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Changes In Demersal Wild Fish Aggregations Beneath A Sea-Cage Fish Farm After The Cessation Of Farming, Fernando Tuya, Pablo Sanchez-Jerez, Tim Dempster, Arturo Boyra, Ricardo Haroun

School of Natural Sciences Publications

Demersal, non-cryptic, wild fish were counted in replicate 100 m2 transects beneath a floating sea-cage fish farm and two nearby sandy locations at Gran Canaria (Canary Islands, eastern Atlantic) four times before and after the cessation of farming. Cessation of farming involved the removal of farmed fish and ceasing of the daily feeding, although farm structures (cages and moorings) remained. A “beyond-BACI” sampling design provided the framework to detect the effect of the cessation of farming, which produced qualitative and quantitative changes in the composition and structure of the fish assemblages beneath the sea-cage fish farm compared with two nearby …

Leptodactylus Fragilis (Brocchi): White-Lipped Thin-Toed Frog, Miriam M. Heyer, W. Ronald Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus fragilis are small. The head is longer than wide, and the hind limbs are moderately long (Table 1; Heyer and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are laterally expanded and range from lightly gray speckled to darkly pigmented. Male snout is spatulate; female snout is rounded. Male forearms are not hypertrophied and males lack asperities on the thumbs and chest. The dorsum is spotted or blotched with dark markings, which are often chevron-shaped and sometimes confluent. The supratympanic fold is dark brown. A pair of dorsolateral folds …

Neoteny And The Plesiomorphic Condition Of The Plesiosaur Basicranium, F. Robin O’Keefe

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

The purpose of this paper is to describe the condition of the braincase in stratigraphically early and morphologically primitive plesiosaurs. Information on the braincase of plesiomorphic taxa is important because it establishes the polarity of characters occurring in more derived plesiosaurs. This paper begins with a short review of braincase anatomy in stem-group sauropterygians. Data on braincase morphology of the plesiomorphic plesiosaur genera Thalassiodracon and Eurycleidus are then presented and interpreted via comparison with other plesiosaurs, stemgroup sauropterygians, and stem diapsids (Araeoscelis). Early diapsids are relevant because plesiosaur skulls more closely resemble early diapsids than stem-group sauropterygians in several key …

Annual Review Of The World Pheasant Association 2005/2006, World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Chairman of Trustees' report, G. R. (Dick) Potts

Treasurer's report for the year ended April 30, 2006, J. A. Sampson

Responding to UK Government consultations affecting captive stocks, Dick Potts and Simon Mayes

Specialist Groups: Global networks of technical excellence

WPA around the world: highlights from the chapters

Does the Blyth's tragopan have a future in captivity? Michel Saint Jalme and Sophie Chavanne

Cheer pheasant conservation summit in Kathmandu, Peter J. Garson and Hem S. Baral

Making forests more sustainable in Palas Valley, District Kohistan, Pakistan, Rab Nawaz

Key findings from the 2005 annual species surveys in UK and Germany, …

Effect Of Enterococcus Faecium On The Digestive Tract Of Poultry As A Probiotic, Miroslava Kacaniova, Vladimir Kmet, Juraj Cubon

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This project investigates the microbiological and biochemical characteristics of chicken and turkey caeca. Microbiological characteristics were represented by CFU of Escherichia coli, faecal Enterococci and Lactobacilli determined in 1 g of chyme and biological ones by enzymatic activity of the cellulases expressed in CMC units. In all experiments, a probiotic preparation based on Enterococcus faecium was added to the feeding mixture and drinking water at various concentrations or in the form of aerosol on the body or egg surface. Counts of Escherichia coli in CFU in 1 g of faecal chyme were determined on Endo agar, counts of CFU of …

A Switch From Polyandry To Serial Monogamy: Results From A Three Year Tagging Study Of Horseshoe Crabs In Long Island Sound, Jennifer Mattei Ph.D., Paul Goodell, Christine Depierro, Meghann Burke

