Digital Commons Network^™

Response Of Channel × Blue Hybrid Catfish To Chronic Diurnal Hypoxia, Bartholomew W. Green, Steven D. Rawles, Benjamin H. Beck

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Performance traits and metabolic responses of the channel × blue hybrid catfish (Ictalurus punctatus female × I. furcatus male) in response to chronic diurnal hypoxia were evaluated in this 197-d study. Sixteen 0.1-ha earthen ponds were stocked with 15,169 hybrid catfish/ha (47 g/fish) and managed to maintain the minimum dissolved oxygen concentration greater than 12%, 24%, 36%, or 48% of saturation. Growth and yield of channel × blue hybrid catfish were significantly related to minimum nightly dissolved oxygen concentration. The cumulative effect of nocturnal dissolved oxygen concentration and the duration of exposure to hypoxia (termed dissolved oxygen minutes) …

Nantucket Shellfish Management Plan, Kristin Uiterwyk, Steve Bliven, Dan Leavitt, Jack Wiggin, Urban Harbors Institute, University Of Massachusetts Boston

Office of Community Partnerships Posters

Nantucket’s shellfish resources are an important part of the Island’s history, culture, and economy. Nantucket waters support one of the country’s last wild-caught bay scallop fisheries. Elsewhere along the Atlantic coast, fishing pressure, habitat loss, and disease have severely depleted bay scallop populations. Although Nantucketers continue to make a living harvesting shellfish from the Island’s waters, many do so with concern for the future of the resources and the habitats that support them. Urban Harbors Institute (UHI) provided technical assistance to the community to develop a Shellfish Management Plan (SMP) that addresses issues of water quality, habitat loss, climate change, …

High-Tech Tactic May Newly Expose Stealthy Salmonella, Marcia Wood, Bosoon Park

Agricultural Research Magazine

At laboratories of the future, even the smallest quantity of Salmonella bacteria may be easily detected with a technology known as “SERS,” short for “surface-enhanced Raman scattering.”

Agricultural engineer Bosoon Park, in the Agricultural Research Service’s Quality and Safety Assessment Research Unit in Athens, Georgia, is leading exploratory studies of this analytical technique’s potential for quick, easy, and reliable detection of Salmonella and other foodborne pathogens.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Salmonella causes more than 1 million cases of illness in this country every year.

Protein Biomarkers: Identify Disease-Carrying Aphids, Dennis O’Brien

Agricultural Research Magazine

Aphids can transmit viruses that cause crop diseases and reduce the quality and quantity of fresh foods. Spraying insecticides can control aphids and reduce the spread of viruses, but spraying is expensive and can harm the environment. Additionally, not all aphids transmit viruses. So a key question for growers is knowing when and what to spray to control viral diseases.

Agricultural Research Service scientists Michelle Cilia and Stewart Gray, in the Biological Integrated Pest Management Unit at the Robert W. Holley Center for Agriculture and Health in Ithaca, New York, have found a way to distinguish aphids that spread viruses …

Metagenomics Offers Insight Into Poultry Diseases, Sandra Avant

Agricultural Research Magazine

Less than 10 years ago, the world marveled at the completion of the human genome project, which involved traditional technology to identify all the genes in a single organism—the human. Today, a more powerful technology is being used to detect thousands of organisms in an entire community.

Unlike traditional gene sequencing, the new molecular technique—metagenomics— eliminates the need to cultivate and isolate individual microbial species. Scientists can apply genomic analysis to mixed communities of microbes instead of to just one organism.

For example, researchers examining viral enteric (intestinal) diseases in poultry can take intestinal samples from different poultry flocks. The …

What's In Your Blood? The Ongoing Hunt For Metabolites, Marcia Wood, John W. Newman

Agricultural Research Magazine

At any given time, blood circulating through your body carries thousands of small molecules known as “metabolites.” Medical and nutrition researchers are eager to discover more about these compounds—amino acids, sugars, fats, and more—that are formed in and by our bodies.

Metabolites are of interest because the presence and concentrations of some of them can provide meaningful profiles, sometimes referred to as “metabolic signatures” or “fingerprints.”

