Understanding and optimizing rearing conditions for dragonfly larvae is crucial for ecological research and conservation efforts, yet optimal rearing conditions and general rearing practices are lacking. In this study, we investigated the effect of temperature, amount of oxygen in water, presence of (artificial) plants, and age of eggs on hatchability, survival, and development of dragonfly larvae using the model species Sympetrum striolatum. We conducted three independent experiments and assessed variability between egg clutches of individual females, as well as the occurrence of cannibalism among larvae. Our results showed that egg hatchability varied significantly between individual females and was negatively affected by egg aging and the presence of artificial plants. Larval survival was negatively affected by water temperatures above 24°C, the presence of artificial plants, and egg aging, and positively affected by high feeding frequency, in certain instars. Notably, cannibalism was observed among later instar larvae, especially under higher density conditions. Based on these findings, we provide practical recommendations for optimizing dragonfly larvae rearing protocols, emphasizing the importance of maintaining optimal temperature, appropriate feeding regimes, and managing larval density to reduce cannibalism. This study offers experimental, evidence-based guidelines for dragonfly larvae rearing, contributing to improved research methodologies and conservation efforts.

• Klíčová slova
• Sympetrum, Odonata, laboratory rearing, larvae, life requirements, optimal conditions,
• MeSH
• chov zvířat * metody   MeSH
• larva růst a vývoj   fyziologie   MeSH
• ovum růst a vývoj   fyziologie   MeSH
• teplota MeSH
• vážky * růst a vývoj   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

We examined the socioeconomic importance of goat farming on the island of Socotra. The study included 154 participants from various areas. These data were collected via a questionnaire and statistically analyzed using the Bayesian approach and Kruskal-Wallis test to offer insights into the subject matter. The collected data included important quantitative parameters, such as feeding, watering, herd composition, milk production, and mortality, as well as subjective parameters, including the breeders' reasons for keeping goats. Our study revealed that the main reason for keeping goats on Socotra Island is livelihood purposes (60%), followed by cultural reasons (22%), whereas 18% of respondents keep goats as a companions. In terms of herd composition, generally a Socotri family keeps an average of 107 individuals per herd, of which 59% are adult females, 32% are young under six months, and 9% are adult males. Reproduction patterns indicate that the goats breed twice a year, primarily in May and October. For milk production, goats on Socotra produce an average of 368 ml/day on an annual basis, and the highest production is observed in the mountains. The study also revealed that goats are primarily slaughtered for social reasons, such as family attendance and weddings (55%). According to the respondents, the main cause of mortality in goats was disease (40%). The results of this study have implications for understanding the management of goat farming on the island and conserving the island's biodiversity.

• Klíčová slova
• Goat, Management practices, Milk production, Reproduction, Socotra archipelago,
• MeSH
• chov zvířat * metody   MeSH
• kozy * fyziologie   MeSH
• mléko chemie   MeSH
• ostrovy MeSH
• průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
• socioekonomické faktory * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• ostrovy MeSH

The concept of animal welfare is evolving due to progress in our scientific understanding of animal biology and changing societal expectations. Animal welfare science has been primarily concerned with minimizing suffering, but there is growing interest in also promoting positive experiences, grouped under the term positive animal welfare (PAW). However, there are discrepancies in the use of the term PAW. An interdisciplinary group arrived at a consensus that 'PAW can be defined as the animal flourishing through the experience of predominantly positive mental states and the development of competence and resilience. PAW goes beyond ensuring good physical health and the prevention and alleviation of suffering. It encompasses animals experiencing positive mental states resulting from rewarding experiences, including having choices and opportunities to actively pursue goals and achieve desired outcomes'. The definition also considers individual and species-specific differences. It provides a framework for researchers to investigate PAW and thereby generate innovative, informative and reproducible science. Studies of PAW can contribute to a richer picture of an animal's life and may elucidate the biological foundations of happiness. The definition creates opportunities to inspire scientific progress in animal biology and to align animal care practices, legislation and markets with societal expectations.

• Klíčová slova
• animal emotion, flourishing, good life, good welfare, happiness, pleasure,
• MeSH
• chov zvířat metody   MeSH
• konsensus * MeSH
• pohoda zvířat * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

During the sixth millennium BCE, the first farmers of Central Europe rapidly expanded across a varied mosaic of forested environments. Such environments would have offered important sources of mineral-rich animal feed and shelter, prompting the question: to what extent did early farmers exploit forests to raise their herds? Here, to resolve this, we have assembled multi-regional datasets, comprising bulk and compound-specific stable isotope values from zooarchaeological remains and pottery, and conducted cross-correlation analyses within a palaeo-environmental framework. Our findings reveal a diversity of pasturing strategies for cattle employed by early farmers, with a notable emphasis on intensive utilization of forests for grazing and seasonal foddering in some regions. This experimentation with forest-based animal feeds by early farmers would have enhanced animal fertility and milk yields for human consumption, concurrently contributing to the expansion of prehistoric farming settlements and the transformation of forest ecosystems. Our study emphasizes the intricate relationship that existed between early farmers and forested landscapes, shedding light on the adaptive dynamics that shaped humans, animals and environments in the past.

