Digital Commons Network^™

Land Snails And Slugs Of Missouri, Ronald D. Oesch, Larry E. Watrous, M. Christopher Barnhart

Faculty Books

The Land Snails and Slugs of Missouri is an identification guide and natural history based on field collections from more than 800 sites as well as historical records. The terrestrial mollusks (land snails and slugs) are a diverse, fascinating and accessible fauna that provides many opportunities for education, research and conservation. No generally available guide to this fauna had been published since 1962, and no regional guide focused on Missouri has ever before been prepared. This book presents descriptions, synonymy lists, and ecological notes for 149 native and introduced species in the state. It is richly illustrated, with color photographs …

Age Structure Of Moose (Alces Alces) Killed By Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Northeastern Minnesota, 1967–2011, L. David Mech, Michael E. Nelson

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

The ages of 77 adult Moose (Alces alces) killed by gray Wolves (Canis lupus) during the period 1967–2011 in northeastern Minnesota were significantly older than those of a sample of 17 585 Moose killed by hunters in nearby Ontario. Our findings support those of earlier studies of protected Moose populations in national parks that found that gray Wolves tend to kill disproportionately more older Moose.

Effects Of Climate Change On Phenology Of Blackbirds And Orioles (Icterids) In Eastern South Dakota, Kelsey Bedford, Nicole Burkard, Brandi Crider, Emma Barnett, N. H. Troelstrup Jr.

Oak Lake Field Station Research Publications

Birds are among the first responders to climate change, often having clearly observable phenological responses to less perceptible levels of climate shift. Declines in populations of a number of bird species have been witnessed both in the United States and abroad, with up to a 48% decline in grassland birds of the Central U.S. Understanding changes in bird abundance and distribution is essential because birds supply a wide variety of critical ecosystem services, including pollination and pest control. While the effects of climate change on many bird species’ phenology have been studied intensely, research on the family Icteridae is limited. …

2013 South Dakota Beef Report, Department Of Animal Sciences, South Dakota State University, Agricultural Experiment Station, South Dakota State University, Cooperative Extension Service, South Dakota State University

South Dakota Beef Report, 2013

This is the 2013 South Dakota Beef Report produced by the SDSU Department of Animal Sciences in conjunction with the Agricultural Experiment Station , and the SDSU Cooperative Extension. The articles published in this report summarize many of the beef cattle research activities conducted at South Dakota State University during 2013. The articles in this report have many levels of application. Some information has immediate application for your farm, ranch, or agribusiness. The articles include information on nutrition,management, health, growth and development, and economics of the cattle and beef industry in South Dakota.

The Influence Of Maternal Energy Status During Mid‐Gestationon Beef Offspring Carcass Characteristics And Meat Quality, D. A Mohrhauser, A.R. Taylor, K.R. Underwood, R.H. Pritchard, A.E. Wertz-Lutz, A.D. Weaver

South Dakota Beef Report, 2013

Research has suggested that maternal under‐nutrition may cause the development of a thrifty phenotype in the offspring, potentially resulting in greater adiposity and reduced muscle mass. These alterations in fat and muscle development could have lasting impacts on offspring growth, carcass characteristics, and meat quality. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the influence of maternal energy status during mid‐gestation on offspring carcass characteristics and meat quality. To alter maternal energy status, cows either grazed pasture or were fed in a dry‐lot at 80% of the energy requirements for body weight maintenance during a mean period of 109 …

Effect Of Citrus Byproducts On Survival Of O157:H7 And Non-O157 Escherichia Coli Serogroups Within In Vitro Bovine Ruminal Microbial Fermentations, Heather A. Duoss-Jennings, Ty B. Schmidt, Todd R. Callaway, Jeffery A. Carroll, James M. Martin, Sara A. Shields-Menard, Paul R. Broadway, Janet R. Donaldson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Citrus byproducts (CBPs) are utilized as a low cost nutritional supplement to the diets of cattle and have been suggested to inhibit the growth of both Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella. The objective of this study was to examine the effects in vitro that varying concentrations of CBP in the powdered or pelleted variety have on the survival of Shiga-toxin Escherichia coli (STEC) serotypes O26:H11, O103:H8, O111:H8, O145:H28, and O157:H7 in bovine ruminal microorganism media. The O26:H11, O111:H8, O145:H28, and O157:H7 serotypes did not exhibit a change in populations in media supplemented with CBP with either variety. The O103:H8 …

