Life Sciences Commons^™

Particle Tracking Reveals Pelagic Red Crabs As Indicators Of Climate-Driven Range Expansion In The California Current, Elizabeth Saraf

Senior Honors Projects

Since their first recorded occurrence in 1859, Pelagic Red Crabs (PRC; Pleuroncodes planipes) have experienced increased frequency of episodic mass stranding events in the Eastern Pacific Ocean. PRC’s are transported over 1,000 km northward of their central domain from the coast of central Baja California, Mexico. They have been reported by the thousands on the beaches of central and southern California. Their presence influences the surrounding ecosystem and commercial fisheries because they are nutritional prey items and large predators change their diet to incorporate PRC’s when they are available. Seasonal coastal currents and the California Undercurrent transport warmer waters …

Calf Heath And Oxidative Stress, Samantha Cardin

Senior Honors Projects

In recent years, beef cattle operations such as farms and ranches in the U.S. have surpassed 900,000 and have been steadily increasing. With this rise in the beef industry, comes a greater concern for calf health since it has huge impacts on production and viability. There are multiple different factors that can affect calf health ranging from the intrauterine environment to conditions early on post parturition. An improper maternal environment during pregnancy can impact fetal growth because it can decrease the amount of nutrients reaching the calf. This can lead to low birth weights and undeveloped organ systems. Additionally, if …

The Development Of A Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Assay To Assess Stress In Captive Breeding Populations Of New England Cottontail Rabbits, Kianna Lee Taylor

Senior Honors Projects

The topic for this research project was based on the problem of the diminishing population of the wild New England Cottontail rabbits. Over the last 50 years, the population of these once very common rabbits has decreased to only inhabit New England and parts of New York (1). This is less than one-fifth of the geographic range they once inhabited (1). Roger Williams Park Zoo currently has a New England Cottontail breeding program that has experienced limited success, which may be caused by the domestic environment into which this wild species is being introduced. The central objective of this study …

Refinement Of An In Vivo Exsheathment Assay Of Haemonchus Contortus In Ruminally Fistulated Ewes, Madison Parks

Senior Honors Projects

My honors project examined one aspect of an overarching research project currently happening here at the University of Rhode Island studying the parasite Haemonchus contortus. This project focused on revising the current working assay for in vivo exsheathment of the parasite in cannulated ewes in order to find more cost effective materials and shorten the length of time the assay takes to complete. Haemonchus contortus, commonly known as the barber pole worm, inhabits the digestive tract of sheep and goats. It feeds on the blood in the abomasum, a chamber of the ruminant stomach, and causes anemia and sometimes death …

Veterinary Training Practice In Pinnipeds, Samantha Hatfield

Senior Honors Projects

Little research has been conducted in determining how to train a Northern Fur Sea Lion (Callorhinus ursinus) for veterinary husbandry care procedures. There is no clear path or instruction manual on how to complete a veterinary examination on a Fur Sea Lion, or any marine mammal for that matter, since every animal behaves and reacts differently. Animal behavior (ethology) is an ongoing field of study that focuses on the natural interactions between these species with each other, other living organisms (including humans), and their environment. The purpose of this research is to establish a guideline on how to begin training …

Examination Of Polymorphism In The Serine Proteinase Inhibitor Gene In The Eastern Oyster, Crassostrea Virginica., Aine Lehane

Senior Honors Projects

Oysters are a keystone species; they are filter-feeders and reef-builders. Additionally, oysters are extremely important within the shellfish aquaculture industry; they are the second most widely produced species in world aquaculture production. Eastern oysters, Crassostrea virginica, are produced in aquaculture and are unfortunately susceptible to Dermo disease. Dermo is caused by a protozoan parasite, Perkinsus marinus, and infection is often fatal in oysters due to widespread tissue damage and blockage of blood vessels. Research in oyster disease is particularly needed because disease is one of the largest impediments faced by the aquaculture industry as entire oyster populations can …

Combating Infectious Diseases In Aquaculture With An Original Probiotic Product, Meagan Hamblin, Saebom Sohn, Christine Ahn Dao, Marta Gomez-Chiarri, David R. Nelson, David Worthen, David Rowley

Senior Honors Projects

Oyster production in Rhode Island accounts for over $2.5 million in annual revenue, making it the top aquaculture product in the state. However, larval tank infections significantly constrain production and create substantial economic losses for commercial hatcheries. In most cases antibiotics may not be used to prevent or treat larval tank infections. A probiotic, or beneficial microbe which competes with pathogens, is a safer and “green” approach to preventing infections. Vibriosis, a common cause of oyster larval mortality, is the result of Vibrio species infections. Previous studies have shown that a native Rhode Island microbe, Bacillus pumilus RI06-95, protects oyster …

A Survey Of Horse Training In New England, Shelby C. Ashworth, W. Michael Sullivan

Senior Honors Projects

New England no longer has a significant horse training industry. It has many small operations with no obvious and overlapping training philosophies or practices. Show and competition programs are intense and competitive at regional, national and even international levels leading to the observation that techniques employed are equally strategic and tediously designed in order to encourage the exemplary results in the show ring. This study aimed to examine the methods, routines, and strategies that are used by top tier trainers in the New England region of the United States. This information was collected both in survey form and in interview …

