Animal Sciences Commons^™

Conservation Limnogeology And Benthic Habitat Mapping In Central Lake Tanganyika (Tanzania), Joseph S. Lucas

Theses and Dissertations--Earth and Environmental Sciences

Small scale protected zones are valuable for helping the health and productivity of fisheries at Lake Tanganyika (East Africa). Spatial placement of protected areas relies on accurate maps of benthic habitats, consisting of detailed bathymetry data and information on lake-floor substrates. This information is unknown for most of Lake Tanganyika. Fish diversity is known to correlate with rocky substrates in ≤ 30 m water depth, which provide spawning grounds for littoral and pelagic species. These benthic habitats form important targets for protected areas, if they can be precisely located.

At the NMVA, echosounding defined the position of the 30-m isobath …

Climate Change, Cattle, And The Challenge Of Sustainability In A Telecoupled System In Africa, Tara S. Easter, Alexander K. Killion, Neil H. Carter

Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior

Information, energy, and materials are flowing over greater distances than in the past, changing the structure and feedbacks within and across coupled human and natural systems worldwide. The telecoupling framework was recently developed to understand the feedbacks and multidirectional flows characterizing social and environmental interactions between distant systems. We extend the application of the telecoupling framework to illustrate how flows in beef affect and are affected by social-ecological processes occurring between distant systems in Africa, and how those dynamics will likely change over the next few decades because of climate-induced shifts in a major bovine disease, trypanosomosis. The disease is …

Contents, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Letter From The Dean, Deacue Fields

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

No abstract provided.

Discovery: The Student Journal Of Dale Bumpers College Of Agricultural, Food And Life Sciences - Volume 19 2018, Several Authors

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

No abstract provided.

New For Discovery: Scholarworks@Uark, Discovery Editors

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

No abstract provided.

Predicting Kidding Date Using Prepartum Milk Calcium Concentrations And Comparing Kid Growth To Colostrum Quality In Goats, Justin M. Hamm

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

Goats have an ancient history with humankind and are used as a red meat source around the world. This provides an opportunity in Arkansas agriculture. There is a gap in goat research which facilitated the conception of the study’s objectives to determine whether prepartum milk in goats showed a rise in calcium levels within 24 to 48 hours of kidding and to ascertain whether an increased colostrum density is indicative of increased weight gain in kids. Eleven does were bred out of season and monitored for mammary development. Then, 5 to 15 mL of prepartum milk were collected, and the …

Genome-Wide Association Study For The Relationship Between Temperature And Feed Intake In Beef Cattle, Robel Araya Ghebrewold

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

Environmental conditions, such as changes in ambient temperature, can cause changes in animal behavior and performance. In general, it is believed that as ambient temperature increases, dry matter intake (DMI) of beef cattle decreases. However, our hypothesis was that the degree to which animals adjust their daily DMI due to changes in ambient temperature is partially controlled by genetic effects. Consequently, the objective of this study was to estimate the genetic component of the regression of DMI on ambient temperature using an admixed beef cattle population consisting of various crosses of Angus, Simmental, and Piedmontese (n = 239). Ambient …

Seasonal Fluctuations Of Zooplankton, Dissolved Oxygen, And Temperature In Lake Bemidji, Minnesota, Cody Coyle

Journal of Earth and Life Science

With the current influx of aquatic invasive species in Minnesota lakes, the status of zooplankton has become vital. Zooplankton are at the base of all food chains in aquatic ecosystems, ecosystems that vary greatly throughout a year’s time. The objectives of this study were to 1) track the location of zooplankton throughout the water column for an entire year, and 2) establish relationships between zooplankton location and specific water column characteristics. Zooplankton, dissolved oxygen, and temperature samples were collected bi-monthly at various depths at the deepest point in the southern basin of Lake Bemidji. Zooplankton were most abundant in the …

Age-0 Walleye Growth Rates Following Spiny Water Flea Bythotrephes Longimanus Invasion, Joseph Amundson

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Within Voyageurs National Park, spiny water flea Bythotrephes longimanus has reduced Lake Kabetogama and Rainy Lake native zooplankton biomass during summer peak by 40-60%. Subsequently, planktivorous age-0 Yellow Perch Perca flavescens growth has decreased. A possible trophic cascade may influence predatory fish growth rates like that of age-0 Walleye Sander vitreus. Using seine net and electrofishing data, age-0 Walleye growth rates were modeled as a linear function of growing degree days (GDD) and the slope was compared between pre- and post-spiny water flea establishment. Nearby Lake Vermilion, assumed to have been unaffected by spiny water flea until 2015 and …

