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Tactile Behavior In A Group Of Captive Rough-Toothed Dolphins As A Function Of Opportunities To Play With Objects, Kelly Ann Caffery

Dissertations

Cetaceans live in complex physical and social environments that are frequently changing. In contrast, the captive environment for marine mammals is often lacking in stimulation. As a result, enrichment is often used to increase species-typical behaviors and enhance the well-being of the animals. The purpose of this study was to compare the effects of enrichment objects on the social behavior of a group of seven captive rough-toothed dolphins (Steno bredanensis). Observations of this species in the wild suggest it may have a particular affinity for tactile and object play behaviors. Therefore, these behavior categories were a primary focus …

Roads And The Reproductive Ecology Of Hesperidanthus Suffrutescens, An Endangered Shrub, Matthew B. Lewis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

We studied the pollination ecology of the endangered Utah desert shrub, shrubby reed-mustard (Hesperidanthus suffrutescens). We also studied the impacts that dust from unpaved roads has on successful reproduction. In addition, we looked at the relationship between the total number of plants, the spacing of plants, and reproduction. We found that shrubby reed-mustard requires pollinators for successful pollination. Pollinators include many small native bees from the genera Andrena, Dialictus, and Halictus. Additionally, we found that reproduction of shrubby reed-mustard is limited, possibly due to scarcity of these bees. We found that dust from the road …

Cougar Predation Behavior In North-Central Utah, Dustin L. Mitchell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Today’s ability to apply global positioning systems (GPS) collars to wild animals and track their movements, without inadvertently disrupting their daily routine, is a major benefit to wildlife research. Cougars are carnivorous predators that have been identified as being one of several possible causes for recent mule deer population declines throughout the Western United States. Past cougar predation studies have relied on snow tracking, radio-collar tracking, and modeling techniques to estimate cougar prey use and predation rates. These methods rely heavily on weather conditions, logistical availabilities, and broad assumptions, which have led to a wide range of predation rate estimates. …

Characterization And Potential Utility Of Porcine Trophoblast-Derived Stem-Like Cells, Edison A. Suasnavas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In mammalian pregnancy, the placenta is a very important organ which helps to establish a healthy pregnancy. Its functions could be described in four points: 1) It allows the fetus to receive gases and nutrients from the mother in a safe way; 2) it lets the fetus get rid of waste through the mother's kidneys; 3) it releases essential pregnancy-related hormones and growth factors that let the uterus hold the fetus; 4) it secretes immune response regulators to give the fetus immune protection against the mother. Abnormalities in the placenta can be the cause of death to the fetus. Mammalian …

Apoptotic And Epigenetic Induction Of Embryo Failure Following Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, Aaron Patrick Davis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The cloning of domestic species has tremendous potential, as the technology can be used in selective breeding, conservation, and the production of transgenic animals. The technique of cloning involves the transplant of DNA from a cell to a recipient gamete. Following transfer to a surrogate, the cloned embryo may successfully complete development to a live offspring. Despite intensive research, the success rate of cloning remains prohibitively low, and the potential benefits of cloning have not yet been realized. Embryos produced from cloning suffer from high rates of embryo degradation, implantation failure, and abortion. The goal of this dissertation research project …

Growth Performance And Nutrient Metabolism Of Pasture-Finished Beef Steers And In Vitro Fermentation Characteristics Of Pasture Forages In Continuous Cultures, Cuk Tri Noviandi

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A 2-year grazing study was conducted to evaluate the growth performance, ruminal fermentation, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid compositions in subcutaneous adipose tissue of beef steers grazing tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Shreb.; TF) pastures without or with N fertilization. Nitrogen fertilization increased crude protein concentration of TF pasture and average daily gain of beef steers. Increase in total volatile fatty acids (VFA) and ammonia-N (NH₃-N) concentrations were detected in steers grazing fertilized TF. In comparison with steers on feedlot, pasture-finished steers had greater proportions of cis-9, trans-11 CLA and C18:3 n-3, …

Colorado River Cutthroat Trout Habitat Resistance And Resilience To Climate Change, Kate H. Olsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Government agencies and private organizations spend large amounts of public money attempting to return ecosystems to a more natural state, which have often been harmed or even destroyed as a result of modern development. Colorado River cutthroat trout, Oncorhyncus clarki pleuriticus, are a subspecies of cutthroat trout. Cutthroat trout live in the Rocky Mountains of the western United States. The population of this particular subspecies has been severely reduced by human actions, and currently only 12% of its historic populations still exist. To improve the condition of cutthroat trout, fisheries professionals and biologists are working to restore natural populations. …

