Life Sciences Commons^™

The Dynamics Of Bay Anchovy In The Hudson River Estuary: Process-Oriented Studies And Long-Term Changes, Eric T. Schultz, Kamazima M. M. Lwiza, John R. Young, Kyle J. Hartman, R. C. Tipton

EEB Articles

We review three areas of recent research on Hudson River bay anchovy. One focus has been the along-estuary movement of early life stages. A cohort analysis of samples collected in a spatiotemporally extensive monitoring program has confirmed that early-stage anchovy migrate up-estuary, at an estimated rate of 0.6 km/d. Complementary fine-scale field sampling was designed to clarify behaviors that effect the migration. This work found that early-stage anchovy can show preferences for depth and can conduct periodic vertical migration. To determine whether these behaviors were sufficient to produce up-estuary migration, larval flux and velocity were estimated. These estimates were consistent …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Sensitive Wildlife Species Monitoring And Analysis: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Topsoil replacement monitored at Willow Beach Wastewater Rehabilitation Project
• Desert tortoise surveys and monitoring conducted for Northshore Road reconstruction projects, and desert tortoise training provided to 9 construction contractors.
• Field work associated with the project to remove desert tortoise radio transmitters from animals on Mormon Mesa completed.
• Weekly data processing for Desert Bighorn Sheep monitoring associated with the Hoover Dam Bypass Project continued.
• Fall field surveys for relict leopard frogs completed (11 sites surveyed); last of this year’s head-started animals released; RLFCT meeting held.
• Work started on a digital database (GIS) of Peregrine falcon observations.
• Monthly shorebird surveys conducted (22 …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2005, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• Required reports on sticky buckwheat (Eriogonum viscidulum) and threecorner milkvetch (Astragalus geyeri var. triquetrus) to be submitted through appropriate protocols by December 30, 2005
• Summary report on several other rare plants to be submitted through appropriate protocols by December 30, 2005
• Invasive perennial pepperweed (also called tall whitetop; Lepidium latifolium) documented and treated by Weed Sentry within Black Canyon, Lake Mojave

Shellfish Tissue Monitoring In New Hampshire Estuaries 2003 And 2004, Phil Trowbridge

PREP Reports & Publications

The goal of this project was to provide data for two NHEP indicators of estuarine condition: TOX1 and TOX3. These two indicators report on “Shellfish tissue concentrations relative to FDA standards” and “Trends in shellfish tissue contaminant concentrations”, respectively. Both of these indicators depend on data from the Gulfwatch Program. In particular, TOX3 requires annual data at benchmark sites to assess trends. In 2003 and 2004, the NHEP supported the collection and analysis of tissue samples from benchmark sites in Portsmouth Harbor, Hampton-Seabrook Harbor and Dover Point.

Nroc Coordination And Program Delivery, Frank Mitchell, Amanda Stone

PREP Reports & Publications

The primary goal of the Natural Resources Outreach Coalition (NROC) program is to provide education and outreach to communities in the NH Coastal Watersheds that are dealing with the effects of growth, and looking for ways to conserve open spaces and natural resources. Program objectives to meet this goal include: 1. NROC and client communities determine natural resource concerns of the communities. 2. NROC and client communities gather community information about these concerns 3. NROC develops and client communities host community presentations about natural resource-based planning. 4. Communities receive follow up technical and educational assistance as requested. In 2005, NROC …

Large-Scale, Manipulative Field Tests Involving Cultured And Wild Juveniles Of The Soft-Shell Clam, Brian F. Beal

PREP Reports & Publications

A series of field experiments to assess the efficacy of enhancing intertidal areas with cultured clam (Mya arenaria L.) seed (mean shell length [SL] = 7-10 mm) was conducted at Willows Flat, Hampton, New Hampshire from November 2004 to May 2005 and from June - October 2005. The first trial examined the interactive effects of size of planting area (4, 8, 12, 18 m2) and predator deterrent netting (none, 4.2 mm, and 6.4 mm aperture [flexible, plastic netting]) on clam growth and survival at one intertidal location. The second trial examined the effect of predator deterrent netting on clam growth …

Results Of The Alcoa Foundation-Suriname Expeditions. Xiv. Mammals Of Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname, Burton K. Lim, Mark D. Engstrom, Hugh H. Genoways, François M. Catzeflis, Kelly A. Fitzgerald, Sandra L. Peters, Marijem Djosetro, Sandra Brandon, Sutrisno Mitro

