Life Sciences Commons^™

Violent Conflict Drives World Hunger And Food Insecurity, E. Wesley F. Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

The World Food Program (WFP) with support from the United States and other countries works to provide food to those in need as a result of conflict, adverse climate effects, poverty, and government mismanagement. It is limited in what it can do, however, by budget constraints and rising food prices. On top of the financial issues, the delivery of food assistance is particularly complicated in areas of conflict where warring adversaries often hijack food supplies intended for the other side. While it is illegal under International Humanitarian Law to use starvation as a weapon of war, Dzerowicz (2023) has identified …

Long Time No See: New Reports Of Legua Rosea Amédégnato And Poulain, 1986 (Orthoptera: Caelifera: Romaleidae: Romaleinae: Leguini), A Rare Arboreal Grasshopper From Brazil, Daniela Santos Martins Silva, Renan Da Silva Olivier, Larissa Lima De Queiroz, Marcelo Ribeiro Pereira, Jardel Boscardin, Guilherme Rabelo D’Angelis

Insecta Mundi

The genus Legua Walker, 1870 comprises only two known species from Central America and Brazil, with a notable scarcity of collected specimens. Herein, we provide a new contribution to our knowledge of the distribution of Legua rosea Amédégnato and Poulain, 1986 (Romaleinae: Leguini), that has a restricted distribution in Brazil, based on entomological collection data and social media information. Our records emphasize the importance of natural history collections and new tools for biodiversity studies.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:17E0802B-A389-4983-AC74-21B51197F557

Proposing Urban Agroforestry Designs For Lincoln, Nebraska: A Model From Berlin, Germany, Noah Johnson

Honors Theses

Given the threat of a worsening climate crisis, there is a strong need for community and ecosystem resilience. Diverse urban agroforestry systems have the potential to accomplish both and meet many of the objectives outlined in the city of Lincoln, Nebraska’s climate action plan. Additionally, Berlin, Germany could provide an effective model for Lincoln in this regard given the city’s extensive history of established urban agroforestry systems. The objective of this study then is to develop a design for an urban agroforestry site modeled on Berlin’s allotment gardens and tailored to Lincoln’s needs. The methods for creating this design included …

Public Horticulture: Process And Design Of The Lincoln Botanical Garden, Brad Kindler

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Beginning in 2012, the local non-profit, The Lincoln Botanical Garden, began organizing the conceptual design and creation of a glass conservatory within a botanical garden in Lincoln, Nebraska. These proposed urban enhancements seek to fill a gap in garden amenities in the city by providing year-round access to public horticulture programming and education.

This project, Public Horticulture: Process and Design of the Lincoln Botanical Garden, documents these efforts and makes design recommendations for a themed Glacial Erratic Garden that could be constructed within the botanical garden.

Advisors: Ellen Paparozzi and Sam Wortman

The Identification Of The Flower Thrips, Frankliniella Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Intercepted At U. S. Ports Of Entry, Thomas L. Skarlinsky Ii

Insecta Mundi

United States port of entry interception data revealed that Frankliniella Karny (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was the most frequently intercepted genus of Thripidae. No published identification resource for intercepted Frankliniella is available to United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) port of entry entomology identifiers. A morphological review of intercepted species was conducted. A dichotomous key for the identification of intercepted slide mounted adult females was created. Morphological diagnosis, description of each species with their geographic region(s) of origin and frequency of interception is provided.

ZooBank registration. urn:lsid:zoobank.org:pub:403B362E-9A7F-4385-A0F1-9DB87FE09AD2

Demographic Consequences Of Off-River Nesting For Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) And Interior Least Tern (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) In The Lower Platte River System, Nebraska, Elsa M. Forsberg

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Piping plovers (Charadrius melodus; hereafter, plovers) and interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos; hereafter, terns) are two avian species that nest along the Lower Platte River system (LPRS) in Nebraska. In the LPRS, river sandbars provide natural nesting habitat, but off-river sites provide substantial nesting habitat especially when sandbar habitat is scarce. Although presumed to be important for the persistence of plovers and terns, off-river habitat is not self-sustaining and predicted to decline. Understanding the vital rates of plovers and terns in the LPRS will inform the role of off- river sites in the future conservation …

Nebraska Women In Agriculture Conference Marks 39 Years, Ryan Evans, Sarah Treffer, Jessica Groskopf

Cornhusker Economics

The Nebraska Women in Agriculture program marked 39 years of educating and empowering females in farming, ranching, and agribusiness, with nearly 380 people attending its annual conference on February 22 and 23, 2024 in Kearney, Nebraska, with a pre-conference session held on February 21. Including 25 workshops, 5 keynotes, and activities to help learn about risk management, farm and ranch improvement, and successful business practices.

