Animal Sciences Commons^™

Usu Subaward: Creation Of A Cooperative Bs Degree Program For The Marianas Islands And Beyond, Abby Benninghoff

Funded Research Records

No abstract provided.

An Updated Annotated Checklist Of The Mammals Of The Crane Trust, Hall County, Nebraska, Bethany L. Ostrom, Amanda H. Medaries, Andrew J. Caven, Jenna M. Malzahn, Alexa Rojas, Matthew R. Schaaf, David M. Baasch, Thomas E. Labedz, Greg D. Wright

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

The Crane Trust is a regional nonprofit conservation organization that has protected land in the biologically important Central Platte River Valley for over four decades. A mammal inventory was conducted on the Crane Trust’s main habitat complex in 1980. Since, a variety of environmental conditions have shifted locally, regionally, and globally. An analysis of the mammal community was conducted using past and recent data to determine how species composition and relative abundance have shifted categorically from 1980 to 2021. We used all available data to categorize relative abundance during two distinct time periods per a modified “DAFOR” scale including 7 …

Hogfish (Lachnolaimus Maximus) Neurocranium, Nate B. Nutting-Hartman, Naya H. Mondrosch, David W. Kerstetter

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

No abstract provided.

Fisheries Research Report No. 362: Characterising Essential Benthic Habitats And Environmental Drivers Of Fishery Recruitment In The Exmouth Gulf Prawn Managed Fishery, Scott Evans, Nick Konzewitsch, Rachel Marks, Renae Hovey, Gary A. Kendrick, Lynda M. Bellchambers

Fisheries Research Reports

Fisheries management relies on the development and evolution of effective assessment and monitoring techniques that are applicable in a range of fishery contexts (Fletcher et al., 2016; L. M. Robinson et al., 2021). The assessment of fish habitats and environmental drivers that influence recruitment is central to sustainable fisheries management (de Lestang et al., 2010; Galindo-Cortes et al., 2010; Gao & Wang, 2021). Western Australia conducts robust fishery-specific monitoring and assessment programs to ensure the sustainable use of its aquatic resources (Newman et al., 2023). However, few long-term datasets exist that directly monitor critical fish habitats and environmental conditions that …

The Nebraska Bird Review (December 2025) 93(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes to The Nebraska Bird Review, by Janis Paseka

Fall Field Report, August–November 2025, by W. Ross Silcock

First definitive records of Hermit Thrush and Wilson’s Warbler subspecies for Nebraska, by Stephen J. Brenner and Joel G. Jorgensen

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 26–28, 2025

Index to Volume 93

Subscription and Organization Information

Index To Volume 93

Nebraska Bird Review

Adams, Morgan
Aguiar: Maritza, Stephanie
Albright, Don
Alexander: Jeff, Jan
Aliferis, Taylor
Allard, Savannah
Allen, Edward
Allison, Betty
Altman, Dakota
Alvarado, A. H.
Ammon, E. M.
Anandan, Sampath Kumar
Andersen, Brett
Anderson: Ann, Chris, Will
Andrews, Ryan
Anhinga
Ani, Groove-billed
Annunziata, Laura
Armstrong, Nancy
Augustine, Jackie
Aurilio, James
Avocet, American

. . .

Zagst: Fred, Kay
Zeillemaker, Fred
Zemaitis, William
Zicafoose, Kirby
Zonotrichia leucophrys: gambelii, leucophrys, oriantha

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2025 NOU Fall Field Days were held in Ogallala on September 26–28, with about 80 in attendance. The programs were held at the Quality Inn, and the meeting was planned by Boni Edwards, Dave Cunningham, and Paul Pearson. Field trips were led by Tobin and Keegan Brown, Jacob Cooper and UNK ornithology students, Joel Jorgensen and Stephen Brenner, T. J. Walker, and Thane Dinsdale. Destinations included various sites around Lake McConaughy, Lake Ogallala, Cedar Point Biological Station, Sutherland Reservoir SRA, Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Crescent Lake NWR, Arthur Co and various Sandhills lakes. The total species count was …

First Definitive Records Of Hermit Thrush And Wilson’S Warbler Subspecies For Nebraska, Stephen J. Brenner, Joel G. Jorgensen

Nebraska Bird Review

During the fall of 2025, we initiated a pilot migratory bird-banding project in the Nebraska Panhandle. While the project’s goals included examining species composition, volume, and body condition of migratory birds at the western edge of the state compared to the eastern edge of the state, we also used this project to document the occurrence of subspecies and species which are very challenging or impossible to identify through field observation. Here, we report on the first definitive records of two subspecies in Nebraska.

