Life Sciences Commons^™

Relationships Between Muskrats And Freshwater Mussels Prior To River Otter Restoration At Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky, Kimberly Ann Asmus

Masters Theses

The southeastern United States has a great diversity of freshwater mussel species, many of which are threatened with extinction. The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is one of the few animals to extensively prey on freshwater mussels, and it has been implicated in retarding the recovery of, or further threatening, some endangered mussel populations. Muskrat predation on mussels may be significant at Mammoth Cave National Park (MCNP) where a river otter (Lontra canadensis) restoration has been proposed. Anecdotal observations suggest that the reintroduction of river otters dramatically reduces muskrat populations, which, in tum, may reduce the number of …

Tnh1005-Routine Health Care For Horses, The University Of Tennessee Agriculture Extension Service

Animals/Livestock

Health and well being in animals cannot be achieved by use of vaccines and feed additives alone. Healthy horses are fed well and kept in facilities in good repair. They are seen by their caregivers often, and small problems are not allowed to become big ones. Healthy horses also receive animal health products that have been properly stored and are used according to label directions. The three most frequent veterinary complaints in horses are colic, lacerations and lameness. Special attention should be paid to preventing these problems. Horse health care need not be expensive but does need to be comprehensive. …

Pb1743-Growing And Managing Successful Food Plots For Wildlife In The Mid-South, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Wildlife and Fisheries

Planting food plots is an excellent way to improve available nutrition, increase the carrying capacity and concentrate wildlife on your property. Food plots do not take the place of habitat management in general, but are intended to augment the quantity and quality of food occurring naturally in an area. Whenever habitat improvement is desired, other management practices (e.g., timber management, prescribed burning and discing) should be implemented as well. Food plot plantings should depend upon which wildlife species you want to attract and the seasonal requirements of those species. Not all wildlife species benefi t from all food plot plantings. …

Performance And Fertility Of Yearling Beef Bulls Grazing Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Pastures, Gustavo Martin Schuenemann

Masters Theses

During a two-year study, 80 bulls and 80 steers were utilized to determine the effects of grazing endophyte-infected tall fescue on growth performance, semen parameters, endocrine profiles, and IVF. Bulls and steers were allotted to graze Kentucky 31 tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) infected with Neotyphodium coenophialum, an ergot alkaloid-producing fungal endophyte new stand (E+New; n = 20/yr), old stand (E+Old; n = 20/yr), E+Old plus ladino (Trifolium repens) and red (T. pratense) clovers (E+Cl; n = 20/yr), or Jesup tall fescue with the non-ergot alkaloid-producing endophyte MaxQ^{TM (MaxQ; n = 20/yr). Bulls and steers were grouped by body …}

Reproductive Efficiency Following Administration Of An Inhibitor Of Prostaglandin F2Α During Early Embryonic Development In Dairy Cattle, Charles Dexter Young

Masters Theses

A study was performed to examine the administration of flunixin meglumine (FM; an inhibitor of prostaglandin F_2α) following artificial insemination on pregnancy rates of lactating dairy cattle. Jersey and Holstein cows (n=106) were randomly assigned to receive intravenously either FM (2.2 mg/kg BW) or saline (SAL; 1 mL/23 kg BW). Cows were randomly allotted to treatment by lactation number, bovine somatotropin administration, breed, BW, days in milk, milk production, and 305 ME milk production. Study was performed from September through April and all cows were milked twice daily. Following estrous synchronization (cloprostenol, 500 µg im), cows were artificially …

Assessment Of Bat Mortality And Activity At Buffalo Mountain Windfarm, Eastern Tennessee, Jenny K. Fiedler

Masters Theses

Wind power has grown rapidly as an alternative energy source over the last decade. Although overall environmental impacts are relatively low, impacts to bats have yet to be fully assessed. Recent studies at other windfarms suggest regional variation in mortality rates and species affected. This study took place at Tennessee Valley Authority’s Buffalo Mountain Windfarm (BMW) in eastern Tennessee, currently the only commercial windfarm in the southeastern United States. Study objectives were to establish patterns of bat mortality and activity at BMW, and determine if and how they were related.

