of broilers. 288 Rass 308 broilers were used as factorial arrangement (2*3) included 2 levels of dietary cured protein (Rass company recommended and 5% more than it) and 3 starter period length included (7, 10 and 16 days) in a completely randomized design. Reduce the starter period length to 7 days reduced the amount of feed intake and weight gain, whereas increase the starter period length to 16 increased the amount of feed intake, weight gain and final live weight (P<0.05Reduce or increase of the amount of feed intake and weight gain were observed in interaction between starter period length and crude protein levels (P<0.05). Starter period length and crude protein levels had not significant effect on feed conversion ratio and carcass traits (P>0.05). Starter period length and crude protein level had significant effects on intestinal morphology (P<0.05). Reduce the starter period length to 7 days increased the intestinal villi width and length, whereas using crude protein 5% more than Ross recommendation reduce them. In broilers reduce the length of using stater period diet via reduce of the amounts of daily feed consumption and weight gain, reduce the final weight, whereas increase of the use of starter period via increase the amounts of daily feed intake and weight gain, incearse the final weight.

Chondrostoma is a genus of the family Leuciscidae. Members of this genus have not been studied in Iran. During the years 2013-2021, Chondrostoma samples were obtained from the Caspian, Tigris, Isfahan and Kor basins using electrofisher and gill net. ArcMap 10.7 were used to create distribution map of this genus. IUCN Red List criteria v. 3.1 and GeoCAT software were used to assess the conservation status. The Cytb gene of the samples was amplified using a thermocycler and sequenced after purification. The phylogeny tree of the studied samples were drawn by Mrbayes and RaxML. In 87 stations of Tigris, Isfahan and Caspian basins, members of the Chondrostoma genus were found. According to the IUCN Red List, C. cyri and C. regium were the Least Concern and C. esmaeilii and C. orientale were placed as Critically Endangered. The highest genetic distance of 4.74 were calculated between C. esmaeilii and C. cyri and the lowest genetic distance of 1.40 was calculated between the two populations of C. regium in Asi and Tigris River drainage. According to the results of phylogenetic tree, monophyly in the genus Chondrostoma were not proven. Due to the absence of Squalius berak and Alburnus sellal at the type locality of C. esmaeilii and its haplotypes next to other species of the genus Chondrostoma in the phylogenetic tree, the hybrid hypothesis is not approved.

Bacterial infectious diseases are one of the important causes of losses in silver carp aquaculture, due to its detritivorous method, that occur due to temperature changes, manipulation and low quality of farmed water. Four fish breeding farms in Sangar area of ​​Rasht, which had silver carp (Hypophthalmichthys molitrix) brood stocks (5.76± 0.99 Kg}, were considered as sampling sites. In order to isolate and identify the bacterial flora of the gastrointestinal tract of silver carp brood stocks fish with apparently healthy appearance, 30 in equal proportions of male and female were selected and samples were prepared individually for culture. The bacterial flora went to culture. After autopsy, the gastrointestinal tract of the fish was removed and preliminary and differential microbial culture was performed from the intestinal contents. The grown samples were purified after replanting and based on the table of chemical tests; their properties were studied and identified as species. There were observed No significant differences in the study of physicochemical variables of sampled farm water and bacterial count of water in sampling sites (p>0.05). After isolation and determination of morphological and biochemical traits, samples of isolated bacteria of 8 genera from the gastrointestinal tract of silver carp brood stocks were identified, the most common of which were Bacillus, Aeromonas and Pseudomonas, although samples opportunistic and general gram-positives such as Micrococcus sp. And Staphylococcus sp. were also observed. Based on the results of this study, there were no significant differences in bacteria count between gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria isolated from the samples (p>0.05). Although many of the bacteria isolated in this study are known to be pathogenic, they are not primary pathogens and are found in and around aquatic bodies and in seawater, estuaries and environments. Fresh water is considered as a part of the natural microflora of the aquatic body and may become pathogenic in conditions of stress and degradation of the aquatic immune system.