Biology Faculty Publications

Part of an ongoing population study of the North American Horseshoe Crab, Limulus polyphemus, in Long Island Sound was completed during the 2003 – 2005 spawning seasons at Milford Point, in Milford, CT. Horseshoe crabs range more widely throughout Long Island Sound than expected and exhibit weak site fidelity. Animals originally tagged in Milford were found as far west as Stamford and as far east as Clinton, CT. during the 3 year study. Out of 522 female horseshoe crabs tagged in 2004 only 4 came back to spawn again at Milford Pt. in 2005. The sex ratios of tagged and …

Comparative Toxicosis Of Sodium Selenite And Selenomethionine In Lambs, A. K. Tiwary, B. L. Stegelmeier, K. E. Panter, L. F. James, Jeffery O. Hall

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Excess consumption of selenium (Se) accumulator plants can result in selenium intoxication. The objective of the study reported here was to compare the acute toxicosis caused by organic selenium (selenomethionine) found in plants with that caused by the supplemental, inorganic form of selenium (sodium selenite). Lambs were orally administered a single dose of selenium as either sodium selenite or selenomethionine and were monitored for 7 days, after which they were euthanized and necropsied. Twelve randomly assigned treatment groups consisted of animals given 0, 1, 2, 3, or 4 mg of Se/kg of body weight as sodium selenite, or 0, 1, …

Detection Of Early Stages Of Myxobolus Cerebralis In Fin Clips From Rainbow Trout (Onchorynchus Mykiss), Ramona T. Skirpstunas, J. Hergert, Thomas J. Baldwin

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

A nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay was used to detect early stages of Myxobolus cerebralis in caudal and adipose fin samples from rainbow trout (RT). To determine sensitivity, groups of 10 RT were exposed to 2,000 M. cerebralis triactinomyxons/fish for 1 hour at 15 degrees C and subsequently moved to clean recirculating water. Fish were held for 2 and 6 hours and 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, 10, 30, and 60 days before sampling by nonlethal fin biopsy. Nested PCR performed on fin clips showed that M. cerebralis DNA was detected in caudal fin tissue in 100% of fish …

Molecular Population Genetics Of The Atlantic Sand Fiddler Crab, Uca Pugilator, Along The Atlantic Coast, David A. Weese

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's abstract: The Atlantic sand fiddler crab, Uca pugilator, is an extremely abundant fiddler crab found along the eastern and Gulf coast of the United States. Fiddler crabs have a life cycle with an obligatory planktonic larval phase of 30-90 days, which might be expected to lead to widespread larval dispersal and consequent genetic homogeneity over considerable distances. However a large amount of morphological and behavioral variation is found between northern and southern populations along the eastern coast. This study was undertaken to determine the population genetic structure of U. pugilator and to determine whether these differences may have a …

An Examination Of Seasonal Growth And Survivorship Of Sigmodon Hispidus In Southeastern Virginia, Heather Alyssa Green

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A reexamination of specific population dynamic aspects of Sigmodon hispidus, the hispid cotton rat, is necessary in order to gain additional knowledge and perspective on this species in its northernmost distribution on the east coast of the United States. Previous studies of Virginia cotton rats were based on data from necropsies, which do not allow for the determination of certain population characteristics, such as density, growth, and survival. General population trends and rates of growth and survival in males and females throughout the seasons in Virginia will also provide a basis for comparison with populations of cotton rats in …

The Dynamics Of Bay Anchovy In The Hudson River Estuary: Process-Oriented Studies And Long-Term Changes, Eric T. Schultz, Kamazima M. M. Lwiza, John R. Young, Kyle J. Hartman, R. C. Tipton

