Animal Sciences Commons^™

Reproductive Biology Of The Tiger Shark In The Western Atlantic Ocean, Chelsea Shields

UNF Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Although tiger sharks are an important apex predator in many ecosystems, little is known about their reproduction. The goal of this study was to determine the size-at-maturity and the reproductive seasonality of tiger sharks in the western Atlantic Ocean. This was achieved using a combination of ultrasonography and measurements of plasma hormone concentrations; in particular, testosterone for males and estradiol and progesterone for females. Steroid hormone concentrations were measured using chemiluminescent assays (CLIA). Maturity was also examined through histology of reproductive organs in females and clasper calcification in males. Females were found to mature between 270 and 310 cm total …

Migratory Patterns And Population Genetic Structure In A Declining Wetland-Dependent Songbird, Matthew G. Desaix

Theses and Dissertations

Understanding migratory connectivity is essential for assessing the drivers behind population dynamics and for implementing effective management in migratory species. Genetic markers provide a means to describe migratory connectivity, as well as incorporate population genetic analyses, however genetic markers can be uninformative for species with weak genetic structure. In this study, we evaluate range-wide population genetic structure and migratory connectivity in the prothonotary warbler, Protonotaria citrea, a wetland-dependent neotropical migratory songbird, using high-resolution genetic markers. We reveal regional genetic structure between sampling sites in the Mississippi River Valley and the Atlantic Seaboard with overall weak genetic differentiation among populations …

Consequences Of Porcine Zona Pellucida Immunocontraception To Feral Horses, Cassandra M.V. Nuñez

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Porcine zona pellucida (PZP) immunocontraception was developed to provide a more humane, effective, and inexpensive method of population regulation for wildlife species. It has been used to regulate populations of several species including white tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), elk (Cervus elaphus ), black bear (Ursus americanus ), and the feral horse (Equus ferus caballus) with varying levels of success. Early studies on Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, USA, suggested PZP was as an ideal form of fertility control because it reduced the likelihood of conception to

Wild Horse Demography: Implications For Sustainable Management Within Economic Constraints, Robert A. Garrott

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Management of wild horse (Equus ferus caballus ) populations on western U.S. rangelands has been a challenge since horses were given legal protection through the passage of the Wild Free-Roaming Horses and Burros Act (WFRHBA) in 1971. Horses have no eff ective predators, and unmanaged populations can double in 4–5 years and triple in 6–8 years. In order to meet the multiple-use paradigm for managing public rangelands, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) has limited horse population growth through the periodic capture and removal of animals. While the WFRHBA mandates disposal of captured horses through placement into private ownership and …

Cooperative Conservation To Enhance Human–Wildlife Interactions, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the editors commentary

Portable Electric Fencing For Bear Deterrence And Conservation, Tom S. Smith, Bryan Hopkins, John Gookin, Samantha Thompson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Although bear-inflicted (Ursus spp.) human fatalities are rare in North America, human injuries, property damage, and bear mortalities occur wherever bears and humans commingle. We investigated the efficacy of portable electric fencing systems for bear deterrence under a variety of environmental conditions in the lab and field. Our results showed that the bear deterrent systems we evaluated were effective in protecting humans, their food, and property from bears >99% of the time. Herein, we discuss the benefits of using electric fencing, reasons why fences sometimes fail, and provide guidance regarding the most effective implementation of the systems we evaluated. …

Improving Human-Wildlife Interactions By Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Terry Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the editors commentary

Sloth Bear Attacks On Humans In Central India: Implications For Species Conservation, Nisha Singh, Swapnil Sonone, Nishith Dharaiya

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Conflicts with wild animals are increasing as human populations grow and related anthropogenic activities encroach into wildlife habitats. A good example of this situation is the increase in conflicts between humans and sloth bears (Melursus ursinus) in India. Sloth bears are known for their aggressive and unpredictable behavior. More human fatalities and injuries have been attributed to sloth bear attacks than all recorded incidences of wildlife attacks in Buldhana Forest Division of Maharashtra, India. We interviewed 51 victims that were attacked by sloth bears between 2009-2017 to better understand the reasons for the attacks. Thirty-four of the attacks …

A Call For Proactive Human–Bear Conflict Mitigation, Annabella R. Helman

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This commentary serves as a call to action for the creation of proactive mitigation efforts to lessen human–bear conflict based on comprehensive predictive data models.

