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A Cox2 Molecular Phylogeny Of The Peronosporomycetes, Deborah S.S. Hudspeth, Steven A. Nadler, Michael E.S. Hudspeth

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The evolutionary history of the mitochondrial COX2 locus has been used to infer the phylogenetic relationships among 15 peronosporomycete and a hyphochytriomycete species. This molecular phylogenetic analysis at both the ordinal and generic levels provides strong evidence for the recognition of the Saprolegniomycetidae and the Peronosporomycetidae as natural groups, and for the monophyly of the Saprolegniales, Leptomitales and Pythiales. A three amino acid insertion/deletion event (indel) has been identified as a putative synapomorphy for the Saprolegniales. Parsimony mapping of 12 morphological and biochemical characters on the COX2 molecular phylogeny yields an hypothesis for peronosporomycete ancestral states and shared-derived features.

Plant Quality And Spider Predation Affects Grasshoppers (Acrididae): Food-Quality-Dependent Compensatory Mortality, Mark A. Oedekoven, Anthony Joern

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

For insect herbivores, population responses reflect interactions among multiple factors, including abiotic conditions, food plant availability, and biotic interactions guided by food limitation and natural enemies. In this set of field experiments, we evaluated the interactive, dynamic effects of limited food supply and predation from wolf spiders (Lycosidae) on mortality in Ageneotettix deorum, a common grasshopper (Acrididae) from North American sandhills grasslands. We attempted to determine whether the combined effects of food availability and spider predation on mortality were (1) noncompensatory, with the effects of each factor summing to determine ultimate population size, or (2) compensatory, where the effect …

Biosystematics And Evolution Of The Triatominae = Biossistemática E Evolução De Triatomíneos, Christopher J. Schofield

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Abstract

In this paper we summarize the systematics of the 130 currently recognized species of Triatominae and the key features of their evolutionary background. There is increasing evidence that the subfamily has polyphyletic origins, with the various tribes and species groups probably arising from different reduviid lineages in relatively recent times.

Resumo

Neste trabalho resume-se a sistemática das 130 espécies de triatomíneos atualmente reconhecidas, com os elementos principais de sua evolução. Existem evidências crescentes para a origem polifilética da subfamília. As diferentes tribos e grupos de espécies que a compõem teriam surgido recentemente, a partir de diferentes linhagens de reduviídeos.

Coprolite Analysis: The Analysis Of Ancient Human Feces For Dietary Data, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

Although archaeological fieldwork is hot and dirty, the most “earthy” side of the discipline is the laboratory analysis of coprolites. Each coprolite contains the remains of one to several actual meals eaten in prehistory, and analysis of many coprolites provides a picture of ancient diet that is unique in accuracy.

The term coprolite originally referred to fossilized feces in paleontological context. In archaeology, the term broadened to refer to any formed fecal mass, including mineralized, desiccated, or frozen feces and even the intestinal contents of mummies. Coprolites contain the remains of animals (parasites) that lived in the humans, the foods …

Sheep-Predation Behaviors Of Wild-Caught, Confined Coyotes: Some Historical Data, Ray T. Sterner, Kenneth Crane

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As part of efforts to develop The Livestock Protection Collar (U.S. EPA Reg. No. 56228-22), we videotaped sheep-predation events by 23 (15 males and 8 females) wild-caught, confined coyotes (Canis latrans) in a 31 x 41 m enclosure. Coyotes were paired individually with a sheep (Ovis aries) during 1 h daily trials. Nineteen (13 males and 6 females) of the coyotes made 75 fatal attacks of 1 to 7 sheep each; 4 coyotes (2 males and 2 females) made no fatal attacks despite 19 to 39 daily pairings. Of coyotes that made fatal attacks, 13 (9 …

Strychnine Alkaloid And Avian Reproduction: Effects Occur At Lower Dietary Concentrations With Mallard Ducks Than With Bobwhite Quail, C. A. Pedersen, R. T. Sterner, M. J. Goodall

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Separate subchronic reproductive toxicity studies were conducted using mallard ducks (Anas platyrhynchos) and northern bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus). Three groups (32/group; 16 male-female pairs) of 17-week-old ducks (F₀ generation) were fed Purina® Game Bird Breeder Layena® diets containing mean (±SD) 33.2 (±2.7), 68.9 (±1.8), and 140.9 (± 5.1) μg/g strychnine for 20 weeks, with some pairs in each group fed control diet during a subsequent 3-week recovery period. Three groups (32/group; 16 male-female pairs) of 19-week-old quail (F₀ generation) were fed similar diets containing mean (±SD) 279.2 (±10.1), 557.4 (±43.5), and 1,113.6 (±46.6) μg/g …

