Life Sciences Commons^™

Recent Decline Of Lowland Populations Of The Western Gray Squirrel In The Los Angeles Area Of Southern California, Daniel S. Cooper, Alan Muchlinski

Bulletin of the Southern California Academy of Sciences

We provide an overview of the distribution of lowland and otherwise isolated populations of the western gray squirrel (Sciurus griseus) in the Los Angeles area of southern California, an area that has experienced a recent and ongoing invasion by the non-native eastern fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), an urban-adapted species introduced a century ago. Away from its strongholds in the western Santa Monica Mountains, San Gabriel Mountains, and Santa Ana Mountains, the western gray squirrel is resident locally in both the Santa Susana and the Verdugo Mountains, in Griffith Park, in low hills at the eastern periphery of the San Gabriel ...

The Effects Of Different Organic Pastures On Dairy Heifer Growth And Development, Jacob A. Hadfield

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Raising dairy heifers in a certified organic setting can be difficult for producers. Conventionally, heifers are raised in a confined setting, and fed a total mixed ration (TMR) that is balanced daily to contain all the needed nutrients for developing heifers. Organic producers can use a TMR in their operations, but due to high organic feed costs, many choose to raise their heifers in pasture-based systems. While pasture-based systems may lower costs, heifers on pasture commonly have lower rates of gain, which can be financially burdensome to producers. Grass-legume pastures may help improve rates of gain in heifers on pasture-based ...

Influence Of Forage Diversity And Condensed Tannins On Livestock Foraging Behavior, Production And Environmental Impact, Sebastian P. Lagrange

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eating a combination of forages with different chemistries (i.e., nutrients, beneficial compounds such as tannins) may enhance ruminant nutrition and reduce environmental impacts relative to eating single forages. I explored the influence of offering sheep and cattle all possible combinations of tanniferous (i.e., plants with tannins; birdsfoot trefoil, sainfoin) and non-tanniferous legumes (i.e., plants without tannins; alfalfa) or their monocultures on animal performance, behavior, and methane and nitrogen (N) emissions. Offering choices among these legumes to penned sheep improved intake and diet digestibility relative to feeding monocultures. Mixtures selected by sheep were better digested than mixtures containing ...

Scorpions Of Puerto Rico And Its Satellite Islands (Scorpiones: Buthidae, Diplocentridae): An Аnnotated List, Key For Genera, And Bibliography, Luis De Armas

Euscorpius

An annotated list of the scorpions of Puerto Rico and its satellite islands (mainly Vieques, Culebra, Caja de Muertos, Magueyes, Desecheo, and Mona), a key for the seven genera present in those insular territories, a key for the three species of Microtityus, and the basic bibliography on taxonomy and natural history are provided. Of the 16 confirmed species described from these Greater Antillean islands, four are known only from a single sex and only one or two adult specimens. Seven species (six of them from the genus Tityus), are endemic to the Puerto Rico Island; Vieques has two species, whereas ...

Size Selective Parasitism Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) By Chestnut Lampreys (Ichthyomyzon Castaneus) In An Artificial Setting, Jeremiah M. Salinger, Ronald L. Johnson

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Paradigms of optimal resource utilization by animals, both classical and more recent, were not originally developed in the context of parasitism. Though this oversight has slowly been reversed, little attention has been paid to optimal resource utilization by parasitic fishes, such as lampreys. Multiple explanations for host size selection by parasitic lampreys may be plausible, but results from previous studies have been inconsistent. We studied host size selection by Chestnut Lampreys (Ichthyomyzon castaneus) parasitizing Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) in fish hatchery raceways in north central Arkansas during the late winter and early spring of 2013. Parasitized Rainbow Trout were significantly ...

Movement Of Translocated Adult Sicklefin Redhorse (Moxostoma Sp.) In The Oconaluftee River, North Carolina: Implications For Species Restoration, Jessica L. Davis, David P. Gillette, C. Reed Rossell Jr., Michael J. Lavoie

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The Sicklefin Redhorse is a rare, undescribed species of Moxostoma, endemic to the Hiwassee and Little Tennessee River basins of western North Carolina and northern Georgia, where it has been eliminated from much of its native range. It is listed as endangered in Georgia and threatened in North Carolina. Although it has not been granted federal protected status, this species is the subject of a Candidate Conservation Agreement between federal, state, tribal, and private stakeholders, of which one objective calls for the re-establishment of Sicklefin Redhorse populations throughout its historical range. The objective of our study was to evaluate suitability ...