Assessing Vehicle-Related Mortality Of Mule Deer In Utah, Daniel D. Olson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Roads are essential in modern societies, but as populations grow and traffic volumes rise, roads will continue to be built and expanded. As a result, the effects that roads have on wildlife will likely intensify, making it imperative that managers understand those effects so mitigation can be directed accordingly. In Utah, considerable areas of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) habitat have been bisected by roads. Mule deer are commonly involved in vehicle collisions and there is concern that roads and vehicle traffic are impacting populations. This project was conducted to determine the number and demographic effects of deer-vehicle collisions, …

Vital Rates, Population Trends, And Habitat-Use Patterns Of A Translocated Greater Sage-Grouse Population: Implications For Future Translocations, Orrin V. Duvuvuei

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) populations have declined range-wide with some local populations exhibiting dramatic decreases. In 2009–2010, radio-marked hens (30 hens in 2009 and 30 hens in 2010) were translocated from Parker Mountain in south-central Utah to augment a rapidly declining population on Anthro Mountain in northeastern Utah. Thirty-two resident female sage-grouse on Anthro Mountain were also radio-collared from 2009–2012.

I compared population vital rates (i.e., nest and brood success, and survival) of resident and translocated hens in Anthro Mountain’s population to those of a translocated population in Strawberry Valley, Utah and the source population. Of these …

Ecology Of Coyotes On The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico: Implications For Elk Calf Recruitment, Suzanne J. Gifford

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Valles Caldera National Preserve (VCNP) managers were concerned about low elk recruitment observed at the same time as an apparent increase in sightings of coyotes and observations of coyote predation on elk calves. The goal of this study was to describe coyotes’ ecological interactions with elk, particularly coyote diet and movements on the Valle Grande, a large grassland meadow in the southeastern portion of the VCNP.

We examined coyote diet by quantifying undigested remains of food items in coyote scats (feces). The most frequent taxa were rodents (montane voles and pocket gophers), elk (adult and calf), insects (grasshoppers and beetles), …

Winter Ecology Of Waterfowl On The Great Salt Lake, Utah, Josh L. Vest

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I designed a suite of studies in coordination with Utah Division of Wildlife Resources (UDWR) to evaluate waterfowl use of the GSL in winter and ecological aspects associated with GSL use. These studies provided insight into key information gaps previously identified by UDWR regarding management of GSL resources. Population surveys indicated total duck abundance was low when GSL surface elevations were low and wetland resources diminished because of persistent drought in the system. Also, ducks appear to use hypersaline parts of GSL more when freshwater habitats are limited from either drought or ice conditions. Common goldeneye, northern shoveler, and green-winged …

Regulation And Expression Of Nanog, Oct4, And Sox2 In The Bovine Blastocyst Following Somatic Cell Nuclear Transfer, Justin Scott Hall

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Sciences Department (ADVS) and the Center for Integrated Biosystems (CIB) at Utah State University are studying various molecular mechanisms involved in the animal cloning process. This study involves the extensive network of people, facilities, equipment, and funding already associated with the CIB and ADVS joint project.

Cloning involves many molecular challenges that for the most part have become roadblocks for the normal development of the fetus. The mechanisms necessary to transform an adult cell into a competent stem cell that can then transform and develop into a healthy organism are poorly understood. Some of these …

Analysis Of Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Panels For Bovine Dna Identification, Kimberly A. Blanchard

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) have great power in resolving questions of unknown parentage on ranches or dairies where errors could have been made in pedigree record keeping or when such records were simply not kept. Currently a panel of 88 SNPs based on a panel originally created by USDA-MARC is commercially available from the company Fluidigm^®. Our objective was to determine whether or not the number of SNPs could be reduced to form a smaller, more cost-efficient parentage-testing panel. A smaller panel would be beneficial to farmers and researchers alike in the reduction of time spent running and …

A Bird In The Binoculars: Understanding Birdwatchers' Potential To Contribute To Sustainable Development And Biological Conservation, Sheri Lynn Glowinski

Dissertations

The three studies comprising this research drew from local economic development and environmental sociology to understand aspects of human dynamics that influence the conservation of birds. Using survey data collected from birdwatchers visiting coastal Alabama, the first study examined the local economic impact of birdwatching tourism and the factors that participants deemed important with respect to their recreation. Birdwatchers spent $103,305 during the four month study period. The total annual economic impact of this recreation on the area was estimated at $937,470, producing a multiplier of 1.48 and the equivalent of 20.3 full time jobs. Infrastructural variables (parking, bathrooms, site …

Investigating The Function Of The Mold Specific Gene M46, In The Pathogenic Dimorphic Fungus Histoplasma Capsulatum, Davida Lashaundra Crossley

