Animal Sciences Commons^™

Dry-Aged Beef Flavor Development, And The Effect Of High Levels Of Vitamin-E On Beef Color Stability, Nicolas Herrera

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

Palatability and consumer purchasing are essential factors of fresh meat. To meet consumer expectations during purchasing and consumption, fresh beef must maintain desirable cherry-red color at retail and achieve desirable cooked flavor. Dry-aged beef popularity has grown, and identifying methods to ensure quality dry-aged meat is necessary to maintain demand. To understand dry-aged palatability, this dissertation addressed effects of moisture loss and aging time, fundamental factors of dry-aged beef, using bone-in and boneless strip loins. Study two investigated flavor development using cookery methods and internal temperatures in boneless and bone-in dry-aged beef. In study one, increased dry-aging time (creation effect) …

Identification And Assessment Of Lameness In Sows Through The Utilization Of NuTrack And Gaitfour Systems, Lexi M. Ostrand

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

Lameness is a financial concern for producers and a welfare concern for the animals. Utilizing both the GAITFour and NUtrack systems, gilts’ natural tendencies and gait were analyzed to better understand the onset of lameness and what indicators can be identified in a commercial setting. Beginning at 20 weeks of age, video on replacement gilts was collected for 9 consecutive days and processed using the NUtrack System to identify individual gilts’ distance travelled (m), avg speed (m/s), angle rotated (degrees), and time standing (s), sitting (s), eating (s), and laying (s). NUtrack is a deep learning-based multi-object …

Consequences Of Cow–Calf Production With Limited Perennial Forage Grazing, Hannah Fae Speer

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

Conversion of perennial grasslands to cropland and rising land prices prompts a need to evaluate alternative beef cow-calf production systems. A 3-yr study was conducted comparing beef cow-calf performance between two August-calving cow systems: perennial forage and corn residue grazing; or summer drylot, fall grazing of late-summer-planted cover crop, and corn residue grazing. Cow body condition score differed between systems, but condition of cows in both systems never fell below adequate. There were no differences in pregnancy rates between systems. Calf weaning weights differed between systems each year; differences are attributed to feedstuff quantity, quality, and type available to calves …

A Mechanistic Examination Of Interspecific Competition Between Wild And Domestic Herbivores, Courtney Check

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Large herbivores, such as mule deer and cattle have similar life histories and likely compete for resources. However, quantifying the extent to which these species compete and the specific resources they compete for has proved challenging. My research examines if cattle influence deer abundance and behavior due to competition for forage, competition for shade, and/or by affecting the predation risk of deer. Using a grid of autonomous trail cameras, I was able to determine if cattle abundance influences local deer abundance in relation to specific resources and habitat features. Using GPS data from collared deer, I was also able to …

Anthropogenic Factors Affecting Common Raven Occurrence And Depredation Of Artificial Nests Within Greater Sage‐Grouse Habitat In Southern Utah, Zoë S. Moffett

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Certain species of wildlife are more generalist and adaptive than others. These species often flourish when supported by human activities that provide additional food and habitat for them. The common raven (Corvus corax; hereafter raven) is one such species; their populations have risen and spread throughout the Intermountain West. As generalist scavengers and predators, ravens have been found to pose a severe threat to several threatened or sensitive species, including the greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse). The purpose of my research was to determine the specific anthropogenic and habitat factors that may increase the threat …

Effects Of Supplemental Trace Minerals As Amino Acid Complexed Or Inorganic Sources For Beef Cattle From Receiving Through Finishing, Robin Ashley Cheek

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of experiments was to investigate the effects of inorganic or amino acid-complexed sources of trace minerals on health, gain performance, liver mineral concentrations, and carcass characteristics of beef heifers from receiving through finishing. To investigate the effects of inorganic or amino acid-complexed sources of trace minerals (zinc, copper, manganese, and cobalt) on performance and morbidity of beef heifers during the receiving period, crossbred beef heifer calves arriving on 3 delivery dates were used in a 42-day receiving trial. Treatments consisted of supplemental zinc (360 mg/d), copper (125 mg/d), manganese (200 mg/d), and cobalt (12 mg/d) from complexed (Availa-4, …

An Ecological Survey Of East Texas Salamanders Across The Camp Tyler Outdoor Field School In Smith County, Texas, Justin C. Hunt

Biology Theses

Amphibians are a unique class of organisms with a very long and storied evolutionary history of survival. Many modern amphibian clades occupy several vital ecological roles within their native freshwater environments. One of these roles, typically includes functioning as an ecological indicator species, whereby the presence of stable and diverse populations of many amphibian species, including salamanders, within a freshwater ecosystem have long been considered ecological indicators of good habitat quality and stable ecosystem health. Similarly, salamanders also function as important members of their local food webs and act as valuable mediators of complex trophic hierarchies to facilitate nutrient cycling …

Commercial Fishing Identification Guide 2023, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

Throughout this guide you will see all or some of the marine bioregion symbols with each fish illustration, indicating where the species is most likely to occur.