New Host Records For Nearctic And Neotropical Spider Wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae), Frank E. Kurczewski, Rick C. West, Cecilia Waichert

Insecta Mundi

We present new and atypical host records for 78 species, subspecies, species-groups, and variants of spider wasps (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) from North America and South America. The records are listed in modified taxonomic order following the Catalog of Hymenoptera in America North of Mexico, Volume 2, Apocrita (Aculeata) (Krombein 1979). These records are an extension of previous host records reported by Kurczewski (2010), Kurczewski and Edwards (2012), and Kurczewski et al. (2017, 2020, 2022b). New genus and species host records are given for the genera and subgenera Calopompilus Ashmead, Chirodamus Haliday, Pepsis Fabricius, Hemipepsis Dahlbom, Priocnessus Banks, Entypus Dahlbom, Pompilocalus Roig-Alsina, …

2022 Census Of Agriculture: Nebraska Highlights, Kathleen Brooks, Bradley Lubben

Cornhusker Economics

In February 2024, the United States Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service published data from the 2022 Census of Agriculture. This data is collected every five years. The current article highlights a few of the Nebraska numbers. Two significant highlights from the data are the total number of farms and the total value of production. U.S. farm numbers declined modestly in the U.S. from 2.04 million in 2017 to 1.90 million in 2022. The total value of production for U.S. farms and ranches increased substantially from $388.5 billion in 2017 to $543.1 billion in 2022. Crop production accounted for …

Embracing Diversity In Agricultural Economics, Timothy L. Meyer

Cornhusker Economics

To steal an overused cliché, “There’s room in the tent for everyone.” Over the 2023 academic year, I have reiterated this message to all my students, with one addition. Not only is there room for everyone, but all are invited AND welcome. Food is something we all have in common, no matter the background. I think this is why producers in the state of Nebraska feel as strongly as they do about the food they produce; it is life-giving and should be taken seriously. Nebraska Agriculture is part of what makes our state great, and that is not a secret …

Predicting Sedentarism And Its Impact On Caloric Requirements, Jacob Michels, John C. Beghin

Yeutter Institute International Trade Policy Review

A recent study conducted by PhD candidate Jacob Michels and Agricultural economist John Beghin delves into the question of whether global estimates of food insecure populations need a reevaluation of their methodology to account for increasing sedentarism. This reevaluation is prompted by the increasing prevalence of sedentary lifestyles worldwide, which calls for a redefinition of caloric thresholds indicating the onset of food insecurity. In this short article, we provide a nontechnical summary of their investigation recently published in Michels and Beghin (2024).

Program Requirements For Beef Cattle Certified As Usda Organic, Carsten Loseke, Elliott James Dennis

Cornhusker Economics

This document provides an overview of the use and production of the USDA Certified Organic program for the beef cattle industry, with an emphasis on the state of Nebraska. We detail what cattle qualify, feed requirements, medical and health standards of cattle, and premiums paid by consumers for USDA certified organic products. All information is taken from the Organic Foods Production Act Provisions available in the Federal Register.

