Life Sciences Commons^™

Screening And Identification Of Probiotic Lactic Acid Bacteria From Plant Samplesd, Ratthanatda Nuhwa

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Seventy lactic acid bacteria (LAB) were isolated from flowers (17 strains), 3 tree barks (7 strains), one fruit (2 strains), ten fermented tea leaves (31 strains) and two silage (13 strains). They were identified as Lactobacillus pentosus (12 strains), L. plantarum subsp. plantarum (9 strains), L. paracasei subsp. tolerans (5 strains), L. brevis (1 strain), L. silagincola (1 strain), L. kunkeei (1 strain), and L. formosensis (1 strain), Enterococcus durans (3 strains), E. lactis (2 strains), E. faecalis (1 strain), E. faecium (1 strain), E. gallinarum (1 strain) and E. gilvus (1 strain), Pediococcus acidilactici (1 strain) and P. pentosaceus …

Development Of Oxidase Enzyme And Non-Enzyme Based Biosensors For Lactate And Creatinine Detection, Siraprapa Boobphahom

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This dissertation focused on the development of electrochemical sensors based on metal oxides and graphene modified electrodes for clinical applications, which is divided into two parts. The first part is development of a biosensor based on lactate oxidase (LOx) immobilized on titanium dioxide sol (TiO2 sol)/graphene nanocomposite modified nickel (Ni) foam electrode for enzymatic electrochemical detection of lactate via hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) detection. A TiO2/graphene nanocomposite was simply synthesized by hydrolysis and coated on Ni foam electrode to develop a novel electrode in biosensor. The results showed that the well intercalation of TiO2 sol within graphene film covered on the …

Role Of Enzymes In Glyoxylate Cycle In Transgenic 'Kdml 105' Rice Oryza Sativa L. Overexpressing Oscam1-1 Under Salt Stress, Tanaporn Ausaha

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The previous study reported that the transcriptome profiling of the KDML 105 rice overexpressing OsCam1-1 widely affected the expression of genes involved in several cellular processes including the genes associated with the glyoxylate cycle, which exhibited up-regulation in KDML 105 overexpressing OsCam1-1 under salt stress. In this study, we focused on the role of the glyoxylate cycle in transgenic KDML 105 rice under salt stress. The phenotypes as follows: fresh weight and dry weight of shoot & root, SPAD value, activities of isocitrate lyase, and malate synthase; sugar, and starch contents, and total lipid content were investigated at 0, 2, …

Development Of Paper-Based 3d Cell Culture Devices And Real-Time Biosensing Applications, Naricha Pupinyo

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Due to its micro fibrous pores, paper has gained traction in the use as a scaffold for 3D cell culture. To study melanoma mechanism, screening the amount of melanin production and invasion study are major keys for drug development. In this work, we developed paper-based devices for culturing melanoma cells. Through the development process, we obtained the optimal parameters, which were applied for 3 different projects; 1) Anti-melanogenic effect screening, 2) Impedance-based E-screen assay, and 3) A membrane insert for real-time invasion assay. As a result of melanin production from melanocytes, the cells can be easily observed after a few …

Effects And Mechanisms Of Caesalpinia Mimosoides Leaf Extract On Oxidative Stress Resistance And Anti-Aging Activity In Caenorhabditis Elegans And Neurite Outgrowth Activity In Neuro2a Cells, Panthakarn Rangsinth

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

World’s population of older people is rising, dietary supplements promoting healthy lifespan are needed. Moreover, Alzheimer’s disease (AD), an age-related degenerative disease, becomes a public health problem in aging society. Recent reports using cell culture models of AD suggest that amyloid precursor protein (APP), a protein causally related to AD, plays an important role as an inhibitor of neurite outgrowth. Medicinal herbs with neurite outgrowth stimulatory effect may help to prevent and cure AD. Moreover, studies suggest that dietary supplements from plant sources act in preventive nutrition, since they provide antioxidant action against oxidative stress, promote healthspan and prolong lifespan. …

Habitat Discontinuities Form Strong Barriers To Gene Flow Among Mangrove Populations, Despite The Capacity For Long Distance Dispersal, Rachel M. Binks, Margaret Byrne, Kathryn Mcmahon, Georgina Pitt, Kathy Murray, Richard D. Evans

Research Datasets

Mangrove forests are among the world’s most important ecosystems but are declining rapidly worldwide. Effective conservation management requires a better understanding of the patterns and drivers of gene flow across a range of spatial scales.