Can The Vaquita Be Saved From Extinction?, Gerardo Rodríguez-Quiroz, Wenceslao Valenzuela-Quiñonez, Héctor A. González-Ocampo, Alfredo Ortega-Rubio

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The vaquita (Phocoena sinus) is considered the world’s most endangered marine mammal. It is the smallest member of the porpoise family endemic to the upper part of the Gulf of California. The current population is estimated at less than 30 individuals. The primary reasons for the species decline includes limited habitat and incidental mortalities associated with illegal gillnet fishing activities. Since 2008, the Mexican government has taken environmental and economic actions to protect the vaquita’s focusing in reducing by-catch deaths to zero. In 2015, a federal Agreement decreed by the Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo Rural, Pesca y …

Motivations And Satisfaction Of North Dakota Deer Hunters During A Temporal Decline In Deer Populations, Kristen E. Black, William F. Jensen, Robert Newman, Jason R. Boulanger

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Achieving state wildlife agency biological goals for deer (Odocoileus spp.) management may often conflict with hunter desires. Concomitantly, better information is needed to optimize agency deer herd management goals with hunters’ social goals. In 2016, we surveyed 3,000 North Dakota, USA, resident deer hunters using a self-administered mail survey to gain a better understanding of motivations, satisfaction, and hunter demographics that may be used to inform hunter recruitment and retention (HRR) efforts during a period of reduced statewide deer populations. With deer-gun license availability strictly limited, we explored the possibility that some gun hunters may have been engaging …

On Crabs And Statistics, Jonathan Birch

Animal Sentience

I respond to commentaries by Elwood and Seth & Dienes and to a recent critique by Diggles, discussing the link between avoidance learning and sentience, the relevance of the clash between frequentist and Bayesian statistics, the risks to decapod welfare in aquaculture, and the broader concerns one may have about a “precautionary” approach to protecting invertebrates.

New Records Of Pelagic Fauna From The Turkish Waters, Sedat Ozan Güreşen, Onur Gönülal

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In this work, three pelagic species have been recorded in the Northern Aegean Sea. The species were collected from depths between 500 and 800 m from 5 stations in summer 2016. While Euphausia krohnii is first recorded from the Turkish coast of the Aegean Sea, Allosergestes sargassi and Flaccisagitta hexaptera are reported for the first time from the Turkish seas. The results of the current study will contribute to the knowledge on the deep-water pelagic fauna of the Northern Aegean Sea.

N Integrative Description Of A Population Of Mesobiotus Radiatus(Pilato, Binda & Catanzaro, 1991) From Kenya, Daniel Stec, Milena Roszkowska, Lukasz Kaczmarek, Lukasz Michalczyk

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In a moss sample collected from Mount Kulal in Kenya, a new population of Mesobiotus radiatus was found. Given that the original description of M. radiatus was based solely on the morphology observed by light microscopy and measurements based mostly on a single individual, here we describe the new population by means of integrative taxonomy and a large sample size. We provide an integrative description comprising a comprehensive set of morphometric and morphological data from light and scanning microscopy as well as nucleotide sequences of three nuclear fragments (18S rRNA, 28S rRNA, ITS-2) and one mitochondrial fragment (COI). Mesobiotus radiatus …

Galliformes Taxon Advisory Group: Aza Regional Collection Plan, Third Edition, 2018-2023, Association Of Zoos And Aquariums

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Galliformes Taxon Advisory Group: AZA Regional Collection Plan, Third Edition, 2018-2023 / Association of Zoos and Aquariums

TAG mission statement

TAG vision statement

Leadership and TAG structure

TAG History and Introduction

TAG goals, 2018-2023

Rearing-lifelong welfare

Private sector-TAG relations

TAG definition

Taxonomy

Conservation

Conservation status table of all Galliformes

Species selection criteria

Species selection decision tree

Recommended species summary

Space assessment

Animal program summary table

Replacement tables

Family: Megapodiidae (brush-turkey, megapode, scrubfowl)

Maleo Macrocephalon maleo

Non-recommended species justification and suggested replacement species

Family: Cracidae (chachalacas, guans, and curassows)

Horned guan Oreophasis derbianus

Blue-billed curassow Crax alberti

Wattled curassow Crax globulosa …

Changes Of Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Testicular Axis In Male Rats During Cognitive Impairment, Patteera Wititsuwankul

