Jose Alfonso Abecia

Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Ciencias Ambientales de Aragón. Universidad de Zaragoza

In the last few years, a new approach which claims the use of ‘biostimulation’ (i.e., the stimulatory effects on reproductive characteristics of females, e.g., onset of puberty, oestrous expression, ovulation induction, that are induced by presence of a male) in place of exogenous hormones and drugs to control and improve the productivity of sheep...

Proximity sensors detect an encounter when another similar device is within a certain distance, and they can be attached to an animal, providing new insights into individual behavior and interactions with other animals or their environment. The aim of this study was to test the ability of these sensors to quantify the concentrate feeding behavior i...

This study investigated the effects of melatonin implants in pregnancy on milk production and composition, and the quality of colostrum in dairy goats. Thirty days before kidding, 92 goats (group MEL) received one melatonin implant, and the remaining 177 goats (group CON) did not. Three monthly milk evaluations included milk yield (MY, kg/d), compo...

Melatonin is a neuroendocrine hormone involved in numerous functions in animals, most studies have focused on the ability to control reproduction in species that are sensitive to photoperiodicity. Recently, however, the number of studies on the effects of melatonin on productive aspects of small ruminant livestock has increased. This review summari...

Sperm capacitation is usually evaluated by chlortetracycline (CTC) staining by fluorescence microscopy, but this method is time-consuming and difficult to assess. Merocyanine 540 (M540) is a fluorescent probe that evaluates membrane destabilization, an early sign of capacitation, whereas peanut agglutinin (PNA) assesses sperm acrosomal status. This...

Changes in melatonin levels in ram seminal plasma depending on genotype and age Melatonin is present in ram seminal plasma, and its concentration varies throughout the year. It can exert some of its functions by binding to specific membrane receptors, called MT1 and MT2. The RsaI polymorphism (g.17355458G, C>T) of the MT1 receptor gene (MTNR1A) is...

El uso de sensores en ganadería está revolucionando la forma en que se monitorea y gestiona la salud, comportamiento y productividad de los animales. Entre los sensores más destacados están los sensores de proximidad (proximity loggers), los biologgers subcutáneos y los acelerómetros triaxiales, cada uno con funciones específicas que permiten obten...

INTRODUZIONE: Body temperature and locomotor activity has been widely used as an indicator of the rhythmicity of the biological clock (Gianetto et al., 2016. J. Appl. Biomed,14:131- 135). It has been demonstrated that melatonin plays an important role in modulating circadian rhythms of body temperature and activity (Aguzzi et al., 2006. J. Circadi...

An animal's behavior can be influenced by its sexual activity. Eleven rams were divided into two groups: one group was treated with a change of photoperiod (16 hours of light for two months and 9 hours of light for one month) (L), and another was a control group (C). In mid-February, they were distributed into four experimental groups: light-treate...

Heart rate (HR) is a key indicator of animal welfare. HR can vary when animals are subjected to different management situations, with differences depending on their age. A device (Polar 10) was attached to two Lusitano mares and their respective 6-month-old foals, weighing 480 kg and 210 kg, respectively. The device recorded the heart rate of each...

Una de las principales consecuencias de la conversión a las prácticas de ganadería ecológica desde el manejo convencional es la aplicación del marco legal oficial, especialmente en lo que respecta al uso de hormonas para el control del ciclo sexual. Esta es una de las principales cuestiones a las que hay que hacer frente a la conversión a la produc...

Photoperiod modifications and socio-sexual interactions betweengenders can be used to stimulate sexual activity in goats. The “male-effect” is a socio-sexual stimulus caused by the sudden introductionof males and close contact with anestrous females, triggering the re-sumption of ovulatory activity. The “long-term male-effect” consistsof permanent...

In sheep, melatonin implants produce a decrease of locomotor activity as well as a reduction of their body temperature during lamb fattening. We aimed to investigate whether this effect is replicated in slow-growing chickens (slaughter at 90 days of age). We used 30 chickens of the Red Bro strain, where twelve (M) received a subcutaneous melatonin...

Geotechnologies, such as Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS), particularly the Global Positioning System (GPS), along with remote sensing imagery, play a pivotal role in documenting topographic features and describing land covers and uses. Collar-mounted GPS devices have proven highly effective in monitoring and tracking cattle, providing hi...

