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Looking On The Bright Side Of Livestock Emotions—The Potential Of Their Transmission To Promote Positive Welfare, Luigi Baciadonna, Sandra Duepjan, Elodie Briefer, Mónica Padilla De La Torre, Christian Nawroth Sep 2018

Looking On The Bright Side Of Livestock Emotions—The Potential Of Their Transmission To Promote Positive Welfare, Luigi Baciadonna, Sandra Duepjan, Elodie Briefer, Mónica Padilla De La Torre, Christian Nawroth

Emotion Collection

Emotions can be defined as an individual’s affective reaction to an external and/or internal event that, in turn, generates a simultaneous cascade of behavioral, physiological, and cognitive changes. Those changes that can be perceived by conspecifics have the potential to also affect other’s emotional states, a process labeled as “emotional contagion.” Especially in the case of gregarious species, such as livestock, emotional contagion can have an impact on the whole group by, for instance, improving group coordination and strengthening social bonds. We noticed that the current trend of research on emotions in livestock, i.e., investigating affective states as a tool …


Different Ommochrome Pigment Mixtures Enable Sexually Dimorphic Batesian Mimicry In Disjunct Populations Of The Common Palmfly Butterfly, Elymnias Hypermnestra, Silvio Panettieri, Erisa Gjinaj, George John, David J. Lohman Sep 2018

Different Ommochrome Pigment Mixtures Enable Sexually Dimorphic Batesian Mimicry In Disjunct Populations Of The Common Palmfly Butterfly, Elymnias Hypermnestra, Silvio Panettieri, Erisa Gjinaj, George John, David J. Lohman

Publications and Research

With varied, brightly patterned wings, butterflies have been the focus of much work on the evolution and development of phenotypic novelty. However, the chemical structures of wing pigments from few butterfly species have been identified. We characterized the orange wing pigments of female Elymnias hypermnestra butterflies (Lepidoptera: Nymphalidae: Satyrinae) from two Southeast Asian populations. This species is a sexually dimorphic Batesian mimic of several model species. Females are polymorphic: in some populations, females are dark, resemble conspecific males, and mimic Euploea spp. In other populations, females differ from males and mimic orange Danaus spp. Using LC-MS/MS, we identified nine ommochrome …


Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Prevents Silica-Induced Development Of Pulmonary Ectopic Germinal Centers And Glomerulonephritis In The Lupus-Prone Nzbwf1 Mouse, Melissa A. Bates, Peyman Akbari, Kristen N. Gilley, James G. Wagner, Ning Li, Anna K. Kopec, Kathryn A. Wierenga, Daven Jackson-Humbles, Christina Brandenberger, Andrij Holian, Abby D. Benninghoff, Jack R. Harkema, James J. Pestka Sep 2018

Dietary Docosahexaenoic Acid Prevents Silica-Induced Development Of Pulmonary Ectopic Germinal Centers And Glomerulonephritis In The Lupus-Prone Nzbwf1 Mouse, Melissa A. Bates, Peyman Akbari, Kristen N. Gilley, James G. Wagner, Ning Li, Anna K. Kopec, Kathryn A. Wierenga, Daven Jackson-Humbles, Christina Brandenberger, Andrij Holian, Abby D. Benninghoff, Jack R. Harkema, James J. Pestka

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Ectopic lymphoid structures (ELS) consist of B-cell and T-cell aggregates that are initiated de novo in inflamed tissues outside of secondary lymphoid organs. When organized within follicular dendritic cell (FDC) networks, ELS contain functional germinal centers that can yield autoantibody-secreting plasma cells and promote autoimmune disease. Intranasal instillation of lupus-prone mice with crystalline silica (cSiO2), a respirable particle linked to human lupus, triggers ELS formation in the lung, systemic autoantibodies, and early onset of glomerulonephritis. Here we tested the hypothesis that consumption of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid with anti-inflammatory properties, influences the temporal profile …


Short-Term Low Salinity Mitigates Effects Of Oil And Dispersant On Juvenile Eastern Oysters: A Laboratory Experiment With Implications For Oil Spill Response Activities, Meagan N. Schrandt, Sean Powers, F.Scott Rikard, Wilawan Thongda, Eric Peatman Sep 2018

