Animal Sciences Commons^™

Economic Analysis Of The Upper South River Special Regulation Area In Augusta County, Virginia, Brian Rapp

Masters Theses, 2010-2019

The Upper South River Special Regulation Area (SRA) is a fishery in Augusta County, Virginia that opened as a trout fishery in January 2011. There is a need to estimate the economic impact of the fishery on the local community in order to find the value of the fishery. The economic value of the fishery is important because of its implications in the management practices as well as funding for future restoration and conservation projects. In this study, the economic impact was estimated to be $78,181 from January 2011 through June 2012. This was calculated based on prior surveys and …

The Debate On Marine Mammals In Captivity, Lorna C. Scribner

Honors Theses

Are marine mammal species better off today because of captivity? Is captivity ethical and should it be continued? As this debate grows stronger, both of these sides of the argument offer substantial evidence in their favor. In this paper, I discuss data for both sides and evaluate the justifications of marine mammal captivity. Ideally, no matter the outcome, this research will educate the public on influential factors of wild and captive populations.

How Cultured Dairy Products Can Have A Long Shelf Life And A Clean Label, Phillip S. Tong

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

Application Of Web Mashup Technology To Oyster Information Services, Christian Chuindja Ngniah

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Web mashup is a lightweight technology used to integrate data from remote sources without direct access to their databases. As a data consumer, a Web mashup application creates new contents by retrieving data through the Web application programming interface (API) provided by the external sources. As a data provider, the service program publishes its Web API and implements the specified functions.

In the project reported by this thesis, we have implemented two Web mashup applications to enhance the Web site oystersentinel.org: the Perkinsus marinus model and the Oil Spill model. Each model overlay geospatial data from a local database …

Transcriptome And Methylation Analysis Of Gossypium Petal Tissue, Aditi Rambani

Theses and Dissertations

Polyploidization instantly doubles all genome content by combining two genomes that have markedly different methylation and gene expression levels. This process may be accompanied by genetic and epigenetic changes in each genome. Sequencing of the transcriptome (RNA-seq) and the methylome (bisulfite treated libraries whole genome libraries) were used to measure gene expression and methylation levels of genic regions of allopolyploid cotton petals and petals of their diploid relatives. Many differentially expressed genes detected by RNA-seq were consistent with expression levels previously detected by microarrays. RNA-seq results also reconfirmed the presence of general polyploid gene expression trends like expression level dominance …

Transcriptome Analysis Of Drought Induced Stress In Chenopodium Quinoa, Joshua Arthur Raney

Theses and Dissertations

RNA-seq transcriptome analysis of Chenopodium quinoa at different water treatment levels was conducted in a greenhouse study using four water treatments (field capacity to drought) on a valley ecotype quinoa (variety Ingapirca) and an Altiplano Salares ecotype quinoa (variety Ollague). Physiological results support the earlier findings that the Salares ecotypes display greater tolerance to drought-like stress conditions than the valley ecotypes (as determined by growth rate, photosynthetic rate, stomatal conductance, and stem water potential). cDNA libraries from root tissue sample for each treatment x variety combination were sequenced using Illumina Hi-Seq technology in an RNA-seq experiment. De novo assembly of …

Thin Soils And Sacbes: The Soil Resources Of Uci, Yucatan, Mexico, Zachary S. Larsen

Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this study was to use pedological evidence in conjunction with Geographic Information Systems, and soil physical and chemical analyses as means to better understand the agricultural landscape surrounding the ancient Maya city of Uci. Specifically, the query of this thesis is to determine whether there is an association between settlement density and soil resources, and what relationship if any there is between the ancient sacbe of Uci and its surrounding agricultural potential. Stable carbon isotope analysis of the humin fraction of the soil organic matter was conducted on several profiles from karst depressions known as rejolladas near …

Cultural Thinning Of Native Sagebrush Stands To Increase Seed Yields, Kurt David Elder

Theses and Dissertations

Wyoming big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) is an important native shrub in the Great Basin because of its wide distribution where it dominates over 60 million ha and provides essential habitat and forage for many varied species. The hand collection of sagebrush seed often results in seed scarcity and the available seed quantities are at times inadequate to revegetate large areas that have been disturbed, resulting in a demand for sagebrush seed. Study locations were selected near Scipio and Sahara sand dunes of Utah, and treatments were 1-) control, no treatment applied area left undisturbed 2-) general chemical strip …

Walmart's Sustainability Journey: Peter Redmond And The Search For Sustainable Seafood, David G. Hyatt

Wal-Mart Sustainability Case Project

In “Peter Redmond and the Search for Sustainable Seafood,” students examine the responses of Peter Redmond, Vice President and Divisional Merchandise Manager of Deli and Seafood, to organizational pressures to make seafood more sustainable at Walmart.