The objective of this study was to use tri-axial accelerometers to quantify circadian changes in the locomotor activity of three strains of laying hens. Animals were from either the White, Brown or Black strain of a farm that breeds free-range laying hens. Hens were fitted with commercially available sensors that record high resolution raw accelera...

In brief: Melatonin plays a crucial role in enhancing reproductive performance in small ruminants. This paper reveals the effects of exogenous melatonin on the placental and endometrial rearrangement in early pregnancy in sheep. Abstract: Early pregnancy losses cause 25% of pregnancy failures in small ruminants because of asynchrony between conc...

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) synthesis and secretion regulates seasonal fertility. In the brain, the distribution of GnRH-positive neurons is diffuse, hindering efforts to monitor variations in its cellular and tissue levels. Here, we aim at assessing GnRH immunoreactivity in nuclei responsible for seasonal fertility regulation (SFR) withi...

Melatonin receptor MT1 gene (MTNR1A) in sheep presents several polymorphisms, including RsaI (C>T) and MnlI (G>A). The aim of this study was to assess the influence of these polymorphisms on testicular parameters and sexual behavior in young rams. Thirty-eight rams (8 months old on average) were genotyped according to MTNR1A polymorphisms (for RsaI...

Melatonin regulates reproductive seasonality in sheep by binding to membrane receptors, such as MT1. The gene that codes for this receptor (MTNR1A) has several polymorphisms, including RsaI (g.17355458C>T), which have been associated with differences in the reproductive behaviour in ewes and rams. At the nuclear level, RORα (retinoic acid-related o...

Background Proximity loggers are a biotelemetry technology used to quantify animal–animal interactions non-invasively. They are small devices can be affixed to a target animal and detects and records if another device is within a certain distance, which can provide unprecedented insights into individual behavior and interactions with other animals...

Triaxial accelerometers provide a non-invasive means of recording all small-scale body motions of an animal. The summary metrics that can be extracted from a given accelerometer, and the validity and reliability of the estimates obtained, determine whether a particular accelerometer is suitable for research. The objectives of this study were to com...

Context: The RsaI polymorphism of the melatonin receptor MTNR1A gene affects seasonal reproduction in sheep, but its effect on ram spermatozoa and their response to melatonin is unknown. Aims: This study aims to evaluate whether RsaI polymorphism of the MTNR1A gene influences the response of ram spermatozoa to in vitro added melatonin. Methods: Spe...

L’effet mâle qui permet de synchroniser les ovulations et les fécondations, est connu depuis le 19ème siècle et peut-être pratiqué depuis des millénaires par les éleveurs. L’effet mâle « à court terme » (48h) est simple, peu onéreux, exempt d’hormones exogènes et efficace pour atteindre une fertilité élevée (≥70%) au printemps. Pour être efficaces,...

Context. Several polymorphisms in the melatonin receptor 1A gene (MTNR1A) have been related to reproductive performance in ovine. Aims. To investigate the effect of the RsaI and MnlI polymorphisms on ram seminal quality. Methods. Eighteen Rasa Aragonesa rams were genotyped for the RsaI (C/C, C/T, T/T) and MnlI (G/G, G/A, A/A) allelic variants of th...

In small ruminants, photoperiod synchronizes reproductive seasonality, and this environmental factor has been used to stimulate the sexual activity of males and females in months of seasonal sexual rest. However, socio-sexual interactions between males and females can also be used to stimulate the sexual activity of females in the seasonal anestrus...

Sexually hyperactive bucks are more efficient than sexually hypoactive bucks in stimulating testosterone secretion and sexual behaviour in other bucks in seasonal sexual rest by the phenomenon that we called the “buck-to-buck effect”. Here, we determined whether physical separation and reduction of duration of contact with the sexually hyperactive...

La lidia representa un ejercicio físico agotador y la tienta reproduce los mismos manejos, con similares efectos. Se han monitorizado tres eralas (190 ± 25 kg) mediante dispositivos Polar-H10, que registraron la frecuencia cardiaca (latidos/minuto) (9.480 registros), medida cada segundo, durante el proceso de inmovilización en el mueco, la espera p...

