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Investigation Of The Promoter Polymorphisms Of The Growth Hormone (Gh1), Growth Hormone Receptor (Ghr), Insulin-Like Growth Factor (Igf-I), And Prolactin (Prl) Genes And The Correlation Between Gene Expression And Milk Yields In Holstein Cattle Raised In Central Anatolia, Korhan Arslan, Serpi̇l Taheri̇, Eli̇f Funda Şener, Bi̇lal Akyüz, Aytaç Akçay, Yusuf Özkul, Kaan Muhsi̇n İşcan

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to investigate the promoter polymorphisms of the growth hormone (GH1), growth hormone receptor (GHR), insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I), and prolactin (PRL) genes, and the correlation of the expression levels of these genes with lactation and daily milk yields in Holstein cattle. A total of 154 lactating Holstein cows raised in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey, with a mean age of 5.4 years and a mean body weight of 571.7 kg, constituted the study material. Each blood sample was examined by real-time PCR for mRNA expression levels and the promoter polymorphisms of the GH1, …

Molecular And Seroprevalence Of Canine Visceral Leishmaniasis In West Anatolia, Turkey, Serkan Bakirci, Hüseyi̇n Bi̇lgi̇n Bi̇lgi̇ç, Onur Köse, Ayça Aksulu, Seli̇n Hacilarlioğlu, Hasan Erdoğan, Tüli̇n Karagenç

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Canine leishmaniasis (CanL) is a protozoal disease caused by Leishmania species. Dogs play an important role as a reservoir. The aim of this study is to determine the prevalence of CanL by molecular and serological techniques among stray dogs living in kennels in Aydın, Manisa, and İzmir, located in western Turkey. Blood samples were collected from a total of 191 dogs and analyzed using indirect immunofluorescence antibody test (IFAT) and polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The isolates that tested positive using PCR were further analyzed by real-time PCR for species identification and confirmation. A total of 21 (10.99%) dogs were found …

Ovine Coccidiosis: Prevalence And Associated Risk Factors Inand Around Addis-Zemen, Northwest Ethiopia, Abinet Lakew, Zewdu Seyoum

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This cross-sectional study was conducted in and around Addis-Zemen from November 2014 to April 2015 to determine the prevalence of ovine coccidiosis and to identify associated risk factors. Faecal samples were collected directly from the rectum of 384 randomly selected animals. A centrifugal faecal flotation technique using saturated salt solution was used to detect Eimeria oocysts. Out of 384 samples, only 88 were found to contain Eimeria oocysts. Eimeria infection was recorded in all age and sex groups of the study animals. A strong significant association was observed (P < 0.05) between Eimeria infection and the faecal consistency, production system, hygienic status, age, and body condition of the sampled animals. However, an insignificant (P > 0.05) association was recorded between Eimeria infection and the origins and …

The Determination Of In Vitro Gas Production And Metabolizable Energy Value Of Rice Straw Treated With Exogenous Fibrolytic Enzymes, Zehra Selçuk, Nurcan Çeti̇nkaya, Mustafa Salman, Buğra Genç

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study was conducted to determine the effects of cellulase and xylanase treatments on in vitro 24-h gas production (GP), organic matter digestibility (OMD), and metabolizable energy (ME) values of rice straw (RS). Rice straws were treated with cellulase and xylanase at the levels of 0% (C1), 0.5% (RS+CEL0.5), 1% (RS+CEL1), 1.5% (RS+CEL1.5), and 2% (RS+CEL2) and 0% (C2), 0.5% (RS+XYL0.5), 1% (RS+XYL1), 1.5% (RS+XYL1.5), and 2% (RS+XYL2), respectively. Rice straws treated with each level of cellulase and xylanase were ensiled in 6 glass jars. For each level of cellulase and xylanase treatment, 3 glass jars were incubated at room …

Comparison Of Domestic Fresh And Frozen And Imported Frozen Goat Meat, Jeffrey Cole Denis Gregorie

LSU Master's Theses

The objective of this research was to determine differences in carcass evaluation, yield, and meat quality from representative fresh domestic (FSD), frozen domestic (FZD), and frozen imported Australian (FIA) goat carcass sides (n=30 from each source). The U.S. carcasses were split into sides and the right side frozen and stored for 6 weeks. Left sides were fabricated into standardized primal cuts. After frozen storage, right sides and FIA carcasses were thawed for 3 days at 4°C. Three experiments were conducted on the carcass traits and meat yields, quality differences in leg cut, and differences in loin and racks across freezing …