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

An inventory of mammals in the vicinity of Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname, incorporated a number of different sampling methods including examining museum voucher specimens, an animal-rescue operation, transect surveys, camera photo-traps, and interviews with local inhabitants. We document a total of 125 mammal species present in the Park. These include ten opossums, five pilosans, four armadillos, 58 bats, eight monkeys, 13 carnivores, one tapir, four artiodactyls, and 22 rodents. Nine of these species are reported for the first time from Suriname: one mouse opossum (Marmosops pinheiroi); one naked-backed moustached bat (Pteronotus gymnonotus); four fruit-eating bats ( …

Nhep Support For Des Shellfish Program 2005, Mark R. Wiley, Ann S. Reid

PREP Reports & Publications

For the past three years, Great Bay Coast Watch (GBCW) volunteers have provided the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (NHDES) Shellfish Program with significant assistance in performing tasks necessary in managing shellfish resources for human safety. This report describes a continuation of this mutually beneficial partnership.

Tracking Changes In Bioavailable Fe Within High-Nitrate Low-Chlorophyll Oceanic Waters: A First Estimate Using A Heterotrophic Bacterial Bioreporter, Robert Michael Mckay, C. E. Mioni, S. M. Handy, M. J. Ellwood, M. R. Twiss, P. W. Boyd, S. W. Wilhelm

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

It is conventional knowledge that heterotrophic bacteria play a key role in the biogeochemical cycling of oceanic carbon. However, only recently has their role in marine iron ( Fe) biogeochemical cycles been examined. Research during this past decade has demonstrated an inextricable link between Fe chemistry and the biota, as >99% of Fe in marine systems is complexed to organic chelates of unknown but obviously biotic origin. Here we present a novel approach to assess and compare Fe bioavailability in low Fe HNLC waters using a bioluminescent bacterial reporter that quantitatively responds to the concentration of bioavailable Fe by producing …

Distribution Of Foraging Shearwaters Relative To Inner Front Of Se Bering Sea, J. Jahncke, K. O. Coyle, Stephan I. Zeeman, N. B. Kachel, G. L. Hunt Jr.

Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We examined the hypothesis that short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris aggregate to forage at the inner front of the SE Bering Sea because of enhanced production there. We tested this hypothesis by comparing primary production, the distribution of euphausiids and the distribution of shearwaters relative to the front during late spring and late summer/early fall of 1997, 1998 and 1999. We found enhanced primary production at the front and offshore of the front during summer but not during spring. Primary production varied between seasons and years. Major differences were related to anomalous conditions in 1997 and 1998. The density of euphausiids …

Measurements Of Trace Gas Emissions From Australian Forest Fires And Correlations With Coincident Measurements Of Aerosol Optical Depth, Clare Paton-Walsh, N. B. Jones, Stephen R. Wilson, V Haverd, A. Meier, D. W. Griffith

Faculty of Science - Papers (Archive)

We present vertically integrated measurements of C2H2, C2H4, C2H6, HCOOH, CO, H2CO, HCN and NH3 through smoke plumes from Australian forest fires measured by ground-based solar absorption spectroscopy. The column amounts of these gases are highly correlated with simultaneous, co-located measurements of aerosol optical depth, providing a potential method of mapping biomass-burning emissions using satellite measurements of aerosol optical depth. We have calculated emission ratios relative to CO for the trace gases using aerosol optical depth as a proxy for CO and converted to emission factors by using an average emission factor for CO from literature measurements of extra-tropical forest …

Sequencing Of Aspergillus Nidulans And Comparative Analysis With A. Fumigatus And A. Oryzae, James E. Galagan, Sarah E. Calvo, Christina Cuomo, Li-Jun Ma, Jennifer R. Wortman, Serafim Batzoglou, Su-In Lee, Meray Baştürkmen, Christina C. Spevak, Vladimir Kapitonov, Jerzy Jurka, Claudio Scazzocchio, Mark Farman, Jonathan Butler, Seth Purcell, Steven D. Harris, Gerhard H. Braus, Oliver Draht, Silke Busch, Christophe D'Enfert, Christiane Bouchier, Gustavo H. Goldman, Deborah Bell-Pedersen, Sam Griffiths-Jones, John H. Doonan, Jaehyuk Yu, Kay Vienken, Arnab Pain, Michael Freitag, Eric U. Selker, David B. Archer, Miguel Á. Peñalva, Berl R. Oakley, Michelle Momany, Toshihiro Tanaka, Toshitaka Kumagai, Kiyoshi Asai, Masayuki Machida, William C. Nierman, David W. Denning, Mark Caddick, Michael Hynes, Mathieu Paoletti, Reinhard Fischer, Bruce Miller, Paul Dyer, Matthew S. Sachs, Stephen A. Osmani, Bruce W. Birren

