Life Sciences Commons^™

Genetic Modification – Applications For Forage And Grassland Production Systems, J. R. Caradus

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Genetic modification has been extensively used in crops for 25 years but has rarely been a technology used to advance trait expression in forage and grassland species. The exceptions are the use of herbicide tolerance and low lignin traits in alfalfa which are currently commercially available. In crop species genetic modification has been a valuable option for delivering improved economic and environmental outcomes through providing solutions for many of the challenges facing mankind. There are a many beneficial characteristics that genetic modification has the potential to provide in forage and grassland species. Managing these in the environment and understanding consumer …

Environmental Co-Benefits Of Improved Forages In Smallholder Dairy Systems Of Kenya, A. Notenbaert, S. Mwendia, S. Burkart, P. Karimi, E. Mwema

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Livestock play a major role across Kenya, especially in smallholder mixed farms through provision of household nutrition and income through milk and meat. Equally, fertilization of cropland benefits from livestock manure, and livestock often act as insurance and saving. Despite the opportunities and benefits livestock production presents, livestock systems are also key drivers of environmental degradation, including increased nutrient loads, GHG emissions, water use, grassland degradation and land-use conversion. Low livestock productivity, largely due to use of low-quality crop residues and natural grasses often not endowed with nutrients key for animal performance, limits the potential positive contributions of livestock and …

Gossypium Hirsutum As A Study Species To Understand Plant Responses To Drought Stress, Sam Schafer

The Journal of Purdue Undergraduate Research

No abstract provided.

A Peculiar Natural Wonderland Of South China Sea: A Bird’S Eye View, Mohamad Nor Azra, Mohd Iqbal Mohd Noor, Juneta-Nor Abu Seman, Lee Seong Wei Dr

Journal of Environmental Science and Sustainable Development

The South China Sea research agenda has increased over the years. However, no scientometric studies have been performed on this topic, which has helped analyze the research on the South China Sea throughout many years. Thus, this study aimed to investigate the global findings of previous research on the South China Sea, development trends, and trending issues surrounding the sea. Literature was extracted from the Web of Science Core Collection (WOSCC) database, and the CiteSpace software was used to visualize the data analyzed. The survey included 12,755 articles. Overall, the number of publications increased annually. Acta Oceanologica Sinica and the …

Testing The Cavefish Model: An Organism-Focused Theory Of Biological Design, Michael J. Boyle, Scott Arledge, Brian Thomas, Jeffrey P. Tomkins, Randy J. Guliuzza

Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism

Poster Abstract

The Institute for Creation Research (ICR) is experimentally testing an engineering-based model of rapid biological adaptation: Continuous Environmental Tracking (CET). This model infers that organisms actively track conditions within specific environments to self-adjust through internal mechanisms and initiate adaptive functionality. The animal under investigation is Astyanax mexicanus (Mexican tetra), a freshwater fish with well-differentiated, interfertile morphotypes: eyed surface-dwelling fish (surface fish) with distinct pigmentation patterns, and eyeless cave-dwelling fish (cavefish) with minimal pigmentation. Aquaria within our newly established laboratory contain breeding pairs of cavefish exposed to either (A) cyclical light/dark patterns of full-spectrum high-intensity light, (B) minimal light …

Testing The Cavefish Model: An Organism-Focused Theory Of Biological Design, Michael J. Boyle, Brian Thomas, Jeffery P. Tomkins, Randy J. Guliuzza

Proceedings of the International Conference on Creationism

The significance of this research is multifaceted. At the 8^th ICC, Guliuzza and Gaskill (2018) introduced a novel paradigm: Continuous Environmental Tracking (CET). This theory infers that organisms actively and continuously track conditions within their specific environments to self-adjust through internal mechanisms that integrate molecular, biochemical, physiological and behavioral functionality of the whole organism. These mechanisms are predicted to operate by the same integrative principles that govern human-engineered control systems, suggesting that fish and other animals make highly-regulated responses in order to compensate for changes in external conditions that may exceed their routine efforts to maintain homeostasis. Moreover, the …

