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Utilization Of Camera Grading Technology For Bison Carcass Characteristics, Christina Bakker, Jessica Sparks, Keith Underwood, Kyle Grubbs, Amanda D. Blair

Animal Science Research Report 2024

The objective of this study was to evaluate the ability of beef camera grading technology to assess characteristics of bison carcasses.

The Effects Of Fermented Vegetables On The Gut Microbiota For Prevention Of Cardiovascular Disease, Melissa Baron, Bin Zuo, Jianmin Chai, Jiangchao Zhao, Alireza Jahan-Mihan, Judy Ochrietor, Andrea Y. Arikawa

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

This study investigated the impact of regular consumption of fermented vegetables (FVs) on inflammation and the composition of the gut microbiota in adults at increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Eighty-seven adults ages 35–64 were randomized into an FV group, who consumed 100 g FVs daily at least five times per week for eight weeks, or a usual diet (UD) group. Blood and stool samples were obtained before and after the intervention. Dependent samples t tests and adjusted linear models were used for within- and between-group comparisons. The mean age and body mass index of participants were 45 years and 30 …

Deoxynivalenol And Fumonisin Predispose Broilers To Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lameness, Khawla Alharbi, Nnamdi Ekesi, Amer Hasan, Andi Asnayanti, Jundi Liu, Raj Murugesan, Shelby Ramirez, Samuel Rochell, Michael T. Kidd, Adnan Alrubaye

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) lameness is the most critical animal health and welfare issue facing the broiler industry worldwide. It is estimated that 1 to 2% of bird condemnation at marketing age is caused by BCO lameness, resulting in tens of millions of dollars in annual losses. Fast-growing broilers are prone to mechanical stress that triggers bacterial translocation across epithelial barriers into the bloodstream, followed by bacterial colonization in the growth plate of long bones, and eventually, bone necrosis and lameness. Mycotoxins (MTX) are secondary metabolites produced naturally by microfungi, of which deoxynivalenol (DON …

Effects Of Varied Fertilization, Tillage, And Supplementation Strategies On Grazing Steers And Wheat Pasture Performance, Cody Everett Gruber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objectives for the two experiments were to determine the impact of nitrogen (N) fertilizer rate, establishment method through no-till (NT) or clean-till (CT), and supplementation on stocker, wheat stand, and economic performance. Within study 1, 24, 1.62-ha pastures, were used over a two-year period. Pasture treatments consisted of a combination of N fertilization rate (100.88, 134.5, or 168.12 kg/ha), applied as broadcast urea and split between two equal applications of 50% at planting and the remaining 50% in the spring when daytime average temperatures trend above 10°C, and of NT establishment or CT establishment. Steers were weighed on arrival, …

Evaluation Of Protein Turnover, Lipid Turnover, And Calcium Utilization On Broiler Breeder Performance, Cole Umberson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Broiler breeder performance is based upon egg production. Breeders are reared from day of hatch to ovulation with the main goal of controlling body weight. Maintaining body weight in breeders is highly emphasized prior to first egg as to reach optimum peak production feeding increases dramatically to meet energy needs. Energy is supplied to the breeder in three forms carbohydrates (fast energy), protein (medium energy), and fat (slow energy). Carbohydrates are quickly used by the breeders, while protein is constantly being utilized by the breeder for growth and egg production, fat is stored and used lastly as the energy requirements …

The Influence Of Researcher Disturbance On Raccoon Predation Of American Alligator Nests, Clarissa Tuten

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are a dominant predator of American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis) nests in the southeastern United States, using a combination of olfactory, visual, and tactile cues to identify nest locations. Studies on alligator nesting ecology typically require researchers to create paths through marsh habitat, potentially introducing visual and olfactory cues raccoons may use to locate nests. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of human visitation to alligator nests on the frequency of raccoon nest predation at two sites in coastal South Carolina, Tom Yawkey Wildlife Center (TYWC) and Santee Coastal Reserve (SCR). We hypothesized that …

Vibratory Noise Impacts The Sensory Ecology Of A Funnel-Weaving Spider, Brandi June Pessman

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Animals experience their world through diverse sensory systems, leveraging information from prey, predators, and potential mates to inform behavioral decisions. Environmental noise disrupts information via spectral or amplitude masking, degradation, or distortion, potentially leading to costly errors in responses. Critically, urbanization has accelerated the proliferation of novel noise sources, triggering significant shifts in communication, foraging, and predator-prey dynamics among urban wildlife. While vertebrate studies have illuminated urban animals’ flexibility to anthropogenic acoustic noise, a comprehensive understanding requires broader investigations across diverse animal taxa and sensory modalities. To address these gaps, my dissertation explored the impacts of anthropogenic substrate-borne (vibratory) noise …

A Comparison Of Shaping And Imitation For Reducing A Dog’S Problem Behavior, Carlee Weir, Robbie Hanson

