Animal Sciences Commons^™

Replacement Of Grazed Forage With Wdgs And Poor Quality Hay And Straw Mixtures, Sandra B. Villasanti

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A grazing study was conducted at the University of Nebraska Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory from mid-June to late-August across two years (2009 and 2010) to evaluate the effects of supplementation with mixtures of wet distillers grains (WDGS) and straw or hay on grazed forage intake. Twenty 1 ha paddocks replicated over two blocks were randomly assigned to one of four treatments: Control (CON) at the recommended stocking rate (1.68 AUM/ha in 2009 and 1.64 AUM/ha in 2010), and three double stocked treatments supplemented with 60% straw and 40% WDGS (STRAW), 60% hay and 40% WDGS (LOW), and 70% hay and 30% …

Invasive Species And Climate Change, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

ISSUE

Climate change interacts with and can often amplify the negative impacts of invasive species. These interactions are not fully appreciated or understood. They can result in threats to critical ecosystem functions on which our food system and other essential provisions and services depend as well as increase threats to human health. The Invasive Species Advisory Committee to the National Invasive Species Council recognizes the Administration’s commitment to dealing proactively with global climate change. However, unless we recognize and act on the impact of climate change and its interaction with ecosystems and invasive species, we will fall further behind in …

The Use Of High Distillers Grains And Nutrient Management In Beef Feedlots, Amy R. Rich

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Two experiments were conducted to determine the effect of feeding wet distillers grains (WDGS) at 70% and wheat straw at 25% (DM basis) on finishing steer performance and N mass balance in open feedlot pens. Four treatments were tested as a 2x2 factorial with factors being diet and pen cleaning frequency (monthly or at the end of the feeding period). In both experiments the CON treatment (corn based diet) had greater DMI, ADG, HCW, marbling and fat depth. There was greater N intake and N excretion for both the WINTER and SUMMER experiments on the WDGS. Not all the additional …

Fall Field Report, August–November 2010, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This was a pretty routine fall for the most part, although there were scattered early and late dates and high counts as in most seasons. Decidedly non-routine, though, was the appearance of two rarities, Ross's Gull and Brown-headed Nuthatch, both enjoyed by many. A surprising 15 gull species were reported, this without much help from L McConaughy! Also notable were the sea-ducks, scoters, and Long-tailed Duck, which were in good numbers.

Tom Labedz, collections manager at the University of Nebraska State Museum, is an excellent source; he contributed greatly to discussions herein on Greater Prairie-Chicken and Fox Sparrow.

A clarification: …

Ethanol Byproduct Feeds: Determining Accurate Fiber Content, Nutrient Composition And Variability, Storing With Low-Quality Forages, And Fiber Utilization In Finishing Diets, Crystal D. Buckner

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The growing ethanol industry has produced vast quantities of distillers grains plus solubles (DGS) in the wet (WDGS) and dry forms and Sweet Bran wet corn gluten feed (SB). Previous research has demonstrated that these byproduct feeds result in improved feeding values compared to grass in growing diets and corn in finishing diets, with positive economic returns. Four experiments were conducted to evaluate dry matter determination methods and variability of nutrient composition for WDGS, determining the accurate method for measuring NDF in corn and DGS, compare feeding WDGS mixed with straw as either fresh or ensiled, and evaluate fiber digestibility …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2010) 78(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2010 ... 130

McCook Fall Field Days ... 150

Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee: A Review of the First 25 Years (1985–2009) ... 155

By-Laws of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (NOU) Records Committee ... 167

Index to Volume 78 ... 171

Subscription and Organization Information ... 183

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee: A Review Of The First 25 Years (1985–2009), Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The year 2009 marked the 25th year of existence of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (NOURC). Its beginning can be traced to one person—Wayne Mollhoff. Wayne raised the need for a records committee in the spring of 1985 at the NOU Annual Meeting in Gretna, Nebraska. At the general membership meeting, then-president Gary Lingle appointed Wayne to form a committee to establish a Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee. Using procedures from several other states' records committees, Wayne developed a set of operating guidelines or by-laws specific to Nebraska. Further discussion of a records committee continued at the 1985 NOU …

Mccook Fall Field Days

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2010 NOU Fall Field Days were held in McCook on September 24–26, and 57 members and friends were in attendance.

