Digital Commons Network^™

Bats Of Sint Eustatius, Caribbean Netherlands, Scott C. Pedersen, Peter A. Larsen, Sil A. Westra, Ellen Van Norren, Wesley Overman, Gary G. Kwiecinski, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The bat fauna of the Caribbean island of Sint Eustatius consists of five documented species—Monophyllus plethodon, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Artibeus jamaicensis, Ardops nichollsi, and Molossus molossus—and one provisional species—Tadarida brasiliensis. The Insular Single-leaf Bat, M. plethodon, is reported in the scientific literature for the first time from Sint Eustatius based on material presented herein. The bat fauna of the island is considered to be unbalanced because only three species, which are the environmental generalists, are abundant, whereas the more specialized species are rare or absent from the fauna. It is our hypothesis …

Winter Feeding Of Elk In The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem And Its Effects On Disease Dynamics, Gavin C. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Erik K. Cole, Rebecca K. Fuda, Jared D. Rogerson, Brandon M. Scurlock, Johan T. Du Toit

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Providing food to wildlife during periods when natural food is limited results in aggregations that may facilitate disease transmission. This is exemplified in western Wyoming where institutional feeding over the past century has aimed to mitigate wildlife–livestock conflict and minimize winter mortality of elk (Cervus canadensis). Here we review research across 23 winter feedgrounds where the most studied disease is brucellosis, caused by the bacterium Brucella abortus. Traditional veterinary practices (vaccination, test-and-slaughter) have thus far been unable to control this disease in elk, which can spill over to cattle. Current disease-reduction efforts are being guided by ecological …

Bat Detective—Deep Learning Tools For Bat Acoustic Signal Detection, Oisin Mac Aodha, Rory Gibb, Kate E. Barlow, Michael Firman, Robin Freeman, Briana Harder, Libby Kinsey, Gary R. Mead, Stuart E. Newson, Ivan Pandourski, Stuart Parsons, Jon Russ, Abigel Szodoray-Paradi, Elena Tilova, Mark Girolami, Gabriel Brostow, Kate E. Jones

Bioacoustics Collection

Passive acoustic sensing has emerged as a powerful tool for quantifying anthropogenic impacts on biodiversity, especially for echolocating bat species. To better assess bat population trends there is a critical need for accurate, reliable, and open source tools that allow the detection and classification of bat calls in large collections of audio recordings. The majority of existing tools are commercial or have focused on the species classification task, neglecting the important problem of first localizing echolocation calls in audio which is particularly problematic in noisy recordings. We developed a convolutional neural network based open-source pipeline for detecting ultrasonic, full-spectrum, search-phase …

Transcriptional Profiling Of Liver In Riboflavin-Deficient Chicken Embryos Explains Impaired Lipid Utilization, Energy Depletion, Massive Hemorrhaging, And Delayed Feathering, Larry A. Cogburn, Danielle N. Smarsh, Xiaofei Wang, Nares Trakooljul, Wilfrid Carré, Harold B. White Iii

Biology Faculty Research

Background

A strain of Leghorn chickens (rd/rd), unable to produce a functional riboflavin-binding protein, lays riboflavin-deficient eggs, in which all embryos suddenly die at mid-incubation (days 13-15). This malady, caused by riboflavin deficiency, leads to excessive lipid accumulation in liver, impaired β-oxidation of lipid, and severe hypoglycemia prior to death. We have used high-density chicken microarrays for time-course transcriptional scans of liver in chicken embryos between days 9-15 during this riboflavin-deficiency-induced metabolic catastrophe. For comparison, half of rd/rd embryos (n = 16) were rescued from this calamity by injection of riboflavin just prior to incubation of fertile …

Editorial: Harm And Benefit Of Plant And Fungal Secondary Metabolites In Food Animal Production, Michael D. Flythe

Animal and Food Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

P-46 A Periodic Matrix Model Of Seabird Behavior And Population Dynamics, Mykhaylo M. Malakhov, Benjamin Macdonald, Shandelle M. Henson, J. M. Cushing

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

Rising sea surface temperatures (SSTs) in the Pacific Northwest lead to food resource reductions for surface-feeding seabirds, and have been correlated with several marked behavioral changes. Namely, higher SSTs are associated with increased egg cannibalism and egg-laying synchrony in the colony. We study the long-term effects of climate change on population dynamics and survival by considering a simplified, cross-season model that incorporates both of these behaviors in addition to density-dependent and environmental effects. We show that cannibalism can lead to backward bifurcations and strong Allee effects, allowing the population to survive at lower resource levels than would be possible otherwise.