Effect Of Increasing Levels Of Dietary Zinc (Zn), Manganese (Mn), And Copper (Cu) From Organic And Inorganic Sources On Egg Quality And Egg Zn, Mn, And Cu Content In Laying Hens, Nancy Katherine Rubio Zapata

LSU Master's Theses

Feeding laying hens or broiler breeder hens organic sources of trace minerals can improve egg quality, especially as related to shell quality. The objectives of this research were to evaluate the effect of increasing laying hen dietary zinc (Zn) levels on the content of Zn and other minerals in eggs (boron (Bo), iron (Fe), and calcium (Ca)), and to evaluate the effect of feeding increasing Zn, manganese (Mn) and copper (Cu) levels from inorganic (ITM) and organic (OTM) sources on egg quality and yolk content of Zn, Mn, and Cu. In the first experiment, a total of 64 (48 weeks …

An Experimental Test Of Response By Common Ravens To Nest Exclosures, Teresa R. King

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Common ravens (Corvus corax) are intelligent generalists and a principal predator affecting population recovery of several threatened and endangered species, including the threatened western snowy plover (Charadrius nivosus nivosus). In Humboldt County, raven predation is a primary cause of low nest survival. Nest exclosures, cages around eggs that preclude entry by predators but allow plovers access to incubate, are known to increase nest success. However, speculation exists that exclosures may attract predators. The aims of this study were to summarize corvid distribution on Clam Beach County Park and Little River State Beach, evaluate habitat features associated …

Genetic Structure And Connectivity Of The Endangered Giant Kangaroo Rat (Dipodomys Ingens) In A Heterogeneous Environment, Nathan Alexander

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Movement ecology and dispersal are important aspects of species’ life histories that can inform conservation and management. Dispersal is often cryptic and difficult to detect, but recent advances genetic technology and applications have provided new approaches to identifying and describing dispersal patterns. Giant kangaroo rats (Dipodomys ingens) are an endangered heteromyid that appear to persist in small subpopulations in a heterogeneous environment of their northern range, the Ciervo-Panoche Natural Area, California. Previous work suggested high levels of genetic diversity between populations with genetic distances not being correlated to geographic distances. Here, I identified landscape population structure through clustering …

Vitrification Of Immature And Mature Bovine Oocytes, Paige T. Hardin

LSU Master's Theses

Vitrification is the latest technique used in cryopreservation, the ability to utilize this method with oocytes and embryos has become a valuable system. Vitrification has been successful with bovine embryos and oocytes but is far from optimal. Following cryopreservation storage discarding embryos can cause ethical issues, and mature oocytes have fragile organelles that can be detrimentally affected by ice crystal formation during freezing. Immature oocytes have not formed some of these temperature sensitive microfilaments and can circumvent these detrimental effects. The common intracellular cryoprotective agents are dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol and ethylene glycol. Different combination of these agents have been reported …

An Investigation Of Juvenile Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) Habitat Use And Growth Using Natural Markers, Gregory Norman Labonte Ms

All Student Scholarship

This research attempts to connect patterns in growth and migration of an anadromous species. The goal of this research was to understand habitat movements and growth of juvenile alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in the Penobscot Estuary and Bay through the use of otolith microchemistry, otolith growth increments, and a laboratory stable isotope turnover study. Understanding the connection between growth and movement of juvenile alewives may lead to more accurate and sophisticated conservation and restoration methods for anadromous species.

Ecology Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Greater Detroit Area Of Southeastern Michigan, William B. Dodge

Wayne State University Dissertations

Coyote distribution and habitat use, diet and foraging behavior and space use patterns were investigated in the greater Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. We found evidence of coyotes on 24 of 30 (80%) suburban and 7 of 11 (64%) urban plots. Overall fifty-eight percent of coyote evidence was found within edge habitats, with den sites and tracks the only types of evidence found strictly in interior habitats. Land cover around evidence points included more wooded land cover than expected in suburban areas, suggesting the importance of tree cover for coyote occupancy, and more open space and wooded land cover than …

An Investigation Of The Use Of Natural Agents To Control Mycobacteria, Olga Lesniak

Theses

Economic losses that are caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) infections represent a major obstacle for farmers and also for the dairy industry. In order to control the population of MAP, alternative control agents must be investigated. One of the studies described in this thesis focused on using a bacteriophage therapy based approach to assess its efficacy on simulated industrial environments and food models. Another study described in this thesis investigated the antimicrobial effects of parsley and garlic on a range of mycobacteria species. Both studies used conventional microbiological methods such as plaque assays, AlamarBlue assay (MABA) and growth curves, …

Data For Henson Et Al. 2016, Shandelle Henson, James Hayward, J Cushing, Gordon Atkins, Sumiko Weir, Ashley Reichert, Wayanne Watson, Wadenerson Saint Martin, Amanda Sandler

Faculty Publications

These data are archived for the paper "Adaptation to short-term ENSO fluctuations may provide tipping points for populations subjected to long-term climate change" by Henson et al., submitted. Additional files: Supplementary Figure 1 | Sample plots on Violet Point, Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, USA. The larger colony extends throughout much of the spit.