Field trip destinations included Medicine Creek Reservoir and points east, led by William Flack; Red Willow State Recreation Area and other Frontier County locations, led by T. J. Walker; and Swanson Reservoir State Recreation Area and the Benkelman sewage lagoons, led by Robin Harding and Lanny Randolph. A final tally of 131 species was recorded.

Gerhard Assenmacher, wildlife photographer and conservationist, spoke on Saturday night about his Medicine Creek Wildlife Refuge. The refuge is composed of more than 550 …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2010]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household …

Index To Volume 78

Nebraska Bird Review

Adams,

Cody 125

David 125

Akers, Danny 131

Alexander, Irene 26

Allen, Paul 125

Allison, Scott 26

Amadon, D. 69

American Ornithologists' Union 34, 82

Amos, A. F. 33

Andelt, Frank 125

Anderson-Ray, Janet 40

Andresen, Kari 125

Anhinga 70, 162

Ani, Groove-billed 75, 164

Arp, Duane 125

Assenmacher, Gerhard 150

Audubon, John J. 104, 121

Avocet, American 38, 48, 50, 65, 70, 93, 137

By-Laws Of The Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union (Nou) Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

These procedural guidelines, or "by-laws," were revised and approved by the NOURC and the NOU Board of Directors (2010).

Communication For Mate Selection In Anurans: Dominant Frequency Versus Snout-Vent-Length, Shari Jean Kunert

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

No abstract provided.

Is Orthoptera Abundance And Distribution Across A Small Grassland Area Affected By Plant Biomass, Plant Species Richness, And Plant Quality?, Caitlin Falcone

Department of Environmental Studies: Undergraduate Student Theses

The choice of a specific microhabitat represents a compromise among a number of different factors organisms use to monitor habitat suitability. Grassland vegetation structure can vary widely along environmental gradients over a relatively small area. This vegetation structure can have a large influence on habitat selection by grasshoppers (Orthoptera). However, it is not clear which vegetation characteristics are most important in determining grasshopper abundance. We found that plant biomass, plant species richness, and plant quality all have an effect on grasshopper abundance and distribution. We observe that these affects vary both within and among the two years of data collection. …

Fertilization And Supplementation Strategies For Steers Grazing Smooth Bromegrass Pastures, Andrea K. Watson

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Since 2004, fertilizer prices have doubled due to increases in energy prices for production and increased demand for N fertilizer due to high grain prices. This leads to questioning the cost effectiveness of increasing forage production with N fertilizer. At the same time, an increase in ethanol production creates an increase in the production of by-products of the ethanol industry, such as distillers grains. Distillers grains have been shown to be an excellent feed for ruminants both as a supplement while grazing and as part of a complete diet in the feedlot. Distillers grains provide protein, fat, and highly digestible …

Strategies For Beef Cattle Adaptation To Finishing Diets, Ractopamine Hydrochloride Utilization, And Mature Size Genetic Selection, Marco G. Dib

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

A cattle finishing experiment was conducted to evaluate effects of intermittent feeding of Optaflexx compared to none or continuous feeding. Four treatments were evaluated, the negative control consisted of 63 days on the same diet without Optaflexx, wherea the positive control consisted of Optaflexx supplemented daily during the last 35 days before harvest. The 4-day intermittent treatment consisted of feeding Optaflexx for7 days, followed by 4 days of no Optaflexx, and the 7-day intermittent treatment 7 d on Optaflexx, followed by 7 days off. Regardless of the delivery pattern, feeding Optaflexx increased ADG, DMI, and live BW compared to negative …

Obesity, Metabolic Hormone Signaling, And Granulosa Cell Gene Expression, Elizabeth Mack

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

It has become increasingly clear that female obesity is associated with a myriad of adverse side effects including abnormal female reproduction due, in part, to amenorrhea and anovulatory infertility. The lethal yellow (LY) mouse possesses a deletion mutation which results in ectopic expression of agouti and adult-onset obesity. Furthermore, LY mice exhibit premature loss of fertility, which has been associated with progressive obesity making the LY mouse line an excellent model to study the effects of obesity-dependent factors on ovarian function. In the current study blood serum and granulosa cells were obtained from LY (Ay/a) and age-matched B6 controls (C57BL/6J) …

