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Articles 1 - 11 of 11

Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences

Antimicrobial Activity Screening Of Recombinant And Synthetic Varasin A Defensin From The Hard Tick Dermacentor Variabilis Against Various Bacteria, Julia A. Sharp Oct 2007

Antimicrobial Activity Screening Of Recombinant And Synthetic Varasin A Defensin From The Hard Tick Dermacentor Variabilis Against Various Bacteria, Julia A. Sharp

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Hematophagous arthropods, such as ticks and mosquitoes, rely on their innate immune system for defense against pathogens ingested in a blood meal as well as those acquired through injury. In response to pathogen recognition, the production of antimicrobial peptides, such as defensin, is typically upregulated. Varisin, a defensin, is thought to be a key component in the immunocompetence of the hard tick D. variabilis against Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. To study the antimicrobial effects of varisin, recombinant varisin was expressed by both insect cells and E coli. Purification of the protein followed by enterokinase treatment yielded …


Seasonal Variation In Diet Of The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) Based On Fecal Analysis, Lynn A. Walker Oct 2007

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) Based On Fecal Analysis, Lynn A. Walker

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus, live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat eats predominantly grasses, but grasses rarely are the only food. Fecal samples were collected each month during an ongoing capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community at a location in southern Chesapeake, Virginia. In the lab, five fecal pellets per animal were stained, placed on a microscope slide, and covered with starch-gel medium and coverslip. Then a clear nail polish was applied to produce a semi-permanent slide. Using a microscope and a set of reference slides, plant …


Examination Of The Allee Effect On Postlarval Recruitment And Post Settlement Survival In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Adrianna Zito Aug 2007

Examination Of The Allee Effect On Postlarval Recruitment And Post Settlement Survival In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Adrianna Zito

All Theses

Positive density dependence (the Allee effect) has been reported in a number of species that are attracted to conspecific cues. This effect has been shown to influence the settlement of many species of marine invertebrates. Caribbean spiny lobsters are gregarious den dwellers attracted to conspecific cues. Previous studies have suggested that the benefit of conspecific attraction is a reduced predation risk by decreasing the time to find crevice shelters (the guide effect) or by cooperative group defense once sharing shelters. I tested a third hypothesis that attraction to conspecific cues increases the settlement of lobster postlarvae into the highest quality …


Feeding Performance In Hawaiian Stream Goby Fishes: Morphological And Functional Analysis, Takashi Maie Aug 2007

Feeding Performance In Hawaiian Stream Goby Fishes: Morphological And Functional Analysis, Takashi Maie

All Theses

Distributions of Hawaiian stream fishes are typically interrupted by waterfalls that divide streams into lower and upper segments. Larvae hatched upstream are flushed into the ocean, and must climb these waterfalls to reach adult habitats when returning back to freshwater as part of an amphidromous life cycle. Stream surveys and studies of climbing performance show that Lentipes concolor can reach fast-flowing upper stream segments, but that Awaous guamensis reaches only slower, lower stream segments. Gut content analyses for these two species indicate that diet differs between them only by 10% or less dry weight for most major components (mostly green …


Evidence For Disease Mediated Extinction: Correlation Between An Introduced Pathogen And Extinction Of Rattus Macleari On Christmas Island, Kelly B. Wyatt Jul 2007

Evidence For Disease Mediated Extinction: Correlation Between An Introduced Pathogen And Extinction Of Rattus Macleari On Christmas Island, Kelly B. Wyatt

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The Durham Collection and the Cambridge and Oxford University Museums provided the materials to investigate the possibility that the extinction of indigenous rats of Christmas Island was a result of disease introduced by infected ship rats (R. rattus) in 1899. The collections of H.E. Durham in 1901-1902 reveal that R. macleari was present on Christmas Island up to then and includes specimens of R. rattus together with specimens that exhibit characteristics of both R. rattus and R. macleari. Durham's notes indicate both R. rattus and R. macleari specimens were heavily infected with trypanosomes at the time of collection. In …


Manejo Controlado De La Temperatura Y Humedad En Caracoles De Tierra De La Especie Helix Aspersa En El Municipio De Fusagasugá (Cundinamarca), Rocio Del Pilar Diaz Jimenez Jan 2007

Manejo Controlado De La Temperatura Y Humedad En Caracoles De Tierra De La Especie Helix Aspersa En El Municipio De Fusagasugá (Cundinamarca), Rocio Del Pilar Diaz Jimenez