Dissertations

Histoplasma capsulatum (Hc) is a dimorphic fungus that is the etiologic agent for the respiratory infection histoplasmosis. The fungus is found in the environment in contaminated soils of birds and bat excreta as a multi-cellular saprophytic mold. Once the soil is disturbed, spores are released and are inhaled into the lungs. In the lungs, the fungus converts to uni-cellular parasitic yeast (Maresca & Kobayashi, 1989). The conversion from mold to yeast is a requirement for pathogenesis. Previously, several mold specific genes have been isolated by our laboratory from a subtracted cDNA library. One such gene, is M46. M46 is a …

Interrelationships Between Testosterone, Aggression, And Parental Care Of A Temperate-Zone, Resident Songbird, The Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis Cardinalis), Margaret Susan Devries

Dissertations

Interrelationships among testosterone (T), aggression, and parental care have received much investigative attention. Within birds, many studies have focused on examining such relationships using species characterized by relatively brief periods of territoriality and breeding. Few have investigated links between circulating T and reproductive behavior in birds that are year-round territorial residents and have lengthy breeding seasons, such as the Northern Cardinal (Cardinalis cardinalis). The following six chapters report and discuss findings from this dissertation’s examination of aspects of T production and potential interconnections with circulating T, aggression, and parental care in male and female cardinals. This work suggests …

A Phylogeny And Revised Classification Of Squamata, Including 4161 Species Of Lizards And Snakes, R. Alexander Pyron, Frank T. Burbrink, John J. Wiens

Publications and Research

Background: The extant squamates (>9400 known species of lizards and snakes) are one of the most diverse and conspicuous radiations of terrestrial vertebrates, but no studies have attempted to reconstruct a phylogeny for the group with large-scale taxon sampling. Such an estimate is invaluable for comparative evolutionary studies, and to address their classification. Here, we present the first large-scale phylogenetic estimate for Squamata.

Results: The estimated phylogeny contains 4161 species, representing all currently recognized families and subfamilies. The analysis is based on up to 12896 base pairs of sequence data per species (average = 2497 bp) from 12 genes, …

Oregon State Ranking Assessment For Olive-Sided Flycatcher (Contopus Cooperi), Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Oregon state conservation status assessment for Olive-sided flycatcher (Contopus cooperi) using NatureServe methodology, 2013.

Acid Ceramidase Maintains The Chondrogenic Phenotype Of Expanded Primary Chondrocytes And Improves The Chondrogenic Differentiation Of Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells, Calogera M. Simonaro, Sylvain Sachot, Yi Ge, Xingxuan He, Victor A. Deangelis, Efrat Eliyahu, Daniel J. Leong, Hui B. Sun, Jeffrey B. Mason, Mark E. Haskins, Dean W. Richardson, Edward H. Schuchman

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Acid ceramidase is required to maintain the metabolic balance of several important bioactive lipids, including ceramide, sphingosine and sphingosine-1-phosphate. Here we show that addition of recombinant acid ceramidase (rAC) to primary chondrocyte culture media maintained low levels of ceramide and led to elevated sphingosine by 48 hours. Surprisingly, after three weeks of expansion the chondrogenic phenotype of these cells also was markedly improved, as assessed by a combination of histochemical staining (Alcian Blue and Safranin-O), western blotting (e.g., Sox9, aggrecan, collagen 2A1), and/or qPCR. The same effects were evident in rat, equine and human cells, and were observed in monolayer …

Etudes On Iurids, Vi. Further Revision Of Calchas Birula, 1899 (Scorpiones: Iuridae), With A Description Of A New Genus And Two New Species., Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Michael E. Soleglad, Victor Fet, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Several new Calchas populations are studied from Turkey, including specimens from Hakkari Province, which borders the northern edge of Iraq. A new genus, Neocalchas, gen. nov., and two new species, Calchas anlasi, sp. nov. and C. kosswigi, sp. nov., are described. The two genera, Calchas and Neocalchas, are diagnosed by their hemispermatophore structure, chelal finger dentition, telson morphometrics and setation, and trichobothrial topology of the pedipalp chela. Genus Calchas Birula, 1899 includes four species: C. anlasi, sp. nov., C. birulai, C. kosswigi, sp. nov., and C. nordmanni; genus …

Application Of Gis And Spatial Analysis Of Golden Eagle Fatalities Caused By Wind Turbines At The Altamont Pass Wind Resource, Andrew James Pinger

Dissertations and Theses

The Altamont Pass Wind Resource Area (Altamont) near Livermore, California is the oldest and largest wind farm in the United States. It is known as a location of high avian mortality, especially for diurnal raptors such as the Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos). Using the avian monitoring data collected at Altamont for over thirteen years (1998-2003, 2005- 2011), records were analyzed of 134 golden eagle deaths caused by wind turbine collisions. All wind turbines present during the same temporal range were characterized according to turbine variables, and geographic placement characteristics. Values of turbines that killed golden eagles were compared to values …

Conservation Status And Habitat Preference Of The Longhead Darter (Percina Macrocephala) (Cope) In Kinniconick Creek, Lewis County, Kentucky, Joshua Schiering

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Science and Technology at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Biology by Joshua Schiering on April 15, 2013.