• MeSH
• archeologie MeSH
• chov zvířat * dějiny   metody   MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• lesy * MeSH
• skot MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• skot MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa MeSH

In Serbia, at present, there is very little information about the welfare of horses. The aim of this study was to identify the main welfare issues likely to be encountered in five different categories of horses (Western riding horses, riding school horses, leisure horses, jumping horses, and endurance horses) kept in stabled housing systems. A total of 50 horses were evaluated using the Animal Welfare Indicator (AWIN) welfare assessment protocol for horses. Identified welfare issues in horses were inadequate box dimensions (52%, 26/50), insufficient quantity of bedding material (34%, 17/50), dirty bedding material (52%, 26/50), integument alterations (68%, 34/50), lameness (16%, 8/50), stereotypic behaviors (28%, 14/50), and negative response to human presence (24%, 12/50). The mean scores for alopecia, skin lesions, hardened spots at the mouth corners, horse grimace scale, and human-animal relationship tests in riding school horses were significantly higher (P<0.05; P<0.001) than for other categories of horses. The leisure horses exercised significantly less often (P<0.001) compared with other categories of horses. Additionally, important risks to welfare, identified across all groups of horses, were insufficient social interaction where 14 horses (28%) were unable to have any visual or physical contact with other horses. The results of this study provide the first analysis and valuable insight into the impact of the individual stable housing system on the welfare of different categories of horses in the Balkan region.

• Klíčová slova
• Horses, Individual boxes, Stable housing system, Welfare,
• MeSH
• bydlení zvířat MeSH
• chov zvířat metody   MeSH
• chování zvířat MeSH
• koně MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• pohoda zvířat * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• lidé MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH

Horses revolutionized human history with fast mobility1. However, the timeline between their domestication and their widespread integration as a means of transport remains contentious2-4. Here we assemble a collection of 475 ancient horse genomes to assess the period when these animals were first reshaped by human agency in Eurasia. We find that reproductive control of the modern domestic lineage emerged around 2200 BCE, through close-kin mating and shortened generation times. Reproductive control emerged following a severe domestication bottleneck starting no earlier than approximately 2700 BCE, and coincided with a sudden expansion across Eurasia that ultimately resulted in the replacement of nearly every local horse lineage. This expansion marked the rise of widespread horse-based mobility in human history, which refutes the commonly held narrative of large horse herds accompanying the massive migration of steppe peoples across Europe around 3000 BCE and earlier3,5. Finally, we detect significantly shortened generation times at Botai around 3500 BCE, a settlement from central Asia associated with corrals and a subsistence economy centred on horses6,7. This supports local horse husbandry before the rise of modern domestic bloodlines.

• MeSH
• chov zvířat * dějiny   MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• domestikace * MeSH
• doprava * dějiny   metody   MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genom genetika   MeSH
• koně * klasifikace   genetika   MeSH
• rozmnožování MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Asie MeSH
• Evropa MeSH

Microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract (GIT) has been identified as one of the crucial factors influencing the health and condition of domestic animals. The global poultry industry faces the challenge of understanding the complex relationship between gut microbiota composition and performance-related traits in birds. Considerable variation exists in the results of correlational studies using either 16S rRNA profiling or metagenomics to identify bacterial taxa associated with performance, productivity, or condition in poultry (e.g., body weight, growth rate, feeding efficiency, or egg yield). In this review, we survey the existing reports, discuss variation in research approaches, and identify bacterial taxa consistently linked to improved or deteriorated performance across individual poultry-focused studies. Our survey revealed high methodological heterogeneity, which was in contrast with vastly uniform focus of the research mainly on the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus) as a model. We also show that the bacterial taxa most frequently used in manipulative experiments and commercial probiotics intended for use in poultry (e.g., species of Lactobacillus, Bacillus, Enterococcus, or Bifidobacterium) do not overlap with the bacteria consistently correlated with their improved performance (Candidatus Arthromitus, Methanobrevibacter). Our conclusions urge for increased methodological standardization of the veterinary research in this field. We highlight the need to bridge the gap between correlational results and experimental applications in animal science. To better understand causality in the observed relationships, future research should involve a broader range of host species that includes both agricultural and wild models, as well as a broader range of age groups.

• Klíčová slova
• condition, gut microbiome, performance, poultry, probiotic,
• MeSH
• chov zvířat metody   MeSH
• kur domácí * mikrobiologie   fyziologie   MeSH
• probiotika farmakologie   aplikace a dávkování   MeSH
• střevní mikroflóra * MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• přehledy MeSH

Salmonella spp. is a common zoonotic pathogen, causing gastrointestinal infections in people. Pigs and pig meat are a major source of infection. Although farm biosecurity is believed to be important for controlling Salmonella transmission, robust evidence is lacking on which measures are most effective. This study enrolled 250 pig farms across nine European countries. From each farm, 20 pooled faecal samples (or similar information) were collected and analysed for Salmonella presence. Based on the proportion of positive results, farms were categorised as at higher or lower Salmonella risk, and associations with variables from a comprehensive questionnaire investigated. Multivariable analysis indicated that farms were less likely to be in the higher-risk category if they had '<400 sows'; used rodent baits close to pig enclosures; isolated stay-behind (sick) pigs; did not answer that the hygiene lock/ anteroom was easy to clean; did not have a full perimeter fence; did apply downtime of at least 3 days between farrowing batches; and had fully slatted flooring in all fattener buildings. A principal components analysis assessed the sources of variation between farms, and correlation between variables. The study results suggest simple control measures that could be prioritised on European pig farms to control Salmonella.