Investigating The Genetic Structure Of Northern Long-Eared Bats In Nebraska, Jonathan Korbitz

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Abstract:

The northern long-eared bat (Myotis septentrionalis) is one of many species of hibernating bats in North America affected by a recently discovered fungal disease called white-nose syndrome (WNS). Northern long-eared bats seem to be extremely susceptible to the disease with mass fatalities occurring among populations in eastern North America. Researchers in the eastern distribution of this species have performed mtDNA analysis to identify the population structure of the species; however, genetic analysis has yet to be done in western parts of its distribution. The goal of this study is to create a better understanding of the genetic …

Bulletin No. 43: Birds Of The Connecticut College Arboretum: Eighty Years Of Change, Robert Askins

Bulletins

No abstract provided.

A Comparative Analysis Of Microbial Profile Of Guinea Fowl And Chicken Using Metagenomic Approach, Sarayu Bhogoju, Samuel N. Nahashon, Xiaofei Wang, Carl E. Darris, Agnes Kilonzo-Nthenge

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Probiotics are live microbial feed supplements that promote growth and health to the host by minimizing non-essential and pathogenic microorganisms in the host’s gastrointestinal tract (GIT). The campaign to minimize excessive use of antibiotics in poultry production has necessitated development of probiotics with broad application in multiple poultry species. Design of such probiotics requires understanding of the diversity or similarity in microbial profiles among avian species of economic importance. Therefore, the objective of this research was to establish and compare the microbial profiles of the GIT of Guinea fowl and chicken and to establish the microbial diversity or similarity between …

Reducing The Risk Of Invasive Pathogens To Wildlife Health In The United States, Edward E. Clark Jr., Marshall Meyers, David Eldon Starling, Brent Stewart, Nathan Stone, Gary Tabor, Jeffrey S. White

National Invasive Species Council

Call to Action

In keeping with action items 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 of the 2016–2018 National Invasive Species Council (NISC) Management Plan, the Wildlife Health Task Team of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) was charged with: 1) identifying the major areas of vulnerability to native wildlife from the introduction and spread of invasive pathogens, and 2) making recommendations to address these vulnerabilities, including through potential changes in statute, regulation, policy, or practice of the relevant agencies.

Annual Color Photo Section 2018

Nebraska Bird Review

American White Pelican, Wildlife Safari Park, Cass Co., 17 April 2018. Photo by Sheryl Cooley

Trumpeter Swans, Carter Lake, Douglas Co., 1 Jan. 2016. Photo by Brian Peterson.

Bonaparte's Gull, Pawnee Lake SRA, Lancaster Co., 20 June 2018. Photo by Esa Jarvi.

Adult male Longtailed Duck in winter plumage, Carter Lake, Douglas Co., 20 Nov 2017. Photo by Phil Swanson.

Reddish Egret, Platte River bridge, Alda, Hall Co., 24 June 2018. Photo by John Carlini.

Adult Blackcrowned Night Heron, northeast of Lakeside, Sheridan Co., 3 July 2017. Photo by Thomas Gannon.

