Other Animal Sciences Commons^™

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim ...

Morphological Traits As Indicators Of Sexual Dimorphism In Prairie Rattlesnakes (Crotalus Viridis), Colleen Rothe-Groleau, Claudia M. Rauter, James D. Fawcett

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

As humans encroach into areas inhabited by predators, the potential of human-predator confrontations increases and the predators become regarded as dangerous pests. Predators exert a measure of population control over pest species such as small rodents, as well as limit the quantity and scope of diseases (e.g. spread of Hantavirus by these prey species). Control of these small rodent pest species can be aided by conserving and managing their predators like rattlesnakes (Crotalus spp). Management of any population requires detailed information on population composition and the ability to determine the key information (especially age and sex) for each individual ...

Gulls, Martin S. Lowney, Scott F. Beckerman, Scott C. Barras, Thomas W. Seamans

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Abundant gull (Figure 1) populations in North America have led to a variety of conflicts with people. Gulls cause damage at aquaculture facilities and other properties, and often collide with aircraft. Their use of structures on and near water results in excessive amounts of bird droppings on boats and docks. Their presence near outdoor dining establishments, swimming beaches, and recreational sites can lead to negative interactions with people. Large amounts of gull fecal material pollutes water and beaches resulting in drinking water contamination and swim bans. A combination of dispersal techniques, exclusion and limited lethal control may reduce damage to ...

Impact Of Teat Order On Feed Consumption In Swine From Birth To Nursery, Callan Lichtenwalter

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

A relationship between teat order and feed consumption has been assumed in pigs, but no study has looked at this exact relationship. Pigs were observed shortly after birth to be in either a cranial, middle, or caudal teat positon. Growth performance data and active and total plasma ghrelin concentrations were analyzed at birth, weaning, and at the end of the nursery stage of production to see if a relationship with teat order was present. Further growth performance data were analyzed during different phases of the nursery stage. Overall, no effect of teat order was found on average daily gain, average ...

Relationships Among Beef Cow Productivity Traits And Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms In The Bovine Heat Shock Protein 70 Gene, Ashley Finney

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

When eukaryotes are exposed to stressors such as heat, toxins, and low oxygen levels, heat shock proteins (HSPs) are synthesized to maintain normal cellular function within the body. Single nucleotide polymorphisms in the heat shock protein 70 (Hsp70) gene have been associated with calving percentage, and Julian calving date in spring-calving crossbred Brahman cows (Rosenkrans, et al., 2010). Our objective was to determine associations between previously identified polymorphisms in the promoter region and coding sequence of the bovine Hsp70 gene and beef cow efficiency. We evaluated productivity traits, including Julian calving date and calving rates, of fall-calving cows at each ...

How Wolves Turned Into Dogs And How Dogs Are Valuable In Meeting Human Social Needs, Kurt Kotrschal

People and Animals: The International Journal of Research and Practice

A wealth of recent behavioral, neurobiological, and genetic results allows us to draw a new, comprehensive picture of the human-wolf- dog relationship. Dogs originated from wolves 35,000 years ago, mainly via selection for tameness. Wolves were probably spiritual partners and hunting buddies of Paleolithic hunter-gatherers over wide areas of Eurasia. Coming together and staying together was probably facilitated by the close ecological and social match between wolves and humans. Both are cursorial hunters and scavengers living in cooperative but relatively closed family groups, which selected for very similar mentalities.

Parallel selection for tameness (i.e., being “nice”) in dogs ...

Keeping And Killing: Six Conversations On The Complex Nature Of The Human-Animal Relationship, Shannen Cashman

Senior Theses

This thesis examines the complexity of animal-human relationships in the contemporary United States, drawing on literature, science, and philosophy to explore the various ways that humans keep animals in captivity, such as in the instances of pet-keeping, animal research, and animal agriculture, while also having to kill them. By examining these ways of interacting with animals, an inherent duality within human consciousness is exposed. Humans both do and do not want to take responsibility for their actions regarding animals, often times resulting in humans telling themselves stories that make them feel more comfortable with these conflicting desires. The final chapter ...

Eating Crickets? Nutrient Mineral Content Of Two Cricket Species And Chapul Cricket Protein Bars Using Mp-Aes, Nathan Hopkins

Student Scholar Showcase

Global agriculture is beset by numerous challenges which must be surmounted to feed a developing world, from combating climate change to the cultivation of sustainable food products. This, in addition to protein and nutrient deficiencies in the developing world, makes considering alternative protein sources, such as a crickets, an attractive option. Crickets use a fraction of the land and water that protein sources like beef cattle do, and can be cultivated in urban environments in stacked boxes. This research investigation aims to quantify the nutrient mineral content (Iron, Sodium, Potassium, Calcium, and Magnesium) of two cricket species (Acheta domesticus & Gryllodes ...

