Life Sciences Commons^™

Adaptation Strategies: Ruminants, John B. Gaughan, Veerasamy Sejian, Terry L. Mader, Frank R. Dunshea

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

• Growing populations and reduced access to arable land mean that animal production systems will either need to intensify and/or produce more from a reducing land and other resource base.

• Variable and unpredictable environmental conditions mean that animal production faces numerous challenges. In add- ition to climate, these challenges include increased disease risk, increased nutritional deficiencies, and lack of capital to support diversification.

• Predicted changes in climate will impose selection pressures on traits important for biological fitness (and production).

• Genetic adaptation is important for the future of livestock systems. Animal adaptation involves trade-offs, which must be considered when selecting animals for …

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Dew-Bathing In The Atlantic Forest Endemic Robust Woodpecker Campephilus Robustus (Lichtenstein, 1823) (Aves: Picidae), Paul Smith, Kevin P. Johnson

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The bathing behavior of woodpeckers (Picidae) is almost unknown and the paucity of reports of bathing in the family has led to suppositions that they may do so rarely. An unusual observation of the Atlantic Forest endemic Robust Woodpecker Campephilus robustus dew-bathing socially is reported from Paraguay and discussion of its significance follows. Dew-bathing has been reported for a small number of New World bird families and has often been linked to a shortage of water, but has never been previously reported in New World Picidae. Given the environmental conditions in this humid habitat it is considered that dew-bathing in …

Climate Change And Food Systems: Assessing Impacts And Opportunities, Meredith T. Niles, Richie Ahuja, Jimena M. Esquivel, Nelson Mango, Mil Duncan, Martin Heller, Cristina Tirado

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Disappearance And Appearance Of An Indigestible Marker In Feces From Growing Pigs As Affected By Previous- And Current-Diet Composition, Brandy M. Jacobs, John F. Patience, Merlin D. Lindemann, Kenneth J. Stalder, Brian J. Kerr

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

Background: Indigestible markers are commonly utilized in digestion studies, but the complete disappearance or maximum appearance of a marker in feces can be affected by diet composition, feed intake, or an animal’s BW. The objectives of this study were to determine the impact of previous (Phase 1, P1) and current- (Phase 2, P2) diet composition on marker disappearance (Cr) and appearance (Ti) in pigs fed 3 diets differing in NDF content.

Results: When pigs were maintained on the 25.1, 72.5, and 125.0 g/kg NDF diets, it took 5.1, 4.1, and 2.5 d, respectively, for Cr levels to decrease below the …

Antioxidant Defenses In Three Vesper Bats(Chiroptera: Vespertilionidae) During Hibernation, Ekaterina Antonova, Viktor Ilyukha, Svetlana Sergina, Evgeniy Khizhkin, Vladimir Belkin, Alina Yakimova, Artem Morozov

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Hibernation of bats is characterized by considerable changes in the oxygen supply during the torpor-arousal cycles. The purpose of this study was to examine the antioxidant defenses in tissues of the hibernating bats ( Eptesicus nilssonii , Myotis brandtii , and Plecotus auritus ), attempting to relate the tissue antioxidant protection with the ecophysiological characteristics of the studied species. We found that the superoxide dismutase (SOD) activity in the heart and the catalase activity in the skeletal muscle were higher in E. nilssonii than in P. auritus and in M. brandtii. In comparison with studied hibernating bats, P. auritus had …

Productivity And Adaptation Ability Of Holstein Cattle Of Different Genetic Selections, Ivan Fiodorovich Gorlov, Svetlana Evgenievna Bozhkova, Olga Pavlovna Shakhbazova, Vera Vasilievna Gubareva, Natali Ivanovna Mosolova, Elena Yurievna Zlobina, Yuriy Nicolaevich Fiodorov, Alexey Sergeevich Mokhov