Galápagos Sea Lion (Zalophus Wollekaeki) Play Behaviors On San Cristóbal Island, Ecuador, Mary Ann Kincer

Online Theses and Dissertations

My thesis concerns observations of play activities from videotapes of Galápagos sea lions on San Cristóbal Island from mid-summer of 2008. I begin with a discussion of ideas about play and types of play, elaborate the conceptual system of projects and routines in play, and provide a brief description of sea lion taxonomy and forms of play specific to Galápagos sea lions. Observing approximately 713 minutes of videotapes, I coded approximately 161.5 minutes of play projects and routines. Of the 713 minutes, 241 minutes were used in training, and 472 were coded independently by two coders for reliability. The two …

Factors Influencing Pre-Fledging Mass Recession Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Katrina Deann Reeda Moeller

Online Theses and Dissertations

Fledglings of some aerial insectivores experience pre-fledgling mass recession, possibly to achieve an optimum wing loading by the time of fledging. However, studies of aerial insectivores to date have been limited to two species of swifts (Apodidae), and additional studies of species of aerial insectivores are needed to determine if factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession vary among species. Thus, my objective was to examine factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession by nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). My study was conducted during the 2015 breeding season at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Nestling Tree Swallows (n …

American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) May Use Tail-Pumping To Maintain Balance, Joshua Suich

Online Theses and Dissertations

When perched, several species of small falcons, including American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), often pump their tails, but the possible function of this behavior is unknown. My objective was to use observations and experiments to examine the possible function(s) of tail-pumping by American Kestrels. Fieldwork was conducted from March 2015 to December 2015 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. During observations of focal kestrels, I noted their behavior (e.g., landing on a perch, hunting, or consuming prey), including when and how often they pumped their tails (i.e., rapid movement of the tail down, then back up to …

Characteristics, Contexts, And Possible Functions Of The Vocalizations Of Blue Jays, Dustin Eric Brewer

Online Theses and Dissertations

Many species in the family Corvidae, including Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), are known to have large vocal repertoires. However, perhaps due to its perceived complexity, few investigators have attempted to describe the vocal repertoire of Blue Jays. Therefore, my objectives were to describe the vocal repertoire of Blue Jays, determine the characteristics of their calls, and suggest possible functions. During 2015 and 2016, I studied free-living Blue Jays in and near Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky. I observed Blue Jays at 17 different locations, recorded their vocalizations, and noted the behavioral contexts during which calls were uttered. I also conducted playback …

Assessing The Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Foraging Bats At Mammoth Cave National Park After The Arrival Of White-Nose Syndrome, Rachael Elizabeth Griffitts

Online Theses and Dissertations

Habitat use of bats may shift following population level impacts of White-nose Syndrome (WNS). Multiple bat species have experienced unprecedented population declines due to WNS, including federally listed Myotis sodalis (Indiana bat) and Myotis septentrionalis (northern long-eared bat). Specifically, the effect of WNS across forest landscapes is unclear in relation to prescribed fire. Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) has employed a prescribed fire regime since 2002 and WNS was detected on MACA in 2013. Bat activity was monitored across burned and unburned sites at MACA before (2010-2012) and after the detection of WNS (2013-2016) using transects of acoustic detectors (Anabat …

The Efficacy Of Kaolin Clay In Reducing The Duration And Severity Of `Heat' Diarrhea In Foals, Magdalena Pieszka, Jaroslaw Luszczynski, Magdalena Hedrzak, Katerina Goncharova, Stefan G. Pierzynowski

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

'Heat' diarrhea in foals is an onerous but not life-threatening ailment, which indicates that it may be of osmotic origin. This was confirmed by a successful attempt, presented in this paper, to alleviate the severity and duration of foal heat diarrhea with the use of a typical absorbent, kaolin clay, as a feed additive, usually applied in feed production as an anticaking agent. Based on the present results, it can be concluded that treatment of foals maintained on different stud farms with a kaolin paste reduced the duration of heat diarrhea and alleviated its severity (P < 0.05 and P = 0.001). The observed action of kaolin clay, an excellent absorbent, suggests that the so-called heat diarrhea can be caused by disturbances in the intestinal osmotic balance at this specific age of foals. The use of this preparation can reduce the risk of secondary pathological viral or bacterial diarrhea and the requirement for veterinary intervention in foal management. It can also shorten the care period and increase foal well-being, essential for the normal development of a young horse. In addition, prophylactic application of an antidiarrheal preparation based on an industrial by-product, i.e. A cheap component, will reduce the costs of foal care.

