Animal Sciences Commons^™

A Highly Sensitive Underwater Video System For Use In Turbid Aquaculture Ponds, Chin-Chang Hung, Shih-Chieh Tsao, Kuo-Hao Huang, Jia-Pu Jang, Hsu-Kuang Chang, Fred C. Dobbs

OES Faculty Publications

The turbid, low-light waters characteristic of aquaculture ponds have made it difficult or impossible for previous video cameras to provide clear imagery of the ponds' benthic habitat. We developed a highly sensitive, underwater video system (UVS) for this particular application and tested it in shrimp ponds having turbidities typical of those in southern Taiwan. The system's high-quality video stream and images, together with its camera capacity (up to nine cameras), permit in situ observations of shrimp feeding behavior, shrimp size and internal anatomy, and organic matter residues on pond sediments. The UVS can operate continuously and be focused remotely, a …

Baseline Monitoring And Characterization Of Rocky Intertidal Fish Communities In Northern California, Kevin D. Hinterman

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

A network of new Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been established in northern California, covering 137 square miles of coastline, with the goal of maintaining commercially and recreationally important species and to preserve biodiversity. This is the first study in California to create a biodiversity and phylogenetic baseline of rocky intertidal fish communities within MPAs and nearby reference sites. Diversity, abundance, and size structure of intertidal fishes were compared among seven sites from Fort Bragg to Crescent City, CA during the summers and winters of 2014 and 2015. A total of 34 species were collected throughout sampling, just three less …

The Effect Of Sericea Lespedeza (Lespedeza Cuneata) On Eimeria Spp. Infection In Broiler Chickens, Long Nghi Trinh

LSU Master's Theses

Parasites cause considerable economic losses in all fields of agriculture. In the poultry industry, coccidia infections are of major significance costing billions of dollars every year. Research on condensed tannins (CT) has been shown to be effective against various parasites such as gastrointestinal nematodes and Eimeria spp. in small ruminants. This study tested the effects of the CT containing forage, sericea lespedeza (SL), on broiler chickens infected with live Eimeria spp. oocysts. In Study 1, 300 Ross 708 broiler chicks were divided into 6 groups (negative control, positive control w/BioCox, 0% SL, 5% SL, 10% SL, 15% SL). In Study …

Vitrification Of Immature And Mature Bovine Oocytes, Paige T. Hardin

LSU Master's Theses

Vitrification is the latest technique used in cryopreservation, the ability to utilize this method with oocytes and embryos has become a valuable system. Vitrification has been successful with bovine embryos and oocytes but is far from optimal. Following cryopreservation storage discarding embryos can cause ethical issues, and mature oocytes have fragile organelles that can be detrimentally affected by ice crystal formation during freezing. Immature oocytes have not formed some of these temperature sensitive microfilaments and can circumvent these detrimental effects. The common intracellular cryoprotective agents are dimethyl sulfoxide, glycerol and ethylene glycol. Different combination of these agents have been reported …

An Investigation Of Juvenile Alewife (Alosa Pseudoharengus) Habitat Use And Growth Using Natural Markers, Gregory Norman Labonte Ms

All Student Scholarship

This research attempts to connect patterns in growth and migration of an anadromous species. The goal of this research was to understand habitat movements and growth of juvenile alewives (Alosa pseudoharengus) in the Penobscot Estuary and Bay through the use of otolith microchemistry, otolith growth increments, and a laboratory stable isotope turnover study. Understanding the connection between growth and movement of juvenile alewives may lead to more accurate and sophisticated conservation and restoration methods for anadromous species.

Ecology Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans) In The Greater Detroit Area Of Southeastern Michigan, William B. Dodge

Wayne State University Dissertations

Coyote distribution and habitat use, diet and foraging behavior and space use patterns were investigated in the greater Detroit area of southeastern Michigan. We found evidence of coyotes on 24 of 30 (80%) suburban and 7 of 11 (64%) urban plots. Overall fifty-eight percent of coyote evidence was found within edge habitats, with den sites and tracks the only types of evidence found strictly in interior habitats. Land cover around evidence points included more wooded land cover than expected in suburban areas, suggesting the importance of tree cover for coyote occupancy, and more open space and wooded land cover than …

An Investigation Of The Use Of Natural Agents To Control Mycobacteria, Olga Lesniak