EEB Articles

We review three areas of recent research on Hudson River bay anchovy. One focus has been the along-estuary movement of early life stages. A cohort analysis of samples collected in a spatiotemporally extensive monitoring program has confirmed that early-stage anchovy migrate up-estuary, at an estimated rate of 0.6 km/d. Complementary fine-scale field sampling was designed to clarify behaviors that effect the migration. This work found that early-stage anchovy can show preferences for depth and can conduct periodic vertical migration. To determine whether these behaviors were sufficient to produce up-estuary migration, larval flux and velocity were estimated. These estimates were consistent …

Results Of The Alcoa Foundation-Suriname Expeditions. Xiv. Mammals Of Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname, Burton K. Lim, Mark D. Engstrom, Hugh H. Genoways, François M. Catzeflis, Kelly A. Fitzgerald, Sandra L. Peters, Marijem Djosetro, Sandra Brandon, Sutrisno Mitro

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

An inventory of mammals in the vicinity of Brownsberg Nature Park, Suriname, incorporated a number of different sampling methods including examining museum voucher specimens, an animal-rescue operation, transect surveys, camera photo-traps, and interviews with local inhabitants. We document a total of 125 mammal species present in the Park. These include ten opossums, five pilosans, four armadillos, 58 bats, eight monkeys, 13 carnivores, one tapir, four artiodactyls, and 22 rodents. Nine of these species are reported for the first time from Suriname: one mouse opossum (Marmosops pinheiroi); one naked-backed moustached bat (Pteronotus gymnonotus); four fruit-eating bats ( …

Distribution Of Foraging Shearwaters Relative To Inner Front Of Se Bering Sea, J. Jahncke, K. O. Coyle, Stephan I. Zeeman, N. B. Kachel, G. L. Hunt Jr.

Marine Sciences Faculty Publications

We examined the hypothesis that short-tailed shearwaters Puffinus tenuirostris aggregate to forage at the inner front of the SE Bering Sea because of enhanced production there. We tested this hypothesis by comparing primary production, the distribution of euphausiids and the distribution of shearwaters relative to the front during late spring and late summer/early fall of 1997, 1998 and 1999. We found enhanced primary production at the front and offshore of the front during summer but not during spring. Primary production varied between seasons and years. Major differences were related to anomalous conditions in 1997 and 1998. The density of euphausiids …

Crossbreeding The Forgotten Tool, Jim Gosey

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Most ranchers know crossbreeding can increase output, but perhaps, don’t appreciate the potential 25% crossbred advantage in lifetime productivity of crossbred cows. Yes, you read that correctly; 25% crossbred advantage in lifetime productivity. In recent years many commercial cow herds have changed dramatically as producers have opted to repeatedly top-cross Angus bulls on their commercial cows resulting in loss of heterosis and loss of complementary breed effects. Some of the reasons for this shift are; 1) a desire to simplify breeding programs (perception that crossbreeding systems are too complex), 2) use of black hide color as a proxy for market …

Heifer Development: Revisiting Target Weights And Management Approaches, Trey Patterson, Richard T. Clark, Robin Salverson, Wayen Fahsholtz, Tony Line

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Developing heifers can be among the most expensive practices in many beef production businesses (Sprinkle, 2000). We have heard time and again about the importance of getting heifers bred at high rates. The logic used is that it is expensive to develop heifers, so you can reduce the cost of a pregnant heifer by improving pregnancy rates. This tends to lead into a cycle of adding more costs to further increase pregnancy rates. A production driven approach to developing heifers may have negative impacts on ranch profitability.

It is generally recommended that heifers need to be developed to 60-65% of …

Forecasting Forage Production, Alexander J. Smart

Range Beef Cow Symposium

The ability to forecast annual forage yield from weather data would be useful for making appropriate adjustments to stocking rates in order to achieve or maintain desired plant communities. Identifying the key weather variables that determine forage yield would help managers focus their attention on what to measure and when to make grazing decisions.

