Digital Commons Network^™

Patch Burning On Grasslands: An Alternative Approach For Rangeland Management, Jake Delwiche

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

Large grazing ungulates—notably cattle, elk and American bison—if given a choice exhibit a grazing preference for regrowth on recently burned areas of grassland. Traditional rangeland management approaches that minimize inherent rangeland heterogeneity are increasingly understood as counter to the evolutionary history of rangeland. Heterogeneity is defi ned as variation in the characteristics of vegetation including species, biomass, and height. Recent research now fi nds an alternative approach to rangeland management through patch burning, giving a variegated texture to the grazing land and more closely simulating the earlier evolutionary pattern of much North American rangeland. Patch burning creates a mosaic of …

The Forest, The Fire And The Fungi: Studying The Effects Of Prescribed Burning On Mycorrhizal Fungi In Crater Lake National Park, Carol Anna

Joint Fire Science Program Briefs (2007-2012)

A first-of-its-kind study, conducted in a forest of old-growth ponderosa pine and white fi r in Oregon’s Crater Lake National Park, explored the relationships among seasonal prescribed burning, an array of soil attributes, and mycorrhizal fungal fruiting patterns. This three-fold approach not only made the study unique, but also enabled researchers to separate the effects of fi re treatment from the effects of soil attributes on fungal fruiting patterns. The study’s site encompassed three different prescribed burn treatments—applied in the early spring, late spring, and fall of 2002—as well as non-burned control plots. Analyzing statistics with multiple variables, the researchers …

The Evolution Of Food Preferences In Coccinellidae, José Adriano Giorgi, Natalia J. Vandenberg, Joseph V. Mchugh, Juanita A. Forrester, S. Adam Ślipiński, Kelly B. Miller, Lori R. Shapiro, Michael F. Whiting

USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Despite the familiarity and economic significance of Coccinellidae, the family has thus far escaped analysis by rigorous phylogenetic methods. As a result, the internal classification remains unstable and there is no framework with which to interpret evolutionary events within the family. Coccinellids exhibit a wide range of preferred food types spanning kingdoms, and trophic levels. To provide an evolutionary perspective on coccinellid feeding preferences, we performed a phylogenetic analysis of 62 taxa based on the ribosomal nuclear genes 18S and 28S. The entire dataset consists of 3957 aligned nucleotide sites, 787 of which are parsimony informative. Bayesian and parsimony analyses …

G09-1975 Nebraska - An Opportunity For Dairy Expansion And Relocation, Jeffrey F. Keown

University of Nebraska-Lincoln Extension: Historical Materials

This 2009 NebGuide discusses why dairy producers might choose Nebraska in order to expand and/or relocate their dairy. It looks at several areas important to dairy producers, and emphasizes the availability of feed and other natural resources of utmost importance to the dairy industry. While this NebGuide is not expansive and does not list feed prices, utility rates, etc., it does list the reasons why Nebraska is a good place to look at for a dairy operation.

Future Of Water For Food: Policy And Human Dimensions Panel, Marc Andreini, Sandra L. Postel, Otto Szolosi, A. Dan Tarlock, Sandra Zellmer, John Owens

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

The panel discussion focused on the effects of water and agricultural policies on freshwater supplies, food production and security, the environment and the socioeconomic well-being of people at global, regional and local scales. Among the panelists were two lawyers, a civil engineer and an agricultural engineer, all of whom brought extensive experience in the field of global water management. The panelists gave brief overviews of their subject areas and then responded to questions from the audience.

Future Of Water For Food: Science And Technology Panel, Ramesh Kanwar, Brian A. Larkins, Judith C. N. Lungu, Vincent Vadez, Ron Yoder, Sheri Fritz

Office of Research and Economic Development: Publications

The panel explored key issues and challenges in the science and technology of water management to ensure an adequate food supply for the world. Panelists brought many years of experience and perspectives from different areas of expertise. The panelists gave brief overviews of their subject areas and then responded to questions from the audience.

