Animal Sciences Commons^™

Observational Learning In The Jumping Spider Phidippus Audax, Robert M. Adams

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Observational learning is a complex form of learning most frequently studied in social vertebrates. However, evidence for social learning exists in several invertebrate species Evidence of invertebrate observational learning also exists, though to a lesser extent. This study addresses observational learning in a jumping spider (Phidippus audax) through video playback. My results suggest that while observational learning is occurring, the exact mechanism in use remains unclear. Spiders that saw a conspecific satiate itself on a prey item readily attacked a similar prey item when exposed to a live prey item. However, spiders exposed to a conspecific rejecting or …

A Hybrid Cliff × Barn Swallow From Western Nebraska, Charles R. Brown, Catherine E. Page

Nebraska Bird Review

The Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) occupy sympatric breeding ranges across much of North America, often nesting at colony sites that contain both species. Mixed-species nesting aggregations typically occur in box-shaped concrete culverts underneath roads or railways. Cliff Swallows’ enclosed mud nests can be as close as 1 m to Barn Swallows’ open mud nests, and at such sites Cliff Swallows regularly usurp both inactive and active Barn Swallow nests. The close proximity of these two ecologically similar species leads to at least occasional social interaction among them, such as during …

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’S Report, December 31, 2014

Nebraska Bird Review

One-page spreadsheet constituting the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union treasurer's report at year end (December 31) of 2014. The grand total is $59,882.03.

Birds In Flight, Color Photo Section [March 2015, Pp. 23–30]

Nebraska Bird Review

Photographs of Ring-billed Gull with fish, Arctic Tern, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Least Tern (p. 23); American Golden-Plovers, Great Blue Heron, Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin and Stilt Sandpiper (p. 24); Great Egret, Sandhill Cranes, White-faced Ibis, and Glossy Ibis (p. 25); immature Bald Eagle with Snow Goose, Turkey Vulture, Common Goldeneye, Mute Swan and cygnet, and Red-tailed Hawk (p. 26); Upland Sandpiper, Northern Bobwhite, Eastern Meadowlark, female Dickcissel, and Grasshopper Sparrow (p. 27); Barn Owl chicks, adult Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Northern Saw-whet Owl in nest box with eggs, chicks, deer mice, and voles (p. 28); adult Bald Eagle, Snow Geese, …

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2015]

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): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 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 (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

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

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Borrelia Burgdorferi-Infected Ticks From Wildlife Hosts, A Response To Norris Et Al., Maria Dolores Esteve-Gassent, Abha Grover, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Ivan Castro-Arellano, Raul F. Medina, Guadalupe Gordillo Pérez, Adalberto A. Pérez De León

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

In a recent Letter to the Editor, Norris et al. questioned the validity of some of our data reported by Feria-Arroyo et al. The main issue investigated by us was the potential impact of climate change on the probable distribution of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis in the Texas-Mexico transboundary region. As an ancillary issue, an analysis of sequence data for the intergenic spacer of Borrelia burgdorferi was conducted. In the present letter, we provide further evidence supporting our original results, and advocate that extensive study of the population genetics of B. burgdorferi is needed in the Texas-Mexico transboundary …

Global Warming And Population Responses Among Great Plains Birds, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

Based on an analysis of 47 years (1967–2014) of Audubon Christmas Bird Counts (CBC), evidence for population changes and shifts in early winter (late December) ranges of nearly 150 species of birds in the Great Plains states is summarized, a region defined as including the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas panhandle. The rationale for this study had its origins in Terry Root’s 1988 Atlas of North American Wintering Birds. Root’s landmark study provided a baseline for evaluating the nationwide winter distributions of 253 North American birds in the mid-20th century, using data from the National Audubon Society’s …

Recurrent Evolution Of Melanism In South American Felids, Alexsandra Schneider, Corneliu Henegar, Kenneth Day, Devin Absher, Constanza Napolitano, Leandro Silveira, Victor A. David, Stephen J. O'Brien, Marilyn Menotti-Raymond, Gregory S. Barsh, Eduardo Eizirik

Biology Faculty Articles

Morphological variation in natural populations is a genomic test bed for studying the interface between molecular evolution and population genetics, but some of the most interesting questions involve non-model organisms that lack well annotated reference genomes. Many felid species exhibit polymorphism for melanism but the relative roles played by genetic drift, natural selection, and interspecies hybridization remain uncertain. We identify mutations of Agouti signaling protein (ASIP) or the Melanocortin 1 receptor (MC1R) as independent causes of melanism in three closely related South American species: the pampas cat (Leopardus colocolo), the kodkod (Leopardus guigna), and Geoffroy’s cat …

Repercussions Of Growth Path On Carcass Characteristics, Meat Colour And Shear Force In Alentejana Bulls, P Costa, J A. Simoes, A S.H. Costa, J P.C. Lemos, D Navas, J F. Hocquette, C R. Calkins, R J.B. Bessa

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The aim of this study was to evaluate the carcass and meat characteristics of eight muscles from bulls with distinct growth paths. A total of 40 Alentejana male calves were allocated to two distinct feeding regimes. In the continuous growth (CG) system, the animals were fed concentrates plus hay and were slaughtered at 18 months of age. On the other hand, in the discontinuous growth (DG) system, the animals were fed hay until 15 months of age; the cattle were then fed the same diet provided to the CG group from 15 to 24 months of age. The DG reduced …

Animals As Neighbours: The Past And Present Of Commensal Animals By Terry O'Connor, Derek Woods

The Goose

Review of Terry O'Connor's Animals as Neighbours: The Past and Present of Commensal Animals.

