Animal Sciences Commons^™

Integrating Experiential Learning Into Animal Science Curriculum Through A Hands-On Beef Cattle Management And Marketing Contest, Corinne J. Harrison

Theses and Dissertations

According to the Illinois Agricultural Education, nearly 61% of students beginning their undergraduate studies in Agriculture at a 2-year college in Illinois come from non-farm backgrounds. Yet, knowledge of and experience in livestock operations is still a requirement for many careers in the animal science industry. In response to this predicament, the Department of Agriculture at Illinois State University has implemented a course that provides students an opportunity to gain hands-on experience with beef cattle management and marketing. The course was designed to enhance learning by requiring students to develop and execute a management and marketing plan for a pen …

Applying Gps And Accelerometers To The Study Of African Savanna (Loxodonta Africana) And Asian Elephant (Elephas Maximus) Welfare In Zoos, Matthew Robert Holdgate

Dissertations and Theses

African savanna elephants (Loxodonta africana) and Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) are a focus of welfare research in zoos due to their high intelligence, complex social structure, and sheer size. Due to these challenges, some argue that zoos are inherently incapable of providing appropriate care for elephants, while others believe that zoos can fulfill the needs of these species with improved husbandry. There is a general consensus from both within and outside of zoos, however, that zoos must improve their elephant programs or cease exhibiting these animals altogether. Now more than ever, applied research on zoo elephant welfare is needed to …

Now You See It, Now You Don’T: Flushing Hosts Prior To Experimentation Can Predict Their Responses To Brood Parasitism, Daniel Hanley, Peter Samas, Josef Heryán, Mark E. Hauber, Tomáš Grim

Publications and Research

Brood parasitic birds lay their eggs in other birds’ nests, leaving hosts to raise their offspring. To understand parasite-host coevolutionary arms races, many studies have examined host responses to experimentally introduced eggs. However, attending parents often need to be flushed from their nests to add experimental eggs. If these birds witness parasitism events, they may recognize and reject foreign eggs more readily than parents who did not. We found that, after being flushed, female blackbirds, Turdus merula, remained close to their nests. Flushed females were more likely to eject foreign eggs and did so more quickly than females that …

Growth Of A Deep-Water, Predatory Fish Is Influenced By The Productivity Of A Boundary Current System, Hoang Minh Nguyen, Adam N. Rountrey, Jessica J. Meeuwig, Peter G. Coulson, Ming Feng, Stephen J. Newman, Anya M. Waite, Corey B. Wakefield, Mark G. Meekan

Fisheries Research Articles

The effects of climate change on predatory fishes in deep shelf areas are difficult to predict because complex processes may govern food availability and temperature at depth. We characterised the net impact of recent environmental changes on hapuku (Polyprion oxygeneios), an apex predator found in continental slope habitats (>200 m depth) by using dendrochronology techniques to develop a multi-decadal record of growth from otoliths. Fish were sampled off temperate south-western Australia, a region strongly influenced by the Leeuwin Current, a poleward-flowing, eastern boundary current. The common variance among individual growth records was relatively low (3.4%), but the …

P-10 The Relationship Between Equine Temperament And Behavior As Affected Over Time By The Skill Level Of The Riders, Taylor Huffman

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

The goal in this study is to observe the incidence of undesirable behaviors by horses at summer camp and determine if it could possibly be explained by the stress of being ridden by riders with varying ability during the course of a camp season. It is hypothesized that incidence and severity of undesirable behavior will be related to the temperament of the horse. Each horse was evaluated for temperament at the beginning of the summer camp season, every rider received an evaluation for riding skill level, and all incidents and lengths of trail were recorded. Results analysis is in progress.

P-11 Determining Social Preference Of Holstein Cows Based On Stall Selection, Yoona Kang

Honors Scholars & Undergraduate Research Poster Symposium Programs

Cows, like other animals, have dominance hierarchies but there is anecdotal evidence that cows also have preferred herd mates with whom they spend more time. This research project sought to gain more detail about cow social groups at the Andrews University Dairy by determining the relative social ranking of cows within two different lots and the social groupings within each lot. The dominance ranking was inferred by observing which cows occupy the more desirable stalls. The social groupings were then determined by which cows lie near each other more often over the course of the observations.