Biodiversity And The Ecological Role Of Grasslands Environment And Territory, Elimane Lo, Makhmutov Serguei, Badim Almazov

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Biodiversity is all the living species that inhabit the planet: plants, animals, microorganisms, but also their genetic diversity and all the ecosystems in which they live. The preservation of biodiversity is vital, because the organisms that constitute it participate in the major ecological cycles of air, soil and water It is today recognized for its intrinsic value and for the functions it provides in ecosystems. The grassland and the hedges that surround them play a key role in carbon storage, water purification, biodiversity and the typicity of landscapes. They partly provide the plants necessary for feeding herds of herbivores (cattle, …

Silvopastoral Systems: Analyses Of An Alternative To Open Swards, James H. Mcadam, M. R. Mosquera-Losada, V. Papanastasis, Andrea Pardini, M. L. Rigueiro-Rodríguez

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Silvopasture is a sustainable land use management practiced in most continents in the world including parts of southern Europe, but is not broadly used in northern and western Europe. The importance of this practice has been recognised and the last draft of the EU regulation by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (http://europa.eu.int/comm/agriculture/capreform/rurdevprop_en.pdf) includes specifically funding for establishment of agroforestry practices in Europe. This paper discusses the advantages of managing semi intensive grassland within a silvopastoral system from an ecological, productive and social point of view in the south, south-central and western countries of Europe.

New Zealand Pastoral Systems: A Current Perspective, F. R. Duder, R. B. Green, W. D. Catto, D. R. Woodfield, B. R. Guy

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

New Zealand's diverse grassland resource of 13.5 M ha of permanent pasture, tussock or alpine grasslands underpin an intensive pastoral industry worth NZ$13 billion in 2004. The pastoral industry involves 37,000 farmers and a service industry of about 215,000 persons. It produces 27 M prime export lambs and 180,000 t of predominantly crossbred wool from 40 M ewes; 13 B litres of milk from 5.2 M dairy cattle; 800,000 t of beef from 4.7 M beef cattle and 33,000 t of venison from 2 M deer. Pastures and forage crops, mostly non- irrigated, are grazed 'in situ' by animals through …

Assessment And Monitoring Of Grazing Lands In The Northeastern United States, M. A. Sanderson, Sarah C. Goslee, J. B. Cropper, R. B. Bryant

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

The Pasture Condition Score System (Cosgrove et al., 2001) was developed as a monitoring and management tool on grazing lands The system considers 10 indicators of soils, plants, and animals including percent desirable plants, plant cover, plant diversity, plant residue, plant vigor, percent legume, uniformity of use, livestock concentration areas, soil compaction, and soil erosion. The indicators are assigned a score according to detailed criteria and the scores are summed to give an overall score for a pasture, or relevant grazing unit. The score is then interpreted, indicating if some type of management change or treatment is necessary. We …

Evaluating The Economic And Environmental Sustainability Of Integrated Farming Systems, C. A. Rotz, M. A. Sanderson, M. Wachendorf, F. Taube

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Economic and environmental sustainability has become a major concern for forage-based animal production in Europe, North America and other parts of the world. Development of more sustainable farming systems requires an assimilation of experimental and modelling research. Field research is critical for supporting the development and evaluation of models, and modelling is needed to integrate farm components for predicting the long-term effects and interactions resulting from farm management changes. Experimentally supported simulation provides a tool for evaluating and comparing farming strategies and predicting their effect on the watershed, region and beyond.

