Climate-Related Declines In Reproductive Output In A High-Elevation Population Of Ground Squirrels,
2022
University of San Francisco
Climate-Related Declines In Reproductive Output In A High-Elevation Population Of Ground Squirrels, Kayleigh Little
Undergraduate Honors Theses
Beginning in the 1900s, changes in climate have resulted in an increase in global temperatures. This warming has driven behavioral and demographic changes within a multitude of species worldwide. Historically, small mammal populations have responded to changes in temperature by adjusting their geographic ranges. As temperatures rise, high-elevation populations may no longer be able to adjust as they have before. In this study, we evaluated possible effects of climate change on a high-elevation population of Belding’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi) at Tioga Pass in Northern California. We used local climate data and long-term population data from 1994 to …
The Spatial Ecology And Habitat Selection Of A Spotted Turtle (Clemmys Guttata) Population In Southwest Michigan,
2022
Grand Valley State University
The Spatial Ecology And Habitat Selection Of A Spotted Turtle (Clemmys Guttata) Population In Southwest Michigan, Michela Coury
Masters Theses
Turtles are arguably the most threatened group of vertebrates on the planet. Anthropogenic influences such as habitat loss and fragmentation, road mortality, subsidized predators, climate change, and illegal collection have contributed to their global decline. Understanding which isolated populations of turtles are viable despite these synergistic threats is crucial for making conservation and management decisions. In Michigan, the spotted turtle (Clemmys guttata) is a threatened species subjected to many negative anthropogenic influences that accelerate its rapid population decline. In order to properly sustain their populations, the goal of my research was to investigate relevant factors that help us …
Evaluating Threats To The Water Quality Of Little Buffalo Creek And Sarver Run Through Water Quality Analysis And Backpack Electrofishing Surveys,
2022
Duquesne University
Evaluating Threats To The Water Quality Of Little Buffalo Creek And Sarver Run Through Water Quality Analysis And Backpack Electrofishing Surveys, Riley Williams
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Currently, 64.8% and 52.2% of Little Buffalo Creek and Sarver Run stream kilometers are impaired, respectively. Impairment sources to Little Buffalo Creek include agriculture, riparian deforestation, on-site wastewater, and urban runoff. Impairment sources to Sarver Run are unknown. Our goal was to understand sources of impairment through water quality analysis and fish surveys. Water samples were collected monthly and analyzed for cation and anion concentrations. Mass ratio analysis comparing Br/SO4 and Mg/Li, Ca/Mg and Ca/Sr, Mg/Na and SO4/Cl, and SO4/Cl and Mg/Li suggests that mine drainage and conventional oil and gas may be impacting water …
Oxen: Status, Uses And Practices In The U.S.A., Encouraging A Historic Tradition To Thrive,
2022
University of New Hampshire, Durham
Oxen: Status, Uses And Practices In The U.S.A., Encouraging A Historic Tradition To Thrive, Andrew B. Conroy
Faculty Publications
Oxen in the United States of America have played an important role throughout its history. Unlike other countries,oxen were never completely given up for horses, mules, or tractors. Instead, the culture of keeping oxen has been maintained by a small group of teamsters in the North- eastern states collectively called New England. Their continued presence has been largely due to agricultural fairs and exhibitions where they have been used in competition for the last 200 years. Ox teamsters were sur- veyed in 2021via social media using Qualtrics. The 423 ox teamsters responding owned 1791 oxen in 39 states, with the …
Reconstructing The Ecological Relationships Of Late Cretaceous Antarctic Dinosaurs And How Functional Tooth Morphology Influenced These Relationships,
2022
Eastern Washington University
Reconstructing The Ecological Relationships Of Late Cretaceous Antarctic Dinosaurs And How Functional Tooth Morphology Influenced These Relationships, Ian D. Broxson
2022 Symposium
The Sandwich Bluff Formation of the James Ross Basin of Antarctica has recently yielded a group of five late Cretaceous dinosaurs that lived contemporaneously with each other, a first for Antarctica. These five dinosaurs include fragmentary remains of two differently sized elasmarian ornithopods, a possible megaraptor, a hadrosaur, and a nodosaur. In this study we will construct a model of the ecological relationships of late Cretaceous Antarctica. Additionally, we will look at what specific factors allowed this group of four herbivores and a carnivore to coexist in a restricted locality and what niches were filled by each species. Methods to …
A Comprehensive Bison Management And Research Plan For The Crane Trust,
2022
The Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc.