In the future, for instance, yourmetabolic fingerprint—detected in a small sample of blood taken for your annual physical examination—might prove to be a reliable indicator of your health and a predictor of certain diseases. …

Fine-Scale Population Structure And Asymmetrical Dispersal In An Obligate Salt-Marsh Passerine, The Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus Caudacutus), Jennifer Walsh, Adrienne I. Kovach, Kimberly J. Babbitt, Kathleen M. O'Brien

New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station Publications

Understanding the spatial scale of gene flow can yield valuable insight into the ecology of an organism and guide conservation strategies. Fine-scale genetic structure is uncommon in migratory passerines because of their high vagility and presumed high dispersal abilities. Aspects of the behavior and ecology of some migratory species, however, may promote structure on a finer scale in comparison to their mobility. We investigated population genetic structure in the Saltmarsh Sparrow (Ammodramus caudacutus), a migratory passerine that breeds along the northeastern coast of the United States, where it is restricted exclusively to a narrow strip of patchily distributed tidal marsh …

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2012), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Powerful Potential: Growing Global Population Spurs Need for Agbioscience
[Page] 4 Spring College News
[Page] 6 Enhanced Education: Students Complement Coursework With Extra-Curricular Opportunities
[Page] 8 Gaining Global Perspective: SDSU Delegation Visits Argentina
[Page] 9 Creative Collaboration: Students, Landowners & Industry Professionals Pair Up for a Positive Experience
[Page] 10 Wondrous Wheat: New Research Agreement & Wheat Varieties Announced
[Page] 12 Here and There
[Page] 14 New Era Underway: SDSU Extension Re-Energizes Programs, Delivery [Page] 16 iGrow Continues to Grow
[Page] 18 Focused on the Future: Field Specialists Strive to Serve Changing Landowner Needs
[Page] 19 Connecting with …

Social Effects On Vocal Ontogeny In An Ungulate, The Goat, Capra Hircus, Elodie F. Briefer, Alan G. Mcelligott

Sentience Collection

Vocal plasticity is the ability of an individual to modify its vocalizations according to its environment. Humans benefit from an extreme form of vocal plasticity, allowing us to produce a wide range of sounds. This capacity to modify sounds has been shown in three bird orders and in a few nonhuman mammal species, all characterized by complex vocal communication systems. In other mammals, there is no evidence for a social impact on vocal development. We investigated whether contact calls were affected by social environment and kinship during early ontogeny in goats, a highly vocal and social species. To test the …

Using Grizzly Bears To Assess Harvest-Ecosystem Tradeoffs In Salmon Fisheries, Taal Levi, Chris T. Darimont, Misty Macduffee, Marc Mangel, Paul C. Paquet, Christopher C. Wilmers

Aquaculture and Fisheries Collection

Implementation of ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) requires a clear conceptual and quantitative framework for assessing how different harvest options can modify benefits to ecosystem and human beneficiaries. We address this social-ecological need for Pacific salmon fisheries, which are economically valuable but intercept much of the annual pulse of nutrient subsidies that salmon provide to terrestrial and aquatic food webs. We used grizzly bears, vectors of salmon nutrients and animals with densities strongly coupled to salmon abundance, as surrogates for ‘‘salmon ecosystem’’ function. Combining salmon biomass and stock-recruitment data with stable isotope analysis, we assess potential tradeoffs between fishery yields and …

The Effect Of Neutering On The Risk Of Urinary Incontinence In Bitches – A Systematic Review, W. Beauvais, J. M. Cardwell, D. C. Brodbelt

Endocrinology Collection

An increased risk of urinary incontinence in bitches has often been associated with previous ovariohysterectomy but remains controversial. The objective of this study was to evaluate the strength of evidence for an association between neutering or age at neutering and urinary incontinence in bitches and to estimate the magnitude of any effect found. A systematic review of peer‐reviewed original English analytic journal articles was conducted, based on Cochrane guidelines (Higgins and Green 2009) Of 1,853 records screened, seven studies were identified that examined the effect of neutering or age at neutering on the risk of urinary incontinence but …

Agricultural Research Magazine April 2012

Agricultural Research Magazine

Tuning In to Technology

Benefits of Biotech,
Computational Tech,
and Nanotech

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.

Reproduction And Population Characteristics Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Charles Dieter, Dustin Schaible

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

We evaluated the reproductive biology of314 white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) in 44 counties throughout South Dakota from June 2004 to September 2005. We classified jackrabbits as juveniles or adults based on the closure of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus using X-ray analysis. We determined annual reproductive activity through fluctuations in measured weights of reproductive organs for both sexes. The 2005 breeding season started in late February and proceeded until mid-July, approximately 142 days, allowing for females to potentially produce 3.3 litters. We found four distinct breeding periods by the overlap of estimated conception and parturition dates. Mean …

A Conceptual Model To Facilitate Amphibian Conservation In The Northern Great Plains, David M. Mushet, Ned H. Euliss Jr., Craig A. Stockwell

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

As pressures on agricultural landscapes to meet worldwide resource needs increase, amphibian populations face numerous threats including habitat destruction, chemical contaminants, disease outbreaks, wetland sedimentation, and synergistic effects of these perturbations. To facilitate conservation planning, we developed a conceptual model depicting elements critical for amphibian conservation in the northern Great Plains. First, we linked upland, wetland, and landscape features to specific ecological attributes. Ecological attributes included adult survival; reproduction and survival to metamorphosis; and successful dispersal and recolonization. Second, we linked ecosystem drivers, ecosystem stressors, and ecological effects of the region to each ecological attribute. Lastly, we summarized information on …

