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Pituophis Catenifer Deserticola (Great Basin Gophersnake) Predation, Steven J. Wamback, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A variety of taxa have been observed to· prey upon Pituophis catenifer, including mammals, birds-of prey, and other snakes. Here, we describe an unusual two-day observation of predation on a mature Great Basin gophersnake by a brown trout (Salmo trutta).

The observation took place in Jones Canyon, Utah, USA, on the grounds of the Jones Hole National Fish Hatchery (JHNFH). Jones Creek' emanates from springs at the head of Jones Canyon on hatchery grounds, and flows north to south 6.4 km to the Green River, approximately paralleling the Utah-Colorado border. The stream runs for about 0.3 km …

Heifer Development Systems: A Comparison Of Grazing Winter Range Or Corn Residue, D. M. Larson, Andrea S. Cupp, Richard N. Funston

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Two experiments at 2 Nebraska locations evaluated effects of heifer development system on growth and pregnancy rate. In Exp. 1, heifers (n = 270, BW = 225 ± 2 kg) grazed winter Sandhills range (WR) or west central Nebraska corn residue (CR) with a supplement (0.45 kg/animal; 31% CP; 80 mg·animal⁻¹·d⁻¹ of monensin). In Exp. 2, heifers (n = 180, BW = 262 ± 3 kg) grazed eastern Nebraska WR or CR with a supplement (0.45 to 0.90 kg/d; 31% CP; 80 to 160 mg·animal⁻¹·d⁻¹ of monensin). The CR heifers tended to have less …

Composting Or Stockpiling Of Feedlot Manure In Nebraska: Nutrient Concentration And Mass Balance, Matt K. Luebbe, G. E. Erickson, T. J. Klopfenstein, Matthew A. Greenquist, J. R. Benton

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

When feedlot pens are scraped in the spring and summer, manure is often stored before land application can occur in the fall. Manure stockpiled or composted was evaluated for nutrient losses in 2 experiments for 104 (Exp. 1) and 111 d (Exp. 2). Stockpiles (n = 2 in Exp. 1 and n = 3 in Exp. 2) and compost windrows (n = 6 in Exp. 1 and n = 4 in Exp. 2) were constructed with feedlot manure scraped from pens and sampled upon construction and throughout the storage period. In Exp. 1, N loss was 3 times greater (P < 0.01) for compost compared with stockpile on d 104 (43.6 and 14.3%, respectively). Loss of C was 34.7% greater (P < 0.01) for compost compared with stockpile on d 104 (54.4 and 40.4%, respectively). Total mass loss (water + DM) was not different (P = 0.30) among storage methods on d 104 (20.0 and 15.8% for compost and stockpile, respectively). In Exp. 2, N loss from compost was 42.1% greater (P < 0.01) compared with stockpiling on d 111. Carbon losses in Exp. 2 were not different (P = 0.77) among storage methods on d 111 (38.4 and 37.5% for compost and stockpile, respectively). Total mass loss in Exp. 2 was less compared with Exp. 1 and was not different (P = 0.23) among storage methods (5.7 and 3.6% for compost and stockpile, respectively). When evaluated on a nutrient basis, stockpiled manure had greater N and C concentrations compared with composted manure.

Western Australia's Biosecurity, Department Of Agriculture And Food, Western Australia, Department Of Environment And Conservation, Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia, Forest Products Commission, Western Australia

Biosecurity published reports

Biosecurity is the protection of the economy, environment and human health from the negative impacts of pests, weeds and diseases, including the management of invasive species if they become established (definition adopted by AusBIOSEC).

This requires steps to prevent the entry of harmful organisms, as well as the timely and efficient management of them if they do enter.

Biosecurity threats range from catastrophic diseases such as Foot and Mouth Disease, which causes rapid and widespread animal deaths, to more subtle and slower spreading problems such as invasive weeds, mussels that foul vessel hulls and fungus-induced dieback disease of trees. These …

Grouse News 41-50 (2011-2015), Iucn Ssc-Wpa Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 41 (May 2011)

From the Editor

From the Chair

Conservation News Urgent measures for conservation of the Cantabrian capercaillie Tetrao urogallus cantabricus in its habitat in the Cantabrian mountain range

Research Reports

Effects of large-scale human land use on capercaillie Tetrao urogallus (L.) populations in Finland: A short summary of the PhD thesis

Why the capercaillie population Tetrao urogallus (L.) in the West Carpathians decline?