Shifts In Attack Behavior Of An Important Kelp Forest Predator Within Marine Reserves, J. S. Berriman, M. C. Kay, D. C. Reed, A. Rassweiler, D. A. Goldstein, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Marine reserves have become increasingly valuable tools with which to manage ecosystems. These reserves consistently restore populations of top predators, often reducing availability of their favored prey. We hypothesized that such prey reduction in reserves causes protected predators to alter their attack behavior to include less palatable prey, potentially amplifying top-down effects on community structure. To test this hypothesis, we presented the relatively unpalatable sea hare Aplysia californica to freely foraging spiny lobsters Panulirus interruptus in 4 marine no-take reserves, each paired with an adjacent fished area. We found that lobsters only attacked sea hares inside reserves, where lobster density …

Tallgrass Prairie Vegetation Response To Spring Fires And Bison Grazing, Stephen L. Winter, Brady W. Allred, Karen R. Hickman, Samuel D. Fuhlendorf

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Spring fires in tallgrass prairie can create environmental conditions conducive to plant growth in the subsequent growing season. Following fires, burned areas can also be attractive to grazing animals such as bison (Bison bison). Sustained grazing activity within recently burned areas can alter vegetation structure relative to nearby landscape patches that haven’t burned recently. In 2007, we collected data on bison grazing activity, vegetation structure, and the growth and reproduction of a perennial forb, Arnoglossum plantagineum, in Oklahoma tallgrass prairie. We compared these variables in landscape patches that had burned in the spring of 2007 to measurements …

Animal Personality As A Cause And Consequence Of Contest Behaviour, Mark Briffa, Lynne U. Sneddon, Alistair J. Wilson

Sentience Collection

We review the evidence for a link between consistent among-individual variation in behaviour (animal personality) and the ability to win contests over limited resources. Explorative and bold behaviours often covary with contest behaviour and outcome, although there is evidence that the structure of these ‘behavioural syndromes’ can change across situations. Aggression itself is typically repeatable, but also subject to high within-individual variation as a consequence of plastic responses to previous fight outcomes and opponent traits. Common proximate mechanisms (gene expression, endocrine control and metabolic rates) may underpin variation in both contest behaviour and general personality traits. Given the theoretical links …

South Coast Crustacean Managed Fishery Draft Management Plan 2015, Western Australian Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

Four commercial fisheries currently operate using pots to target crustaceans including deep sea crabs and rock lobsters on the south coast between Cape Leeuwin and the South Australian border. The four fisheries include, two managed fisheries; the Windy Harbour-Augusta Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (WHARLF) and Esperance Rock Lobster Managed Fishery (ERLF), the Southern Rock Lobster pot licence (SRL) fishery operating under Regulation 125 of the Fish Resources Management Regulations 1995 (FRMR) and the deep sea crab fishery operating under Fishing Boat Licence (FBL) Condition 105. Noting the multiple and different management arrangements in place to manage these fisheries and the …

South Coast Crustacean Managed Fishery Draft Management Plan 2015, Department Of Fisheries

Fisheries Management Papers

No abstract provided.

Further Investigation Into Critical Habitat For Juvenile Dhufish (Glaucosoma Hebraicum), Artificial Habitats And The Potential To Monitor Annual Juvenile Recruitment, Paul D. Lewis

Fisheries Research Reports

The West Australian dhufish is a demersal fish species that is highly sought after by commercial and recreational fishers in the West Coast Bioregion of WA. An assessment of the stock status in 2009 by the Department of Fisheries indicated the stock was overexploited with a need for a 50% reduction in the overall catch. As the species is long lived and slow growing, reaching a maximum age of 40 years of age, the recovery is likely to be slow.

How Does Variation In Winter Weather Affect Deer-Vehicle Collision Rates, Daniel D. Olson, John A. Bissonette, Patricia C. Cramer, Patrick J. Jackson, Kevin D. Bunnell, Daniel C. Coster

Wildland Resources Faculty Publications

Understanding how deer move in relationship to roads is critical, because deer are in vehicle collisions, and collisions cause vehicle damage, as well as human injuries and fatalities. In temperate climates, mule deer Odocoileus hemionus have distinct movement patterns that affect their spatial distribution in relationship to roads. In this paper, we analyzed deer movements during two consecutive winter seasons with vastly different conditions to determine how deer—vehicle collision rates responded. We predicted that deer—vehicle collision rates would be higher when precipitation and snow depth were higher. We used meteorological data from local weather stations to describe temperature, precipitation and …

Nebraska Bird Review (March 2015) 83(1), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’s Report, December 31, 2014 … 2

Winter Field Report, December 2014 to February 2015 … 3

In Memory of William F. Rapp, Jr. … 21

Color Photo Section (Birds in flight) … 23

A Hybrid Cliff × Barn Swallow from Western Nebraska … 31

2014–2015 Christmas Bird Counts … 36

Subscription and Organization Information ... 51

In Memory Of William F. Rapp, Jr.

