Life Sciences Commons^™

Wolbachia Strain Wpip Yields A Pattern Of Cytoplasmic Incompatibility Enhancing A Wolbachia-Based Suppression Strategy Against The Disease Vector Aedes Albopictus, Maurizio Calvitti, Riccardo Moretti, Amanda R. Skidmore, Stephen L. Dobson

Entomology Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is induced in nature by Wolbachia bacteria, resulting in conditional male sterility. Previous research demonstrated that the two Wolbachia strains (wAlbA and wAlbB) that naturally co-infect the disease vector mosquito Aedes albopictus (Asian tiger mosquito) can be replaced with the wPip Wolbachia strain from Culex pipiens. Since Wolbachia-based vector control strategies depend upon the strength and consistency of CI, a greater understanding is needed on the CI relationships between wPip, wAlbA and wAlbB Wolbachia in Ae. albopictus.

METHODS: This work consisted of a collaborative series of crosses carried out in Italy and in US to study …

Non-Photoperiodic Regulation Of Reproductive Physiology In The Flexibly Breeding Pine Siskin (Spinus Pinus), Heather E. Watts, Thomas P. Hahn

Biology Faculty Works

In order to time reproduction to coincide with favorable conditions, animals use environmental cues to up- and down-regulate the reproductive axis appropriately. Although photoperiodic cues are one of the best studied of such environmental cues, animals also attend to others such as temperature, food availability, rainfall and social cues. Such non-photic cues are expected to be particularly important for tropical species and temperate-zone species that exhibit flexible or opportunistic breeding schedules. In this study, we investigate the use of non-photic cues, specifically food availability and social cues, to time the initiation of reproductive development in the pine siskin (Spinus …

Comparison Of Boer, Kiko, And Spanish Meat Goat Does For Stayability And Cumulative Reproductive Output In The Humid Subtropical Southeastern United States, Ashley N. Pellerin, Richard Browning Jr.

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Longevity is the amount of time breeding females stay active in a herd by avoiding death or culling because of illness or reproductive failure. This is a trait of economic relevance in commercial small ruminant breeding herds as it affects lifetime reproductive output. The purpose of this study was to determine if breed of meat goat influences breeding doe survival rates and cumulative reproductive performance under semi-intensive management. Results: Boer (n = 132), Kiko (n = 92) and Spanish (n = 79) does were evaluated for longevity trends and cumulative kid production. The herd was managed on humid subtropical …

Shorter Migration Distances Associated With Higher Winter Temperatures Suggest A Mechanism For Advancing Nesting Phenology Of American Kestrels Falco Sparverius, Julie A. Heath, Karen Steenhof, Mark A. Foster

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Global climate change has affected avian migration patterns and nesting phenology. Changes in one phase of a bird's cycle will most likely affect other stages, but few studies focus simultaneously on multiple life-history events. We used western North American ringing records and Christmas Bird Counts to examine whether changes in migration patterns were concordant with advancing American kestrel Falco sparverius nesting phenology. Consistent with previous findings, male kestrels migrated shorter distances than female kestrels, and kestrels nesting in southern latitudes migrated shorter distances than kestrels nesting in more northern areas. In addition, kestrel migration distance decreased significantly from 1960 to …

Reproduction And Population Characteristics Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Charles Dieter, Dustin Schaible

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

We evaluated the reproductive biology of314 white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) in 44 counties throughout South Dakota from June 2004 to September 2005. We classified jackrabbits as juveniles or adults based on the closure of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus using X-ray analysis. We determined annual reproductive activity through fluctuations in measured weights of reproductive organs for both sexes. The 2005 breeding season started in late February and proceeded until mid-July, approximately 142 days, allowing for females to potentially produce 3.3 litters. We found four distinct breeding periods by the overlap of estimated conception and parturition dates. Mean …

Long-Term Ecology Of Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus H. Hemionus Pallas) In Central Asia, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The main population of the nominate form Equus hemionus hemionus Pallas, 1775 occurs in the south-east Gobi desert of Mongolia. From 2003 to 2012 we studied the reproductive ecology and mortality of dschiggetajs or khulans (English also ‘hulan’). During these years, the rate of reproduction was variable, ranging from 6.4% to 23.0% depending on climate, feeding conditions, and fitness of the mares. Our research shows that there appears to be a relationship between minimum temperatures in June (main foaling time) and rate of successful reproduction. The primary cause of decline in the numerical density of the population of E. hemionus …