Using live feed as nutritious feed sources that can also contain natural pigments; is always recommended to strengthen skin pigment, improve growth performance and increase the general health of ornamental fish. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of different levels of mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) larvae enriched with commercial probiotic, Protexin on some growth factors, survival rate, and skin color of Oscar (Astronotus ocellatus). First, the mealworms larvae were fed with 0 (control), 0.5, 1, 1.5 and 2% of a commercial Protexin probiotic along with wheat bran powder as the main feed resource for 14 days. Then, Oscar fish with an average weight of 3.0 ± 0.2 g and an initial length of 2.2 3 0.3 cm were randomly distributed into 15 glass aquariums with a density of 20 fish and were fed for 56 days with the enriched mealworms larvae with Protexin. Based on the results, weight gain (10.5 ± 0.23 g), body weight gain (7.54 ±0.31 g), daily growth rate (4.56 ± 0.34), specific growth rate (2.11 ±0.1), and longitudinal growth (3.5 ± 0.5 cm) in 2% treatment showed a significant difference compared to the control group and other treatments (P<0.05). The highest feed conversion ratio was obtained in control (1.25 ±0.17) and the lowest value was observed in 2% treatment (0.84 ±05). However, there was no significant difference in survival percentage between treatments receiving diets containing larvae enriched with probiotic, Protexin. The fish skin color according to L * and a * indices in the 2% treatment had a significant decrease compared to other treatments, especially the control treatment (P<0.05). The effect of different levels of mealworms larvae enriched with commercial probiotic, especially at the level of 2% feed on the growth indices and skin color of Oscar fish was evaluated as completely positive and significant.

The aim of the present study was to establish hyperglycemia in zebrafish (Danio rerio) using dextrose monohydrate as a suitable and inexpensive alternative to glucose in the diabetic process. A number of 90 adult fish with an average weight of 316.38 ± 53.74 mg were selected and after adaptation were subjected to different doses of dextrose monohydrate for 24 days in two treatments of diabetic and control treatments each with three replicates. Blood samples were taken at the beginning of the experiment and also on the seventh, sixteenth and twenty-fifth days after inducing hyperglycemia to check the glucose levels. Comparison of blood glucose levels between the diabetic and control treatments showed an increase in fasting blood glucose levels from 41.17 to 188.67 after immersion in dextrose solution for 24 days. Also in glucose tolerance test in diabetic treatment, glucose level remained above 600 mg/dl after 90 minutes. In general, the results showed that the use of dextrose in a gradual manner causes hyperglycemia and this method can be used to induce type 2 diabetes.

Sturgeon are valuable species that stocks have reached the brink of extinction for various reasons such as overfishing, habitat destruction, and pollution. Despite the poor condition of sturgeon stocks, today climate change has posed another new and serious threat to these fish. In the meantime, analysis of the effects of global warming on the Caspian Sea and ecosystems related to the living environment of sturgeon is very necessary. In this study, an appropriate set of consequences of climate change on the vulnerability and adaptation of sturgeon in the Caspian Sea was prepared using library research and expert opinions in the form of a researcher-made questionnaire and an expert group consisting of 21 experts related to Fishery and sturgeon basins as well as climate change experts were distributed. The results showed that by increasing the water level and decreasing salinity, we can see positive effects in improving the state of natural reserves and increasing the reproduction and breeding efficiency of sturgeon. Also, increasing the temperature will have a positive effect on the reproduction and breeding of sturgeon due to the increase in the length of the temperature period suitable for breeding and feeding sturgeon and will have no effect on stocks. However, in contrast to the decrease in rainfall in other parts of the Caspian catchment area will reduce the discharge of rivers and will have a significant impact on reducing reserves and reducing the breeding efficiency of these valuable fish. Also, increasing acidity, increasing the incidence of planktonic blooms and drastic changes in sea currents will have negative effects on these cases. However, it should be noted that the entry of pollutants into water resources, the occurrence of planktonic blues, the entry of invasive species and many other changes, intensify the destructive effects of climate change. In order to adapt to the consequences of climate change, by adopting the managerial and executive measures presented in this study for the protection and sustainable use of valuable sturgeon reserves in the Caspian Sea, the negative effects can be mitigated.