Distillers Grains With Solubles For Feedlot Cattle - Finishing Performance, Lipid Metabolism, And Ethanol Greenhouse Gas Balance, Virgil R. Bremer

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Previous University of Nebraska feedlot research trials have characterized the feed value of wet distillers grains plus solubles (WDGS). These trials were summarized with meta-analysis methodology and indicated the feed value of WDGS interacts with corn processing type, cattle age (calf-fed or yearling), and inclusion level. Two steer finishing studies and a metabolism study were conducted to understand the impact of different lipid sources in WDGS on WDGS feed value. A biphasic lipid extraction procedure was developed to analyze feed samples from these trials that was more effective than Goldfisch ether extraction at lipid analysis of byproduct feds. These trials …

Effects Of Dietary Choline, Folic Acid And Vitamin B12 On Laying Hen Performance, Egg Components And Egg Phospholipid Composition, Pradeep Krishnan Rajalekshmy

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In trial 1, a corn-soy basal diet was formulated with three levels of supplemental choline (0, 500 and 1000 ppm) and three levels of supplemental folic acid (0, 2 and 4 ppm) in a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement. Folic acid at 2 ppm increased egg production (p ≤ 0.04). Egg wt was higher at 500 ppm of choline (p ≤ 0.06) and 0 ppm (p ≤ 0.01) of folic acid supplementation. There were choline by folic acid interaction effects on feed intake (p ≤ 0.001), albumen wt (p ≤ 0.005) and yolk wt (p ≤ 0.03). Plasma folate and …

Alteration Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (Vegfa) Isoform Expression Results In Abnormal Gonadal Function, Ningxia Lu

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In the female, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) isoforms regulate follicle development and affect the initial primordial follicle pool. In male rodent testes, they are involved in the development of vasculature and seminiferous cords. The objective of the current study was to evaluate effects of Sertoli and Granulosa cellspecific production of VEGFA isoforms on vascular development and gonadal morphogenesis. We used a DMRT1-cre crossed to a floxed VEGFA mouse to determine potential phenotypes in male Sertoli-cell (VEGFA-DSertG) and female Granulosa-cell (VEGFA-DGranG) specific knockouts. In females, we found smaller ovarian weight, fewer corpus luteums (CLs) with some abnormal CL morphology, …

Multi-Scale Perspectives On Paddlefish Populations: Implications For Species Conservation And Management, Brenda M. Pracheil

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The Order of fishes containing paddlefish and sturgeon has been named the most endangered group of organisms on the planet by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Population trajectories of paddlefish, whose native range is entirely encompassed within the United States of America, are currently unknown, although the IUCN has considered them to have a high extinction risk in the wild. The declaration of the vulnerability of paddlefish to extinction, coupled with the global plight of other sturgeon species create urgency to establish population and species-level population trajectories. Moreover, this declaration creates a great need for swift management …

Tips For New Horse Owners, Kathleen P. Anderson, Cushman

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Pleasure horses for personal and recreational use representthe largest category of horse ownership in the United States, with about 2 million people owning such horses. Whether a person already owns a horse or is considering the initial purchase of a horse, this NebGuide will help answer many questions asked by new horse owners.

Horses can be kept at a person’s own place or boarded at a commercial stable. Keeping a horse on a person’s acreage provides more management control, saves time and expenses, and can reduce the risk of injuries and disease. Most importantly, it allows fuller enjoyment and greater …

The Effects Of Phytase And An Enzyme Combination In Moderate And Low Nutrient Dense Diets In Laying Hens, Dana L. Hahn

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The objective was to test the addition of Avizyme ® 1502, a blend of protease, amylase and xylanase (Danisco, UK Ltd.) and a phytase in laying hens fed corn-soy diets containing Dried Distillers Grains (DDGS), Meat and Bone Meal (MBM). 384 Hy-Line W-36 laying hens were used in this study from 24-52 weeks of age. There were 12 replicate pens with 4 hens per pen, thus 96 pens in total. The study consisted of 8 dietary treatments arranged in a 2x2x2 factorial design. The factors were: diet (containing DDGS or MBM), metabolizable energy (ME) level 2930 Kcal/kg (Phase 1), 2880 …