Short-Term Low Salinity Mitigates Effects Of Oil And Dispersant On Juvenile Eastern Oysters: A Laboratory Experiment With Implications For Oil Spill Response Activities, Meagan N. Schrandt, Sean Powers, F.Scott Rikard, Wilawan Thongda, Eric Peatman

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica) reefs in the northern Gulf of Mexico were exposed to oil and various associated clean-up activities that may have compromised oyster reef health. Included in the exposure was oil, dispersant, and in some locales, atypical salinity regimes. Oil and dispersants can be detrimental to oysters and the effects of salinity depend on the level. In addition to these extrinsic factors, genetic diversity of oyster populations may help the oysters respond to stressors, as demonstrated in other systems. We used a 3×3×2 factorial design to experimentally examine the effects …


Human-Directed Behaviour In Goats Is Not Affected By Short-Term Positive Handling, Jan Langbein, Annika Krause, Christian Nawroth Sep 2018

Human-Directed Behaviour In Goats Is Not Affected By Short-Term Positive Handling, Jan Langbein, Annika Krause, Christian Nawroth

Social Cognition Collection

In addition to domestication, interactions with humans or task-specific training during ontogeny have been proposed to play a key role in explaining differences in human–animal communication across species. In livestock, even short-term positive interactions with caretakers or other reference persons can influence human–animal interaction at different levels and over different periods of time. In this study, we investigated human-directed behaviour in the ‘unsolvable task’ paradigm in two groups of domestic goats (Capra aegagrus hircus). One group was positively handled and habituated to a plastic box by the experimenter to retrieve a food reward, while the other group only received standard …


Marine Aquarium Fish Resource Of Western Australia Harvest Strategy 2018-2022, Western Australia. Dept. Of Fisheries Sep 2018

Marine Aquarium Fish Resource Of Western Australia Harvest Strategy 2018-2022, Western Australia. Dept. Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

Harvest strategies for aquatic resources managed by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development (the Department) are formal documents that are prepared based on a formal policy (Department of Fisheries 2015) to support the decision-making processes and ensure consistency with the principles of Ecologically Sustainable Development (ESD; Fletcher 2002) and Ecosystem Based Fisheries Management (EBFM; Fletcher et al. 2010). The objectives of ESD are reflected in the objects of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994(FRMA), Section 3, and the Aquatic Resources Management Act 2016 (ARMA), Clause 9, which will replace the FRMA once enacted.


Marine Aquarium Fish Resource Of Western Australia Harvest Strategy 2018-2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development Sep 2018

Marine Aquarium Fish Resource Of Western Australia Harvest Strategy 2018-2022, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development

Fisheries Management Papers

The Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development Fisheries Division (Fisheries) utilises an Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (EBFM) approach which considers all relevant ecological, social, economic and governance issues to deliver community outcomes. In order to assess the level of fisheries’ impacts and prioritise management activities across these four areas, periodic Ecological Risk Assessments (ERA) are undertaken for fisheries resources in Western Australia (WA).


Draft Management Plan For The Southern Demersal Gillnet And Demersal Longline Managed Fishery, Department Of Fisheries Sep 2018

Draft Management Plan For The Southern Demersal Gillnet And Demersal Longline Managed Fishery, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.


Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (Ebfm) Risk Assessment Of The Marine Aquarium Fish Managed Fishery 2014, Department Of Fisheries Sep 2018

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (Ebfm) Risk Assessment Of The Marine Aquarium Fish Managed Fishery 2014, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.


Marine Aquarium Fish Resource Of Western Australia Harvest Strategy : 2018 – 2022 : Version 1.0, Department Of Fisheries Sep 2018

Marine Aquarium Fish Resource Of Western Australia Harvest Strategy : 2018 – 2022 : Version 1.0, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.


Adult Walleye Abundance And Subsequent Fry Production In The Tamarac River, Mn, Phillip Oswald Sep 2018

Adult Walleye Abundance And Subsequent Fry Production In The Tamarac River, Mn, Phillip Oswald

Biology Graduate Theses

Walleye reproductive success is of critical interest for the Red Lakes as this system is maintained entirely by natural reproduction and supports robust commercial and recreational fisheries. The Tamarac River, a major tributary to the Red Lakes, hosts a substantial Walleye spawning migration annually. The river drains the largest peat bog in the lower 48 states and thus experiences low dissolved oxygen at times. It is largely unknown how the potential anoxic bog water affects Walleye reproductive success each year and subsequent year class strength. Fyke nets were set from 2014-2018 to assess the relative abundance of adult Walleye spawning …


An Observed Instance Of Cooper’S Hawk (Accipiter Cooperii) Predation On A Chicken In An Urban Environment, Don Arp Jr. Sep 2018

An Observed Instance Of Cooper’S Hawk (Accipiter Cooperii) Predation On A Chicken In An Urban Environment, Don Arp Jr.