Nebraska Bird Review

Former NOU president and Nebraska Bird Review editor William F. Rapp, Jr., passed away on March 13, 2013, in Rochester, New York. Rapp was born in 1918 in Newark, New Jersey, and his interest in birds began during his junior high years. He attended Rutgers University and graduated in 1944 with a degree in entomology and geology. He was on the faculty of Doane College in Crete, Nebraska, where he taught various biology courses and ornithology for nonscience students. He attended his first Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union meeting in 1947. By the next year, he was the editor of the Nebraska …

2014–2015 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Fourteen counts were held during the 2014–15 Christmas Bird Count season, which is one less than last season. Although the Beaver Valley and Harrison counts were not done this season, the Harlan County count was resumed after a twelve-year hiatus and produced several noteworthy species counts. It also should be noted that the Grand Island count was held on December 13, which is one day before the official Audubon sanctioned count period begins, but its results are included in this discussion.

Following a very mild first week of November, the second week started with a sudden cold snap which persisted …

Winter Field Report, December 2014 To February 2015, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As with last winter, this was a rather ordinary winter ornithologically speaking, if indeed there is such a thing. There were a couple of genuine rarities to spice it up, but most of the interest was in unusual phenomena shown by a range of species. Ducks and swans and native sparrows seem to be more in evidence in mid-winter than in previous years, but it is difficult to relate winter occurrence to weather in any given year, except for isolated extreme events. There are, however, some trends showing up, as suggested by the ducks, swans, native sparrows, and a few …

Rangeland Monitoring Using Remote Sensing: An Assessment Of Vegetation Cover Comparing Field-Based Sampling And Image Analysis Techniques, Ammon K. Boswell

Theses and Dissertations

Rangeland monitoring is used by land managers for assessing multiple-use management practices on western rangelands. Managers benefit from improved monitoring methods that provide rapid, accurate, cost-effective, and robust measures of rangeland health and ecological trend. In this study, we used a supervised classification image analysis approach to estimate plant cover and bare ground by functional group that can be used to monitor and assess rangeland structure. High-resolution color infrared imagery taken of 40 research plots was acquired with a UltraCam X (UCX) digital camera during summer 2011. Ground estimates of cover were simultaneously collected by the Utah Division of Wildlife …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

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

Life Line March 2015, Otterbein Biology And Earth Science Department

Life Line - The Biology Department Newsletter

Trees - Erin Miller '97, Young Alumni Award Winner - Dave Sheridan joins the faculty - Melinda S. Phinney MD Award - OU Heritage Dr. of Osteopathy Early Assurance Program - China Visit

The Cascading Effects Of Invasive Grasses In North American Deserts: The Interactions Of Fire, Plants, And Small Mammals, Tiffanny R. Bowman

Theses and Dissertations

The landscapes of the Great Basin and Mojave Deserts are changing due to plant invasion. Highly flammable invasive grasses increase the size and frequency of fire causing a cascade of effects through the plant and animal communities. One of the most influential animal groups in desert systems is small mammals. We sought to learn how small mammals are impacted by fire and how their influence on the plant community differs between burned and unburned habitat. Small mammals did not have higher rates of mortality as a direct result of a controlled burn. In the Great Basin, there were short-term reductions …

Temporal Patterns Of Nutrition Dependence In Secondary Sexual Traits And Their Varying Impacts On Male Mating Success, Malcolm F. Rosenthal, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Variation in the quantity of nutrients ingested over an individual’s lifetime is likely to differentially affect distinct male secondary sexual traits and courtship signals, potentially providing females with information about a male’s past and present foraging history. We hypothesize that female choice is thus influenced by a male’s lifetime foraging history. To test this, we manipulated the quantity of nutrients (i.e. prey items) available to male wolf spiders, Schizocosa stridulans, using a fully crossed 2 × 2 design with low versus high prey quantity across juvenile and adult life stages, and assessed the impact of these diet treatments on male …