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The aspergilli comprise a diverse group of filamentous fungi spanning over 200 million years of evolution. Here we report the genome sequence of the model organism Aspergillus nidulans, and a comparative study with Aspergillus fumigatus, a serious human pathogen, and Aspergillus oryzae, used in the production of sake, miso, and soy sauce. Our analysis of genome structure provided a quantitative evaluation of forces driving long-term eukaryotic genome evolution. It also led to an experimentally validated model of mating-type locus evolution, suggesting the potential for sexual reproduction in A. fumigatus and A. oryzae. Our analysis of sequence …

Impact Of Phytoplankton On The Biogeochemical Cycling Of Iron In Subantarctic Waters Southeast Of New Zealand During Fecycle, Robert Michael Mckay, S. W. Wilhelm, J. Hall, D. A. Hutchins, M. M. D. Al-R Shaidat, C. E. Mioni, S. Pickmere, D. Porta, P. W. Boyd

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

During austral summer 2003, we tracked a patch of surface water infused with the tracer sulfur hexafluoride, but without addition of Fe, through subantarctic waters over 10 days in order to characterize and quantify algal Fe pools and fluxes to construct a detailed biogeochemical budget. Nutrient profiles characterized this patch as a high-nitrate, low-silicic acid, low-chlorophyll (HNLSiLC) water mass deficient in dissolved Fe. The low Fe condition was confirmed by several approaches: shipboard iron enrichment experiments and physiological indices of Fe deficiency (F(v)/F(m) < 0.25, Ferredoxin Index < 0.2). During FeCycle, picophytoplankton (0.2-2 mu m) and nanophytoplankton (2-20 mu m) each contributed >40% of total chlorophyll. Whereas the picophytoplankton accounted for similar to 50% of total primary production, they …

Bayesian Analysis Of Cell-Cycle Gene Expression Data, Chuan Zhou, Jon Wakefield, Linda Breeden

UW Biostatistics Working Paper Series

The study of the cell-cycle is important in order to aid in our understanding of the basic mechanisms of life, yet progress has been slow due to the complexity of the process and our lack of ability to study it at high resolution. Recent advances in microarray technology have enabled scientists to study the gene expression at the genome-scale with a manageable cost, and there has been an increasing effort to identify cell-cycle regulated genes. In this chapter, we discuss the analysis of cell-cycle gene expression data, focusing on a model-based Bayesian approaches. The majority of the models we describe …

Northeast Research Station Watertown, South Dakota Annual Progress Report, 2005, Agricultural Experiment Station, Plant Science Department

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is the 2005 annual progress report for the Northeast Research Station in Watertown, South Dakota. This report is issued by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the South Dakota State University Plant Science Department. This report includes weather data, yield comparisons, crop performance trials, corn trials, soybean trials, winter wheat performance testing, Barley Foliar information, weed and pest control, herbicide demonstrations, canola and flax variety trials and more.

Mechanomyographic Amplitude And Frequency Responses During Dynamic Muscle Actions: A Comprehensive Review, Travis W. Beck, Terry J. Housh, Joel T. Cramer, Joseph P. Weir, Glen O. Johnson, Jared W. Coburn, Moh H. Malek, Michelle Mielke

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this review is to examine the literature that has investigated mechanomyographic (MMG) amplitude and frequency responses during dynamic muscle actions. To date, the majority of MMG research has focused on isometric muscle actions. Recent studies, however, have examined the MMG time and/or frequency domain responses during various types of dynamic activities, including dynamic constant external resistance (DCER) and isokinetic muscle actions, as well as cycle ergometry. Despite the potential influences of factors such as changes in muscle length and the thickness of the tissue between the muscle and the MMG sensor, there is convincing evidence that during …

Northeast Research Station Watertown, South Dakota Annual Progress Report, 2004, Agricultural Experiment Station, Plant Science Department

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is the 2004 annual progress report for the Northeast Research Station in Watertown, South Dakota. This report is issued by the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station and the South Dakota State University Plant Science Department. This report includes weather data, yield comparisons, crop performance trials, corn trials, soybean trials, winter wheat performance testing, Barley Foliar information, weed and pest control, herbicide demonstrations, canola and flax variety trials and more.

