Animal Sciences Commons^™

Food Availability Modulates Temperature-Dependent Effects On Growth, Reproduction, And Survival In Daphnia Magna, Gustavo S. Betini, Xueqi Wang, Tal Avgar, Matthew M. Guzzo, John M. Fryxell

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Reduced body size and accelerated life cycle due to warming are considered major ecological responses to climate change with fitness costs at the individual level. Surprisingly, we know little about how relevant ecological factors can alter these life history trade‐offs and their consequences for individual fitness. Here, we show that food modulates temperature‐dependent effects on body size in the water flea Daphnia magna and interacts with temperature to affect life history parameters. We exposed 412 individuals to a factorial manipulation of food abundance and temperature, tracked each reproductive event, and took daily measurements of body size from each individual. High …

Xenopus Interferon Complex: Inscribing The Amphibiotic Adaption And Species-Specific Pathogenic Pressure In Vertebrate Evolution?, Yun Tian, Jordan Jennings, Yuanying Gong, Yongming Sang

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Several recent studies have revealed previously unknown complexity of the amphibian interferon (IFN) system. Being unique in vertebrate animals, amphibians not only conserve and multiply the fish-like intron-containing IFN genes, but also rapidly evolve amniote-like intronless IFN genes in each tested species. We postulate that the amphibian IFN system confers an essential model to study vertebrate immune evolution in molecular and functional diversity to cope with unprecedented pathophysiological requirement during terrestrial adaption. Studies so far have ascribed a potential role of these IFNs in immune regulation against intracellular pathogens, particularly viruses; however, many knowledge gaps remain elusive. Based on recent …

Review Of Megacormus Karsch, 1881, With Description Of A New Species (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

Megacormus franckei sp. n. from Mexico is described and compared with all other species of the genus. Additional information is provided on the morphology, taxonomy and localities of genus Megacormus, mainly through color photographs of live and preserved specimens of all Megacormus species, as well as their habitats. Included is a key for all six known species of the genus Megacormus

Zika Virus Infection Causes Temporary Paralysis In Adult Mice With Motor Neuron Synaptic Retraction And Evidence For Proximal Peripheral Neuropathy, John D. Morrey, Alexandre L. R. Oliveira, Hong Wang, Katherine Zukor, Mateus Vidigal De Castro, Venkatraman Siddharthan

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Clinical evidence is mounting that Zika virus can contribute to Guillain-Barré syndrome which causes temporary paralysis, yet the mechanism is unknown. We investigated the mechanism of temporary acute flaccid paralysis caused by Zika virus infection in aged interferon αβ-receptor knockout mice used for their susceptibility to infection. Twenty-five to thirty-five percent of mice infected subcutaneously with Zika virus developed motor deficits including acute flaccid paralysis that peaked 8-10 days after viral challenge. These mice recovered within a week. Despite Zika virus infection in the spinal cord, motor neurons were not destroyed. We examined ultrastructures of motor neurons and synapses by …

The Effects Of Replacement Of Fish Meal Protein With A Mixture Of Poultry By-Product Meal, Fish Silage And Fish Protein Hydrolysate On The Growth Performances Of Asian Sea Bass (Lates Calcarifer), Yu-Cong Hong, Angela Chien, Shyn-Shin Sheen

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

This feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of replacement of dietary fishmeal (FM) with a mixture of poultry by-product meal (PBM), fish silage (FS) and fish protein hydrolysate (FPH) on the growth performances of the Asian sea bass Lates calcarifer. Five isonitrogenous (46% crude protein) and isolipidic (12% crude lipid) diets were formulated to replace 0 (CON), 25 (FM 25), 50 (FM 50), 75 (FM 75) and 100% (FM 100) of fishmeal protein with the protein mixture (78% PBM, 11% FS, and 11% FPH). One additional diet, namely POM was designed to completely replace FM protein with PBM. …

The Vezo Communities And Fisheries Of The Coral Reef Ecosystem In The Bay Of Ranobe, Madagascar, Shane Abeare