Theses

Economic losses that are caused by Mycobacterium avium paratuberculosis (MAP) infections represent a major obstacle for farmers and also for the dairy industry. In order to control the population of MAP, alternative control agents must be investigated. One of the studies described in this thesis focused on using a bacteriophage therapy based approach to assess its efficacy on simulated industrial environments and food models. Another study described in this thesis investigated the antimicrobial effects of parsley and garlic on a range of mycobacteria species. Both studies used conventional microbiological methods such as plaque assays, AlamarBlue assay (MABA) and growth curves, …

Data For Henson Et Al. 2016, Shandelle Henson, James Hayward, J Cushing, Gordon Atkins, Sumiko Weir, Ashley Reichert, Wayanne Watson, Wadenerson Saint Martin, Amanda Sandler

Faculty Publications

These data are archived for the paper "Adaptation to short-term ENSO fluctuations may provide tipping points for populations subjected to long-term climate change" by Henson et al., submitted. Additional files: Supplementary Figure 1 | Sample plots on Violet Point, Protection Island National Wildlife Refuge, Washington, USA. The larger colony extends throughout much of the spit.

Evaluation Of Parameter Estimation And Field Application Of Transgenerational Genetic Mark-Recapture, Ryan W. Whitmore

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Use of a genetic-based analogue of the traditional mark-recapture method (transgenerational genetic mark-recapture, tGMR) is rapidly expanding as a means to estimate total escapement of Pacific salmon. The tGMR approach is similar to the simple Lincoln-Peterson mark-recapture method. In tGMR, adults returning to fresh water to spawn are collected in the first sampling occasion and their juvenile offspring that are migrating out to sea are collected during the second sampling occasion. Recaptures are determined by the number of parent-offspring pairs identified through genetic parentage analysis of the adult and juvenile collections. Two versions of tGMR are currently in use, referred …

Galápagos Sea Lion (Zalophus Wollekaeki) Play Behaviors On San Cristóbal Island, Ecuador, Mary Ann Kincer

Online Theses and Dissertations

My thesis concerns observations of play activities from videotapes of Galápagos sea lions on San Cristóbal Island from mid-summer of 2008. I begin with a discussion of ideas about play and types of play, elaborate the conceptual system of projects and routines in play, and provide a brief description of sea lion taxonomy and forms of play specific to Galápagos sea lions. Observing approximately 713 minutes of videotapes, I coded approximately 161.5 minutes of play projects and routines. Of the 713 minutes, 241 minutes were used in training, and 472 were coded independently by two coders for reliability. The two …

Factors Influencing Pre-Fledging Mass Recession Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Katrina Deann Reeda Moeller

Online Theses and Dissertations

Fledglings of some aerial insectivores experience pre-fledgling mass recession, possibly to achieve an optimum wing loading by the time of fledging. However, studies of aerial insectivores to date have been limited to two species of swifts (Apodidae), and additional studies of species of aerial insectivores are needed to determine if factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession vary among species. Thus, my objective was to examine factors contributing to pre-fledging mass recession by nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor). My study was conducted during the 2015 breeding season at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Nestling Tree Swallows (n …

American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius) May Use Tail-Pumping To Maintain Balance, Joshua Suich

Online Theses and Dissertations

When perched, several species of small falcons, including American Kestrels (Falco sparverius), often pump their tails, but the possible function of this behavior is unknown. My objective was to use observations and experiments to examine the possible function(s) of tail-pumping by American Kestrels. Fieldwork was conducted from March 2015 to December 2015 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. During observations of focal kestrels, I noted their behavior (e.g., landing on a perch, hunting, or consuming prey), including when and how often they pumped their tails (i.e., rapid movement of the tail down, then back up to …

Characteristics, Contexts, And Possible Functions Of The Vocalizations Of Blue Jays, Dustin Eric Brewer

Online Theses and Dissertations

Many species in the family Corvidae, including Blue Jays (Cyanocitta cristata), are known to have large vocal repertoires. However, perhaps due to its perceived complexity, few investigators have attempted to describe the vocal repertoire of Blue Jays. Therefore, my objectives were to describe the vocal repertoire of Blue Jays, determine the characteristics of their calls, and suggest possible functions. During 2015 and 2016, I studied free-living Blue Jays in and near Richmond, Madison County, Kentucky. I observed Blue Jays at 17 different locations, recorded their vocalizations, and noted the behavioral contexts during which calls were uttered. I also conducted playback …

Assessing The Effects Of Prescribed Fire On Foraging Bats At Mammoth Cave National Park After The Arrival Of White-Nose Syndrome, Rachael Elizabeth Griffitts

