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Dna Sequence Of Melanocortin 1-Receptor Gene In Coturnix Japonica: Correlation With Three E Locus Alleles—E,E+, And Erh, Rupali Ugrankar, Kim Cheng, Ronald Okimoto

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

The melanocortin 1-receptor (MC1-R) gene plays a key role in the expression of fur and feather color in mammals and birds by regulating the distribution of two melanin pigments: eumelanin (black/brown) and pheomelanin (red/yellow). MC1-R corresponds to the classical Extension (E) locus in mice, pigs, dogs, horses, and chickens. Three E locus alleles, the wild-type (e+), brown (E), and redhead (erh) have been identified in Japanese quail (Coturnix japonica). To determine if the quail E locus phenotypes were due to variation in the MC1-R gene, the coding region of the MC1-R gene was PCR amplified and DNA sequenced using genomic …

Effects Of Free Methionine And Lysine On In Vitro Fermentation And In Vivo Performance And Ruminal Fermentation Of Late Lactation Holstein Cows, Yi-Hua Chung

LSU Master's Theses

Two experiments were conducted to investigate the effects of free Met and Lys supplementation on ruminal fermentation in vitro and in vivo. In the in vitro study, supplementation of Met and Lys had effects on concentrations of total VFA and NH₄⁺, proportions of acetate, propionate, butyrate, isovalerate, valerate, and the ratio of acetate to propionate. Percentages of microbial N synthesis in effluent pellets were not affected by supplementing Lys and Met. The combination of 0.52% Met and 1.03% (90% DM) Lys resulted in the highest concentration of total VFA, second highest concentration of NH₄⁺, …

Comparison Of Two Heifer Development Systems On A Commercial Nebraska Ranch, Tim Loy, Don C. Adams, Terry J. Klopfenstein, Dillon Feuz, Jacqueline A. Musgrave, Burke Teichert

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A trial was conducted at a commercial Nebraska ranch to evaluate the effectiveness of a bred heifer development program that minimized the use of harvested feed. Two management systems were imposed on 505 March-calving bred heifers during the winter before the calving season, one including the use of hay (CON), and one relying solely on winter range and supplementation (TRT). During the winter period, heifers in the TRT system lost less condition and had similar weight gains to CON. Two-year-old pregnancy rates did not differ between systems. A partial budget analysis of the two development programs indicated that the TRT …

Quantitative Inheritance Of Calpastatin Activity As An Assessment Measure For Meat Tenderness In Brahman Steers, Fuad Mohammad Tawfiq Odeh

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Calpastatin activity at 24 h postmortem is inversely proportional to postmortem tenderization and accounts for a greater proportion of the variation in beef tenderness. Tenderness was determined by measurement of 24 h postmortem longissimus muscle calpastatin activity (CA) and Warner-Bratzler shear force after 7 and 14 d of steak aging. The quantitative inheritance of tenderness in Brahman steers was investigated phenotypically by Multiple Trait Derivative-Free Restricted Maximum Likelihood (MTDFREML) procedures and genotypically by using restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLP), a microsatellite marker, and DNA sequence analyses. In experiment 1, MTDFREML was used to obtain the genetic parameters of tenderness traits …

Population Structure And Genetics Of Longevity In A Colony Of Dog Guides, John B. Cole

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The objectives of this study were the description of changes in genetic diversity in a colony of dog guides since its founding, and the investigation of the genetics of longevity in that population. Two breeds of dog, German Shepherds (GS) and Labrador Retrievers (LR), were evaluated. There were rapid increases in average pairwise relationship in both breeds, although the average was approximately one-third higher in the GS population than in the LR population. A similar trend was observed for average inbreeding. In the current generation, relationship and inbreeding for all animals averaged 25.3% and 26.2% in GS and 15.5% and …

The Louisiana Calf-To-Carcass Program: Growth And Carcass Traits, James E. Devillier

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Feedlot and carcass data from 1,533 weanling steers consigned to the Louisiana Calf-to-Carcass program from 1992 to 1998 were used to evaluate the influence of feeder calf grade, sire breed, and initial feedlot weight on growth and carcass traits. Each October, spring born calves were delivered to Clinton, Ruston, or Lake Charles loadout sites. Steers were identified by sire breed, tagged, weighed, assigned a feeder calf grade. Forty-six, 18, 26, and 10 percent of the steers graded large frame-thick muscle, large frame-moderate muscle, medium frame-thick muscle, and medium frame-moderate muscle, respectively. Steers were trucked to a commercial feedlot and sorted …

Status And Distribution Of Freshwater Mussels (Unionacea) Inhabiting The Saline River / Holly Creek Bottoms Area, Saline County, Arkansas, Chris L. Davidson, Dave Gosse