Despite the capacity for long distance propagule dispersal, field studies suggest that mangrove propagules tend not to disperse far from the release point, which has important implications for the impact of habitat discontinuities on gene flow. We use a comprehensive seascape genomics approach to investigate this concept in the world’s most widely distributed mangrove species, Avicennia marina.

Location 21 sites along 2400 km of Western …

Akt Expression And Lactose Synthesis During Heat Exposure In Saanen Goat, Nungnuch Saipin

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

In tropical countries, high ambient temperature (HTa) is a fundamental factor that cause a decline in the mammary gland function in dairy animals. Dairy animals fed under HTa decreased milk yield (MY) as well as milk compositions. The current study focuses on the effect of HTa to decrease milk synthesis from natural and in vitro HTa condition. The first experiment was performed to investigate the effect of HTa from the natural condition in early lactating Saanen goat, 2-4 weeks of postpartum (2 PP-4 PP). Five animals were investigated during the winter season as control ambient condition. Six animals as the …

The Left Ventricular Functions And Heart Rate Variability In Dogs With Pulmonic Valvular Stenosis, Ploypanut Trikhun

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Pulmonic valvular stenosis (PS) is one of the most common congenital heart diseases in dogs that can lead to the cardiac maladaptation. Also, PS can affect the cardiac autonomic nervous system (ANS). However, clinical information regarding to systolic function and cardiac ANS alteration in PS dogs had not been fully elucidated. The objectives of this study were to evaluate cardiac electrical property, left ventricular (LV) function, and to assess cardiac ANS from heart rate variability (HRV) analysis in PS dogs compared with healthy dogs. The dogs in this study were divided into 2 groups, PS dogs (n=13) and healthy control …

Co-Expression Of Feedback Resistant Enzymes In Phenylalanine Biosynthesis Pathway To Increase Phenylalanine Production, Charintip Yenyuvadee

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

L-Phenylalanine (L-Phe) is an important commercial amino acid. It is widely used in food and pharmaceutical industries. Currently, the requirement of L-Phe is increased according to the great demand for the low-calorie sweetener, aspartame. In Escherichia coli, the synthesis of L-Phe is controlled by the multi-hierarchical regulations. AroG isoform of 3-deoxy- D-arabino-heptulosonate-7-phosphate synthase (DAHP synthase) and chorismate mutase/prephenate dehydratase (PheA), two important enzymes, are feedback inhibited by LPhe. Co-expression of feedback-resistant pheA (pheA[superscript L359D]) with other pivotal genes in L-Phe biosynthesis pathway: aroB, aroL, phedh, tktA, aroG, pheA, yddG, and glpF in pRSFDuet-1 (pPTFBLYA[superscript L359D]) elevated L-Phe production of E. …

Fructooligosaccharide Synthesis By Immobilized Inulosucrase From Lactobacillus Reuteri 121 And Improvement Of Product Pattern Using Site-Directed Mutagenesis, Thanapon Charoenwongpaiboon

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Inulin-type fructooligosaccharides (IFOS) are well-known prebiotics which can be produced from sucrose using bacterial inulosucrase (E.C. 2.4.1.9). However, the use of inulosucrase for IFOS synthesis has some limitations because it also synthesizes some polysaccharides and exhibits lower stability than the fungal enzymes. To overcome these limitations, improvement of inulosucrase was made by using enzyme immobilization and enzyme engineering. First, inulosucrase from Lactobacillus reuteri 121 was immobilized on a novel, high capacity core-shell chitosan beads using glutaraldehyde as a cross-linker. The results showed that both immobilized and free inulosucrase had the same optimum pH (5.5), while the optimum temperature was shifted …

Reproductive And Developmental Biology Of Rice Field Crab Esanthelphusa Nani (Naiyanetr, 1984), Rachata Maneein