Theses

Over one million dogs have entered shelters in 2024 alone with approximately 31% of those dogs being relinquished by their owners (Shelter Animal Count, 2024). Further, non-aggressive behavioral issues are often cited as a primary cause for owner relinquishment (Best Friends Network Partners, 2018; Howard & DiGennaro Reed, 2014). Previous research has shown the effectiveness of training methods based on positive reinforcement to reduce problematic behavior with dogs and to increase desirable behavior, such as shaping and clicker training, and there has been a growing interest in the use of imitation during training. Fugazza and Miklosi (2015) compared a shaping …

Female Choice: Attraction In The Animal Kingdom, Lindsay Culpepper

Honors Theses

Across taxa, choosing a mate is one of the most crucial decisions a female can make. This choice can come with direct benefits like protection and parenting assistance, but it may also provide indirect benefits through the survival of her offspring and thus the continuation of her genes. The female considers numerous qualities when making that choice, evaluating aspects of potential mates’ physical appearance and behavior. Understanding female choice is crucial to effective animal conservation and management, as it has significant implications for captive breeding programs, both in terms of output and in preparing offspring for release. This thesis will …

Sheep And Goat Industry Funding Scheme Annual Report 2022/2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

The Sheep and Goat Industry Funding Scheme (IFS) has been operating since 2010 to address biosecurity threats relevant to the Western Australian (WA) sheep and goat industry. The Scheme was established by regulation under the Biosecurity and Agriculture Management Act 2007 to enable sheep and goat producers to identify pest and disease priorities at a whole-of-industry level and raise funds for activities to address these priorities.

There are currently three Industry Funding Schemes in operation. In addition to the Sheep and Goat IFS, there is a Cattle IFS and a Grains, Seeds and Hay IFS. The three IFSs operate in …

Response Of Fish Assemblages To Increased Connectivity And Habitat Restoration In Bayou St. John, A Degraded Waterway In New Orleans, La, Alia Jones

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Bayou St. John is a degraded waterway located within the City of New Orleans. The Bayou, which is disconnected from Lake Pontchartrain by floodgates, has undergone restoration efforts to improve connectivity through frequent floodgate openings and marsh habitat restoration outside of the floodgates. To assess possible responses of local fish assemblages to these restoration efforts, I analyzed long-term fish assemblage data from three sites located inside of the floodgates and one site located at the restored marsh outside of the floodgates. Two sites inside of the floodgates experienced significant changes in assemblages between the pre-opening period (2006-2012) and post-opening period …

Investigating The Demise Of East Bank Ridge Through Local Fishery Perceptions And Fish Population Metrics, Marissa R. Lamb

Theses and Dissertations

East Bank Ridge is a natural reef formation located 18 nautical miles off the coast of South Padre Island, covering an area of over 80 km2, with the southern portion extending into Mexico. There is no previous record of the structural composition or fish community present at the site. The ridge was a well-known fishing site in the local community over the past decades but catch rates have decreased substantially according to personal accounts from local anglers. In this study, areas of reef habitat were identified, and fish presence and abundance metrics were determined at East Bank Ridge. These measures …

Ecological Dynamics Of Cenozoic North American Mammals, Alexandria Brandis Shupinski

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

Understanding how community structure is affected by various ecological, climatic, and environmental changes is a long-standing goal in ecology. However, disentangling human impacts from these other variables is difficult when using short modern timescales and anthropogenically altered communities. The fossil record provides a means to investigate community structure dynamics across critical intervals, excluding humans as a variable. Here, in three studies, I assess changes in North American mammal paleocommunity structure across the last 66 million years (Ma) at multiple temporal and spatial scales. In Chapter 1, I identify changes in mammal functional diversity (FD) locally and continentally, using three independent …

Dispersal Movement And Overwintering Ecology Of A Cryptic Migratory Forest Owl, Mitchell Lee Pruitt

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Understanding species’ distributions and how a species uses its environment is a vital aspect of ecology and important for the development and implementation of conservation planning. In migratory species, with distinct breeding and nonbreeding ranges, understanding distributions is a complex endeavor. Nevertheless, evaluating movement behavior by linking seasonal distributions and identifying source areas is vital for understanding a species’ full annual cycle ecology. Understanding distributions is particularly important for predators, like birds of prey, that can exert top-down effects on community structure and ecosystem function through their influence on prey populations. Among raptors, owls are severely understudied in large part …

Thamnophis And Their Toxic Relationship: Testing For Intraspecific Venom Variation In The Common Garter Snake, Thamnophis Sirtalis, Grace E. Coppinger

Poster Presentations

Project Objective - Estimate intraspecific venom variation between male and female garter snakes collected from the University of South Alabama of different sizes.