Burbot Activity In Relation To Light Penetration On Lake Bemidji, Mn, Hunter Weidenborner, Josh Janecek

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Burbot Lota lota is the only freshwater member of the family Gadidae and has a circumpolar distribution in cold-water regions. Information related to Burbot biology is limited in comparison to most fishes. Snow pack depth and ice conditions influence light penetration and therefore primary production levels. Primary production can have cascading effects on higher trophic levels. Therefore, the objective of this study was to observe if light levels penetrating through cleared and covered ice has an effect on Burbot activity in Lake Bemidji, MN. Angling for Burbot occurred for a minimum of 30 four hour sample periods at both cleared …

Rumen Bacterial Community Structure Impacts Feed Efficiency In Beef Cattle, Henry A. Paz, Kristin E. Hales, James E. Wells, Larry A. Kuehn, Harvey C. Freetly, Elaine D. Berry, Michael D. Flythe, Matthew L. Spangler, Samodha C. Fernando

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The importance of the rumen microbiota on nutrient cycling to the animal is well recognized; however, our understanding of the influence of the rumen microbiome composition on feed efficiency is limited. The rumen microbiomes of two large animal cohorts (125 heifers and 122 steers) were characterized to identify specific bacterial members (operational taxonomic units [OTUs]) associated with feed efficiency traits (ADFI, ADG, and G:F) in beef cattle. The heifer and steer cohorts were fed a forage-based diet and a concentrate-based diet, respectively. A rumen sample was obtained from each animal via esophageal tubing and bacterial community composition was …

Using Single Molecule Mrna Fluorescent In Situ Hybridization (Rna-Fish) To Quantify Mrnas In Individual Murine Oocytes And Embryos, Fang Xie, Kelsey A. Timme, Jennifer R. Wood

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Changes in abundance of mRNAs during oocyte growth and maturation and during pre-implantation embryo development have been documented using quantitative real-time RT-PCR (qPCR), microarray analyses, and whole genome sequencing. However, these techniques require amplification of mRNAs, normalization using housekeeping genes, can be biased for abundant transcripts, and/or require large numbers of oocytes and embryos which can be difficult to acquire from mammalian species. We optimized a single molecule RNA fluorescence in situ hybridization (RNA-FISH) protocol, which amplifies fluorescence signal to detect candidate transcripts, for use with individual oocytes and embryos. Quantification using the software Localize showed patterns of Gdf9 and …

Effects Of Dietary Supplementation Of Formaldehyde And Crystalline Amino Acids On Gut Microbial Composition Of Nursery Pigs, H. E. Williams, R. A. Chochrane, J. C. Woodworth, J. M. Derouchey, S. S. Dritz, M. D. Tokach, C. K. Jones, S. C. Fernando, Thomas E. Burkey, Y. S. Li, R. D. Goodband, R. G. Amachawadi

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Formaldehyde-based feed additives are approved in the US for Salmonella control and reducing bacterial contamination in animal feed. However, we hypothesize formaldehyde inclusion in swine diets may influence gut microbial composition due to its antimicrobial properties which might negatively influence microbial populations and pig growth performance. Also, formaldehyde inclusion in diets is known to reduce the dietary availability of amino acids. Therefore, our study was conducted to characterize if the effects of feed formaldehyde-treatment are due to influences on microbial population or diet amino acid (AA) sources. Dietary treatments were arranged in a (2 × 2) + 1 factorial with …

Synaptogyrin-2 Influences Replication Of Porcine Circovirus 2, Lianna R. Walker, Taylor B. Engle, Hiep Vu, Emily R. Tosky, Dan J. Nonneman, Timothy P. L. Smith, Tudor Borza, Thomas E. Burkey, Graham S. Plastow, Stephen D. Kachman, Daniel C. Ciobanu