Online Theses and Dissertations

Habitat use of bats may shift following population level impacts of White-nose Syndrome (WNS). Multiple bat species have experienced unprecedented population declines due to WNS, including federally listed Myotis sodalis (Indiana bat) and Myotis septentrionalis (northern long-eared bat). Specifically, the effect of WNS across forest landscapes is unclear in relation to prescribed fire. Mammoth Cave National Park (MACA) has employed a prescribed fire regime since 2002 and WNS was detected on MACA in 2013. Bat activity was monitored across burned and unburned sites at MACA before (2010-2012) and after the detection of WNS (2013-2016) using transects of acoustic detectors (Anabat …

The Efficacy Of Kaolin Clay In Reducing The Duration And Severity Of `Heat' Diarrhea In Foals, Magdalena Pieszka, Jaroslaw Luszczynski, Magdalena Hedrzak, Katerina Goncharova, Stefan G. Pierzynowski

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

'Heat' diarrhea in foals is an onerous but not life-threatening ailment, which indicates that it may be of osmotic origin. This was confirmed by a successful attempt, presented in this paper, to alleviate the severity and duration of foal heat diarrhea with the use of a typical absorbent, kaolin clay, as a feed additive, usually applied in feed production as an anticaking agent. Based on the present results, it can be concluded that treatment of foals maintained on different stud farms with a kaolin paste reduced the duration of heat diarrhea and alleviated its severity (P < 0.05 and P = 0.001). The observed action of kaolin clay, an excellent absorbent, suggests that the so-called heat diarrhea can be caused by disturbances in the intestinal osmotic balance at this specific age of foals. The use of this preparation can reduce the risk of secondary pathological viral or bacterial diarrhea and the requirement for veterinary intervention in foal management. It can also shorten the care period and increase foal well-being, essential for the normal development of a young horse. In addition, prophylactic application of an antidiarrheal preparation based on an industrial by-product, i.e. A cheap component, will reduce the costs of foal care.

Effect Of Retinol And Retinol Esters On Performance, Egg Quality, And Blood And Egg Vitamin A Levels In Laying Quails, Murat İlhan, Tuba Bülbül

Turkish Journal of Veterinary & Animal Sciences

This study aimed to determine the effects of retinol and retinol ester supplementation on performance, egg quality, serum and egg oxidative status, and vitamin A levels in laying quails. Three hundred quails were divided into 5 groups. The control group received a basal diet that contained vitamin premix without vitamin A or vitamin A precursors. The treatment groups received dietary supplementation with retinol and retinol esters [retinyl acetate (R-acetate), retinyl palmitate (R-palmitate), retinyl propionate (R-propionate), 3300 IU/kg]. Egg production and feed conversion ratio improved in all experimental groups. Serum β-carotene and malondialdehyde (MDA) levels decreased and serum retinol levels increased …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To Parliament 2015/16, Government Of Western Australia Department Of Fisheries

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

This annual report provides an overview of the Department and its operations for the financial year ended 30 June 2016. It has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management Act 2006, the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Public Sector Commission’s Annual reporting framework – 2015/16 reporting year.

Population Genetic Structure Of Necturus Maculosus In Central And Eastern Kentucky, Mason Owen Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Biology

Population structure is influenced by extrinsic factors, such as landscape architecture and dispersal barriers. Lotic network architecture is known to constrain ecological, demographic and evolutionary processes, including population genetic structure. I assessed the population structure of a widespread aquatic salamander, Necturus maculosus, across three river basins in central and eastern Kentucky. I examined the role of network architecture, anthropogenic barriers, and spatial scale on patterns of population structure. I also provided a review of N. maculosus capture methods and offer an improved trap design. I identified significant structuring between the combined Licking/Kinniconick basin and the Kentucky River basin, with …

Territoriality And Inter-Pack Aggression In Gray Wolves: Shaping A Social Carnivore's Life History Rudyard Kipling's Law Of The Jungle Meets Yellowstone's Law Of The Mountains, Kira A. Cassidy, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Daniel R. Macnulty, Daniel R. Stahler, Matthew C. Metz

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

When Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book in 1894 and included the famous line "For the strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and the strength of the Pack is the Wolf," he would have had no idea that over a century later, scientific research would back up his poetic phrase. Recent studies in Yellowstone have found that both the individual wolf and the collective pack rely on each other and play important roles in territoriality. At a time when most fairy tales and fables were portraying wolves as demonic killers or, at best, slapstick gluttons, Kipling seemed to have …