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The purpose of the research was to compare economically useful traits of Holstein cows of different selections. The results show that the German and Australian selections were superior to the Danish and American cows in terms of their growth (at 36 months of age, the body weights of the German and Australian cows were 36.5 and 27.6 kg greater than the Danish cows and 24.3 and 15.4 kg greater than the American cows, respectively). Maximum milk yield was obtained from the American and German cows (25,220 and 24,861 kg). Their milk also had higher fat content. The maximum protein content …

Naïve Hosts Of Avian Brood Parasites Accept Foreign Eggs, Whereas Older Hosts Fine-Tune Foreign Egg Discrimination During Laying, Csaba Moskát, Miklós Bán, Mark E. Hauber

Publications and Research

Background: Many potential hosts of social parasites recognize and reject foreign intruders, and reduce or altogether escape the negative impacts of parasitism. The ontogenetic basis of whether and how avian hosts recognize their own and the brood parasitic eggs remains unclear. By repeatedly parasitizing the same hosts with a consistent parasitic egg type, and contrasting the responses of naïve and older breeders, we studied ontogenetic plasticity in the rejection of foreign eggs by the great reed warbler (Acrocephalus arundinaceus), a host species of the common cuckoo (Cuculus canorus).

Results: In response to experimental parasitism before the …

The Dynamic Proliferation Of Cansines Mirrors The Complex Evolution Of Feliforms, Kathryn B. Walters-Conte, Diana L. E. Johnson, Warren E. Johnson, Stephen J. O'Brien, Jill Pecon-Slattery

Biology Faculty Articles

Background: Repetitive short interspersed elements (SINEs) are retrotransposons ubiquitous in mammalian genomes and are highly informative markers to identify species and phylogenetic associations. Of these, SINEs unique to the order Carnivora (CanSINEs) yield novel insights on genome evolution in domestic dogs and cats, but less is known about their role in related carnivores. In particular, genome-wide assessment of CanSINE evolution has yet to be completed across the Feliformia (cat-like) suborder of Carnivora. Within Feliformia, the cat family Felidae is composed of 37 species and numerous subspecies organized into eight monophyletic lineages that likely arose 10 million years ago. Using …

Climate Change Adaptation Chapter: Marshfield, Massachusetts, Joshua H. Chase, Jonathan G. Cooper, Rory Elizabeth Fitzgerald, Filipe Antunes Lima, Sally R. Miller, Toni Marie Pignatelli

Sally Miller

Climate change, understood as a statistically significant variation in the mean state of the climate or its variability, is the greatest environmental challenge of this generation (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, 2001). Marshfield is already being affected by changes in the climate that will have a profound effect on the town’s economy, public health, coastal resources, natural features, water systems, and public and private infrastructure. Adaptation strategies have been widely recognized as playing an important role in improving a community’s ability to respond to climate stressors by resisting damage and recovering quickly. Based on review of climate projections for the …

Shell Size Differences In Helix Lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 (Mollusca: Gastropoda) Between Natural And Urban Environments, Levan Mumladze

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Helix lucorum Linnaeus, 1758 is a large helicid snail widespread in Georgia. While its occurrences are mainly associated with human activity, it is frequently impacted by strong direct pressure, which could cause local extinctions of populations. Instead, H. lucorum populations in anthropogenic landscapes are usually dense and apparently well adapted. Morphometric studies were carried out on 12 populations from both anthropogenic and more natural habitats in a wide range of altitudes and climatic regimes in Georgia to investigate the effects of human pressure. Populations in more anthropogenic habitats have smaller adult shells independently of any effects of climate, altitude, or …

Introduced Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus Tshawytscha) In Lake Huron: Do They Spawn At The Right Time?, Meghan T. Gerson