On 16 September 2025, SJB banded an adult male Wilson’s Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) that was …

Fall Field Report, August–November 2025, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As in previous fall seasons, by far the most modifications to BONO came from late departure dates; around 87 species were included, no fewer than 13 of these setting record late dates, notably Eastern Whip-poor-will, Mountain Plover, Brown Thrasher (north), Henslow’s Sparrow (flight call only), and Orchard Oriole.

Although this is a Fall Seasonal Report, noted or suggested breeding activity is of interest. Exciting were the 2nd and 3rd presumed breeding records of Black-chinned Hummingbird and, in Dodge Co, the 5th record of breeding by Black-bellied Whistling-Duck. Perhaps the strangest west to east occurrence was a Golden Eagle adventure in …

Changes To The Nebraska Bird Review, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

As of this issue, The Nebraska Bird Review has been in existence for 93 years, looking very much now as it did when it began in 1933. However, due to the increasing costs of printing and postage, there will be some changes in its future. Our newsletter, The Burrowing Owl, is already provided online to our members, in a user-friendly and informative form. Future issues of The Nebraska Bird Review will also utilize a digital format to offer a more timely and colorful publication.

This is the final issue for which Ross Silcock will be compiler of the seasonal …

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.

Impacts Of Nutrient Addition And Disturbance On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities And Trophic Interactions, Kayla Beitzel

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

Coastal dune ecosystems face ongoing threats from human-mediated disturbance and altered resource availability. Because these dunes provide critical habitat for many organisms, including shorebirds, beach mice, and arthropods, changes in disturbance regimes or resource availability can impact plant communities and higher trophic levels by altering plant richness and productivity, which in turn influence arthropod abundance and diversity. To examine how disturbance and nutrient addition affect arthropod communities, we established twenty 5×5 m plots on Dauphin Island, crossing mechanical disturbance with a 10 g m⁻² addition of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium, replicated across five experimental blocks. Arthropods were sampled using three …

Prediction Equations For In Vitro Nutrient Utilization Of Bakery Byproducts For Pigs, Junghyun Oh, Hansol Kim, Yoon Soo Song, Noa Park, Youl-Chang Baek, Chung Hyun Kim, Beob Gyun Kim

The Philippine Agricultural Scientist

This study aimed to develop equations for predicting the in vitro ileal disappearance (IVID) of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) and in vitro total tract disappearance (IVTTD) of DM and organic matter (OM) in bakery byproducts based on their chemical composition, including neutral detergent fiber (NDF). Ten sources of bakery byproducts were tested for IVID and IVTTD of nutrients using a 2-step procedure simulating the digestion and absorption in the stomach and small intestine and a 3-step procedure simulating the digestion and absorption in the stomach, small intestine, and large intestine of pigs. The prediction models for IVID …

Cattlefever: An Automated Cattle Fever Estimation System, Trong Thang Pham, Ethan Coffman, Beth Kegley, Jeremy G. Powell, Jiangchao Zhao, Ngan Le

Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Farmers face the critical challenge of monitoring cattle well-being for both ethical and economic success, relying on signals like body temperature and facial expressions to assess their animals' health. However, these indicators have traditionally relied on human observation with manual measurement, which is time-consuming and subjective. Despite this clear need, no automated system currently exists for monitoring cattle body temperature, and available datasets remain limited in scope. To address these challenges, we make two key contributions: (i) We introduce CattleFace-RGBT, a novel RGB-Thermal (RGB-T) Cattle Facial Landmark dataset consisting of 2,300 paired RGB and thermal images (4,600 images in total), …