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Porcine circovirus 2 (PCV2) is a circular single-stranded DNA virus responsible for a group of diseases collectively known as PCV2 Associated Diseases (PCVAD). Variation in the incidence and severity of PCVAD exists between pigs suggesting a host genetic component involved in pathogenesis. A large-scale genome-wide association study of experimentally infected pigs (n = 974), provided evidence of a host genetic role in PCV2 viremia, immune response and growth during challenge. Host genotype explained 64% of the phenotypic variation for overall viral load, with two major Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) identified on chromosome 7 (SSC7) near the swine leukocyte antigen complex …

Effects Of Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn Containing An Α-Amylase Trait On Finishing Cattle Performance And Carcass Characteristics, M. L. Jolly-Breithaupt, M. E. Harris, B. L. Nuttelman, D. B. Burken, J. C. Macdonald, M. K. Leubbe, T. K. Iragavarapu, G. E. Erickson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Two experiments evaluated the effects of feeding a new corn hybrid, containing an α-amylase enzyme trait, Syngenta Enogen Feed Corn (SYT-EFC), on feedlot performance and carcass characteristics at two locations. Experiment 1 utilized 300 calffed steers (298.5 ± 16.3 kg of BW) at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Eastern Nebraska Research and Extension Center Mead, NE. Treatments were designed as a 2 × 2 + 1– factorial arrangement with factors consisting of 1) corn type (SYT-EFC or conventional [CON]) and 2) byproduct type (with or without Sweet Bran [SB]), or a BLEND of STY-EFC and CON without SB. In Exp. 2, …

Improved Reference Genome For The Domestic Horse Increases Assembly Contiguity And Composition, Theodore S. Kalbfleisch, Edward S. Rice, Michael S. Depriest Jr., Brian P. Walenz, Matthew S. Hestand, Joris R. Vermeesch, Brendan L. O'Connell, Ian T. Fiddes, Alisa O. Vershinina, Nedda F. Saremi, Jessica L. Petersen, Carrie J. Finno, Rebecca R. Bellone, Molly E. Mccue, Samantha A. Brooks, Ernest Bailey, Ludovic Orlando, Richard E. Green, Donald C. Miller, Douglas F. Antczak, James N. Macleod

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Recent advances in genomic sequencing technology and computational assembly methods have allowed scientists to improve reference genome assemblies in terms of contiguity and composition. EquCab2, a reference genome for the domestic horse, was released in 2007. Although of equal or better quality compared to other first-generation Sanger assemblies, it had many of the shortcomings common to them. In 2014, the equine genomics research community began a project to improve the reference sequence for the horse, building upon the solid foundation of EquCab2 and incorporating new short-read data, long-read data, and proximity ligation data. Here, we present EquCab3. The count of …

Genome-Wide Association Study Of Stayability And Heifer Pregnancy In Red Angus Cattle, S. E. Speidel, B. A. Buckley, R. J. Boldt, R. M. Enns, J. Lee, Matthew L. Spangler, M. G. Thomas

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Reproductive performance is the most important component of cattle production from the standpoint of economic sustainability of commercial beef enterprises. Heifer Pregnancy (HPG) and Stayability (STAY) genetic predictions are 2 selection tools published by the Red Angus Association of America (RAAA) to assist with improvements in reproductive performance. Given the importance of HPG and STAY to the profitability of commercial beef enterprises, the objective of this study was to identify QTL associated with both HPG and STAY in Red Angus cattle. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using deregressed HPG and …

Genome-Wide Association Study For Feed Efficiency Traits Using Snp And Haplotype Models, Kashly Rene Schweer, Stephen D. Kachman, Larry A. Kuehn, Harvey Freetly, John E. Pollak, Matthew L. Spangler

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Feed costs comprise the majority of variable expenses in beef cattle systems making feed efficiency an important economic consideration within the beef industry. Due to the expense of recording individual feed-intake phenotypes, a genomic-enabled approach could be advantageous toward improving this economically relevant trait complex. A genome-wide association study (GWAS) was performed using 748 crossbred steers and heifers representing seven sire breeds with phenotypes for ADG and ADFI. Animals were genotyped with the BovineSNP50v2 BeadChip containing approximately 54,000 SNP. Both traits were analyzed using univariate SNPbased (BayesC) and haplotype-based (BayesIM) models and jointly using BayesIM to perform a bivariate GWAS. …