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), following their introduction to the Great Lakes, have successfully colonized many tributaries. Under the hypothesis that colonization success is facilitated by intrinsic factors (i.e., preadaptation), I predicted that patterns of reproductive timing in an introduced population would show similarities with those in their native range. To test this prediction, attributes of reproductive timing were characterized in Chinook salmon from the Sydenham River, Ontario. In their native range, female Chinook salmon exhibit a seasonal decline in reproductive lifespan, a decline in fat stores, low egg retention at death (< 0.5%), and spawning at temperatures below 12.8°C. In contrast, Sydenham River Chinook salmon showed no seasonal decline in reproductive lifespan or fat stores and nineteen of twenty females had egg retention greater or equal to 0.5%. Also, many individuals (30%) spawned when water temperatures exceeded 12.8°C. Thus, individuals do not appear to be pre-adapted in this system.

Strategies For Beef Cattle Adaptation To Finishing Diets, Ractopamine Hydrochloride Utilization, And Mature Size Genetic Selection, Marco G. Dib

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A cattle finishing experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of intermittent feeding of Optaflexx compared to none or continuous feeding. Four treatments were evaluated, the negative control consisted of 63 days on the same diet without Optaflexx, wherea the positive control consisted of Optaflexx supplemented daily during the last 35 days before harvest. The 4-day intermittent treatment consisted of feeding Optaflexx for7 days, followed by 4 days of no Optaflexx, and the 7-day intermittent treatment 7 d on Optaflexx, followed by 7 days off. Regardless of the delivery pattern, feeding Optaflexx increased ADG, DMI, and live BW compared to negative …

Agenda: Western Water Law, Policy And Management: Ripples, Currents, And New Channels For Inquiry, University Of Colorado Boulder. Natural Resources Law Center, Western Water Policy Program

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

In many pockets of the American West, stresses and demands on water resources are overwhelming our capacity to effectively manage change and accommodate the diversity of interests and values associated with our limited water resources.

This event will offer an opportunity for lawyers, policymakers, and water professionals to engage the experts on the challenges and emerging solutions to the most pressing water policy and management issues of the day.

Slides: Finding Flows: Fish Still Need Water Everyday, Melinda Kassen

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Melinda Kassen, Director of the Western Water Project, Trout Unlimited

12 slides

Slides: Groundwater Declines, Climate Change And Approaches To Adaptation, Katharine Jacobs

Western Water Law, Policy and Management: Ripples, Currents, and New Channels for Inquiry (Martz Summer Conference, June 3-5)

Presenter: Katharine Jacobs, Director of the Arizona Water Institute, University of Arizona

37 slides

Structural Aberration In Ha Associated With Adaptation Of Human Influenza A H3n2 Virus In Embryonated Chicken Eggs, Viroj Wiwanitkit

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Molecular changes associated with adaptation of human influenza A virus in embryonated chicken eggs are reported: 4 amino acid substitutions occurred in HA (G186V, S219F, V226I, V309I). These substitutions allowed binding to SAalpha2,3Gal- and SAalpha2,6Gal-containing receptors, conferred SAalpha2,3Gal specificity, and preserved antigenicity. Here, the author reports the result of protein secondary structure predictions of the adaption from its primary sequence using the NNPREDICT server. Comparing the classical HA of H3N2, the adaptation has additional helices and strands and these identified structural changes should be the explanation for the reported binding and antigenicity changes.

Sheep Updates 2008 - Part 3, L. J. E. Karlsson, J. C. Greeff, L. Slocombe, K. Jones, N. Underwood, Fred Wilkinson, W. D. Hoffman, W. A. Mckiernan, V. H. Oddy, M. J. Mcphee, B. L. Mcintyre, P. F. Parnell, R. A. Clark, J. Timms, G. Griffith, C. Mulholland, P. Hyland, Danielle England, Fiona Jones, John Lucey, Martin Staines, Richard Morris, Megan Abrahams, Caroline Peek, Dennis Van Gool, Daniel Gardiner, Kari-Lee Falconer, Sandra Prosser, Mario D'Antuono, John Young, Andrew Thompson, Chris Oldham, Brown Besier, Angus Campbell, Ralph Behrendt