A Comprehensive Bison Management And Research Plan For The Crane Trust, Joshua D. Wiese
Other Publications in Wildlife Management
The Great Plains were once a vast grassland ecosystem, but, due to agricultural and human development, are one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America. What remains is generally fragmented, threatened by invasive species, and lacks the natural ecosystem processes that shaped these grasslands such as periodic wildfire and bison grazing. Since 1978, the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust, Inc. (dba “Crane Trust”) has worked to maintain the function of grassland and riparian habitats to benefit endangered Whooping Cranes, Sandhill Cranes, and other migratory bird species. They protect ~8,100 acres, including the largest contiguous portion of lowland tallgrass …
Microplastics Exposure In At-Risk Myotis Lucifugus Bats Of The Northeastern United States,
2022
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Microplastics Exposure In At-Risk Myotis Lucifugus Bats Of The Northeastern United States, Leah Crowley
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
Methods For Assessing Cellular Phenotypes Related To Aging And Longevity In Turtles,
2022
University of South Alabama
Methods For Assessing Cellular Phenotypes Related To Aging And Longevity In Turtles, Stephanie E. Bulls
Theses and Dissertations
There are many costs associated with increased body size and longevity in animals, including the accumulation of genotoxic and cytotoxic damage that comes with having more cells and living longer. Yet, some species have overcome these barriers and have evolved remarkably large body sizes and long lifespans. Organisms with these unique phenotypes have come under recent genomic scrutiny to discover mechanisms of healthy aging and tumor suppression but little physiological work to validate these mechanisms has been conducted outside of mammals. Here I propose that reptiles, especially testudines (turtles), would be an excellent system to investigate the topics of size …
Locked Nucleic Acid Aptamer And 10 Nm Gold Nanoparticles Increases The Sensitivity Of A Prion Protein Detection Assay,
2022
University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Locked Nucleic Acid Aptamer And 10 Nm Gold Nanoparticles Increases The Sensitivity Of A Prion Protein Detection Assay, Haley Channell
Chancellor’s Honors Program Projects
No abstract provided.
Pandemics And Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry Into How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas,
2022
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Pandemics And Animal Welfare: A Quantitative Inquiry Into How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas, Kayla N. Desmet
Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
Since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic in late 2019, industries have been impacted globally. The companion animal care industry has not received much recognition in mainstream news, and though multiple grants have been allocated (Nolen, 2020), limited resources were available to individual facilities such as animal shelters, animal day cares, and boarding facilities. Little is known about the long-term effects of the pandemic on these facilities and how companion animal care may have changed. The purpose of this study was to explore the day-to-day impacts and long-term effects of COVID-19 on the companion animal industry in Northwest Arkansas from …
Pandemics And Animal Welfare: How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas,
2022
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Pandemics And Animal Welfare: How The Covid-19 Pandemic Has Affected The Companion Animal Industry In Northwest Arkansas, Sabrina Cox
Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
The first cases of coronavirus reported in the United States came in January 2020 (World Health Organization, 2020). In the two years since then, countries around the world have been affected by COVID-19 and the subsequent social, economic, and mental health issues. Previous research shows that the animal healthcare field is already overrun with burnout, substance abuse, depression, and increased levels of stress (Gardner & Hini, 2006), and the pandemic has only compounded these issues (Mair et al., 2020). Observing a lack of meaningful reporting on the issues affecting veterinary staff led the researchers to investigate staff members’ practices, day- …
Impact Of A Cattle Crossing On Water Quality Along A Tributary Of The Muddy Fork Of The Illinois River, Northwest Arkansas,
2022
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Impact Of A Cattle Crossing On Water Quality Along A Tributary Of The Muddy Fork Of The Illinois River, Northwest Arkansas, Nicholas Valentini
Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
Cattle are known to have an effect on water quality in various bodies of water. Studying how cattle impact water quality along various streams and tributaries is important to understanding how certain water parameters may be affected at the individual farm level. It is known that unrestricted access to a cattle crossing has been shown to increase the occurrence of downstream pollutants such as E. coli, ammonium, total kjeldahl nitrogen, total suspended solids, total phosphorus, and turbidity. However, many studies focus on large-scale operations and neglect the individual farm level. In this study, samples were collected twice for each …
Effects Of Cottonseed Meal Containing Gossypol On Testis Physiology In Boars,
2022
University of Arkansas, Fayetteville
Effects Of Cottonseed Meal Containing Gossypol On Testis Physiology In Boars, Kristin Ryan
Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses
Feral hogs are an invasive species found in 35 U.S. states without an effective control method to limit their population growth. According to a 2019 survey of 467 landowners in Arkansas, feral hogs caused an estimated $12 million in damages (Cook, 2019). While there are current control methods such as hunting and trapping, 65% of the feral hog population must be eliminated in a specific area to prohibit population growth (Cook, 2019). It is theorized that gossypol, a phenolic compound known to negatively impact reproductive function in other species, could cause sterility in boars. In this preliminary research study, 21 …
A Study Into The Ownership And Care Of Animals Among The Hu Community,
2022
Harrisburg University of Science and Technology
A Study Into The Ownership And Care Of Animals Among The Hu Community, Amir Khan, Akeisha Belgrave
Harrisburg University Research Symposium: Highlighting Research, Innovation, & Creativity
My project involves understanding the animal care routines of persons in the HU Community. (Class Project)
Annual Faculty Research Symposium 2022,
2022
Oakwood University
Annual Faculty Research Symposium 2022, Oakwood University
Proceedings
No abstract provided.