Population Genetic Structure Of Necturus Maculosus In Central And Eastern Kentucky, Mason Owen Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Population structure is influenced by extrinsic factors, such as landscape architecture and dispersal barriers. Lotic network architecture is known to constrain ecological, demographic and evolutionary processes, including population genetic structure. I assessed the population structure of a widespread aquatic salamander, Necturus maculosus, across three river basins in central and eastern Kentucky. I examined the role of network architecture, anthropogenic barriers, and spatial scale on patterns of population structure. I also provided a review of N. maculosus capture methods and offer an improved trap design. I identified significant structuring between the combined Licking/Kinniconick basin and the Kentucky River basin, with …

Territoriality And Inter-Pack Aggression In Gray Wolves: Shaping A Social Carnivore's Life History Rudyard Kipling's Law Of The Jungle Meets Yellowstone's Law Of The Mountains, Kira A. Cassidy, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Daniel R. Macnulty, Daniel R. Stahler, Matthew C. Metz

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

When Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book in 1894 and included the famous line "For the strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and the strength of the Pack is the Wolf," he would have had no idea that over a century later, scientific research would back up his poetic phrase. Recent studies in Yellowstone have found that both the individual wolf and the collective pack rely on each other and play important roles in territoriality. At a time when most fairy tales and fables were portraying wolves as demonic killers or, at best, slapstick gluttons, Kipling seemed to have …

Wolf (Canis Lupus) Generation Time And Proportion Of Current Breeding Females By Age, L. David Mech, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, John Erb

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Information is sparse about aspects of female wolf (Canis lupus) breeding in the wild, including age of first reproduction, mean age of primiparity, generation time, and proportion of each age that breeds in any given year. We studied these subjects in 86 wolves (113 captures) in the Superior National Forest (SNF), Minnesota (MN), during 1972–2013 where wolves were legally protected for most of the period, and in 159 harvested wolves from throughout MN wolf range during 2012–2014. Breeding status of SNF wolves were assessed via nipple measurements, and wolves from throughout MN wolf range, by placental scars. In …

Context-Dependent Seed Dispersal By A Scatter-Hoarding Corvid, Mario B. Pesendorfer, T. Scott Sillett, Scott A. Morrison, Alan C. Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

1. Corvids (crows, jays, magpies and nutcrackers) are important dispersers of large-seeded plants. Studies on captive or supplemented birds suggest that they flexibly adjust their scatter-hoarding behavior to the context of social dynamics and relative seed availability. Because many corvid-dispersed trees show high annual variation in seed production, context-dependent foraging can have strong effects on natural corvid scatter-hoarding behavior.

2. We investigated how seed availability and social dynamics affected scatter-hoarding in the island scrub jays (Aphelocoma insularis). We quantified rates of scatter-hoarding behavior and territorial defense of 26 colormarked birds over a three-year period with variable acorn crops. …

Amblypygids: Model Organisms For The Study Of Arthropod Navigation Mechanisms In Complex Environments?, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Eileen A. Hebets, Wulfila Gronenberg, Jacob M. Graving, Verner P. Bingman

Eileen Hebets Publications

Navigation is an ideal behavioral model for the study of sensory system integration and the neural substrates associated with complex behavior. For this broader purpose, however, it may be profitable to develop new model systems that are both tractable and sufficiently complex to ensure that information derived from a single sensory modality and path integration are inadequate to locate a goal. Here, we discuss some recent discoveries related to navigation by amblypygids, nocturnal arachnids that inhabit the tropics and sub-tropics. Nocturnal displacement experiments under the cover of a tropical rainforest reveal that these animals possess navigational abilities that are reminiscent, …

Changes In Brain Water Content In The Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And In The Goldfish (Carassius Auratus) Due To High External Ammonia Exposure, Phillip Q.H. Pham-Ho

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

In fishes, hyperammonemia may occur following feeding or exposure to abnormally high concentrations of environmental ammonia due to sewage effluents, agricultural run-off and in crowded aquaculture pens. Increased internal ammonia can result in hyperactivity, convulsions, coma and death. In mammals, it is also associated with potentially fatal brain edema, in which the accumulation of intracellular water results in swelling, increased intracranical pressure and herniation leading to death. Recently it was shown that rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and goldfish (Carassius auratus) experience brain swelling following exposure to high external ammonia (HEA). However, the mechanism of ammonia-induced brain …