Integrated Pest Management Of Black Bear Reforestation Damage, Gary W. Witmer, Dale L. Nolte, William Stewart

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bear damage to commercial, coniferous trees on intensively managed public and private forest lands of the Pacific Northwest continues to be a problem for forest managers. Historically, methods such as relocation or spring hunts have been used in an effort to reduce bear density and damage. More recently, supplemental feeding has been used in an attempt to provide for the nutritional needs of bears during the damage period. Alternative silvicultural practices and repellents are being investigated for their ability to reduce the likelihood of bear damage. These and other methods need to be examined for their effectiveness, especially in …

Single-Dilution Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay For Quantification Of Antigen-Specific Salmonid Antibody, Stewart W. Alcorn, Ronald J. Pascho

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed on the basis of testing a single dilution of serum to quantify the level of antibody to the p57 protein of Renibacterium salmoninarum in sockeye salmon (Oncorhynchus nerka). The levels of antibody were interpolated from a standard curve constructed by relating the optical densities (OD) produced by several dilutions of a high-titer rainbow trout (O. mykiss) antiserum to the p57 protein. The ELISA OD values produced by as many as 36 test sera on each microplate were compared with the standard curve to calculate the antigen-specific antibody activity. Repeated …

Enriched Eggs As A Source Of N-3 Polyunsaturated Fatty Acids For Humans, Nancy M. Lewis, S. Seburg, N. L. Flanagan

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Dietary intake of omega-3 fatty acids (n-3 PUFA) decreases the risk of heart disease, inhibits the growth of prostate and breast cancer, delays the loss of immunological functions, and is required for normal fetal brain and visual development. The US has not established a recommended daily intake for n-3 PUFA. However, Canada has established the Canadian Recommended Nutrient Intake (CRNI) at 0.5% of energy. Dietary sources of n-3 PUFA include fish, chicken, eggs, canola oil, and soybean oil. Food consumption studies in the US indicate that the majority of Americans do not meet the CRNI for n-3 PUFA. Mean n-3 …

Varietal Resistance, James E. Throne, James E. Baker, Frank J. Messina, Karl J. Kramer, John A. Howard

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Production of all classes of wheat grown in the United States totaled 2.5 billion bushels in 1997. Common wheat, Triticum aestivum L. subsp. aestivum, is the primary source of all wheat varieties grown in the United States, with over 200 varieties known and over 100 varieties cultivated. These 100 varieties constitute over 95% of all wheat cultivated in the United States. Five general wheat classes are predominant in the United States: hard red winter, hard red spring, soft red winter, white, and durum.

Genetic Predictors Of Reproduction, Kent Andersen

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Genetic predictions in the form of expected progeny differences (EPDs) represent the beef industry's most powerful source of information for selection and genetic improvement. While EPDs are widely available for traits associated with calving ease, growth, milk and carcass traits, EPDs for reproductive traits are limited. Given the relative economic importance, development of EPDs for reproductive traits should be a priority for the beef industry. Fortunately, recent breakthroughs in analytical procedures have opened the door for potential development of genetic predictions for reproductive traits.

Some Effects Of Feeding Supplemental Fat To Beef Cattle, R. A. Bellows

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Meeting nutrient requirements of the replacement of heifer and the pregnant or lactating heifer and cow is of critical importance in assuring optimum reproductive performance. It is well recognized that these nutrients include protein, energy, minerals, vitamins, dry matter, and water. Recent research has indicated adequate fat may be an additional nutrient that needs to be present in the diet. This presentation will review some of our recent work on the effects of feeding additional fat on potential cold tolerance in the newborn calf, development of the replacement heifer, rebreeding of the lactating dam, and weaning weight of her calf.

Going Home To The Family Ranch, Sara F. Hebbert

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Going home to the family ranch is a multi-faceted decision to be made following careful analysis of the whole picture. It is important to identify all the players, choose the right timing, define individual roles, and measure what is most valuable. Combined with these factors is the need to establish partnerships with unlikely partners. The plague of urban sprawl threatening every ag enterprise in the nation makes it continually important that we in the beef industry establish a positive relationship with those not associated with ag. The information that follows is a combination of personal history and observation.

Blue Ribbon Commission Recommendations Executive Summary – November 1999, Lynn Cornwell

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Purpose: The NCBA Board approved and President George Swan appointed the Blue Ribbon Commission to create a stronger NCBA for today and tomorrow by establishing recommendations for:

• Commitment to the producer

• State-national partnership and membership

• Governance and representation

Managing Forage Resources For Bigger Profits, Kit Pharo

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Our ranch is known as Pharo Cattle Company and is located eight miles north of Cheyenne Wells, which is on the central high plains of Eastern Colorado. This is short-grass country with very limited and unpredictable rainfall. We have a commercial cow herd, as well as a registered cow herd. Our seedstock program consists of Red Angus, Black Angus, Tarentaise, and Composites. Our Composite cattle are 50% Tarentaise, 30% Red or Black Angus and 20% Hereford.

