Life Sciences Commons^™

Effect Of Light-Emitting Diode (Led)-Based Colors On Production Performance Andwelfare Of Commercial Layers, Fazal Raziq, Jibran Hussain, Athar Mahmud, Khalid Javed

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

Artificial light, in terms of its intensity and color, is of significant importance for the performance of laying hens. In this study, the efforts were made to evaluate the effect of different light-emitting diode (LED)-based light colors on production performance, welfare, and egg quality attributes of Lohmann LSL lite hens in an open-sided house. For this, 200 commercial laying hens were distributed into 4 treatment groups, having 5 replicates of 10 birds each. The treatments included different LED colors, i.e. white, monochromatic green, monochromatic red, and dichromatic red?green. Green light significantly increased body weight as compared to other LED light …

Contemporary And Future Distributions Of Cobia, Rachycentron Canadum, Dp Crear, Be Watkins, Vs Saba, Je Graves, Dr Jensen, Aj Hobday, Kevin C. Weng

VIMS Articles

Climate change has influenced the distribution and phenology of marine species, globally. However, knowledge of the impacts of climate change is lacking for many species that support valuable recreational fisheries. Cobia (Rachycentron canadum) are the target of an important recreational fishery along the U.S. east coast that is currently the subject of a management controversy regarding allocation and stock structure. Further, the current and probable future distributions of this migratory species are unclear, further complicating decision-making. The objectives of this study are to better define the contemporary distribution of cobia along the U.S. east coast and to project potential shifts …

Sublethal Effects Of Salinity And Temperature On Non-Native Blue Catfish: Implications For Establishment In Atlantic Slope Drainages, Vaskar Nepal, Mary C. Fabrizio

VIMS Articles

The distribution and further range expansion of non-native blue catfish Ictalurus furcatus in coastal waters throughout the United States Atlantic slope depend, in part, on the salinity tolerance of the fish. However, temperature-mediated sublethal effects of increased salinities on blue catfish biology are not yet known. We assessed the effects of salinity and temperature on growth, body condition, body composition and food consumption of juvenile blue catfish in a controlled laboratory experiment. Temperature and salinity had an interactive effect on blue catfish biology, although most fish survived 112 days in salinities up to 10 psu. At salinities 9 psu) likely …

Population Structure Of The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus In The Maryland Coastal Bays, Kristen A. Lycett, Jeffrey D. Shields, J. Sook Chung, Joseph S. Pitula

VIMS Articles

The population structure of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus was examined in the Maryland Coastal Bays (MCB) from 2014 to 2016. Crabs were sampled from April to December of each year. Size–frequency distributions showed a strong seasonal cycle, with small crabs being abundant in April, increasing in size through September, with adult crabs observed in the highest proportions from August through October of each year. A subsample of crabs was assayed for hemolymph ecdysone concentrations to examine molting patterns in field-collected blue crabs. Molting was observed throughout the sampling season, peaking in April for immature crabs, with lows in all …

Canine And Criminal Bias: The Relationship Between Stereotypes And Perceptions Of Punishment, Jamie I. Thomas

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

In this thesis I provide an analysis of punitive perceptions of animal crimes and argue that the lack of value seen in animal’s lives affects perceptions of punishment for animal crimes. Specifically, I examine the role of animal attitudes and race on perceptions of crimes against dogs and will address the following question with a vignette survey design: How do racial stereotypes interact with dog breed stereotypes when considering punishment for animal crime? This research expands on factors that influence perceptions of punishment of animal crime, including racial differences that may affect attitudes about animals. This study contributes to the …

Extreme Offspring Ornamentation In American Coots Is Favored By Selection Within Families, Not Benefits To Conspecific Brood Parasites, Bruce E. Lyon, Daizaburo Shizuka

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Offspring ornamentation typically occurs in taxa with parental care, suggesting that selection arising from social interactions between parents and offspring may underlie signal evolution. American coot babies are among the most ornamented offspring found in nature, sporting vividly orange-red natal plumage, a bright red beak, and other red parts around the face and pate. Previous plumage manipulation experiments showed that ornamented plumage is favored by strong parental choice for chicks with more extreme ornamentation but left unresolved the question as to why parents show the preference. Here we explore natural patterns of variation in coot chick plumage color, both within …