Status Of The Blackstripe (Fundulus Notatus) And Blackspotted (F. Olivaceus) Topminnows In The Ozark Uplands Of Central Missouri, Nathaniel Steffensmeier, Naznin Sultana Remex, Robert Hrabik, David D. Duvernell

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The topminnow species Fundulus notatus and F. olivaceus have broadly overlapping geographic distributions that extend throughout much of the central and southern United States. In the northern portion of their respective ranges, in Missouri, the regional distributions of the two species coincide largely with recognized ecoregions. In the unglaciated southern half of Missouri, F. olivaceus is distributed throughout Ozark upland habitats while F. notatus is abundant in marginal large river and prairie habitats along the Ozark borders. An exception to this partitioning is the historical report of abundant F. notatus in the Bourbeuse and upper Meramec River drainages within the ...

Use Of Dead Mussel Shells By Madtom Catfishes In The Green River, Jacob F. Brumley, Philip W. Lienesch

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

The Green River in Kentucky has high fish and macroinvertebrate diversity. As both fish and macroinvertebrates have evolved together in this system, relationships have developed between species. One type of relationship that has been observed is between madtom catfishes (Noturus spp.) and mussels in the Green River, where madtoms use dead mussel shells as cover when not actively foraging. In the fall of 2016 and 2017, surveys were conducted to determine if madtom catfishes use dead mussel shells more than rocks of similar size. We predicted that madtoms would select mussel shells as cover more frequently than rocks due to ...

A New Species Of Isometrus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Southern India, Shauri Sulakhe, Nikhil Dandekar, Shomen Mukherjee, Malay Pandey, Makarand Ketkar, Anand Padhye, Deshabhushan Bastawade

Euscorpius

A new species of Isometrus (Buthidae) is described from India using integrated taxonomic approach. Isometrus kovariki sp. n. is closely related to I. thurstoni, and differs in morphological features and raw genetic divergence of more than 9%.

Photographic Validation Of Target Versus Nontarget Take Of Brown Treesnake Baits, Shane R. Siers, Aaron B. Shiels, Cynthia G. Payne, Francinem M. Chlarson, Craig S. Clark, Stephen M. Mosher

USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications

Use of toxic baits or other tools for managing nuisance species must ensure that the species of interest is adequately targeted while exposure to nontarget species is minimized. Nontarget takes of acetaminophen‐laced baits for control of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) on Guam may put those animals at risk of lethal intoxication and render the bait unavailable to the intended target species. We used wildlife cameras to identify species removing toxic and nontoxic baits from brown treesnake bait stations designed to exclude nontarget taxa in 2015 and 2016. Throughout various sites and habitat types, and balanced by season (wet ...

Time Allocation To Resources By Three Species Of Rats (Rattus Spp.) In A Radial Arm Maze, Gary Witmer, Nathan P. Snow, Rachael S. Moulton

USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications

Context. Introduced rats (Rattus spp.) can pose a serious threat to native flora and fauna, especially on islands where most species have evolved in the absence of terrestrial predators. Effective detection and eradication methods for introduced rats are essential to the maintenance of insular ecosystem integrity. Thus, it is important to better understand the behaviour of rats when they first arrive in a new setting.

Aims. To determine whether rats would find some novel stimuli to be significantly more attractive than other novel stimuli.

Methods. An eight-arm radial maze was used to study the behaviour of three species of Rattus ...

Interactions With Humans Shape Coyote Responses To Hazing, Julie K. Young, Edd Hammill, Stewart W. Breck

USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications

Medium and large carnivores coexist with people in urban areas globally, occasionally resulting in

negative interactions that prompt questions about how to reduce human-wildlife conflict. Hazing,

i.e., scaring wildlife, is frequently promoted as an important non-lethal means for urbanites to reduce

conflict but there is limited scientific evidence for its efficacy. We used a population of captive coyotes (Canis latrans) to simulate urban human-coyote interactions and subsequent effects of hazing on coyote behavior. Past experiences with humans significantly affected the number of times a coyoteapproached a human to necessitate hazing. coyotes that had been hand fed by adults had ...