Hazel grouse in open landscapes

Investigating the importance of thermal refugia for white-tailed ptarmigan at the southern extent of their range

Is GPS and satellite telemetry an option for grouse research?

GPS satellite telemetry …

Wpa News 88 (2011/2012), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2011/2012), number 88

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Ojibwe And Canis Lupus : Cultural, Historical, And Political Influences On Contemporary Wolf Management In The Great Lakes Region, Caitlin Williamson

Lawrence University Honors Projects

My thesis examines the relationship between the Ojibwe and the gray wolf (Canis lupus) by examining the historical, cultural, and political contexts that have shaped how Ojibwe currently view the wolf. I compare this relationship with the contemporary management of the wolf by federal and state governments. I conclude that the relationship between the Ojibwe and the wolf is complex, and draws on the cultural significance of the wolf to the Ojibwe, yet is also impacted by other driving factors. The Ojibwe management of the wolf contrasts with state management, and thus, Ojibwe have the opportunity to provide differing management …

Genetic Modulation Of Horizontal Cell Number In The Mouse Retina, Irene Whitney, Mary Raven, Daniel Ciobanu, Ross Poché, Qian Ding, Yasser Elshatory, Lin Gan, Robert Williams, Benjamin Reese

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Neuronal populations display conspicuous variability in their size among individuals, but the genetic sources of this variation are largely undefined. We demonstrate a large and highly heritable variation in neuron number within the mouse retina, affecting a critical population of interneurons, the horizontal cells. Variation in the size of this population maps to the distal end of chromosome (Chr) 13, a region homologous to human Chr 5q11.1–11.2. This region contains two genes known to modulate retinal cell number. Using conditional knock-out mice, we demonstrate that one of these genes, the LIM homeodomain gene Islet-1 (Isl1), plays a role …

Occurrence Of Blarina Brevicauda In Arkansas And Notes On The Distribution Of Blarina Carolinensis And Cryptotis Parva, R. S. Pfau, D. Blake Sasse, M. B. Connior, I. F. Guenther

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We provide an update on the species and distribution of shrews occurring in Arkansas. Shrews were collected within Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Management Areas and along the Buffalo National River. We also searched mammal collections at several institutional museums to provide additional locality records for Cryptotis parva. Specimens of Blarina were identified to species by DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Previously, Blarina hylophaga was believed to occur in the northwest corner of Arkansas and B. carolinensis throughout the rest of the state. However, our genetic analysis revealed that it is B. brevicauda that occupies the …

Seasonal Activity, Population Characteristics, And Age Estimation In The Aquatic Salamander, Siren Intermedia Nettingi (Goin), J. A. Sawyer, S. E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We conducted a study of the Western Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia nettinigi), at a locality termed the Airport Road site in Jonesboro (Craighead County, AR) from November 2004 until March 2007. This site consisted of a network of roadside ditches in cultivated lawns in an industrial park. Even though sirens are known to occur frequently in ditches, most studies of the genus Siren have taken place in natural wetlands. We compiled mark-recapture data at the Airport Road site for each season to determine if the seasonal activity pattern for sirens in northeast Arkansas varied from activity data previously published from …

Foraging Behavior Of Three Sympatric And Congeneric Tyrannid Flycatchers (Tyrannus Spp.) In Western Arkansas, R. Kannan, D. A. James

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Caryospora Duszynskii (Apicomplexa: Eimeriidae) From The Speckled Kingsnake, Lampropeltis Holbrooki (Reptilia: Ophidia), In Arkansas, With A Summary Of Previousreports, Chris T. Mcallister, H. W. Robison, R. S. Seville, Z. P. Roehrs, S. E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Distribution, Conservation And Current Status Of The Little Brown Bat(Myotis Lucifugus) In Arkansas, D. Blake Sasse, D. A. Saugey, R. W. Perry

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

High Resolution Hybrid Mass Spectrometry For The Determination Of Marine Biotoxins, Azaspiracids, And Their Biotransformation Products., Zuzana Skrabakova

