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A Preliminary Study Of The Influence Of Breeding Area Density On Sandhill Crane Habitat Selection In South-Central Wisconsin, Sara A. Prussing, Hillary L. Thompson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We hypothesized that territorial sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) in densely populated breeding areas occupy smaller home ranges that are richer in optimal habitat than those in less densely populated breeding areas. We analyzed satellite telemetry data collected from 2012 to 2016 for 3 and 2 sandhill cranes from dense and less dense breeding areas, respectively. Tracked sandhill cranes in a dense breeding area tended to have smaller home ranges (0.37-14.25 km²) with higher concentrations of wetlands (27%) and row crops (40%) than tracked sandhill cranes in the less dense breeding area (8.80-48.81 km², 14% …

If Nonhuman Animals Can Suicide, Why Don’T They?, C. A. Soper, Todd K. Shackelford

Animal Sentience

An evolutionary analysis suggests that selection is unlikely to have tolerated the capacity for intentional self-killing in nonhuman animals. The potential to escape pain by suicide would have presented a recurrent and severe adaptive problem for an animal with a reproductive future to protect. If the potential for suicide arose in the evolutionary past, anti-suicide mechanisms may have co-evolved, as we believe they have in adult humans. Peña-Guzmán’s (2017) argument that some nonhuman animals can suicide is incomplete without an account of the defences that result in the vast majority opting not to.

Triennial Reproduction Symposium: Looking Back And Moving Forward—How Reproductive Physiology Has Evolved, Deb L. Hamernik, Andrea S. Cupp, John S. Davis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

In honor of the 50th anniversary of the Society for the Study of Reproduction (SSR), a Triennial Reproduction Symposium was cosponsored by SSR and the American Society of Animal Science (ASAS). The Society for the Study of Reproduction was formed in 1967 when a group of reproductive biologists that were members of ASAS met with physician scientists and decided to organize a new scientific society. The goal of SSR was to promote the study of reproduction by fostering interdisciplinary communication among scientists, holding conferences, and publishing meritorious studies. Today after its 50th anniversary, the mission for SSR is to harness …

Mother-Infant Interactions In A Wild Population Of Macaca Nemestrina (Linnaeus), Emily M. Dura, Lori K. Sheeran, Nadine Ruppert, Clay P. Arango, Sofia K. Blue

Student Published Works

Until now, mother-infant relationships have not been studied in a wild population of the Southern Pig-tailed Macaques Macaca nemestrina. We observed six mother-infant dyads from April 2016 to September 2016 in the Segari Melintang Forest Reserve, Peninsular Malaysia using focal sampling methods from the perspectives of both individuals. We hypothesized that as infant age increased, the same important mother-infant behaviours, previously observed to change in captive pig-tailed macaque mother-infant studies, would also change over time in field conditions. We expected that as the infant ages, mothers would decrease their rates of restraint and retrieval, and increase their rates of …

Claw Morphometrics In Monitor Lizards: Variable Substrate And Habitat Use Correlate To Shape Diversity Within A Predator Guild, Domenic C. D'Amore, Simon Clulow, J. Sean Doody, David Rhind, Colin R. Mchenry

USF St. Petersburg Campus Faculty Publications

Numerous studies investigate morphology in the context of habitat, and lizards have received particular attention. Substrate usage is often reflected in the morphology of characters associated with locomotion, and, as a result, claws have become well-studied ecomorphological traits linking the two. The Kimberley predator guild of Western Australia consists of 10 sympatric varanid species. The purpose of this study was to quantify claw size and shape in the guild using geometric morphometrics, and determine whether these features correlated with substrate use and habitat. Each species was assigned a Habitat/substrate group based on the substrate their claws interact with in their …

Integrating Morphology And Kinematics In The Scaling Of Hummingbird Hovering Metabolic Rate And Efficiency, Derrick J. E. Groom, M. Cecilia B. Toledo, Donald R. Powers, Bret W. Tobalske, Kenneth C. Welch Jr.

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Wing kinematics and morphology are influential upon the aerodynamics of flight. However, there is a lack of studies linking these variables to metabolic costs, particularly in the context of morphological adaptation to body size. Furthermore, the conversion efficiency from chemical energy into movement by the muscles (mechanochemical efficiency) scales with mass in terrestrial quadrupeds, but this scaling relationship has not been demonstrated within flying vertebrates. Positive scaling of efficiency with body size may reduce the metabolic costs of flight for relatively larger species. Here, we assembled a dataset of morphological, kinematic, and metabolic data on hovering hummingbirds to explore the …

Chicken Minds And Moral Standing, Kristin Andrews

Animal Sentience

Some of the cognitive traits that Marino reviews are not in themselves relevant to ethics, either for chickens or human infants, but affective traits are, among them desires.