LSU New Orleans Theses and Dissertations

Madagascar, a country whose extraordinary levels of endemism and biodiversity are celebrated globally by scientists and laymen alike, yet historically has received surprisingly little research attention, is the setting of the present dissertation. Here, I contribute to the need for applied research by: 1) focusing on the most intensely fished section of the Toliara Barrier Reef, the Bay of Ranobe; 2) characterizing the marine environment, the human population, and the fisheries; and 3) collecting the longest known time-series of data on fisheries of Madagascar, thereby providing a useful baseline for future analyses. In Chapter 1, the bathymetry of the Bay …

Diary Of A Service Dog (Dropout), Kristen An Horton, Heidi Anne Horton Pittman

Zea E-Books Collection

My name is Granger. I am a Labrador Retriever. I want to be a service dog. It is not always easy. This is my story. (Human's note: The most important take away is that the public, children and adults, need to learn how to not interact with service dogs. As Granger says, “I’m cute. I’m working. Please ignore me.”)

A Model For The Prediction Of Antimicrobial Resistance In Escherichia Coli Based On A Comparative Evaluation Of Fatty Acid Profiles, Randal S. Stahl, Bledar Bisha, Sebabrata Mahapatra, Jeffrey C. Chandler

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Antimicrobial resistance is a threat to agricultural production and public health. In this proof-of-concept study, we investigated predicting antimicrobial sensitive/resistant (S/R) phenotypes and host sources of Escherichia coli (n = 128) based on differential fatty acid abundance. Myristic (14:0), pentadecanoic acid (15:0), palmitic (16:0), elaidic (18:19) and steric acid (18:0) were significantly different (α = 0.05) using a two-way ANOVA for predicting nalidixic acid, ciprofloxacin, aztreonam, cefatoxime, and ceftazidime S/R phenotypes. Additionally, analyses of palmitoleic (16:1), palmitic acid (16:0), methyl palmitate (i-17:0), and cis-9,10-methyleneoctadecanoic acid (19:0Δ) showed these markers were significantly different (α = 0.05) between isolates obtained from cattle …

Assessing The Blood Meal Hosts Of Culex Quinquefasciatus And Aedes Taeniorhynchus In Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos, Samoa Asigau, Sawsan Salah, Patricia Parker

Biology Department Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Docosahexaenoic Acid Consumption Impedes Early Interferon- And Chemokine-Related Gene Expression While Suppressing Silica-Triggered Flaring Of Murine Lupus, Abby D. Benninghoff, Melissa A. Bates, Preeti S. Chauhan, Kathryn A. Wierenga, Kristen N. Gilley, Andrij Holian, Jack R. Harkema, James J. Pestka

Animal, Dairy, and Veterinary Science Faculty Publications

Exposure of lupus-prone female NZBWF1 mice to respirable crystalline silica (cSiO₂), a known human autoimmune trigger, initiates loss of tolerance, rapid progression of autoimmunity, and early onset of glomerulonephritis. We have previously demonstrated that dietary supplementation with the ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) suppresses autoimmune pathogenesis and nephritis in this unique model of lupus flaring. In this report, we utilized tissues from prior studies to test the hypothesis that DHA consumption interferes with upregulation of critical genes associated with cSiO₂-triggered murine lupus. A NanoString nCounter platform targeting 770 immune-related genes was used to assess …

Feeding The Future Meat Doesn’T Come Cheap, Lukas C. Southard

Capstones

Cultured – or as it is referred to by companies innovating the technology clean – meat is expected to be the next innovation to change the way the world gets its animal protein. Meat from animal cells grown in a lab seems like science fiction but it is around the corner from hitting your supermarket shelves. The technology has been developed but how these companies intend on scaling up their production to meet retail demands remains a mystery. So far companies have relied on seed and early stage investment from venture capital companies and private sources to fund research. Predictions …

Expression Of Lysine-Mediated Neuropeptide Hormones Controlling Satiety And Appetite In Broiler Chickens, Collins N. Khwatenge, Boniface M. Kimathi, Thyneice Taylor-Bowden, Samuel N. Nahashon