The aim of this study was to determine the diet of the milk shark in waters of the Persian Gulf and the Oman Sea in Hormozgan province. Total number of samples collected from the waters of Hormozgan province was 45, of which, 17 and 28 were male and female, respectively. The sex ratio of male to female was 1:1.65 in the studied population, which showed no statistically significant difference between the sex ratio of male and female (X2=2.69, p>0.05). The results of frequency and weight percentage of the stomach contents showed that the highest frequency and weight percentage (47.44 and 63.88%, respectively) were related to teleost fish and then crustaceans (33.33 and 23.30%, respectively). Cephalopods (6.41% and 7.13%, respectively), other prey (8.97% and 3.71%, respectively) and bivalves (3.85% and 1.98%, respectively) were in the next ranks. Results of food preference index showed that the fish food group had a total of 83.72 as the first preferred food of the milk shark. Results of Empty Stomach Index in the milk shark indicated that both males and females and the whole populationin the coasts of Hormozgan province is considered as a gluttonous species. Teleost fish had the highest relative importance of prey (IRI) for both males and females and the whole population of milk sharks, (76.53, 67.73 and 73.71%, respectively). For the population and female sharks, crustaceans and bony fish had the highest Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index with 0.159 and 0.153, respectively, but in male sharks, Shannon-Wiener biodiversity index showed the highest biomass index of bony fish (0.138) compared to crustaceans (0.114). Gastrointestinal index (GSI) in R. acutus shark off the coast of Hormozgan province was 2.62% for males, 2.10% for females and 2.30% for the whole population of this species. The overall results show that a common pattern in the milk shark diet preference is elucidated, in which small bony fish are seen as the most preferred prey, followed by crustaceans.

The present study was designed to investigate the interaction effect of acute and subacute ammonia toxication in different salinity levels (1 and 4 g/l) on oxidative enzymes in in liver of common carp and Nile tilapia. To investigate the interactions, fish were randomly divided into 10 treatment groups (each with three replicates). Temperature, pH and other water quality factors were kept constant during the experiments. At the end of the experiment, catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and MDA were measured. According to the results, LC50- 96 hours of NH3 was 0.86 and 102.45 mg/l in Nile tilapia and common carp respectively. The results showed that the toxicity of ammonia and salinity in the short term induces antioxidant responses in both fish. Although salinity has an effect on reducing the amount of ammonia in water, but salinity and ammonia levels and their interactions during 96 hours of testing Indicates more stress in common carp than in tilapia.

Nowadays, based on the reports of the International Panel Climate Change (IPCC) there is no doubt that climate change has been occurring. All ecosystems on the earth have been concerned by the effects of climate change. Freshwater communities are particularly more vulnerable to the climate change because freshwaters are also exposed to numerous anthropogenic stressors such as hydrological, morphological, connectivity and, water quality pressures. The main objective of this study is to determine the effects of climate change on the Salmo trutta distribution under optimistic and pessimistic scenarios of 2050 and 2080. For this purpose, Species Distribution Modelling (SDM) method was used. For this purpose, data related to fish observation as well as environmental variables like elevation, slope, maximum air temperature, range temperature, precipitation and, maximum width were collected. Then, different models including GLM, GAM, GBM, RF, CTA, FDA, MARS, ANN and SRE as well as the Ensemble model (in order to reduce the uncertainty), were used to predict the potential distributions of considered species at the scale of the Lake Urmia basin and Iran. The results showed that Salmo trutta populations will decline sharply in the optimistic scenario in 2050. Whilst, in a similar scenario, populations of this species will disappear in 2080. In addition the populations of Salmo trutta would become extinct in the pessimistic scenario, including two-time scales in 2050 and 2080.