This guide has been developed to help you identify the more common species in Western Australia you may encounter. The purpose of this guide is to enhance consistent and accurate species identification.

If you are unsure about a particular species (or if it is not in this guide), please discuss it with a representative of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development, Western Australia.

Babesa Sewage Treatment Plant As A Vital Artificial Wetland Habitat For A Multitude Of Avian Species, Pelden Nima, Mahendra Timsina, Tenzin Jamtsho, Pema Khandu

Research outputs 2022 to 2026

This study aimed to glean basic ecological aspects on diversity and abundance, temporal variation and guild composition of the birds at Babesa Sewage Treatment Plant (STP). The line transect method was used as the sampling technique from November 2021 to October 2022. A total of 80 species belonging to 58 genera, 29 families, and 11 orders were detected, of which three, namely, River Lapwing Vanellus duvaucelii, Falcated Duck Mareca falcata, and Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca, are ‘Near Threatened’ with the remaining being ‘Least Concern’. The highest species richness was recorded in the winter (6.29), the highest species diversity in the …

Irvine Prairie Ornithology Guide, Tallgrass Prairie Center, University Of Northern Iowa

Open Educational Resources

A guide to the birds found in the Irvine Prairie, a prairie-in-progress in Benton County, Iowa.

2023 Coordinated Spring Survey Of Mid-Continent Sandhill Cranes, Terry Liddick

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The aerial transect portion of the coordinated spring survey of mid-continent Sandhill cranes was conducted on March 22, 2023 in Nebraska’s Central Platte and North Platte River valleys (United States). The 2023 photo-corrected aerial estimate is 1,259,000 birds. Outside the traditional aerial transect portion, observers conducted ground surveys during the period March 20–22. From these regions, observers in the Official Survey Area (OSA) of Nebraska, Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, and Wyoming reported an additional 25,363 cranes. The 2023 total estimate (1,284,500) increased 43.1% from 2022. The current three-year average (2021–2023 with no photo correction in 2021), based on photo corrected estimates …

Mexican Gartersnakes (Thamnophis Eques) Along The Gila River In Southwestern New Mexico, Keith Geluso

Western North American Naturalist

The Mexican gartersnake (Thamnophis eques) is a federally threatened species in the United States, with only a few isolated populations remaining in Arizona and New Mexico. For some populations, only limited knowledge exists regarding their status and natural history; thus, all observations are noteworthy. Along the Gila River in New Mexico, for example, only 2 observations of this species have been published, one in 1883 and one in 1973. Herein, I report on 6 additional observations of Mexican gartersnakes from along the Gila River in southwestern New Mexico. Five individuals were documented in riparian habitats close to or …

Puma (Puma Concolor) Sex Influences Diet In Southwest New Mexico, Kelly M.T. Bernard, Travis W. Perry, Nokubonga Mgqatsa

Western North American Naturalist

Puma (Puma concolor) is a wide-ranging, large felid species, and site-specific research on its diet is important for local management. Like the diets of other large felids, puma diets may differ between sex due to size dimorphism and between seasons due to changes in prey vulnerability and availability. We investigated the influence of sex and season on puma diet in southwest New Mexico in terms of prey species and size categories. Pumas (10 males, 6 females) were tracked with GPS collars for an average of one year per individual between February 2008 and July 2020. Puma location was …

Are Shrubs A Necessary Component Of The Habitat For Ammospermophilus Nelsoni In The San Joaquin Desert?, David J. Germano, Larry R. Saslaw

Western North American Naturalist

The San Joaquin antelope squirrel (Ammospermophilus nelsoni; SJAS) is a state-listed Threatened species in California that evolved in the shrublands of the San Joaquin Desert. Due to livestock overgrazing and fires, much of the desert has lost its shrub cover, which would be a conservation concern if shrubs are a necessary component of the habitat for squirrels. We established two 64-trap plots on the Lokern area of Kern County, California: one covered by saltbush scrub (Atriplex spp.) and another nearby without shrubs. We trapped quarterly starting in January 2019 and ending in November 2021 (12 trap sessions). …