The Effect Of Soluble Uterine Factors On Porcine Embryo Development Within A Three-Dimensional Alginate Matrix System, Catherine Sargus-Patino, Elane C. Wells, Jeremy R. Miles, Angela K. Pannier

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Between day 10 and 12 of gestation in the pig, the embryo undergoes a dramatic morphological change, known as elongation. During elongation the embryo produces and secretes estrogen, which serves as a key signal for maternal recognition of pregnancy. The uterine environment prepares for embryo elongation and implantation by releasing nutrients, metabolites, and hormones in a time-dependent manner relative to paracrine signals from the conceptus (i.e., estrogen) and endocrine/paracrine signals within the endometrium (i.e., progesterone). Despite advances in identification of specific uterine factors present throughout pregnancy in the pig, little is known about the exact mechanisms by which porcine embryos …

Size And Age Variation Of Larval Gyrinophilus Porphyriticus Porphyriticus In Sympatry With Salvelinus Fontinalis, Aaron Jacob Semasko

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Northern Spring Salamander (Gyrinophilus porphyriticus) has a larval stage that could extend up to six years, an anomaly unheard of in other plethodontid salamanders. The size of a larva could be larger than an adult of a younger age. A sympatric species, Salvelinus fontinalis, the native brook trout, negatively alters the individual mass and survival of G. p. porphyriticus larvae. In the absence of trout, the role of G. porphyriticus ascends to top predator in a small stream community. Amphibians specifically have proven their role as stream indicators, a position attributed to their porous skin. I attempted to determine …

Synergistic Effects Of The Invasive Chinese Tallow (Triadica Sebifera) And Climate Change On Aquatic Amphibian Survival, Daniel Saenz, Erin M. Fucik, Matthew Kwiatkowski

Faculty Publications

Changes in climate and the introduction of invasive species are two major stressors to amphibians, although little is known about the interaction between these two factors with regard to impacts on amphibians. We focused our study on an invasive tree species, the Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera), that annually sheds its leaves and produces leaf litter that is known to negatively impact aquatic amphibian survival. The purpose of our research was to determine whether the timing of leaf fall from Chinese tallow and the timing of amphibian breeding (determined by weather) influence survival of amphibian larvae. We simulated a …

The Applicability Of The Self-Fulfillment Account Of Welfare To Nonhuman Animals, Babies, And Mentally Disabled Humans, Tatjana Visak, Jonathan Balcombe

Sentience Collection

In this paper we will argue that generality is a virtue of Haybron’s account of welfare. Indeed, reflecting on the applicability of his theory to nonhuman animals will give us a better understanding of its applicability to humans. We will first focus on self-fulfillment and suggest an interpretation of Haybron’s account according to which the self-fulfillment of an individual consists in the fulfillment of the aspects of the self that are applicable to that particular individual. This makes Haybron’s account of welfare applicable to all sentient beings. Then we will focus on sub-personal nature-fulfillment and argue that the same interpretation …

Great Ape Mindreading: What’S At Stake?, Kristin Andrews

Ethology Collection

Humans and other great apes are similar in so many ways. We share an extended immaturity and intense infant-caregiver relationships, group living situations, cultural transmission of technology, and many emotions and cognitive capacities. Yet the communities of nonhuman apes are also very different from human communities. Humans build lasting tools, and store them to use later. We build permanent sleeping and living structures. We cook our food. We have courts of law and prisons and ethics books. There are vast technological differences between humans and nonhuman great apes. What is it that accounts for such a difference? On one account, …