Stocking rate decisions are critical in determining long-range sustainability and productivity of range ecosystems and ultimately the financial success of ranches. Over-stocking of rangeland has led to reduced vegetative cover, increased runoff of water and sediment, and increased weedy forbs and woody plant species. All of …

Bovine Trichomoniasis, Russ Daly

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Trichomoniasis is a venereal disease of cattle that has caused significant economic losses in American cattle herds for many years. Its return to prominence in South Dakota in 2004-2005 is contrasted by the long-standing more endemic nature of the disease in other western states. The rate of diagnosis of trichomoniasis in the region has increased in recent years; whether this is due to an actual increase in numbers of affected herds or simply heightened awareness of the disease is not clear.

Few detailed studies have been conducted to determine the actual prevalence of trichomoniasis in U.S. herds, but a 1990 …

Putting Bvd Control On Your Radar Screen, Jim Kennedy

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) is a major viral disease impacting beef cattle reproduction and performance. The key source of BVDV infection is the BVDV PI animal. PI animals are the result of fetal exposure to the virus prior to the development of its immune system approximately between day 18 and day 125 of gestation. Exposure to the virus prior to day 18 may result in embryonic death and apparent infertility, while exposure after day 125 is more commonly associated with abortion, stillbirths or congenital abnormalities. BVDV not only lessens reproductive performance but also produces disease in cattle including diarrhea, …

“Decoding” The Alphabet Soup Of Animal I.D. And Marketing Programs, Jack C. Whittier

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Wow! What a difference two years makes. At the Range Beef Cow Symposium in 2003, we endeavored to address the topic “Traceback, Verification, and Animal Identification on the Ranch: Big Brother of Best Buddy?” On the very day of this presentation, December 9, 2005, a Holstein cow in the state of Washington was harvested and due to abnormalities observed in this cow, tissue samples were taken for further evaluation. Later that month, on December 23, 2003, it was announced that this cow tested positive for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE). This event, along with associated policy from USDA, combined to rocket …

Key Indicators Of Success In Ranching: A Balanced Approach, Barry H. Dunn, Matthew Etheredge

Range Beef Cow Symposium

While it has often been recognized that a ranch is greater than the sum of its parts, measuring and reporting the performance of the parts seems to be the common method of measuring the success of a ranch. Depending on the interest of the owner and manager, emphasis may be focused on cattle performance, or range management, or financial performance, or individual or personal accomplishments. Seldom does the discussion of success encompass some overarching measurement. The management tool known as “The Balanced Scorecard,” first developed by Robert S. Kaplin and David P. Norton in the early 1990s (Kaplin and Norton, …

Response Of Stress Levels In Domestic Canines To Calming Pheromone, Kathleen Barrett

Honors Capstones

Capstone submitted as a graduation requirement for the BSU Honors Program.

Exposure To Methamphetamine And Phencyclidine During Development And Subsequent Behavioral Change, Takehiro Minamoto

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 by Takehiro Minamoto on December 2, 2005.

Western Rock Lobster Fishery, W J. Fletcher, C Chubb, J Mccrea, N Caputi, F J. Webster, Ross Gould, Tim Bray

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) series

Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) is the concept that seeks to integrate short and longterm economic, social and environmental effects in all decision-making. The Western Australian Government is committed to the concepts of ESD and these principles are implicitly contained in the objectives of the Fisheries Resources Management Act 1994 (FRMA).

Fisheries Research Report No. 152 - Development Of A Dna Database For Compliance And Management Of Western Australian Sharks., Rory Mcauley, K. Ho, R. Thomas

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report - Project 2003/067

The capability to identify individual shark species from processed body parts is necessary for the WA Department of Fisheries to ensure the compliance of all WA fisheries with both existing protected species regulations and proposed new management measures for commercially important shark species. This project established a reference database of genetic profiles or ‘fingerprints’ for nine of Western Australia’s protected and commercially important shark species. Fingerprints from a 10th species, the shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) could not be obtained due to probable primer sequence mismatching. The database, in conjunction with an associated inspection and …

