Digital Commons Network^™

Brain Complexity, Sentience And Welfare, Donald M. Broom

Animal Sentience

Neither sentience nor moral standing is confined to animals with large or human-like brains. Invertebrates deserve moral consideration. Definition of terms clarifies the relationship between sentience and welfare. All animals have welfare but humans give more protection to sentient animals. Humans should be less human-centred.

Invertebrate Cognition, Sentience And Biology, Georges Chapouthier

Animal Sentience

All animal species have adapted for survival and no species is superior overall. For cognitive capacities and sentience, invertebrates such as the octopus, although quite unlike vertebrates, can achieve similar performance levels. So can other invertebrates with small brains; hence they too, as sentient beings, deserve moral consideration from humans. How are we to identify these species? Only though a detailed analysis of their behavior. The decision, which is a moral judgment, depends on biological knowledge that still needs to be acquired.

Convergent Evolution Of Sentience?, Culum Brown Prof.

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell make a compelling case that some invertebrates may be sentient and that our moral obligations in the context of welfare should hence extend to them. Although the case is similar to that made for fishes, there is one obvious difference in that examples of invertebrate sentience probably arose independently from vertebrate sentience. We have unequivocal proof that complex cognition arose multiple times over evolutionary history. Given that cognition is our best tool for indirectly quantifying sentience, it seems highly likely that this multiple polygenesis may also have occurred for sentience. In acknowledging this, we must accept that …

Notes On The Diet And Reproduction Of The Bark Scorpion Centruroides Gracilis (Scorpiones: Buthidae) On Utila Island, Honduras, Anna M. Davison, Tom W. Brown, Cristina Arrivillaga

Euscorpius

The brown bark scorpion Centruroides gracilis (Latreille, 1804) (Buthidae) is an abundant and widespread species, however, fairly little is known about its ecology and natural history. We include several observations from Utila Island, Honduras, that expand on the known literature regarding the diet and reproductive behavior of C. gracilis. We report several prey items for this opportunistic species, which include invertebrates such as spiders (including tarantulas), centipedes, katydids, and crickets; as well as a case of cannibalism between two adult females C. gracilis. We suggest that such cannibalism may be driven by high population densities and/or strong intraspecific …

Minds, Morality And Midgies, Brian Key, Deborah Brown

Animal Sentience

Mikhalevich & Powell argue that the exclusion of the vast majority of arthropods from moral standing is unwarranted, particularly given the purported evidence for cognition and sentience in these organisms. The implied association between consciousness and moral standing is questionable and their assumption that rich forms of cognition and flexible behavior are dependent on phenomenal consciousness needs to be reconsidered in light of current neuroscientific evidence. We conclude by proposing a neural algorithmic approach for deciphering whether organisms are capable of subjective experience.

Discovery Of The World’S Highest-Dwelling Mammal, Jay F. Storz, Marcial Quiroga-Carmona, Juan C. Opazo, Thomas Bowen, Matthew Farson, Scott J. Steppan, Guillermo D’Elía

Jay F. Storz Publications

Environmental limits of animal life are invariably revised when the animals themselves are investigated in their natural habitats. Here we report results of a scientific mountaineering expedition to survey the high-altitude rodent fauna of Volcán Llullaillaco in the Puna de Atacama of northern Chile, an effort motivated by video documentation of mice (genus Phyllotis) at a record altitude of 6,205m. Among numerous trapping records at altitudes of >5,000 m, we captured a specimen of the yellow-rumped leaf-eared mouse (Phyllotis xanthopygus rupestris) on the very summit of Llullaillaco at 6,739 m. This summit specimen represents an altitudinal world …

Biogeography, Morphology, And Systematics Of The Mountain Cottontail, Sylvilagus Nuttallii (Bachman, 1837), Mammalia: Lagomorpha: Leporidae, Johnnie H. French

Dissertations and Theses

Widespread species often present taxonomic conundrums: are they truly a single panmictic species, or, is the widespread species in fact a polytypic species complex constituted by independently evolving, morphologically or otherwise cryptic species? One such broadly distributed taxon is Sylvilagus nuttallii, with distribution across the western United States, ranging from South Dakota to California, and from Canada to Arizona. The three subspecies constituting S. nuttallii are, however, geographically isolated and it has been hypothesized that they likely constitute independent, species level taxa. However, that study examined only two of the three holotypes, rather than broader geographic and non-geographic variation. …

Spatiotemporal Genetic Diversity Of Lions Reveals The Influence Of Habitat Fragmentation Across Africa, Caitlin J. Curry, Brian W. Davis, Laura D. Bertola, Paula A. White, William J. Murphy, James N. Derr