The Leading Object: May 2009, John C. Owens

Leading Object

Perspectives; Agreement results in cooperation between UNL and Indian university; Nebraska vet students win first-place honors; Erdman transforms ag education into career in public service; Graduating CASNR seniors saluted during ‘Salute to Graduates’; Quilt museum gets award for green design; Baenziger named to International Rice Research Institute board; Erickson receives animal science honors; Calkins named educator of the year; Lou receives two major honors; Barcenas wins national EFNEP award

Development And Characterization Of A High Density Snp Genotyping Assay For Cattle, Lakshmi K. Matukumalli, Cynthia T. Lawley, Robert D. Schnabel, Jeremy F. Taylor, Mark F. Allan, Michael P. Heaton, Jeff O'Connell, Stephen S. Moore, Timothy P. L. Smith, Tad S. Sonstegard, Curtis P. Van Tassell

Roman L. Hruska U.S. Meat Animal Research Center: Reports

The success of genome-wide association (GWA) studies for the detection of sequence variation affecting complex traits in human has spurred interest in the use of large-scale high-density single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping for the identification of quantitative trait loci (QTL) and for marker-assisted selection in model and agricultural species. A costeffective and efficient approach for the development of a custom genotyping assay interrogating 54,001 SNP loci to support GWA applications in cattle is described. A novel algorithm for achieving a compressed inter-marker interval distribution proved remarkably successful, with median interval of 37 kb and maximum predicted gap of ,350 kb. …

Working With Partners In Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska And Kansas To Conserve Fish And Wildlife Resources

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Mountain-Prairie Region Fisheries Program (Program) of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) historically has played an important role in conservation and management of fish and other aquatic resources and key wildlife resources on tribal and DOD lands. In 2002, a new national vision was developed entitled Conserving America’s Fisheries, U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fisheries Program Vision for the Future. The purpose of this Vision has been to improve the Service’s ability to fulfill its resource conservation and management role and to improve relationships with our partners. That Vision was stepped down regionally into a …

N- And C-Terminal Domains In Human Holocarboxylase Synthetase Participate In Substrate Recognition, Yousef I. Hassan, Hideaki Moriyama, Lars J. Olsen, Xin Bi, Janos Zempleni

Hideaki Moriyama Publications

Holocarboxylase synthetase (HCS) catalyzes the binding of the vitamin biotin to carboxylases and histones. Carboxylases mediate essential steps in macronutrient metabolism. For example, propionyl- CoA carboxylase (PCC) catalyzes the carboxylation of propionyl-CoA in the metabolism of oddchain fatty acids. HCS comprises four putative domains, i.e., the N-terminus, the biotin transfer/ATP binding domain, a putative linker domain, and the C-terminus. Both N- and C-termini are essential for biotinylation of carboxylases by HCS, but the exact functions of these two domains in enzyme catalysis are unknown. Here we tested the hypothesis that N- and C-termini play roles in substrate recognition by HCS. …

Discovery Of Swine As A Host For The Reston Ebolavirus, Roger W. Barrette, Samia A. Metwally, Jessica M. Rowland, Lizhe Xu, Sherif R. Zaki, Stuart T. Nichol, Pierre E. Rollin, Jonathan S. Towner, Wun-Ju Shieh, Brigid Batten, Tara K. Sealy, Consuelo Carrillo, Karen E. Moran, Alexa J. Bracht, Gregory A. Mayr, Magdalena Sirios-Cruz, Davinio P. Catbagan, Elizabeth A. Lautner, Thomas G. Ksiazek, William R. White, Michael T. Mcintosh

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Since the discovery of the Marburg and Ebola species of filovirus, seemingly random, sporadic fatal outbreaks of disease in humans and nonhuman primates have given impetus to identification of host tropisms and potential reservoirs. Domestic swine in the Philippines, experiencing unusually severe outbreaks of porcine reproductive and respiratory disease syndrome, have now been discovered to host Reston ebolavirus (REBOV). Although REBOV is the only member of Filoviridae that has not been associated with disease in humans, its emergence in the human food chain is of concern. REBOV isolates were found to be more divergent from each other than from the …

Nebraska Green Scene 2009

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Monthly Newsletters

Contents

Letter from the Head

Alumni News

Staff News

Faculty News

Student News

The 2008 Update Of The Aspergillus Nidulans Genome Annotation: A Community Effort, Jennifer Russo Wortman, Steven D. Harris, Geoffrey Turner, Aspergillus Nidulans Consortium