Ectoparasitism Shortens The Breeding Season In A Colonial Bird, Charles R. Brown, Mary Bomberger Brown

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

When blood-feeding parasites increase seasonally, their deleterious effects may prevent some host species, especially those living in large groups where parasites are numerous, from reproducing later in the summer. Yet the role of parasites in regulating the length of a host’s breeding season—and thus the host’s opportunity for multiple brooding—has not been systematically investigated. The highly colonial cliff swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota), a temperate-latitude migratory songbird in the western Great Plains, USA, typically has a relatively short (eight to nine week) breeding season, with birds rarely nesting late in the summer. Colonies at which ectoparasitic swallow bugs (Oeciacus vicarius) were experimentally …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 91, No. 1), Kentucky Library Research Collection

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Acoustic Analysis Of Cattle (Bos Taurus) Mother–Offspring Contact Calls From A Source–Filter Theory Perspective, Mónica Padilla De La Torre, Elodie F. Briefer, Tom Reader, Alan G. Mcelligott

Sentience Collection

Cattle vocalisations have been proposed as potential indicators of animal welfare. How-ever, very few studies have investigated the acoustic structure and information encoded in these vocalisations using advanced analysis techniques. Vocalisations play key roles in a wide range of communication contexts; e.g. for individual recognition and to help coordinate social behaviours. Two factors have greatly assisted our progress in developing an understanding of animal vocal communication. Firstly, more rigorous call analysis methods allow us to describe the variation in the vocal parameters in unprecedented detail. Secondly, the adoption of the “source–filter theory” of call production links the acoustic structure of …

Culturally Speaking: Move Over Blueberry: Make Way For Parsnip Yogurt, Phillip S. Tong

Dairy Science

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Occasional Publication 119: Australian Fisheries Management Forum - Fisheries Management Workshop, Adelaide 26 And 27 March 2014, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Occasional Publications

No abstract provided.

Loss Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (Vegfa) Isoforms In Granulosa Cells Using Pdmrt-1-Cre Or Amhr2-Cre Reduces Fertility By Arresting Follicular Development And By Reducing Litter Size In Female Mice, Kevin M. Sargent, Ningxia Lu, Debra T. Clopton, William E. Pohlmeier, Vanessa Brauer, Napoleone Ferrara, David W. Silversides, Andrea S. Cupp

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Because VEGFA has been implicated in follicle development, the objective of this study was to determine the effects of granulosa- and germ cell-specific VEGFA loss on ovarian morphogenesis, function, and female fertility. pDmrt1-Cre mice were mated to floxed VEGFA mice to develop granulosa-/germ cell-specific knockouts (pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/-). The time from mating to first parturition was increased when pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females were mated to control males (P = 0.0008) and tended to be longer for heterozygous females (P < 0.07). Litter size was reduced for pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females (P < 0.007). The time between the first and second parturitions was also increased for heterozygous females (P < 0.04) and tended to be increased for pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females (P < 0.07). pDmrt1-Cre;Vegfa^-/- females had smaller ovaries (P …

Evolution Of Bat-Trypanosome Associations And The Origins Of Chagas Disease, Christian Miguel Pinto

Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Trypanosoma cruzi is a genetically diverse parasite that causes Chagas disease, one of the most important zoonoses in the Americas. This generalist parasite of mammals belongs to a clade mostly comprised of bat parasites, the T. cruzi clade. The origins (i.e., biogeographic history and evolution of hosts associations) of this parasite are far from being understood, and the main areas that need further study are: species limits within T. cruzi sensu lato, further studies on the diversity of T. cruzi clade members and their hosts, and research on adaptations of the hosts to trypanosome infections. In this dissertation I explore …

The Effects Of Actomyosin Disruptors On The Mechanical Integrity Of The Avian Crystalline Lens, Gah-Jone Won, Douglas S. Fudge, Vivian Choh

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Purpose: Actin and myosin within the crystalline lens maintain the structural integrity of lens fiber cells and form a hexagonal lattice cradling the posterior surface of the lens. The actomyosin network was pharmacologically disrupted to examine the effects on lenticular biomechanics and optical quality. Methods: One lens of 7-day-old White Leghorn chickens was treated with 10 μM of a disruptor and the other with 0.01% dimethyl sulfoxide (vehicle). Actin, myosin, and myosin light chain kinase (MLCK) disruptors were used. The stiffness and the optical quality of the control and treated lenses were measured. Western blotting and confocal imaging …

