FACULTY OF AGRICULTURE
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Item Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) Diversity and its implications for human and wildlife health and Conservation – A review(2023) Coker, O.M.; Osaiyuwu, O.H.; Fatoki, A.O.It is clear that the global environment has changed and is still changing. The results of climate change, pollution, human use, and misuse of natural resources are tolling on humans and global biodiversity. The appropriate response(s) to these changes can be attributed to the efficacy of the immune system. The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) has a key role in maintaining global biodiversity in the face of obvious threats. Genetic variation, especially those within MHC proteins has been known to influence the ability of individuals to cope with various pathogens. In this review, we reveal from empirical research, the diversities within the MHC in wildlife, highlight the importance of MHC to wildlife and human health, emphasize the need to conserve MHC diversity for adequate conservation, and open a discussion on whether the interplay between the MHC genes and disease resistance is a question of quantity or quality. For most jawed vertebrates, classical MHC genes are the most gene-dense and polymorphic. This polymorphism in the MHC genes can be explained by host-pathogen coevolution and provides an excellent tool for determining a population's or species' immunological fitness. Their variation is undoubtedly adaptively important, and there is strong evidence that pathogen-imposed balancing selection is the primary cause of its maintenance. Over the years, variants in the MHC have been reported as major risk factors for autoimmune and infectious diseases in humans and wildlife species of conservation concern. It has been observed that, though high diversity within the MHC proffers some protection for most natural populations, this seems not to be universal. The influence of this high diversity on the survival of natural populations should be further investigated. As the debate lingers, there is a dire need to protect the present diversity at the locus. This will definitely play a very important role in maintaining the health of both humans and animals and ensuring the conservation of biodiversity in response to the inevitable changes in our world.Item Genetic Diversity of Prolactin Gene in Japanese Quail (Coturnix coturnix japonica) as Affected by Location in Nigeria(2016) Eichie, O.F.; Salako, A. E.; Osaiyuwu, O. H.; Aggrey, S. E.Restriction fragment length Polymorphism (RFLP) marker was used to investigate the effect of location on polymorphism, relationship and population structure with respect to prolactin gene (PRL gene) in Japanese quails in Nigeria. Blood samples were collected from thirty quails each from 5 different regions (North, South, West, East and North Central), for PRL loci analysis. DNA was extracted from the samples. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and electrophoresis was used to characterize a 24 base pair (bp) insertion/deletion (Indel) in a 358 bp PCR product. The populations were characterized for their genetic variability using allele frequencies, polymorphic information content, observed heterozygosity (Ho), genetic distance (D), F-statistics (FIT, FIS, FST), analysis of molecular variance, test for Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium (H-WE) and cluster analysis. Two alleles A (0.35 to 0.63) and B (0.37 to 0.65) were observed at the PRL gene loci. The highest FIT was recorded between 0.10 (East) and 0.19 (North) indicating inbreeding within the population. The FIS among populations were between 0.09 (North central) and 0.14 (North) while FST ranged from 0.001 (North central) to 0.06 (North), indicating moderate genetic differentiation among populations. Chi Square result indicated that the population were not in H-WE. The phylogenetic relationships showed that the population from the 5 regions had common descent. Clusters from the combined population showed that PRL gene is based on individual genotype and not location. AMOVA analysis showed that 3% of the total genetic variation was explained by population difference, 19% by variation among individuals and 77% within individuals. The results showed that study of prolactin gene diversity is useful for decision making for selective breeding and conservation strategies for Japanese quails irrespective of the location.Item Assessment of bitter yam (dioscorea dumentorum [kunth] pax) production in Oyo state, Nigeria(2023) Olubode, O.S.; Fasola, I.A.; Gbadamosi, I.T.Production of bitter yam (Discoreae dumentorum [Kunth.] Pax) is low in Oyo State, Nigeria. Two varieties are mainly cultivated, but there is limited information on factors responsible for low production and varietal preferences among farmers. This study investigated the demography, farming practices and differential proximate compositions as probable causes of low production of bitter yam in Oyo State. One hundred and twenty (120) copies of structured questionnaire were administered to selected respondents. Multistage sampling was used in selecting respondents in Oyo state from local government areas constituting four agricultural zones and 12 villages to collect demographic, production-related information, and constraints to production. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as analysis of variance (ANOVA). The result revealed that although bitter yam cultivation in Oyo state was male dominated (70%), majority of the farmers were old (57%), married (72%) and poorly educated (55%). Its production was for subsistence, and it was mainly grown in intercrop with other yam species. Ranked production constraints indicated poor marketability as the most extremely severe constraint, followed by labour unavailability and storage inadequacies. White bitter yam variety with superior basic proximate composition than Yellow Yam was preferred for cultivation. Subsistence production of bitter yam in Oyo state could be up-scaled through government intervention via farmer-centered education and public awareness and provision of infrastructure to facilitate cultivation, transportation, and storage.Item Landscape ecological risk assessment and transformation processes in the Guinean-Congolese climate zone in Benin Republic(2023) Anagonou, S.P.G.; Ewemoje, T.A.; Toyi, S.S.M.; Olubode, O.S.The landscape of Ramsar site 1018 in Benin Republic is increasingly modified by different types of land use. Understanding these changes dynamics is essential for efficient resource management. The aim of the research is to identify the spatial