Risks Associated To Different Methods Of Increasing Pregnancy Rate Of Cows In Cow-Calf Systems, Tamara Esteves De Oliveira, Julio Otavio Jardim Barcellos, Jack Whittier, Odilene De Souza Teixeira, David Santos De Freitas, Ricardo Pedroso Oaigen, Matheus Dhein Dill, Concepta Mcmanus

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This study assessed the risks of different management practices to increase pregnancy rate in beef cow-calf systems, aiming at assisting decision-making. The perception of 18 experts on animal sciences regarding the risks of 32 nutritional, breeding, and general management practices applied to increase pregnancy rate were evaluated through questionnaires. The experts were selected by a non-probability sampling of researchers on veterinary and animal sciences. In addition, five farmers and eight technical consultants were also selected. The questionnaire was applied during a face-to-face meeting. The risk of each practice was assessed according to four factors, namely, cost, technical knowledge, operational complexity, …

Rumen Bacterial Composition In Lambs Is Affected By Β-Adrenergic Agonist Supplementation And Heat Stress At The Phylum Level, Erin M. Duffy, Shauna M. Tietze, Allison L. Knoell, Nirosh D. Aluthge, Samodha C. Fernando, Ty B. Schmidt, Dustin T. Yates, Jessica L. Petersen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The rumen has several important physiological functions, including absorption, transport, metabolic activity, and host protection (Roh et al., 2007). The rumen is extensively researched due to the importance of ruminants in agriculture and the major role played by rumen microbes in nutrient utilization and health of the ruminant animal. The microbial community of the rumen is altered by diet (McCann et al., 2014), age (Jami et al., 2013), and environment.

Chronic Maternal Inflammation During Late Gestation Impairs Subsequent Β-Cell Function But Not Islet Growth In Fetal Sheep, M.D. Abebe, C.N. Cadaret, T.B. Barnes, K.A. Beede, D. T. Yates

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR) greatly increases perinatal mortality and morbidity rates, and leads to much greater risk for metabolic complications later in life. One such complication is the development of glucose intolerance or diabetes, which typically develops concurrently with abhorrent patterns of insulin secretions due to diminished β-cell mass and impaired function as well as an overall reduction in pancreatic endocrine tissue. The mechanisms by which IUGR causes problems with health and function of the pancreatic islets are not well understood. Therefore, our goal for this study was to determine how materno-fetal inflammation (MI) affects β-cell growth and function. To …

Research Note Prediction Model For Manure Zinc Excretion In Laying Hens, Kelli M. Martin, N. Vargas-Jurado, S. E. Purdum

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this research trial was to compare 2 sources of zinc and different levels of supplementation on manure zinc excretion in laying hens. Bovan White Leghorn hens were used in this study and fed one of 6 dietary treatments. Treatments were in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement with 2 sources of zinc (zinc sulfate or Availa R < Zn) and 3 levels (40, 80, or 120 ppm) and were randomly assigned to 48 cages with 5 hens/cage and 8 replicates/treatment. Hens were housed in a tiered manure-belt housing system providing 627.1 cm2/hen and were given access to 110 g/hen/d of feed. Manure samples were collected, and manure zinc content was calculated at 10- week intervals. Data were analyzed using the Glimmix procedure in SAS. There was a significant overall effect of source (P < 0.0001) for zinc content, such that hens fed zinc sulfate had lower amounts of zinc excretion. There was also a significant level effect (P < 0.0001) in which hens fed 120 ppm zinc excreted the greatest amount of zinc. A significant source by level interaction was observed (P < 0.0001) for both the overall and individual analyses, such that 120 ppm Availa R < Zn showed the highest zinc excretion, and both 40 ppm zinc sulfate and Availa R < Zn showed the lowest zinc excretion. Based on these results, a prediction equation was written for an estimated amount of zinc excretion based on the amount of zinc provided in the diet.