Mortality monitoring consisted of regular carcass searches conducted since BMW …

Associations Between Eastern Hemlock (Tsuga Canadensis) And Avian Occurrence And Nest Success In The Southern Appalachians, David Aaron Keller

Masters Theses

The recent decline of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis) is a dramatic example of the effects exotic insect pests can have on forest composition and structure. Hemlock decline is attributed to defoliation caused by hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA, Adelges tsugae), an exotic Hemipteran introduced to the northwest U.S. from Asia during the 1920s and the eastern U.S. during the early 1950s. Within the past several years, HWA infestations have reached the southern portions of the Appalachian mountains and threaten to eliminate both eastern and Carolina hemlock (Tsuga carolinensis) from the region.

Recognized as nationally important bird …

Pb1684-Dehorning Calves, The University Of Tennessee Agricultural Extension Service

Animals/Livestock

Dehorning calves is a simple, cost-effective practice that adds value to feeder cattle. Feeder cattle that are either polled or have been de horned usually sell for $1.50 or $2.00 more per cwt. than those with horns when marketed.

Identification And Association Of Bovine Cxcr2 Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms With Clinical And Subclinical Mastitis In Holstein And Jersey Cattle, Sara Marie Youngerman

Masters Theses

Mastitis is the most economically devastating disease affecting the dairy industry. A genetic marker associated with inflammatory responses during mastitis could aid in selection for mastitis resistant dairy cattle. Objectives of this experiment were to identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and resulting haplotypes in the bovine CXCR2 gene for two breeds of dairy cattle, determine SNP and haplotype frequencies, and identify genotype associations with subclinical and clinical mastitis. Genomic DNA was isolated from whole blood collected from Jersey and Holstein cows. A 311 bp segment located within the coding region of exon 3 of the CXCR2 gene was amplified and …

Milk Urea Nitrogen Concentration: Heritability And Genetic Correlations With Reproductive Performance And Disease In Holstein Cattle, Rissa G. Mitchell

Masters Theses

The objectives of this study were to estimate the heritability of milk urea nitrogen concentration (MUN), describe the genetic and phenotypic relationships between MUN and reproductive performance, and estimate correlations among MUN breeding values and Danish breeding values for disease in Holsteins. Dairy Records Management Systems in Raleigh, NC provided lactation data. The Danish Agricultural Advisory Center provided breeding value estimates for disease. Heritabilities, genetic correlations and phenotypic correlations were estimated with an animal model using ASREML. Infrared (IR) and wet chemistry (WC) data were analyzed separately. Heritabilities were estimated with all lactations, as well as separately for parities one …

The Movements And Reproductive Success Of Re-Introduced Darters In The Pigeon River, Tn, Virginia Anne Harrison

Masters Theses

The Pigeon River has a history of degraded water quality that lasted nearly seven decades, from 1908 until the 1970s, thereby resulting in the loss of many native species. In recent years, recovery efforts have been initiated by numerous agencies to re-introduce selected fish and other aquatic species. Three species of darters (gilt darter Percina evides, bluebreast darter Etheostoma camurum, and blueside darter E. jessiae) were re-introduced into the river in 2001-03; re-introduction of a fourth species, the stripetail darter (E. kennicotti) began in 2003. Since 2002, these species have been monitored by snorkel surveys …

Effects Of Weaning Transition And Ionophore On Metabolic Profile And Portal And Hepatic Nutrient Flux During Pre- And Post-Weaning Growth In Dairy Calves, James Levi Klotz

Doctoral Dissertations

Dairy calf weaning is associated with increases in ketone levels that exceed measured rates of utilization in adults and present a potential energy loss that may be mitigated by ionophores. Therefore, effects of weaning and ionophore supplementation on nutrient metabolism and growth in dairy calves pre- and post-weaning were examined in two experiments. The first experiment consisted of 24 Jersey bulls calves blocked in groups of two according to birth date and weight and randomly assigned to receive either a commercial pelleted starter (CON), or the same diet containing lasalocid (TRT; 83 mg/kg DM) to examine effects of weaning transition …

Volume 2, Number 1 (2004), Ut Institute Of Agriculture

Tennessee Land, Life and Science Magazine

Issue Highlights:

• Emerging Markets
• Value in Good Genes
• Songbirds as Indicators
• Tennessee Agriculture in a Global Market