Animal Sciences Commons^™

Use Of An Activity Monitoring System As Part Of The Cal Poly Dairy Breeding Protocol, Trevor Nutcher

Dairy Science

The objective of this study, is to determine the effectiveness of an activity monitoring system as an integral part of the Cal Poly Dairy breeding protocol. Dairy herd reproductive efficiencies have dropped in the past 40 years. Increased milk production, and genetic advancements towards more milk production, have led to reproductive rates declining. An advanced breeding program is needed to become more efficient in this area. The study consisted of the evaluation of one option, Heatime™ by MICRO Dairy Logic, and comparing it to the commonly used programs in dairies today such as synchronization methods, pedometers, and other electronic detection …

Controlling The Mineral Content Of Sweet Whey Powder In An Industrial Setting, Matthew W. Sawyer

Dairy Science

The objective of this project was to reduce the final ash content of sweet whey powder. The data for this project was collected over a two-week period, from July 13th to July 27th 2010 in a dairy plant in the Mid-West of the United States. The data is composed of particle size test, ash test, and pH test. The conclusions of this study are that multiple pre-heat treatment tank changes contribute to mineral content by requiring more buffering than usual. The low pH of this pre-heat liquid forces a need for more buffering. Particle segregation may play a role in …

Rangeland Condition Assessment Of A Portion Of The Cal Poly Sheep Unit, Colin S. Mckim

Animal Science

This rangeland condition assessment was conducted as part of the Cal Poly Rangeland Condition Assessment Project. Five pastures comprising 31.7 acres at the Cal Poly sheep unit were assessed to collect baseline ecological information. Methods used were Line-point Intercept, Belt Transect, Residual Dry Matter, and the rangeland health indicators recommended by Pyke et al., 2002. Additionally, a preliminary species list was collected. The rangeland health assessment method found all pastures to have no to slight departure from the local reference area when evaluated for soil and site stability, hydrologic function, and biotic integrity.

Flank Gland-Secreted Putative Chemosignals Pertaining To Photoperiod, Endocrine States, And Sociosexual Behavior In Golden Hamsters, Ying-Juan Liu, Da-Wei Wang, Lixing Sun, Jin-Hua Zhang, Jian-Xu Zhang

All Faculty Scholarship for the College of the Sciences

Behavioral studies have shown that flank glands are involved in chemical communication in golden hamsters Mesocricetus auratus but little chemical analysis has been conducted on volatiles arising from these glands. Using gas chromatography- mass spectrometry, we detected compounds from the flank glands of males, only eight of which were also produced in females. Based on these chemical data we performed a number of further experiments. By manipulating light we found that males exposed to short-photoperiods developed smaller flank glands than those exposed to long-photoperiods. Six flank gland volatiles reduced in relative abundance, which possibly coded for reproductive status of males …

Utilization Of Diets Containing Graded Levels Of Ethanol Production Co-Products By Nile Tilapia, Travis W. Schaeffer, Michael L. Brown, Kurt A. Rosentrater, Kasiviswanathan Muthukumarappan

Kurt A. Rosentrater

A feeding trial was performed to investigate inclusion levels of distillers dried grains with solubles (DDGS) as a fishmeal replacement for juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). On a dry matter basis, five isocaloric [19.3 ± 0.4 kJ/g (mean ± SE)], isonitrogenous (39.1 ± 0.5% crude protein) diets were formulated to contain 17.5%, 20%, 22.5%, 25%, and 27.5% DDGS and compared against a 0% DDGS, reference diet (gross energy = 14.5 kJ/g; crude protein = 39.8%). The reference diet resulted in significantly higher body weight gain (BWG), food conversion ratio (FCR), and protein efficiency ratio (PER) than experimental diets except that …

Influence Of Physiochemical And Watershed Characteristics On Mercury Concentration In Walleye, Sander Vitreus, M., Cari-Ann Hayer, Steven R. Chipps, J. J. Stone

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Elevated mercury concentration has been documented in a variety of fish and is a growing concern for human consumption. Here, we explore the influence of physiochemical and watershed attributes on mercury concentration in walleye (Sander vitreus, M.) from natural, glacial lakes in South Dakota. Regression analysis showed that water quality attributes were poor predictors of walleye mercury concentration (R² = 0.57, p = 0.13). In contrast, models based on watershed features (e.g., lake level changes, watershed slope, agricultural land, wetlands) and local habitat features (i.e., substrate composition, maximum lake depth) explained 81% (p = 0.001) …

Corn Hybrids: Deer Taste The Difference, Joshua A. Delger, Kevin L. Monteith, Jonathan A. Jenks

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

As daylight begins to illuminate the countryside, a cold wind rustles through the leaves of the weedy rows of corn that you barely had time to get in the ground this past spring. The corn plants are stunted, the few small ears of corn that did grow are not even enticing to passing blackbirds, and that stud buck captured on your trail-camera months earlier is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, a couple hundred yards across the fence to the south, you hear the unmistakable sound of deer running through corn. Your heart rate involuntarily increases. As the sun continues to …