configuration of landscapes using landscape indices, which are the indicators and guide for agricultural policy. Fragstats 4 software helped for computing landscape metrics. Landsat imagery were analysed using Arcmap 10.7.1 and ENVI 5.3 software. The landscape of the Ramsar site is composed by the natural land (forests, savannahs, swamp formations), semi-natural land (plantations), anthropized land (agriculture lands, built-up area), and water land. These ecosystems have changed according to different trends 1990–2000, 2000–2020 and 1990–2020. The agricultural land showed an increasing trend of 143%, following by the built up area (37%). From 1990 to 2020, a decreasing of 45% has been observed in the savannah land, plantation land (41%), forest land (30%) and swampy land (17%). Also, the Ramsar site ecological context is at medium level despite the increasing of the landscape Ecological Risk Index: 0.1899, 0.2128, and 0.2165 in 1990, 2000, and 2020, respectively. Between 1990 and 2000, the creation process occurred in the built-up area and agriculture land, attrition within forest and plantation classes, dissection in swampy land, aggregation for savannah and shrinkage in water area. From 2000 to 2020, the agriculture land and swampy land continued to experience the same spatial transformation processes respectively. Dissection has observed within the forest land, attrition in water area, and aggregation for built-up area. The perforation process has observed within plantation, and fragmentation in Savannah. Finally, the development of agricultural activities and built-up areas are leading to change in the spatial structure of the Ramsar site landscape. To better conserve the biodiversity of these area, it will be necessary to characterize the still natural ecosystems. This will make it possible to propose a comprehensive management plan that integrates the agricultural and urbanization policy of the government, and the sustainable development goals.Item Indigenous fruit trees of tropical africa: status, opportunity for development and biodiversity management(2015) Awodoyin, O.R.; Olubode, O.S.; Ogbu ,U.J.; Balogun, B.R.; Nwawuisi, J.U.; Orji, K.OTropical fruit trees constitute important biological resources in the global agrobiodiversity context. Unlike the tropical fruit trees of American and Asian origin, indigenous fruit trees (IFT) of tropical Africa have scarcely achieved the status of international recognition in commodity markets and research arena outside Africa. This paper presented a critical review of the status of IFT in the Tropical African sub-regions (of West Africa, Central Africa, East Africa, Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands) in relation to the introduced naturalised fruit trees from tropical America and Asia, threats to the diversity and sustainable use of IFT, analysis of the opportunities and challenges of developing IFT, as well as targets for crop improvement of the rich IFT of Tropical Africa. Domestication programme via relevant vegetative propagation techniques for priority IFT of the sub-regions was examined and advocated, in addition to the adoption of complementary conservation strategies, including Field GeneBanks in the management of the continent’s IFT diversity.Item Sacred populations of cercopithecus sclateri: analysis of apparent population increases from census counts(Wiley Periodicals, Inc., 2013) Baker, L.R.; Tanimola ,A.A.; Olubode, O.S.The development of effective conservation and management actions for populations of wild species generally requires monitoring programs that provide reliable estimates of population size over time. Primate researchers have to date given more attention to evaluating techniques for monitoring primates in natural habitats compared to populations that occur in villages or urban areas. We conducted censuses to estimate the abundance and density of two sacred, village‐dwelling populations (Lagwa and Akpugoeze) of Sclater’s monkey (Cercopithecus sclateri), a threatened species endemic to southeastern Nigeria, and compared these data to previous census results. We recorded population increases in both sites: a 66% increase over 41/2 years in Lagwa (from 124 to 206 individuals) at an annual rate of 10.2%, and a 29% increase over 4 years in Akpugoeze (from 193 to 249 individuals) at an annual rate of 5.7%. Mean group size also increased in both sites. Density in Lagwa was 24.2 individuals/km2, and density in a core survey area of Akpugoeze was 36–38 individuals/km2. Our results may have been affected by monkey ranging and grouping patterns and improved detectability due to our revised census technique, which included secondary observers. With further work on methodology for censusing populations that occur in human‐settled environments, techniques can be refined and customized to individual sites for more accurate estimates. Our investigation of Sclater’s monkey in Lagwa and Akpugoeze, two sites critical for conservation of the species, indicated that both of these populations have increased, and neither faces immediate risk of extirpation. Such population growth, while encouraging, will likely exacerbate human–monkey conflict and thus should be understood in terms of potential socioeconomic impacts.Item Local depletion of two larger Duikers in the Oban Hills Region, Nigeria(Blackwell Publishing Ltd, 2012) Jimoh, S. O.; Ikyaagba, E. T.; Alarape, A. A.; Adeyemi, A. A.; Waltert, M.Across West and Central Africa, duikers are important for trade and consumption; their populations are expected to become depleted. Reliable data on their status are scanty in Nigeria. We assessed duiker populations in the Oban Sector of Cross River National Park through diurnal and nocturnal surveys along 32 transects of 2 km each. After 508-km survey effort, only Ogilby’s duiker (Cephalophus ogilbyi) and blue duiker (Philantomba monticola) were recorded. Using habitat as a covariate in modeling detection probability in DISTANCE 6.0, we estimated densities for the blue duiker ranging from 15.5 (95% CI: 7.8–30.9) in the core, 5.8 (CI: 2.6–12.9) in the buffer and 0.9 (CI: 0.09–10.1) km² in farm fallow to no duikers in the plantation. For Ogilby’s duiker, densities ranged from 1.6 (95% CI: 0.7–3.7) km² in the core, 2.0 (CI: 0.8–5.1) in buffer to no duikers in farm fallow and plantation. The apparent absence of yellow-backed and Bay duikers may indicate local depletion. We call on all stakeholders to rise up to the challenge of rescuing this biological hotspot in Nigeria from further degradation and species loss through improved funding for well-equipped field staff and institutionalized community wildlife management