Publications and Research

Direct comparisons between historical and contemporary populations allow for detecting changes in genetic diversity through time and assessment of the impact of habitat fragmentation. Here, we determined the genetic architecture of both historical and modern lions to document changes in genetic diversity over the last century. We surveyed microsatellite and mitochondrial genome variation from 143 high-quality museum specimens of known provenance, allowing us to directly compare this information with data from several recently published nuclear and mitochondrial studies. Our results provide evidence for male-mediated gene flow and recent isolation of local subpopulations, likely due to habitat fragmentation. Nuclear markers showed …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

A New Lesser Antillean Scorpion Of The Genus Didymocentrus Kraepelin, 1905 (Scorpiones: Diplocentridae), Rolando Teruel, Karl Questel

Euscorpius

A new species of the diplocentrid scorpion of the genus Didymocentrus Kraepelin, 1905 is herein described from the Lesser Antillean island of Martinique. It long remained misidentified as Didymocentrus lesueurii (Gervais, 1844), the only species of this genus inhabiting the adjacent island of Saint Lucia. The direct comparison of adults of both sexes from these two islands revealed solid morphological characters, which warrant their recognition as two different taxa. Each one is endemic from a single major island, where it is widespread even in its satellite islets. This addition raises the known composition of the genus to 12 species, 10 …

Fish Community Composition And Structure Near A Freshwater River Diversion In Southeastern Louisiana, Rachel L. Snider

LSU Master's Theses

Gulf of Mexico estuaries, particularly in Louisiana, are among the world’s most productive, with landings of commercially- and recreationally-important species exceeding all other contiguous US states. Coastal wetlands are disappearing at an alarming rate because they have been impounded from Mississippi River water and sediment. Although controversial, one proposed solution is to re-route the Mississippi River through diversions and siphons to supply the freshwater and sediments necessary to rebuild vanishing wetlands, particularly in Barataria Bay and Breton Sound, LA. This strategy is one approach outlined in the Louisiana Coastal Master Plan. This project aimed to describe the composition and structure …

Six New Species Of Orthochirus Karsch, 1892 From Iran (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Shahrokh Navidpour

Euscorpius

Six new scorpion species from Iran, Orthochirus hormozganensis sp. n. (Hormozgan Province), O. kermanensis sp. n. (Kerman Province), O. kucerai sp. n. (Kerman Province), O. masihipouri sp. n. (Bushehr Province), O. semnanensis sp. n. (Semnan Province), and O. vignolii sp. n. (Yazd Province) are described, compared with other Iranian Orthochirus species, and fully illustrated with color photographs. A key and a distribution map of Orthochirus of Iran, Turkey, and Iraq (18 species) are included.

Free Calcium Concentration, Calpain-2 Activity, And Final Product Tenderness Of Electrically Stimulated Beef, B J. Buseman, T M. Weber, J A. Nasados, P D. Bass, J B. Van Buren, J M. Lancaster, J H. Smart, M E. Doumit, G K. Murdoch, W J. Price, K Insausti, M J. Colle

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of timing of electrical stimulation on free calcium concentration, calpain-2 activity, Warner-Bratzler shear force (WBSF), and consumer sensory analysis. Twenty-three beef steers were harvested and stimulated (S) using extra-low voltage or not stimulated (NS), at exsanguination and/or 1 h postmortem, resulting in 4 different stimulation treatments: NS-NS, NS-S, S-NS, or S-S. Samples were removed from the longissimus lumborum (LL) and semimembranosus (SM) for free calcium and calpain-2 analysis on days 1, 4, and 14 postmortem. WBSF and sensory analysis steaks were removed on day 4 and frozen (4 d) or …

An Applied Ecology Of Fear Framework: Linking Theory To Conservation Practice, Kaitlyn M. Gaynor, Michael J. Cherry, Sophie L. Gilbert, Michael T. Kohl, Courtney L. Larson, Thomas M. Newsome, Laura R. Prugh, Justin P. Suraci, Julie K. Young, Justine A. Smith

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Research on the ecology of fear has highlighted the importance of perceived risk from predators and humans in shaping animal behavior and physiology, with potential demographic and ecosystem-wide consequences. Despite recent conceptual advances and potential management implications of the ecology of fear, theory and conservation practices have rarely been linked. Many challenges in animal conservation may be alleviated by actively harnessing or compensating for risk perception and risk avoidance behavior in wild animal populations. Integration of the ecology of fear into conservation and management practice can contribute to the recovery of threatened populations, human–wildlife conflict mitigation, invasive species management, maintenance …