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

The rice field crabs are freshwater crabs that can be considered as pest in paddy field as well as a stable food source by local people. Either of these roles requires a good knowledge of its reproductive biology to manage population in nature. In this study, reproductive and endocrine cycles of male and female, and development of embryo were examined. Adult Esanthelphusa nani were field caught from Nan province during November 2015 to November 2016. Crabs were euthanized and dissected for reproductive tracts. Accessory organ nearby the mandibular muscle was collected for endocrine activities in male, while hemolymph was collected …

Development Of Composite Film Coating For Freeze-Dried Fruit Slices, Nichayarach Invichian

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Edible film coating on food before freeze-drying process can be used for food preservation, especially in heat-sensitive food such as fruits and vegetables. Previous studies have been reported that trehalose had the cryoprotective effect and unique properties such as non-reducing sugar and low hygroscopic. However, no research has been conducted on the use of trehalose as film coatings. Therefore, this study aimed to develop a composite film consisting of alginate and trehalose and to evaluate physical properties of freeze-dried ​​fruit slices coated with a composite film. The experiment was designed to prepare a composite film consisting of various concentrations of …

Development Of Spray Dried Encapsulated Curcumin Powder As Functional Food Ingredient, Alwani Hamad

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

This study investigated the development of the spray-dried encapsulated curcumin powder from an oil-water-emulsion with better functional properties and evaluated its stability characters during storage and reconstitution. This research was conducted in four parts. The first part was the selection and optimization of curcumin solubility in edible oil. It was found that MCT oil was the best carrier oil with curcumin solubility of 17.01 mg/mL, which was achieved by heating at 80oC for 10 min. The curcumin solubility in MCT oil was further applied to nanoemulsion and conventional emulsion, in which the conventional one showed shorter stability...

Effects Of Hydrogen Synthesis Inhibition On Changes Of Bioproduct Contents In Cyanobacterium Synechocystis Sp. Pcc 6803, Nannaphat Sukkasam

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Cyanobacteria have an ability to convert carbon dioxide and solar light to bioproducts. Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 is the laboratory model strain of cyanobacteria with known metabolism and biochemistry. NADPH is one of the essential electron carriers and coenzymes required for various cellular metabolism including the production of bioproducts. [NiFe]-Hydrogenase consumes NADPH to produce hydrogen gas which considerably the loss of metabolic energy. Thus, the elimination of [NiFe]-hydrogenase would increase NADPH level in the cell and might increase the accumulation of bioproducts. In this work, hoxY and hoxH genes (encoding the two catalysis subunits of [NiFe]-hydrogenase) were inactivated. The inactivation …

Computational Design And Production Of Levansucrase With Increased Thermostability, Methus Klaewkla

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Levansucrase is a carbohydrate-modifying enzyme that catalyzes hydrolysis of sucrose and transfructosylation of a fructosyl unit of sucrose to produce levan and levan-type fructooligosaccharides (LFOs). Due to their various beneficial properties such as low viscosity and non-toxicity. Levan and LFOs have potential applications in many industries such as prebiotics in food industries and anti-tumor agents in pharmaceutical industries. Previous study found that the Y246S mutant of Bacillus licheniformis RN-01 levansucrase (Oligosaccharide Producing Levansucrase, OPL) could effectively produce LFOs, but its thermostability is limited at high temperature. In this study, molecular dynamics (MD) and computational protein design were used to design …

อนุกรมวิธานและโครงสร้างรังของแมงมุมสกุล Atmetochilus Simon, 1887 (Araneae: Nemesiidae) ที่วนอุทยานพระแท่นดงรัง จังหวัดกาญจนบุรี, ชวกร ขุนเศรษฐ์