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

From the previous reports denoting that hypothalamus regulating reproductive function via hypothalamic-pituitary-testicular (HPT) axis, and hippocampus controlling learning and memory capacity can synthesize reproductive hormones, and that cognitive impairment particularly occurs during reproductive senescence, it leads to the following research questions; i) which system first enters the aging stage and ii) how the changes are related. Male rats at the ages of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 months old were subjected for this study. Blood samples were collected for serum testosterone (T) and luteinizing hormone (LH) assays by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) techniques. Testes, seminal vesicle, prostate gland and …

Physiological And Immunological Responses Of Porcine Primary Endometrial Cells To Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome (Prrs) Virus Infection, Muttarin Lothong

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is highly limited to only cell subsets that express PRRSV receptors. Reproductive organ revealing the typical signs of PRRSV infection may be the critical site of problem syndromes. Persistent PRRSV producing re-infection via horizontal or vertical transmission could not be eradicated from herds. This research examined the possibility of porcine endometrium to be a PRRSV permissive cell and serves as the primary cause of the persistent PRRSV. Cellular and immunological in response to PRRSV relevant to viral replication, shedding and re-circulation was assessed. The different outcomes between the different genotypes (type I vs. …

ผลของการเสริมกากชาต่อสมรรถภาพการผลิต การย่อยได้ปรากฏ และ การผลิตก๊าซมีเทนของแพะนมลูกผสม, รพีพัฒน์ สันโดษ

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

งานวิจัยนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาผลของการใช้กากชา ต่อประสิทธิภาพการใช้อาหาร การย่อยได้ปรากฏ การเปลี่ยนแปลงของเมทาโบไลท์ในเลือด และการผลิตก๊าซมีเทน ในอาหารที่ใช้เลี้ยงแพะนมลูกผสม วางแผนการวิจัยแบบสลับ (3 x 3 crossover design) โดยใช้แพะนมลูกผสมพันธุ์ซาแนนจำนวน 9 ตัว น้ำหนักเฉลี่ย 30 ± 3.50 กิโลกรัม เป็นแม่แพะที่ผ่านการคลอดมาแล้ว (multiparous) และอยู่ในช่วงให้ผลผลิตน้ำนมหลังคลอด (lactation) การทดลองแบ่งออกเป็น 2 ช่วง โดยในช่วง 14 วันแรกจะเป็นช่วงของการปรับตัว ช่วงที่เหลืออีก 7 วันจะเป็นช่วงของการเก็บตัวอย่างและข้อมูล แพะแต่ละตัวได้รับอาหารทั้งสามสูตรที่มีการเสริมกากชาลงในสัดส่วนที่ 0 5 และ 10 เปอร์เซ็นต์น้ำหนักแห้งในรูปของอาหารผสมเสร็จ (Total mixed ration; TMR) (กลุ่มที่ 1 2 และ 3 ตามลำดับ) มีการคำนวณระดับโปรตีนและพลังงานเท่ากันทุกสูตร (isonitrogenous and isocaloric diets) ทำการเก็บตัวอย่าง ได้แก่ อาหาร เลือด ปัสสาวะ มูล น้ำนม และของเหลวจากกระเพาะรูเมน เพื่อที่จะประเมินค่าพารามิเตอร์ที่สังเกตหลายชนิด ผลการศึกษาพบว่า ไม่มีความแตกต่างกันทางสถิติในกลุ่มทดลองของปริมาณการกินได้ ผลผลิตน้ำนม ค่าเมทาโบไลท์ในเลือด (กลูโคส ไตรกลีเซอไรด์ โปรตีนรวม) ค่าพีเอชในกระเพาะรูเมน กรดไขมันระเหย (volatile fatty acids; VFAs) ค่าอัลลานโทอิน (allantoin) ค่าสมดุลไนโตรเจนและผลผลิตก๊าซมีเทน ส่วนประกอบของโปรตีนในน้ำนมในกลุ่มที่ 3 มีความแตกต่างกันทางสถิติ (p<0.05) เมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับกลุ่มที่ 1 และ 2 ค่าการย่อยได้ของวัตถุแห้งในกลุ่มที่ 3 สูงกว่าในกลุ่มที่ 2 อย่างมีนัยสำคัญทางสถิติ (p<0.05) แต่ไม่แตกต่างจากกลุ่มที่ 1 ส่วนกลุ่มที่ 2 มีค่าการย่อยได้ของสารอินทรีย์ โปรตีนและ NDF ต่ำที่สุดในทุกกลุ่ม อย่างไรก็ตาม กลุ่มที่ 3 มีค่าการย่อยได้ของ NDF และ ADF สูงที่สุดเมื่อเปรียบเทียบกับกลุ่มอื่น จากผลการศึกษาสรุปได้ว่า สามารถใช้กากชาได้ถึงระดับ 10 เปอร์เซ็นต์น้ำหนักแห้งในสูตรอาหาร เพื่อเป็นแหล่งโปรตีนในอาหารที่ใช้เลี้ยงแพะนมลูกผสมผสมซาเนนได้ โดยไม่ก่อให้เกิดผลเสียต่อปริมาณการให้ผลผลิตและนิเวศวิทยาในกระเพาะรูเมน อย่างไรก็ตาม การเสริมกากชาที่ระดับ 5 และ 10 เปอร์เซ็นต์น้ำหนักแห้งในสูตรอาหารไม่ส่งผลต่อการผลิตก๊าซมีเทน