Uvb Avoidance In Dendrobates Azereus Tadpoles, Matthew Sturtevant, Lee Kats, Agustin Vargas, Arthur Garnica

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Most frogs are nocturnal, but dart frogs (Dendrobatidae) are diurnal and lack scales or hair that would protect them from UVB rays. Previous studies have demonstrated that adult dart frogs avoid UVB light. The purpose of this experiment was to test whether dart frog larvae would avoid UVB light when compared to local nocturnal treefrog larvae. For the experiment we used tadpoles of Dendrobates azureus and Pseudacris regilla. The tadpoles were put in tubs with a submerged shelter and exposed to 3 lighting conditions: UVB, no light and visible light. The tadpoles were exposed to only one lighting condition each ...

Bats Of Sint Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands, Scott C. Pedersen, Peter A. Larsen, Sil A. Westra, Ellen Van Norren, Wesley Overman, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Hugh H. Genoways

Mammalogy Papers: University of Nebraska State Museum

The bat fauna of the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius consists of five documented species—Monophyllus plethodon, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Artibeus jamaicensis, Ardops nichollsi, and Molossus molossus—and one provisional species—Tadarida brasiliensis. The Insular Single-leaf Bat, M. plethodon, is reported in the scientific literature for the first time from Sint Eustatius based on material presented herein. The bat fauna of the island is considered to be unbalanced because only three species, which are the environmental generalists, are abundant, whereas the more specialized species are rare or absent from the fauna. It is our hypothesis that the unbalanced bat fauna on ...

An Analysis Of The Characteristics And Practices Of Selected Florida Small Livestock Producers: A Focus On Production And Processing, Jannette R. Bartlett, David Nii O. Tackie, Dana Reid, Akua Adu-Gyamfi, Angela Mckenzie-Jakes

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

The study assessed the characteristics and practices of small livestock producers, emphasizing production and processing. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of seventy small producers from selected counties in Florida, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including chi-square tests. The socioeconomic characteristics showed that part-time producers, White producers, middle-aged producers, fairly educated producers, and moderate-income producers dominated the group. A majority of the producers practiced rotational grazing, fed a combination of forage and concentrate, and less than half conducted soil tests regularly. Moreover, over half had parasite problems and treated them primarily with anthelmintics. Nearly all producers sold animals live ...

Investigating The Genetic Structure Of Northern Long-Eared Bats In Nebraska, Jonathan Korbitz

Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Abstract:

The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) is one of many species of hibernating bats in North America affected by a recently discovered fungal disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS). Northern long-eared bats seem to be extremely susceptible to the disease with mass fatalities occurring among populations in eastern North America. Researchers in the eastern distribution of this species have performed mtDNA analysis to identify the population structure of the species; however, genetic analysis has yet to be done in western parts of its distribution. The goal of this study is to create a better understanding of the genetic makeup of ...

Personality In California Sea Lions (Zalophus Californianus) And Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina): Methodological Convergence And Species-Specific Emotional Repertoires., Amber De Vere

Dissertations

Despite the wide acceptance of animal personality as a valid area of study, research on marine mammal personality remains remarkably scarce. What literature does exist predominantly focuses on bottlenose dolphins (Frick, 2016; Highfill & Kuczaj, 2007; Kuczaj, Highfill & Byerly, 2012; Lilley, de Vere, Yeatre & Kuczaj, 2018; Moreno, Highfill & Kuczaj, 2017). There is also strong evidence for individual differences in grey seals (Robinson et al., 2015; Twiss & Franklin, 2010; Twiss, Culloch & Pomeroy, 2011; Twiss, Cairns, Culloch, Richards & Pomeroy, 2012), and preliminary research has provided evidence of broad personality factors in pinniped species using behavioral coding (de Vere, Lilley & Highfill, 2017) and trait rating methods (Ciardelli, Weiss, Powell & Reiss, 2017). Several aspects of personality are not well documented across many taxa, including age-related patterns, the species-relevance of emotional trait words, potential issues associated with the non-human Dominance factor, and the convergent validity of multiple methods. The current study therefore aimed to address these issues in two pinniped species, California sea lions and harbor seals, and provides the first cross-method validation of personality dimensions in these taxa. There was some evidence that pinniped trainers could reliably rate the emotional states experienced by these species. Trait rating assessments produced three personality factors for each species; these exhibited good cross-method convergence in California sea lions, but not harbor seals. Dominance rankings were correlated with one behavioral and one rating factor in each species, although this was somewhat confounded by the extremely close correspondence of dominance and age.