Sheep Updates

This session covers fiveteen papers from different authors:

CONTROLLING FLY STRIKE

1. Breeding for Blowfly Resistance - Indicatoe Traits, LJE Karlsson, JC Greeff, L Slocombe, Department of Agriculture & Food, Western Australia

2.A practical method to select for breech strike resistance in non-pedigreed Merino flocks, LJE Karlsson, JC Greeff, L Slocombe, K. Jones, N. Underwood, Department of Agriculture & Food, Western Australia

3. Twice a year shearing - no mulesing, Fred Wilkinson, Producer, Brookton WA

BEEF

4. Commercial testing of a new tool for prediction of fatness in beef cattle, WD Hoffman^A, WA McKiernan^A, VH Oddy …

Slides: Adapting Western Water Policy For Resilience Under Climate Change, Bonnie G. Colby

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Dr. Bonnie G. Colby, Professor of Resource Economics & Hydrology, University of Arizona Department of Agriculture & Resource Economics

22 slides

Sustainable Water Policies In The Rocky Mountain West: An Action Agenda, Sarah Bates

Shifting Baselines and New Meridians: Water, Resources, Landscapes, and the Transformation of the American West (Summer Conference, June 4-6)

Presenter: Sarah Bates, Western Progress

10 pages.

Includes bibliographical references

"Review Draft, May 15, 2008"

Sheep Updates 2007 - Part 1, Richard Gunner, Anthony Clarke, Kevin Bell, Hugh Dove, H. M. Burrow, Kevin Goss

Sheep Updates

This session covers six papers from different authors:

PLENARY

1. Life beyond the farmgate - the meat perspective, Richard Gunner – Principal:- Richard Gunner’s Fine Meats

2. Do you need to worry about climate change?, Anthony Clark, Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies, Australian National University and Bureau of Rural Sciences.

3. Ruminant nutrition panel session - The impact of nutrition on animal health and welfare, Kevin Bell, School of Veterinary and Biomedical Studies, Murdoch University

4. Ruminant nutrition panel session - Pasture/animal interactions, Hugh Dove, Chief Research Scientist, CSIRO Plant Industry

5. Precision Cattle Breeding for …

Plumage Convergence In Picoides Woodpeckers Based On A Molecular Phylogeny, With Emphasis On Convergence In Downy And Hairy Woodpeckers, Amy C. Weibel, William S. Moore

Biological Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Adult and juvenile plumage characters were traced onto a well-resolved molecular based phylogeny for Picoides woodpeckers, and a simple phylogenetic test of homology, parallelism, and convergence of plumage characters was performed. Reconstruction of ancestral character states revealed multiple events of independent evolution of derived character states in most characters studied, and a concentrated changes test revealed that some plumage characters evolved in association with habitat type. For example, there was a statistically significant association between loss of dorsal barring and use of densely vegetated habitats among Picoides species. Two analyses indicated that convergence, as opposed to parallel evolution or shared …

Selective Breeding For High Endurance Running Increases Hindlimb Symmetry, Theodore Garland Jr., Patricia W. Freeman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Comparative studies provide correlational evidence of morphological adaptations for high locomotor performance, such as the classical indicators of cursoriality in mammals, long limbs and high metatarsal/femur ratios. More recently, enlarged femoral condyles have been suggested as an adaptation for high endurance running in the genus Homo. Asymmetry of locomotor appendages should adversely affect locomotor abilities, but this has not been studied in a rigorous evolutionary context. We used experimental evolution to test for morphological adaptations associated with high voluntary wheel running in selectively bred lines of mice. Surprisingly, the classical indicators of cursoriality had not evolved in concert with …

Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 - Part 1, Mark Dolling, Len Stephens, David Thomanson, Norm Adams, Shimim Liu, Peter Buchman, Mike Paton, Dianne Evans, John Edwards, Scott Champion, Alan Langford, A. C. Schlink, J. C. Greeff, M. E. Ladyman, Kimbal M. S. Curtis, John Stanton, Stuart Adams, Neal Fogarty, Matthew Kelly, James Skerritt, Ian Mcfarland

Sheep Updates

Proceedings of the Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 Forward Dr Mark Dolling Manager, Sheep Industries and Pasture, Department of Agriculture Western Australia Keynotes Australian Wool Innovation Limited DR LEN STEPHENS AUSTRALIAN WOOL INNOVATION LIMITED (AWI) Commercialisation of Sheepmeat Eating Quality Outcomes, David Thomason, General Manger Marketing Meat & livestock Australia Limited PLENARY The Fitness of the Future Merino, Norm Adams and Shimin Liu, CSIRO Livestock Industries Ovine Johne’s Disease – Managing the Disease, Managing the Issues, PETER BUCKMAN, CHIEF VETERINARY OFFICER, DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE WESTERN AUSTRALIA Animal Welfare – Changes in Latitudes Changes in Attitudes, Michael Paton and Dianne Evans, …

Liver Antioxidant Systems And Lipid Peroxidation In Sea Bass (Dicentrarchus Labrax)Adapted To Fresh Water, Aysel Şahan, Ergül Belge Kurutaş, Suat Di̇kel

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Changes in the antioxidant systems of the liver tissues of sea bass (Dicentrarchus labrax) adapted to low salinity levels (0 ‰) were investigated. Malondialdehyde levels, as a specific indicator of oxidant stress, were determined. The results indicated highly significant differences among the test and control groups (P < 0.05). Some histopathological destruction, liver weight and hepatosomatic index values were determined at high levels and, moreover, superoxide dismutase, glutathione peroxidase (GPX), glucose-6phosphate-dehydrogenase and malondialdehyde activities increased, while reducted glutathione levels decreased in comparison with the control group. An increase in the malondialdehyde level was determined to be an indicator of lipid peroxidation.

Effect Of Antibiotics In Adaptation Of Growing Beef Calves To The Feedlot, Richard M. Luther

South Dakota Beef Report, 1986

Four medication schemes for adapting stressed feeder calves t o the feedlot were evaluated in a 110-day trial. A total of 160 Hereford, Angus and Hereford x Angus steers (544 lb.) were fed a high-corn silage diet supplemented with the following medications: (1) nonmedicated control, (2) chlortetracyclinesulfamethazine (350 mg/steer of each compound for 28 days, (3) oxytetracycline (2 g/steer) for 10 days, then 1 g/steer for 4 days) and (4) oxytetracycline (2 g/steer for 14 days). Average daily gain, dry matter consumption and feed conversion were similar (P>.05) for calves in all treatments. None of the steers required additional …

Genetic Adaptation And Welfare, J. Van Rooijen

Genetics Collection

Beilharz says: "The evolutionary processes, if they are not obstructed or misdirected, must lead to such a degree of adaptation that welfare will have to be taken for granted, just as we can do no better than to take for granted the welfare of any wild animal in its natural habitat." From this statement, one might conclude all we have to do is wait, and the animals will eventually adapt to intensive systems. Concerning animals put into new kinds of environments, he states that, if individuals do not have the capacity to adjust phenotypically, "adaptation of the population will require …

Genetic Adaptation In Relation To Animal Welfare, R. G. Beilharz

Genetics Collection

In this essay I outline the processes of adaptation of animals and of animal populations and discuss their relevance to the problem of animal welfare. Because "animal welfare" has many different aspects including philosophical, ethical, and biological, it is important to examine some of the fundamental issues that underly the concept. Hence, in this essay, I comment on how people come to "know," how information accumulates, and how what we know influences our actions. I also discuss the biological information that is relevant to animal welfare. It is my hope that, when this topic has been placed within a broader …