Fisheries Research Report No. 151 - Biology And Stock Assessment Of The Thickskin (Sandbar) Shark, Carcharhinus Plumbeus, In Western Australia And Further Refinement Of The Dusky Shark, Carcharhinus Obscurus, Stock Assessment., Rory Mcauley, R Lenanton, J. Chidlow, R. Allison, E. Heist

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC Report - Project 2000/134

The purpose of this project was to collect the biological and fishery information necessary to conduct a stock assessment of the sandbar (known locally as ‘thickskin’) shark, Carcharhinus plumbeus and to improve and update the existing stock assessment for the dusky shark, Carcharhinus obscurus. Results from this project have already been used by the Western Australian Department of Fisheries to determine appropriate management arrangements for the State’s shark fisheries to ensure the sustainable exploitation of these species. Results have also assisted the WA target-shark fisheries in conducting Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD) assessment in order …

Aquatic Animal Health Subprogram: Technical Guidelines For The Translocation Of Live Aquatic Animals - With Reference To Barramundi Nodavirus, Brian Jones

Fisheries Research Reports

FRDC Project No. 2005/640

A workshop was conducted involving input from most jurisdictions. Technical issues including hazard identification and risk management associated with the translocation of live finfish were documented.

A series of recommendations, which resulted from the workshop process, will be progressed through the National Aquatic Animal Health Technical Working group and the Aquatic Animal Health Committee.

Comparing Immune Responses Of Juvenile And Adult Northern Fence Lizards, Sceloporus Undulatus, Zaïna Sandrine Kabange

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sex steroid hormones affect behavior and morphological traits important in sexual selection. Steroid hormones also play a role in the development and functioning of immune system components. The immunocompetence handicap hypothesis (Folstad and Karter, 1992) proposes that tradeoffs, mediated by plasma levels of testosterone, exist between the immune system and elaboration of secondary sexual traits. Endocrine-immune interactions are well documented in birds and mammals, and steroid hormones can be immunoenhancing or immunosuppressive. Relatively little work has examined the ontogeny of immune function, and the interactions between steroid hormones and the immune system in reptiles. The first experiment addressed the question …

Assessment Of Chenopodium Quinoa Willd. Genetic Diversity In The Usda And Cip-Fao Collections Using Ssr?S And Snp?S, Shawn A. Christensen

Theses and Dissertations

Quinoa (Chenopodium quinoa Willd.) is a staple grain for the indigenous people of the Andean region of South America with excellent nutritional qualities, including protein content. The objective of this study is to report on the development of fluorescence-tagged simple sequence repeats (SSRs) and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to (1) genetically characterize the inherent diversity of 152 accessions of C. quinoa; (2) determine to what degree the CIP-FAO collection represents the range of genetic diversity in quinoa; and (3) test four hypotheses regarding quinoa?s center of diversity, Highland and Lowland clustering patterns, origin of Lowland varieties, and the …

Hybridization Of Lythrurus Fasciolaris (Cope) And Lythrurus Umbratilis (Girard) (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae) In The Ohio River Basin, Robert L. Hopkins Ii

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 by Robert L. Hopkins, II on November 14, 2005.

Plumage Convergence In Picoides Woodpeckers Based On A Molecular Phylogeny, With Emphasis On Convergence In Downy And Hairy Woodpeckers, Amy C. Weibel, William S. Moore

Biological Sciences Faculty Research Publications

Adult and juvenile plumage characters were traced onto a well-resolved molecular based phylogeny for Picoides woodpeckers, and a simple phylogenetic test of homology, parallelism, and convergence of plumage characters was performed. Reconstruction of ancestral character states revealed multiple events of independent evolution of derived character states in most characters studied, and a concentrated changes test revealed that some plumage characters evolved in association with habitat type. For example, there was a statistically significant association between loss of dorsal barring and use of densely vegetated habitats among Picoides species. Two analyses indicated that convergence, as opposed to parallel evolution or shared …