Pollution of aquatic ecosystems, including lakes and seas, has become a serious and growing threat to humans and living organisms. The quality of these ecosystems is one of the most important factors for saving the biodiversity and pollutants which can pose serious effects on plants and living organisms. The Caspian Sea is of global importance due to its biodiversity and special geographical conditions. At the same time, due to the high density of urbanization and the existence of various industrial and agricultural activities on the Iranian shores of the Caspian Sea, the qualitative study of rivers has so importance. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the concentration of some pseudo estrogenic compounds and their Eco toxicological risk potential in Iran’s river estuaries of Caspian Sea.  To assess the concentration of Nonylphenol (NP) and bisphenol A (BPA) in Iran’s rivers of Caspian Sea, Water samples were collected from 49 estuaries along the coasts of Gillan, Mazandaran and Golestan provinces. After preparation of samples in laboratory, the concentration of NP and BPA was evaluated and Eco toxicological risk assessment was measured with Risk quotion, RQ categories in three levels including low (RQ<0.1), moderate (0.1≤RQ≤1) and high risk (RQ≤1). High Eco toxicological risk for BPA (for fishes) was characterized in Tala River, 18 rivers presenting medium and other rivers performing low risk. Comparing to BPA, NP showed a greater hazard quotient for fishes. The ecological risk assessment has shown that BPA and NP pose a threat to organisms in southern coasts of the Caspian Sea. In conclusion, this study revealed that pollution sources may occurs due to agricultural, urban and industrial wastewater. Therefore, it is required to control direct flow of wastes from different activities, especially urban wastewater to restore ecological health of estuaries of Caspian Sea.

The water crisis is one of the most important issues for the ‎progress of our country, which will certainly cause many problems in the near ‎future. Although successive droughts and the loss of available water resources have caused this situation, issues related to governance and management of water resources have also contributed greatly to this crisis. Issues caused by the water crisis are causing great damage and problems ‎to human communities and animal habitats. Therefore, the purpose of this ‎study is to design a strategic model of water governance with a sustainable ‎development approach in order to protect human communities and animal ‎habitats. ‎In this study, Delphi method and confirmatory ‎factor analysis were used to design and validate the research model. After ‎reviewing the theoretical foundations and previous research, water resources ‎governance strategies were identified. Then, based on the identified strategies, ‎the Delphi questionnaire was designed and 15 academic and executive experts ‎were polled about the importance of strategies in water governance, which ‎finally reached a consensus among experts after 3 round trips. In order to ‎validate the research model, confirmatory factor analysis method and Smart ‎PLS software were used. ‎Based on the research findings, 11 main strategies and 45 sub-‎strategies for optimal governance of water resources were identified. Key ‎strategies include trust-building and partnership, accountability, legality, water ‎economics, legitimacy, water resources management, innovation and diversity ‎management, water management, efficiency, macro management and policy-‎making, and comprehensiveness and integration. The results of confirmatory ‎factor analysis also showed that the structure of the research model is approved ‎and among the strategies, efficiency, management and macro-policy with ‎coefficient values of 0.803 and 0.802 have the highest priority. The results showed that the use of strategic approach can ‎provide the basis for good governance of water resources and sustainable ‎development goals and protect human communities and animal habitats. Also, ‎due to the complex and multiple nature of water resources governance, macro-‎operational strategies need to be applied.