Wolf (Canis Lupus) Generation Time And Proportion Of Current Breeding Females By Age, L. David Mech, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, John Erb

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Information is sparse about aspects of female wolf (Canis lupus) breeding in the wild, including age of first reproduction, mean age of primiparity, generation time, and proportion of each age that breeds in any given year. We studied these subjects in 86 wolves (113 captures) in the Superior National Forest (SNF), Minnesota (MN), during 1972–2013 where wolves were legally protected for most of the period, and in 159 harvested wolves from throughout MN wolf range during 2012–2014. Breeding status of SNF wolves were assessed via nipple measurements, and wolves from throughout MN wolf range, by placental scars. In …

Context-Dependent Seed Dispersal By A Scatter-Hoarding Corvid, Mario B. Pesendorfer, T. Scott Sillett, Scott A. Morrison, Alan C. Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

1. Corvids (crows, jays, magpies and nutcrackers) are important dispersers of large-seeded plants. Studies on captive or supplemented birds suggest that they flexibly adjust their scatter-hoarding behavior to the context of social dynamics and relative seed availability. Because many corvid-dispersed trees show high annual variation in seed production, context-dependent foraging can have strong effects on natural corvid scatter-hoarding behavior.

2. We investigated how seed availability and social dynamics affected scatter-hoarding in the island scrub jays (Aphelocoma insularis). We quantified rates of scatter-hoarding behavior and territorial defense of 26 colormarked birds over a three-year period with variable acorn crops. …

Amblypygids: Model Organisms For The Study Of Arthropod Navigation Mechanisms In Complex Environments?, Daniel D. Wiegmann, Eileen A. Hebets, Wulfila Gronenberg, Jacob M. Graving, Verner P. Bingman

Eileen Hebets Publications

Navigation is an ideal behavioral model for the study of sensory system integration and the neural substrates associated with complex behavior. For this broader purpose, however, it may be profitable to develop new model systems that are both tractable and sufficiently complex to ensure that information derived from a single sensory modality and path integration are inadequate to locate a goal. Here, we discuss some recent discoveries related to navigation by amblypygids, nocturnal arachnids that inhabit the tropics and sub-tropics. Nocturnal displacement experiments under the cover of a tropical rainforest reveal that these animals possess navigational abilities that are reminiscent, …

A New Feather Mite Species Of The Genus Trouessartia Canestrini (Acariformes: Trouessartiidae) From The Northern Rough-Winged Swallow Stelgidopteryx Serripennis (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) In Pennsylvania, S. V. Mironov, R. M. Overstreet

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

A new feather mite species, Trouessartia stelgidopteryx sp. n. (Astigmata: Trouessartiidae), is described from the Northern rough-winged swallow Stelgidopteryx serripennis Newton (Passeriformes: Hirundinidae) in Pennsylvania, USA. The new species is close to the minutipes species group and differs from its representatives and all other known species of the genus Trouessartia in having a unique combination of features in males: the opisthosomal lobes are much longer than wide, they are separated by a large semi-ovate terminal cleft, and their lobar apices bear semi-ovate terminal lamellae with a smooth margin.

Dynamic Ocean Management Increases The Efficiency And Efficacy Of Fisheries Management, Daniel C. Dunn, Sara M. Maxwell, Andre M. Boustany, Patrick N. Halpin

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

In response to the inherent dynamic nature of the oceans and continuing difficulty in managing ecosystem impacts of fisheries, interest in the concept of dynamic ocean management, or real-time management of ocean resources, has accelerated in the last several years. However, scientists have yet to quantitatively assess the efficiency of dynamic management over static management. Of particular interest is how scale influences effectiveness, both in terms of how it reflects underlying ecological processes and how this relates to potential efficiency gains. Here, we address the empirical evidence gap and further the ecological theory underpinning dynamic management. We illustrate, through the …

