Animal Sciences Commons^™

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, 2015-2016, Rolf O. Peterson, John A. Vucetich

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2015-2016

Permian Scorpions From The Petrified Forest Of Chemnitz, Germany, Jason A. Dunlop, David A. Legg, Paul L. Selden, Victor Fet, Joerg W. Schneider, Ronny Rößler

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Background: Paleozoic scorpions (Arachnida: Scorpiones) have been widely documented from the Carboniferous Period; which hosts a remarkable assemblage of more than sixty species including both putative stem- and crown-group fossils. By contrast the succeeding Permian Period is almost completely devoid of records, which are currently restricted to a trace fossil from the early Permian of New Mexico, USA and some limb fragments from the late Permian of the Vologda Region, Russia.

Results: ?Opsieobuthus tungeri sp. nov. from the Petrified Forest of Chemnitz, Germany represents the first complete body fossils of scorpions from the Permian. Explosive volcanism preserved these remarkable …

An Analysis Of The Characteristics And Practices Of Selected Alabama Small Livestock Producers: A Focus On Production And Processing, Jannette R. Bartlett, Mst Nusrat Jahan, David Nii O. Tackie, Akua Adu-Gyamfi, Francisca A. Quarcoo

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The study assessed the characteristics and practices of small livestock producers, emphasizing production and processing. Data were obtained from a convenience sample of 121 small producers from South Central Alabama, and analyzed using descriptive statistics, including chi-square tests. The socioeconomic factors showed most were part-time farmers; middle-aged producers; producers with at most a two-year/technical degree or some college education, and producers with $40,000 or less annual household income. A majority practiced rotational grazing, fed a combination of forage (direct from pasture), hay and concentrate, and about half conducted soil tests regularly. Furthermore, many had goats with parasite problems that …

Fatty Acid Composition Of Growing Kiko X Spanish Crossbred Intact Male Goats Fed Varying Levels Of Peanut Skins, Aleta R. Stone, Nar Gurung, Sandra G. Solaiman, Byeng R. Min, Gamal M. Abdelrahim, Anthony S. Kumi, Wendell H. Mcelhenney

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

The objective was to evaluate the effects of feeding peanut skins (PS) on fatty acid profile of goat meat. The diets used contained 0, 10, 20, and 30% of PS. After 92 days, longissimus muscle (LM), mesenteric adipose (MA), and subcutaneous (SA) tissue samples were analyzed for fatty acid profile. Eighteen (18), 21, and 21 fatty acids were detected in LM, MS and SC adipose tissues, respectively. No changes were detected in the fatty acid profile, but C18:0 increased linearly in LM (p < 0.05) with increasing level of PS whereas C18:1 decreased in the similar manner (p = 0.05). Total saturated fatty acid and monounsaturated fatty acid percentage increased linearly ( …

Economic Impact Of Recreational Fishing In Alabama, Gbenga Ojumu, Diane Hite, Deacue Fields

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Anglers’ direct mail survey data were used with IMPLAN (Impact Analysis for Planning), input-output system, to estimate the economic impact of recreational fishing in Alabama and the Alabama Black Belt. Separate economic impacts are analyzed for the Black Belt and the State; and direct, indirect, and induced economic impacts were estimated for government revenues, income, and employment. Possible increases in these impacts were also estimated for hypothetically improved recreational fishing sites, using the ‘ideal’ hypothetical site characteristics. The results showed a direct total value added impact of $102.5m; indirect impact of $24.7m, and an induced impact of $8.3m, which …

Western Australian Silver-Lipped Pearl Oyster (Pinctada Maxima) Industry, Anthony M. Hart, K. L. Travaille, R. Jones, S. J. Brand-Gardner, F J. Webster, A. Irving, A. V. Harry

WA Marine Stewardship Council report series

This report provides a comprehensive description of the pearling (Pinctada maxima) industry in Western Australia. The pearling industry is comprised of the wild capture and cultivation of the silver-lipped pearl oyster Pinctada maxima in Western Australia’s northwest region.