Impact Of Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus X Giganteus) Cultivation On Midwestern Farmland Birds, Matthew Craffey

Masters Theses

Giant Miscanthus (Miscanthus x giganteus) is a promising bioenergy feedstock, newly introduced to North America. However, the qualities that make Giant Miscanthus an attractive bioenergy feedstock may pose challenges to local wildlife. To assess the impacts of Giant Miscanthus on Midwestern farmland birds, I conducted point count and vegetation surveys at three sites in east-central Illinois where Giant Miscanthus was being cultivated. I used occupancy modeling to assess the relative influence of Giant Miscanthus on five species relative to other habitat and landscape characteristics. Dickcissel (Spiza Americana), Eastern Meadowlark (Sturnella magna), and Red-Winged Blackbird …

Evaluation And Demographic Response Of The Shovelnose Sturgeon Commercial Caviar Fishery In The Wabash River, Jessica L. Thornton

Masters Theses

Shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platorynchus Rafinesque) are considered one of the last commercially viable options for sturgeon roe harvest. Due to the collapse of several marine sturgeon fisheries and the Similarity of Appearances provision which protect shovelnose sturgeon in only a part of their range, the caviar fishery in the Wabash River remains an important point of supply for this lucrative natural resource. In this thesis, I presented an evaluation of the shovelnose sturgeon commercial caviar fishery in the Wabash River. More specifically, I described the demographic response of this population to continued exploitation over a 10-year period. Additionally, I …

Reproductive Promiscuity In The Variegated Fairy-Wren: An Alternative Reproductive Strategy In The Absence Of Helpers?, Allison E. Johnson, Stephen Pruett-Jones

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Cooperative breeding, in which auxiliary group members help rear related, but nondescendent young, is often explained by kin selection. Reproductive monogamy is predicted in cooperatively breeding systems, as monogamy increases intragroup relatedness and maximizes auxiliary inclusive fitness. While monogamy is observed across many systems, including eusocial insects and cooperatively breeding mammals, some cooperatively breeding birds exhibit high rates of extrapair paternity. Here we quantify paternity and examine the role of auxiliaries on extrapair paternity in the highly cooperative variegated fairy-wren, Malurus lamberti, a species with both male and female auxiliaries. Extrapair paternity occurred in 55.4% of nests, and 39.8% …

Bigheaded Carp Reproduction In Large River Tributaries With Evaluation Of Sampling Gear Performance, Daniel R. Roth

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Arthropod Diets In Chihuahuan Desert Snakes, Victor Manuel Parga

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Over the past century, studies in herpetology regarding snake diets have been commonly focused on those species that feed or specialize in vertebrate prey items. For those that feed primarily on invertebrates however, little work has been done in determining diet specializations and comparing diets within a community of species. This Thesis focuses on small species of snakes that feed primarily on arthropods in a Chihuahuan Desert community, and will investigate if these are diet generalists or specialists. To this end, stomach contents were examined from preserved specimens of the following species: Rena humilis and Rena dissecta (Leptotyphlopidae), Gyalopion canum …

Estimating Exploitation Rates In The Alabama Red Snapper Fishery Using A High-Reward Tag–Recapture Approach, Dana K. Sackett, Mattgew Catalano, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers, Mark Albins

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Accurate estimates of exploitation are essential to managing an exploited fishery. However, these estimates are often dependent on the area and vulnerable sizes of fish considered in a study. High-reward tagging studies offer a simple and direct approach to estimating exploitation rates at these various scales and in examining how model parameters impact exploitation rate estimates. These methods can ultimately provide a better understanding of the spatial dynamics of exploitation at smaller local and regional scales within a fishery—a measure often needed for more site-attached species, such as the Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus. We used this approach to tag 724 …