Physiological Implications Of Natural Versus Induced Arousal From Torpor, Jenifer C. Utz

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

During the hibernation season, animals oscillate between periods of torpor and periods of interbout arousal (IBA). During torpor, body temperature is often near 0° C and metabolism is severely depressed. Oxygen consumption, a proxy for aerobic metabolism, may fall to 1% of active values. Many physiological processes including cardiovascular, respiratory, and cellular functions nearly cease. During the IBA, euthermic body temperature is restored and most systemic and cellular processes function at fully active levels. The transition period between these two physiologically dissimilar states is called arousal.

The rate of rewarming (RRW) during arousal was previously expected to progressively increase until …

Design Standards Within Constructed Wetlands For The Reduction Of Mosquito Populations In Clark County, Nevada, Phillip C. Bondurant

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Wetlands are considered one of the most productive ecosystems in the world and provide many benefits to the environment. However, the slow moving and sometimes stagnant water created by the vegetation in the wetland creates an ideal environment for the proliferation of mosquitoes. Mosquitoes are the most important insect disease vector worldwide. The presence of mosquitoes within wetlands increases the risk of disease transmission among workers and visitors creating a public health concern. Effective design standards aimed at reducing mosquito breeding habitat should be implemented during the construction and planning phase of wetland development to effectively reduce the mosquito populations. …

Description Of The Tadpole Of Proceratophrys Renalis (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920) (Anura: Cycloramphidae), Filipe Augusto C. Do Nascimento, Barnagleison S. Lisboa, Gabriel O. Skuk, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The tadpole of Proceratophrys renalis is described based on specimens from Maceió, State of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. At stage 35 the body is slightly dorso-ventrally depressed, ovoid in lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. Oral disc is ventral with lateral emarginations, surrounded by a single row of marginal papillae with a large gap on the upper labium. Labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1 ). The analysis of internal oral anatomy revealed two possible characters that readily distinguish P. renalis from P. boiei, supporting the recent resurrection of P. renal is. Comparisons with available descriptions of the larvae for other species in …

Life History And Habitat Use Of The Juvenile Alabama Shad (Alosa Alabamae) In Northern Gulf Of Mexico Rivers, Paul Fraser Mickle

Dissertations

The Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, is an anadromous species that is in decline and has seen extirpations from impoundments as well as decreased water quality. Alabama shad live in the Gulf of Mexico and ascend Northern Gulf of Mexico Drainages to reproduce early in the year (January-May). The juveniles spend the majority of the year in these freshwater systems before emigrating out to the Gulf of Mexico as late as December.

This dissertation focuses on the juvenile life stages that occur within the Northern Gulf of Mexico drainages. Spawning conditions of the river, as well as the habitat and diet, …

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).

Impacts Of Predation Risk And Development On Susceptibility Of North American Anurans To Ranaviruses, Nathan Alden Haislip

Masters Theses

For over three decades, amphibian populations have been declining across the globe. Emerging infectious diseases are responsible for some of these declines. Ranaviruses have caused die-offs in wild amphibian populations on 4 continents, in 5 Canadian provinces, and in over 25 U.S. states. In order to understand host-pathogen dynamics, it is critical to establish baseline information on species susceptibility and the effects of natural stressors. The goal of my thesis research was to quantify the effects of anuran development and exposure to invertebrate predators on species-specific susceptibility to ranavirus. My experiments were designed in factorial arrangements, and consisted of exposure …

Identification And Characterization Of Micrornas In Porcine Gametes And Pre-Implantation Embryos, Erin Curry

All Dissertations

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are short ribonucleic acids that ultimately affect the production of proteins. Although miRNAs are involved in nearly every biological process examined to date, little is known of the identity or function of miRNA in porcine reproductive tissues or their potential involvement in reproductive processes in pigs or other species. The objective of this dissertation research was to determine the presence of miRNAs in porcine gametes and both in vivo- and in vitro- produced pre-implantation embryos and to identify differences in miRNA expression between normal and aberrant samples. Using a heterologous RT-PCR approach, we demonstrated the presence of a …

“Development Of Genetic And Genomic Predictors Of Fertility In Argentinean Holstein Cattle.”, Fernando Alfonso Di Croce

Doctoral Dissertations

The overall aim of the studies described herein was to evaluate genetic variation in cattle fertility traits for development of genetic and genomic predictors in breeding strategies. Results from these experiments suggest that improvements in fertility through genetic selection are a possible approach to increase reproductive efficiency. Experiment 1 evaluated the development of genetic parameters associated with multiple ovulation and embryo transfer schemes in an attempt to assist producers in identifying animals with greater genetic merit for these protocols. This study confirmed that genetic selection of donors or sires appears to be a potential approach to improve efficiency of MOET …