Morphological Variation Among Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus) And Great Black-Backed Gulls (Larus Marinus) In Eastern North America, Gregory J. Robertson, Sheena Roul, Karel A. Allard, Cynthia Pekarik, Raphael A. Lavoie, Julie C. Ellis, Noah G. Perlut, Antony W. Diamond, Nikki Benjamin, Robert A. Ronconi, Scott G. Gilliland, Brian G. Veitch

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-backed Gull (L. marinus) morphometric data from various eastern North American locations was collected to examine the sources of variation in body size within and among geographic regions. For Herring Gulls, significant differences in all commonly taken measurements at local and regional scales were found. However, most of the variation in measurements was due to sex differences and the natural variance seen within local populations. Herring Gulls breeding in the Arctic did not show any evidence of being morphologically different from other groups. A discriminant function derived from a Newfoundland, …

Roof-Top Nesting In A Declining Population Of Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus) In Portland, Maine, Usa, Noah G. Perlut, David N. Bonter, Julie C. Ellis, Margaret S. Friar

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

A number of colonial waterbird species have been documented nesting on roof-tops throughout Europe and North America. The most common hypothesis explaining why gulls (Laridae) select roof-tops for nesting has been that population growth rates are higher than territory vacancy rates in traditional (island) habitat, suggesting that roof-tops are a non-preferred habitat. Roof-top habitat may actually be equal to or higher quality than island habitat as anthropogenic food is abundant and lower nest density may lead to lower intraspecific aggression and predation. During 2011–2012, reproductive effort and success was monitored in a regionally declining population of Herring Gulls (Larus …

Evaluation Of Passive Acoustic Telemetry Approaches For Monitoring And Mitigating Shark Hazards Off The Coast Of Western Australia, R. Mcauley, Barry Bruce, Ian S. Keay, S Mountford, Tania Pinnell

Fisheries Research Reports

No abstract provided.

Tracking The Elephant (Lexodonta Africana) Corridor And The Human-­‐Wildlife Conflict In Esilalei Village, A Continuation Study, Victoria Gray, Cara Cappelletti

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Elephants are threatened and their habitat, wildlife corridors and overall space to roam is diminishing due to an increasing human population. As more and more space is being utilized for human development, it has begun to interfere with existing migratory corridors. This is a problem because elephants tend to destroy farmlands on their route, destroying villagers’ livelihoods, and also on occasion, may kill or hurt humans. As a result, there is a human elephant conflict. This study focused on human elephant conflict in Esilalei as well as GPS mapping evidence of elephant migration along the projected corridor between Lake Manyara …

Comparison Of Growth Rates In Two Captive Bred Species Of Atelopus (Anura; Bufonidae), At El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, Cecile Avery

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Since their evolution, amphibians have managed to survive four mass extinctions. But today’s amphibians are now facing severe decline due to a plethora of causes including habitat destruction, climate change, pathogens, and pollution. Of all the possible causes of decline and extinction of amphibian populations, one of the most startling has been the effect of Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), or chytrid fungus. It was decided that rapid action was needed to preserve the amphibian populations in the area, since it was clear that current in situ conservation methods were ineffective against Bd. EVACC, the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center, was created …

Foraging Time And Food Resource Use Of Geoffroy’S Tamarin (Saguinus Geoffroyi) In An Urban Forest Landscape, Parque Natural Metropolitano, Ciudad De Panamá, Panamá, Rachael Pruitt

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Saguinus geoffroyi, a small neotropical primate that ranges from the Chocó region of Colombia along the Pacific coast of Panamá to the eastern side of the Azuero peninsula. They are known to be a disturbance tolerant species and are mostly found in secondary growth and forest edges where understory growth is moderately dense. They have 3 main food sources: insects, small fruits and exudates (plant saps), which are located in different layers of the forest, although the composition of these may change depending on the season. This study attempted to determine the common food resources, foraging time and location of …

When The Hunt Is Over: Culture And Conservation In Kazakh Eagle Falconry, Nolan R. Ebner

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The last large scale practice of falconry that uses Golden Eagles takes place in Bayan- Ulgii, Mongolia. Recent media exposure allowed for the development of a tourism industry in the region that culminates in two annual festivals celebrating the cultural heritage. Modern eagle falconry practices have been shown to deviate from traditional hunting and training methods. While Golden Eagles are listed with a regional conservation status of Least Concern by the Mongolian Red List, these new practices place the health of Golden Eagle populations in the region at risk, especially as tourism continues to grow. Furthermore, a changing environmental climate …

Global Phylogeny Of The Water Penny Beetles Using Both Molecular And Morphological Evidence (Co, Mathew Vincent Wood

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The Psephenidae is a family of freshwater beetles usually found in swift streams worldwide. Their unique disc shaped and flattened larvae have made this a group of interest for scientists for centuries. Morphologically, this family has been relatively well researched, and systematically the family is fairly well known and supported as monophyletic. One issue with Psephenidae, and with many other insect groups, is the lack of the molecular phylogenetic analyses to test morphology hypothesizes.