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Lysine is the second most limiting amino acid after methionine and is considered the most limiting amino acid for growth in poultry. Lysine requirement for broiler chickens has changed over the years. Leptin and adiponectin represent 2 adipokines that mediate metabolism by eliciting satiety effects whereas ghrelin peptide hormone influences appetite. We hypothesize that this affects growth performance of chicks. This study evaluates the effect of varying dietary lysine homeostasis on performance of broiler chickens through satiety- and appetite-mediating hormones. In 3 replications, 270 one-day-old chicks were reared for 8 wk feeding on diets comprising 0.85, 1.14, and 1.42% lysine …

Laying Performance Of Pearl Gray Guinea Fowl Hens As Affected By Caging Density, Samuel N. Nahashon, Nathaniel Adefope, Abravi Amenyenu, D. Wright

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

The caging density required for optimal egg production by various avian species and varieties is highly variable. Even so, little is known of the required cage density for optimum performance of the laying guinea fowl (Numida meleagris). The objective of this study was to assess the effect of varying cage densities on production performance of pearl gray guinea fowl laying hens. In 3 replicates, 270 pearl gray guinea hens [28 wk of age (WOA)] were weighed individually and randomly assigned to laying cages at densities of 1, 2, and 3 birds/cage, equivalent to 1,394, 697, and 465 cm2/bird, respectively. During …

Effect Of Varying Dietary Concentrations Of Lysine On Growth Performance Of The Pearl Grey Guinea Fowl, Sarayu Bhogoju, Samuel N. Nahashon, Joseph Donkor, Boniface M. Kimathi, Dekarra Johnson, Collins N. Khwatenge, Thyneice Taylor-Bowden

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

Lysine is the second limiting essential amino acid in poultry nutrition after methionine. Understanding the lysine requirement of poultry is necessary in guiding formulation of least cost diets that effectively meet the nutritional needs of individual birds. The lysine requirement of the Pearl Grey guinea fowl (PGGF) is not known. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the appropriate lysine levels required for optimal growth attributes of the PGGF. In a 12-week study, 512 one-day-old Pearl Grey guinea keets were weighed individually and randomly assigned to electrically heated battery brooders. Each battery contained 12 compartments housing 15 birds …

Effects Of Dietary Metabolizable Energy And Crude Protein Concentrations On Growth Performance And Carcass Characteristics Of French Guinea Broilers, Samuel N. Nahashon, Nathaniel Adefope, Abravi Amenyenu, D. Wright

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

This study was undertaken to assess dietary CP and ME concentrations for optimum growth performance and carcass characteristics of French guinea broilers. In a 3 x 3 factorial arrangement, 396 1-d-old French guinea keets were randomly assigned to experimental diets with 3,050, 3,100, and 3,150 kcal of ME/kg of diet; each contained 21, 23, and 25% CP, respectively, from 0 to 4 wk of age (WOA). From 5 to 8 WOA, experimental diets had 3,100, 3,150, and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg of diet, and each contained 19, 21, and 23% CP, respectively. Each dietary treatment was replicated 3 times, and …

Growth Characteristics Of Pearl Gray Guinea Fowl As Predicted By The Richards, Gompertz, And Logistic Models, Samuel N. Nahashon, Sammy E. Aggrey, Nathaniel Adefope, Abravi Amenyenu, D. Wright

Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Faculty Research

This study was undertaken to describe the growth pattern of the pearl gray Guinea fowl. Using BW data from hatch to 22 wk, 3 nonlinear mathematical functions (Richards, Gompertz, and logistic) were used to estimate growth patterns of the pearl gray guinea fowl. The logistic and Gompertz models are a special case of the Richards model, which has a variable point of inflection defined by the shape or growth trajectory parameter, m. The shape parameter m was 1.08 and 0.98 in males and females, respectively, suggesting that the growth pattern of the pearl gray female guinea fowl is Gompertz. The …

Lysine Mediation Of Neuroendocrine Food Regulation In Guinea Fowl, Ashley C. Payne, Xiaofei Wang, Michael T. Ivy, A. Stewart, Kiimya Nelson, Carl E. Darris, Samuel N. Nahashon