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

New Records Of The Eastern Chipmunk (Tamias Striatus) From Arkansas, D. Blake Sasse

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Nesting Willow Flycatchers Discovered At Harrison, Arkansas, William C. Holimon, Douglas A. James

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Willow Flycatcher, Empidonax traillii (Audubon), was a newly discovered species when John James Audubon found it at Arkansas Post in 1822. The bird was fairly common in summer in prairie-scrub habitat around Arkansas at least until the 1950s. There after numbers declined until one or two individuals were found occasionally at a single site in Benton County in the late 1980s through 1990s. We found a population consisting of three nesting territories on Baker Prairie Natural Area in Harrison, Boone County, Arkansas. This represents the first confirmed nesting since 1990 and only the second since 1969. A nest with …

Genetic Relationships Of Some Common Arkansas Freshwater Sunfishes (Centrarchidae: Lepomis) Inferred From Restriction Endonuclease Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna, Ronald L. Johnson, K. Ashlei Williams

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Geographic isolation and habitat specialization has aided in the evolution and maintenance of genetic integrity of the lepomid sunfishes (Lepomis: Centrarchidae) of North America. Our goal was to measure genetic distances between four of the eleven extant sunfish species by using mitochondrial DNA analysis. Mitochondrial DNA restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) were examined in bluegill (L. macrochirus), redear sunfish (L. microlophus), longear sunfish (L. megalotis), and green sunfish (L. cyanellus) using 15 restriction endonucleases. The largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides) was used as an outgroup. The phylogeny inferred from Dollo parsimony cladistic analysis largely concurred with published results from allozyme analyses …

Herpetofaunal Inventory Of Arkansas Post National Memorial, Arkansas County, Arkansas, Malcolm L. Mccallum, Stanley E. Trauth, Robert G. Neal, Vernon E. Hoffman

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Arkansas Post National Memorial (ARPO) is a unique historical landmark with an interesting herpetofaunal community. We conducted an amphibian and reptile inventory of this national park from 2000-2002. We found eight amphibian and 21 reptilian species inhabiting the park. These included eight species not previously identified at ARPO. Overall species richness was highest at Alligator Slough, although the northern portion of ARPO was relatively rich. Aquatic trophic guilds included 7 (36.8%) piscivores, 7 (36.8%) omnivores, 4 (21.1%) insectivores, and one (5.3%) carnivore. The terrestrial trophic guilds included 13 (76.5%) insectivores, 2 (11.8%) carnivores, and 1 (5.9%) each of omnivores …

The Tadpole Of Phrynobatrachus Mababiensis Fitzsimons, 1932 (Anura, Ranidae, Petropedetinae), Rafael O. De Sá, Alan Channing

Biology Faculty Publications

The puddle frog genus Phrynobatrachus Günther, 1862 comprises about 64 currently recognized species (Frost, 1985). Of these, only the tadpoles of P. natalensis (Smith, 1849) (Power, 1927; Channing, 2001), P. guineensis Guibé & Lamotte, 1961(Rödel,1998) and P. alticola Guibé & Lamotte, 1961 (Rödel & Ernst, 2002) have been described. Phrynobatrachus mababiensis FitzSimons, 1932 (Dwarf Puddle frog, Wager, 1986; Mababe River frog, Frank & Ramus, 1996) is a small frog that usually calls from low in thick vegetation on flooded terrains close to the water. Very little has been published about the biology of this species. Passmore & Carruthers (1979) reported …

Foraging Ecology And Habitat Selection Of The Western Yellow Robin (Eopsaltria Griseogularis) In A Wandoo Woodland, Western Australia : Conservation Ecology Of A Declining Species, Jarrad A. Cousin

Theses: Doctorates and Masters

This study examined the foraging ecology and habitat selection of the Western Yellow Robin in Wandoo Woodland at Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia. The foraging ecology component was comprised of an examination of foraging behaviour, perch-use selection and pounce-site characteristics. The habitat selection component was comprised of an examination of habitat characteristics of site occupancy and general nesting ecology. The implications of current management at Dryandra Woodland to the ecology of the Western Yellow Robin are discussed in reference to the findings of the present study. Ground-pouncing was the dominant foraging behaviour throughout all seasons, with dead branches of live subcanopy …

Avian Population Trends Within The Evolving Agricultural Landscape Of The Eastern And Central United States, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