Since our ranch provides our only source of income, our ranching practices must be both sustainable and profitable. Recently I've heard a lot of …

Reducing Harvesting Costs Using Windrow Grazing, Weldon V. Thomson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Dr. Robert Taylor, of Colorado State University, at the 1995 NCA meeting stated, "…after the current cycle 30% of today’s beef producers will not be in business." A colleague, Paul Gehno, now with the King Ranch in Florida, once stated, "the industry that emerges from this down phase will be leaner, smaller and more competitive." Another quote, of which I am afraid I do not have the author states, "in times of change, learners inherit the earth while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to work in a world that no longer exists."

We live in a world of change …

Complementing A Forage Program With Annual Forages, Ken Remmington

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Economists tell us that in a mature industry you must be a low cost producer to survive. The meat industry is ending the century much more mature than it began. Sophisticated production of pork and poultry with the benefit of cheap grain is putting pressure on beef producers. The long-term trend in grain prices is downward because the cost of producing grain is being reduced by three ongoing trends. The continuing enrichment of the atmosphere by CO2 and other greenhouse gases is crop production friendly despite what you may have heard of few years back. Secondly, bio-tech seeds are increasing …

Imminent Commercialization Of Sexed Bovine Sperm, J. L. Schenk, G. E. Seidel Jr.

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Cattle breeders demand products and services that improve efficiency and maximize profits. Research and development for these products, once done primarily in academic settings, now is occurring more within the private corporate sector who now fund research that was previously funded from public sources. These products often are patented and licensed to individual companies. Product availability is hastened, but sometimes at higher costs. Sex-specific sperm soon will be available to the cattle industry for use in high profile, genetically elite herds. Widespread availability of sex-specific sperm for commercial herds should follow within 2 years.

Sex-specific sperm for use with artificial …

Vaccines And Dewormers – Do We Need Them All?, Dale M. Grotelueschen

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Consumers are the ultimate beneficiaries of improved animal health. Costs and potential benefits from use of vaccines and dewormers affect returns to individual producers or operations as well as the beef industry as a whole. Vaccines that positively influence average daily gain, improve carcass quality, lower costs of production and improve efficiency, and that reduce treatments, decreasing reliance on antibiotics, and that decrease treatment costs contribute to success of the beef industry.

Consideration for use by individual operations often involves shorter time perspectives, especially if cattle are marketed or if products administered affect only production systems on the premises. When …

Lifetime Effects Of Respiratory And Liver Disease On Cattle, Bill Epperson

Range Beef Cow Symposium

In cattle, the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts are the main systems affected with disease. Bovine respiratory disease (BRD) contributes the majority of illness and death loss in the feedlot segment. Historically, 15-45% of feedlot cattle have been affected with BRD, with 1-5% of total cattle placed dying of BRD (Kelly 1986). Respiratory disease, alone, accounts for 44.1% of deaths in beef feedlot cattle (Vogel 1994). Apart from death loss, the Texas Ranch to Rail Program has suggested that clinical disease (most of which is BRD), even if treated successfully, results in treatment cost ($37.90/affected), decreased average daily gain (0.21 lb/d, …

Factors To Consider When Buying And Managing Bulls, Ivan G. Rush, Connee Quinn

Range Beef Cow Symposium

When considering purchasing a sire price often becomes the first consideration. My father once said the most expensive bull he ever purchased was the one he bought the cheapest. If replacement heifers are retained in the herd, 80-90% of the genetic change in a herd will be made by the bull's genetic makeup. Thus, as leading ranchers know, making decisions in selecting bulls is very important. Management of the bull after he arrives at the farm or ranch is also very important. The best genetic package is of little value unless the bull is managed to serve a large number …

Consideration Of Weaning Time, Implanting Strategies And Carcass Data On Cow-Calf Decisions, Doug L. Hixon

Range Beef Cow Symposium

As the beef industry becomes more focused on the consumer, various management practices must be evaluated to determine what lasting effects they might have on final consumer product. In the past, we have evaluated the effects of management decisions on performance and measured differences in pounds produced. However, the dynamic nature of the beef industry and the necessity for sustainability requires that we measure performance in dollars rather than pounds. I often ask students to describe their ideal beef animal in eleven words or less. I believe the answer to that question is "the one that makes the most money …

Enhancing Management Decisions – History Of The Decision Evaluator For The Cattle Industry, Barry Dunn, T. G. Jenkins, C. B. Williams

Range Beef Cow Symposium

Ranch management is the decision making process of resource allocation for a business enterprise that manages natural resources, animals and capitol to meet goals of profitability and sustainability. While this brief sentence captures the essence of ranch management, simplicity is hardly one of ranch decision-making's characteristics. The diagram in Figure 1 has been used to describe the challenge of ranch management as a web of information and complex interrelationships that influence the viability of a beef cattle enterprise. While even this diagram simplifies the complexities faced by ranchers as they grapple with decisions, it does add sensitivity and understanding.