Environmental Contamination With Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile In Vietnam, Peng A. Khun, Long D. Phi, Huong T. T. Bui, Nguyen T. Bui, Quyen T. H. Vu, Luong D. Trinh, Deirdre A. Collins, Thomas V. Riley

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

AIMS: To investigate the prevalence, molecular type, and antimicrobial susceptibility of Clostridioides difficile in the environment in Vietnam, where little is known about C. difficile. METHODS AND RESULTS: Samples of pig faeces, soils from pig farms, potatoes, and the hospital environment were cultured for C. difficile. Isolates were identified and typed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) ribotyping. The overall prevalence of C. difficile contamination was 24.5% (68/278). Clostridioides difficile was detected mainly in soils from pig farms and hospital soils, with 70%-100% prevalence. Clostridioides difficile was isolated from 3.4% of pig faecal samples and 5% of potato surfaces. The four …

Density And Nest Success Of Shrub-Dependent Birds On Formerly Strip-Mined Lands, Luke Headings

Electronic Theses & Dissertations

As bird populations continue to decline across North America, it is important to understand the benefits that disturbed habitats can have for breeding birds. One of the major land disturbances and causes of habitat loss in the United States is surface mining, which often results in altered vegetative communities. The primary goal of this study was to evaluate the relationships between bird populations, habitat, previous and current land use, and densities of invasive plant species on formerly strip-mined land. Due to the proliferation of invasive shrub species in post-mined landscapes, we sought to determine the effects of post-mined habitat features …

Ireland V. United States: Agricultural And Environmental Sustainability Policies, Lauryn O'Grady

Accounting Undergraduate Honors Theses

The United States and Ireland have varying practices to achieve similar objectives in regard to environmental sustainability. While the European Union has maintained and updated a uniform policy throughout its existence--the Common Agricultural Policy--the United States instead created short-term solutions to a long-term problem. Not only does the United States tend to solve issues in the short-term, the policies between agricultural production and environmental sustainability are not necessarily aligned or remotely relative to the other. While the United States’ new Global Food Security Strategy implements parts of both agricultural and environmental sustainability, much of the history was not based off …

Winter Cover Crop Performance In The Southern Piedmont Region Of South Carolina, Payton Davis

All Theses

Cover crops (CC) offer in-field and environmental benefits when integrated into cropping systems. Low CC adoption in the southern Piedmont of South Carolina is partially due to the lack of information on CC performance and benefits within the region. To address this, eight winter CC and a fallow/pigweed treatment were investigated for their influence on soil temperature, volumetric water content (VWC), percent cover, biomass, and the occurrence of soil water repellency (SWR). A randomized complete block design experiment was conducted in the fall and winter of 2021-2022 (EXP A) and repeated in 2022-2023 (EXP B). Cover crops minimally influenced soil …

Complete Genome Sequences Of Evolutionary Clade C-Iii Strains Of Clostridioides (Clostridium) Difficile Isolated From The Environment In Western Australia, Nirajmohan Shivaperumal, Natasza M. R. Hain-Saunders, Barbara J. Chang, Thomas V. Riley, Daniel R. Knight

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

Clostridioides (Clostridium) difficile in the environment is thought to contribute to C. difficile infection in community settings. Here, we provide complete genome assemblies for two esculin hydrolysis-negative strains of C. difficile that were isolated from soils in Western Australia; the strains produce white colonies on chromogenic media and belong to evolutionarily divergent clade C-III.

Marine Law Symposium: Can Offshore Wind Development Have A Net Positive Impact On Biodiversity? Regulatory And Scientific Perspectives And Considerations April 20-21, 2023, Roger Williams University School Of Law Marine Affairs Institute, The Nature Conservancy

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

New Approaches To Clover Breeding, M. T. Abberton, T. A. Williams, T. P. T. Michaelson-Yeates, A. H. Marshall, C. Jones, E. Sizer-Coverdale, R. P. Collins

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

White clover (Trifolium repens L.) and red clover (T. pratense) are the major forage legumes of temperate pastures. Breeding efforts have focused on overcoming the constraints to productivity and reliability in this species and thereby optimising their contribution to mixed swards. In recent years there has been an increased emphasis on livestock production and the efficient utilisation of forage material in the rumen. In this paper we report on a shift in the aims of forage legume breeding at IGER, building on a strong agronomic platform but giving greater consideration to the environmental footprint of our varieties …

Climate Change, Admin Stem For Success

STEM for Success Showcase

This lesson plan teaches students about climate change and its effect on animals and insects. Students can then participate in a climate change fact or myth game and a climate change Pictionary game.