State-level Breeding Bird Survey (1980-1998) and U.S. Department of Agriculture statistics were used to test the hypothesis that changes in agricultural land use within the eastern and central U.S. have driven population trends of grassland and shrub habitat birds over the past two decades. The degree to which population trends differed between grassland and shrub habitats was evaluated with respect to migratory and nesting behavior. Grassland birds declined significantly between 1980 and 1999, but, on average, shrub habitat species did not. Grassland-breeding, long-distance migrants exhibited the strongest negative trends. Most species (78%; n = 63) exhibited at least one significant …

Answers (Tekzip) To Letter: The Ostracoda (Crustacea) Fauna Of Lakes Erikli Hamam, Mert, Pedina And Saka (İgneada, Kırklareli, Turkey) Külköylüoğlu, O., Usta, E., & Babaç, M.T. (2002) Turk. J. Zool. Volume: 26, İssue: 3, 263-263, Selçuk Altinsaçli

Turkish Journal of Zoology

No abstract provided.

Introduction, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

THE WOLF IS TRULY a special animal. As the most widely distributed of all land mammals, the wolf, formally the gray wolf (Canis lupus), is also one of the most adaptable. It inhabits all the vegetation types of the Northern Hemisphere and preys on all the large mammals living there. It also feeds on all the other animals in its environment, scavenges, and can even eat fruits and berries. Wolves frequent forests and prairies, tundra, barren ground, mountains, deserts, and swamps. Some wolves even visit large cities, and, of course, the wolf's domesticated version, the dog, thrives in …

Wolf Social Ecology, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

THE FIRST REAL BEGINNING to our understanding of wolf social ecology came from wolf 2204 on 23 May 1972. State depredation control trapper Lawrence Waino, of Duluth, Minnesota, had caught this female wolf 112 km ( 67 mi) south of where L. D. Mech had radio-collared her in the Superior National Forest 2 years earlier. A young lone wolf, nomadic over 100 km² (40 mi²) during the 9 months Mech had been able to keep track of her, she had then disappeared until Waino caught her. From her nipples it was apparent that she had just been …

References, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

Abrams, P. A. 2000. The evolution of predator-prey interactions. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 31:79-105.

Abuladze, K. I. 1964. Osnovy Tsestodologii. Vol. IV. Teniatylentochnye gel' minty zhivotnykh i cheloveka i vyzyvaevaniia. Nauka, Moscow. 530 pp.

Achuff, P. L., and R. Petocz. 1988. Preliminary resource inventory of the Arjin Mountains Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. World Wide Fund for Nature, Gland, Switzerland. 78 pp.

Ackerman, B. B., F. A. Leban, M. D. Samuel, and E. 0. Garton. 1990. User's manual for program Home Range. 2d ed. Technical Report no. 15. Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station, University ofldaho, Moscow.

Acorn, …

Wolf Population Dynamics, Todd K. Fuller, L. David Mech, Jean Fitts Cochrane

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

A LARGE, DARK WOLF poked his nose out of the pines in Yellowstone National Park as he thrust a broad foot deep into the snow and plowed ahead. Soon a second animal appeared, then another, and a fourth. A few minutes later, a pack of thirteen lanky wolves had filed out of the pines and onto the open hillside.

Wolf packs are the main social units of a wolf population. As numbers of wolves in packs change, so too, then, does the wolf population (Rausch 1967). Trying to understand the factors and mechanisms that affect these changes is what the …

Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, And Conservation: Photo Section Ii, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Isaac Babcock, Melissa Mccaw

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

Adult wolves are very attentive to the pups. Both parents feed and care for them. Any older siblings similarly participate in pup care and feeding. Kin selection is probably the best explanation for the latter behavior. Top: Photograph by Isaac Babcock. Bottom: Photograph by L. David Mech.

Wolf Interactions With Non-Prey, Warren B. Ballard, Ludwig N. Carbyn, Douglas W. Smith

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

WOLVES SHARE THEIR ENVIRONMENT with many animals besides those that they prey on, and the nature of the interactions between wolves and these other creatures varies considerably. Some of these sympatric animals are fellow canids such as foxes, coyotes, and jackals. Others are large carnivores such as bears and cougars. In addition, ravens, eagles, wolverines, and a host of other birds and mammals interact with wolves, if only by feeding on the remains of their kills.

Conclusion, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

WOLVES CAN LIVE almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and almost everywhere they do, they are an issue. In the vast emptiness of the northern tundra or the Arabian desert, on the outskirts of a European town or in the safety of an American national park, in meager agricultural lands in India or mountains in rich Norway or Switzerland, wolves always attract people's attention. Wolves form a key part of many ecosystems, and they are considered charismatic creatures by most human cultures. Thus they polarize public opinion and make headlines year after year.