Theses

Azaspiracids (AZAs), polyether marine toxins, are produced by marine microalgae and accumulate in filter-feeding bivalve molluscs, such as mussels, clams, oysters and scallops, while grazing on phytoplankton, from which they derive nutrition. Although being discovered quite recently, AZAs have caused several human intoxication events and thus became a problem for health authorities and shellfish industries. The rapid development of highly sensitive liquid chromatography multiple tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS, LC-MS") methods enabled the identification of numerous AZA analogues and added to the control of shellfish contamination. Tandem mass spectrometry techniques, while being highly selective and sensitive for determination of AZAs in …

Lakes As Buffers Of Stream Dissolved Organic Matter (Dom) Variability: Temporal Patterns Of Dom Characteristics In Mountain Stream-Lake Systems, K. J. Goodman, Michelle A. Baker, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Lakes within fluvial networks may affect dissolved organic matter (DOM) dynamics in streams by dampening spring DOM snowmelt flushing responses and/or by increasing summer DOM production. We assessed the temporal variability of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) concentration and DOM characteristics (specific ultraviolet absorbance (SUVA254); DOC:dissolved organic nitrogen (DOC:DON)), as well as DOC export in seven paired lake inflows and outflows in the Sawtooth Mountain lake district, Idaho. We hypothesized that lakes would decrease stream DOM temporal variability and increase DOM export as a result of autotrophic production. We correlated DOM variability with landscape factors to evaluate potential drivers of DOM …

Altitudinal Variation Of Freeze Tolerance In The Pacific Chorus Frog, Pseudacris Regilla, Sara Healas

Undergraduate Honors Theses

This study compares the physiological responses to freezing of Pacific Chorus frogs (Pseudacris regilla) from low-elevation and high-elevation sites. During the winter months, Pacific Chorus frogs have the ability to freeze solid and revive upon thawing. They survive freezing because they store massive amounts of glycogen that they convert into glucose once freezing starts. Glucose is use (1) to protect the cells during freezing and (2) to support general metabolism through the entire winter. The hypothesis is that the frogs collected at the high-elevation site will have more glucose stored as glycogen because these frogs have to survive …

A New Skeleton Of The Cryptoclidid Plesiosaur Tatenectes Laramiensis Reveals A Novel Body Shape Among Plesiosaurs, F. Robin O’Keefe, Hallie P. Street, Benjamin C. Wilhelm, Courtney D. Richards, Helen Zhu

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Current knowledge of plesiosaurs of clade Cryptoclidia is constrained by a lack of fossils from outside the Oxford Clay deposits of England. Recent fieldwork in the Sundance Formation of the Bighorn Basin, Wyoming, has resulted in the recovery of significant new fossils of cryptoclidid plesiosaurs, including the small-bodied form Tatenectes laramiensis. A new partial skeleton of this taxon is reported here; it is the most complete and best-preserved example of the taxon found to date, comprising a complete dorsal vertebral series, many ribs and gastralia, and a complete pelvic girdle. This skeleton illuminates several unique features of the taxon, …

Research, Monitoring, Assessment And Development Plan 2010 – 2011, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Sequence Analysis Of The Angiotensin Ii Type 1 Receptor (Agtr1) Gene For Mutations Contributing To Pulmonary Hypertension In The Chicken (Gallus Gallus), John Russell Burks

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Our multidisciplinary group at the University of Arkansas has been investigating the suitability of the chicken as a medical model for pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in humans. There are several forms of PAH in humans arising from elevated pulmonary arterial pressure and pulmonary vascular resistance. Spontaneous cases of PAH are known as idiopathic PAH (IPAH), where the exact physiological causes are not known. IPAH patients that do not respond to standard treatments have a prognosis of only a few years. Currently, there is no acceptable animal model for IPAH. As part of our effort to pursue the chicken as model …

Adaptation Of Lambs To An Endophyte Infected Tall Fescue Seed Diet, Rachel Ann Rickly Zinner