Observational Learning In The Jumping Spider Phidippus Audax, Robert M. Adams

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

Observational learning is a complex form of learning most frequently studied in social vertebrates. However, evidence for social learning exists in several invertebrate species Evidence of invertebrate observational learning also exists, though to a lesser extent. This study addresses observational learning in a jumping spider (Phidippus audax) through video playback. My results suggest that while observational learning is occurring, the exact mechanism in use remains unclear. Spiders that saw a conspecific satiate itself on a prey item readily attacked a similar prey item when exposed to a live prey item. However, spiders exposed to a conspecific rejecting or …

A Hybrid Cliff × Barn Swallow From Western Nebraska, Charles R. Brown, Catherine E. Page

Nebraska Bird Review

The Cliff Swallow (Petrochelidon pyrrhonota) and the Barn Swallow (Hirundo rustica) occupy sympatric breeding ranges across much of North America, often nesting at colony sites that contain both species. Mixed-species nesting aggregations typically occur in box-shaped concrete culverts underneath roads or railways. Cliff Swallows’ enclosed mud nests can be as close as 1 m to Barn Swallows’ open mud nests, and at such sites Cliff Swallows regularly usurp both inactive and active Barn Swallow nests. The close proximity of these two ecologically similar species leads to at least occasional social interaction among them, such as during …

Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Treasurer’S Report, December 31, 2014

Nebraska Bird Review

One-page spreadsheet constituting the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union treasurer's report at year end (December 31) of 2014. The grand total is $59,882.03.

Birds In Flight, Color Photo Section [March 2015, Pp. 23–30]

Nebraska Bird Review

Photographs of Ring-billed Gull with fish, Arctic Tern, Bonaparte’s Gull, and Least Tern (p. 23); American Golden-Plovers, Great Blue Heron, Lesser Yellowlegs, Dunlin and Stilt Sandpiper (p. 24); Great Egret, Sandhill Cranes, White-faced Ibis, and Glossy Ibis (p. 25); immature Bald Eagle with Snow Goose, Turkey Vulture, Common Goldeneye, Mute Swan and cygnet, and Red-tailed Hawk (p. 26); Upland Sandpiper, Northern Bobwhite, Eastern Meadowlark, female Dickcissel, and Grasshopper Sparrow (p. 27); Barn Owl chicks, adult Barn Owl, Short-eared Owl, and Northern Saw-whet Owl in nest box with eggs, chicks, deer mice, and voles (p. 28); adult Bald Eagle, Snow Geese, …

Subscription And Organization Information [March 2015]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

News Of The Department Of Animal Science, Department Of Animal Science

Animal Science Newsletters

No abstract provided.

Prevalence Of Borrelia Burgdorferi-Infected Ticks From Wildlife Hosts, A Response To Norris Et Al., Maria Dolores Esteve-Gassent, Abha Grover, Teresa Patricia Feria-Arroyo, Ivan Castro-Arellano, Raul F. Medina, Guadalupe Gordillo Pérez, Adalberto A. Pérez De León

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

In a recent Letter to the Editor, Norris et al. questioned the validity of some of our data reported by Feria-Arroyo et al. The main issue investigated by us was the potential impact of climate change on the probable distribution of the tick vector Ixodes scapularis in the Texas-Mexico transboundary region. As an ancillary issue, an analysis of sequence data for the intergenic spacer of Borrelia burgdorferi was conducted. In the present letter, we provide further evidence supporting our original results, and advocate that extensive study of the population genetics of B. burgdorferi is needed in the Texas-Mexico transboundary …

Global Warming And Population Responses Among Great Plains Birds, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

Based on an analysis of 47 years (1967–2014) of Audubon Christmas Bird Counts (CBC), evidence for population changes and shifts in early winter (late December) ranges of nearly 150 species of birds in the Great Plains states is summarized, a region defined as including the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and the Texas panhandle. The rationale for this study had its origins in Terry Root’s 1988 Atlas of North American Wintering Birds. Root’s landmark study provided a baseline for evaluating the nationwide winter distributions of 253 North American birds in the mid-20th century, using data from the National Audubon Society’s …