Are Too Many Or Too Few Babies Being Born?, Wesley Peterson

Cornhusker Economics

An additional 1.8 billion people will be added to the world’s population by 2050. At the same time, average incomes are likely to rise. Data from the Groningen Growth and Development Center suggest that average real (inflation-adjusted) GDP per capita increased by a factor of fifteen between 1820 and 2018 and World Bank data indicate that real per capita GDP more than tripled over the past 62 years. It is likely that these trends will continue and there will be more people with higher average incomes in the future straining global food systems and natural resources. Slower population growth rates …

Characterization Of Recent Wild Pig‑Vehicle Collisions In Georgia, Usa, Jeremiah L. Psiropoulos, Emily Howe, John J. Mayer, Sophie C. Mckee

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vehicle collisions with wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are reported almost everywhere this species is found. However, this is one of the least studied and characterized forms of damage that these invasive animals cause in the United States (US). We analyzed 518 wild pig-vehicle collisions (WPVCs) that took place statewide in Georgia between 2015 and 2021. From that dataset, we analyzed several parameters in order to better understand and characterize these accidents on a scale that had previously not been done in the US. Wild pig-vehicle collisions were reported from 105 out of the 159 counties in Georgia, increasing …

The Unbelievable Fauna Of American Lamiinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae): Description Of Two New Species, Transference, And Notes In Acanthocinini, And A New Record In Calliini, Antonio Santos-Silva, Juan Pablo Botero

Insecta Mundi

Two new species and one new genus of Lamiinae (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) are described in Acanthocinini: Embera flava new species, new genus, from Panama; and Nealcidion lingafelteri new species from Costa Rica. The species-group name of Nealcidion napoensis Nascimento and McClarin, 2018 is corrected and morphological variations in Leptostylus cristulatus Bates, 1872 are reported. Trypanidius mimicavus Carelli, Monné, and Souza, 2013 is redescribed and transferred to Carphina Bates, 1872, forming the new combination Carphina mimicavus. Colombicallia curta Galileo and Martins, 1992 (Calliini) is recorded from Panama for the first time.

Two New Species Of False Click Beetles (Coleoptera: Eucnemidae) From The Americas, Robert L. Otto

Insecta Mundi

Abstract

Identifications of recently collected Eucnemidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) borrowed from two collections have resulted in the discovery of two new species: Entomophthalmus abbreviatus Otto (Cuba) and Trigonopleurus cordobaalfaroi Otto (Guatemala and Louisiana, United States). Images of the two newly described species along with two New World Entomophthalmus Bonvouloir species for comparative purposes are included.

Resumen

Las identificaciones de Eucnemidae (Coleoptera: Elateroidea) recolectados recientemente tomados de dos colecciones han resultado en el descubrimiento de dos nuevas especies: Entomophthalmus abbreviatus Otto (Cuba) y Trigonopleurus cordobaalfaroi Otto (Guatemala y Louisiana, United States). Se incluyen imágenes de las dos especies recientemente descritas junto con …

Life Cycle Greenhouse Gas Emissions In Maize No-Till Agroecosystems In Southern Brazil Based On A Long-Term Experiment, Guilherme Rosa Da Silva, Adam J. Liska, Cimelio Bayer

Department of Biological Systems Engineering: Papers and Publications

Brazilian agriculture is constantly questioned concerning its environmental impacts, particularly greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. This research study used data from a 34-year field experiment to estimate the life cycle GHG emissions intensity of maize production for grain in farming systems under no-tillage (NT) and conventional tillage (CT) combined with Gramineae (oat) and legume (vetch) cover crops in southern Brazil. We applied the Feedstock Carbon Intensity Calculator for modeling the “field-to-farm gate” emissions with measured annual soil N₂O and CH₄ emissions data. For net CO₂ emissions, increases in soil organic C (SOC) were applied as a proxy, …

Adding Value To Crop Production Systems By Integrating Forage Cover Crop Grazing, Robert B. Mitchell, Daren D. Redfearn, Kenneth P. Vogel, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Galen Erickson, P. Steven Baenziger, Bruce E. Anderson, Mary E. Drewnoski, Jay Parsons, Steven D. Masterson, Marty R. Schmer, Virginia L. Jin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

In addition to their value as cereal grains, wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and triticale (× Triticosecale Wittmack) are important cool-season annual forages and cover crops. Yearling steer (Bos taurus) performance was compared in the spring following autumn establishment as for age cover crops after soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] grain harvest. Replicated pastures (0.4 ha) were no-till seeded in three consecutive years into soybean stubble in autumn, fertilized, and grazed the following spring near Ithaca, Nebraska, USA. Each pasture (n = 3) was continuously stocked in spring with four yearling steers (380 ± 38 kg) for …