Raman Spectroscopy Characterization Extracellular Vesicles From Bovine Placenta And Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells, Han Zhang, Ana Caroline Silva, Wei Zhang, Heloisa M. Rutigliano, Anhong Zhou

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Placenta-derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are involved in communication between the placenta and maternal immune cells possibly leading to a modulation of maternal T-cell signaling components. The ability to identify EVs in maternal blood may lead to the development of diagnostic and treatment tools for pregnancy complications. The objective of this work was to differentiate EVs from bovine placenta (trophoblast) and peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) by a label-free, non-invasive Raman spectroscopy technique. Extracellular vesicles were isolated by ultracentrifugation. Dynamic light scattering (DLS) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) were applied to verify the presence and the size distribution of EVs. Raman …

Wpa News 112 (2020), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Summer 2020), number 112

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Understanding Recruitment Variation (Including The Collapse) Of Ballot’S Saucer Scallop Stocks In Western Australia And Assessing The Feasibility Of Assisted Recovery Measures For Improved Management In A Changing Environment. Frdc Project No. 2015/026, Arani Chandrapavan, Mervi Kangas, Nick Caputi

Fisheries Research Reports

This study examined possible contributing environmental factors to the recruitment variability of the Ballot’s saucer scallop Ylistrum balloti across the main stocks in Western Australia. The project was undertaken to explain the variation observed between years and between regions as well elucidating the potential cause of a major decline in scallop stocks following an extreme marine heatwave, with these findings intended to improve future management advice.

Growing South Dakota (Summer 2020), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

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

[Page] 3 COVID-19: From Our Students' Perspective
[Page] 11 Class of 2020 Q&A
[Page] 19 Alumni Advice for the Future Generation
[Page] 21 Recent Alumni Features
[Page] 25 Student Features
[Page] 31 CAFES News, Student Success, Awards and Achievements
[Page] 57 Jackrabbits Now and Then: A Current Student and Alumni Q&A

Blue Swimmer Crab ( Portunus Armatus ) And Sand Crab ( Ovalipes Australiensis ) Resource In The South Coast Bioregion Of Western Australia, D Johnston, David Harris, Daniel Yeoh

Fisheries Research Reports

The blue swimmer crab (Portunus armatus) is found along the entire coastline of Western Australia (WA) in a range of estuarine, inshore and continental shelf areas (<50 >m). In the South Coast Bioregion (SCB), blue swimmer crabs are retained as by-product in commercial nets of the 25 licences operating in the South Coast Estuarine Managed Fishery (SCEMF) and targeted by purpose-designed crab traps allocated to fishers in Princess Royal and Oyster Harbours in Albany.

Blue Swimmer Crab ( Portunus Armatus ) And Mud Crab Scylla Serrata And Scylla Olivacea ) Resources In The North Coast And Gascoyne Coast Bioregions, Western Australia, D Johnston, Daniel Yeoh, David Harris, E Fisher

Fisheries Research Reports

Blue swimmer crab (Portunus armatus) are found along the entire Western Australia (WA) coast, in a range of estuarine, inshore and continental shelf areas (<50 >m). In the North Coast Bioregion (NCB), commercial fishing primarily occurs as part of the Pilbara Crab Managed Fishery (PCMF) which spans the inshore waters from Onslow through to Port Hedland, with most fishing activity taking place around Nickol Bay.

West Coast Demersal Scalefish Resource Harvest Strategy 2021-2025 : Version 1.0, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

Integrated Fisheries Management Draft Allocation Report – West Coast Demersal Scalefish, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

Large Variability In Feeding Behavior Among Crossbred Growing Cattle, David N. Kelly, Roy D. Sleator, Craig P. Murphy, Stephen B. Conroy, Michelle M. Judge, Donagh P. Berry

Department of Biological Sciences Publications

The purpose of this study was to define an extensive suite of feeding behavior traits in growing crossbred cattle and to investigate their phenotypic inter-relationships as well as relationships with other performance and efficiency traits. Time-series feeding behavior data, as well as feed intake and liveweight records, were available for 624 growing crossbred cattle, of which 445 were steers and 179 were heifers. Feeding behavior repeatability estimates were calculated using linear mixed models. Additionally, partial Spearman correlations were estimated among 14 feeding behavior traits, as well as between feeding behavior with both performance and feed efficiency traits, using residuals retained …