Prevalence And Risk Factors For Mast Cell Tumours In Dogs In England, Stephanie J.W. Shoop, Stephanie Marlow, David B. Church, Kate English, Paul D. Mcgreevy, Anneliese J. Stell, Peter C. Thomson, Dan G. O'Neill, David C. Brodbelt

Epidemiology Collection

Background

Mast cell tumour (MCT) appears to be a frequent tumour type in dogs, though there is little published in relation to its frequency in dogs in the UK. The current study aimed to investigate prevalence and risk factors for MCTs in dogs attending English primary-care veterinary practices.

Methods

Electronic patient records from practices participating in the VetCompass animal surveillance project between July 2007 and June 2013 were searched for MCT diagnosis. Various search terms and standard diagnostic terms (VeNom codes) identified records containing MCT diagnoses, which were evaluated against clinical criteria for inclusion to the study. MCT prevalence for …

The Leishmania Years At Unl (Or, My Life As A Cell Biologist, 1966-1981), John J. Janovy Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Slides for a talk during which Professor Janovy discussed the methods he used in researching Leishmania during the years 1966-1981. Includes lists of references.

Rift Valley Fever Virus Infection In Golden Syrian Hamsters, Dionna Scharton, Arnaud J. Van Wettere, Kevin W. Bailey, Zachary Vest, Jonna B. Westover, Venkatraman Siddharthan, Brian B. Gowen

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Rift Valley fever virus (RVFV) is a formidable pathogen that causes severe disease and abortion in a variety of livestock species and a range of disease in humans that includes hemorrhagic fever, fulminant hepatitis, encephalitis and blindness. The natural transmission cycle involves mosquito vectors, but exposure can also occur through contact with infected fluids and tissues. The lack of approved antiviral therapies and vaccines for human use underlies the importance of small animal models for proof-of-concept efficacy studies. Several mouse and rat models of RVFV infection have been well characterized and provide useful systems for the study of certain aspects …

Postnatal Growth Rates Covary Weakly With Embryonic Development Rates And Do Not Explain Adult Mortality Probability Among Songbirds On Four Continents, Thomas E. Martin, Oteyza C. Oteyza, Adam E. Mitchell, Ahva L. Potticary, Penn Lloyd

Wildlife Biology Faculty Publications

Growth and development rates may result from genetic programming of intrinsic processes that yield correlated rates between life stages. These intrinsic rates are thought to affect adult mortality probability and longevity. However, if proximate extrinsic factors (e.g., temperature, food) influence development rates differently between stages and yield low covariance between stages, then development rates may not explain adult morality probability. We examined these issues based on study of 90 songbird species on four continents to capture the diverse life-history strategies observed across geographic space. The length of the embryonic period explained little variation (ca. 13%) in nestling periods and growth …

Gene Expression Patterns That Support Novel Developmental Stress Buffering In Embryos Of The Annual Killifish Austrofundulus Limnaeus, Josiah T. Wagner, Jason E. Podrabsky

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Background: The cellular signaling mechanisms and morphogenic movements involved in axis formation and gastrulation are well conserved between vertebrates. In nearly all described fish, gastrulation and the initial patterning of the embryonic axis occur concurrently with epiboly. However, annual killifish may be an exception to this norm. Annual killifish inhabit ephemeral ponds in South America and Africa and permanent populations persist by the production of stress-tolerant eggs. Early development of annual killifish is unique among vertebrates because their embryonic blastomeres disperse randomly across the yolk during epiboly and reaggregate several days later to form the embryo proper. In addition, annual …

Sdsu Cow/Calf Teaching And Research Unit, Cody Wright, Kevin Vander Wal, George Perry

South Dakota Beef Report, 2015

The SDSU Cow/Calf Unit (CCU) is a multi-purpose facility that provides resources for Animal Science courses and research projects. Cattle produced at the facility are also utilized by Little International, Block and Bridle, and livestock judging teams. The facility is managed by Kevin Vander Wal and generally employs 4 to 5 undergraduate students.

Top Ten Forage Improvements: The Big Picture, Garry D. Lacefield

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

This marks the 20th consecutive year we have done a Forage’s at KCA Program and I find it hard to believe the past 20 years have passed so quickly. The opportunities for forages in Kentucky were indeed great twenty years ago; however, they are much greater now than when we started this Conference.

My Top 5 Forage Improvements/Practices: Stocker, Russell C. Hackley

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

My Top 5 Forage Improvements/Practices: Cow/Calf, Chris Pantle

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

My Top 5 Forage Improvements/Practices: Goats And Sheep, Jason Tower

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.

My Top 5 Forage Improvements/Practices: A Dairy Take, Bill Payne

Forage Symposium at the Kentucky Cattlemen’s Convention

No abstract provided.