Agricultural Research Magazine, April 2013

Agricultural Research Magazine

Table of Contents

4 Irrigation Wastewater: Waste Not, Want Not

6 Two Approaches for Optimizing Water Productivity

8 Compounds in Whole-Grain Rice Varieties

10 New Discovery Makes Detecting Johne’s Disease Easier

12 House Fly Virus Stops Flies from Reproducing

14 Improved Vitamin B12 Test May Help Young and Old Alike

16 Rooting Out a Novel Stress Syndrome in Pigs

18 A Modeling Milestone for Soil Phosphorus Management

20 New Technologies for Studying Crops and Crop Diseases

23 Locations Featured in This Magazine Issue

New Technologies For Studying Crops And Crop Diseases, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

Agricultural Research Service scientists in New York and California have developed very different technologies that share a common thread. They offer scientists new, innovative ways to probe what happens when a crop is threatened by drought or disease.

Michelle Cilia and Stewart Gray, ARS scientists at the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, New York, and their colleagues at the University of Washington have found a way to map the structure of an elusive protein that gives certain plant viruses the ability to travel from plants to insects, through the insects, and back into plants.

Andrew …

House Fly Virus Stops, Christopher J. Geden, Sandra Avant

Agricultural Research Magazine

The house fly is often considered merely a nuisance. But these flies are capable of transmitting animal and human pathogens that can lead to foodborne diseases, including Escherichia coli, Salmonella, and Shigella bacteria.

Insecticides are important for control, but house flies are particularly good at developing resistance, and their larvae tend to stay deep enough within their gooey food to avoid exposure to sprays.

Scientists at the Agricultural Research Service’s Center for Medical, Agricultural, and Veterinary Entomology (CMAVE) in Gainesville, Florida, are looking at new methods that target adult flies. A promising biological control agent—salivary gland hypertrophy virus …

Compounds In Whole-Grain Rice Varieties, Ming-Hsuan Chen, Karen Bett-Garber, Rosalie Marion Bliss

Agricultural Research Magazine

Whole-grain brown rice contains 15 vitamins and minerals, including B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and iron—all nutrients the body needs to grow and develop normally. In addition to these essential nutrients, there are bioactive phytochemicals in rice, as well as in other whole grains, vegetables, fruits, beans, nuts, and seeds. Although the role of these plant chemicals in terms of human health has not been proven, a body of evidence suggests that some phytochemicals could be nutritionally beneficial.

Now, studies headed by chemist Ming-Hsuan Chen, who is with the Agricultural Research Service’s Dale Bumpers National Rice Research Center in Stuttgart, Arkansas, …

A Modeling Milestone For Soil Phosphorus Management, Peter Vadas, Ann Perry

Agricultural Research Magazine

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is looking for ways to upgrade the Phosphorus Index, a simple management tool developed during the 1990s to gauge the risk of phosphorus losses from agricultural fields. In developing a national nutrient-management policy, NRCS allowed states to modify the original index—a matrix of source and transport factors that contribute to phosphorus loss— with inputs to account for local variations in soils, climate, management, and water quality goals.

But this resulted in widely different state-by-state phosphorus indices that often didn’t agree with each other on how to manage phosphorus. “We’d put …

For The Birds, Milan Bull

Wrack Lines

A new column about shore birds, starting with piping plovers.

Taking The Road Most Travelled: Understanding Patterns Of Snake (Colubridae; Storeria) Movement And Road Mortality In A State Park, Iwo P. Gross

Student Honors Theses

Roadways negatively affect their surrounding ecosystems through the contamination of air, water, and soil resources, the dissection of populations and habitat areas, and the direct mortality of several fauna. My study assessed the significance of a number of variables that might influence the temporal and spatial patterns of road mortality in a population of Midland Brownsnakes (Storeria dekayi wrightorum). I utilized passive sampling techniques and roadwalking surveys to collect individual snakes from a road during their biannual migrations from lowland activity areas to upland forests where they hibernate. I discovered that sexually biased behavioral and natural history traits impacted an …

Creation Of A Natural History Information Database With Mobile Device Access For The Pace Campus In Pleasantville, Joshua J. Schwartz, Martina Blackwood

Cornerstone 3 Reports : Interdisciplinary Informatics

No abstract provided.