A New Genus Of Baetidae (Insecta, Ephemeroptera) From Southeast Asia, Thomas Kaltenbach, Jhoana M. Garces, Jean-Luc Gattolliat

Biology Faculty Publications

A new genus of Baetidae is described from Southeast Asia, Procerobaetis gen. nov. It has a wide distribution reaching from Indonesia (Sumatra) to the Philippines. Two new species are described from Indonesia, P. leptobranchius gen. et sp. nov. and P. petersorum gen. et sp. nov., and one new species from the Philippines, P. freitagi gen. et sp. nov. Procerobaetis gen. nov. is characterized by having seven pairs of elongate, apically pointed gills. At least gills I and II are very slender with strongly extended points, which is unique in Baetidae. Similar gills were described from Leptophlebiidae. Procerobaetis gen. nov. is …

Quantifying The Behavioral And Economic Effects Of Regulatory Change In A Recreational Cobia Fishery, Andrew M. Scheld, William M. Goldsmith, Shelby White, Hamish J. Small, Susanna Musick

VIMS Articles

Fisheries economists typically assume recreational anglers make decisions that maximize individual angler utility, which may depend on fishery and regulatory conditions. Under this framework, changes in regulations can lead to target species substitution by anglers in response to shifts in expectations of trip utility. A stated preference survey was developed and distributed to recreational cobia (Rachycentron canadum) anglers in Virginia to explore the effects of regulatory change on angler decision-making, species targeting, and resulting economic outcomes. The survey included a series of hypothetical choice scenarios, where respondents were asked to select their most preferred alternative after being presented with different …

Water Temperature During Winter May Control Striped Bass Recruitment During Spring By Affecting The Development Time Of Copepod Nauplii, Nicole C. Millette, J. J. Pierson, E. W. North

VIMS Articles

Striped bass (Morone saxatilis) are anadromous fish that support an important fishery along the east coast of North America. In Chesapeake Bay, strong juvenile recruitment of striped bass can occur when larvae overlap with high concentrations of their zooplankton prey, but the mechanisms fostering the temporal overlap are unknown. Here, the influence of winter temperature on the peak abundances of a key prey, Eurytemora carolleeae, was estimated with a temperature-dependent developmental model. The role of these peaks in regulating striped bass recruitment was explored in three nursery areas: upper Chesapeake Bay, Choptank River, and Patuxent River. Model results indicated that …

Alternative Substrates Used For Oyster Reef Restoration: A Review, Taylor Goelz, Bruce Vogt, Troy W. Hartley

VIMS Articles

Oyster populations and reef habitats have notably declined in the last century around the world. The ecological, economic, and cultural values of oysters have led to a variety of restoration efforts seeking to recover these lost benefits. Limitations of the native oyster shell substrate and the large-scale nature of many restoration projects have resulted in the increased use of a variety of alternative, or artificial, substrates to create reef structures. A text mining package was used to conduct a review of alternative substrates used for oyster restoration. Specifically, the review (1) assessed commonly used alternative substrates, (2) locations where alternative …

Invasive Blue Catfish In The Chesapeake Bay Region: A Case Study Of Competing Management Objectives, Mary C. Fabrizio, Vaskar Nepal, Troy D. Tuckey

VIMS Articles

Freshwater fishes have been introduced outside their native range to establish recreational fisheries, but management conflicts arise when such introductions also result in potentially harmful effects on native species. In this case study, we focus on Blue Catfish Ictalurus furcatus, which were introduced in the Chesapeake Bay region and are now considered invasive. In many tidal tributaries, Blue Catfish have increased dramatically in abundance, expanded into high-salinity habitats (up to 21.8 psu), and negatively affected native species, prompting calls for the development of an effective management plan. However, management of this conflict species is complicated by multiple competing objectives, including …

Workflow For Constructing Social Networks From Automated Telemetry Systems, Daizaburo Shizuka, Sahas Barve, Allison Johnson, Eric L. Walters

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

1. Advances in datalogging technologies have provided a way to monitor the movement of individual animals at unprecedented spatial and temporal scales, both large and small. When used in conjunction with social network analyses, these data can provide insight into fine scale associative behaviors. The variety of technologies demand continuous progress in workflows to translate data streams from automated systems to social networks, based on biologically relevant metrics.