After successfully sequencing these two genes from species representing nearly all of the known genera, the data were analyzed using both Bayesian and parsimony methods. Analyses …

Host-Parasite Associations Of Small Mammal Communities And Implications For The Spread Of Lyme Disease, Matthew J. Buchholz

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Many zoonotic pathogens of concern to human and veterinary health are maintained in the environment within small mammal reservoirs and vectored to new hosts by ectoparasitic arthropods. While the ecological relationships among small mammals, ectoparasites, and disease-causing symbiotic microorganisms are important to these dynamics, little is known about them across much of North America. The sylvatic cycle of Borrelia burgdorferi, the etiologic agent of Lyme disease, is of particular interest because Lyme disease is the most common vector-borne disease of humans in the United States. However, cases of Lyme disease are primarily confined to the northeastern and Midwestern United States, …

Shakespeare's Blush, Or "The Animal" In Othello, Steven Swarbrick

Publications and Research

This essay examines how the rhetoric of animalization in Shakespeare’s Othello compels us to think early modern categories of race in connection with early modern discourses of “human” versus “animal.” Beginning with Shakespeare’s representation of Iago, I suggest that it is the potential for sameness conditioned by Iago’s counterfactual statement (“Were I the Moor, I would not by Iago”) that is most significant about his relation to Othello. From there I consider the overlap between the play’s representations of animality and black skin. Read in the context of Jacques Derrida’s reflections on animals, I consider the deconstructive value of linking …

Modulation Of Prey-Capture Kinematics And Suction Feeding Performance In Smallmouth Bass, Micropterus Dolomieu, Andrea Sejdic

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

The feeding behavior of fishes is a topic that has piqued the interests of many researchers given the dynamic and ancestral nature of aquatic prey-capture. This study examines aquatic feeding in terms of the suction and ram components of feeding in smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu, and how they modulate their kinematic behavior when attacking pelagic and benthic prey. Relative to other Micropterus genera, the reduced gape in smallmouth bass suggests they may create considerable suction pressure – stronger subambient pressure pulled through a smaller opening creates greater velocity. Suction feeding is useful when feeding on benthic prey, such as crayfish. …

Occupancy Rates And Detection Probabilities Of Red-Backed Salamanders On The Virginia Fall Line, Jay D. Mcghee

Virginia Journal of Science

To meet the conservation needs of declining amphibian populations, there is a need to assess monitoring techniques in various habitat types and seasons. I assessed detection rates and proportion of area occupied via transect monitoring for red-backed salamanders at a site along the Virginia Fall Line in Doswell, Virginia. I established 24 transects in a 3.2-ha area in both riparian and upland habitats. Objects providing natural cover along these transects were sampled 3 times a week in fall and spring over a two-year period. Models of occupancy and detection were developed and compared using Akaike’s Information Criterion. Based on 113 …

Mother--Offspring Recognition Via Contact Calls In Cattle, Bos Taurus, Mónica Padilla De La Torre, Elodie F. Briefer, Brad M. Ochocki, Alan G. Mcelligott, Tom Reader

Sentience Collection

Individual recognition in gregarious species is fundamental in order to avoid misdirected parental investment. In ungulates, two very different parental care strategies have been identified: ‘hider’ offspring usually lie concealed in vegetation whereas offspring of ‘follower’ species remain with their mothers while they forage. These two strategies have been suggested to impact on mother--offspring vocal recognition, with unidirectional recognition of the mother by offspring occurring in hiders and bidirectional recognition in followers. In domestic cattle, Bos taurus, a facultative hider species, vocal communication and recognition have not been studied in detail under free-ranging conditions, where cows and calves can graze …

White Shark Research Report Q And A - Based On Fisheries Research Report 273: Evaluation Of Passive Acoustic Telemetry Approaches For Monitoring And Mitigating Shark Hazards Off The Coast Of Western Australia, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Research Reports

This document is a Question and Answer summary based on Fisheries Research Report 273: Evaluation of passive acoustic telemetry approaches for monitoring and mitigating shark hazards off the coast of Western Australia.

Shark attacks are rare but traumatic events that involve complex and dynamic interactions between sharks’ ecology and human demographics and behaviours. To better understand the biological and ecological factors contributing to the series of incidents of white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) attacks off Western Australia, sharks were fitted with acoustic transmitters (‘tags’) that emit unique identification codes every 50 to 150 seconds. Tagged sharks were monitored by up to …

Beef Systems Management Strategies: Calving Date Selection, Estrus Synchronization, And Post-Weaning Management, Benjamin T. Tibbitts

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

The objective of an invited review and four experiments was to evaluate production implications and economic efficiencies of beef systems strategies involving calving date selection, utilization of reproductive technology, and post-weaning management of heifers and steers. The invited review in chapter II considers factors that influence a producer’s decision on when to calve beef females. The calving date decision impacts the entire beef production cycle and must take into account any environmental conditions, available resources, and cite specific advantages and/or disadvantages. Understanding the importance of varying physiological state and nutrient demands associated with lactation and gestation is critical to optimizing …