Center for Plant Science Innovation: Faculty Publications

The identification and annotation of protein-coding genes is one of the primary goals of whole-genome sequencing projects, and the accuracy of predicting the primary protein products of gene expression is vital to the interpretation of the available data and the design of downstream functional applications. Nevertheless, the comprehensive annotation of eukaryotic genomes remains a considerable challenge. Many genomes submitted to public databases, including those of major model organisms, contain significant numbers of wrong and incomplete gene predictions. We present a community-based reannotation of the Aspergillus nidulans genome with the primary goal of increasing the number and quality of protein functional …

Mexicans In Revolution, 1910-1946, William Howard Beezley, Colin M. Maclachlan

University of Nebraska Press: Sample Books and Chapters

On November 20, 1910, Mexicans initiated the world’s first popular social revolution. The unbalanced progress of the previous regime triggered violence and mobilized individuals from all classes to demand social and economic justice. In the process they shaped modern Mexico at a cost of two million lives. This accessible and gripping account guides the reader through the intricacies of the revolution, focusing on the revolutionaries as a group and the implementation of social and political changes. In this volume written for the revolution's centennial, William H. Beezley and Colin M. MacLachlan recount how the revolutionary generation laid the foundation for …

Monitoring And Assessment Of Wolf-Ungulate Interactions And Population Trends Within The Greater Yellowstone Area, Southwestern Montana, And Montana Statewide, Kenneth L. Hamlin, Julie A. Cunningham, Kurt Alt

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

The impacts of wolves on elk and other ungulates is perhaps one of the most controversial wildlife-related issues faced by people that co-inhabit landscapes with these species. This is certainly true in Montana, where the issue often involves widely disparate opinions and values. In the Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) and southwest Montana in particular, public interest is heightened in this issue. The GYA and southwest Montana generate approximately half of the Montana statewide elk hunter days afield and elk harvest annually. The impacts of wolves on elk populations are front and center in the minds of many elk hunters and …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 24, Number 4 (January 2009), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Table of Contents:

HD in 2007: A Year to Remember

Ecology of AIV in Shorebirds

New USDA Brucellosis Proposal

TWS Seeks Comments on Draft Lead Policy

Unusual Eagle Death

New SCWDS Grad Students

Tennessee Director Retiring

3rd International CWD Symposium

Another SCWDS Student Award

Biomineralization Associated With Microbial Reduction Of Fe3+ And Oxidation Of Fe2+ In Solid Minerals, Gengxin Zhang, Hailiang Dong, Hongchen Jiang, Ravi K. Kukkadapu, Jinwook Kim, Dennis Eberl, Zhiqin Xu

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Iron-reducing and oxidizing microorganisms gain energy through reduction or oxidation of iron, and by doing so play an important role in the geochemical cycling of iron. This study was undertaken to investigate mineral transformations associated with microbial reduction of Fe³⁺ and oxidation of Fe²⁺ in solid minerals. A fluid sample from the 2450 m depth of the Chinese Continental Scientific Drilling project was collected, and Fe³⁺-reducing and Fe²⁺-oxidizing microorganisms were enriched. The enrichment cultures displayed reduction of Fe³⁺ in nontronite and ferric citrate, and oxidation of Fe²⁺ in vivianite, siderite, and monosulfide …

Safety Assessment Of Biotechnology Products For Potential Risk Of Food Allergy: Implications Of New Research, Maryjane K. Selgrade, Christal C. Bowman, Gregory S. Ladics, Laura Privalle, Susan A. Laessig

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

Food allergy is a potential risk associated with use of transgenic proteins in crops. Currently, safety assessment involves consideration of the source of the introduced protein, in silico amino acid sequence homology comparisons to known allergens, physicochemical properties, protein abundance in the crop, and, when appropriate, specific immunoglobulin E binding studies. Recently conducted research presented at an International Life Sciences Institute/Health and Environmental Sciences Institute–hosted workshop adds to the scientific foundation for safety assessment of transgenic proteins in five areas: structure/activity, serum screening, animal models, quantitative proteomics, and basic mechanisms. A web-based tool is now available that integrates a database …

Blubber Testosterone: A Potential Marker Of Male Reproductive Status In Short-Beaked Common Dolphins, Nicholas Kellar, Marisa Trego, Corina Marks, Susan Chivers, Kerri Danil, Frederick Archer