Three New Species Of Grouvellinus Champion, 1923 From Maliau Basin, Sabah, Borneo, Discovered By Citizen Scientists During The First Taxon Expedition (Insecta, Coleoptera, Elmidae), Hendrik Freitag, Iva Njunjic, Clister V. Pangantihon

Biology Faculty Publications

Further results are presented of the first field course at Maliau Basin, Malaysian Borneo organized by Taxon Expeditions, an organization which enables citizen scientists to be directly involved in taxonomic discoveries. Three new species of the aquatic beetle genus Grouvellinus Champion, 1923, namely G. leonardodicaprioi sp. n., G. andrekuipersi sp. n., and G. quest sp. n. were collected jointly by the citizen scientists and taxonomists during the fieldwork in Maliau Basin. Material was mainly sampled from sandstone bottom rocks of blackwater streams at altitudes between 900 m and 1,000 m using fine-meshed hand-nets. The genus is widely distributed …

Sparsorythus Sescarorum, New Species From Mindoro, Philippines (Ephemeroptera, Tricorythidae), Jhoana Garces, Ernst Bauernfeind, Hendrik Freitag

Biology Faculty Publications

A new mayfly species, Sparsorythus sescarorum sp. n. (Tricorythidae) is described from Mindoro Island, Philippines. Nymphs are characterized by the combination of the following characters: compound eyes of approximately equal size in both sexes, shape and setation of legs, presence of rudimentary gills on abdominal segment VII, and some details of mouthparts. Male imagines are characterized by the coloration pattern of wings and details of genitalia. The developmental stages are matched by DNA barcodes.

Statistics Used In The Nebraska Beef Report And Their Purpose

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

The purpose of beef cattle and beef product research at UNL is to provide reference information that represents the various populations (cows, calves, heifers, feeders, carcasses, retail products, etc) of beef production. Obviously, the researcher cannot apply treatments to every member of a population; therefore he/ she must sample the population. The use of statistics allows the researcher and readers of the Nebraska Beef report the opportunity to evaluate separation of random (chance) occurrences and real biological effects of a treatment. Following is a brief description of the major statistics used in the beef report. For a more detailed description …

The Relationship Between Marbling, Superoxide Dismutase, And Beef Tenderness, Nicolas J. Herrera, Emery K. Wilkerson, Katherine I. Domenech-Perez Perez, Felipe A. Ribeiro, Michael D. Chao, Chris Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

This study was conducted to evaluate the relationships between animal oxidative status (as indicated by superoxide dismutase [SOD] activity) to marbling and beef tenderness. Prime and Select-grade strip loins were selected and aged for 2, 7, 14, 21, and 28 days for Warner Bratzler shear force, Troponin-T, and SOD activity. Results showed that meat exhibiting higher levels of marbling had lower shear force values and thus were more tender. Low-marbled samples tended to have a greater tenderness response to aging. The effect of oxidative stress, however, was not evident in this study as SOD values were similar. Although the effects …

Production Of High-Quality Beef–The Nebraska Advantage, Chris R. Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Here is a clear description of the Nebraska Advantage in producing high-quality beef: the right genetics, numerous pastures, a multitude of cattle, great water resources, locally-grown corn, the availability of ethanol byproducts for feed, and young cattle that grow fast, with sufficient marbling and subcutaneous fat to ensure tender, flavorful, beef. The science of beef quality supports this production system. The state supports its citizens and agriculture through the University of Nebraska and the Nebraska Department of Agriculture, augmenting the infrastructure. If one could invent an ideal place to produce high-quality beef, it would look much like Nebraska! The impact …

Potential Variation In Determination Of Longissimus Muscle Area In Carcasses From Heifers Fed With Or Without Zilpaterol Hydrochloride, Chris R. Calkins, Jenna J. O'Daniel, Govindarajan Konda Naganathan Naganathan, Kellen B. Hart, Katherine I. Domenech-Perez, T.B. Schmidt

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

This study was conducted to evaluate some sources of potential variation in determination of longissimus muscle area between the 12th and 13th ribs of carcasses from heifers fed with or without zilpaterol hydochloride. Cross sections of the rib-loin were taken cranial to the 11th rib and caudal to the 13th rib, about 3–4 millimeters thick at 90 degrees perpendicular to the long axis of the longissimus muscle. Potential variation of longissimus muscle area can arise from the natural variation of muscle size when cutting between the 12th and 13th ribs (up to 9%). Deviation in cutting perpendicular to the long …