Patch Mow Grazing: Investigating The Effects Of Mowing On Forage Nutritive Value, The Biomass–Nutritive Value Relationship, And Herbivore Selection, Trace R. Stauble

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Herbivore foraging behavior plays a critical role in shaping grassland structural heterogeneity, with selection often driven by forage biomass and nutritive value. Currently, it is thought that herbivores primarily select areas that are greater in nutritive value, and low in biomass. More specifically, disturbances like fire and grazing have been thoroughly studied showing that recently burned and grazed areas are not only higher in nutritive value but disproportionately selected by herbivores in comparison to undisturbed areas. However, most studies address only narrow ranges of defoliation, comparing intensely defoliated sites (< 10 cm) to those that are either not defoliated or have experienced a much longer time since defoliation, thereby decreasing grazing pressure as biomass increases. However, one of the most widely used methods of defoliation in grasslands, mowing, hasn’t been thoroughly studied for its effects on nutritive value, and how it impacts herbivore selection. Our study aimed to (1) evaluate how mowing treatments—i.e., short (5 cm), medium (18 cm), and tall (>30 cm, unmown)—affect nutritive value and herbivore selection, (2) assess …

Fisheries Research Report No. 363 : South-West Freshwater Angling: Estimates Of Participation, Effort And Catch For 2024/25, Claire B. Smallwood, Karina L. Ryan, Eva Lai

Fisheries Research Reports

South-West Freshwater Angling (SWFA) in Western Australia is a licensed fishery primarily targeting the Brown Trout (Salmo trutta) and Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), which are stocked in selected dams and rivers, as well as the introduced Redfin Perch (Perca fluviatilis) and the native Freshwater Cobbler (Tandanus bostocki). Since 2000/01, annual phone-recall surveys have been undertaken using the SWFA licence database as the sampling frame. This monitoring provides information to understand the fishery and support future management decisions. For the first time, data are reported by basin for different waterbody types (public dams, rivers) as well as for specific key fishing …

Characterizing The Relationship Between Parturition In Beef Cattle And The Lunar Phase And Meteorological Factors., Caroline E. Chambers

Honors College Theses

For beef cattle, parturition is one of the most critical stages in the reproductive process. It is crucial that farmers understand the factors that may influence the timing of parturition. There is a persistent preconception that the onset of parturition is influenced by the lunar phase and weather factors. The objective of this study is to characterize the association between parturition in beef cattle, the lunar phase, and/or different weather factors such as barometric pressure and temperature. Cattle records were obtained from Chambers Family Farm in Cumberland Furnace, TN. Data was collected from 142 calvings from January 2017 to October …

Life History And Distribution Of Two Species Of Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus And Rhinoptera Brasiliensis, In Mississippi Coastal Waters, Anna Millender

Master's Theses

Historically, the American Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) was considered the only rhinopterid residing in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM); however, recent studies have confirmed the presence of the Brazilian Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera brasiliensis) throughout this region. The current study investigated the life history and distribution of both species within Mississippi waters, an area that previously represented a data gap for both species. From April 2016 – July 2025, 193 R. bonasus and 94 R. brasiliensis were analyzed to describe the reproductive biology. Reproductive timing, mating, gestation length, and parturition were similar among species. Although more …

Broiler Responsiveness To Dietary Amino Acid Density In A Commercial Setting, Virginia Slick

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The majority of research assessing the amino acid responsiveness in broilers has been conducted in experimental designs utilizing pens that contain 12 to 25 birds with high replication. While this trial design is beneficial as a way to perform high replications with multiple treatments in a way that is both economically and spatially feasible, it may not accurately translate to a rearing environment more similar to that of commercial open floor housing. This research was conducted to determine if the effects of lysine driven amino acid density diets that have been found in the traditional floor pen setting correlate to …

Parasite Sedimentary Dna Reveals Fish Introduction Into A European High-Mountain Lake By The Seventh Century, Elena Fagín, Marisol Felip, Anton Brancelj, Pere Masqué, Jordi Catalan