Are Apes’ Responses To Pointing Gestures Intentional?, Olivia Sultanescu, Kristin Andrews

Sentience Collection

This paper examines the meaningfulness of pointing in great apes. We appeal to Hannah Ginsborg’s conception of primitive normativity, which provides an adequate criterion for establishing whether a response is meaningful, and we attempt to make room for a conception according to which there is no fundamental difference between the responses of human infants and those of other great apes to pointing gestures. This conception is an alternative to Tomasello’s view that pointing gestures and reactions to them reveal a fundamental difference between humans and other apes.

Social Learning In Juvenile Lemon Sharks, Negaprion Brevirostris, Tristan L. Guttridge, Sander Van Dijk, Eize Stamhuis, Jens Krause, Samuel Gruber, Culum Brown

Sentience Collection

Social learning is taxonomically widespread and can provide distinct behavioural advantages, such as in finding food or avoiding predators more efficiently. Although extensively studied in bony fishes, no such empirical evidence exists for cartilaginous fishes. Our aim in this study was to experimentally investigate the social learning capabilities of juvenile lemon sharks, Negaprion brevirostris. We designed a novel food task, where sharks were required to enter a start zone and subsequently make physical contact with a target in order to receive a food reward. Naive sharks were then able to interact with and observe (a) pre-trained sharks, that is, ‘demonstrators’, …

Does True Syntax Or Simple Auditory Object Support The Role Of Skylark Song Dialect?, Elodie F. Briefer, Fanny Rybak, Thierry Aubin

Sentience Collection

Parallels between birdsong and human language are numerous and include particular temporal arrangements of acoustic units and the existence of dialects. In animal communication, modifications of the temporal ordering of existing acoustic units have rarely been clearly linked with changes in information content, particularly in a natural environment. Here, we show that the organization of birdsong units (‘syllables’) in sequences supports interindividual relationships within skylark communities. We manipulated the temporal arrangement of song dialect variants (‘shared phrases’) in the skylark, Alauda arvensis, a songbird with a very large repertoire of syllables and complex song. When tested with playback experiments performed …

Ape Autonomy? Social Norms And Moral Agency In Other Species, Kristin Andrews

Autonomy Collection

No abstract provided.

Do Painful Sensations And Fear Exist In Fish?, Lynne U. Sneddon

Distress Collection

The detection of pain and fear in fi sh has been subject to much debate and, since fi sh are a popular experimental model and commercially important in both angling and aquaculture, many procedures that fi sh are subjected to cause injury, fear and stress. These injuries would give rise to the sensation of pain in humans but whether fi sh have the capacity for pain is relatively under explored. Recent evidence has shown that fi sh have the same neural apparatus to detect pain that mammals and humans do, that their brain is active during a potentially painful experience, …

Associations Of Housing, Management, Milking Activity, And Standing And Lying Behavior Of Dairy Cows Milked In Automatic Systems, Justine A. Deming, Renée Bergeron, Kenneth E. Leslie, Trevor J. Devries

Farm Animal Husbandry Collection

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to describe the housing, feeding management, and characteristics (parity and stage of lactation) of cows on commercial automatic milking system (AMS) dairies and their associations with the standing and lying behavior patterns and milking activity (frequency and yield) of lactating dairy cows. Thirteen AMS herds were enrolled in the study, with an average herd size of 71 ± 30 (mean ± SD; range: 34 to 131) lactating cows. All of the herds used freestall barns, each set up for free cow traffic to the AMS. On-farm measurements were taken to determine stocking density …

Canine Chronic Kidney Disease In Uk Veterinary Practices: Prevalence, Risk Factors And Survival, D. G. O'Neill, J. Elliott, D. B. Church, P. D. Mcgreevy, P. C. Thomson, D. C. Brodbelt

Epidemiology Collection

Analyses covering 107,214 dogs attending 89 UK practices aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify risk factors associated with canine chronic kidney disease (CKD) diagnosis and survival. The apparent prevalence (AP) was estimated using a cross-sectional approach while the true prevalence (TP) was estimated using Bayesian analysis. A nested case-control study design was used to evaluate risk factors. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve method and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression modelling. CKD AP was estimated at 0.21% and TP at 0.37%. CKD risk factors included increasing age, being insured and certain breeds. The median survival time …

El Daño Térmico En El Ensilaje De Alfalfa, A. D. Garcia

Dairy Science Publication Database

No abstract provided.