Ainsworth Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2018 NOU Fall Field Days took place in and around Ainsworth on Sep. 14 – 16, with 48 in attendance. It was a hot and windy weekend, but 137 species were located. Two Sandhill Cranes in the Niobrara River at the Carns Bridge attracted birders, especially since the two cooperatively moved from one side of the river to the other, allowing county listers to count them in both. The bird of the weekend, however, was the Red-naped Sapsucker at Plum Creek Valley WMA. It was a county bird for everyone, a state bird for many and a life bird …

Including Phenotypic Causal Networks In Genome-Wide Association Studies Using Mixed Effects Structural Equation Models, Mehdi Momen, Ahmad Ayatollahi Mehrgardi, Mahmoud Amiri Roudbar, Andreas Kranis, Renan Mercuri Pinto, Bruno D. Valente, Gota Morota, Guilherme J.M. Rosa, Daniel Gianola

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Phenotypic networks describing putative causal relationship among multiple phenotypes can be used to infer single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) effects in genome-wide association studies (GWAS). In GWAS with multiple phenotypes, reconstructing underlying causal structures among traits and SNPs using a single statistical framework is essential for understanding the entirety of genotype-phenotype maps. A structural equation model (SEM) can be used for such purpose.

Methods: We applied SEM to GWAS (SEM-GWAS) in chickens, taking into account putative causal relationships among body weight (BW), breast meat (BW), hen-house production (HHP), and SNPs. We assessed the performance of SEM-GWAS by comparing the model results …

Big Data Analytics And Precision Animal Agriculture Symposium: Machine Learning And Data Mining Advance Predictive Big Data Analysis In Precision Animal Agriculture, Gota Morota, Ricardo V. Ventura, Fabyano F. Silva, Masanori Koyama, Samodha C. Fernando

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Precision animal agriculture is poised to rise to prominence in the livestock enterprise in the domains of management, production, welfare, sustainability, health surveillance, and environmental footprint. Considerable progress has been made in the use of tools to routinely monitor and collect information from animals and farms in a less laborious manner than before. These efforts have enabled the animal sciences to embark on information technology-driven discoveries to improve animal agriculture. However, the growing amount and complexity of data generated by fully automated, high-throughput data recording or phenotyping platforms, including digital images, sensor and sound data, unmanned systems, and information obtained …

The Influence Of Fat And Hemicellulose On Methane Production And Energy Utilization In Lactating Jersey Cattle, O. R. Drehmel, T. M. Brown-Brandl, J. V. Judy, S. C. Fernando, P. S. Miller, K. E. Hales, Paul J. Kononoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Feeding fat to lactating dairy cows may reduce methane production. Relative to cellulose, fermentation of hemicellulose is believed to result in less methane; however, these factors have not been studied simultaneously. Eight multiparous, lactating Jersey cows averaging (±SD) 98 ± 30.8 d in milk and body weight of 439.3 ± 56.7 kg were used in a twice-replicated 4 × 4 Latin square to determine the effects of fat and hemicellulose on energy utilization and methane production using a headbox-type indirect calorimetry method. To manipulate the concentration of fat, porcine tallow was included at either 0 or 2% of the diet …

Predictive Ability Of Genome-Assisted Statistical Models Under Various Forms Of Gene Action, Mehdi Momen, Ahmad Ayatollahi Mehrgardi, Ayyub Sheikhi, Andreas Kranis, Llibertat Tussell, Gota Morota, Guilherme J. M. Rosa, Daniel Gianola

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Recent work has suggested that the performance of prediction models for complex traits may depend on the architecture of the target traits. Here we compared several prediction models with respect to their ability of predicting phenotypes under various statistical architectures of gene action: (1) purely additive, (2) additive and dominance, (3) additive, dominance, and two-locus epistasis, and (4) purely epistatic settings. Simulation and a real chicken dataset were used. Fourteen prediction models were compared: BayesA, BayesB, BayesC, Bayesian LASSO, Bayesian ridge regression, elastic net, genomic best linear unbiased prediction, a Gaussian process, LASSO, random forests, reproducing kernel Hilbert spaces regression, …

Linkage Disequilibrium In Brazilian Santa Inês Breed, Ovis Aries, Amanda Botelho Alvarenga, Gregori Alberto Rovadoscki, Juliana Petrini, Luiz Lehmann Coutinho, Gota Morota, Matthew L. Spangler, Luis Fernando Batista Pinto, Gleidson Giordano Pinto Carvalho, G. B. Mourao