Nebraska Bird Review

On February 21, 2015, I had the opportunity to observe a Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) attack, kill, and feed on a chicken in an urban environment.

The attack occurred around 1:10 p.m. on February 21, 2015, in Lincoln, Nebraska, in a residential area that is often referred to as the Bethany neighborhood. With large mature trees and landscape hedges, it provided excellent cover for the hawk’s attack. Weather data for that day show a low temperature of 18 degrees Fahrenheit and a high temperature of 40 degrees Fahrenheit. There was residual snow cover in some areas, as Lincoln had experienced …


The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 86 September 2018 Number 3 Sep 2018

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 86 September 2018 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June - July 2018, by W. Ross Silcock …102

An Observed Instance of Cooper's Hawk (Accipiter cooperii) Predation on a Chicken in an Urban Environment, by Don Arp, Jr. …124

Possible Double-brooding in Scissor-tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus forficatus), by Wayne J. Mollhoff …128

2017 (29th) Report of the NOU Records Committee, by Mark A. Brogie …131

Subscription and Organization Information … 143


Possible Double-Brooding In Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus Forficatus), Wayne Mollhoff Sep 2018

Possible Double-Brooding In Scissor-Tailed Flycatcher (Tyrannus Forficatus), Wayne Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

In a follow-up visit to the site near Alexandria, Thayer Co., where I documented a Scissor-tailed Flycatcher nest with eggs in 2017, I found a pair present at the same site on 8 June 2018. After some searching, I found that their nest, with 4 eggs, was built in the same upright crotch of the same branch where it was located the year before. I knew it was a completely new nest, since the previous nest had been removed after the nesting season the year before. On a second visit on 13 August 2018, to see if the birds and/or …


Summer Field Report, June-July 2018, W. Ross Silcock Sep 2018

Summer Field Report, June-July 2018, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was a rather lackluster summer season, notably among waterfowl, shorebirds, and gulls. However, the discovery of a couple of amazing rarities spiced things up. Not only were there a few reports of the increasing Black-bellied Whistling- Duck, but the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks in Lancaster Co were a first state record, albeit a bit overdue. Another major rarity was a Reddish Egret, Nebraska’s third, in Hall Co, seen by almost as many folks as the Fulvous Whistling-Ducks. Close behind were the 6th and 7th Nebraska records of Black-chinned Hummingbird, probably on its way to regular occurrence in the next few years. …


Effect Of Storage Period And Treatment On The Composition And Digestibility Of Olive Pomace In Cattle, Alexis Cecilia Ulloa Sep 2018

Effect Of Storage Period And Treatment On The Composition And Digestibility Of Olive Pomace In Cattle, Alexis Cecilia Ulloa

Master's Theses

Utilizing local by-products can serve to significantly reduce the current feed costs for ruminant producers. The objective of this study is (1) to evaluate the effects of chemical and bacterial inoculants in combination with ensiling, on the nutritional value and ensiling compatibility of olive pomace (OP) and (2) to identify the most biologically favorable treatment and ensiling day of OP for feeding to cattle. Freshly centrifuged OP (Olivas de Oro Olive Company, Creston, CA) was treated with one of four treatments: (1) no additives (control; CONT); (2) urea applied at 5% of DM (UREA; Agrium U.S. Inc, Loveland, CO); (3) …


Laboratory Evaluation Of Efficacy Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes On Texas Leaf-Cutting Ants, Atta Texana, Pushpa Soti, Quentin Van Camp, Alexis Racelis Sep 2018

Laboratory Evaluation Of Efficacy Of Entomopathogenic Nematodes On Texas Leaf-Cutting Ants, Atta Texana, Pushpa Soti, Quentin Van Camp, Alexis Racelis