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A novel molecular technique was used to measure blubber testosterone (BT) in 114 male short-beaked common dolphins, Delphinus delphis, collected from incidental fishery bycatch and strandings. When these concentrations were compared across maturity states, the mean (± SEM) BT levels of mature D. delphis (14.3 ± 3.0 ng/g) were significantly higher than those of pubertal (2.5 ± 0.5 ng/g, P = 0.006) and immature animals (2.2 ± 0.3 ng/g, P < 0.0001). BT concentrations in mature males were significantly higher in summer months (53.9 ± 2.0 ng/g) than during the rest of the year (7.9 ± 0.69 ng/g, P < 0.0001), indicating reproductive seasonality. An analysis of BT in different anatomical locations showed that hormone concentrations were not homogenous throughout the body; the levels in the dorsal fin were significantly lower than in most other areas (F = 5.39, P = 0.043). Conversely, we found no significant differences in BT concentration with respect to subepidermal depth (F = 2.09, P = 0.146). Finally, testosterone levels in biopsies from 138 free-swimming male D. delphis, of unknown maturity state, sampled off California were found to be of concentrations similar to those from the fishery bycatch and stranding samples and revealed an …

Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphin Assessment Workshop Report, R.R. Reeves, R. L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

A workshop on the assessment of Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus), with the Solomon Islands as a case study, took place from 21-23 August 2008 in Apia, Samoa. It was planned and organized under the auspices of the Cetacean Specialist Group and attended by 19 invited participants from eight countries. Financial support was provided by WWF (International), The Ocean Conservancy, Animal Welfare Institute, Humane Society of the United States, Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, U.S. Marine Mammal Commission and U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The workshop was hosted by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Program …

Health Assessment Of Weddell Seals, Leptonychotes Weddellii, In Mcmurdo Sound, Antarctica, P.K. Yochem, B.S. Stewart, T.S. Gelatt, D.B. Siniff

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The demography of Weddell seals in eastern McMurdo Sound, Antarctica, has been well studied during the past three decades (e.g. Stirling 1971; Siniff et al. 1977; Testa and Siniff 1987; Hastings and Testa 1998; Gelatt et al. 2001). Detailed life-history data are available on thousands of seals tagged as pups in McMurdo Sound, making this population a rich resource for wildlife health studies because health parameters can be evaluated in the light of reproductive histories and genetic relationships of several generations of tagged seals.

Recently, evidence of exposure to diseases generally associated with domestic animals and feral wildlife has been …

A Fish Of Many Scales: Extrapolating Sublethal Pesticide Exposures To The Productivity Of Wild Salmon Populations, David H. Baldwin, Julann A. Spromberg, Tracy K. Collier, Nathaniel L. Scholz

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

For more than a decade, numerous pesticides have been detected in river systems of the western United States that support anadromous species of Pacific salmon and steelhead. Over the same interval, several declining wild salmon populations have been listed as either threatened or endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA). Because pesticides occur in surface waters that provide critical habitat for ESA-listed stocks, they are an ongoing concern for salmon conservation and recovery throughout California and the Pacific Northwest. Because pesticide exposures are typically sublethal, a key question is whether toxicological effects at (or below) the scale of the …

Transformation Of The Offshore Benthic Community In Lake Michigan: Recent Shift From The Native Amphipod Diporeia Spp. To The Invasive Mussel Dreissena Rostriformis Bugensis, Thomas F. Nalepa, David L. Fanslow, Gregory A. Lang

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

1. The native amphipod Diporeia spp. was once the dominant benthic organism in Lake Michigan and served as an important pathway of energy flow from lower to upper trophic levels. Lake-wide surveys were conducted in 1994 ⁄1995, 2000 and 2005, and abundances of Diporeia and the invasive bivalves Dreissena polymorpha (zebra mussel) and Dreissena rostriformis bugensis (quagga mussel) were assessed. In addition, more frequent surveys were conducted in the southern region of the lake between 1980 and 2007 to augment trend interpretation.