Red List Of Marine Bony Fishes Of The Eastern Central Atlantic, Beth Polidoro, Gina Ralph, Kyle Strongin, Michael Harvey, Kent Carpenter, Titus Ayo Adeofe, Rachel Arnold, Paul Bannerman, Jean Noel Bibang Bi Nguema, Jack Buchanan, Khairdine Mohamed Abdallahi Camara, Youssouf Hawa Camara, Kadiatou Cissoko, Bruce B. Collette, Mia T. Comeros-Raynal, Godefroy De Bruyne, Madeleine Diouf, Roger Djiman, Mathieu Ducrocq, Ofer Gon, Antony S. Harold, Heather Harwell, Craig Hilton-Taylor, Andrew Hines, P. Alexander Hulley, Tomio Iwamoto, Steen Knudsen, Jean De Dieu Lewembe, Christi Linardich, Ken Lindeman, Ebou Mass Mbye, Jean Egard Mikolo, Vanda Monteiro, Jean Bernard Mougoussi, Thomas Munroe, Jean Hervé Mve Beh, Francis K.E. Nunoo, Caroline Pollock, Stuart Poss, Richmond Quartey, Barry Russell, Alphonse Sagna, Catherine Sayer, Aboubacar Sidibe, William Smith-Vaniz, Emilie Stump, Mor Sylla, Luis Tito De Morais, Jean-Christophe Vié, Akanbi Williams

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The Red List of marine bony fishes of the Eastern Central Atlantic (ECA) is a review of the conservation status of all native marine bony fishes in ECA according to the global Categories and Criteria of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. It identifies those species that are threatened with extinction at the global level and occur within the ECA region. This comprehensive assessment, which is the first of its kind in the ECA, aims to provide improved knowledge of species presence and extinction risk status for the purposes of guiding conservation actions and improved policies for these species …

Diet And Foraging Behaviors Of Timber Rattlesnakes, Crotalus Horridus, In Eastern Virginia, Scott M. Goetz, Christopher E. Petersen, Robert K. Rose, John D. Kleopfer, Alan H. Savitzky

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

During a 17-yr telemetry study, we examined the diet and ambush behavior of a population of Crotalus horridus in southeastern Virginia. Forty dietary items were identified from 37 fecal samples. We documented 722 instances of snakes in an ambush posture, 61 of which were in a vertical-tree posture, as if hunting arboreal prey at the base of a tree. The most common prey items were Eastern Gray Squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), which accounted for 45 of all dietary items and represented an estimated 78 of total biomass consumed by C. horridus. Prey was not consumed in proportion to availability, …

Letter From The Dean, Lona Robertson

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

No abstract provided.

Use Of Anti-Mullerian Hormone To Select For Fertility In Beef Heifers, Hannah Newberry, Beth Kegley, Charles Rosenkrans, Rick Rorie

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

A study was conducted to determine whether concentration of serum Anti-Mullerian Hormone (AMH) at weaning and/or breeding could predict subsequent fertility in beef heifers. Frequency distribution was used to assign serum AMH concentration measured at weaning, breeding, and the change from weaning to breeding into quartiles. Comparison of heifers based on serum AMH quartiles at weaning failed (P ≥ 0.35) to detect any effect of AMH on subsequent heifer cyclicity at breeding, estrous response after synchronization, artificial insemination (AI) pregnancy rate, overall breeding season pregnancy rate, or estimated estrous cycle of the breeding season when conception occurred. Based on AMH …

Evaluating Wildlife–Vehicle Collision Hotspots Using Kernel-Based Estimation: A Focus On The Endangered Asiatic Cheetah In Central Iran, Alireza Mohammadi, Mohammad Kaboli

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The transportation networks within and adjacent to protected areas degrade natural habitats and contribute to a higher risk of mortality through roadkill. Following years of unplanned and unsustainable road network development in Iran, the protected areas of significant biodiversity value have suffered from such phenomenon. Yazd Province, one of Iran’s important biodiversity reservoirs for large mammals, especially the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), has witnessed a noticeable rate of road expansion along with an associated anthropogenic development. A large percentage (7 out of 50–70) of Asiatic cheetahs has been lost due to vehicle collisions in the region over …

Adapting Strategies To Maintain Efficiency During A Cull Of Yellow-Legged Gulls, Sugoto Roy, Ray Ridley, Jeff Sandon, John R. Allan, Peter S. Robertson, Andrew Baxter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Increasing populations of yellow-legged gulls (Larus michahellis) in the Mediterranean have created conflicts with seabird conservation, migrating raptors, and humans. As a mitigation measure, gulls are routinely culled in the region. Previous studies of extended culls show that catch per unit effort declines over time through a combination of population reductions and avoidance behaviors developing within the remaining population. We countered these problems during a 4-year cull of yellow-legged gulls in Gibraltar by matching the type and mode of deployment of firearms in response to changes in gull distribution and behavior. We found that shotguns were effective when …