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Entomopathogenic nematodes, a large group of nematodes specialized for parasitism of insects, have been used as classical biological control agents. The nematodes have potential to be used for insect pest management in organic gardening. We studied the potential impact of two entomopathogenic nematodes Steinerneima carpocapsae Weiser and Heterohabditis bacteriophora Poinar on the Texas leaf-cutting ant, Atta texana Buckley, that is considered a problematic agricultural pest in the southern US. We used a relatively large exposure rate of 250,000 nematodes per 10 ants in Petri dishes and monitored ant activity during a 96-hour time period. Results showed no significant differences among …


Intramammary Infusion Of Casein Hydrolysate For Involution Of Single Mastitic Mammary Quarters Elevating Cow-Level Somatic Cell Count, Justine Britten, Kerry A. Rood, David J. Wilson Aug 2018

Intramammary Infusion Of Casein Hydrolysate For Involution Of Single Mastitic Mammary Quarters Elevating Cow-Level Somatic Cell Count, Justine Britten, Kerry A. Rood, David J. Wilson

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Mastitis in a single quarter can cause high somatic cell counts (SCC), clinical mastitis, and death in dairy cows. Currently, management of these mastitic quarters presents a problem for the dairy industry. Casein hydrolysate (CH) is an intramammary (IMM) infusion treatment reported to induce mammary involution. The primary objectives of this study were to investigate whether IMM CH treatment of single high SCC quarters, followed by cessation of quarter milk production for the remainder of lactation, was effective in reducing cow–level SCC and whether that quarter resumed milk production following calving. Three treatment groups were used: CH, non-hydrolyzed casein (NHC), …


Review Of The Genus Babycurus Karsch, 1886 (Arachnida, Scorpiones, Buthidae), With Descriptions Of Barbaracurus Gen. N. And Two New Species From Oman And Yemen, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, František Šťáhlavský Aug 2018

Review Of The Genus Babycurus Karsch, 1886 (Arachnida, Scorpiones, Buthidae), With Descriptions Of Barbaracurus Gen. N. And Two New Species From Oman And Yemen, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

The genus Babycurus Karsch, 1886 sensu lato is split into two genera, a strictly African genus Babycurus, and the new genus Barbaracurus gen. n., which mainly includes species from the Horn of Africa and Arabian Peninsula. Two new species Barbaracurus winklerorum sp. n. from Oman and B. yemenensis sp. n. from Yemen are described, compared with other species, and fully illustrated with color photos of morphology, habitus, live specimens and collection localities. Males of Barbaracurus somalicus (Hirst, 1907) comb. n. and Barbaracurus zambonellii (Borelli, 1902) comb. n. are recorded for the first time and fully illustrated. Babycurus ornatus …


Delphinids On Display: The Capture, Care, And Exhibition Of Cetaceans At Marineland Of The Pacific, 1954-1967, Taylor Michael Bailey Aug 2018

Delphinids On Display: The Capture, Care, And Exhibition Of Cetaceans At Marineland Of The Pacific, 1954-1967, Taylor Michael Bailey

Dissertations and Theses

When Marineland of the Pacific opened in 1954 on the Palos Verdes Peninsula in greater Los Angeles, it was the second oceanarium in the world and the first on the West Coast. An initial investment of $3 million by Oceanarium Inc., owners of the popular Marine Studios park located near St. Augustine, Florida, ensured that Marineland was built with the same state of the art facilities needed to produce an authentic representation of the ocean floor on land. Building on Marine Studios' success exhibiting bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), Marineland's central draw was its performing cetaceans. During the park's …


The Microbiome Of The Gastrointestinal Tract Of A Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish, Jacquelyn Jones, Joseph D. Dibattista, Michael Stat, Michael Bunce, Mary C. Boyce, David Fairclough, Michael J. Travers, Megan J. Huggett Aug 2018

The Microbiome Of The Gastrointestinal Tract Of A Range-Shifting Marine Herbivorous Fish, Jacquelyn Jones, Joseph D. Dibattista, Michael Stat, Michael Bunce, Mary C. Boyce, David Fairclough, Michael J. Travers, Megan J. Huggett