Fisheries And Marine Officers Recreational Fishing Survey: 1998/99 – 2009/10, Claire B. Smallwood, Carli F. Telfer, Timothy J. Green

Fisheries Research Reports

Throughout Western Australia Fisheries and Marine Officers (FMOs) play a vital role in ensuring the sustainability of fish resources. Since July 1998, in the course of their other compliance activities, FMOs have collected information from recreational fishers on their catch and fishing trip. The primary objective of this report was to summarise the data collected by FMOs and ascertain the effectiveness of the convenience (i.e. unstructured) sampling technique for determining trends in recreational fishing patterns throughout Western Australia. Recreational fishing data was collected by FMOs during 6 629 land-based and boat-based patrols completed between 1998/99 – 2009/10, mostly within the …

Dietary Preference Of The Queensnake (Regina Septemvittata), Timothy J. Brust

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Queensnake (Regina septemvittata) is a small secretive water snake found throughout the eastern United States. Once common, their numbers have declined to the extent that they are now threatened throughout most of their range, largely the result of pollutant-based reduction in prey species. These snakes are assumed to eat molted crayfish exclusively. For some common crayfish species, molting happens only twice a summer during a two- week period. It has not been documented if Queensnakes eat anything besides crayfish on a regular basis. The purpose of this study was to determine the prey preference of Queensnakes with particular focus …

Status Reports Of The Fisheries And Aquatic Resources Of Western Australia 2012/13. State Of The Fisheries, W.J Fletcher, K. Santoro

Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources

The Status Reports of the Fisheries and Aquatic Resources of Western Australia (SRFAR) provide the public with an annual update on the state of the fish stocks and other aquatic resources of Western Australia (WA) managed by the Department of Fisheries (Department). These reports outline the most recent assessments of the cumulative risk status for each of the aquatic resources (assets) within WA’s six Bioregions using an Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach.

Certified Angus, Certified Patriot: Breeding, Bodies, And Pedigree Practices, Scout Calvert

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Libraries: Faculty Publications

The pedigree chart is a cornerstone technology for producing bodies and value in livestock pure breeding. It organizes a cluster of processes, technologies, and discourses gathered under the rubric “pedigree practices.” Angus breeders commonly use artificial insemination to import performance “genetics” into their herds, using the “expected progeny differences” predicted by massive pedigree databases that now also contain phenotype data reported by cattle growers. Discourses of biological inheritance, good breeding, and pedigrees arose in the eighteenth century, concomitant with a fascination with races, species, and other biological kinds. A case study from Angus cattle breeding illustrates pedigree practices and the …

Benefits And Costs Of Saltland Pastures On Moderately Salt-Affected Land, Justin Hardy, Arjen Ryder

Resource management technical reports

Summary The analyses in this report show that there could be significant economic benefits to the state, regions and affected farm businesses from establishing improved saltland pasture systems on moderately salt-affected land. The report clearly describes the methods of analysis and the assumptions about prices, productivity and adoption levels. The price of grain has been used as the key factor controlling the economic value of the saltland grazing because grain is the alternative supplementary feed for sheep over the summer and autumn period. Therefore, where yield is below break-even on moderately salt-affected land, it has a higher economic value and …

Seasonal Variation In Offspring Sex Ratio In The Snowy Plover, Sarah T. Saalfeld, Warren C. Conway, David A. Haukos, William P. Johnson