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

ปัจจุบันแมงมุมในสกุล Atmetochilus ซึ่งเป็นสมาชิกของแมงมุมวงศ์ Nemesiidae มีการรายงานทั้งสิ้น 6 ชนิด ได้แก่ A. fossor, A. atriceps, A. bifidus, A. koponeni, A. lethineni และ A. sumatranus โดยมีการกระจายตัวในประเทศพม่า, อินเดีย และอินโดนิเซีย ในปี พ.ศ. 2558 กลุ่มประชากรของแมงมุมในสกุล Atmetochilus ได้ถูกค้นพบในวนอุทยานพระแท่นดงรัง จังหวัดกาญจนบุรี ในการศึกษานี้ผู้วิจัยได้ทำการศึกษาอนุกรมวิธานของแมงมุมในสกุล Atmetochilus ที่พบ รวมทั้งศึกษาข้อมูลทางชีววิทยาของรังและการกระจายตัว โดยทำการเปรียบเทียบลักษณะทางสัณฐานกับแมงมุม Atmetochilus ชนิดอื่น ๆ พร้อมทั้งศึกษาจาก type specimens ที่ถูกเก็บรักษาไว้ ณ พิพิธภัณฑ์ธรรมชาติวิทยา สหราชอณาจักร ผลการศึกษาพบว่าแมงมุมที่พบที่วนอุทยานพระแท่นดงรัง มีลักษณะอวัยวะสืบพันธุ์ของทั้งสองเพศ, ลักษณะ scopulae และ จำนวน spines ที่แตกต่างจากชนิดอื่น จึงได้ทำการระบุเป็นชนิดใหม่ ภายใต้ชื่อ A. songsangchotei Kunsete and Warrit, 2020 นอกจากนี้จากการศึกษาโครงสร้างรังของ A. songsangchotei โดยใช้วิธีการหล่อปูนปลาสเตอร์ (n=10) และ CT-scan (n=1) พบว่า A. songsangchotei มีการสร้างรังที่แบ่งเป็นสองส่วน คือ โพรงหลักคล้ายรูปตัว J และ ห้อง (chamber) รูปไข่ที่มีประตูอยู่ตรงทางเข้า ผลการศึกษาลักษณะการกระจายตัวของแมงมุมชนิดนี้ ในแปลงขนาด 3,600 ตารางเมตร (แปลงย่อยขนาด 100 ตารางเมตร จำนวน 36 แปลงย่อย) พบว่า A. songsangchotei มีการกระจายตัวแบบกลุ่ม (Iδ=2.51; n=91) โดยที่การศึกษาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างตัวแปรที่เกี่ยวข้องกับขนาดตัว (ความยาวลำตัวทั้งหมด, ความยาวลำตัวทั้งหมดรวม …

Systematics And Biogeography Of Land Snails, Genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 (Pulmonata: Ariophantidae: Macrochlamydinae) In Thailand, Arthit Pholyotha

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

An in-depth study of the taxonomy, systematics, and biogeography of the land snail genus Sarika Godwin-Austen, 1907 was conducted based on snail samples collected from karstic and non-karstic habitats throughout Thailand and from several areas of neighboring countries in mainland Southeast Asia. The taxonomic revision, based on the comparative analyses of traditional morphological and anatomical characters combined with the molecular phylogenetic analyses of three partial gene datasets (COI, 16S rRNA, and 28S rRNA), was used to verify the validity of this land snail group. A total of 23 species of Sarika were recognized in Thailand, of which 17 species are …

Can A Precast Pit Latrine Concrete Floor Withstand Emptying Operations? An Investigation From Malawi., Joshua Mchenga, Rochelle H. Holm

Faculty and Staff Scholarship

For fecal sludge from households in low- and middle-income countries to be treated offsite it needs to be removed, which can be greatly affected by the pit latrine floor design. However, it is unclear whether precast pit latrine concrete floors (latrine slabs) can withstand emptiers and their equipment. To investigate this issue, 28 prefabricated latrine slabs were purchased in two cities of Malawi. They were first visually evaluated, and then their compression strength was tested. Additionally, each seller was asked a series of questions to better understand their business, training, and construction practices. Results showed that households should perform due …

Black Bear Use Of Forest Roads In Western Washington, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Radiolocations (108) of 20 black bears were used to assess use or avoidance of 3 forest road types in western Washington. Distances of bears to each type of road were compared to distances of 108 random points using t-tests. Females and males avoided 2-lane roads, while only males avoided 1-lane roads, the most common road type in the area. Females, but not males, were located closer to overgrown, spur roads than expected. This road type has substantial cover of grasses, forbs, and berry-producing shrubs along with protective tree cover. This situation may provide easy travel for females along with security …