Bacterial Diversity Within The Human Subgingival Crevice, Ian Kroes, Paul W. Lepp, David A. Relman

United States Department of Veterans Affairs: Publications

Molecular, sequence-based environmental surveys of microorganisms have revealed a large degree of previously uncharacterized diversity. However, nearly all studies of the human endogenous bacterial flora have relied on cultivation and biochemical characterization of the resident organisms. We used molecular methods to characterize the breadth of bacterial diversity within the human subgingival crevice by comparing 264 small subunit rDNA sequences from 21 clone libraries created with products amplified directly from subgingival plaque, with sequences obtained from bacteria that were cultivated from the same specimen, as well as with sequences available in public databases. The majority (52.5%) of the directly amplified 16S …

Fungal Diseases (Field Manual Of Wildlife Diseases), Milton Friend

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Fungi are important causes of disease in wild birds and other species. Three basic types of disease are caused by these agents: mycosis, or the direct invasion of tissues by fungal cells, such as aspergillosis; allergic disease involving the development of a hypersensitivity of the host to fungal antigens; and mycotoxicosis, which results from ingestion of toxic fungal metabolites. Mycosis and allergic disease may occur together, especially when the lung is infected. This section will address only mycosis. Mycotoxicosis is addressed in Section 6, Biotoxins. Allergic disease is not well studied in wild birds and it is beyond the scope …

Parasites And Parisitic Diseases (Field Manual Of Wildlife Diseases), Rebecca A. Cole, Milton Friend

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Parasitism is an intimate relationship between two different species in which one (parasite) uses the other (host) as its environment from which it derives nourishment. Parasites are a highly diverse group of organisms that have evolved different strategies for infecting their hosts. Some, such as lice and ticks, are found on the external parts of the body (ectoparasites), but most are found internally (endoparasites). Some are microscopic, such as the blood protozoans that cause avian malaria; however, many are macroscopic. Life cycles differ greatly between major types of parasites and are generally classified as direct or indirect (Table 1). Direct …

Chemical Toxins (Field Manual Of Wildlife Diseases), Milton Friend

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Many kinds of potentially harmful chemicals are found in environments used by wildlife. Some chemicals, such as pesticides and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), are synthetic compounds that may become environmental contaminants through their use and application. Other materials, such as selenium and salt, are natural components of some environments, but contaminants of others. Natural and synthetic materials may cause direct poisoning and death, but they also may have adverse effects on wildlife that impair certain biological systems, such as the reproductive and immune systems. This section provides information about some of the environmental contaminants and natural chemicals that commonly cause avian …

Bacterial Diseases (Field Manual Of Wildlife Diseases), Milton Friend

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Diseases caused by bacteria are a more common cause of mortality in wild birds than are those caused by viruses. In addition to infection, some bacteria cause disease as a result of potent toxins that they produce. Bacteria of the genus Clostridium are responsible for more wild bird deaths than are other disease agents. Clostridium botulinum, which causes avian botulism, is primarily a form of food poisoning and it is included within the section on biotoxins (see Chapter 38). Other Clostridium sp. that colonize intestinal tissues produce toxins that cause severe hemorrhaging of the intestine, thus leading to tissue …

Miscellaneous Diseases (Field Manual Of Wildlife Diseases), Milton Friend, Nancy J. Thomas

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

The fact that “Nature is far from benign” is clearly evident from the preceding chapters of this Manual. The diseases and other conditions described are the proverbial “tip of the iceberg” relative to the number of specific causes of ill health and death for free-ranging wild birds, but the wild bird health problems described account for most major wild bird disease conditions seen within the United States. However, the full toll from disease involves many other causes of illness and death that individually may cause substantial die-offs. Two examples of these other causes of die-offs are the deaths of Canada …

Ard News December 1999

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
Season's Greetings
Foundation Seed Division
A Retrospective on the FY 1999 Federal Budget
FY 1999 Expenditures Per Budgeted Research Faculty
Recognition of Junior Faculty for Excellence in Research
ARD Royalty Income
NUPROF Faculty Development
Shear-Miles Fellowship
Proposals Submitted far Federal Grants
New or Revised Projects
Grants and Contracts Received October and November, 1999