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

High-mountain lakes were historically fishless due to natural barriers, but human introductions have led to widespread fish presence. Although particularly intensive during the last decades, historical documents indicate introductions in European high mountains already during the 14th and 15th centuries, but they could have occurred before, provided the intensive land use of the high mountain had started earlier. We used ancient environmental DNA from lake sediments (sedDNA) to investigate this hypothesis. Fish ectoparasites from various clades were identified using the 18S rRNA gene in the sediment record of a deep, high-mountain Pyrenean lake, with Ichthyobodo (Kinetoplastea) being of particular interest …

The Distribution And Reproductive Success Of The Western Snowy Plover Along The Central And Southern Oregon Coast - 2025, David J. Lauten, Kathleen A. Castelein, Mary Lee, Jessica Burr, Marty R. Mccamant, Eleanor P. Gaines

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

We monitored the distribution, abundance and productivity of the federally threatened Western Snowy Plover (Anarhynchus nivosus nivosus) along the central and south coast of Oregon from 3 April – 10 September 2025. We surveyed and monitored plover activity in a project area that included, from north to south, Sutton Beach, Siltcoos River estuary, the Dunes Overlook, North Tahkenitch Creek, Tenmile Creek, Coos Bay North Spit (CBNS), Bandon Snowy Plover Management Area (SPMA), New River Habitat Restoration Area (HRA) and adjacent lands, and Floras Lake. Our objectives for the project area in 2025 were to: 1) estimate the size of the …

Fragmentation In The U. S. Fed Cattle Market: Implications For Price Transparency And Discovery, Taralee M. Hudson

Department of Agricultural Economics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The U.S. fed cattle market is one plagued by recurring stakeholder concern. Market participants frequently raise questions about the transparency of fundamental information under existing reporting frameworks, and the extent to which Private Negotiation, the dominant trading institution, effectively facilitates price discovery. Although extensive research has sought to address these issues, much of it has failed to account for the market’s increasingly fragmented structure. This thesis is comprised of three chapters that collectively examine price transparency and discovery through the lens of market fragmentation. Each chapter presents research related to the fed cattle market and is intended to stand …

Recovery And Characterization Of Moraxella Species From Bovine Specimens, Laura G. Leger

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

The family Moraxellaceae is made up of a diverse group of 24 named species that fall into three phylogenetic groups. While most Moraxella spp. act as commensal respiratory and/or ocular flora of mammals, some are associated with disease. One of these diseases, infectious bovine keratoconjunctivitis (IBK), has significant welfare and economic impacts to both cattle and cattle producers. Moraxella bovis is the only experimentally determined cause of IBK, however, an association of Moraxella bovoculi with disease has been proposed. Currently, available vaccines do not have high levels of efficacy in the field. Culture based methods are the gold standard for …

An Integrated Modeling Framework To Evaluate Circularity Of The Corn–Water–Ethanol–Beef Nexus, Heydi Han

Dissertations and Doctoral Documents, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2023–

This dissertation examines the transition from conventional linear agricultural and food bioenergy systems toward more circular, resilient, and resource-efficient configurations. Prior research indicates that spatial and temporal variability in soil, weather, animal biological responses, and management decisions strongly influences productivity, nutrient-use efficiency, and profitability. Studies have also shown that a diversified circular system can buffer these sources of variability, improving stability and adaptive capacity. Building on these insights, the central focus of this work is to develop an integrated modeling framework to evaluate circularity within the Corn-Water-Ethanol-Beef (CWEB) nexus and explore how climate variability and management choices shape system-wide performance. …

Serum Concentrations Of Inflammatory Markers And Selected Nutrient Metabolites In Holstein And Jersey Cows Across The Transition Period, Avery Orr

Master's Theses

The transition period, spanning the weeks surrounding parturition, requires dairy cows to undergo synchronized metabolic, endocrine, and immunological adjustments that support the onset of lactation but also heighten disease susceptibility. Although individual inflammatory or metabolic biomarkers have been extensively studied, the integrated immunometabolic dynamics that occur across this period and the difference between breeds is not fully understood. The objective of this study was to characterize longitudinal patterns in key nutrient metabolites and inflammatory markers in Holstein and Jersey cows and assess how these systems interact across the transition period.