Five New Species Of Chaerilus Simon, 1877 From China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, And Vietnam (Scorpiones: Chaerilidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Chaerilus cimrmani sp. n. from Thailand, C. seiteri sp. n. from Philippines (Negros Island), C. solegladi sp. n. from Indonesia and Malaysia (Borneo Island), C. terueli sp. n. from Vietnam (Côn Son Island), and C. wrzecionkoi sp. n. from China (Tibet) are described. A key to all species of the genus Chaerilus Simon, 1877 is also presented.

Three New Species Of Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 From Yemen, Jordan, Israel, And Somaliland (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Compsobuthus krali sp. n. of the werneri group from Yemen, C. levyi sp. n. of the werneri group from Jordan and Israel, and C. somalilandus sp. n. of the acutecarinatus group from Somaliland are described. A key to all species of the genus Compsobuthus Vachon, 1949 is presented.

Improving Phosphorus Use Efficiency Through Organically Bonded Phosphorus, Micheal W. Hill

Theses and Dissertations

Current maximum efficiency of phosphorus (P) fertilizers that is utilized by plants in the same year of application ranges from near zero to thirty percent. Despite low utilization of P in crop production, yields are often limited by P deficiencies. Innovative technology is requisite to achieve greater efficiency as fertilizer demands are increasing, while phosphorus mineral resources are rapidly being depleted. A growing environmental concern for nutrient pollution of surface waters also carries significant weight. A novel new product, Carbond® P, is promising technology to increase P use efficiency. Research is needed to understand its capabilities and the functioning mechanisms …

A Survey Of Invasive Exotic Ants Found On Hawaiian Islands: Spatial Distributions And Patterns Of Association, Camie Frandsen Martin

Theses and Dissertations

An intensive sampling of all ant species encountered on 6 Hawaiian Islands: Big Island, Maui, Oahu, Kauai, Molokai, and Lanai took place between 1988 and 1996. Species presence and absence was recorded at each site. Using remote sensing, variables were added insitu and used throughout my analysis. Species accumulation curves suggest that sampling was comprehensive. There is a significant trend between island area and species richness which validates the Theory of Island Biogeography for invasive species. Islands were found to be significantly nested by area, order, and tourism. Cluster analysis shows a link between elevation, land-use and island, and species …

News Of The Department Of Animal Science, Department Of Animal Science

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Summer Watering Patterns Of Mule Deer And Differential Use Of Water By Bighorn Sheep, Elk, Mule Deer, And Pronghorn In Utah, Andrew V. Shields

Theses and Dissertations

Changes in the abundance and distribution of free (drinking) water can influence wildlife in arid regions. In the western USA, free water is considered by wildlife managers to be important for bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), elk (Cervus elaphus), mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), and pronghorn (Antilocapra americana). Nonetheless, we lack information on the influence of habitat and landscape features surrounding water sources, including wildlife water developments, and how these features may influence use of water by sexes differently. Consequently, a better understanding of differential use of water by the sexes could influence the conservation and management of those ungulates and water …

Habitat Selection Of Greater Sage-Grouse Centrocercus Urophasianus And Northern River Otters Lontra Canadensis In Utah, Matthew D. Westover

Theses and Dissertations

Greater sage-grouse populations have decreased steadily since European settlement in western North America. Reduced availability of brood-rearing habitat has been identified as a limiting factor for many populations. We used radio-telemetry to acquire locations of sage-grouse broods from 1998 to 2012 in Strawberry Valley, Utah. Using these locations and remotely-sensed imagery, we proceeded to 1) determine which features of brood-rearing habitat could be identified using widely available, fine-scale imagery 2) assess the scale at which sage-grouse selected brood-rearing habitat in our study area, and 3) create a predictive habitat model that could be applied across our large study area to …