• Klíčová slova
• Salmonella, biosecurity, effectiveness, pig, risk factor,
• MeSH
• biologická bezpečnost MeSH
• chov zvířat metody   MeSH
• farmy MeSH
• nemoci prasat * epidemiologie   prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• prasata MeSH
• Salmonella MeSH
• salmonelová infekce u zvířat * epidemiologie   prevence a kontrola   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Geografické názvy
• Evropa epidemiologie   MeSH

Mice respond to a cage change (CC) with altered activity, disrupted sleep and increased anxiety. A bi-weekly cage change is, therefore, preferred over a shorter CC interval and is currently the prevailing routine for Individually ventilated cages (IVCs). However, the build-up of ammonia (NH3) during this period is a potential threat to the animal health and the literature holds conflicting reports leaving this issue unresolved. We have therefor examined longitudinally in-cage activity, animal health and the build-up of ammonia across the cage floor with female and male C57BL/6 mice housed four per IVC changed every other week. We used a multicentre design with a standardised husbandry enabling us to tease-out features that replicated across sites from those that were site-specific. CC induce a marked increase in activity, especially during daytime (~50%) when the animals rest. A reduction in density from four to two mice did not alter this response. This burst was followed by a gradual decrease till the next cage change. Female but not male mice preferred to have the latrine in the front of the cage. Male mice allocate more of the activity to the latrine free part of the cage floor already the day after a CC. A behaviour that progressed through the CC cycle but was not impacted by the type of bedding used. Reducing housing density to two mice abolished this behaviour. Female mice used the entire cage floor the first week while during the second week activity in the latrine area decreased. Measurement of NH3 ppm across the cage floor revealed x3 higher values for the latrine area compared with the opposite area. NH3 ppm increases from 0-1 ppm to reach ≤25 ppm in the latrine free area and 50-100 ppm in the latrine area at the end of a cycle. As expected in-cage bacterial load covaried with in-cage NH3 ppm. Histopathological analysis revealed no changes to the upper airways covarying with recorded NH3 ppm or bacterial load. We conclude that housing of four (or equivalent biomass) C57BL/6J mice for 10 weeks under the described conditions does not cause any overt discomfort to the animals.

• MeSH
• amoniak * MeSH
• bydlení zvířat * MeSH
• časové faktory MeSH
• chov zvířat MeSH
• lůžkoviny MeSH
• myši inbrední C57BL MeSH
• myši MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• mužské pohlaví MeSH
• myši MeSH
• ženské pohlaví MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• multicentrická studie MeSH
• práce podpořená grantem MeSH
• Názvy látek
• amoniak * MeSH

The bacterial pathogen Yersinia pestis gave rise to devastating outbreaks throughout human history, and ancient DNA evidence has shown it afflicted human populations as far back as the Neolithic. Y. pestis genomes recovered from the Eurasian Late Neolithic/Early Bronze Age (LNBA) period have uncovered key evolutionary steps that led to its emergence from a Yersinia pseudotuberculosis-like progenitor; however, the number of reconstructed LNBA genomes are too few to explore its diversity during this critical period of development. Here, we present 17 Y. pestis genomes dating to 5,000 to 2,500 y BP from a wide geographic expanse across Eurasia. This increased dataset enabled us to explore correlations between temporal, geographical, and genetic distance. Our results suggest a nonflea-adapted and potentially extinct single lineage that persisted over millennia without significant parallel diversification, accompanied by rapid dispersal across continents throughout this period, a trend not observed in other pathogens for which ancient genomes are available. A stepwise pattern of gene loss provides further clues on its early evolution and potential adaptation. We also discover the presence of the flea-adapted form of Y. pestis in Bronze Age Iberia, previously only identified in in the Caucasus and the Volga regions, suggesting a much wider geographic spread of this form of Y. pestis. Together, these data reveal the dynamic nature of plague’s formative years in terms of its early evolution and ecology.

• Klíčová slova
• Yersinia pestis, ancient DNA, plague,
• MeSH
• chov zvířat dějiny   MeSH
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• fylogeneze MeSH
• genetická variace MeSH
• genom bakteriální * MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• migrace lidstva dějiny   MeSH
• mor * epidemiologie   dějiny   mikrobiologie   MeSH
• starobylá DNA MeSH
• Yersinia pestis * klasifikace   genetika   izolace a purifikace   MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Check Tag
• dějiny starověku MeSH
• lidé MeSH
• zvířata MeSH
• Publikační typ
• časopisecké články MeSH
• historické články MeSH
• Názvy látek
• starobylá DNA MeSH