Biology Faculty Research

In poultry, obesity is partly influenced by food intake, and is increasingly becoming a nationwide problem. Hypothalamic food intake mechanisms are involved metabolically and neurologically via two peptide hormones, leptin and ghrelin, and the amino acid glutamate, which is enzymatically derived from lysine metabolism. We hypothesize that lysine homeostasis mediates regulation of feed intake and performance characteristics via the brain–liver axis through glutamate sensing. The objective was to examine the effects of lysine homeostasis in avian food regulation and performance through neuroendocrine signaling. One-day-old male French Guinea fowl (GF) keets (n = 270) were weighed and randomly assigned to 5 …

Revision Of The Genus Reddyanus From Southeast Asia, With Description Of Five New Species From Cambodia, Malaysia, Thailand And Vietnam (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Five new species are described: Reddyanus furai sp. n. from Vietnam, R. hofereki sp. n. and R. majkusi sp. n. from Malaysia, R. rolciki sp. n. from Vietnam and Cambodia, and R. schwotti sp. n. from Thailand and Cambodia, fully complemented with color photographs of live and preserved specimens, as well as their habitats. New species are compared with all other species from this region. In addition to the analysis of external morphology, we also describe the karyotypes of R. furai sp. n. (2n=14), R. majkusi sp. n. (2n=16), R. rolciki sp. n. (2n=14), and R. schwotti (2n=11). …

Behavioural Risks In Female Dogs With Minimal Lifetime Exposure To Gonadal Hormones, Melissa J. Starling, Anne Fawcett, Bethany Wilson, James Serpell, Paul Mcgreevy

Physiology Collection

Spaying of female dogs is a widespread practice, performed primarily for population control. While the consequences of early spaying for health are still being debated, the consequences for behaviour are believed to be negligible. The current study focused on the reported behaviour of 8981 female dogs spayed before 520 weeks (ten years) of life for reasons other than behavioural management, and calculated their percentage lifetime exposure to gonadal hormones (PLGH) as a proportion of their age at the time of being reported to the online Canine Behavioral Assessment and Research Questionnaire (C-BARQ). We found that 23 behaviours differed between entire …

Tunnel-Tube And Fourier Methods For Measuring Three-Dimensional Medium Reaction Force In Burrowing Animals, Alexis Moore Crisp, Clinton J. Barnes, David V. Lee

Life Sciences Faculty Research

Subterranean digging behaviors provide opportunities for protection, access to prey, and predator avoidance for a diverse array of vertebrates, yet studies of the biomechanics of burrowing have been limited by the technical challenges of measuring kinetics and kinematics of animals moving within a medium. We describe a new system for measuring 3D reaction forces during burrowing, called a ‘tunnel-tube’, which is composed of two, separately instrumented plastic tubes: an ‘entry tube’ with no medium, in series with a ‘digging tube’ filled with medium. Mean reaction forces are measured for a digging bout and Fourier analysis is used to quantify the …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xxii. Two New Species Of Neobuthus From Somaliland (Buthidae), František Kovařík

Euscorpius

New information about taxonomy and distribution of the genus Neobuthus Hirst, 1911 is presented, based on material recently collected in Somaliland. N. awashensis Kovařík & Lowe, 2012 is reported from Somaliland for the first time. Two new species are described, N. haeckeli sp. n. and N. solegladi sp. n. An updated distribution map of the genus Neobuthus is provided.

Mangrove Cuckoo, Coccyzus Minor, Neurocranium, Lola R. Mildren, David Kerstetter

All Scans: Kerstetter Fisheries and Avian Ecology 3D Scan Series

No abstract provided.