Evaluation Of Industry Available Weight And Height Tapes And Other Farm Measurements To Estimate Actual Weight And Height Of Various Breeds Of Horses, Holly Pryor

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Alteration Of Behavior By Desert Bighorn Sheep From Human Recreation And Desert Bighorn Sheep Survival In Canyonlands National Park: 2002 - 2010, Kanalu K. Sproat

Theses and Dissertations

Human encroachment into wilderness areas can influence the persistence of wildlife populations by decreasing and degrading habitat, displacement, and decreasing survival. For bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis), some human activities are detrimental, causing both physiological stress and habitat abandonment. Between 1979 and 2000, human recreation has increased over 300% in areas occupied by desert bighorn sheep (O. c. nelsonii) in southeastern Utah. We investigated if an increase in human activity in areas used by bighorns affected their behavior. We observed 34 bighorn sheep using focal-animal sampling for >14 hrs to compare time spent grazing and scanning between areas of high and …

Dietary Fat Composition Influences Tissue Lipid Profile And Gene Expression In Fischer-344 Rats, Albert L. Zhou, Korry J. Hintze, Rafael Jiménez-Flores, Robert E. Ward

Dairy Science

The AIN-76A diet causes fatty liver in rodents when fed for long periods of time. The aimof this study was to utilize fatty acid analysis and transcriptomics to investigate the effects of different fat sources in the AIN-76A diet on tissue lipid profiles and gene expression in male, weanling Fischer-344 rats. Animals were fed isocaloric diets that differed only in the fat source: (1) corn oil (CO) (2) anhydrous milk fat (AMF), and (3) AMF supplemented with 10 % phospholipids from the milk fat globule membrane (AMFMFGM). There were no differences in food intake, body weight, growth rate, or body …

Benchmarking Cow Comfort On North American Freestall Dairies: Lameness, Leg Injuries, Lying Time, Facility Design, And Management For High-Producing Holstein Dairy Cows, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. K. Barrientos, K. Ito, E. Galo, Daniel M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

In this paper, we describe a novel approach to corporate involvement in on-farm assessment, driven by the desire to provide a service for dairy producers and to create a vehicle for engagement on issues of dairy cow welfare. This program provides producers with feedback on animal-based (including gait score, leg injuries, and lying time) and facility-based (including freestall design, bedding practices, feed bunk design and management, and stocking density) measures that can be used to better address their management goals. The aim of this paper is to describe variation in the prevalence of lameness and leg injuries, lying behavior, facility …

Product Pig Production Planner, Scott Williams, Darrell Rothlisberger

Archived Agriculture Publications

There are many factors to consider when selecting a market hog for your 4-H project animal. Seek out reputable hog producers who produce hogs with high quality genetics and growth potential. Discuss the health and feeding program the hogs have received and follow these recommendations to assure your project animal can reach its growth potential.

Winter Microhabitat Foraging Preferences Of Sympatric Boreal And Black-Capped Chickadees In Michigan's Upper Peninsula, Alec R. Lindsay Ph. D., Zach G. Gayk

Faculty Works

We examined differences in microhab- itat use between Boreal (Poecile hudsonicus) and Black- capped chickadees (P. atricapillus) where they co-occur near Marquette, Michigan, USA. Twenty-four Boreal and 37 Black-capped chickadees were followed during 60 hrs of field observation. Boreal Chickadees foraged only in three conifer species, 76% of which were black spruce (Picea mariana), while Black-capped Chickadees foraged widely across six coniferous and three deciduous tree species. Analysis of foraging data categorized by zones within conifer trees indicated high niche overlap (0.676) between Boreal and Black-capped chickadees across all foraging zones. Individual comparisons on a zone-by-zone basis revealed a significant …

Cues Used By The Black Fly, Simulium Annulus, For Attraction To The Common Loon (Gavia Immer), Meggin L. Weinandt, Michael W. Meyer, R. Mac Strand, Alec R. Lindsay Ph. D.