Hawaii As A Microcosm: Advancing The Science And Practice Of Managing Introduced And Invasive Species, Liba Pejchar, Christopher A. Lepczyk, Jean E. Fantle-Lepczyk, Steven C. Hess, M. Tracy Johnson, Christina R. Leopold, Michael Marchetti, Katherine M. Mcclure, Aaron B. Shiels

USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications

Invasive species are a leading driver of global change, with consequences for biodiversity and society. Because of extraordinary rates of endemism, introduction, and extinction, Hawaii offers a rich platform for exploring the cross-disciplinary challenges of managing invasive species in a dynamic world. We highlight key successes and shortcomings to share lessons learned and inspire innovation and action in and beyond the archipelago. We then discuss thematic challenges and opportunities of broad relevance to invaded ecosystems and human communities. Important research needs and possible actions include eradicating mammals from mainland island sanctuaries, assessing hidden threats from poorly known introduced species, harnessing ...

Deciphering Interactions Between White-Tailed Deer And Approaching Vehicle, Morgan Pfeiffer, Raymond B. Iglay, Thomas W. Seamans, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault

USDA National Wildlife Research Center - Staff Publications

Deer-vehicle collisions are a major transportation hazard, but factors affecting deer escape decision-making in response to vehicle approach remain poorly characterized. We made opportunistic observations of deer response to vehicle approach during daylight hours on a restricted- access facility in Ohio, USA (vehicle speeds were ≤64 km/h). We hypothesized that animal proximity to the road, group size, vehicle approach, and ambient conditions would affect perceived risk by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) to vehicle approach, as measured by flight-initiation distance (FID). We constructed a priori models for FID, as well as road-crossing behavior. Deer responses were variable and did not ...

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida: Scorpiones). Part Xxiv. Leiurus (Buthidae), With Description Of Leiurus Gubanensis Sp. N., František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

New data are presented on the distribution of the genus Leiurus Ehrenberg, 1828 in the Horn of Africa, Somaliland, acquired during expeditions in 2011–2019. Leiurus gubanensis sp. n. is described from the Guban area, an extremely warm and dry place. The description is fully complemented with color photographs of live and preserved specimens, as well as of their habitats. This increases the known diversity of the genus to 14 species.

Influences Of Anti-Bd Bacteria On Amphibians And Their Microbiomes, Emme L. Schmidt

Honors Thesis

The fungal pathogen Batrochochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) has been threatening amphibian populations across the globe. Recent work has discovered that bacteria isolated from certain populations of amphibians protect hosts from this pathogen. This project focuses on the anti-fungal mechanisms of Serratia marcescens, a species of bacteria isolated from a Costa Rican frog that dramatically inhibited Bd in culture. Wild-type and recombinant S. marcescens was introduced to the microbiomes of a live amphibian host, Acris blanchardi (Blanchard’s Cricket Frog) and then challenged with Bd to examine the protective effects of this bacteria. The experiment includes recombinant S. marcescens with the genetic ...

An Investigation Of The Practical Challenges To Using Molecular Genetic Techniques To Identify The Parasite Burdens Of Vertebrate Animals From Non-Invasive Sampling, Keely Ann Cox

Honors Theses

Molecular genetic techniques have become popular methods in ecology and wildlife conservation research. Advances in molecular genetic methods, particularly PCR (polymerase chain reaction), make it possible to amplify the numbers of specific DNA sequences from a sample with only a few original copies. Theoretically, the specificity of this approach should make it possible for wildlife biologists to identify and quantify the parasite and disease burden of endangered animals without being limited by the rarity of collaborators with expertise in the taxonomy of obscure parasite taxa. Because PCR requires just a small amount of DNA, the added benefit of a molecular ...

Investigation Of Rapid Diagnostic Tests For Characterization Of Mycobacterium Avium Complex (Mac) From Various Isolates And Identification Of Virulence Factors Of Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus (Prrsv) In Vitro, Claudia Antonika

UCARE Research Products

Chapter 1

Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) has become one of the major problems in public health and livestock. Members of MAC, such as M. avium subsp paratuberculosis (MAP) and M. avium subsp hominissuis (MAH), are responsible for many opportunistic infections and the loss of livestock. MAP is economically significant to the beef and dairy industries because it is the etiologic agent of Johnes’s disease, a chronic and fatal enteritis in ruminants. Tracing the infection sources of MAC could be difficult since it infects many types of hosts in the natural environment. Furthermore, there is less information known about MAP ...