The Effect Of Diet On The Bovine Rumen Microbial Community Structure And Composition And Its Effects On Methane Production In Growing And Finishing Cattle, Allison L. Knoell

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

Methane is a potent greenhouse gas (GHG) that contributes to global warming. A natural by-product of ruminant fermentation is the production and eructation of methane. Methane is produced by a small unique group of microorganism’s called methanogens that belong to the domain Archaea. Enteric methane represents 2-12% energy loss in ruminants. It is well established that diet affects the microbial community structure and composition. Fermentative products of the mixed microbial population (bacteria, fungi, and protozoa) become the substrates for methanogens. These substrates influence which microorganisms will thrive. However, the effect of diet on the microbial community while simultaneously calculating …

Wpa News 99 (2016), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2016), number 99

Published by the World Pheasant Association

A Retrospective Analysis Of Trends In Central Ohio Wildlife Health Using Records From A Wildlife Rehabilitation Facility, Rachel B. Dalton

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

The analysis of records from wildlife rehabilitation facilities has shown great potential as a technique for monitoring health trends in local wildlife populations. We examined 45,668 records of animals admitted to a wildlife rehabilitation facility located in Ohio over a 10 year period (2005-2014). The objective was to examine how causes of admission for commonly admitted species may change over time and co-vary with seasonal patterns, with the goal of using fluctuations in wildlife admissions as a monitoring technique for population and ecosystem health. We assigned causes of admission to broad categories, such as “Collision with Non-Moving Object”, and a …

Section Abstracts: Agriculture, Forestry And Aquaculture

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Agriculture, Forestry and Aquaculture Section for the 94th Annual Virginia Academy of Science Meeting, May 18-20, 2016, at University of Mary Washington, Fredericksburg, VA.

Is Diet Selection By Greater Sage-Grouse Influenced By Biomass Availability Or Toxins?, Jacqueline Peña, Marcella Fremgen

McNair Scholars Research Journal

Foraging herbivores must meet nutritional requirements by not only finding enough plant biomass to consume, but also finding plants with high protein content and low concentrations of potentially toxic plant secondary metabolites (PSMs). Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) are sagebrush obligate herbivores that consume relatively high concentrations of PSMs. To meet their nutritional needs and avoid ingesting high amounts of PSMs, sage-grouse may select species of sagebrush for food that have lower concentrations of PSMs than a more abundant species with higher concentration of PSMs. Diet selection by sage-grouse may also be driven by chemical factors at finer scales …

Population And Morphological Changes In American Kestrels Through Space And Time, Teresa E. Ely

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

A once common raptor, the American kestrel (Falco sparverius) has experienced population declines in the last two decades throughout North America. Many hypotheses exist about the decline, including mortality from West Nile virus, rodenticide poisoning, climate change, an increase in predators, and core habitat loss or degradation, which could influence food availability. Food availability is key to raptor survival and reproduction, and changes in food availability throughout the year can have lifelong effects on size and body condition. Here we examine how morphology, specifically mass and wing chord, has changed at seven migration sites throughout North America as …

Development Of A Transposon-Based Vector To Express Large Quantities Of Factor Viii, Allison Mikes

Honors Capstones

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Negative Energy And Mineral Balance In Periparturient Holstein-Friesian Cattle, Ameer Ahmed Abdelhameed

Open Access Dissertations

Most cows experience a state of negative energy and mineral balance during the periparturient period. This imbalance is a major problem in the dairy industry and it is more frequently seen in multiparous cattle due to their high milk production. A large amount of fat and protein is mobilized in order to address the energy deficit during the periparturient period. The ability to accurately monitor energetics and electrolytes status using accurate, rapid, and low cost point-of-care instruments will assist in optimizing animal health and productivity.

This dissertation contains three studies that evaluated point-of-care instruments for measuring blood and plasma glucose, …

Effects Of Nutrition On Female Leopard Geckos, Lisa Keys, Dennis M. Ferraro

UCARE: Research Products

Nutrition has a dramatic effect on animal’s bodies and behaviors as they go through their lives. Looking at the effects of nutrition on captive animals is crucial to providing future animals with better lives. Since captive animals don’t get the variety of food items that they would get in the wild, supplementation is often used to meet the minimum dietary requirements. Looking at how supplementation affects female leopard geckos at breeding size, there were both positive and negative correlations with different supplementations used. After taking body measurements on females over several months on one kind of additional supplement, the control …