Faculty Works

The parasitic relationship between a black fly, Simulium annulus, and the common loon (Gavia immer) has been considered one of the most exclusive relationships between any host species and a black fly species. To test the host specificity of this blood-feeding insect, we made a series of bird decoy presentations to black flies on loon-inhabited lakes in northern Wisconsin, U.S.A. To examine the importance of chemical and visual cues for black fly detection of and attraction to hosts, we made decoy presentations with and without chemical cues. Flies attracted to the decoys were collected, identified to species, and quantified. Results …

Influences Of A Cladophora Bloom On The Diets Of Amblema Plicata And Elliptio Dilatata In The Upper Green River, Kentucky, Jennifer Maria Yates

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Freshwater mussels are the most imperiled group of freshwater invertebrates globally. Recent research suggests a better understanding of mussel feeding ecology may facilitate and improve conservation efforts. The use of stable isotopes is becoming an increasingly common method to study aquatic food webs. Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) are two of the most frequently employed elements in food web studies. Differences in natural abundance of ¹³C/¹²C can indicate which food sources are the basal sources of carbon incorporated into a consumer’s tissue, while the ratio of ¹⁵N /¹⁴N provides a method of assessing trophic …

Bellevue Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2012 NOU Fall Field Days was held in conjunction with the Inland Bird Banding Association meeting at Fontenelle Forest Nature Center in Bellevue on October 26–28. The meeting, organized by Betty Grenon and Rick Schmid, drew a total of 104 attendees, including 33 members of the Inland Bird Banding Association.

On Friday evening, Phil Swanson's photographic presentation "Welcome to Omaha . . . It's for the Birds" included a brief history of Omaha, an overview of area birding hotspots, and photos of many of the birds which can be seen in the area. Following the presentation, a group led …

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2012]

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 (or at the email address listed below).

Memberships in the NOU …

Stress-Adaptation And Stress-Induced Changes In Campylobacter Jejuni, Geetha Sanal Kumar-Phillips

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The foodborne pathogen Campylobacter jejuni is one of the leading causes of human gastroenteritis. This bacterium is not a robust organism compared with many other foodborne pathogens and requires special conditions in the laboratory for its growth. In nature, however, this organism is able to survive in very diverse and hostile environments and produce disease in humans. The different mechanisms by which C. jejuni survives stressful conditions in the environment remain unclear. Adhesion and invasion are thought to be important factors for the colonization of C. jejuni in the intestinal tracts of hosts. Previous research in our laboratory showed that …

Ghost Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Lepida): Species Conservation Assessment, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the ghost tiger beetle, a.k.a. white tiger beetle, (Cicindela lepida) as a Tier I at-risk species of high conservation priority. Some general management recommendations are made here regarding ghost tiger beetles; however, conservation practitioners will need to use professional judgment to make specific management decisions based on objectives, location, and a multitude of variables. This resource was designed to share available knowledge …

The Rise And Fall Of Kin Structure In The Neotropical, Family-Living Buff-Breasted Wren (Cantorchilus Leucotis) In Gamboa, Panama, Sarah C. Alessi

Masters Theses

Family-living species provide an exciting model to examine how natal dispersal and kin structure influence genetic structuring within local populations. Juvenile buff-breasted wrens (Cantorchilus leucotis) of both sexes delay dispersal and exhibit short-distance natal dispersal, which should lead to kin-structured populations in which relatives of both sexes occupy neighboring territories. Blood samples collected from juvenile and adult wrens in Gamboa, Panama were analyzed using microsatellite markers to determine whether related individuals are spatially clustered on neighboring territories, spatial clusters of relatives change over time, and if kin structure is sex-specific. Global and local spatial autocorrelation analyses detected genetic …

Beef Cattle Production: Understanding The Effect Of Heifer Development System, Late Gestation Protein Supplementation, And Ovarian Steroidogenic Environment On Productivity, Reproduction, And Longevity, Adam Summers

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

Beef cattle longevity is related to reproductive success, which can be influenced by development system and maternal environment. Three experiments were conducted to determine the impact of development system, maternal protein supplementation, and ovarian steroidogenic environment on beef cattle reproduction. Experiment 1 evaluated the effect of heifer development system on heifer performance and reproduction. Heifers developed on corn residue (CR) had reduced BW from prebreeding through pregnancy diagnosis compared with drylot (DL) developed heifers, but there was no difference in reproductive performance. A subset DL and CR heifers were placed in an individual feeding system to …