Air Temperature And Diet Are Not Associated With Oxygen Consumption Rate In Banded Crickets, Gryllodes Sigillatus, Nicole Bailey, Connor Oakes, Rachel Sleeth, Mallorie Smith

Butler Journal of Undergraduate Research

All living organisms acclimate to their environments, with ectothermic species particularly susceptible to environmental change, specifically temperature. Ectothermic insects like crickets directly alter their physiological processes depending on the environment in which they live. Temperature is vital in regulating processes such as metabolism, respiration, and reproduction, among other things. What remains unclear is how a change in the environment, specifically extreme temperature change and dietary alterations, affects physiological processes. In this study, we performed experiments on ectothermic banded crickets to examine the effects of temperature change and the interaction of temperature and diet on oxygen consumption. For both experiments, we …

Developing Durable Health Promotion: The Connections Between Exercise Setting And Adherence To Exercise In College-Aged Women, Tara Flubacher

Honors College

No abstract provided.

Air Quality: Comparison Of Pm2.5 Levels In Evaporative Vs Central Air Homes In Utah County Using Filter-Based Sampling, Alisandra Olivares, Taylor Christensen, Paula Chanthakhoun, Jim Johnston, Darrell Sonntag

Library/Life Sciences Undergraduate Poster Competition 2023

PM_2.5 is particulate matter that is less than 2.5 micrometers. Combustion of fuels, gas, natural gas, and wood are contributors to the production of PM_2.5.

Unveiling The Nexus: The Interdependence Of Animal Welfare, Environment & Sustainable Development, World Federation For Animals (Wfa)

Nexus – UNEP – Animal Welfare, Environment, Sustainable Development

On 2 March 2022, the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) adopted the Animal Welfare - Environment - Sustainable Development Nexus Resolution. In this resolution, UNEA acknowledged that "animal welfare can contribute to addressing environmental challenges". UNEA further acknowledged animal welfare's contribution to "promoting the One Health approach and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals." To understand these links, UNEA requested the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) to analyse and produce a report for the next convening of UNEA on the nexus between animal welfare, the environment, and sustainable development. "Unveiling the Nexus: The interdependence of animal welfare, environment & sustainable development" illuminates the …

Environmental Clustering Of New Zealand Dairy Herds, J. R. Bryant, N. López-Villalobos, J. E. Pryce, C. W. Holmes

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Previous studies have found that milk yield (a proxy for feeding level) and temperature-humidity index (THI) are important factors in explaining genotype x environment (G x E) interactions, indicating differences between the abilities of genotypes to forage or consume concentrates effectively or to cope with thermal stress (Ravagnolo and Misztal, 2000; Zwald et al., 2003). The objective of this study was to quantify and cluster (CL) herd environments within New Zealand (NZ) based on production levels, a summer heat load index (HLI) and geographical location.

Challenges And Opportunities For Animal Production From Temperate Pastures, D. A. Clark

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Key points

1. Temperate pastures offer a major opportunity to reduce the feed costs associated with ruminant production.

2. Pastures offer unique opportunities for producing high value components in feedstuffs that are beneficial to human health.

3. The increased use of pasture will not automatically lead to improved environmental outcomes – difficult challenges exist in reducing nitrogen and greenhouse gas pollution.

4. Grazed pasture systems offer advantages in animal welfare, provided management avoids the problems associated with climatic extremes, and the toxins associated with some pastures.