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Ten wether lambs were used to determine the effects of ergovaline consumption from endophyte infected tall fescue, on nutrient utilization and metabolism. Lambs were fed a diet of 23% endophyte free tall fescue seed (E-) and 77% concentrate from d -14 to -1 (adaptation phase). On d 0, five lambs were switched to an endophyte infected seed diet (E+) where they remained through d 14. Nutrient digestibilities tended to increase from adaptation through the acute (d 1 to 4) to subacute (d 10 to 14) phases when E- was fed. E+ digestibilities were highest (P < 0.05) in the acute phase. Lambs fed E+ had higher rectal temperatures in the acute (P < 0.01) and subacute phases (P < 0.05). Fecal recovery of ergovaline increased as day of collection increased in the acute and subacute phases. Lysergic acid fecal recovery increased with day of collection in the acute phase, but no effect was found in the subacute phase. Serum enzyme analyses did not indicate tissue damage from alkaloid consumption. These results demonstrate lambs try to adapt to endophyte infected fescue seed consumption through increased nutrient digestibilities and increased ergovaline and lysergic acid excretion.

Factors Affecting Skeletal Muscle Protein Synthesis In The Horse, Ashley Leigh Wagner

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Skeletal muscle protein synthesis is regulated by the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling pathway. The first objective was to optimize the methodological procedures for assessing mTOR signaling in horses. The response of mTOR signaling (P-Akt Ser⁴⁷³, P-S6K1 Thr³⁸⁹, P-rpS6 Ser^{235/26 & 240/244}, and P-4EBP1 Thr^37/46 by Western blotting techniques) to meal consumption was determined at three gluteal muscle biopsy depths (6, 8, and 10 cm), and the repeatability of the contralateral side at 8 cm during 5 days of repeated biopsies. There was no effect (P > 0.05) of sampling side or biopsy …

Biology Department Newsletter, No.1, Sacred Heart University

Biology Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Histological Examination Of Testicular Cell Development And Apoptosis In The Ostrich Chick, Wei Lan, Ke-Mei Peng, Huazhen Liu, Hui Song, Yang Wang, Li Tang

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of this study was to observe the microstructure and ultrastructure of the testis, demonstrate testicular cell development and apoptosis, and elucidate regularity of development and apoptosis in ostrich chick testes. By employing light microscopy 3 obvious development characteristics were detected with ostrich age increasing: first, many primordial germ cells and a few spermatogonia were found while seminiferous tubule integrity was not evident in testes of 1-day-old ostrich chicks nor were primordial germ cells. In the 30-day-old ostrich chicks spermatogonia were completely differentiated, but very few primary spermatocytes were observed in testes at 45 days of age. Second, the …

Alteration Of Gene Expression In Microvascular Endothelial Cells After Exposure To Foot-And-Mouth Disease Virus 146s Antigen, Tao Zhang, Shuang Zhang, Li-Fang Tian, Ge Hu, Zhan-Wei Suo, Wu Chen, Hui-Qin Duan, Xiang Mu, Ke-Dao Teng

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

To investigate the global response of microvascular endothelial cells (MVECs) to foot-and-mouth (FMDV)disease vaccine (FMDV) antigen and to explore the role of MVECs in FMD vaccine immunity, the gene expression alterations of rat myocardium microvascular endothelial cells (RMMVECs) after stimulation with FMD virus (FMDV) 146S antigen were assayed using cDNA microarrays. We observed that 18 genes and 67 genes in RMMVECs were respectively altered by FMDV 146S antigen at 6 h and 24 h, respectively. The former were all up-regulated genes, and the latter included 60 up-regulated genes and 7 down-regulated genes. Among the differentially expressed genes, many were associated …

Association Analysis Of Aquaporin 7 (Aqp7) Gene Variants With Semen Quality And Fertility In Bulls, Tenghe Ma, Jifeng Liu, Ruifeng Zhao, Hao Jiang, Lisheng Dai, Yumin Zhao, Zhihui Zhao, Jiabao Zhang

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Aquaporin 7 (AQP7) gene as a candidate Antifreeze gene was investigated and associated with fresh and frozen semen quality traits in 45 Simmental and Charolais bulls. PCR-SSCP, PCR-RFLP, and sequencing method were employed to detect the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of the AQP7 gene. Two mutations, A264G and G371C, were identified. The allele frequencies were A (0.97, 0.96) to B (0.03, 0.04) and C (0.97, 0.91) to D (0.03, 0.09) in Simmental and Charolais bulls, respectively. A264G substitution was significantly associated with acrosome integrity ratio (P < 0.01) and motility (P < 0.05) in frozen semen. Meanwhile, G371C substitution was significantly associated with acrosome integrity ratio (P < 0.05), percentages of viable sperm (P < 0.05), and motility (P < 0.01) in frozen semen. The results prove that AQP7 gene SNPs are useful for marker-assisted selection in early seed selection in the bull industry.