Combining Host And Rumen Metagenome Profiling For Selection In Sheep: Prediction Of Methane, Feed Efficiency, Production, And Health Traits, Melanie K. Hess, Larissa Zetouni, Andrew S. Hess, Juliana Budel, Ken G. Dodds, Hannah M. Henry, Rudiger Brauning, Alan F. Mcculloch, Sharon M. Hickey, Patricia L. Johnson, Sara Elmes, Janine Wing, Brooke Bryson, Kevin Knowler, Dianne Hyndman, Hayley Baird, Kathryn M. Mcrae, Arjan Jonker, Peter H. Janssen, John C. Mcewan, Suzanne J. Rowe

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Background Rumen microbes break down complex dietary carbohydrates into energy sources for the host and are increasingly shown to be a key aspect of animal performance. Host genotypes can be combined with microbial DNA sequencing to predict performance traits or traits related to environmental impact, such as enteric methane emissions. Metagenome profiles were generated from 3139 rumen samples, collected from 1200 dual purpose ewes, using restriction enzyme-reduced representation sequencing (RE-RRS). Phenotypes were available for methane (CH4) and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, the ratio of CH4 to CH4 plus CO2 (CH4Ratio), feed efficiency (residual feed intake: RFI), liveweight at the time …

Waterbody Size Predicts Bank- And Boat-Angler Efforts, Derek S. Kane, Kevin L. Pope, Keith D. Koupal, Mark A. Pegg, Christopher J. Chizinski, Mark A. Kaemingk

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Bank- and boat-angler efforts are logistically difficult and costly to estimate, preventing landscape-scale estimates that are required to address current and future challenges (e.g., climate change, invasive species) for inland recreational fisheries. Using a large Nebraska, USA, recreational fishery dataset (N = 67 waterbodies), we demonstrate that waterbody size can be used to predict bank- and boat-angler efforts across a heterogeneous landscape of extra small (< 104 ha) and large (> 647 ha) waterbodies. Bank and boat anglers respond to waterbody size, however these relationships appear to be unique between the two angler types. Boat-angler efforts increased as a function of waterbody size, whereas bank-angler …

Crop-Livestock Diversification And Efficiency In Agriculture, Jay Parsons, Maroua Afi

Cornhusker Economics

Diversification is a familiar strategy for managing risk in agriculture. It can take several forms including growing more than one crop or operating a farm with both crop and livestock enterprises. As with other strategies for managing risk, diversification comes with a unique set of costs. Managing a farm with multiple enterprises creates additional overhead as well as additional demands on management, labor, land, capital, and other resources. Diversification adds complexity to an operation and too much complexity can lead to inefficiencies.

Parents’ Perceptions Of The Philly Goat Project’S All Abilities Ramble: A Qualitative Study Of Animal-Assisted Intervention For Intellectual And Developmental Disorders, Patricia Flaherty-Fischette, Jenée Lee, Yvonne D'Uva-Howard, Elizabeth P. Cramer, Karen Krivit, Sarah Meehan

Developmental Disabilities Network Journal

Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are a growing population. Considering the wide diversity in IDD and the financial burden of traditional treatment modalities, Animal-Assisted Interventions (AAI) has emerged as an innovative and non-traditional treatment for individuals with a range of disabilities, including individuals with IDD. To the authors’ knowledge, the present study was one of the first to explore a goat-assisted therapy experience for children with IDD. This study explored the experiences of 23 children with the All Abilities RAMble – a goat-assisted therapeutic activity offered by the Philly Goat Project (PGP). Key themes in our study included …

Evaluating Vaccine Management Strategies For Edwardsiella Ictaluri Infections In Zebrafish (Danio Rerio), Brandy Malbrough

LSU Master's Theses

Aquaculture is a globally important industry that faces significant challenges due to infectious diseases, which can result in substantial financial losses. In 2011, a new strain of Edwardsiella ictaluri emerged as a major pathogen affecting zebrafish in the ornamental fish industry, leading to high mortality rates and posing a severe threat to the sector. Vaccines provide potential benefits for disease prevention in aquaculture, particularly live-attenuated vaccines (LAVs), which induce strong host immune responses. Bacterial attenuation for vaccine development has evolved from serial passage to more targeted genetic modification techniques. However, regulatory constraints limit the availability of licensed LAVs for aquaculture. …