Es crucial mantener una temperatura ideal en las primeras etapas de vida de las aves de engorde para garantizar su salud. Un total de 256 pollos de crecimiento lento Coloryeld de 1 día de edad en producción ecológica se dividieron en 32 corrales interiores (8 pollos/corral) durante el primer mes de vida. La temperatura ambiental del recinto fue de...

Los pollos criados en certificación ecológica deben de tener acceso al exterior de las instalaciones a partir de una edad determinada (45-50 dias). Se han utilizado 128 pollos de estirpe Coloyiel de crecimiento lento en certificación ecológica durante 95 días de engorde, se dividieron en 16 réplicas de 8 pollos cada una. A los 28 días de vida 64 po...

La avicultura de carne consume una gran cantidad de energía durante las primeras semanas de vida para alcanzar unas condiciones de temperaturas optimas en el interior de las instalaciones de primera edad. Se utilizaron 256 pollos de crecimiento lento machos Coloryeld de 1 dia de edad en producción ecológica. Los animales estuvieron en una instalaci...

Sheep is a crepuscular species, showing peaks in foraging activity at dawn and dusk. They avoid grazing at night, as an innate anti-predator strategy. At dawn they consume feed with the highest energy content. When sheep are housed under intensive management conditions, they are not free to display their natural feeding behavior, although keep thei...

Proximity loggers (ProxLoggs) worn by an animal log when another device is within a certain distance to provide unparalleled insights into individual behavior and associations, both with another animal or with the environment. Prox-Loggs directly record the contact, providing a duration and distance of presumed contact. This work was a preliminary...

Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the variation in time intervals between consecutive heartbeats, and it is an index of the balance between sympathetic (“fight or flight”) and parasympathetic (“rest and digest”) control of the heart. Stress can significantly affect HRV, and monitoring HRV can be useful to gauge stress levels. The most common a...

Transportation is one of the most stressful conditions for farm animals [1]. Handling and management of lambs during transport are challenges that perturb homeostasis. The consequent adaptive response with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) activation attempts to restore balance and welfare conditions. To date, innovative approaches to d...

Heart rate variability (HRV) refers to the variation in time intervals between consecutive heartbeats. It reflects the balance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic branches of the autonomic nervous system, which are responsible for the response to stress and relaxation. Monitoring HRV can provide insights into several crucial aspects, such a...

Source: https://www.academie-agriculture.fr/sites/default/files/publications/encyclopedie/reproduction_effet_male_ct.pdf

Source: https://www.academie-agriculture.fr/sites/default/files/publications/encyclopedie/reproduction_par_effet_male_sur_male_.pdf

Source: https://www.academie-agriculture.fr/sites/default/files/publications/encyclopedie/photoperiodisme_chez_petits_ruminants.pdf

Source: https://www.academie-agriculture.fr/sites/default/files/publications/encyclopedie/reproduction_par_leffet_male_a_long_terme_0.pdf

The transport of livestock is an animal welfare issue, but an essential activity in the meat production system. During transport, animals are exposed to a variety of environmental stressors. The shifts in temperature, vibration, noise, stocking density, and human handling represent some of the most common physical and psychological discomforts. We...

The objective of this study was to measure the effects of melatonin implants in meat ewes at late pregnancy, at lambing, or both, on colostrum and milk composition, growth of their lambs, and lamb surface and rectal temperatures under intensive conditions. Pregnant Rasa Aragonesa ewes, that were previously synchronized (mean parity number (±SD): 2....

The aim of this study was to quantify differences between lambs from birth to weaning born from ewes that received a melatonin implant before lambing and those that were not implanted. Forty d before lambing, 457 pregnant ewes either did or did not receive a melatonin implant. Subsequently, lambs were divided into two groups: lambs whose mothers re...

Gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) synthesis and secretion regulates seasonal fertility. In the brain, the distribution of GnRH-positive neurons is diffuse, hindering efforts to monitor variations in its cellular and tissue levels. Here, we aim at assessing GnRH immunoreactivity in nuclei responsible for seasonal fertility regulation (SFR) withi...