The Increase Of Cd4+Cd25+ T Cells In The Peripheral Blood Of Pigs Persistently Infected With Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus, Jingwen Zeng, Danting He, Xin Guo, Xinna Ge, Hanchun Yang

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Regulatory T lymphocytes (T-regs) may be involved in suppressing the host's immunity, which is important for viral clearance, and may therefore contribute to persistent viral infection. However, nothing is known regarding the situation of porcine T-regs during persistent infection with porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). This study, which used flow cytometry and real-time PCR, determined that the frequencies of CD4+CD25+ T-cells and porcine Forkhead/winged helix transcription factor (FoxP3) mRNA levels in peripheral blood significantly increased during PRRSV persistence, indicating that CD4+CD25+ T-regs might play an important role in PRRSV persistent infection. This study contributes to a better understanding …

Effects Of Dietary Fish Oil Replacement By Cottonseed Oil On Growth Performance And Fatty Acid Composition Of Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss), Müjde Güler, Mustafa Yildiz

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of replacing fish oil (FO) with cottonseed oil (CSO), as an alternative plant lipid source in diets for rainbow trout (89.3 ± 1.1 g mean individual weight), on the growth and fatty acid composition of fish. As a control diet, 5 experimental diets were formulated with pure FO and with partial or complete (25%, 50%, 75%, or 100% CSO, respectively) replacement of FO with CSO. The fish were fed 2% of their body weight per day for 60 days at an average water temperature of 10.2 °C. At the …

Immunodetection Of Insulin-Like Growth Factor Binding Proteins (Igfbps) In The Sera Of Different Animal Species, Romana Masnikosa, Ivona Baricevic, Dragana Lagundzin, Olgica Nedic

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Knowledge regarding the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system and the methods for the detection and quantitation of IGF binding proteins (IGFBPs) is greater for the human species than for other animal species. This is mainly because antibodies specifically raised against nonhuman IGFBPs are rarely commercially available. We aimed to investigate which of the antibodies directed against human IGFBPs could be used for the detection of IGFBPs present in other species. We used commercially available antibodies, raised against human IGFBP-1 through IGFBP-4, in order to recognize the corresponding IGFBPs in the sera of different animal species: human, bovine, equine, porcine, ovine, …

Bark Beetle Fauna (Coleoptera: Scolytinae) Of The Coniferous Forests In The Mediterranean Region Of Western Turkey, With A New Record For Turkish Fauna, Oğuzhan Sarikaya, Mustafa Avci

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Scolytinae (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) species and their host plants of coniferous forests of the Mediterranean region of Western Turkey were determined between 2006 and 2008. A total of 27 species of Scolytinae were collected from 59 different sites in Afyonkarahisar, Antalya, Burdur, Denizli, Isparta, and Muğla provinces. Hylastes angustatus (Herbst), H. linearis Erichson, Tomicus destruens (Wollaston), Hylurgus ligniperda (Fabricius), Pityogenes calcaratus (Eichhoff), P. pennidens Reitter, Orthotomicus robustus (Knotek), and O. suturalis (Gyllenhal) were recorded as new species for the Scolytinae fauna of the Mediterranean region of Western Turkey. Orthotomicus robustus (Knotek) was recorded for the first time from Turkey.

Lecanid Rotifers (Rotifera: Monogononta: Lecanidae) From Iran, Esmat Khaleqsefat, Shahrokh Pashaei Rad, Reza Malekzadeh Viayeh

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Rotifer diversity was investigated in 26 bodies of water in northwest Iran. Thirteen species of Lecanidae were identified, 6 of which are new records for Iran. The new records include Lecane flexilis (Gosse 1886), L. hamata (Stokes 1896), L. hastata (Murray 1913), L. lamellata (Daday 1893), L. papuana (Murray 1913), and L. punctata (Murray 1913). Drawings are provided, and both the seasonal and spatial distributions of the identified taxa are discussed. A brief comparison is made between the present study's results and those reported from Turkey.