Growing South Dakota (Winter 2018), College Of Agriculture &. Biological Sciences

Growing South Dakota (Publication of the College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Sciences)

[Page] 2 Learn About Our Leaders
[Page] 4 Academic Programs at a Glace
[Page] 6 New Precision Ag Major Takes Off
[Page] 9 Raven Gives $5 Million Gift
[Page] 10 New Plant Science Research Facility
[Page] 13 Technical Training to Four-Year Degree
[Page] 15 Ag-Bio Career Fair Hits Record
[Page] 16 Breaking Ground : SD ADRDL
[Page] 19 Distinguished Professor Eric Nelson
[Page] 20 SDSU’s Veterinary Students
[Page] 24 Conservation Planning and Park Management
[Page] 25 Natural Resource Law Enforcement
[Page] 26 Medical Stethoscope Ceremony
[Page] 29 Master’s Degree in Human Biology
[Page] 30 Scott Pedersen Prepares Students
[Page] 32 …

Birds And Vegetation Structure Of Isolated Juniper And Oak Communities In The Trans-Pecos Chihuahuan Desert., Kayla Garza

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Birds of the Trans-Pecos region are historically understudied, with most literature covering birds of desert grasslands and scrub in New Mexico and Northern Mexico. A multitude of vegetation communities within the Chihuahuan Desert have also been neglected due to this gap in the research, for reasons including lack of access to public or preserve land in West Texas, and rough terrain. Indio Mountains Research Station (IMRS), is located 42-km southwest of Van Horn, Texas and encompasses many different vegetation communities, including juniper-oak habitats of arroyo and canyon systems. The purpose of this study was to document the bird species utilizing …

Characterizing Habitat Preference In Three Nearshore Reef-Associated Fishes Through Collaborative Research, Public Data, And Open Source Software, Ian D. Kelmartin

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Black rockfish (Sebastes melanops), canary rockfish (S. pinniger), and lingcod (Ophidion elongatus) are important species in Northern California’s nearshore recreational and commercial fisheries. These species are associated with nearshore rocky reefs and are among a suite of species intended to benefit from the establishment of the marine protected area (MPA) network along the Northern California Coast in 2012.

Many aspects of the North Coast’s nearshore ecosystem remain poorly studied, including the spatial distribution and habitat associations of nearshore fish species. This study used data collected from Cape Mendocino State Marine Reserve (SMR), Ten Mile …

Evidence For Extra-Gastric Expression Of The Proton Pump H+/K+ -Atpase In The Gills And Kidney Of The Teleost Oreochromis Niloticus, Ebtesam Barnawi

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

It is well known that stomach acid secretion by oxynticopeptic cells of the gastric mucosa is accomplished by the H⁺/ K⁺-ATPase (HKA), which is comprised of the HKα1 (gene: atp4a) and HKβ (gene: atp4b) subunits. However, the role of the HKA in extra-gastric organs such as the gill and kidney is less clear especially in fishes. This pump may contribute to active ion and/or acid-base regulation either through direct ion transport or through secondary transport proteins against unfavorable concentration gradients via the energy derived from ATP hydrolysis. In the present work I have demonstrated …

Forensic Markers Of Lampricide Toxicity In Oncorhynchsus Mykiss, Chris White

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The lampricide 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM) has been used for decades to control invasive sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes, normally with little harm to other fish populations. However, due to the nature of lampricide treatments and the chemical properties of TFM, adverse effects to non-target fishes and non-target mortality occasionally occur. However, investigations of non-target mortality can be complex, particularly if fish deaths are not noticed immediately, due to decomposition of the carcasses. The objectives of this thesis were to expose rainbow trout (Oncorhynchsus mykiss) to TFM in order to: (i) identify forensic markers …

Gill Structure & Function In Parasitic And Non-Parasitic Lampreys: The Effects Of Metamorphosis And Freshwater-Seawater Transfer, Julia Sunga

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Lamprey (Petromyzontiformes) are a phylogenetically ancient group of jawless fishes that begin their lives as filter-feeding larvae (ammocoetes) before undergoing a complex metamorphosis into juvenile lamprey that involves major changes to their internal and external body plan. Some parasitic species, such as the sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus), migrate to sea following metamorphosis, where they use their oral discs and rasping tongue to attach to and ingest vast quantities of blood from fishes. Thus, sea lamprey have to counter the simultaneous challenges of hyposmoregulation in sea water and the generation of large quantities of ammonia due to the …