Shinyaim: Shiny‐Based Application Of Interactive Manhattan Plots For Longitudinal Genome‐Wide Association Studies, Waseem Hussain, Malachy T. Campbell, Harkamal Walia, Gota Morota

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Owning to advancements in sensor‐based, non‐destructive phenotyping platforms, researchers are increasingly collecting data with higher temporal resolution. These phenotypes collected over several time points are cataloged as longitudinal traits and used for genome‐wide association studies (GWAS). Longitudinal GWAS typically yield a large number of output files, posing a significant challenge to data interpretation and visualization. Efficient, dynamic, and integrative data visualization tools are essential for the interpretation of longitudinal GWAS results for biologists; however, these tools are not widely available to the community. We have developed a flexible and user‐friendly Shiny‐based online application, ShinyAIM, to dynamically view and interpret temporal …

Primeness In Early Season Arkansas Raccoon Pelts, D. Blake Sasse

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Trapping seasons in the United States are generally set around the time of the year when pelts are in “prime” condition and are in their most valuable state. In order to assess whether the start of the Arkansas trapping season is at an appropriate date 122 raccoons were captured during the month of November in 2014 and 2015. Based on the evaluation of experienced fur dealers, the percentage of pelts in prime condition was then assessed on weekly and half-monthly basis. This study indicates that starting the trapping season in the last half of the month may maximize the percentage …

Effects Of Large-Scale Density Reduction On Brown Trout Growth And Movement In Spearfish Creek, South Dakota, Travis Rehm

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Density-dependent growth is often observed in stream-dwelling Brown Trout Salmo trutta populations. In Spearfish Creek, South Dakota, biomass of adult Brown Trout (>200 mm) is about three times greater than that reported for similar Black Hills streams while mean length of adult fish is about 30% less. Here, we evaluate large-scale density reduction as a management tool for improving growth rate of stream-dwelling Brown Trout. We compared age-specific growth of wild Brown Trout in stream sections receiving 50% reductions in fish abundance. We also assessed the effect of fish density manipulation on Brown Trout movement patterns and home range …

The Influence Of Spore-Forming Microorganisms On The Quality And Functionality Of Cultured Dairy Products, Dipakkumar Mehta

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Spore formers are observed as the common spoilage-causing microflora in milk and dairy products. Their spore-forming ability increases their survivability during heat treatment which leads to their presence in a final product. Spore-forming bacteria have ability to produce many types of spoilage-causing enzymes which are potential to influence quality and functionality of the final product. Many researchers have studied the ability of spore formers to induce a spoilage in various dairy products but as per our knowledge, their spoilage-causing activities are not described in a detail for cultured dairy products. In our first objective, we have studied the ability of …

Comparison Of Retaining Replacement Heifers In A Straight-Bred Angus System Versus Purchasing Crossbred Replacement Heifers To Be Bred To A Terminal Sire, Grady D. Ruble

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two evaluations were conducted to evaluate the biological and economic production efficiency of retaining replacement females in a straight-bred Angus herd (HR) as opposed to purchasing crossbred replacements for a terminal sire production system (PR) where maximum maternal and individual heterosis is achieved. The first study was a comparison of the HR system versus PR system. It was modeled after a 100 hd, straightbred Angus cowherd that raises their own replacement females. The (NASEM, 2016) model was used to determine the required metabolizable energy (ME)/animal for each stage of production. Stages were broken into segments including weaning – d 28, …

Can Solvent-Or Mechanically-Extracted Carinata Meal Be Used As An Effective Source Of Supplemental Protein To Cows Fed Poor Quality Forages?, Emily Jacklyn Rosenthal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Brassica carinata is an oilseed crop that requires a relatively short growing season and produces high crop yields. It is a great source for aviation biofuel, however it produces a large amount of waste that may be used as a protein supplement for cattle. We tested the effects of solvent- or mechanically-extracted carinata meal as a protein supplement to ad libitum ground or long-stem corn residue (i.e., corn plant left over from grain harvest) had on cow performance and digestibility. Fifty-six non-pregnant cows in 8 pens had ad libitum access to either long-stem or ground corn residue in addition to …

Strategies To Improve Calf Performance: Improving Water Quality, Feeding Microbially-Enhanced Soy Protein, And Supplementing Condensed Whey Solubles, Nirosh Dias Senevirathne

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Six experiments were conducted for this dissertation research to evaluate strategies to improve growth performance and health of calves. Growth performance, nutrient utilization, and health effects were evaluated when calves were offered water treated with reverse osmosis system (RW), fed starter pellets supplemented with microbially-enhanced soy protein (MSP) or supplemented condensed whey solubles (CWS). The first two experiments were conducted to determine drinking preference, growth performance, and health of dairy calves offered RW or by a municipal water treatment plant (MW), compared with local untreated well water (WW). First a sequential elimination study was conducted to observed drinking preference of …