Comparing The Effectiveness Of Different Forms Of Vitamin E Supplementation (Liquid Vs. Powder) On Serum Alpha-Tocopherol Concentrations In Developing Horses, Emilia Fong-Gallagher

Honors Scholar Theses

Vitamin E is an essential antioxidant in equines that has a significant role in the nutritional requirements of horses to keep bodily systems functioning at optimal levels. Vitamin E deficiency is often associated with serious incurable neuromuscular diseases such as equine motor neuron disease and equine protozoal myeloencephalitis. Many horses stabled in urban areas are often deficient due to the lack of adequate grazing time as their natural source of vitamin E is from grass, and therefore should receive supplementation. This study evaluated the effectiveness of different forms of Elevate vitamin E supplement on the serum alpha-tocopherol concentrations in fourteen …

Pathology And Osteological Observations Of Early Pliocene Rhinoceros, Teleoceras Aepysoma (Perissodactyla, Rhinocerotidae) From Gray Fossil Site, Tennessee, Thomas Scaife

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Rhinoceroses were an important part of North America’s Paleogene and Neogene ecosystems, with Teleoceras aepysoma being one of the last representatives of this family. Specimens of T. aepysoma from the Gray Fossil Site (GFS) possess distinct/peculiar pathologies: including a pair of fused ribs and ankylosed phalanges. A qualitative description of the pathologies in the GFS T. aepysoma, including new material, was conducted to accurately identify pathologies and make interpretations about the life history of the GFS rhinos. Analysis suggests that rheumatoid arthritis is common in the lower limb bones of GFS rhinos. Additionally, the rib and toe pathologies are more …

Alternative Energy And Protein Feed Sources For Sheep And Cattle, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

During dry times and drought there are a wide range of alternative feedstuffs producers may consider using to maintain stock. Some of these feeds can have health risks associated with them and should not be used as the sole food source as they often lack sufficient energy and protein.

Breeder And Heifer Management For Rangeland Cattle, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Animal production and livestock factsheets

This section contains information relating to breeder and heifer management for rangeland cattle. Topics covered include body condition score, heifer management and breeder management.

The Spatial And Behavioral Ecology Of The Eastern Box Turtle In A Suburban Landscape, Emma Rogers

All Theses

Urbanization poses a significant threat to wildlife through fragmentation, degradation, and loss of habitats. Species response to urban development is variable, from species that thrive in urban areas to those that avoid them. Eastern box turtles (Terrapene carolina carolina) can live and reproduce in urban areas; however, reports of population decline throughout the species’ range have raised concerns. The objective of this study was to compare home range size and composition, as well as the microhabitat selection of the Eastern box turtle across a developmental gradient in Clemson, SC. We tracked 14 individuals in habitats along a developmental …

Photobiomodulation Of Bovine Oocytes During Maturation Increases Atp Content And Enhances Subsequent Embryonic Development, Kendall Richey

All Theses

Bovine in-vitro production(IVP) of embryos is a growing field for producing offspring with desirable genetics in the cattle industries. While IVP is effective, oocyte cytoplasmic maturation is compromised, and bovine oocytes matured in-vitro have reduced metabolic activity than those matured in-vivo. Mitochondria are the central unit of oocyte metabolism, producing ATP through OXPHOS. Photobiomodulation is a light treatment reported to improve metabolic activity. In five experiments, we measured the effects of photobiomodulation treatment with red LED at 16-(L-16) and 20 h(L-20) of bovine oocyte in-vitro maturation on subsequent embryonic development, mitochondrial activity and nuclear progression. Bovine COCs were aspirated …

Effect Of Source Of Trace Minerals On Nutrient Digestibility And Rumen Fermentation Of Dairy Cows, Cesar Velasquez Rios

All Theses

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The Impact Of A Pgym Variant On Myophosphorylase Deficiency In Red Angus Composite Cattle And Changes In The Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome Due To The Intramuscular Administration Of Lidocaine In Wether Lambs, Mackenzie Christin Batt

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Project 1 focused on eight calves in a Nebraska herd (composite Simmental, Red Angus, Gelbvieh) that displayed exercise intolerance during forced activity. Available sire pedigrees contained a paternal ancestor within 2-4 generations in all affected calves. Pedigrees of the calves’ dams were unavailable, however, the cows were ranch-raised and retained from prior breeding seasons, where bulls used for breeding occasionally had a common ancestor. Therefore, it was hypothesized that a de novo autosomal recessive variant was causative of exercise intolerance in these calves. A genome-wide association analysis followed by whole-genome sequencing led to the identification of a variant in the …

Utilization Of The NuTrack System To Objectively Evaluate Changes In Active And Passive Behaviors Of Group-Housed Nursery Pigs Exposed To An Endotoxin Challenge, Aaron Holliday