Juvenile Yellowcrowned Night Heron, Holmes Lake, Lancaster Co., 24 …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 86 March 2018 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU Annual Treasurer's Report for 2017, by Jan Johnson … 2

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2017 - Feb. 2018, by W. Ross Silcock …3-20 & 29-30

Annual Color Photo Section …21-28

2017 - 2018 Christmas Bird Counts, by Don Paseka …31-46

Revision of Johnsgard’s Birds of Nebraska Published ........ 33

Subscription and Organization Information … 47

Winter Field Report, December 2017 To February 2018, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was not a spectacular fall by most measures, but, as usual, there was much to chew on. Continuing the trend seen in recent falls, lingering has become the norm; this phenomenon is across the board, involving, for example, Baird’s Sandpiper, Greater Yellowlegs, Mourning Dove, American White Pelican, Barn Owl, Lesser Goldfinch, several native sparrow species, Palm and Orange-crowned Warblers, and even rearof- the-order Dickcissel. Apparent range expansion is occurring with Red-shouldered Hawk and Barred Owl, the former northward and the latter westward. A couple of taxonomic notes relate to the subspecies Buteo jamaicensis abieticola of Red-tailed Hawk and subspecies …

2017-2018 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Sixteen counts were held during the 2017-18 Christmas Bird Count season, which is one more than has ever been done in the past. Although the Crawford count was not done this season, the new Lower Platte River count, centered at the junction of Platteview Road and 204th St. south of Gretna, was added. A total 236 observers took part in at least one count, 26 did two counts, four did three counts, five did four counts and four persons did six counts. However, special recognition goes to Gary Roberts, who did eight counts this season. I am not aware of …

Life Line March 2018, Otterbein Biology And Earth Science Department

Life Line - The Biology Department Newsletter

Welcome Andrew Calinger-Yoak - Outdoor Laboratory - Conservation Biology - Safari in South Africa - Chengdu Panda Base - Mussells

Winter Site Fidelity Of Orange-Crowned Warblers (Oreothlypis Celata) In The Lower Rio Grande Valley Of Texas, Mark H. Conway, Timothy Brush

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

Abstract—We documented between-winter site fidelity of orange-crowned warblers (Oreothlypis celata) in the Lower Rio Grande Valley of Texas, between 2004 and 2017. Overall, we recaptured 13.9% of the 201 banded birds in ‡1 subsequent winter season: 20.8% of the 101 birds banded in urban natural areas, and 7.0% of the 100 banded in rural areas. We recaptured 8 birds ‡3 winters after their initial capture, indicating extended winter site fidelity.

Resumen—Documentamos la fidelidad al sitio invernal de los chipes olivaceos (Oreothlypis celata) en el Valle del R´ıo Grande Baja de Texas entre 2004 y 2017. En general, se …

Sheep Genome Functional Annotation Reveals Proximal Regulatory Elements Contributed To The Evolution Of Modern Breeds, Marina Naval-Sanchez, Quan Nguyen, Sean Mcwilliam, Laercio R. Porto-Neto, Ross Tellam, Tony Vuocolo, Antonio Reverter, Miguel Perez-Enciso, Rudiger Brauning, Shannon Clarke, Alan Mcculloch, Wahid Zamani, Saeid Naderi, Hamid Reza Rezaei, Francois Pompanon, Pierre Taberlet, Kim C. Worley, Richard A. Gibbs, Donna M. Muzny, Shalini N. Jhangiani, Noelle E. Cockett, Hans Daetwyler, James Kijas

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Domestication fundamentally reshaped animal morphology, physiology and behaviour, offering the opportunity to investigate the molecular processes driving evolutionary change. Here we assess sheep domestication and artificial selection by comparing genome sequence from 43 modern breeds (Ovis aries) and their Asian mouflon ancestor (O. orientalis) to identify selection sweeps. Next, we provide a comparative functional annotation of the sheep genome, validated using experimental ChIP-Seq of sheep tissue. Using these annotations, we evaluate the impact of selection and domestication on regulatory sequences and find that sweeps are significantly enriched for protein coding genes, proximal regulatory elements of genes …

Insect (Arthropoda: Insecta) Composition In The Diet Of Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene Ornata Ornata) In Two Western Illinois Sand Prairies, With A New State Record For Cyclocephala (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Reese J. Worthington, E. R. Sievers, D. B. Ligon, P. K. Lago

