Esta revisão apresenta uma síntese a respeito da plasticidade alimentar em teleósteos de água doce em relação às variações espaço-temporais, ontogenéticas, individuais e comportamentais. A ocorrência de dieta flexível é uma característica marcante da ictiofauna fluvial tropical, onde a maioria das espécies pode mudar de um alimento para outro tão logo ocorram oscilações na abundância relativa do recurso alimentar em uso, motivadas por alterações ambientais espaço-temporais. Quase todas as espécies mudam troficamente durante a ontogenia, e em muitas populações, os indivíduos podem apresentar preferências alimentares ou fazer uso de táticas alimentares distintas, conduzindo a um forrageamento intra-específico diferenciado. Essas considerações evidenciam dificuldades que podem ser encontradas no estabelecimento de padrões alimentares específicos fidedignos para as espécies de teleósteos

An experiment was conducted to study the effect of dietary electrolytic balance (dEB) and addition of sodium bicarbonate to drinking water on carcass and meat quality of pigs. Sodium bicarbonate was used to adjust dEB to 140, 200 and 280 mEq/kg for T1, T2 and T, respectively. 144 Landrace*Duroc male pigs were allocated at 4 per pen and used until 105 kg liveweight. At the end pigs were kept in the same pens and diets for a week during which sodium bicarbonate rich water was supplied to a half of them. Therefore the experimental design was split in a factorial 2x3 and treated water was administered until slaughter. Forty-eight pigs were selected and sent to the slaughterhouse in order to evaluate the effect of experimental treatments on carcass and meat quality parameters. Enriched water significantly increase urine pH, hot and cold carcass weight and killing-out percentage (P<0.01). However did not affect fat or loin depth, lean meat percentage or chilling losses as well as meat quality parameters. pH of muscles Semimembranosus (SM) or Longissimus thoraccis (LT) measured at 45 min were not affected by dEB. However meat pH measured after 24 h statistically increased in both SM (P<0.01) and LT muscles (P<0.05). Pigs fed with low dEB showed a pH indicating meat with a tendency to become acid (5.5<pH<5.6) whereas meat from pigs of the other 2 groups has good ability to be consumed fresh or transformed. Electrical conductivity of SM muscle also indicated better meat quality of pigs fed medium and high dEB (P<0.05). Drip loss from the meat was also strongly reduced as a consequence of dEB (P<0.02). Meat from pigs fed low dEB lost the double of water than meat from pigs fed medium or high dEB. It can be concluded that dEB supplementation could positively affect meat quality parameters like pH 24h, electrical conductivity or drip losses. All these parameters were improved using finishing diets with a medium (200 mEq/kg) or high dEB (280 mEq/kg). Sodium bicarbonate in drinking water before slaughter did not seem to affect meat quality parameters. Nevertheless, it seems that it could improve carcass weight or killing-out percentage but those results need to be confirmed in other trials.