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

For genomic selection to be successful, there must be sufficient linkage disequilibrium between the markers and the causal mutations. The objectives of this study were to evaluate the extent of LD in ovine using the Santa Inês breed and to infer the minimum number of markers required to reach reasonable prediction accuracy. In total, 38,168 SNPs and 395 samples were used. The mean LD between adjacent marker pairs measured by r² and |D′| were 0.166 and 0.617, respectively. LD values between adjacent marker pairs ranged from 0.135 to 0.194 and from 0.568 to 0.650 for r² for |D′| …

Estimates Of Genomic Heritability And Genome-Wide Association Study For Fatty Acids Profile In Santa Inês Sheep, G. A. Rovadoscki, S. F. N. Pertile, A. B. Alvarenga, A. S. M. Cesar, F. Pertille, J. Petrini, V. Franzo, W. V. B. Soares, G. Morota, Matthew L. Spangler, L. F. B. Pinto, G. G. P. Carvalho, D. P. D. Lanna, L. L. Coutinho, G. B. Mourao

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background: Despite the health concerns and nutritional importance of fatty acids, there is a relative paucity of studies in the literature that report genetic or genomic parameters, especially in the case of sheep populations. To investigate the genetic architecture of fatty acid composition of sheep, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and estimated genomic heritabilities for fatty acid profile in Longissimus dorsi muscle of 216 male sheep.

Results: Genomic heritability estimates for fatty acid content ranged from 0.25 to 0.46, indicating that substantial genetic variation exists for the evaluated traits. Therefore, it is possible to alter fatty acid profiles through …

Effect Of Differing Ingredients And Packaging Technologies On The Color Of High-Pressure Processed Ground Beef, Jhinuk Gupta, Chad G. Bower, Gary Sullivan, George A. Cavender

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

High-pressure processing (HPP) is a nonthermal pasteurization technique to control pathogens, like Escherichia coli. However, color changes in raw beef induced by HPP restrict its use within the beef industry. ­e objectives of this study were to investigate the effects of adding curing agents (nitrite) and packaging with or without reducing compounds (ascorbic acid/erythorbate) on color retention in high-pressure processed ground beef. Color was measured (CIE L*a*b*) before HPP and on days 3, 7, 12, 14, 19, and 21 after HPP. Statistical analysis (SAS GLIMMIX) was run to identify the main effects of adding curing agents, packaging, and …

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Is Associated With Reduced Morbidity And Mortality In Porcine Circovirus Associated Disease, Megan C. Niederwerder, Laura A. Constance, Raymond R. R. Rowland, Waseem Abbas, Samodha C. Fernando, Megan L. Potter, Maureen A. Sheahan, Thomas E. Burkey, Richard A. Hesse, Ada G. Cino-Ozuna

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Porcine circovirus associated disease (PCVAD) is a term used to describe the multifactorial disease syndromes caused by porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV-2), which can be reproduced in an experimental setting through the co-infection of pigs with PCV-2 and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The resulting PCVAD-affected pigs represent a subpopulation within the co-infected group. In co-infection studies, the presence of increased microbiome diversity is linked to a reduction in clinical signs. In this study, fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) was investigated as a means to prevent PCVAD in pigs co-infected with PRRSV and PCV-2d. The sources of the FMT …

Generation Of An Equine Biobank To Be Used For Functional Annotation Of Animal Genomes Project, E. N. Burns, M. H. Bordbari, M. J. Mienaltowski, V. K. Affolter, M. V. Barro, F. Gianino, G. Gianino, E. Giulotto, T. S. Kalbfleisch, S. A. Katzman, M. Lassaline, T. Leeb, M. Mack, E. J. Muller, J. N. Macleod, B. Ming-Whitfield, C. R. Alanis, T. Raudsepp, E. Scott, S. Vig, H. Zhou, J. L. Petersen, R. R. Bellone, C. J. Finno

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The Functional Annotation of Animal Genomes (FAANG) project aims to identify genomic regulatory elements in both sexes across multiple stages of development in domesticated animals. This study represents the first stage of the FAANG project for the horse, Equus caballus. A biobank of 80 tissue samples, two cell lines and six body fluids was created from two adult Thoroughbred mares. Ante-mortem assessments included full physical examinations, lameness, ophthalmologic and neurologic evaluations. Complete blood counts and serum biochemistries were also performed. At necropsy, in addition to tissue samples, aliquots of serum, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) plasma, heparinized plasma, cerebrospinal fluid, synovial …