Antecedentes. En cabras expuestas a machos cabríos sexualmente activos ("efecto macho") durante el anestro estacional, más del 90% presentan celo y ovulan, pero solamente alrededor del 70% llega a parir. Objetivo. Determinar las causas que reducen la fertilidad al parto de las cabras expuestas al efecto macho. Metodología. Se utilizaron 29 cabras e...

El destete es una práctica de manejo habitual en las granjas de vacuno de carne en la que se está poniendo especial atención en averiguar la respuesta productiva y fisiológica de los animales a la misma. Dispositivos del ámbito de la ganadería de precisión, como los biologgers subcutáneos, son capaces de monitorizar la frecuencia cardíaca de los an...

La alimentación de las poblaciones animales es uno de los aspectos que mayor información puede aportar para el conocimiento de la socio-economía de las sociedades del pasado. El estudio de la dieta animal tiene especial interés en el caso de los animales domésticos, puesto que las prácticas ganaderas implican control humano sobre la dieta de los an...

This study aimed to determine whether social mixing and density-induced stress affect locomotor activity in lambs. Eighteen 50-70 d lambs on a commercial farm were fitted with accelerometers for nine days. Lambs were housed with another 25 lambs in a 64- m2 pen (density: 0.40 lambs/m2; farm phase, FP). After nine days, lambs were transported to a f...

Existen factores intrínsecos y extrínsecos al propio animal que conforman los distintos sisternas de explotación en los que se encuadran las distintas razas existentes en cada región. Destacando entre ellos la base animal. el medio físico. la alimentación Y el manejo. Dentro de estos factore s. 1 os externos al animal como el manejo y la alimentaci...

La melatonina regula la estacionalidad reproductiva en la especie ovina mediante su unión a receptores de membrana, como MT1. El gen que codifica para este receptor (MTNR1A) presenta varios polimorfismos, entre ellos el RsaI (g.17355458C>T), relacionado con una menor estacionalidad. A nivel nuclear, el RORα (retinoic acid-related orphan receptor al...

La especie ovina presenta una estacionalidad reproductiva regulada por la melatonina, que puede actuar por unión a receptores de membrana específicos. El gen del receptor de melatonina 1A (MTNR1A) presenta varios polimorfismos, como el RsaI (g.17355458C>T), que está relacionado con una menor estacionalidad reproductiva. El objetivo de este trabajo...

Melatonin is involved in the regulation of circadian rhythms and is implicated in seasonal reproduction in sheep. In several physiological mechanisms it acts as an antioxidant and an anti-inflammatory molecule, regulating energy metabolism. This work investigated the effects of melatonin implants at 30 days of age on locomotor activity, body temper...

This study analyzed the effects of dietary supplementation with by-pass linseed oil (LO; rich in α-linolenic acid) on maternal antioxidant systems at Days 14 and 16 of pregnancy in Sarda ewes. This trial used sixteen dry ewes. Eight ewes (CT group) were fed with a control diet without LO, and eight ewes (LO group) were fed with a diet supplemented...

Context: the introduction of bio-sensors for monitoring real-time changes in physiological variables has helped to understand how external factors affect an animal’s resiliency to stressors. Aims: to quantify changes in temperature, heart rate, and locomotor activity in ewes during hormonal treatments for artificial insemination (AI) for up to 15 d...

The temperature of animals changes during the day according to a circadian pattern and is altered by diseases or stressful moments that the animal goes through. The study took place in September with an average temperature of 18.5ºC (25.6-11.3ºC). Three Assaf ewes with a live weight of 65.52±5.25 kg, which were diagnosed as pregnant by ultrasound,...

An animal´s heart rate changes throughout the day according to a circadian pattern and is altered by periods of stress that the animal goes through. It is an immediate response to a stressor and depends on the activity or stress state of the animal. Three Assaf ewes with a live weight of 65.52±5.25 kg, which were diagnosed pregnant by ultrasound, w...

Melatonin is an endogenous hormone that plays a pivotal role in mediating several patterns of animal physiology and behavior. Melatonin’s effect on the sheep reproductive system has been deeply investigated as well as its action in reducing neonatal mortality and increasing survival rate at weaning, due to a higher colostrum quality and brown adipo...