2. Between 1994 ⁄1995 and 2005, lake-wide density of Diporeia declined from 5365 to 329 m^-2, …

Effects Of Age, Sex And Reproductive Status On Persistent Organic Pollutant Concentrations In ‘‘Southern Resident” Killer Whales, Margaret M. Krahn, M. Bradley Hanson, Gregory Schorr, Candice K. Emmons, Douglas G. Burrows, Jennie L. Bolton, Robin W. Baird, Gina M. Ylitalo

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

‘‘Southern Resident” killer whales (Orcinus orca) that comprise three fish-eating ‘‘pods” (J, K and L) were listed as ‘‘endangered” in the US and Canada following a 20% population decline between 1996 and 2001. Blubber biopsy samples from Southern Resident juveniles had statistically higher concentrations of certain persistent organic pollutants than were found for adults. Most Southern Resident killer whales, including the four juveniles, exceeded the health-effects threshold for total PCBs in marine mammal blubber. Maternal transfer of contaminants to the juveniles during rapid development of their biological systems may put these young whales at greater risk than adults …

Effects Of Fire Temperature On The Physical And Chemical Characteristics Of The Ash From Two Plots Of Cork Oak (Quercus Suber), X. Ú Beda, P. Pereira, L. Outeiro, D. A. Martin

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Cork oak, (Quercus suber) is widely distributed in the Mediterranean region, an area subject to frequent fires. The ash produced by burning can have impacts on the soil status and water resources that can differ according to the temperature reached during fire and the characteristics of the litter, defined as the dead organic matter accumulated on the soil surface prior to the fire. The aim of this work is to determine the physical and chemical characteristics of ash produced in laboratory experiments to approximate conditions typical of fires in this region. The litter of Quercus suber collected from …

Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Biological Soil Crusts And Their Subsequent Recovery In A Great Basin Juniper Woodland, Steven D. Warren, Larry L. St.Clair, Jeffrey R. Johansen, Paul Kugrens

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

A prescribed burn was conducted in a juniper woodland approximately 40 km south of Tooele, Utah on 05 October 2006. Conditions were sub-optimal, and the fire did not encroach into mid- or late-successional areas; only the early-successional area burned successfully. This study evaluated the effects of the prescribed burn on biological soil crusts that occupy the soil surface and are important for soil stability, soil nutrient cycling, and the germination and survival of vascular plants. Biological soil crusts are composed primarily of cyanobacteria, green algae, lichens and mosses. Mosses were rare under juniper trees, so the effects of the fire …

A Regional Assessment Of The Ecological Effects Of Chipping And Mastication Fuels Reduction And Forest Restoration Treatments., Mike Battaglia, Charles Rhoades, Monique E. Rocca, Michael G. Ryan

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Over the past several years, fire managers have increased their use of mastication treatments, the on-site disposal of shrubs and small-diameter trees through chipping and shredding. Mastication is a relatively untested management practice that alters the chemical and physical conditions of the forest floor and may influence vegetation regrowth and fuel development for years or decades. Eighteen sites were established across four ecosystems of the southern Rocky Mountains and the Colorado Plateau: lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta), mixed conifer (Pinus ponderosa, Pseudotsuga menziesii, Pinus flexilis, and Pinus contorta), ponderosa pine (Pinus ponderosa), and pinyon pine/juniper …

2009 Accomplishement Report

Southeast Research and Extension Center: Reports and Administration

Agriculture Profitability & Sustainability

Community Viability

Food Safety, Health, & Wellness

Natural Resources Management & Environmental Quality

Youth and Family

2003 Southeast Research & Extension District Clientele Demographics and Economic Profile

Feeding The World, Challenges And Opportunities For The U.S. Beef Industry, Clint Peck

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Nobody ever said the beef business was going to be easy. But, who knew even 10 years ago how complicated it would be to raise a calf and get it sent off to market. Few could have predicted there would be raging debates over animal welfare and animal rights or “food vs. fuel.” Not long ago the most intense pressure facing cattle ranchers came while slugging it out for market share with chicken. For 20 years we lost so much market share to a burgeoning and highly-integrated poultry industry that we began shifting the nucleus of the U.S. beef industry …

Bull Management And Nutrition, Julie Walker, George Perry, Russ Daly, Ken Olson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Proper management and nutrition of bulls is essential to ensure cow/calf producers maximize reproductive efficiency and genetic improvement of the calf crop. In addition, the herd bull influences overall herd fertility more than any other single animal, and loss of fertility by a bull can cause substantial loss to a potential calf crop. Each cow produces one calf per year; however, bulls should contribute to the calf crop by 25 to 60 times via siring 25 to 60 calves. Additionally, bulls influence their daughters’ production in the cow herd. Therefore, bull selection can be the most powerful method of genetic …