Zootecnia

El presente trabajo trata sobre la incidencia de los factores de temperatura y humedad en el aumento de peso de los caracoles Helix aspersa, aspecto que puede considerarse como uno de los principales problemas que se tiene en el dominio de la técnica y la rentabilidad de la producción helicícola en el país. La poca investigación y conocimientos sobre las condiciones ambientales (temperatura, humedad, alimento) para el desarrollo y posterior comercialización, hace que la producción helicícola pueda tener un buen futuro, sin embargo, esta falta de desarrollo constituye una limitación importante. El contenido de este proyecto empieza con las generalidades. …


Evaluación Del Comportamiento De Los Rendimientos En Canal Carne, Hueso Y Grasa De Los Cruces Comerciales Bovinos Participantes En Los Concursos De Ganado Cebado Realizados En Colombia, Andrea Lorena Riaño Sánchez, Cielo Ivette Sierra Vargas Jan 2007

Evaluación Del Comportamiento De Los Rendimientos En Canal Carne, Hueso Y Grasa De Los Cruces Comerciales Bovinos Participantes En Los Concursos De Ganado Cebado Realizados En Colombia, Andrea Lorena Riaño Sánchez, Cielo Ivette Sierra Vargas

Zootecnia

La ganadería en Colombia ocupa un renglón muy importante para el sector Agropecuario. En el año 2003 se ubico en el puesto 15 a nivel mundial. Los procesos de aplicación de modelos productivos sostenibles y la adecuación de tecnología para este sector han tenido una dinámica muy lenta, haciendo que la productividad de la ganadería colombiana, medida por el rendimiento de carne por animal, este ubicada por debajo del promedio mundial y de los países del hemisferio americano. Aun así en medio de las dificultades, la ganadería colombiana tiene grandes oportunidades y retos que afrontar para conquistar mercados internacionales y …


The Value Of Oil Mallee Plantations And Revegetated Farm Land In The Southern Wheatbelt Region Of Western Australia For The Conservation Of The Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus Concinnus), Marie Short Jan 2007

The Value Of Oil Mallee Plantations And Revegetated Farm Land In The Southern Wheatbelt Region Of Western Australia For The Conservation Of The Western Pygmy Possum (Cercartetus Concinnus), Marie Short

Theses : Honours

Revegetation has the potential to enhance conservation of wildlife in rural environments, but few studies have tested whether the proposed benefits are realized. It is important to understand the role played by farm tree plantations in the landscape and how the potential biodiversity benefits may be enhanced without interfering with economic goals (Lamb, 1998). The adoption of oil mallee farming systems across the agricultural zone in south-west Western Australia is resulting in large areas of farmland being planted to native perennial tree species (Smith, 2004). While not planted for their conservation benefit, oil mallee systems may nonetheless enhance biodiversity. The …


Status, Distribution, And Density Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits And Black-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Dustin J. Schaible Jan 2007

Status, Distribution, And Density Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits And Black-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Dustin J. Schaible

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The status of jackrabbit (Lepus spp.) populations throughout the Northern Great Plains has been a cause for concern by wildlife managers in recent years and there has been a paucity of information about the ecology of the white-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus townsendii) and the black-tailed jackrabbit (Lepus californicus) in South Dakota. Since there have been little monitoring efforts for hares, 21 permanent spotlight line transects were established across South Dakota for future surveying efforts. These transects were surveyed to obtain baseline information about jackrabbit density and distribution throughout the state. Jackrabbit density was highest in the northwestern portions of the state …


Monograph Of The North American Freshwater Fish Leeches (Oligochaeta: Hirudinida ; Piscicolidae) And Molecular Phylogeny Of The Family Piscicolidae, Julianne I. Williams Jan 2007

Monograph Of The North American Freshwater Fish Leeches (Oligochaeta: Hirudinida ; Piscicolidae) And Molecular Phylogeny Of The Family Piscicolidae, Julianne I. Williams

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

The phylogeny of the Piscicolidae was analyzed from combined sequence data of 18S rDNA, cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (CO-I), nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase subunit I (ND-I), and morphological data using parsimony. A worldwide distribution of Pisciolidae was represented for the first time in a phylogenetic analysis. While the family Piscicolidae was supported as a monophyletic group, the traditional subfamilies based on morphology were not supported. The Platybdellinae was polyphyletic and formed four distinct clades, and Bathybdella sawyeri did not group with any other platybdellids. The Piscicolinae was also polyphyletic, also forming four distinct clades. The pontobdellid genus Stibarobdella was …


Repeatability Of Mate Preferences And Mate-Choice Copying In Female Zebra Finches, Amanda Karen Houck Jan 2007

Repeatability Of Mate Preferences And Mate-Choice Copying In Female Zebra Finches, Amanda Karen Houck

Dissertations, Theses, and Masters Projects

No abstract provided.