Faculty Publications

The Snowy Plover (Charadrius nivosus) is unique in being a determinate layer of an odd modal clutch size and in having a variable mating system in which female brood desertion occurs regularly. These traits make determining Snowy Plover offspring sex ratios important not only for long-term population stability, as the species is of conservation concern, but also for application to sex allocation theory. In this study, we determined Snowy Plover offspring sex ratios, examined differential costs of producing male and female offspring, and evaluated sex ratio variation in relation to maternal condition, habitat condition, and time during the …

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 14 2013, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Crop-Friendly Bacteria Tapped To Battle Fungal Marauders, Patricia Okubara, Jan Suszkiw

Agricultural Research Magazine

Soil-dwelling bacteria that depend on wheat and barley roots for their “room and board” could soon make good on their debt. Researchers are investigating the microbes’ potential to biologically control root-rot fungi that cause crop yield losses of 10-30 percent annually in the U.S. Pacific Northwest and other parts of the world.

The bacteria are members of the genus Pseudomonas and include 11 strains that stymie the growth of Pythium and Rhizoctonia fungi, which are responsible for dampingoff and root-rot diseases of wheat and barley. The pathogens thrive in cool, moist soils and can reach especially high levels in crop …

Genetic Testing For Tmem154 Mutations Associated With Lentivirus Susceptibility In Sheep, Michael P. Heaton, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Dustin T. Petrik, Barry Simpson, James W. Kijas, Michael L. Clawson, Carol G. Chitko-Mckown, Gregory P. Harhay, Kreg A. Leymaster, International Sheep Genomics Consortium

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

In sheep, small ruminant lentiviruses cause an incurable, progressive, lymphoproliferative disease that affects millions of animals worldwide. Known as ovine progressive pneumonia virus (OPPV) in the U.S., and Visna/Maedi virus (VMV) elsewhere, these viruses reduce an animal’s health, productivity, and lifespan. Genetic variation in the ovine transmembrane protein 154 gene (TMEM154) has been previously associated with OPPV infection in U.S. sheep. Sheep with the ancestral TMEM154 haplotype encoding glutamate (E) at position 35, and either form of an N70I variant, were highly-susceptible compared to sheep homozygous for the K35 missense mutation. Our current overall aim was to characterize TMEM154 in …

Characterization Of Antimicrobial-Resistant Staphylococcus Spp. In Food Animals And Retail Meat, Kanika Bhargava

Wayne State University Dissertations

Antimicrobial resistance in Staphylococcus spp. is a worldwide epidemic concern in hospital and community settings. Food animals and retail meat are important reservoirs of these pathogens that can pose potential threat to humans. In this dissertation, we aimed to investigate the molecular epidemiology of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and methicillin-resistant Coagulase-negative Staphylococci (MRCoNS) in food animals and retail meat to provide insight into the role of agricultural environment in transmitting bacteria of human clinical significance. Furthermore, the potential application of phytochemicals as antimicrobials and antimicrobial adjuvants to control MRSA infections was explored.

CoNS recovered from food animals were characterized by …

Los Parásitos Y El Estudio De Su Biodiversidad: Un Enfoque Sobre Los Estimadores De La Riqueza De Especies, Christian E. Bautista-Hernández, Scott Monks, Griselda Pulido-Flores

Estudios científicos en el estado de Hidalgo y zonas aledañas

Durante años los parásitos fueron considerados únicamente como agentes patógenos que debían ser eliminados, sin considerar que son un componente importante de la biodiversidad, que son capaces de aportar información de sí mismos y de otros organismos. Existen estimadores de riqueza que predicen el número de especies para una comunidad a partir de la riqueza observada y de la abundancia de las especies o datos de incidencia; pueden ser estimadores paramétricos y no paramétricos. La comparación de la riqueza de especies entre componente de comunidades de parásitos frecuentemente pueden ser difícil de evaluar debido a que los datos no se …