Bone Mineral Density Of The Common Bottlenose Dolphin, Tursiops Truncatus: A Proposed Model For Monitoring Osteological And Ecosystem Health, James Wright Burrus Powell

Dissertations and Theses

Bone mineral density (BMD) in the pectoral flipper of the common bottlenose dolphin, Tursiops truncatus, was examined to address the need to define a comprehensive target site for clinical osteodensitometric assessment and to establish ranges of observed bone density values for this species. Radii were analyzed using dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA), the accepted standard in human medical studies. Multiple loci within the radius were identified and assessed for their correlation to BMD of the entire bone. Radii BMD were also examined for differences based on sex, age, total body length, handedness, geographical affinity, and nutritional status at time …

Migration Tactics Of A Long-Distance Migratory Songbird From Across A Continental Breeding Range, Rosalind Renfrew, Dan Kim, Noah G. Perlut, Michael D. Cadman

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Migration strategies in the avian world are often compared at the species level and evaluated relative to general ecology and constraints such as molting and breeding timetables. The advancement of tracking technology provides an opportunity to explore variation in more specific migration tactics within species and their populations as it relates to demographic and environmental factors throughout the annual cycle. We compare migration timing among 4 populations of Bobolink (Dolichonyx oryzivorus) from across the breeding range using data from light-level geolocators. The date of departure from the breeding grounds and the duration of southbound migration differed among breeding …

Parsing The Effects Of Demography, Climate And Management On Recurrent Brucellosis Outbreaks In Elk, Gavin C. Cotterill, Paul C. Cross, Jerod A. Merkle, Jared D. Rogerson, Brandon M. Scurlock, Johan T. Du Toit

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

1. Zoonotic pathogens can harm human health and well‐being directly or by impacting livestock. Pathogens that spillover from wildlife can also impair conservation efforts if humans perceive wildlife as pests. Brucellosis, caused by the bacterium Brucella abortus, circulates in elk and bison herds of the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and poses a risk to cattle and humans. Our goal was to understand the relative effects of climatic drivers, host demography and management control programmes on disease dynamics.
2. Using >20 years of serologic, demographic and environmental data on brucellosis in elk, we built stochastic compartmental models to assess the influences of climate forcing, …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Donna Giberson

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera

Index To Volume 87

Nebraska Bird Review

14 pages: Akers, Danny 108 to Zeglen, Nancy 45

Hunters And Their Perceptions Of Public Access: A View From Afield, Joseph J. Fontaine, Alexis D. Fedele, Lyndsie S. Wszola, Lindsey N. Messinger, Christopher J. Chizinski, Jeffery J. Lusk, Karie L. Decker, J. Scott Taylor, Erica F. Stuber

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Declining hunter participation threatens cultural traditions and public support for conservation, warranting examination of the forces behind the downward trajectory. Access to lands for hunting, an often-cited reason for non participation, may play a critical role in the retention and recruitment of hunters. Meeting the access needs of a diverse hunting constituency requires understanding how hunters use and perceive access opportunities, particularly public-access sites. Given that perceptions of access are entirely place based and degrade with time, traditional postseason survey methods may fail to adequately quantify the value of public access to the hunting constituency. To overcome the potential limitations …

Investigating Growth Performance And Intestinal Barrier Integrity In Heat-Stressed Modern Broilers And Their Ancestor Jungle Fowl, Travis Tabler

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Heat stress (HS) has a negative effect on poultry production sustainability due to its adverse consequence on bird welfare, health, growth, and mortality. Although modern broilers have greater gut mass and higher energy use efficiency than unselected birds, they are more vulnerable to HS that induces “leaky gut syndrome,” or increased intestinal permeability. The aim of the current study was to determine the effect of HS on growth performance and gut barrier integrity in three modern broiler lines and their ancestor the Jungle Fowl. Four chicken populations including Giant Jungle Fowl (JF), Athens Canadian Random Bred (ACRB), 1995 Arkansas Random …

Effects Of 50:50 Proportion Bull:Cow Blend Levels And Incorporation Of Finely Textured Beef On The Color Of Precooked Ground Beef Patties, Colton Allen Althaber

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Variation in internal cooked color of ground beef is an economic concern for the ground beef market. Persistent pink color in hamburger patties can lead consumers to the perception of an undercooked product. Therefore, the objective of this study was to characterize the effects of bull:cow blend proportions, with or without finely textured beef (FTB), and cookery method on internal color of precooked ground beef patties. Batches (9.1 kg) of 85% lean ground beef were manufactured with 0, 33, 67, or 100% 50:50 bull:cow blend (remainder of lean was 100, 67, 33, or 0% Select-grade knuckles, respectively) mixed with 2 …