Foetal development in red deer (<i>cervus elaphus</i>) 1. Growth of the foetus and associated tissues

Adam, Carole; McDonald, I.; Moir, C E; Pennie, K.

doi:10.1017/s0003356100003196

Cited by 16 publications

(12 citation statements)

References 9 publications

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“…Moreover lactation (lactation present = 24; lactation absent = 10) and pregnancy (pregnant = 27; non pregnant = 7) were also registered. For each pregnant female, foetal morphometric measures (body weight and length)were recorded to determine the foetal development(gestational ages) according to[ 39 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Alpine Red Deer (Cervus elaphus): Its Spread and Effects on Fertility

Formenti

Trogu

Pedrotti³

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

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In contrast to the depth of knowledge on the pathological effects of parasitism in domestic animals, the impact of the vast majority of parasites on wildlife hosts is poorly understood and, besides, information from domestics is rarely usable to disclose the parasites’ impact on free-ranging populations’ dynamics. Here we use Toxoplasmosis as a study model since, until now, the infection process and the protozoan’s effects in natural conditions has received little attention. We analysed 81 sera from red deer (Cervus elaphus) sampled in Italian Alps and through generalized linear models we evaluated (1) the epidemiological factors influencing T. gondii infection dynamics; (2) its impact on female fertility. High seroprevalence of T. gondii infection was recorded in yearling (1 year-old; prevalence = 52.4%) and adult (>2 year-old; prevalence = 51.3%) red deer, while calves (<1 year-old) did not contract the infection suggesting horizontal transmission as the main route of infection. The stable prevalence between yearlings and adults and the higher serological titres of younger individuals lead to two alternative infection processes suggesting a difference between age classes or in acquiring the infection or in responding to the pathogen. No associations between T. gondii serological titres and pregnancy status was observed indicating no direct effect on the probability of being pregnant; nevertheless a relation between females’ higher serological titres and lower foetal development emerged, suggesting potential effects of the parasite infection on deer reproduction. The results demonstrate high seroprevalence of T. gondii infection in free-ranging red deer and, furthermore, the effect on foetal development suggests the potential impact of the parasite on red deer fertility and thus on its population dynamics.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Alpine Red Deer (Cervus elaphus): Its Spread and Effects on Fertility

Formenti

Trogu

Pedrotti³

et al. 2015

PLoS ONE

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“…The maximum energy consumption of the conceptus was defined as the energy for maximum conceptus growth plus energy required for conceptus maintenance. The maximum rate of conceptus growth was expressed as a function of stage of pregnancy and conceptus weight (CW) and calibrated to conceptus growth curves (assumed to be maximal) from a pregnancy trial performed by Adam et al (1988 a ). The energy content of the conceptus was expressed as a function of stage of pregnancy, based on results from Adam et al (1988 b ).…”

Section: Model Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Adjusting for conceptus energy density, and for efficiency of energy deposition as tissue, gave the daily growth of the conceptus. Foetal weight (FW) at any time was obtained using an empirical relationship between FW and CW based on data from Adam et al (1988 a ).…”

Section: Model Constructionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…continuing on from the end point of the simulation of the Suttie et al (1987) trial. Data were not available for the first 131 days of pregnancy (Asher et al 2005), and so hinds on each nutritional plane were fed 17 MJ of ME per day for that period, following Adam et al (1988 a ). From day 132 to day 213 of pregnancy, a feed allowance was given based on data from Asher et al (2005).…”

Section: Model Predictions For Red Deermentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While physiological models have been developed for a number of animal species, there is a comparative paucity of literature on modelling the biology of the red deer. Versions of the modified Gompertz equation have been fitted to data for the growth and composition of the foetal and conceptal tissues in red deer (Adam et al 1988 a , b ). Simple weight-based estimates of deer energy requirements have also been used to estimate the energy budget of feral red deer (Küffer et al 2001).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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A model of growth, pregnancy and lactation in the red deer

et al. 2009

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SU MMARYA model of the growth, pregnancy and lactation of red deer was developed for incorporation into a whole-farm systems model in order to improve the understanding of venison supply systems. The model estimates the level of metabolic demand for a deer, which depends on the maximum capacity of its tissues to use energy. A function that takes account of satiation signals and rumen capacity is used to convert the metabolic demand into an estimate of the deer's forage intake demand, which can be used as an input into a foraging model. The actual energy intake of the deer is subsequently used to predict live weight (LW), body condition score, foetal growth and gestation length in pregnant hinds, and milk yield in lactating hinds. In order to make these predictions, the model requires inputs that include values for mean daily temperature, mean daily wind speed, day length and season, as well as pasture quality. Values for model parameters were obtained from the literature, rather than by fitting to data, and model predictions were then compared with measurements obtained in independent trials.In simulations, the model predicted that 152-day-old stags and hinds, weighing, respectively, 44 and 48 kg, would grow to, respectively, 106 and 90 kg when 517 days old, compared with trial results of, respectively, 103 and 84 kg. Predictions for the weight of pregnant hinds, gestation length and calf birth weight compared well with an experiment for hinds on a high plane of nutrition but poorly for hinds on medium and low planes. Weekly predictions of hind LWs for days 132-230 of pregnancy had respective residual means of 0 . 08, 6 . 2 and 8 . 5 kg, and respective residual standard deviations of 1 . 33, 4 . 6 and 5 . 2 kg for the high, medium and low nutritional planes. Predicted gestation length for high, medium and low planes of nutrition were, respectively, 231 . 5, 238 . 0 and 242 . 0 days compared with experimental values of, respectively, 231 . 3, 234 . 7 and 239 . 2 days, while predicted birth weights were, respectively, 8 . 5, 8 . 3 and 8 . 9 kg compared with measured values of, respectively, 8 . 4, 9 . 5 and 9 . 3 kg. Predicted calf growth from birth to 14 weeks agreed well with data (residual mean and standard deviation being 0 . 04 and 1 . 15 kg, respectively).The existing software structure of the whole-farm model dictated that the deer model use the Euler method with a fixed, daily time step. Therefore, the model was constructed using difference (rather than differential) equations and used a traditional, energy-balance method for predicting growth. This empirical approach tacitly imposed a standard body composition and standard metabolic rate for adults, with values corresponding to well-fed deer. This does not cater for variation in body composition and metabolic activity, and in retrospect, caused the model to perform poorly for the medium and low nutritional regimes.

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Structure and function in the ruminant synepitheliochorial placenta: Central role of the trophoblast binucleate cell in deer

Wooding

Morgan

Adam³

1997

Microsc. Res. Tech.

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Foetal development in red deer (cervus elaphus) 1. Growth of the foetus and associated tissues

Cited by 16 publications

References 9 publications

Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Alpine Red Deer (Cervus elaphus): Its Spread and Effects on Fertility

Toxoplasma gondii Infection in Alpine Red Deer (Cervus elaphus): Its Spread and Effects on Fertility

A model of growth, pregnancy and lactation in the red deer

Structure and function in the ruminant synepitheliochorial placenta: Central role of the trophoblast binucleate cell in deer

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