Evidence For Direct Roles Of Two Additional Factors, Secp43 And Soluble Liver Antigen, In The Selenoprotein Synthesis Machinery, Xue-Ming Xu, Heiko Mix, Bradley A. Carlson, Paula J. Grabowski, Vadim N. Gladyshev, Marla J. Berry, Dolph L. Hatfield

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Selenocysteine (Sec) is inserted into selenoproteins co-translationally with the help of various cis- and trans-acting factors. The specific mechanisms of Sec biosynthesis and insertion into protein in eukaryotic cells, however, are not known. Two proteins, SECp43 and the soluble liver antigen (SLA), were previously reported to interact with tRNA ^[Ser]Sec, but their functions remained elusive. Herein, we report that knockdown of SECp43 in NIH3T3 or TCMK-1 cells using RNA interference technology resulted in a reduction in the level of methylation at the 2’-hydroxylribosyl moiety in the wobble position (Um34) of Sec tRNA ^[Ser]Sec, and consequently reduced glutathione peroxidase …

Central Crops And Soils Research Station Highmore, South Dakota: Annual Progress Report, 2005, Agricultural Experiment Station, Plant Science Department

Agricultural Experiment Station and Research Farm Annual Reports

This is the 2005 progress report for the Central Crops and Soils Research Station at Highmore, South Dakota State College. This document represents the research conducted at the Station during the 2005 crop season including: temperature and precipitation data, field evaluations of woody plant materials, alfalfa production, winter wheat breeding, oat research, resistance of sunflower germplasm to the red sunflower seed weevil, weed control, fertilizer and soil test effects on soybeans, small grain variety performance trials, evaluation of native and naturalized grasses for reduced-input turf in the Northern Plains, and the Highmore drip irrigation study final report.

Evaluation Of Striped Bass Stocks In Virginia : Monitoring And Tagging Studies, 2004-2008 Annual Report 1 September 2004 - 31 August 2005, Philip W. Sadler, John M. Hoenig, Robert E. Harris, B. Gail Holliman

Reports

This report presents the results of striped bass (Marone saxatilis) tagging and monitoring activities in Virginia during the period 1 September 2004 through 31 August 2005. It includes an assessment of the biological characteristics of striped bass taken from the 2005 spring spawning run, estimates of annual survival based on annual spring tagging, and the results of the fall 2004 directed mortality study that is a collaborative effort with the Maryland Department of Natural Resources. The information contained in this report is required by the Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission and is used to implement a coordinated management plan for …

Short-Amplitude High-Frequency Wing Strokes Determine The Aerodynamics Of Honeybee Flight, Douglas L. Altshuler, William B. Dickson, Jason T. Vance, Stephen P. Roberts, Michael H. Dickinson

Biological Sciences Faculty Research & Creative Works

Most Insects Are Thought to Fly by Creating a Leading-Edge Vortex that Remains Attached to the Wing as It Translates through a Stroke. in the Species Examined So Far, Stroke Amplitude is Large, and Most of the Aerodynamic Force is Produced Halfway through a Stroke When Translation Velocities Are Highest. Here We Demonstrate that Honeybees Use an Alternative Strategy, Hovering with Relatively Low Stroke Amplitude (≈90°) and High Wingbeat Frequency (≈230 Hz). When Measured on a Dynamically Scaled Robot, the Kinematics of Honeybee Wings Generate Prominent Force Peaks during the Beginning, Middle, and End of Each Stroke, Indicating the Importance …

Detecting Submarine Groundwater Discharge With Synoptic Surveys Of Sediment Resistivity, Radium, And Salinity, John A. Breier, Crystaline F. Breier, Henrietta Edmonds

School of Earth, Environmental, and Marine Sciences Faculty Publications and Presentations

A synoptic geophysical and geochemical survey was used to investigate the occurrence and spatial distribution of submarine discharges of water to upper Nueces Bay, Texas. The 17 km survey incorporated continuous resistivity profiling; measurements of surface water salinity, temperature, and dissolved oxygen; and point measurements of dissolved Ra isotopes. The survey revealed areas of interleaving, vertical fingers of high and low conductivity extending up through 7 m of bay bottom sediments into the surface water, located within 100 m of surface salinity and dissolved Ra maxima along with peaks in water temperature and lows in dissolved oxygen. These results indicate …