No Detection Of Brodifacoum Residues In The Marine And Terrestrial Food Web Three Years After Rat Eradication At Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific, A. Wegmann, G. Howald, S. Kropidlowski, N. Holmes, A.B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive alien species represent one of the greatest threats to native plants and animals on islands. Rats (Rattus spp.) have invaded most of the world’s oceanic islands, causing lasting or irreversible damage to ecosystems and biodiversity. To counter this threat, techniques to eradicate invasive rats from islands have been developed and applied across the globe. Eradication of alien rats from large or complex island ecosystems has only been successful with the use of bait containing a rodenticide. While effective at eradicating rats from islands, rodenticide can persist in the ecosystem longer than the time required to eradicate the target rat …

Home Range And Habitat Use Of West Virginia Canis Latrans (Coyote), Lauren M. Mastro, Dana J. Morin, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Canis latrans (Coyote) has undergone a range expansion in the United States over the last century. As a highly opportunistic species, its home range and habitat use changes with ecological context. Coyotes were first reported in West Virginia in 1950 but were not commonly observed until the 1990s, and there is scant information on Coyotes in the region. We used telemetry data from 8 radiocollared Coyotes in West Virginia to estimate home-range size and third-order habitat selection. Home-range areas (95% utilization distributions; UDs) varied from 5.22 to 27.79 km2 (mean = 12.48 ± 2.61 km2), with highly concentrated use of …

Carrion Availability In Space And Time, Marcos Moleón, Nuria Selva, David M. Bailey, David M. Bailey, Ainara Cortés-Avizanda, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

Availability of carrion to scavengers is a central issue in carrion ecology and management, and is crucial for understanding the evolution of scavenging behaviour. Compared to live animals, their carcasses are relatively unpredictable in space and time in natural conditions, with a few exceptions (see below, especially Sect. “Carrion Exchange at the Terrestrial-Aquatic Interface”). Carrion is also an ephemeral food resource due to the action of a plethora of consumers, from microorganisms to large vertebrates, as well as to desiccation (i.e., loss of water content; DeVault et al. 2003; Beasley et al. 2012; Barton et al. 2013; Moleón et …

Ecological Functions Of Vertebrate Scavenging, James C. Beasley, Zachary H. Olson, Nuria Selva, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

The role of vertebrate scavenging in food web dynamics has historically been minimalized and portrayed as the activity of a select group of obligate scavengers (e.g., vultures), with a simplistic linkage between carrion and detritivores in food webs. Research in the last few decades, however, has revealed that the role of carrion in food web dynamics is severely underestimated, highly complex, and pervasive among ecosystems across the globe (DeVault et al. 2003; Selva and Fortuna 2007; Wilson and Wolkovich 2011). Such observations have led to a surge in research interest in scavenging ecology that continues to reveal new information …

Locally Fixed Alleles: A Method To Localize Gene Drive To Island Populations, Jaye Sudweeks, Brandon Hollingsworth, Dimitri V. Blondel, Karl J. Campbell, Sumit Dhole, John D. Eisemann, Owain Edwards, John Godwin, Gregg R. Howald, Kevin P. Oh, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Thomas A.A. Prowse, Joshua V. Ross, J. Royden Saah, Aaron B. Shiels, Paul Q. Thomas, David W. Threadgill, Michael R. Vella, Fred Gould, Alun L. Lloyd

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species pose a major threat to biodiversity on islands. While successes have been achieved using traditional removal methods, such as toxicants aimed at rodents, these approaches have limitations and various off-target effects on island ecosystems. Gene drive technologies designed to eliminate a population provide an alternative approach, but the potential for drive-bearing individuals to escape from the target release area and impact populations elsewhere is a major concern. Here we propose the “Locally Fixed Alleles” approach as a novel means for localizing elimination by a drive to an island population that exhibits significant genetic isolation from neighboring populations. Our …