Kdr-Lacz-Expressing Cells Are Involved In Ovarian And Testis-Specific Vascular Development, Suggesting A Role For Vegfa In The Regulation Of This Vasculature, Rebecca C. Bott, Debra T. Summers, Anna M. Fuller, Ryann M. Mcfee, Ningxia Lu, Renee M. Mcfee, Andrea S. Cupp

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Our objectives were to evaluate kinase insert domain protein receptor (KDR)-β-galactosidase (LacZ) expression as a marker for vascular development during gonadal morphogenesis and to determine whether any novel non-angiogenic KDR-LacZ expression was present in mouse testes or ovaries. Gonads were collected from mice expressing LacZ driven by the Kdr promoter (KDRLacZ) from embryonic day 11 (E11) through postnatal day 60 (P60). At E11.5, mesonephric cells expressing KDR-LacZ seemed to migrate into the developing testis and surrounded developing seminiferous cords. Cells expressing KDR-LacZ appeared in the ovary with no apparent migration from the adjacent mesonephros, suggesting a different origin of endothelial …

Factors Influencing Long-Term Population Dynamics Of Pronghorn (Antilocapra Americana): Evidence Of An Allee Effect, Justin D. Hoffman, Hugh H. Genoways, Rachel R. Jones

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Populations of pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are subjected to multiple forms of density-dependent and density-independent regulation. Little is known about the combined effects of these variables across multiple populations throughout the landscape. The objectives of this study were to examine long-term trends in density and recruitment in pronghorn and to assess how different forms of regulation influence these trends. We used multiple density-dependent and density-independent explanatory variables in a model selection process to explain variation in pronghorn density and July fawn : doe ratios from 1955 to 1993 in 4 pronghorn management units in Nebraska. We also investigated levels …

Summer Field Report, June–July 2010, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This summer was marked by continuing high water tables along the Missouri River and good water levels in the eastern Rainwater Basin. As a result, American and Least Bitterns, King Rail, Common Moorhen, and several American Coot nests in Sarpy Co were reported. However, Great and Snowy Egrets were scarce, and Black-necked Stilts were absent from the eastern Rainwater Basin after several good breeding years there.

First breeding records for the state are always exciting; Lesser Goldfinch finally took the plunge this year in Banner Co. Also encouraging were increased reports of Black-billed Cuckoo (9) and both Black-billed Magpie and …

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2010]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2010) 78(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2010 ... 86

My Life in Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard ... 103

A Review of Modern Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) Nesting Records and Breeding Status in Nebraska ... 121

Subscription and Organization Information ... 127

A Review Of Modern Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus Leucocephalus) Nesting Records And Breeding Status In Nebraska, Joel G. Jorgensen, Stephen K. Wilson, John J. Dinan, Sarah E. Rehme, Sonya E. Steckler, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Bird Review

The recovery of the Bald Eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) in North America during the 20th century is a conservation success story. Once threatened with extinction, the species now is common throughout much of its range (Buehler 2000). Federal and state laws such as the Endangered Species Act (ESA; 16 U.S.C. 1531-1544) that were used to protect Bald Eagles and important habitats used by eagles are considered key actions that fostered the species' recovery. In 2007, the Bald Eagle was formally removed from the federal list of threatened and endangered species (50 CFR Part 17). The following year, the Bald …

My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

An autobiographical article by ornithologist Paul A. Johnsgard that spans his early years in North Dakota, undergraduate and graduate studies, his arrival and professional years at the University of Nebraska, his writings and writing influences, artwork, teaching and Cedar Point Biological Station, hunting and photography, conservation, religious beliefs, and numerous writing projects underway.

My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

I was born in 1931 in the very small town of Christine, North Dakota, on the Red River about 20 miles south of Fargo. My granddad owned a general store there, and my father worked in that store for as long as we lived in Christine, which was until 1939. These were the Depression years, and my major memories of that time are of hot dusty streets in the summer and bitterly cold winters, when I had to walk across town to school. ...

Waterfowl became increasingly important to me because of my mother's cousin "Bud" Morgan, who at that …