Another New Species Of Euscorpius Thorell, 1876 From The Caves Of Croatia And Bosnia-Herzegovina (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), With Notes On Biogeography And Cave Ecology, Gioele Tropea, Roman Ozimec

Euscorpius

Another new, subtroglophile scorpion species is described from Croatia, Euscorpius biokovensis sp. n. It is morphologically and ecologically similar to E. feti Tropea, 2013 but can be distinguished from the latter by a lower number of trichobothria (Pv = 8–9, with mostly 8, and usually et = 6) and pectinal teeth (usually Dp = 7 in males and 6 in females). The new species also has a more northern distribution although in some areas the two species overlap. E. biokovensis sp. n. has been found in more than 20 caves in Croatia, which makes it the most common Euscorpius species found in ...

Effects Of A Noni-Supplemented Diet On Intestinal Tight Junction Proteins And Stress Biomarkers In Heat-Stressed Broiler Chickens, Guillermo Tellez

Poultry Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Heat stress hampers gut health by impeding its ability to absorb nutrients which leads to a lower feed efficiency and sicker birds. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify mechanism-based strategies to alleviate these effects. Polynesian poultry farmers have been supplementing broiler feed with Morinda Citrifolia (Noni), a medicinal plant high in anti-oxidants, to address this problem. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of Morinda Citrifolia (Noni)-supplementation on the expression of tight junction proteins. Male Broilers (Cobb 500, 3 wks, n=480) were subjected to 2 environmental conditions (TN, 24°C vs. HS ...

Translational Genomics For Improving Sow Fertility, Hiruni R. Wijesena

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Sow fertility traits, such as litter size and number of lifetime parities produced (reproductive longevity), are economically important. Selection for these traits is difficult because they are lowly heritable, polygenic, sex-limited, and express late in life. Age at puberty is an early indicator of reproductive longevity. Gilts that achieve puberty at an early age have a greater probability to produce more parities over their lifetime. However, measuring age at puberty is time consuming and tedious. Identifying pleiotropic polymorphisms that affect age at puberty and other fertility traits, including reproductive longevity, could help to improve the accuracy of genomic prediction for ...

Energy And Amino Acid Metabolism In Lactating Jersey Cows Consuming Feed Byproducts, Kyle Mclain

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Animal protein byproducts are high bypass proteins commonly used in the dairy industry. These bypass proteins can escape the rumen to supply additional amino acids needed to support milk and protein yield. Two of the more popular animal protein byproducts used in the dairy industry are blood meal and hydrolyzed feather meal. In the first experiment, two flow meters were compared using headbox-style calorimeters. The objectives of the first study were to test mass flow meter (MFM) and volumetric flow meter (VFM) by measuring O2 consumption and CO2 production and to illustrate the effects of incomplete gas recovery on estimated ...

The Impact Of Oxidative Stress On Postmortem Meat Quality, Nicolas J. Herrera

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Tenderness is the primary factor to influence consumer palatability in fresh meat. The tenderization of muscle is dependent on proteolytic mechanisms, including calcium dependent, non-lysosomal endogenous enzymes such as calpains and proteasomes. These mechanisms have been indicated alongside apoptosis early postmortem as cascades of apoptotic events promote ideal conditions for postmortem tenderization. Recent literature has identified oxidative stress-mediated events to be linked to apoptotic activity. Oxidative stress is defined as the overwhelming production of reactive species compared to homeostatic, endogenous antioxidants present within muscle systems. These conditions exhaust antioxidant function and facilitate reactive species to alter protein, lipid, or nucleic ...

Impact Of Diet And Quality Grade On Meat Quality Characteristics And Their Relationship To Oxidative Stress, Nicolas Bland

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Marbling and tenderness in meat are some of the most impactful factors for the consumer eating experience. The cause of the relationship between marbling and tenderness is still unresolved. This study was conducted to evaluate the effects of feeding different types of processed corn, with or without distiller grains on oxidative stress, and how that relates to tenderness and shelf life of beef steaks of differing quality grades. Steers (n= 240) were finished on dry rolled corn (DRC), DRC + 30% dried distillers grains (DDGS), steam flaked corn (SFC), or SFC + 30% DDGS. Cattle were fed 10 per pen. Only pens ...