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study aimed to evaluate the changes in activity of group-housed, newly weaned pigs challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS). At weaning, pigs (n = 192, 5.73 ± 1.8 kg) were stratified by sex, litter, and body weight (BW) and randomly assigned to one of three treatments (16 pigs/pen, 4 pens/treatment): 1) Saline-injected (SAL), 2) 50% challenged [50%-LPS) – only half of the pigs in a pen (8 pigs) were challenged with LPS and 3) 100% challenged (100%-LPS) – all pigs in a pen were challenged with LPS. Pigs in the SAL and 32 in the 50%-LPS treatment received a 3.0 …

Impact Of Strategic Postweaning Supplementation On March- And May-Born Yearling Range Heifer And Calf Growth And Performance In The Nebraska Sandhills, Josie Nicole Crouch

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Three experiments were conducted at the Gudmundsen Sandhills laboratory near Whitman, Nebraska. Experiment 1, a retrospective regression analysis, evaluated the impact of heifer percentage of mature body weight (BW) at breeding on heifer performance, subsequent pregnancy rates, and calf production. Overall pregnancy rates were greater (P < 0.01) for heifers at 60 to 70% of mature BW than 50 to 55%, with no differences in pregnancy rates (P ≥ 0.15) after 2-years of age. Heifers at 50 to 60% of mature BW had a greater (P = 0.05) proportion give birth in the first 21-d. A higher percentage of mature BW at breeding resulted in greater (P < 0.01) BW at birth and weaning for offspring.

Experiments 2 and 3 were 3-year studies that evaluated the impact …

Artificial Insemination And Fetal Programming In Beef Production Systems, Dempster M. Christenson

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Pregnancy to artificial insemination and late gestation fetal programming of the next calf crop are central to genetic development, reproductive longevity, calf crop productivity, and efficiency of cow/calf ranching. The purposes of this research are to find methods to improve pregnancy rate to artificial insemination, the growth and reproductive health of pregnant heifers, and the productivity of their offspring. In the first of four studies we found that extending the period of progesterone administration in an estrus synchronization protocol did not significantly hasten estrus response or increase pregnancy rate to artificial insemination, but timing of estrus within the melengestrol acetate …

Adding Parasite Resistance To A Hair Sheep Breeding Objective, Robert M. Forbes

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The United States Hair Sheep Index was designed to increase total weight of lamb weaned per ewe lambing (TW) using estimated breeding values (EBV) for direct (DWWT) and maternal (MWWT) weaning weight, and number of lambs born (NLB) and weaned (NLW), as selection criteria. Producers are interested in adding post-weaning fecal egg count EBV (PFEC), an indicator of parasite resistance, to the index to achieve genetic change in both TW and PFEC.

First, the effects of adding PFEC alongside TW to the breeding objective of indexes that used either phenotypes or EBV as selection criteria were studied. Since MWWT …

Feeding Dried Distillers' Grains With Solubles To Lactating Dairy Cattle: Whole Animal Energy Utilization And Manure Biogas Production, Grant Michael Fincham

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

When DDGS are fed to lactating dairy cattle, the observed response in energy supply, milk production, and methane production varies among studies. One potential reason for these observed discrepancies is the nature of the diet formulation itself. Furthermore, little research has been conducted to examine how dietary changes can affect dairy cattle manure composition and methane production in an anaerobic manure digester. In order to gain a better understanding of these topics, we conducted two experiments. The first experiment was conducted to test how the manipulation of lactating dairy cattle diets affects energy utilization, milk production, methane production, and manure …

Optimizing Laying Hen Behavior, Bone Health, And Welfare Through Environmental And Nutritional Enrichments, Mallory Anderson

All Dissertations

The objective of this dissertation was to evaluate the impact of environmental and nutritional enrichments on the behavior, bone health, and welfare of Hy-line brown and Hy-line W-36 laying hens. Laying hens are prone to experiencing a progressive increase in bone fragility due to the ongoing mobilization of calcium from the bones for eggshell formation. Over time, this increases their susceptibility for bone fracture, which is a welfare concern. Prior research suggests that exercise, especially during the developmental stage, can aid in minimizing bone fractures by strengthening muscles and increasing bone mass. Furthermore, nutrition plays an integral role in laying …

The Influence Of Feed Additives On Laying Hen Health, Welfare, And Egg Quality, Alexa Johnson

All Dissertations

Natural feed additives like oregano essential oil and synbiotic (prebiotic and probiotic) are options with great potential for increasing the health and welfare of laying hens. The first two studies explored the effects of dietary oregano essential oil (EOO) on performance, gastrointestinal traits (GIT), blood lipids, antioxidant capacity, and egg quality in laying hens from 0 to 40 weeks of age. The third study was conducted to examine dietary EOO on layers on the shelf life and fatty acid profile of eggs. The final study aimed to examine the effects of a dietary synbiotic on agonistic behavior, plasma and brain …