2. Here we present a workflow for generating flexible association matrices from automated radio-telemetry data that can be parsed into both spatial and temporal dimensions. These can then be used to generate …

Translating Globally Threatened Marine Species Information Into Regional Guidance For The Gulf Of Mexico, Kyle Strongin, Beth Polidoro, Christi Linardich, Gina Ralph, Kent Carpenter

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

A comprehensive understanding of the status of marine organisms in the Gulf of Mexico is critical to the conservation and improved management of marine biodiversity in the region. Threats and extinction risk, based on application of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria at the global level, were analyzed for 1,300 Gulf of Mexico marine species. These species include all known marine mammals, sea birds, marine reptiles, cartilaginous fishes, bony shorefishes, corals, mangroves, seagrasses and complete clades of select invertebrates. Analyses showed that 6% of these species are threatened, 2% Near Threatened, 9% Data Deficient, and 83% Least Concern. However, …

An Alien Species Or Another Perspective To The Freshwater Gobies Puzzle: A New Finding Inlake Prespa, Blagoja Trajchevski, Zoran Spirkovski, Dushica Ilikj-Boeva, Trajce Talevski

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Here we present a discovery of a new fish from the family Gobiidae in Lake Prespa, which is known as a European hotspot for biodiversity and endemism. This is the first detection of a fish species from this family, not only regarding this lake but also in the territory of the Republic of North Macedonia in general. The close examination of the recorded specimens revealed the presence of perianal organ surrounding the anus. This unique organ and various other observed morphometric and phenotypic characteristics point out to the genus Economidichthys. The two known fish species from this genus are currently …

Ecotoxicological Investigation Of Cyanobacterial Crude Extracts Todaphnia Magna Under Subchronic Test Conditions, Tan Duc Nguyen, Xuan Quang Ngo, Thanh Luu Pham, Thanh Son Dao

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Cyanobacterial blooms often consist of mixtures of microcystin-producing and microcystin-free species, and both can cause unpredictable effects on aquatic organisms. In this work, the subchronic effects of the cyanobacterial crude extracts (CCEs) from microcystin-producing and microcystin-free cyanobacteria with different microcystin concentrations (1, 10, and 50 μgL$^{-1}$)on Daphnia magna were investigated. The life-history trait responses of D. magna to CCEs were determined based on survival, reproduction, and somatic growth. In addition, the physiological response, represented by the feeding rate of D. magna on green algae (Scenedesmus sp.), after exposure to both types of crude extracts was estimated. Our results showed that …

Letter From The Faculty And Managing Editors, Beth Kegley, Gail Halleck

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 21 2020, Several Authors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

The Biofiltration Ability Of Asparagus Densiflorus To Remove Sulfur Dioxide From The Indoor Atmosphere, Rhiannon De La Rosa, Mary Savin

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Sulfur dioxide is an inorganic compound (IC) and air pollutant that causes health risks in humans. The buildup of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in enclosed indoor spaces is, therefore, a concern to human health, especially since the average person spends 90% of his/her time indoors. This study focused on decreasing SO2 concentration in a cost-effective and simple way—by using botanical biofiltration, or the uptake of pollutants by plants. Research in biofiltration has focused mostly on the remediation of volatile organic compounds (VOC). However, research has also shown that plant species that remediate VOC efficiently also have the potential for efficient IC …

Impact Of Phosphorus Intake On Beef Heifer Growth Performance And Conception Rates, Hailey Hilfiker, Beth Kegley, Rick Rorie, Jeremy Powell