The Great Lakes Entomologist

A study of fecal samples collected over a two-year period from juvenile ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata ornata Agassiz) revealed diets consisting of six orders of insects representing 19 families. Turtles were reared in captivity from eggs harvested from local, wild populations, and released at two remnant prairies. Identifiable insect fragments were found in 94% of samples in 2013 (n=33) and 96% in 2014 (n=25). Frequency of occurrence of insects in turtle feces is similar to results reported in previous studies of midwestern Terrapene species. A comparison of insect composition presented no significant difference between release sites. There is …

Scorpions Of Sri Lanka (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Ii. Family Hormuridae, František Kovařík, Kithsiri B. Ranawana, V. A. Sanjeewa Jayarathne, Sanjaya Karunarathna, Alexander Ullrich

Euscorpius

Liocheles australasiae (Fabricius, 1775) is reported for the first time from Sri Lanka. Sri Lankan population is fully complemented with color photos of live and preserved females, as well as its habitat.

The Premammillary Nucleus Of The Hypothalamus Is Not Necessary For Photoperiodic Timekeeping In Female Turkeys (Meleagris Gallopavo), Ashli F. Moore, Vincent M. Cassone, Kevin D. Alloway, Paul A. Bartell

Biology Faculty Publications

In birds, seasonal reproduction is regulated by day length, with long days in the spring activating the hypothalamic-pituitary-gonadal axis and reproductive behaviors. The photoreceptors mediating this process remain unknown, but recently, the premammillary nucleus (PMM) of the hypothalamus has been implicated as the site of photoperiodic signaling in turkeys. We performed electrolytic lesions of the PMM to elucidate its role in the photoactivation and maintenance of egg production in female turkeys. Our results show that ablation of the PMM does not alter the normal lay cycle. No differences were found between lesioned birds and sham controls in the latency to …

Stop 'Bycatch' So Whales Can Catch Your Heart, Meredith Bennett

D.U.Quark

No abstract provided.

Two New Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 (Scorpiones: Buthidae) From Hispaniola, Greater Antilles, Rolando Teruel, Gabriel De Los Santos

Euscorpius

Two new species of Buthidae scorpions of the genus Tityus C. L. Koch, 1836 are herein described from the Greater Antillean island of Hispaniola. One of them belongs to the "crassimanus" species-group and is known from an adult pair collected at Massif de la Hotte, in southwestern Haiti. The other belongs to the "quisqueyanus" species-group and is known from a single adult female from a high peak in the Central Range (= Cordillera Central), in northwestern Dominican Republic. Moreover, two fossil taxa from this island are retained as junior synonyms of Tityus geratus Santiago-Blay, 1988†.

Chlorophyll Concentration Derived From Microwave Remote Sensing Measurements Using Artificial Neural Network Algorithm, Young-Heon Jo, Dae-Won Kim, Hyuna Kim

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Ocean color optic remote sensing has been used to estimate various biogeochemical constituents to monitor ocean environmental changes in coastal regions and global open oceans. However, the most problematic issue in utilizing ocean color measurements is cloud coverage. Thus, this study introduces a neural network (NN) algorithm to derive Chlorophyll a (Chl) concentrations, which are unavailable due to the presence of clouds. Because ocean color remote sensing depends on cloud coverage, microwave measurements, including sea-surface temperature, cloud, water vapor, precipitation, and winds, were used as inputs for the NN algorithm. Accordingly, the NN algorithm was designed to predict Chl using …

California Rushes In—Keeping Water Instream For Fisheries Without Federal Law, Paul Stanton Kibel

William & Mary Environmental Law and Policy Review

No abstract provided.