Zutrition: Analyzing And Evaluating Diets Fed To Captive Mammals At Capron Park Zoo, Briell M. Dzierga

Senior Honors Projects

Zoos provide both experiential and educational opportunities for the general public to learn about animals found in a variety of habitats around the world. A successful zoo must provide a safe and enjoyable environment for the visitors, in addition to the species living within the enclosures. Animal husbandry and welfare are crucial aspects to which close attention must be paid, and zoos have a responsibility to attempt to approximate the captive species’ natural habitats and life histories. An essential part of maintaining a captive zoo animal’s health and wellbeing is providing the animal with an appropriate diet. In addition to …

Big Blue And You: An Interdisciplinary Look At Science And The Ocean, A Students Teaching Students Course, Megan M. Nepshinsky, Alexa Kretsch, Benjamin Negrete

Senior Honors Projects

This class is the second project under the new Honors Program initiative, Students Teaching Students (STS). STS was brought to URI and implemented by Bridget Griffith as part of her Senior Honors Project in 2011. Students apply in their Junior year to design, research, and teach an honors course on a topic about which they are passionate. The STS program allows motivated honors students to have a unique opportunity to lead a class as student professors. This allows students a freedom of creativity on the topic, assignments, and teaching style. Drawing on our own experiences, we were able to create …

Heartworm In Canines: Trends In Rhode Island Shelter Populations, Kelsey L. Mckenna

Senior Honors Projects

Heartworm in Canines

Kelsey McKenna

Faculty Sponsor: Darlene Jones, DVM, Animal Science

Each year thousands of dogs in the United States become infected with heartworm, which is caused by Dirofilaria immitis. D. immitis is a parasite that is transmitted to dogs via a bite by an infected mosquito. Nine of the seventy competent mosquito species reside in Rhode Island. The true incidence of D. immitis is unknown. Current incidence maps are derived from data generated at veterinary clinics and do not include shelter dogs. The objective of this study is twofold: to determine the prevalence of D. immitis in …

Time Post-Hatch Caloric Value Of Artemia Salina, Jessie M. Sanders

Senior Honors Projects

In aquatic animal collections, such as those in the collection of Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration’s Fish & Invertebrate department, live food is an essential part of the diet of animals that are on display, used in education, and kept in reserve for exhibits. For Mystic Aquarium’s Fish & Invertebrate department, newly hatched Artemia salina, or brine shrimp, are fed to an assortment of fishes and invertebrates, including soft corals and jellyfish. Hatch brine is an important source of fatty acids, which are essential for proper growth and development. Hatch brine starts encapsulated in a cyst form and are …

A Comparison Of Pyronin Y-Methyl Green Stain And Methylene Blue Stain For Somatic Cell Count In Sheep Milk, Emily Mirek, Stacey O’Donnell

Senior Honors Projects

Somatic cell count is a key method used to evaluate the quality of milk in today’s growing dairy sheep industry. Somatic cells are body cells, primarily the white blood cells, found in a milk sample. If an infection such as mastitis is present, the number of somatic cells in the milk increases (Gonzalo, et al. 1992). Producers routinely perform somatic cell counts on cow and goat milk. For dairy cattle in the United States, the somatic cell count can not exceed 750,000 cells per milliliter, for commercial milk. For dairy goats the accepted limit is 1,000,000 cells per mL of …

Mechanics Of Suction Generation During Feeding In Little Skates, Danielle Duquette

Senior Honors Projects

Feeding mechanisms of aquatic vertebrates has been extensively studied in the past, while that of elasmobranchs remains limited. Skates and rays are believed to have evolved from a shark ancestor, thus they represent the most derived group. All skates are dorsoventrally compressed, have a unique jaw suspension type and head skeleton and live in benthic environments. It is unknown whether these derived features of skates have altered the ancestral shark feeding mechanism. Comparing feeding mechanisms in skates and sharks may shed light on morphological transformations that have arisen after the evolutionary split of these two groups. In this study prey …

Importance Of Early Successional Forest For Wildlife In Southern New England, Amy Wynia

Senior Honors Projects

Many bird species that require early successional forest are declining in the Northeast U.S. because such habitat is relatively rare and when they inhabit the more common mature forests or suburban areas they are less successful. Early successional forest is maintained by regular disturbance (wind, fire, clear-cutting, and flooding) which has been happening less frequently during the past 50 years. Bird species that have declined during this time and which inhabit early successional forest include ruffed grouse (Bonasa umbellus), blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata), chestnut-sided warbler (Dendroica pensylvanica), gray catbird (Dumetella carolinensis), field sparrow (Spizella pusilla), golden-winged warbler (Vermivora chrysoptera), eastern …

A Comparison Of The Imapct Of Environmental Stressors On Blood Parameters Of Captive Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina), Maura Allard

Senior Honors Projects

Little research has been established in determining blood chemistry values for harbor seals in Alaska. It has been suggested that various environmental factors can influence the blood chemistry values due to temperature, day length, precipitation, constraint and diet amongst other variables. Currently there are no guidelines for veterinarians and rehabilitators to refer to when analyzing blood chemistry values for sick animals. The hope for this research is that it will aide in establishing guidelines for specific circumstances due to environmental stressors. It is hoped that in the future, this study will be used to create values for which veterinarians can …