Application: Contribute to the knowledge about the signaling mechanisms between the mother and the embryo. Introduction: The effects of the presence of conceptus on the liver transcriptome at Day 14 of the estrous cycle or pregnancy were investigated. Materials and Methods: Adult Rasa Aragonesa ewes were mated to establish a pregnant (n = 7) and cy...

Application: Improvement of embryo maternal relationships using strategic dietary supplementation of by-pass linseed oil (LO) during early stage of pregnancy in ewes. Introduction: Previous studies have suggested the luteoprotective effect of polyunsaturated fatty acids omega 3 (PUFASx3) during early stage of pregnancy. However, the results obtaine...

Application: Improve ewes body reserves to reduce the impact of nutritional restriction on reproduction. Introduction: Our aim was to study the effect of undernutrition on uterus energy and protein metabolism in ewes with different body condition score at the beginning of the experiment. Materials and Methods: During the breeding season in Spain, 3...

Application: Alternative solutions to the current synchronization programs for timed artificial insemination (TAI) of ewes are of crucial importance for the ovine industry. Introduction: Neuropeptide kisspeptin and its receptor, KiSS1R, play a major role, in governing the timeline of puberty onset and promoting ovulation by stimulating gonadotrophi...

Context: Melatonin influences female reproduction, but expression of the melatonin system has not been characterized in the ovine uterus. Aims: We aimed to determine whether the synthetizing enzymes (arylalkylamine N-acetyltransferase (AANAT) and N-acetylserotonin-O-methyltransferase (ASMT)), the melatonin receptors 1 and 2 (MT1 and MT2), and the c...

The daily activity and suckling behavior of eight lambs in the first three weeks of life was measured by actigraphy. Lambs were artificially fed reconstituted milk replacer through an automatic lamb feeder. To quantify proximity to the milk feeders, the lambs were fitted collars that held accelerometers that were Bluetooth-enabled (wGT3X-BT; ActiGr...

Hoof care is an important aspect of sheep management, particularly, in intensive systems where the need for hoof trimming is most likely to occur because animals do not move around extensively. Hoof ailments can affect welfare and productivity negatively because overgrown hooves make walking difficult and predispose the animal to other foot problem...

Rams exposed to two months of artificial long days in winter followed by the natural photoperiod have increased testosterone concentrations and improved sexual performance in the seasonal anestrus. This study used actigraphy to quantify the locomotor and circadian behavior of sexually activated rams in spring. To confirm 24-h circadian rhythmicity,...

During 7 days, the estrus of three nulliparous (NP) and three multiparous (MP) ewes was hormonally-synchronized using a protocol based on vaginal sponges impregnated with progestogen, and 1 ml Prostaglandin-F2α and 2 ml PMSG at sponge withdrawal. At that moment, a surgically implanted subcutaneous bio-logger (DST milli-HRT, Star Oddi, Iceland) (13x...

During 7 days, the estrus of three nulliparous (NP) and three multiparous (MP) ewes was hormonallysynchronized using a protocol based on vaginal sponges impregnated with progestogen, and 1 ml Prostaglandin-F2α and 2 ml PMSG at sponge withdrawal. At that moment, a surgically implanted subcutaneous bio-logger (DST milli-HRT, Star Oddi, Iceland) (13x3...

In goats, early exposure of spring-born females to sexually active bucks induces an early puberty onset assessed by the first ovulation. This effect is found when females are continuously exposed well before the male breeding season starting in September. The first aim of this study was to evaluate whether a shortened exposure of females to males c...

Entrevista en revista Tierras Ovino sobre la ganadería de precisión/Interview por the journal Tierras about PLF

Introduction Melatonin is synthesized in the pineal gland, and transfers the day/night signals to the reproductive neuroendocrine axis. Subcutaneous implants of melatonin are used to advance the breeding season in sheep, although in recent years, alternative uses of melatonin in small ruminants have been established, mainly focused on the survival...

Introduction In the Rasa Aragonesa (RA) breed, the presence of a particular Rsal polymorphisms of the MNTR1A gene is associated with a shortened anestric period and more complete ovarian cycles per year, and can influence the reproductive performance of young and adult rams in spring. Specifically, RA ram-lambs born in autumn that carry the TT or G...