Draft Genome Sequences For Seven Streptococcus Parauberis Isolates From Wild Fish In The Chesapeake Bay, Ashley Haines, Emily Nebergall, Elvira Besong, Kimaya Council, Onaysha Lambert, David Gauthier

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Streptococcus parauberis is a pathogen of cattle and fish, closely related Streptococcus uberis and Streptococcus iniae. We report the genomes of seven S. parauberis strains recovered from striped bass (Morone saxatilis) in the Chesapeake Bay. The availability of these genomes will allow comparative genomic analysis of Chesapeake Bay S. parauberis strains versus S. parauberis cultured from other animal hosts and geographic regions.

The Small Mammals Of Southeastern Virginia As Revealed By Pitfall Trapping, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Pitfall trapping is a poor method to catch small mammals but the only way to catch and study the Southeastern Shrew (Sorex longirostris), the primary mammal of interest in the field studies reported here. While learning much about its distribution and abundance, still more was learned about the other small mammals present in forests and fields of eastern Virginia. A total of 15 species was captured at 19 locations during the 1990-2013 period, including five shrews, two moles, and eight rodents, representing all but one of the common small mammals in eastern Virginia.

Red List Of Marine Bony Fishes Of The Eastern Central Atlantic, Beth Polidoro, Gina Ralph, Kyle Strongin, Michael Harvey, Kent Carpenter, Titus Ayo Adeofe, Rachel Arnold, Paul Bannerman, Jean Noel Bibang Bi Nguema, Jack Buchanan, Khairdine Mohamed Abdallahi Camara, Youssouf Hawa Camara, Kadiatou Cissoko, Bruce B. Collette, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Godefroy De Bruyne, Madeleine Diouf, Roger Djiman, Mathieu Ducrocq, Ofer Gon, Antony S. Harold, Heather Harwell, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Andrew Hines, P. Alexander Hulley, Tomio Iwamoto, Steen Knudsen, Jean De Dieu Lewembe, Christi Linardich, Ken Lindeman, Ebou Mass Mbye, Jean Egard Mikolo, Vanda Monteiro, Jean Bernard Mougoussi, Thomas Munroe, Jean Hervé Mve Beh, Francis K.E. Nunoo, Caroline Pollock, Stuart Poss, Richmond Quartey, Barry Russell, Alphonse Sagna, Catherine Sayer, Aboubacar Sidibe, William Smith-Vaniz, Emilie Stump, Mor Sylla, Luis Tito De Morais, Jean-Christophe Vié, Akanbi Williams

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Red List of marine bony fishes of the Eastern Central Atlantic (ECA) is a review of the conservation status of all native marine bony fishes in ECA according to the global Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the global level and occur within the ECA region. This comprehensive assessment, which is the first of its kind in the ECA, aims to provide improved knowledge of species presence and extinction risk status for the purposes of guiding conservation actions and improved policies for these species …

Diet And Foraging Behaviors Of Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus Horridus, In Eastern Virginia, Scott M. Goetz, Christopher E. Petersen, Robert K. Rose, John D. Kleopfer, Alan H. Savitzky

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

During a 17-yr telemetry study, we examined the diet and ambush behavior of a population of Crotalus horridus in southeastern Virginia. Forty dietary items were identified from 37 fecal samples. We documented 722 instances of snakes in an ambush posture, 61 of which were in a vertical-tree posture, as if hunting arboreal prey at the base of a tree. The most common prey items were Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), which accounted for 45 of all dietary items and represented an estimated 78 of total biomass consumed by C. horridus. Prey was not consumed in proportion to availability, …

A Missing Link In The Ionoregulatory Strategy Of Larval Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) And African Lungfish (Protopterus Annectens): A Closer Look Into The Role Of The Non-Gastric H+/K+-Atpase, Justine E. Doherty

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Fishes living in freshwater need to actively compensate for the diffusive loss of ions and osmotic gain of water. The gill is the primary organ of ion regulation and contains an array of ion transport proteins to help maintain homeostasis. Two of the more well studied ion pumps are the Na⁺/K⁺-ATPase (NKA) and vacuolar type proton ATPase (V-ATPase). This thesis focuses on another ion pump known as the non-gastric H⁺/K⁺-ATPase (ngHKA). The ngHKA (gene: atp12a) has not been found in any of the teleost fishes, indicating loss from that lineage. In …