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

In Northwest Arkansas, soil phosphorus concentrations have increased where livestock manures have been repeatedly applied, leading many to question if supplementing phosphorus in this area is necessary. The effects of phosphorus intake on beef heifer growth performance and conception rates were investigated. In this study, crossbred Angus heifers (n = 72), approximately 30 days after weaning, were stratified by body weight (average initial weight 251 ± 3.9 kg) and allocated randomly into 8 groups. Groups were assigned randomly to 1 of 2 treatments. Treatments were delivered through either a free-choice-mineral mix that contained no supplemental phosphorus (CON), or a free-choice-mineral …

Decomposition In Pasture Soil Receiving Excreta From Ruminants Fed Alfalfa Forage Diet Supplemented With Increasing Proportions Of Sericea Lespedeza Legume, Yang Kai Tang, Mary C. Savin, Dirk Philipp, Ken Coffey, Jiangchao Zhao

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Healthy soil is fundamental to a productive pasture system as it will decompose labile organic matter and promote retention of carbon to build a stable, resistant pool of organic matter. An easy, standardized approach to measure decomposition and litter stabilization that is gaining popularity in both citizen science and research studies is the use of the Tea Bag Index. The Tea Bag Index is a relatively new method evaluating the loss of organic material in two different kinds of commercial tea bags (green tea and Rooibos tea) after burial in the soil for 90 days. The objective of this experiment …

Letter From Division Of Agriculture Communications, Fred Miller

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Contents, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Instructions For Authors, Discovery Editors

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Decadal Heat And Drought Drive Body Size Of North American Bison (Bison Bison) Along The Great Plains, Jeff Martin, Perry S. Barboza

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Large grazers are visible and valuable indicators of the effects of projected changes in temperature and drought on grasslands. The grasslands of the Great Plains have supported the greatest number of bison (Bison bison; Linnaeus, 1758) since prehis-toric times. We tested the hypothesis that body mass (BM, kg) and asymptotic body mass (ABM, kg) of Bison decline with rising temperature and increasing drought over both temporal and spatial scales along the Great Plains. Temporally, we modeled the relationship of annual measures of BM and height (H, m) of 5,781 Bison at Wind Cave National Park (WICA) from 1966 to 2015. …

Estimates Of Red Drum Mortality Via Acoustic Telemetry, T. Reid Nelson, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Subadult (age < 3) Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus support a valuable recreational fishery, and mortality estimates for young Red Drum are needed for proper management. To obtain these estimates, age-1 and age-2 Red Drum were implanted with acoustic transmitters and external Floy tags in two coastal Alabama rivers (Fowl and Dog rivers). Fates of tagged fish were inferred from stationary receiver detections and active relocations over 1 year. These fates were used in a Bayesian multistate model to estimate instantaneous monthly and annual mortality and emigration rates for each river and overall from both rivers. Instantaneous monthly fishing mortality (F) ranged from 0.001 to 0.112 (annual F = 0.414) in Dog River, from 0.001 to 0.126 in Fowl River (annual F = 0.309), and was 0.001–0.054 (annual F = 0.337) overall. Instantaneous monthly natural mortality (M) ranged from 0.001 to 0.002 (annual M= 0.069) in Dog River, from 0.001 to 0.036 (annual M= 0.178) in Fowl River, and from 0.001 to 0.017 (annual M= 0.090) overall. The overall annual estimate of instantaneous total mortality (Z) was 0.435. The median escapement percentage was estimated at 36.3% (95% posterior credible interval = 19.5–56.0%) using M and Z from the overall model. Unfortunately, the error on this estimate was large and inconclusive as to whether the 30% escapement goal for juvenile Red Drum to the adult population from Dog and Fowl rivers is being met. Monthly residency estimates were typically greater than 0.90, and overall annual residency was estimated at 0.716. Fishing mortality estimates from the current study are higher than recent catch curve estimates that did not include young Red Drum. These results demonstrate that young Red Drum need to be accounted for when generating mortality estimates and provide needed data for the Red Drum recreational fishery.