Este estudo foi realizado para avaliar os efeitos da suplementação de ácidos orgânicos nas dietas e de ácidos orgânicos e ácido ortofosfórico na água de bebida sobre o desempenho de frangos de corte. Foram utilizadas 2.112 aves divididas em seis tratamentos, cada um com oito repetições. As dietas, exclusivamente vegetais, foram formuladas à base de milho e farelo de soja sem antibióticos ou anticoccidianos. A dieta controle não foi suplementada com ácidos orgânicos. As demais foram suplementadas com misturas de ácidos orgânicos, formuladas para cada fase de crescimento (1 a 7, 8 a 21 e 22 a 35 dias de idade): mistura A: ácidos lático (52%), fórmico (1%) e acético (2%); mistura B: ácidos lático (76%), fórmico (2%) e acético (4%); mistura C: ácidos lático (50%), fórmico (8%) e acético (7%); mistura D: ácido fórmico (85%). A mistura E continha 40% de ácido lático, 5% de ácido acético e 5% de ácido ortofosfórico e foi adicionada à água de bebida. As doses adicionadas nas dietas, por fase, foram: 8,0; 4,5 e 2,5 kg/t para as misturas A, B e C e 2,5; 2,5 e 2,0 kg/t para a mistura D. A mistura E foi utilizada na água de bebida nas doses de 3,0; 2,0; 1,0 kg/1.000 L. O experimento foi conduzido em delineamento completamente casualizado. Houve um benefício geral da suplementação da mistura de ácidos sobre o ganho de peso das aves. Entretanto, não houve diferença na conversão alimentar ao final do estudo. O consumo de alimento foi menor para a mistura B, enquanto o consumo de água foi negativamente afetado pela mistura E fornecida na água. O peso relativo das seções do intestino delgado aos 7 dias de idade foi menor nas aves da dieta controle, enquanto, aos 21 dias de idade, foi menor nas aves alimentadas com a dieta suplementada com as misturas A e C. A mistura E utilizada na água determinou redução no comprimento de jejuno aos 7 dias de idade, enquanto a mistura B teve efeito negativo sobre os comprimentos de íleo e intestino delgado aos 21 dias de idade. Em comparação à dieta controle, sem suplementação de antibióticos promotores de crescimento, as dietas suplementadas com acidificantes foram eficientes em melhorar o ganho de peso de frangos de corte. | This study was carried out to evaluate the effect of the supplementation of organic acids in the diets and ortho-phosphoric acid in the drinking water on broiler performance. A total of 2,112 broiler chicks was allotted to six treatments, each one with eight replications. The diets, all vegetable, were composed by corn-soybean meal without antibiotic growth promoters or anticoccidials. A control diet did not have organic acids, whereas the other treatments had supplementation of organic acid blends as follow for the feeding phases from 1 to 7, 8 to 21, and 22 to 35 days of age: blend A: lactic acid (52%), formic (1%) and acetic (2%); blend B: lactic acid (76%), formic (2%) and acetic (4%); blend C: lactic acid (50%), formic (8%) and acetic (7%); blend D: formic acid (85%). Blend E contained 40% of lactic acid, 5% of acetic acid and 5% of ortho-phosphoric and was added to drink water. The added doses in diets, for phase, were: 8.0, 4.5, and 2.5 kg/t for blends A, B and C and 2.5, 2.5, and 2.0 kg/t for blend D. Blend E was used in drink water in doses of 3.0, 2.0, and 1.0 kg/1,000 L. A completely randomized design was used. There was a general benefit of the supplementation of the organic acid blend on weight gain of birds. However, no difference was observed for feed conversion at the end of the study. Feed intake was lower for birds fed blend B, whereas water intake was reduced by the blend E added to the drinking water. Relative weight of small intestines sections at 7 days of age was smaller in the birds on the control diet, while at the 21 days of age, was smaller in the birds supplemented with blends A and C. The blend E used in the water determined a reduction in the jejunum length at 7 days of age, while blend B had negative effects on the ileum and small intestine lengths at 21 days of age. In comparison to the control diet, without supplementation of growth promoters antibiotics, the diets supplemented with organic acids were efficient in improving the weight gain of broilers.

Information is presented about the prey consumed by the two-stripped garter snake Thamnophis hammondii in a mountain oasis in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The diet of this threatened snake includes the Baja California treefrog Pseudacris hypochondriaca curta (native species), as well as an exotic fish: the red bellied tilapia Tilapia sp. cf. zilli. This exotic species has become invasive in Baja California Sur oases, displacing native fishes and becoming an important dietary resource to T. hammondii.

Se presenta información sobre presas consumidas por la culebra de agua Thamnophis hammondii en un arroyo de montaña en Baja California Sur, México. Esta culebra incluye en su dieta a la rana arborícola de Baja California Pseudacris hypochondriaca curta (especie nativa), pero también a un pez exótico: la tilapia de vientre rojo Tilapia sp. cf. zilli. Este pez introducido en los oasis de Baja California Sur ha desplazado a las especies de peces nativos, y a la vez se ha convertido en un recurso alimentario importante para T. hammondii. | Information is presented about the prey consumed by the two-stripped garter snake Thamnophis hammondii in a mountain oasis in Baja California Sur, Mexico. The diet of this threatened snake includes the Baja California treefrog Pseudacris hypochondriaca curta (native species), as well as an exotic fish: the red bellied tilapia Tilapia sp. cf. zilli. This exotic species has become invasive in Baja California Sur oases, displacing native fishes and becoming an important dietary resource to T. hammondii.

To assess this study, weaned piglets (at 28 days) received three dietary treatments until 39 days of age: (1) 12,5 mg alpha tocopheryl acetate/kg feed (2) 6,75 mg/l d-alpha tocopherol in drinking water (ratio 1:2) (3) 4,5 mg/l d-alpha tocopherol in drinking water (ratio 1:3). Alpha- Tocoferol accumulation was not significantly affected in any of the tissues analysed which would indicate a more efficient absorption of natural vitamin E in drinking water than the synthetic source in feed. Moreover, the lowest supplementation in drinking water (group 1:3) led to similar concentrations of vitamin E in tissues than the group supplemented with higher concentration (group 1:2). Consequently, when weaned piglets are fed under the minimum established requirements the minimum natural vitamin E supplementation to produce an equivalent tissues vitamin E concentration would be establish at 1:3 (water:feed).