A5075051313- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock
- Ruminant Nutrition and Digestive Physiology
- Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
- Animal Nutrition and Physiology
- Rabbits: Nutrition, Reproduction, Health
- Effects of Environmental Stressors on Livestock
- Evolution and Paleontology Studies
- Meat and Animal Product Quality
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Reproductive Physiology in Livestock
- Veterinary Equine Medical Research
- Pleistocene-Era Hominins and Archaeology
- Animal Disease Management and Epidemiology
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Veterinary Medicine and Surgery
- Animal Diversity and Health Studies
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
- Rangeland Management and Livestock Ecology
- Isotope Analysis in Ecology
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Indoor Air Quality and Microbial Exposure
- Odor and Emission Control Technologies
- Turtle Biology and Conservation
- Ecology and biodiversity studies
University of Zurich
2016-2025
Johann Heinrich von Thünen-Institut
2022-2025
Ghent University
2011-2024
Species360
2023
University of Minnesota
2023
Minnesota Zoo
2023
Zürich Zoological Garden
2006-2020
IDEXX Laboratories (Germany)
2016
New York University Press
2016
University of Southampton
2016
Abstract While it is commonly believed that animals live longer in zoos than the wild, this assumption has rarely been tested. We compared four survival metrics (longevity, baseline mortality, onset of senescence and rate senescence) between both sexes free-ranging zoo populations more 50 mammal species. found mammals from generally lived their wild counterparts (84% species). The effect was most notable species with a faster pace life (i.e. short span, high reproductive mortality wild)...
Comparative physiology applies methods established in domestic animal science to a wider variety of species. This can lead improved insight into evolutionary adaptations animals, by putting species broader context. Examples include the responses seasonally fluctuating environments, different heat and drought, particular herbivory various herbivore niches. Herbivores generally face challenge that high food intake compromises digestive efficiency (by reducing ingesta retention time available...
Digestive physiology has played a prominent role in explanations for terrestrial herbivore body size evolution and size-driven diversification niche differentiation. This is based on the association of increasing mass (BM) with diets lower quality, putative mechanisms by which higher BM could translate into digestive efficiency. Such concepts, however, often do not match empirical data. Here, we review concepts data BM, diet metabolism, doing so give examples problems using allometric...
Abstract The evolution of high‐crowned teeth or hypsodonty in herbivorous mammals is widely interpreted as a species‐specific adaptation to increasingly wear‐inducing diets and environments at evolutionary time scales, with internal abrasives (such phytoliths grasses) and/or external dust grit) putative causative factors. mesowear score ( MS ) instead describes tooth wear experienced by individual animals during their lifetime. Under the assumption that abrasiveness causes individuals same...
Although the relevance of particle size reduction in herbivore digestion is widely appreciated, few studies have investigated digesta across species relation to body mass or digestive strategy. We faecal size, which reflects ingesta particles after both mastication and specialized processes such as rumination. Particle was measured by wet sieving samples from more than 700 captive individuals representing 193 mammalian species. Using phylogenetic generalized least squares, scaled with an...
Dental microwear and 3D surface texture analyses are useful in reconstructing herbivore diets, with scratches usually interpreted as indicators of grass dominated diets pits browse. We conducted feeding experiments four groups rabbits (Oryctolagus cuniculus) each fed a different uniform, pelleted diet (lucerne, lucerne & oats, grass). The lowest silica content was measured the highest diet. After 25 weeks exposure to dental castings were made rabbit's lower molars. Occlusal surfaces then...
Summary Foregut fermentation is well known to occur in a wide range of mammalian species and single bird species. Yet, the foregut microbial community free‐ranging, foregut‐fermenting monkeys, that is, colobines, has not been investigated so far. We analysed microbiomes four free‐ranging proboscis monkeys ( Nasalis larvatus ) from two different tropical habitats with varying plant diversity (mangrove riverine forests), an individual semi‐free‐ranging setting supplemental feeding, captivity,...
Patterns of reproductive seasonality in the Carnivora are difficult to study comparatively, due limited numbers species for which information is available. Long-term databases captive populations could overcome this difficulty. We apply a categorical description and quantitative high-resolution measure (birth peak breadth, number days 80% all births occur) based on daily observations captivity characterize degree 114 with average 1357 per species. find that majority retained birth displayed...
Fish biologists have long assumed a link between intestinal length and diet, relative gut or Zihler's index are often used to classify species into trophic groups. This has been done for specific fish taxa ecosystems, but not global dataset. Here, we assess these relationships across dataset of 468 (254 marine, 191 freshwater, 23 that occupy both habitats) in relation body mass length. Herbivores had significantly relatively stouter bodies longer intestines than omni- faunivores. Among...
1 Differences in digestive physiology between browsing and grazing ruminant feeding types have been discussed extensively. The potentially underlying differences fermentative behaviour of forage plants received much less attention. 2 In this study, different groups temperate (grasses, browse leaves twigs, herbs legumes) were compared their chemical composition behaviour. They evaluated via an vitro fermentation system (modified Hohenheim gas test), relevant parameters such as maximal...
Abstract Giganten auf der Spur: Wie Organismus 50 Tonnen schweren Riesensaurier funktionierte und wie sich ihre imposante Körpergröße entwickeln konnte
Although Bergmann’s rule – stating that among closely related species, the bigger ones will inhabit colder climates/higher latitudes was formulated for inter‐specific comparisons, most analyses tested this pattern in mammals were on an intra‐specific level. To date, no large‐scale taxonomy‐driven cross‐species evaluation of predicted by Bergmann exists. Here we show, a dataset comprising 3561 mammal species from 26 orders, while there is significant correlation between latitude and body mass...
The circumstances of the evolution hypsodonty (= high-crowned teeth) are a bone contention. Hypsodonty is usually linked to diet abrasiveness, either from siliceous phytoliths (monocotyledons) or grit (dusty environments). However, any empirical quantitative approach testing relation ingested silica and lacking. In this study, faecal content was quantified as acid detergent insoluble ash used proxy for by large African herbivores different digestive types, feeding strategies levels. Separate...
ABSTRACT Although patterns of tooth wear are crucial in palaeo‐reconstructions, and dental abnormalities important veterinary medicine, experimental investigations on the relationship between diet abrasiveness rare. Here, we investigated effect four different pelleted diets increasing (due to both internal [phytoliths] external abrasives [sand]) or whole grass hay fed for 2 weeks each random order 16 rabbits ( Oryctolagus cuniculus ) incisor premolar growth wear, cheek length. Wear length...
ABSTRACT Chewing efficiency has been associated with fitness in mammals, yet little is known about the behavioral, ecological, and morphological factors that influence chewing wild animals. Although research established dental wear food material properties independently affect efficiency, few studies have addressed interaction among these factors. We examined measured as mean fecal particle size, a function of seasonal shifts diet (and corresponding changes fracture toughness) single...