Lake Ontario Alewife, Alosa Pseudoharengus, Maturation And Reproduction Dynamics, Tom Bianchi

Environmental Science and Ecology Theses

Since their introduction in Lake Ontario, alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) have dominated the forage fish community, making them the primary food source for the lake’s economically valuable sport fish populations. Therefore, alewife population dynamics can impact fishery success and management. Recently observed declines in alewife abundance and year class strength variability further increase the need to better understand alewife reproduction. The objectives of this study were to quantify maturation and reproductive dynamics of Lake Ontario alewife by 1) determining if alewife display determinate or indeterminate fecundity, 2) determining if age 2 alewife could be considered part of the spawning stock ...

Estimation Of Juvenile Striped Bass Relative Abundance In The Virginia Portion Of Chesapeake Bay Annual Progress Report: 2019 - 2020, Jack R. Buchanan, Troy D. Tuckey, Mary C. Fabrizio

Reports

The 2019 Striped Bass juvenile abundance index was 9.54 and was not significantly different than the reference mean of 7.77 from 1980-2009. Abundance indices in the James, York, and Rappahannock rivers in 2019 were average compared with their individual reference means (1980-2009). Relatively low catches of young‐of‐the‐year Striped Bass from sites upriver and downriver of core nursery areas suggest Striped Bass largely remained within core nursery areas in 2019. Juvenile White Perch abundance indices in 2019 were above historic averages in the James, York and Rappahannock river systems.

Juvenile abundance indices for Atlantic Croaker, Alewife ...

Characterization Of Stream Quality Of Five Ouachita River Tributaries Utilizing Macrobenthic Species And Fish Populations, Hunter Jones, Brockton Brown

Scholars Day Conference

The Ouachita River originates in west-central Arkansas and exits the state in south-central Arkansas near El Dorado. There are many tributaries that make up the Ouachita River through its Arkansas journey. Five of these tributaries are located in Clark County and were selected for this research. Basic in situ water quality parameters were measured and the riparian zone was characterized at each sample site. The five streams selected were Decieper/Little Deceiper Creek, Mill Creek, DeRoche Creek, Saline Bayou, and Tupelo Creek. Macrobenthic and fish surveys were conducted at two sites (upper and lower) on each creek except Saline Bayou ...

Impact Of Cow Size And Validation Of An Electronic Feeder To Optimize Resources In Beef Production Systems, Rob Ziegler

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Optimizing beef production systems is critical in the longevity of an enterprise. In a time of rapid change and innovation, there are increasingly more opportunities to improve efficiency of livestock production by taking advantage of new technologies. Furthermore, production environments vary drastically in all segments of the beef industry, which influence feed resource availability. Therefore, it is critical to realize the cow type that excels in a given production environment according to management objectives. To gain a better understanding of the optimal cow type in the Nebraska Sandhills, a retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate increasing cow body weight (BW ...

Evaluation Of Maternal Diet And Its Effect On Milk Composition And Piglet Health And Growth Performance, Shana Barnett

Theses and Dissertations in Animal Science

Both graduate research and graduate teaching duties work together to help to develop a graduate student’s skills both in the classroom and on their research experiments. Being both a GTA and GRA allows a student to form more sound hypotheses, connect better with students, and better understand their own research.

During the time as a GTA and GRA four surveys were developed to analyze different groups of students and their learning environment and two animal experiments were conducted to evaluate maternal diet and its effect on milk composition and piglet health and growth performance

The surveys given to students ...

Usu Equine-Assisted Activities And Therapies Facilities Designed Master Plan, Lindsie C. Smith

All Graduate Plan B and other Reports

Equine-Assisted Activities and Therapies (EAAT) is recognized as a therapeutic approach for persons with disabilities. The USU Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences Department provides EAAT instruction and services; however, they do not have the appropriate facilities to model best-practices in the delivery of these services. This design research entailed the development of a phased masterplan to support the instruction and delivery of equine-assisted activities and therapies in an innovative and accessible environment that supports animal-assisted intervention and natural equine behaviors.

The methodology used to approach the master plan design was derived from Norman K. Booth’s (1990) design process, as ...