Hunting A Home: The Abandonment And Neglect Of Hunting Dogs, Jamie B. Walker

Exigence

Each year, an immeasurable number of hunting dogs are found in emaciated, malnourished or even abusive conditions due to neglect and abandonment by their owners. These dogs, primarily hounds, have increasingly become a burden on animal shelters and have cast a negative light on hunting with dogs, particularly in Virginia. The difficulty in identifying the owners of these dogs has stymied law enforcement and animal welfare authorities for years. Mandatory microchipping, now compulsory in England, may be the key to protecting talented working dogs from neglect, cruelty and abandonment by uncaring owners. These microchips can allow abandoned animals to lead ...

Dog Behavior Co-Varies With Height, Bodyweight And Skull Shape, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Dana Georgevsky, Johanna Carrasco, Michael Valenzuela, Deborah L. Duffy, James A. Serpell

Paul McGreevy, Ph.D.

Dogs offer unique opportunities to study correlations between morphology and behavior because skull shapes and body shape are so diverse among breeds. Several studies have shown relationships between canine cephalic index (CI: the ratio of skull width to skull length) and neural architecture. Data on the CI of adult, show-quality dogs (six males and six females) were sourced in Australia along with existing data on the breeds’ height, bodyweight and related to data on 36 behavioral traits of companion dogs (n = 8,301) of various common breeds (n = 49) collected internationally using the Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ ...

Mute Swans, David R. Marks

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Mute swans (Cygnus olor) are an invasive species originally brought to the United States in the late 19th and early 20th centuries for ornamental ponds and lakes, zoos and aviculture collections. Original populations were located in northeastern states along the Hudson Valley but have since expanded to several Midwestern states and portions of the western U.S. and Canada. Mute swan damage includes competing with native waterfowl, destroying native plants, spreading disease, and colliding with aircraft. They are also considered a nuisance in some areas due to their abundant fecal droppings and aggressiveness towards people.

Mute swans can impact ecosystems ...

Individual Personality Differences In Goats Predict Their Performance In Visual Learning And Non-Associative Cognitive Tasks, Christian Nawroth, Pamela M. Prentice, Alan G. Mcelligott

Christian Nawroth, Ph.D.

Variation in common personality traits, such as boldness or exploration, is often associated with risk–reward trade–offs and behavioural flexibility. To date, only a few studies have examined the effects of consistent behavioural traits on both learning and cognition. We investigated whether certain personality traits (‘exploration’ and ‘sociability’) of individuals were related to cognitive performance, learning flexibility and learning style in a social ungulate species, the goat (Capra hircus). We also investigated whether a preference for feature cues rather than impaired learning abilities can explain performance variation in a visual discrimination task. We found that personality scores were consistent ...

A Note On Pigs’ Knowledge Of Hidden Objects, Christian Nawroth, Mirjam Ebersbach, Eberhard Von Borell

Christian Nawroth, Ph.D.

Object permanence is the notion that objects continue to exist even when they are out of observer’s sight. This ability is adaptive for free ranging animals who have to cope with a dangerous and highly changeable environment and allows them to be aware of predators sneaking in their proximity or to keep track of conspecifics or food sources, even when out of sight. Farm animals might also benefit from object permanence because the ability to follow the trajectory of hidden food or objects may lead to a higher predictability of subjects’ environment, which in turn might affect the level ...

Individual Personality Differences In Goats Predict Their Performance In Visual Learning And Non-Associative Cognitive Tasks, Christian Nawroth, Pamela M. Prentice, Alan G. Mcelligott

Alan G. McElligott, Ph.D.

Variation in common personality traits, such as boldness or exploration, is often associated with risk–reward trade–offs and behavioural flexibility. To date, only a few studies have examined the effects of consistent behavioural traits on both learning and cognition. We investigated whether certain personality traits (‘exploration’ and ‘sociability’) of individuals were related to cognitive performance, learning flexibility and learning style in a social ungulate species, the goat (Capra hircus). We also investigated whether a preference for feature cues rather than impaired learning abilities can explain performance variation in a visual discrimination task. We found that personality scores were consistent ...

United States Military Working Dogs: A Research Guide, Stefanie S. Pearlman

The Marvin and Virginia Schmid Law Library

This research guide is a selective bibliography of resources discussing United States military working dogs and mascots. It is intended to help researchers find relevant books, articles, military publications, Web sites, and other resources about military working dogs. It also contains references to bills and laws designed to provide for the retirement, medical care, and adoption of military working dogs once their service is complete.