Habitat Associations And Co-Occurrence Patterns Of Two Estuarine-Dependent Predatory Fishes, Mariah C. Livernois, Sean P. Powers, Mark A. Albins, John F. Mareska

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Estuarine-dependent fishes experience a wide range of environmental conditions, and most species exhibit distinct associations with particular habitats. However, similar species or multiple conspecifics often overlap spatiotemporally, which can result in ecological interactions that have consequences for behaviors that can shape the structure and function of ecosystems. We used a long-term gill-net data set (2001–2015) to investigate the habitat associations and cooccurrence patterns of two estuarine-dependent predatory fishes, Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus and Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus, in coastal Alabama, USA. Both species were associated with similar environmental conditions, primarily low dissolved oxygen and low salinity, especially when temperature was …

Granulosa Cell Proliferation Is Inhibited By Pge2 In The Primate Ovulatory Follicle, Patric S. Lundberg, Gil J. Moskowitz, Carmel Bellacose, Esra Demirel, Heidi A. Trau, Diane M. Duffy

Computer Science Faculty Publications

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) is a key paracrine mediator of ovulation. Few specific PGE2-regulated gene products have been identified, so we hypothesized that PGE2 may regulate the expression and/or activity of a network of proteins to promote ovulation. To test this concept, Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) was used to predict PGE2-regulated functionalities in the primate ovulatory follicle. Cynomolgus macaques underwent ovarian stimulation. Follicular granulosa cells were obtained before (0 h) or 36 h after an ovulatory dose of human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), with ovulation anticipated 37-40 h after hCG. Granulosa cells were obtained from additional monkeys 36 h after treatment with …

Regional Variation In Ventral Body Color And Pattern In The Western Ratsnake, Pantherophis Obsoletus (Reptilia: Serpentes: Colubridae), In Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Pantherophis obsoletus, the Western Ratsnake (a.k.a., black ratsnake or chicken snake), is a large colubrid species widely distributed throughout the central and southcentral United States west of the Mississippi River (Powell et al. 2016). This species has received considerable attention with its early taxonomic history found in Neill (1949) and Dowling (1952) and its current phylogeographic status examined by Burbrink et al. (2000), Burbrink (2001), and Gibbs et al. (2006). Dorsal body color and pattern played an important role in resolving the early taxonomic issues within this ratsnake species complex, whereas mtDNA was utilized in the more recent phylogeographic analyses …

Energy Content Of Seeds Of Common Sunflowers (Helianthus Annuus) In The Diet Of Scaled Quail (Callipepla Squamata) In Southeastern New Mexico, John L. Hunt, Matthew E. Grilliot, Troy L. Best, Dixie Lozano-Lopez, Emily R. Neilson, Isaac C. Castillo

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We analyzed the energy content of seeds of common sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) obtained from the crops of scaled quail (Callipepla squamata) collected from plains-mesa sand-scrub habitat in Eddy and Lea counties, New Mexico. Seeds were removed from crops and dried for 48 hours at 60°C to remove moisture and to standardize masses. Seeds were then analyzed for gross caloric value (i.e., energy content) in an oxygen bomb calorimeter. Energy content of seeds of common sunflowers from New Mexico was greater than that of many seeds previously reported from the diet of scaled quail and other granivorous …

Bat Boxes As Mitigation Tools: Factors Impacting Microclimate And Myotis Sodalis Roost Selection, Reed Crawford

Online Theses and Dissertations

Environmental degradation has led to declines in available natural roosting habitat for bats. To mitigate this loss, practitioners often deploy artificial roosts (e.g., bat boxes). There are no established species-specific practices for deployment strategy and roost design selection, but occupancy rates are known to vary across species and roost microclimates can be harmful to bats. Providing bats with thermally beneficial roosts during summer could enhance overwinter survival of WNS-affected species. To further our understanding of roost preference and microclimate, we deployed 40 rocket box roosts of 5 designs at field sites in Indiana and Kentucky. Roosts were deployed in clusters …