Comparing Live-Capture Methods For Nutria: Single- Versus Multiple-Capture Cage Traps, Trevor R. Sheffels, Mark D. Sytsma, Jacoby Carter, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Herbivory and burrowing by nutria (Myocastor coypus) cause substantial ecological and economic damage. Trapping is a common, effective practice for reducing nutria damage; however, trapping approaches must continually be adapted to keep pace with evolving animal welfare and ethical issues and to more effectively target pest species of interest. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of 2 nonlethal trap types for nutria: single-capture (SCT) and multi-capture (MCT) cage traps. We established 3 MCTs and 3 SCTs at each of 7 sites on a 10,500-ha mixed-use island located 15 km northwest of Portland, Oregon, USA. We pre-baited using carrots, apples, …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 15. Psittacula Krameri, The Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae)1, Aaron B. Shiels, Nicholas P. Kalodimos

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The rose-ringed parakeet (RRP), Psittacula krameri, has become established in at least four Pacific Island countries (Hong Kong China, Japan, New Zealand, U.S.A.), including the Hawaiian islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i. Most Pacific islands are at risk of RRP colonization. This species was first introduced to Hong Kong in 1903 and Hawai‘i in the 1930s–1960s, established since 1969 in Japan, and in New Zealand since 2005 where it has repeatedly established after organized removals. The founding birds were imported cage-birds from the pet trade. In native India, RRP are generally found associated with human habitation and are considered a …

Efficient Region-Based Test Strategy Uncovers Genetic Risk Factors For Functional Outcome In Bipolar Disorder, Monika Budde, Stefanie Friedrichs, Ney Alliey-Rodriguez, Seth Ament, Judith A. Badner

School of Medicine Publications

Genome-wide association studies of case-control status have advanced the understanding of the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders. Further progress may be gained by increasing sample size but also by new analysis strategies that advance the exploitation of existing data, especially for clinically important quantitative phenotypes. The functionally-informed efficient region-based test strategy (FIERS) introduced herein uses prior knowledge on biological function and dependence of genotypes within a powerful statistical framework with improved sensitivity and specificity for detecting consistent genetic effects across studies. As proof of concept, FIERS was used for the first genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)-based investigation on bipolar disorder …

Allowable Take Of Black Vultures In The Eastern United States, Guthrie Zimmerman, Brian A. Millsap, Michael L. Avery, John R. Sauer, Michael C. Runge, Kenneth D. Richkus

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black vultures (Coragyps atratus) have been increasing in density and expanding their range in the eastern United States since at least the 1960s. In many areas, their densities have increased to the level where they are causing damage to property and livestock and the number of requests for allowable take permits has increased throughout these areas. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) requires updated information to help inform the number of take permits that could reduce conflicts while meeting obligations under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act.We expanded analyses used to estimate allowable take in Virginia to …

Evaluation Of Two Unmanned Aircraft Systems As Tools For Protecting Crops From Blackbird Damage, Lucas J. Wandrie, Page E. Klug, Mark E. Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In response to a need for mitigating blackbird damage to crops, we evaluated the effectiveness of two unmanned aircraft systems (UAS or drones) to protect crops from blackbird damage. UAS are known to elicit behavioral and physiological responses in wildlife and have been proposed as a means to protect row crop agriculture from avian pest depredation. We evaluated the behavioral responses of captive and free-ranging red-winged blackbirds to a fixed-wing and a rotary-wing (multi-rotor, quadcopter) UAS by comparing preflight behaviors to behaviors during UAS approach. Due to the flight limitations of the respective UAS, the fixed-wing and rotarywing were evaluated …

Estimating Economic Impact Of Black Bear Damage To Western Conifers At A Landscape Scale, Jimmy D. Taylor, Kristina N. Kline, Anita T. Morzillo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bear (Ursus americanus) damage to trees in the Pacific Northwest is common, although volume and economic losses are unknown. Common measures to quantify bear damage to conifers at large scales rely solely on aerial estimates of red tree crowns (caused by complete girdling) and broad assumptions about stand characteristics. We surveyed 122 vulnerable stands in the Coast Range and western Cascades of Oregon using both aerial surveys and ground surveys. Then, we modeled 4 damage scenarios (Salvage; Total Loss; Root Disease; and Combined Damage) with the Forest Vegetation Simulator (FVS) growth and yield model and the Fuel …