Fisheries Research Articles

Globally, marine species’ distributions are being modified due to rising ocean temperatures. Increasing evidence suggests a circum-global pattern of poleward extensions in the distributions of many tropical herbivorous species, including the ecologically important rabbitfish Siganus fuscescens. Adaptability of a species to such new environments may be heavily influenced by the composition of their gastrointestinal microbe fauna, which is fundamentally important to animal health. Siganus fuscescens thus provides an opportunity to assess the stability of gastrointestinal microbes under varying environmental conditions. The gastrointestinal microbial communities of S. fuscescens were characterized over 2,000 km of Australia’s western coast, from tropical to …


Cellular Mechanisms Of Slime Gland Refilling In Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus Stoutii), Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge Aug 2018

Cellular Mechanisms Of Slime Gland Refilling In Pacific Hagfish (Eptatretus Stoutii), Sarah Schorno, Todd E. Gillis, Douglas S. Fudge

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Hagfishes use their defensive slime to ward off gill-breathing predators. Slime gland refilling is a surprisingly slow process, and previous research has shown that the composition of the slime exudate changes significantly during refilling, which likely has consequences for the functionality of the slime. This study set out to expand our understanding of slime gland refilling by examining the cellular processes involved in refilling of the glands, as well as determining where in the gland the main slime cells – the gland thread cells and gland mucous cells – arise. Slime glands were electro-stimulated to exhaust their slime stores, left …


Prevalent Transoceanic Fall Migration By A 30-Gram Songbird, The Bobolink, Noah G. Perlut Aug 2018

Prevalent Transoceanic Fall Migration By A 30-Gram Songbird, The Bobolink, Noah G. Perlut

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Three North American passerines are known to perform transoceanic flights during their fall migration, with open-water flights ranging in length from 1,700 to 3,400 km. However, little is known about within-population variation of these flights. From 2013 to 2017, I used geolocators to study variation in the fall migratory track of the Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) from a population that bred in agricultural grasslands of Vermont, USA. Thirteen of seventeen birds took transoceanic flights during fall migration, ranging in length from 1,098 to 3,536 km (mean ± SD = 1,969 ± 640); five of these flights were nonstop from …


Early Events In Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection: Viral Entry, Sang-Im Yun, Young-Min Lee Aug 2018

Early Events In Japanese Encephalitis Virus Infection: Viral Entry, Sang-Im Yun, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), a mosquito-borne zoonotic flavivirus, is an enveloped positive-strand RNA virus that can cause a spectrum of clinical manifestations, ranging from mild febrile illness to severe neuroinvasive disease. Today, several killed and live vaccines are available in different parts of the globe for use in humans to prevent JEV-induced diseases, yet no antivirals are available to treat JEV-associated diseases. Despite the progress made in vaccine research and development, JEV is still a major public health problem in southern, eastern, and southeastern Asia, as well as northern Oceania, with the potential to become an emerging global pathogen. In …


Robert James Baker (1942-2018), Obituary, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert D. Bradley, David J. Schmidly, Lisa C. Bradley, James J. Bull, Karen Mcbee, Meredith J. Hamilton, Peter A. Larsen Aug 2018

Robert James Baker (1942-2018), Obituary, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert D. Bradley, David J. Schmidly, Lisa C. Bradley, James J. Bull, Karen Mcbee, Meredith J. Hamilton, Peter A. Larsen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

First paragraph:

On 30 March 2018, the science of mammalogy and the American Society of Mammalogists lost one of the most influential figures of the last half-century. Robert James Baker died quietly at his home in Lubbock, Texas (Fig. 1). He was born on 8 April 1942 to James Simeon Baker and Laura Cooper in Warren, Arkansas. His father was killed during World War II and his mother remarried, resulting in his growing up with six half-siblings. According to Robert’s autobiography in Going afield (330—number refers to specific publication in “Bibliography”), he spent a good deal of his youth with …


Using Local Fishery Monitoring To Understand Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries In Tanzania, Matthew Robertson Aug 2018

Using Local Fishery Monitoring To Understand Small-Scale Coastal Fisheries In Tanzania, Matthew Robertson

LSU Master's Theses

Nearshore marine fisheries provide the main source of protein for nearly 9 million people in the coastal villages of Tanzania, yet for decades the fisheries have shown signs of overexploitation. These fisheries are small-scale and co-managed by local coastal communities in groups known as Beach Management Units (BMUs). BMUs monitor individual fishing trip data (e.g. gear, vessel, taxa); however, these data have only been analyzed in nationally aggregated statistics and to our knowledge, are not presently used in management decision making. The present thesis aimed to identify the forms of data and information that local fishery monitoring can record about …