A total of 63 Holstein and Jersey cows were sampled …

Impacts Of Including Sprouted Barley In The Diet Of Beef Cattle On Production, Ruminal Health, And Meat Quality, Zachary C. Crump

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Beef producers in the United States are working to meet rising global demand for animal protein while facing major challenges such as drought, climate uncertainty, and rapid urbanization. These issues make it difficult to produce consistent and dependable feed, pushing producers to explore new ways to grow feed using fewer natural resources. Vertical farming systems are one option that can grow sprouted cereal grains indoors throughout the year while using decreased land and water than traditional agriculture. Sprouted barley grows within six to seven days and may serve as a nutrient dense alternative feed source for cattle at several stages …

National-Scale Open Cattle Feedlot Detection Using Deep Learning And High-Resolution Aerial Images: Spatial Distribution And Animal Welfare Analysis, Uilson Ricardo Venancio Aires, Vitor Souza Martins, Dakota Hester, Thainara Lima, Lucas Borges Ferreira

Research Data

Open cattle feedlots are a major form of beef production infrastructure in the United States, characterized by outdoor confinement, high animal densities, and regulated feeding practices. Despite their economic importance, a comprehensive and spatially consistent national database of these facilities remains limited. This dataset provides labeled training data, trained deep learning models, and geospatial detection outputs developed to support automated identification of open cattle feedlots from aerial imagery. The dataset includes a manually curated shapefile of 11,746 open cattle feedlot facilities identified through visual interpretation of high-resolution aerial imagery in highly productive counties of Nebraska, Kansas, and Texas. These labels …

Taxonomy Of Endophytic Fungi Associated With Vallisneria Neotropicalis, Md. Arafat Rashid

Graduate Theses and Dissertations (2019 - present)

This study presents the first comprehensive taxonomic and ecological investigation of endophytic fungi (EF) associated with the submerged aquatic macrophyte Vallisneria neotropicalis in the southern United States. Over a 12 month period, from April 2023 to March 2024, leaf samples were collected from two distinct sites in Mobile Bay, Alabama a disturbed, brackish Causeway location and a cleaner, less impacted site at Meaher State Park. Using culture dependent methods, a total of 257 fungal endophytes were isolated from 1,200 leaf segments. All isolates belonged to the phylum Ascomycota, distributed across 3 classes, 6 orders, 10 families, and 19 taxa. The …

Factors Affecting Diet Selection In Sheep Fed Endophyte-Infected Toxic Fescue, Jordan Thomas

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Tall fescue infected with endophyte‑producing fungi can induce fescue toxicosis in grazing ruminants, reducing performance and altering forage intake. Isoflavones—such as biochanin A, a major compound in red clover (Trifolium pratense)—have been proposed to mitigate these effects through improved palatability and vascular relaxation. This study examined whether inclusion of ground red clover (GRC)—either directly or combined with hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) and polyethylene glycol (PEG)—affected voluntary diet selection in lambs offered toxic fescue.

Thirty‑two lambs were housed individually and assigned randomly to one of four diets: (1) toxic fescue silage (CONT), (2) silage + 5% GRC (RC5), (3) silage + 10% …

Establishment Of Native Warm-Season Forages Using Organic Practices, Kolten Ray Wright

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Abstract Grassland agriculture is seen as a particularly sustainable form of agriculture. Many opportunities are known to use organic production methods or incorporate native warm-season grasses (NWSG) to accomplish both production goals and environmental or social outcomes. Environmental concerns have led some practitioners to question the use of organic methods to establish NWSG. As limited work has been accomplished in the northern bermudagrass belt, this project sought to compare organic establishment strategies for common NWSG species. A field trial conducted at the USDA ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, AR found that NWSG establishment success in the …