Sdsu Beef Day 2020 Complete Proceedings, Department Of Animal Science

SDSU Beef Day 2020 Summary Publication

This is the complete proceedings of the South Dakota State University, Department of Animal Science Beef Day 2020. The proceedings contain research presented on the following topics:
Cow/Calf
SDSU Extension
Feedlot
Meat and Human Nutrition
Reproduction

Cultivating Cooperatives: Benefits And Challenges Of Co-Ops And Recommendations For Maine’S Emerging Aquaculture Industries, Phoebe Walsh

All Theses And Dissertations

Two emerging Maine industries, kelp (Saccharina latissimi and Saccharina angustissima) and Atlantic sea scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) aquaculture, have enormous market, environmental, and social potential but are faced with challenges of small scale and limited operations, inadequate infrastructure, market visibility, and limited expertise. Because many industries, particularly the dairy industry, have benefited from the use of cooperatives (co-ops) to aggregate an extremely perishable product, quickly process and effectively market and distribute, this research explores the cooperative model as a potential tool for the nascent scallop and kelp industries. Aquaculture co-ops are new in Maine. The first, the …

Growing South Dakota (Spring/Summer 2020), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

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

This issue contains the South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station 2019 Annual Report.

[Page] 2 South Dakota Agricultural Experiment Station Update
[Page] 4 Featured Research
[Page] 14 Graduate and Undergraduate Research: In Our Own Words
[Page] 20 Featured Research
[Page] 32 Research in Progress
[Page] 38 CAFES News and Updates
[Page] 56 Jackrabbits Now and Then: A Current Student and Alumni Q&A

The Influence Of Human Disturbance On Wildlife Use Of A Highway In South Texas, Thomas J. Yamashita

Theses and Dissertations

Roads can greatly impact wildlife. Wildlife vehicle collisions contribute to population declines while disturbance from human activity may prevent wildlife from using areas around roads. The construction of mitigation structures may lessen these effects through fine scale modification of animal use of roadside areas. In this thesis, how the construction of wildlife mitigation structures impacted the fine scale distribution of wildlife on State Highway 100 in Cameron County, Texas was examined. Spatial and temporal scale may also influence these relationships. The relationship between human activity and wildlife activity around the highway was explored and how the distribution of wildlife road …

The Consequences Of Non-Native Species Invasions On The Contemporary And Historic Trophic Ecology Of Native Sport Fish In A Lake Michigan Embayment, John Whitinger

All NMU Master's Theses

The widespread establishment of dreissenid mussels (Dreissena spp.) in Lake Michigan has strongly altered energy flow by sequestering nutrients in nearshore benthic habitats. Despite these ecosystem changes, little is known about their influence on resource partitioning in nearshore fish communities. Here we use stable isotope analysis to characterize the contemporary fish community and historic walleye (Sander vitreus) population of Lake Michigan’s Little Bay de Noc. We found species-specific differences in the δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C values for 14 fish species. High degrees of niche overlap between walleye, northern pike (Esox lucius), …

Insect Mediated Species Interactions: Examining Methods To Improve Artificial Buzz Pollination And Testing The Effects Of Plant Based Bioactive Compounds On Herbivore Life-History Traits, Mandeep Tayal

Theses and Dissertations

Pollination and herbivory are two major interactions in insect-plant ecology. Specialized pollination systems such as buzz pollination where pollen grains have to be extracted by bees with special thoracic vibrations and indirect flight muscles, is observed in ~6% of all flowering plants. Breeding and research programs in these species demand artificial pollination, but natural buzz pollinators are unreliable for this purpose. To find an alternative, we tested the pollen extraction efficiency of using inexpensive electric toothbrush over tuning fork (another commonly used device) in two buzz-pollinated species (Tomato and Silverleaf nightshade) at different buzzing frequencies and multiple buzzing time intervals. …

Frontal Vehicle Illumination Via Rear-Facing Lighting Reduces Potential For Collisions With White-Tailed Deer, Travis L. Devault, Thomas W. Seamans, Bradley Blackwell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

nimal–vehicle collisions cause many millions of animal deaths each year worldwide and present a substantial safety risk to people. In the United States and Canada, deer (Odocoileus spp.) are involved in most animal–vehicle collisions associated with human injuries. We evaluated a vehicle-based collision mitigation method designed to decrease the likelihood of deer–vehicle collisions during low-light conditions, when most collisions occur. Specifically, we investigated whether the use of a rear-facing light, providing more complete frontal vehicle illumination than standard headlights alone, enhanced vehicle avoidance behaviors of white-tailed deer (O. virginianus). We quantified flight initiation distance (FID), the likelihood …