Channel Width And Least Tern And Piping Plover Nesting Incidence On The Lower Platte River, Nebraska, Joel G. Jorgensen, Mary Bomberger Brown, Andrew J. Tyre

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Endangered interior least terns (Sternula antillarum athalassos) and threatened northern Great Plains piping plovers (Charadrius melodus) nest together on midstream sandbars in large rivers in the interior of North America. We investigated the relationship between river channel width and tern and plover nesting incidence on the lower Platte River, Nebraska, using a model-based logistic regression analysis. Multiple channel width measurements and a long-term nesting data set were used in the analysis. Nesting incidence was positively associated with increasing river channel width proximal to the nesting site. At a greater distance, up to 802 m away from …

Wetland Hydrodynamics And Long-Term Use Of Spring Migration Areas By Lesser Scaup In Eastern South Dakota, Sharon N. Kahara, Steven R. Chipps

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Lesser scaup (Aythya affinis [Eyton]) populations remain below their long-term average despite improved habitat conditions along spring migration routes and at breeding grounds. Scaup are typically associated with large, semipermanent wetlands and exhibit regional preferences along migration routes. Identifying consistently used habitats for conservation and restoration is complicated by irregular wetland availability due to the dynamic climate. We modeled long-term wetland use by lesser scaup in eastern South Dakota based on surveys conducted during below-average (1987-1989) and above-average (1993-2002) water condition years. Wetland permanence, longitude, and physiographic region were all significant determinants of use (P < 0.01). Long-term use was best described by a quadratic equation including wetland surface area variability, an index of wetland hydrodynamics that is linked to productivity, biodiversity, and value to waterfowl. Contrary to previous findings, our study shows that over the long term, lesser scaup are more than twice as likely to use permanent wetlands as they are semipermanent wetlands. The northern region of South Dakota's Prairie Coteau, which holds the highest density of hydrologically dynamic permanent wetlands, should be considered an area of conservation concern for lesser scaup. The criteria we identified may be used to identify important lesser scaup habitats in other regions of the Prairie Pothole Region.

Wpa News 89 (2012), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2012), number 89

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Effects Of Dependent Infants On The Social Behavior Of Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta Palliate), Keziah Katz

Honors Theses and Capstones

Six weeks of observation on eight groups of wild mantled howler monkeys revealed that the presence of a dependent infant alters the frequency of social interactions between a female with an infant and other adult monkeys. Males preferred to spend time with females without infants but still spent more time with females with infants than with males. Females without infants spent significantly less time with females with infants than with males or other females without infants and females with infants decreased their frequency of social interaction overall without preference for males, females or other females with infants.

Utilization Of Corn Residue, Winter Range, Or Dry Lot In Beef Heifer Development Systems, Stetson P. Weber

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

Post-weaning heifer development systems that maximize reproductive efficiency and reduce input costs associated with feed is beneficial for cow/calf producers. Two research experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of post-weaning development systems in beef heifers. In Exp. 1 heifers were developed on corn residue (CR), or dry lot (DL). Heifers developed in DL had increased BW after winter treatment until breeding. Both heifer groups were similar in percent of heifers cycling, AI conception, AI pregnancy, and final pregnancy diagnosis. A subset of AI pregnant heifers were blocked by weight and stratified by winter development system and individually fed using …

Effect Of Light Level On Feeding Behavior In A Lemur Species (Eulemur Rubriventer) With A Color Vision Polymorphism., Ainsley Lockhart

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Understanding the visual capabilities and correlated behavior of prosimians provides vital information regarding the evolution of color vision. Feeding behavior in particular is often modified based on color vision status in various primate taxa. The present study examined feeding behavior under various light conditions in Eulemur rubriventer, a lemur species with a color vision polymorphism in which only females can have trichromatic vision. Behavioral observations were conducted for a single E. rubrventer group over a 13 day study period in April 2012. Results found no significant difference in rates of frugivory or exploitation of green vs. non-green food between male …

Review: Technical Aspects For The Utilization Of Small Grain Straws As Feed Energy Sources For Ruminants: Emphasis On Beef Cattle, J. Severe, D. R. Zobell

All Current Publications

This publication defines Straw and provide information on straw composition, plant cell wall development, and treatments of straw for feed.