Social Network And Dominance Hierarchy Analyses At Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, Jake A. Funkhouser, Jessica A. Mayhew, John B. Mulcahy

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Different aspects of sociality bear considerable weight on the individual- and group-level welfare of captive nonhuman primates. Social Network Analysis (SNA) is a useful tool for gaining a holistic understanding of the dynamic social relationships of captive primate groups. Gaining a greater understanding of captive chimpanzees through investigations of centrality, preferred and avoided relationships, dominance hierarchy, and social network diagrams can be useful in advising current management practices in sanctuaries and other captive settings. In this study, we investigated the dyadic social relationships, group-level social networks, and dominance hierarchy of seven chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) at Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest. …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xiv. Hottentotta Somalicus Sp. N. (Buthidae) From Somalia, František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Hottentotta somalicus sp. n. from Somalia is described and fully complemented with color photos. Morphologically it is similar to H. polystictus (Pocock, 1896). These two species have very narrow metasomal segments (1.63–1.73 in both sexes versus 1.31–1.61 in both sexes of other Hottentotta species from the Horn of Africa). H. polystictus and H. somalicus sp. n. occur in separate areas (Somaliland versus Somalia) and can be differentiated by color.

Orthotopic Ovarian Transplantation Procedures To Investigate The Life- And Health-Span Influence Of Ovarian Senescence In Female Mice, Jeffrey B. Mason, Kate C. Parkinson, Tracy L. Habermehl

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Ovarian transplantation was first conducted at Utah State University in 1963. In more recent work, heterochronic transplantation of mammalian ovaries is being used to investigate the health-protective effects of young ovaries in young females. The current procedures employ an orthotopic transplantation method, where allogenic ovaries are transplanted back to their original position in the ovarian bursa. This is in contrast to the more commonly used heterotopic transplantation of ovaries/ovarian tissue subcutaneously or under the kidney capsule. All three locations provide efficient revascularization of the transplanted tissues. However, orthotopic transplantation provides the ovary with the most natural signaling environment and is …

Advancing Behavioural Genomics By Considering Timescale, Clare C. Rittschof, Kimberly A. Hughes

Entomology Faculty Publications

Animal behavioural traits often covary with gene expression, pointing towards a genomic constraint on organismal responses to environmental cues. This pattern highlights a gap in our understanding of the time course of environmentally responsive gene expression, and moreover, how these dynamics are regulated. Advances in behavioural genomics explore how gene expression dynamics are correlated with behavioural traits that range from stable to highly labile. We consider the idea that certain genomic regulatory mechanisms may predict the timescale of an environmental effect on behaviour. This temporally minded approach could inform both organismal and evolutionary questions ranging from the remediation of early …

Cognitive Dysfunction In Naturally Occurring Canine Idiopathic Epilepsy, Rowena M.A. Packer, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Hannah Salvin, Michael Valenzuela, Chloe M. Chaplin, Holger A. Volk

Neurology Collection

Globally, epilepsy is a common serious brain disorder. In addition to seizure activity, epilepsy is associated with cognitive impairments including static cognitive impairments present at onset, progressive seizure-induced impairments and co-morbid dementia. Epilepsy occurs naturally in domestic dogs but its impact on canine cognition has yet to be studied, despite canine cognitive dysfunction (CCD) recognised as a spontaneous model of dementia. Here we use data from a psychometrically validated tool, the canine cognitive dysfunction rating (CCDR) scale, to compare cognitive dysfunction in dogs diagnosed with idiopathic epilepsy (IE) with controls while accounting for age. An online cross-sectional study resulted in …

Revision Of The Mesobuthus Caucasicus Complex From Central Asia, With Descriptions Of Six New Species (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Victor Fet, František Kovařík, Benjamin Gantenbein, Ronald C. Kaiser, Alexander K. Stewart, Matthew R. Graham

Euscorpius

A widespread Mesobuthus caucasicus complex, which includes some of the most common scorpions found from the Caucasus to China, is revised for the first time based on new extensive collections from Central Asia, using both morphological and DNA marker data. Mesobuthus caucasicus (Nordmann, 1840), s.str. is restricted to the Caucasus Mts. Four taxa are elevated to species rank: M. fuscus (Birula, 1897) (Tajikistan), M. intermedius (Birula, 1897) (Tajikistan), M. kaznakovi (Birula, 1904) (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), and M. parthorum (Pocock, 1889) (Afghanistan, Iran, Turkmenistan). Six new species are described: M. brutus sp. n. (Iran), M. elenae sp. n. (Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), M. gorelovi …