5. To remain competitive with total mixed ration systems, and environmentally acceptable, pastures with higher intake characteristics that allow …

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New Insights Into The Nutritional Value Of Grass, D. H. Rearte

IGC Proceedings (1997-2023)

Key points

1. The rumen environment in cattle grazing high quality forage is different to that reported for cattle fed indoors with diets based on processed feedstuffs.
2. Temperate pasture is an excellent source of nutrients for ruminants but a high energy:protein imbalance can occur when it is offered at the stage of optimal digestion.
3. Beef and milk produced on grass in temperate regions have a composition with nutritional advantages over beef or milk produced in indoor systems based on concentrate.
4. Increasing water soluble carbohydrate content of grasses would diminish environmental contamination by reducing the excretion of urea through the urine.
5. Increasing …

The Most Environmentally Sustainable Diet For Adolescents In Terms Of Land Use, Food Waste, And Greenhouse Gas Emissions., Lina Elsehelly

Papers, Posters, and Presentations

The current food system is directly responsible for much environmental damage including severe climate change, biodiversity loss, and land scarcity. This research aims to find some strategies to mitigate these damages through diet by specifically targeting adolescents because they are potential problem-solvers. This period is also when personality and habits are articulated. By focusing on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, land use, and food waste, a more environmentally sustainable diet can be formulated. The key findings of the research can be summarized by reducing ultra-processed foods, choosing sustainably produced food, generally reducing meat consumption from the current rate, substituting red and …

Rapidly Changing Range Limits In A Warming World: Critical Data Limitations And Knowledge Gaps For Advancing Understanding Of Mangrove Range Dynamics In The Southeastern Usa, Rémi Bardou, Michael J. Osland, Steven Scyphers, Christine Shepard, Karen E. Aerni, Jahson B. Alemu I, Robert Crimian, Richard H. Day, Nicholas M. Enwright, Laura C. Feher, Sarah L. Gibbs, Kiera O'Donnell, Savannah H. Swinea, Kalaina Thorne, Sarit Truskey, Anna R. Armitage, Ronald Baker, Josh L. Breithaupt, Kyle C. Cavanaugh, Erik S. Yando, A. Randall Hughes, Et Al.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Climate change is altering species’ range limits and transforming ecosystems. For example, warming temperatures are leading to the range expansion of tropical, cold-sensitive species at the expense of their cold-tolerant counterparts. In some temperate and subtropical coastal wetlands, warming winters are enabling mangrove forest encroachment into salt marsh, which is a major regime shift that has significant ecological and societal ramifications. Here, we synthesized existing data and expert knowledge to assess the distribution of mangroves near rapidly changing range limits in the southeastern USA. We used expert elicitation to identify data limitations and highlight knowledge gaps for advancing understanding of …

The Importance Of Winter Dinoflagellate Blooms In Chesapeake Bay— A Missing Link In Bay Productivity, Nicole C. Millette, Sophie Clayton, Margaret R. Mulholland, Leah Gibala-Smith, Michael Lane

OES Faculty Publications

It is widely assumed that phytoplankton abundance and productivity decline during temperate winters because of low irradiance and temperatures. However, winter phytoplankton blooms commonly occur in temperate estuaries, but they are often undocumented because of reduced water quality monitoring in winter. The small body of in situ work that has been done on winter blooms suggests they can be of enormous consequence to ecosystems. However, because monitoring is often reduced or stopped altogether during winter, it is unclear how widespread these blooms are or how long they can last. We analyzed an over 30-year record of monthly phytoplankton monitoring samples …

Our Natural World, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

It’s nothing earth-shattering to say our natural world gives us everything we need to survive, from the oxygen we breathe and the clean water we drink to that apple you are enjoying with your lunch today. We all know this. However, we sometimes fail to appreciate and act on the converse—if we fail to maintain a well-functioning and resilient natural world our future is literally at risk.

What’s more, our reliance on nature goes deeper than the base physical essentials of air, water and food that are required for life. Our bodies—physically, mentally and emotionally—are healthier for their interaction with …