The Origin Of Malarial Parasites In Orangutans, M. Andreína Pacheco, Michael J.C. Reid, Michael A. Schillaci, Carl A. Lowenberger, Biruté M. F. Galdikas, Lisa Jones-Engel, Ananias A. Escalante

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Background: Recent findings of Plasmodium in African apes have changed our perspectives on the evolution of malarial parasites in hominids. However, phylogenetic analyses of primate malarias are still missing information from Southeast Asian apes. In this study, we report molecular data for a malaria parasite lineage found in orangutans.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We screened twenty-four blood samples from Pongo pygmaeus (Kalimantan, Indonesia) for Plasmodium parasites by PCR. For all the malaria positive orangutan samples, parasite mitochondrial genomes (mtDNA) and two antigens: merozoite surface protein 1 42 kDa (MSP-1₄₂) and circumsporozoite protein gene (CSP) were amplified, cloned, and …

Plant-Soil Feedbacks And Subalpine Fir Facilitation In Aspen-Conifer Forests, Joshua R. Buck

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis includes two studies. The first study examined changes in soil characteristics as a result of prolonged conifer dominance in successional aspen-conifer forests. Changing disturbance patterns in aspen-conifer forests appear to be altering successional dynamics that favors conifer expansion in aspen forests. The primary objective of this paper was to identify how increasing conifer dominance that develops in later successional stages alters forest soil characteristics. Soil measurements were collected along a stand composition gradient: aspen dominated, aspen-conifer mix, conifer dominated and open meadow, which includes the range of conditions that exists through the stages of secondary succession in aspen-conifer …

An Object-Based Image Analysis Of Treated And Untreated Pinyon And Juniper Woodlands Across The Great Basin, April Hulet

Theses and Dissertations

Land managers need to rapidly assess vegetation composition and bare ground to effectively evaluate, manage, and restore shrub steppe communities that have been encroached by pinyon and juniper (P-J) trees. A major part of this process is assessing where to apply mechanical and prescribed fire treatments to reduce fuel loads and maintain or restore sagebrush steppe rangelands. Geospatial technologies, particularly remote sensing, offers an efficient option to assess rangelands across multiple spatial scales while reducing the need for ground-based sampling measurements. High-spatial resolution color-infrared imagery (0.06-m pixels) was acquired for sagebrush steppe communities invaded by P-J trees at five sites …

Cheatgrass (Bromus Tectorum), Native Grasses, And Small Mammals In The Great Basin: A Test Of The Apparent Competition Hypothesis Facilitated By A Novel Method Of Decanting Seeds From A Flotation Solution, Jacob Elias Lucero

Theses and Dissertations

The effect of shared enemies between invasive and native species has been argued to facilitate biological invasions (i.e., the apparent competition hypothesis or ACH). This study investigated a previously untested possibility: whether granivorous small mammals facilitate cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) invasion by driving food-mediated apparent competition between cheatgrass and native grasses. Specifically, we tested three predictions that must be true if such apparent competition occurs. First, cheatgrass invasion augments total seeds available to granivorous small mammals. Second, density of granivorous small mammals increases in response to increased seed availability (simulated with experimental additions of cheatgrass seeds). Third, granivorous small …

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, 2011-2012, John A. Vucetich, Rolf O. Peterson

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2011-2012

Factors Affecting The Reduction Of Carbon To Nitrogen Ratio In Composted Separated Solids, Mark Fagundes

Dairy Science

The objective of the study was to determine the factors involved in the reduction of carbon to nitrogen ratio in composted separated solids. A single compost windrow was laid on a 6,000 jersey cow dairy farm located in Madera County. Samples were obtained from six separate positions on the pile, every other day. Direct pile measurements on the date of sampling included pile temperature (surface and core), height, width and curvature. Samples were removed from the windrow during each sampling meeting to determine the percent dry matter content. The collected samples were sent out to Denele Analytical Inc. to determine …

Tool Use In Fishes, Culum Brown

Sentience Collection

Tool use was once considered the sole domain of humans. Over the last 40 years, however, it has become apparent that tool use may be widespread across the animal kingdom. Pioneering studies in primates have shaped the way we think about tool use in animals, but have also lead to a bias both in terms of our expectations about which animals should be capable of using tools and the working definition of tool use. Here I briefly examine tool use in terrestrial animals and consider the constraints of the current working definition of tool use in fishes. Fishes lack grasping …

Estrus Activity After Prostaglandin Injection Using Heatime Activity Monitoring Collars Used At Cal Poly Dairy, Amy Phillips

Dairy Science

The objective of the study was to determine activity using an activity monitoring system, Heatime. Data was collected from cows at the Cal Poly dairy from December 30, 2011 to January 6, 2012 whose results are from the previous program. This program involved prostaglandin in the form of Lutalyse given on Friday and cows were time bred the following Monday, 72 hours after the prostaglandin injection. Data collected from January 13, 2012 to current shows the new trial program which involved an injection of 5cc Lutalyse Monday and Tuesday, a vet check on Wednesday, time bred on Thursday, and a …