A New Partial Skeleton Of A Cryptocleidoid Plesiosaur From The Upper Jurassic Sundance Formation Of Wyoming, Benjamin C. Wilhelm, F. Robin O’Keefe

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Cryptocleidoid plesiosaurs from the Upper Jurassic are well known from the Oxford Clay (Callovian) of the United Kingdom. The plesiosaurs of the nearly coeval Sundance Formation (Oxfordian) of North America are poorly known, but are thought to include two cryptocleidoid taxa:Pantosaurus striatus and Tatenectes laramiensis. Here we present two specimens recently recovered from the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. The first specimen comprises three articulated adult cervical vertebrae and fragments of a fourth. This specimen preserves a posteriorly directed cervical neural spine, a character diagnostic of Pantosaurus striatus. It also resembles Pantosaurus in the morphology of its cervical …

Fisheries-Dependent Indicators Of Climate Change In Western Australia Wamsi:Sub-Project 4.2.3, Nick Caputi, Alan Pearce

Fisheries research reports

The use of fishery-dependent data may be a cost-effective way of assessing whether there have been any changes in the distribution and relative abundance of species. Such indicators are part of an ongoing data gathering system and the costs are relatively low compared to those of a fishery-independent field program. Fishery-dependent data may therefore be obtained at a higher frequency and allow detection of changes faster than would be possible from the results from the direct sampling of specific sites within entire ecosystems.

The Effects Of Weaning Strategy On The Physiology And Performance Of Beef Calves, Cristina Campistol

Masters Theses

Two experiments examined growth performance and physiological measures of stress in pre- and postweaned Angus steers (313 ± 24.5 kg; n = 48/Exp.), where steers were fitted with (YD) or without (ND) an anti-suckling device (Exp. 1), or provided (YS) or not provided (NS) a grain supplement (Exp. 2) for 7 d and weaned by fenceline (FS) or total separation (TS). Steers in Exp. 1 were weighed and bled on d 0, 3, 7 10, 14, 21, and 42, and in Exp. 2, on d 0, 7, 10, 14, and 21 and provided a grain supplement on d 7-21. In …

Reproductive Life History Of Fundulus Jenkensi And Comparative Development Of Five Sympatric Fundulid Species, Eric Thomas Lang

Master's Theses

Fundulus jenkinsi is recognized federally and within the state of Mississippi as a Species of Concern. Little is known about the life history of this coastal killifish, but a detailed reproductive histology study of F. jenkinsi and a diagnostic key of the early life stages of select members of Fundulidae can provide the foundation needed to accurately identify it and quantify reproductive parameters in this rare species in need of conservation. Monthly gonadosomatic index (GSI) of male and female F. jenkinsi were documented, and spawning phases and oocyte stages were examined using reproductive histology. In addition, various stages of …

Distributions Of Sharks Across A Continental Shelf In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers, John Dindo, Brian Dzwonkowski, Terry A. Henwood

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Declines in shark populations have sparked researchers and fishery managers to investigate more prudent approaches to the conservation of these fish. As managers strive to improve data collection for stock assessment, fisheries-independent surveys have expanded to include data-deficient areas such as coastal regions. To that end, a catch series from a nearshore survey off Alabama was combined with data from a concurrent offshore survey with identical methodology to examine the depth use of sharks across the continental shelf (2–366 m). The combined data set contained 22 species of sharks collected from 1995 to 2008: 21 species in the offshore data …

Pharmacokinetic Evaluation Of The Blood: Tissue Relationship In Poultry: Screening For Antibiotic Residues In Chicken Muscle, Ixchel Reyes Herrera

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

During their life, humans are exposed to numerous substances that are naturally present in the environment or that are the result of man made processes, including heavy metals, persistent organic pollutants, pesticides and veterinary drugs. Some of these substances can leave residues in food products and possibly expose consumers to their potential toxic effects. To address these problems extensive regulatory efforts are devoted to prevent, detect and control these substances from reaching the food supply. However, given the vast diversity of food products that requires monitoring and the immense diversity of potential chemical contaminants, the need for an efficient and …

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2010, David L. Kreider

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

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. …

Assessing Linkages Among Landscape Characteristics, Stream Habitat, And Macroinvertebrate Communities In The Idaho Batholith Ecoregion, Andrew C. Hill

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Understanding the composition of lotic communities and the landscape processes and habitat characteristics that shape them is one of the main challenges confronting stream ecologists. In order to better understand the linkages among landscape processes, stream habitat, and biological communities and to understand how accurately our measurements represent important factors influencing biological communities, it is important to test explicit hypotheses regarding these linkages. Increasing our understanding of aquatic communities in a hierarchical context and recognizing how well our measurements represent factors structuring aquatic communities will help managers better evaluate the influence of land management practices on aquatic ecosystems, direct conservation …