Functional Genomics And Immunologic Tools: The Impact Of Viral And Host Genetic Variations On The Outcome Of Zika Virus Infection, Sang-Im Yun, Byung-Hak Song, Jordan C. Frank, Justin G. Julander, Aaron L. Olsen, Irina A. Polejaeva, Christopher J. Davies, Kenneth L. White, Young-Min Lee Aug 2018

Functional Genomics And Immunologic Tools: The Impact Of Viral And Host Genetic Variations On The Outcome Of Zika Virus Infection, Sang-Im Yun, Byung-Hak Song, Jordan C. Frank, Justin G. Julander, Aaron L. Olsen, Irina A. Polejaeva, Christopher J. Davies, Kenneth L. White, Young-Min Lee

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Zika virus (ZIKV) causes no-to-mild symptoms or severe neurological disorders. To investigate the importance of viral and host genetic variations in determining ZIKV infection outcomes, we created three full-length infectious cDNA clones as bacterial artificial chromosomes for each of three spatiotemporally distinct and genetically divergent ZIKVs: MR-766 (Uganda, 1947), P6-740 (Malaysia, 1966), and PRVABC-59 (Puerto Rico, 2015). Using the three molecularly cloned ZIKVs, together with 13 ZIKV region-specific polyclonal antibodies covering nearly the entire viral protein-coding region, we made three conceptual advances: (i) We created a comprehensive genome-wide portrait of ZIKV gene products and their related species, with several previously …


Management Implications Of Sex-Specific Habitat Use By Nycticeius Humeralis In North-Central Arkansas, Megan Lynn Buckley Aug 2018

Management Implications Of Sex-Specific Habitat Use By Nycticeius Humeralis In North-Central Arkansas, Megan Lynn Buckley

Student Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this study was to evaluate evening bat (Nycticeius humeralis) habitat use and provide a proxy strategy to evaluate habitat use by other species. I used the software Maximum Entropy to evaluate habitat suitability models for evening bats using three different modeling strategies; percent variable contribution, the jackknife test, and variable response curves. The predictors included in the models were 10 land use land cover classes, four forest management strategies, slope, and the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). The results of this research showed that distance to burned stands and proximity to edge habitat are the most important …


Breeding Bird Response To Post Oak Savanna Restoration Seven Years Post Management In Eastern Texas, Courtney Mcinnerney Aug 2018

Breeding Bird Response To Post Oak Savanna Restoration Seven Years Post Management In Eastern Texas, Courtney Mcinnerney

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Oak savannas were once an abundant vegetation type in the Midwestern United States that have now declined to <1% of their original distribution. Historically, natural disturbances such as periodic fire and grazing maintained oak savannas, but these have been reduced or eliminated, resulting in woody encroachment and subsequent habitat loss and degradation. In 2009-10, a baseline, pre-restoration study was completed to determine vegetation characteristics, breeding bird abundances, nest success, and nest site selection at the Gus Engeling Wildlife Management Area (GEWMA) in eastern Texas. The results showed a lack of savanna vegetation structure on degraded sites and few savanna or grassland obligate bird species. The goal of this study was to determine how breeding birds of oak savanna vegetation types in eastern Texas respond to restoration effects 7 years after initial management. Post-restoration surveys completed in 2016-17 showed a change in avian assemblages from a more woodland dominated community to grassland/savanna community. The presence and breeding of savanna obligate species dickcissel (Spiza americana) and lark sparrow (Chondestes grammacus) indicates that the restoration was successful. The presence of savanna species can be linked to the herbaceous vegetation that was restored to more closely resemble historic oak savanna structure and can quantify the success of restoration efforts.


An Investigation Of Vocal Learning Propensity In Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Tatsuya Hayashi Aug 2018

An Investigation Of Vocal Learning Propensity In Zebra Finch (Taeniopygia Guttata), Tatsuya Hayashi

Theses and Dissertations

The investigator attempted to predict the vocal learning propensity from either family pedigree or early vocal babbling (subsong). Pedigree trees suggest the possibility that vocal learning ability may depend on family. We failed to predict vocal learning propensity from subsong, but suggested that subsong may influence vocal learning outcome.