WIAS magazine 1st edition - Fall 2021

WIAS magazine aims to strengthen the community of WIAS PhDs & Post-Docs, because Science connects us all. We do this by offering a platform to showcase the amazing work being performed under the WIAS umbrella and combine this with a personal touch. 

The first edition of WIAS magazine has been published during the Launch week 15-19 November 2021, with new articles published every day.

Thanks for all submissions and we look forward to many more to come!

Select at first sight: image analysis improves fish breeding

WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research Overview

Fish farmers want healthy fish to grow faster. However, to properly measure their health status and growth speed, fish needs to be killed or paralyzed for biological samples. This will easily stress the fish and disturb their health. On top of that, the acquired measurements are often lagging behind the real-time development. In Xue’s PhD project, together with breeding company Hendrix Genetics, she will explore the possibility of using image analysis as a fast, real-time and fish-friendly alternative.

Why is early life feeding important in piglets?

WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research Highlight

Early-life bacterial colonisation can be of particular importance to the overall growth and health of an animal, especially influencing intestinal and immune system development with long-term implications. This is especially relevant in pig production where post-weaning enteric infection is one of the major concerns related to the (gut) health of pigs, and is associated with economic losses and welfare problems. Commercial pig production systems involves early and abrupt weaning, which contrasts with the gradual transition from mother’s milk to solid feed in nature. Due to such abrupt weaning, a piglet is challenged with multiple stressors (including environmental-, nutritional- and psychological-) which is usually associated with changes in gut microbiota and a high incidence of diarrhoea. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the impact of early-life feeding (pre-weaning provision of fibrous feed) on the intestinal microbiota and mucosa development in neonatal piglets, thereby preparing piglets for weaning transition.

How to count what’s hidden beneath the ocean’s surface: The elusive population size of rays in the North Sea

WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research light

The populations of rays, flat bodied relatives of sharks with wing like fins, in the North Sea have been drastically decreased over the last 50 years. Little is known about their exact population sizes. Kinship among rays may help to shed a light on how many rays are currently inhabiting the North Sea. Timo Staeudle, a marine ecologist and PhD candidate at Wageningen University and Research, is obtaining this kinship information from the similarities and differences found in the genetic code of ray individuals.

Genotypes of animals selected out early in selection process are not always needed in subsequent evaluations of their retained relatives

WIAS magazine - Fall edition 2021
Research light

To further evaluate retained animals, genetic evaluation models known as ‘single-step genomic evaluation models’ only require genotypes of animals selected out early in selection process if their parents are not genotyped. This is the main conclusion from an investigation by researchers in the Animal Breeding and Genomics Group of Wageningen University & Research. The research was published in the Journal of Animal Breeding and Genetics.

Go back to main page:

WIAS magazine 1st edition - Fall 2021

'The making of'

Select at first sight: image analysis improves fish breeding

Why is early life feeding important in piglets?

How to count what’s hidden beneath the ocean’s surface: The elusive population size of rays in the North Sea

Genotypes of animals selected out early in selection process are not always needed in subsequent evaluations of their retained relatives

‘Stocked shrimp in tomato sauce’