Oil-well drilling operations lead to the dissemination of heavy metals into the environment with numerous adverse effects on various components of the environment and living beings. The purpose of this study is to investigate the efficiency of raw bagasse and biochar adsorbents in removing heavy metals from drilling mud wastes of the Mishan Formation. For this purpose, the drilling mud waste of Mishan Formation was submitted to chemical digestion, followed by blending with raw bagasse and biochar adsorbents according to the experimental design. The percentage removal of barium, nickel, vanadium, and cadmium was calculated and statistical analysis, analysis of variance, and comparison of means were performed using the Duncan test at the 5% level. The results of analysis of variance of the parameters influencing the removal percentage showed that contact time had the greatest contribution to the removal efficiency of vanadium and cadmium. The amount and type of absorbent were also recognized as the most effective parameters in the removal of barium and nickel, respectively. Based on the results of contact time, the maximum percentage removal was observed at 60 min for nickel and cadmium, at 120 min for barium and vanadium. According to the maximum removal percentage of nickel, cadmium, vanadium and barium (98.37%, 96.53%, 96.93% and 87.98%, respectively), the use of crude bagasse and biochar adsorbents in the metal removal process Heavy can be used as an effective technique to reduce the risks of these pollutants and preserve the animal, plant and ... environment. In Khuzestan province, due to the existence of extensive sugarcane fields, large quantities of bagasse are produced annually, which are either burned or stored without use. On the other hand, the presence of oil tanks causes the production of drilling wastes and heavy metals in high volumes. It follows bio-animals and living organisms, so the removal of heavy metals from the drilling residues of oil wells using raw sugarcane bagasse can be considered as a management and environmentally friendly solution.

Nanoadsorbents, as an emerging product, play a key role in the control and removal of environmental contaminants. Moreover, the enhancement of environmental pressure due to the human activities reveals the necessity for the utilization of novel approaches to identify the environmental impacts of new products. Therefore, this study was conducted to evaluate the cradle to grave Life Cycle (LCA) of synthesized nanoadsorbents including MGO@β-CD and Fe3O4@β-CD in term of determination of the environmental indicators involving global warming, energy consumption, water use, human toxicity and ecotoxicity, in order to removal of one kilogram of pb (II) from contaminated water. In the present study after the synthesis of MGO@β-CD and Fe3O4@β-CD nanoadsorbents through Sima pro 9.2, CED, ReCiPe, IPCC (GWP 100year) and USEtox methods were used to assess the energy use, water use, global warming, environmental and human toxicity, respectively. By utilizing one-way ANOVA analysis in order to compare the environmental effects of the study through removing one kilogram of lead from the synthesized adsorbents, it is shown that the carbon-based adsorbent has less environmental effects than the synthesized Fe3O4-based adsorbent. The results showed that the amounts of global warming, water use, energy consumption, human toxicity and ecotoxicity for the synthesized nanoadsorbents including MGO@β-CD and Fe3O4@β-CD in order to removal of pb (II) are 539403588 and 772235968 kg CO2 eq, 6856670 and 9816204 m3, 8043724501 and 11515811540 MJ, 1365 and 1954 CTUh ,43889257263 and 62833049032 CTUe. The nanoadsorbents that are synthesized using eco-friendly material and eco-friendly processes could improve the environmental indicator such as human toxicity and eco-toxicity.