Estimation Of Iron Solubility From Observations And A Global Aerosol Model, Chao Luo, N. M. Mahowald, N. Meskhidze, Y. Chen, R. L. Siefert, A. R. Baker, Anne M. Johansen

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Mineral aerosol deposition is the dominant source of iron to the open ocean. Soil iron is typically insoluble and understanding the atmospheric processes that convert insoluble iron to the more soluble forms observed over the oceans is crucial. In this paper, we model several proposed processes for the conversion of Fe(III) to Fe(II), and compare with cruise observations. The comparisons show that the model results in similar averaged magnitudes of iron solubility as measured during 8 cruises in 2001–2003. Comparisons show that results of cases including cloud, SO₂ and hematite processing are better than the other approaches used using …

Improving Feed Efficiency Through Genetics, Mark F. Allan

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Feed efficiency is not a new topic to the beef industry. Historically this topic has been revisited by the industry every 10 to 15 years with little benefit to the producer. The lack of progress in understanding the genetics of feed efficiency stems from the difficulty in trying to accurately measure individual intakes, coupled with extreme costs and a long generation interval. Feed efficiency is difficult to define and needs to be evaluated in the producing female, as well as the growing/finishing animal. Heritability of feed efficiency has been estimated to be moderate, with values ranging from .28-.44. These values …

Food-Bourne Pathogens – Control Through Management, Terry J. Klopfenstein, David R. Smith, Rodney A. Moxley, Robert Peterson, Galen E. Erickson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

We likely have the safest food in history. So why the concern about food safety? Why did NCBA have an E. coli Summit in 2003 and a Beef Safety Summit in 2005? The obvious answer is that it is an important issue for the Beef Cattle Industry. Meat and Poultry magazine estimated that E. coli O157:H7 cost the Cattle Industry about $2.7 billion from 1993 to 2003. From a local standpoint, we witnessed the bankruptcies of Hudson Foods and Beef America, two important beef processors in Nebraska. E. coli O157:H7 causes illness in less than .00002% of the meals eaten …

New Demands On Beef Products, Jim Coakley

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The natural beef business is founded on the idea of providing food products that are an alternative to commonplace and are inherently high quality. A brand that is built on trust of the company and its suppliers to produce food products using specified raising practices that measure up to what the consumer desires and believes to be best for family and planet.
In 1989 the company wrote a mission statement that said:
By understanding our customers we will lead in the profitable marketing of natural and organic products using ecologically focused principles.

Using New Selection Tools, R. Mark Enns, D. J. Garrick, B. W. Brigham

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The goal of most beef production systems is to increase or at least maintain profitability. Producers can attempt to increase profitability in a variety of ways that might include reducing feed costs, changing their marketing program, or perhaps by changing the performance of their herd through genetic improvement. Focusing on this latter option, there are two primary genetic tools available: selection and mating where selection refers to the selection of breeding animals and mating includes which females are mated to which bulls, for example, crossbreeding systems. This paper focuses on the former, the selection of the appropriate animals for a …

The Future Of The Beef Industry, Gary C. Smith

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Weaber and Miller (2004) said “The structure of the cattle industry has changed dramatically over time, particularly in the packing and feeding segments. It’s a change driven by market dynamics that require participants to minimize production costs while at the same time, maintaining or improving quality. Producers that have met these two demands have remained in business through the various ‘boom or bust’ cycles in the beef industry.”

Utilizing Carcass Traits In A Breeding Program, Rich Blair

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Blair Brothers Angus is a multi-generational ranching operation in Western S.D. near Sturgis, which is much better known worldwide for Hogs than Angus cattle. However, by hogs I mean Harley Davidson motorcycles and the local biker bar does advertise Certified Angus Beef. Our normal annual rainfall is 14-15 inches, but normal the past few years would be welcome. We calve the heifers in late February, and cows begin the first of March. We run the cows in groups of 300-400 head, on a timed rotation grazing system, which works well with June rains. We supplement cows in the wintertime with …

Management Strategies To Reduce Embryonic Loss, Tom Geary

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Embryonic loss may represent the single greatest economic loss for cow/calf producers. With 40,000,000 beef cows and heifers exposed to breeding each year in the U.S., annual losses exceed $1.2 billion. The mechanisms involved in pregnancy establishment and maintenance are complex, and based on the literature, we have made little progress reducing embryo wastage in the past 90 years. This paper will focus on when and why pregnancy failures occur and discuss some management practices that may alleviate these losses.

In beef cattle, it is generally accepted that fertilization rates to a single service are between 90 and 100% regardless …