Energy Balance And Diurnal Variation In Methane Production As Affected By Feeding Frequency In Jersey Cows In Late Lactation, J. V. Judy, G. C. Bachman, T. M. Brown-Brandl, S. C. Fernando, K. E. Hales, P. S. Miller, R. R. Stowell, P. J. Kononoff

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Methane (CH₄) production of ruminants typically increases with increased dry matter intake (DMI). However, few studies have observed the effects of feeding multiple times a day and its effects on diurnal variation in CH₄ production and energy balance in late-lactation dairy cattle. A study using headbox-style indirect calorimetry and 12 multiparous (225 ± 16.2 d in milk; mean ± SD) lactating Jersey cows was conducted to determine the effects of feeding twice daily on diurnal variation in CH₄ production and total energy balance. A crossover design with 14-d periods (10 d of adaption and 4 d …

Investigation Of The Skeletal Muscle Transcriptome In Lambs Fed Β Adrenergic Agonists And Subjected To Heat Stress For 21 D, Rachel Kubik, Shauna M. Tietze, Ty B. Schmidt, Dustin Tyler Yates, Jessica Lynn Petersen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Dietary β-adrenergic agonists (β-AA) are used in livestock to increase muscle protein accretion and decrease adipose deposition during the last 20 to 40 d of the finishing period (Johnson et al., 2014). These β-AA act through specific seven transmembrane receptors and are classified by the receptor isoform to which they primarily bind (Mersmann, 1998). Two β-AA are approved for use in beef cattle in the United States: ractopamine HCl (RAC, β1 agonist) and zilpaterol HCl (ZH, β2 agonist) (Johnson et al., 2014). Supplementation of β-AA increases efficiency of the animal and results in a leaner carcass (Elam et al., 2009). …

Wpa News 107 (2018), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2018), number 107

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Conservation Limnogeology And Benthic Habitat Mapping In Central Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania), Joseph S. Lucas

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Small scale protected zones are valuable for helping the health and productivity of fisheries at Lake Tanganyika (East Africa). Spatial placement of protected areas relies on accurate maps of benthic habitats, consisting of detailed bathymetry data and information on lake-floor substrates. This information is unknown for most of Lake Tanganyika. Fish diversity is known to correlate with rocky substrates in ≤ 30 m water depth, which provide spawning grounds for littoral and pelagic species. These benthic habitats form important targets for protected areas, if they can be precisely located.

At the NMVA, echosounding defined the position of the 30-m isobath …

Climate Change, Cattle, And The Challenge Of Sustainability In A Telecoupled System In Africa, Tara S. Easter, Alexander K. Killion, Neil H. Carter

Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

Information, energy, and materials are flowing over greater distances than in the past, changing the structure and feedbacks within and across coupled human and natural systems worldwide. The telecoupling framework was recently developed to understand the feedbacks and multidirectional flows characterizing social and environmental interactions between distant systems. We extend the application of the telecoupling framework to illustrate how flows in beef affect and are affected by social-ecological processes occurring between distant systems in Africa, and how those dynamics will likely change over the next few decades because of climate-induced shifts in a major bovine disease, trypanosomosis. The disease is …

Seasonal Fluctuations Of Zooplankton, Dissolved Oxygen, And Temperature In Lake Bemidji, Minnesota, Cody Coyle

Journal of Earth and Life Science

With the current influx of aquatic invasive species in Minnesota lakes, the status of zooplankton has become vital. Zooplankton are at the base of all food chains in aquatic ecosystems, ecosystems that vary greatly throughout a year’s time. The objectives of this study were to 1) track the location of zooplankton throughout the water column for an entire year, and 2) establish relationships between zooplankton location and specific water column characteristics. Zooplankton, dissolved oxygen, and temperature samples were collected bi-monthly at various depths at the deepest point in the southern basin of Lake Bemidji. Zooplankton were most abundant in the …

Age-0 Walleye Growth Rates Following Spiny Water Flea Bythotrephes Longimanus Invasion, Joseph Amundson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Within Voyageurs National Park, spiny water flea Bythotrephes longimanus has reduced Lake Kabetogama and Rainy Lake native zooplankton biomass during summer peak by 40-60%. Subsequently, planktivorous age-0 Yellow Perch Perca flavescens growth has decreased. A possible trophic cascade may influence predatory fish growth rates like that of age-0 Walleye Sander vitreus. Using seine net and electrofishing data, age-0 Walleye growth rates were modeled as a linear function of growing degree days (GDD) and the slope was compared between pre- and post-spiny water flea establishment. Nearby Lake Vermilion, assumed to have been unaffected by spiny water flea until 2015 and …