This study was performed to investigate the nutritional effect of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) hydroalcoholic extract on physiological and performance of honey bee colonies. Experimental treatments included control group and groups fed with one, two and three percent of lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) extract. At the beginning of the experiment, colonies were used with the same population and reserves and homosexual queens. In this experiment, the colonies were fed with lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) extract every other day and after feeding the colonies with experimental treatments for one month, were measured parameters such as population, queen egg laying, brood rearing, honey production and development of the hypopharyngeal glands. Brood rearing and queen egg laying were measured by Lattice frame (size of the squares are 5×5 cm2) .The population of adult honey bee was measured by frame and 30 days after feeding the colonies. To investigate development of the hypopharyngeal glands, length and width of 10 acini from different parts of the gland for age 3, 6, 9, 12 and 15 days were measured using a stereomicroscope and by software (T Capture).This experiment was performed in a completely randomized design with 4 replications. Data were analyzed using SAS software and GLM procedure and means were compared using Duncan test at 5% probability level. The results of this study show that at the level of brood rearing, colonies fed with 2% lemon balm extract had a statistically significant increase compared to the control treatment. For population, queen egg laying and honey production parameters, no significant difference was observed between the experimental treatments, but the 2% treatment of lemon balm extract, although not statistically significant, had a better effect numerically. The highest growth of acini level at 3 days (0.0417 mm2) was for honey bees fed with 2% lemon balm extract (P<0.05).There is also a statistically significant difference in the growth of hypopharyngeal glands at different times for each of the treatments. In general, it can be said that adding 2% of lemon balm extract is recommended as a nutritional supplement to honey bee colonies.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of Quinoa Seed bioactive peptides (QSBP) on performance, some blood parameters and immune system in broiler chicks. A total of 240 one-day-old Ross 308 broiler male chicks were randomly allocated to 4 dietary treatments with 4 replicates of 15 birds each. Birds were fed on basal diets (Control) or basal diets supplemented with 50, 100 and 150 mg Quinoa Seed bioactive peptides for 42 d of age. At the end of each week, the weight of mortality, feed intake and the weight of chickens in each replicate were measured then the feed conversion ratio was calculated, Finally, carcass charactristics and blood parameters were evaluated. Results showed that experimental diets had a significant effect on feed intake during finisher and total periods in compared with the control group. Highest feed intake observed in birds that received basal diet supplemented with 150 mg Quinoa Seed bioactive peptides per Kg . Also ,broilers received 150 mg QSBP /kg of diet have significantly higher body weight gain and better feed conversion ratio than the other experimental groups (P<0.05). Also ,broilers received 150 mg QSBP /kg to diet have significantly higher body weight gain and better feed conversion ratio than the other experimental groups (P<0.05)Experimental treatments did not impact serum concentrations of cholesterol, triglyceride, LDL and HDL in chicks, but serum concentrations of Albumine was higher in broiler chickens which received all experimental diets compared with control (P<0.05). Heterophil and lymphocyte and antibody titres were not affected by the experimental treatments. However, the highest relative weight of spleen observed in broilers which received 150 mg QSBP /kg. It can be concluded that QSBP may improved growth performance, immunity and nutrient digestibility in broiler chickens.

Food or feed contamination with aflatoxin B1, which is a secondary and toxic metabolite of Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus, is a major problem in most parts of the world, especially in developing countries. Harmful consequences of the presence of aflatoxins in food encouraged the researchers to find the safe, effective and efficient procedures to control this toxin prior to entering the human food chains. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of the amino acids glycine, glutamic acid and N-acetylcysteine on the growth performance of broilers under aflatoxicosis, and to determine optimum level of these amino acids. 690 Ross 308 broilers in 17 experimental groups were fed with feeding 5 different levels of amino acids of glycine, glutamic acid, N-acetylcysteine and Aflatoxin with 4 replications and each replication included 10 chickens. Performance traits including feed intake, body weight gain and feed conversion ratio were measured weekly from one to 21 days of age. The results of performance traits were analyzed using the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) model and the central composite design. The results of the central composite design were more consistent and significant in broiler chickens with the quadratic regression model which had the highest values of R2. The results of the present study showed the negative effects of aflatoxin on feed intake and body weight gain, which in turn increased the feed conversion ratio. The results also showed that supplementation of glycine, glutamic acid, N-acetylcysteine amino acids to the diet moderated the negative effects of aflatoxin B1. Dietary supplementation with three amino acids glycine, glutamic acid and N-acetylcysteine as the main precursors of glutathione can reduce the negative effects of aflatoxin on the performance parameters of broilers by improving the antioxidant system. Also, using the response level methodology by providing appropriate statistical and graphical information has a high ability to identify the superior model and determine the optimal level of these amino acids in the diet contaminated with aflatoxin.