If we look back 6o years to …

Incidence Of Mink, Mustela Vison, And River Otter, Lutra Canadensis, In A Highly Urbanized Area, L. David Mech

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

Mink (Mustela vison) frequently inhabited or traversed a residential. business. and industrial part of the Twin Cities. Minnesota, with little water or natural vegetation. At least one River Otter (Lutra canadensis) also resided on a small pond on a golf course in the area for several winter months.

Bats Of Nevis, Northern Lesser Antilles, Scott C. Pedersen, Hugh H. Genoways, Matthew N. Morton, James W. Johnson, Siân E. Courts

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Only one species of bat, Molossus molossus, previously has been documented as occurring on the northern Lesser Antillean island of Nevis. Field research and reviews of existing museum collections have provided documentation based on voucher specimens for an additional seven species occurring on the island — Noctilio leporinus, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Monophyllus plethodon, Ardops nichollsi, Artibeus jamaicensis, Natalus stramineus, and Tadarida brasiliensis. The biological diversity of the chiropteran fauna on Nevis is similar to that found on other islands in the northern Lesser Antilles. Ecologically, this is a simple chiropteran fauna, including one …

The Effects Of Classic And Variant Infectious Bursal Disease Viruses On Lymphocyte Populations In Specific-Pathogen-Free White Leghorn Chickens, Christina L. Johnson, Ashley K. Cox, April D. Keeter, Will J. Quinn, Gisela F. Erf, Lisa A. Newberry

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

Infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) is a pathogen that primarily infects B lymphocytes in domestic avian species. This viral infection has been associated with immunosuppression, clinical disease/mortality, and enteric malabsorption effects. The purpose of this experiment was to compare the effects of a classic (USDA-STC) and a new variant IBDV (RB-4, known to induce primarily the enteric disease) on immune cell populations in lymphoid organs. Seventeen-day-old specific-pathogen-free (SPF) White Leghorn chickens were either not infected (control) or inoculated with either USDA-STC or RB-4 IBD viral isolate. On days 3 and 5 post-inoculation (PI), lymphoid tissues were collected to prepare cell …

Wild Dog Control : Facts Behind The Strategies, Peter Thomson

Agriculture reports

Background information to how strategies for controlling wild dogs have been developed over the years, not just in Western Australia, but also other parts of Australia. The information is based on scientific studies, including detailed evaluations of techniques and strategies, and also considerable practical experience from doggers, operational staff and landholders. This publication focuses on sheep enterprises.

Leptodactylus Mystacinus, M. M. Heyer, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus mystacinus are of moderate size, the head is as wide as long, and the hind limbs are moderately short (see Table; Heyer and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are not visible externally or at best are weakly expanded laterally and slightly darker than female throats. Male snouts are more spatulate than those of females. Male forearms are not hypertrophied. Males lack asperities on the thumbs and chest. One or two pairs of dorsolateral folds (indicated by dark/light outlining in indifferently preserved specimens) are present: one …

The Effects Of Composition And Processing Of Milk On Foam Characteristics As Measured By Steam Frothing, Michael Levy

LSU Master's Theses

Steam frothing of milk is required to produce an acceptable foam for many espresso coffee drinks. Specific aspects of composition and processing may affect the foaming properties of milk. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of fat content, heat treatment, free fatty acid addition and storage time on the frothing properties of milk. The four treatments included: fat content (0.08% and 3.25%), pasteurization temperatures (171°F for 15 seconds and 210°F for 45 seconds), pre and post-pasteurization addition of lauric acid solution (0.0% and 2.0% of 0.5 M concentration) and storage time (1 and 10 days). For …

Proceedings Of The European Conference Black Grouse – Endangered Species Of Europe (September 8–12, 2003: Prague, Czech Republic), Petra Málková, Petr Procházka

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

RSPB black grouse conservation work in north Scotland, Chris Donald and Dave O’Hara

Influences of habitat structure, climate, disturbances and predation on population dynamics of black grouse in the northern Ore Mountains, Sven Herzog and Torsten Krüger

Population fragmentation and genetic variability in European black grouse: A progress report, Jacob Höglund, David Baines, Jobs Karl Larsson, and Gernot Segelbacher

Black Grouse habitats in Poland, Robert Kamieniarz

Ecological requirements for black grouse: A case study in the Belgian Hautes-Fagnes, Christine Keulen, Yves Pieper, André Doyen, Olivier Charlet, Pascal Poncin, and Jean-Claude Ruwet

Climatic modelling of black grouse population dynamics: A game …

Dna Sequence Analysis Of The Freshwater Mussel Lampsilis Hydiana (Bivalva: Unionidae) In Select Ozark And Ouachita Mountain Streams Of Arkansas, Jennifer A. Lewter, Allen L. Szalanski, Tsunemi Yamashita

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.