Fragile Foal Syndrome: Its Past, Present, And Future,
2022
Murray State University
Fragile Foal Syndrome: Its Past, Present, And Future, Alena Martin, Alena M. Martin
Honors College Theses
Though Fragile Foal Syndrome (FFS) has been around for some time, the public interest in FFS is recent. The hype spread rapidly from a public media announcement that a stallion at a prominent North American stud farm was a carrier (Brooks, 2021). As with most genetic mutations, FFS likely arose due to the increased inbreeding that results from human selection (Orlando & Librado, 2019). Fragile Foal Syndrome affects the enzyme responsible for developing the connective tissues. Two recent case studies highlighted the devastating effect of FFS on every part of the equine body (Metzger, et al., 2020; Grillos, 2021). So …
Environment-Driven Shifts In Inter-Individual Variation And Phenotypic Integration Within Subnetworks Of The Mussel Transcriptome And Proteome,
2022
Chapman University
Environment-Driven Shifts In Inter-Individual Variation And Phenotypic Integration Within Subnetworks Of The Mussel Transcriptome And Proteome, Richelle L. Tanner, Lani U. Gleason, W. Wesley Dowd
Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research
The environment can alter the magnitude of phenotypic variation among individuals, potentially influencing evolutionary trajectories. However, environmental influences on variation are complex and remain understudied. Populations in heterogeneous environments might exhibit more variation, the amount of variation could differ between benign and stressful conditions, and/or variation might manifest in different ways among stages of the gene-to-protein expression cascade or among physiological functions. Here, we explore these three issues by quantifying patterns of inter-individual variation in both transcript and protein expression levels among California mussels, Mytilus californianus Conrad. Mussels were exposed to five ecologically relevant treatments that varied in the mean …
Transcriptomic Analysis Of Liver Indicates Novel Vaccine To Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Virus Promotes Homeostasis In T-Cell And Inflammatory Immune Responses Compared To A Commercial Vaccine In Pigs,
2022
USDA, Agricultural Research Service
Transcriptomic Analysis Of Liver Indicates Novel Vaccine To Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Virus Promotes Homeostasis In T-Cell And Inflammatory Immune Responses Compared To A Commercial Vaccine In Pigs, Damarius S. Fleming, Laura C. Miller, Jiuyi Li, Albert Van Geelen, Yongming Sang
Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research
One of the largest impediments for commercial swine production is the presence of Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV), a devastating RNA viral infection that is responsible for over $1 billion in loss in the U.S. annually. The challenge with combating PRRSV is a combination of the effect of an extraordinary rate of mutation, the ability to infect macrophages, and subversion of host immune response through a series of actions leading to both immunomodulation and immune evasion. Currently there are a handful of commercial vaccines on the market that have been shown to be effective against homologous infections, but …
Thinking Outside The Box Of Evaluation Platforms: Adapting Qualtrics For Virtual 4-H Judging Competitions,
2022
University of Missouri
Thinking Outside The Box Of Evaluation Platforms: Adapting Qualtrics For Virtual 4-H Judging Competitions, Maria Calvert, Ty Peckman
The Journal of Extension
Competitive events represent a major component of 4-H programming. These events are typically held in person; however, unforeseen circumstances, like the COVID-19 pandemic, have required Extension professionals to adapt these programs to virtual settings. This paper outlines some unique features of Qualtrics, a web-based tool commonly used to build surveys, that led Missouri 4-H to use the platform to administer agriculture and natural resource science contests.
The Role Of Leaf Decomposition In Macroinvertebrate Colonization,
2022
Augustana College, Rock Island Illinois
The Role Of Leaf Decomposition In Macroinvertebrate Colonization, Bethany Mabel Lian Schorr, Kevin Geedey
Independent Research Projects
Decomposition plays an important ecological role in carbon and nutrient cycling that supply food and energy resources to food webs. This study investigates the potential role that leaf decomposition of different leaf species may play in macroinvertebrate assemblages in upper Midwest streams. We hypothesized that the different decomposition rates experienced with different leaf species and in different streams would have an effect on invertebrate colonization due to the variance in nutrient availability. Due to altered fire regimes and other influences, forests are experiencing declines in fire-adapted, heliophytic species such as oaks and compositional shifts toward shade-tolerant, mesophytic species such as …