Morphological And Molecular Characterization Of The Olfactory System In The Formosan Subterranean Termite, Paula Castillo

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The Formosan subterranean termite, Coptotermes formosanus, is a eusocial insect species. Its members live in colonies consisting of reproductive (queen and king) and non-reproductive individuals (workers and soldiers). Olfaction is an essential sense for the social life of many insects. However, in termites, little is known about how olfactory cues are perceived in the peripheral sensory system (antennae) and processed in the central nervous system (brain) to elicit different behavioral responses across castes. In this study, we investigated the olfactory system in all castes (soldiers, workers, and reproductive alates), from the antennal and brain morphology to the antennal gene …

Two New Species Of The Remarkable Scorpion Genus Megacormus Karsch, 1881 (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Rolando Teruel, František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

Two new species of the very interesting euscorpiid scorpion genus Megacormus Karsch, 1881, are herein described from eastern Mexico. Both had been previously misidentified in the published literature, one as Megacormus segmentatus Pocock, 1900, the other as Megacormus granosus (Gervais, 1844), but the direct comparison of adults of both sexes to adult topotypes from all members of the genus currently accepted as valid taxa, revealed solid morphological characters that warrant their recognition as distinct taxa. Both new species seem also to be endemics with a small distribution area, but apparently not restricted to a single locality. This addition raises the …

Holocene Rice Rats (Genus Oryzomys) From The Upper Mississippi River Drainage Basin, Hugh H. Genoways

Zea E-Books Collection

The expansion and collapse of the geographic range of the Texas rice rat (Oryzomys texensis) in the upper Mississippi River drainage basin at the end of the Holocene was a unique event in North American mammals. In a period of about 4000 years with a point of origin near the American Bottom in Illinois, these small rodents extended their geographic range in a straight-line distance of over 950 km to the west into Nebraska and the same distance to the east into Pennsylvania. Then in less than 400 years this range expansion collapsed back to a point where …

Evaluation Of Salvinia Weevil Establishment, Dispersal, And Environmental Pressures Impacting The Giant Salvinia Biological Control Program, Korey Danielle Pham

LSU Master's Theses

Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta Mitchell), an invasive free-floating aquatic fern, invaded the Toledo-Bend reservoir along the Texas-Louisiana border in the 1990s. The rapid spread threatens critical ecosystems, economies, and cultural services by altering water quality, and impacting fishing, hunting, and navigation. To combat this issue, the LSU AgCenter has been rearing and distributing the salvinia weevil (Cyrtobagous salviniae Calder and Sands), which has demonstrated effectiveness in reducing giant salvinia populations within a matter of months to a few years. The first study assessed the impact of propagule pressure on salvinia weevil effectiveness in outdoor mesocosms and revealed that …

Effects Of Feeding A Vitamin And Mineral Supplement To Cow-Calf Pairs Grazing Native Range, Jennifer L. Hurlbert, Friederike Baumgaertner, Kacie L. Mccathy, Timothy Long, Cody Wieland, Kevin K. Sedivec, Carl R. Dahlen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Our objectives were to evaluate the impacts of providing vitamin and mineral (VTM) supplements to cow-calf pairs during the summer grazing period on cow and calf performance and liver concentrations of minerals. During a two-year period, 727 crossbred cows and their calves (initial cow BW = 601.7 ± 48.1 kg; calf BW = 87.8 ± 5.0 kg; n = 381 in year 1, n = 346 in year 2) from the Central Grasslands Research Extension Center (Streeter, N.D.) were blocked by parity (young [parity 1 to 3], and old [parity 4+]) and randomly assigned to pastures at the beginning …

Evaluation Of A Nutritional Calming Supplement For Stress Management In Beef Cattle, Randall Mallette

LSU Master's Theses

Two studies were conducted to determine the efficacy of two formulations of a nutritional calming product, Placid 1.0 and Placid 2.0, at keeping beef cattle in a calm state when exposed to environmental factors that put them into an excited state. In the pilot study, nine crossbred beef heifers were orally drenched daily for three days with 60 mL of their respective treatments, pen scores and exit scores were recorded, and blood was collected for cortisol analysis. There were no treatment effects for either treatment on any of the measured behavioral parameters or serum cortisol concentrations.

The products were …

Ticks And Tick-Borne Pathogens From Wild Pigs In Northern And Central Florida, Sarah E. Mays Maestas, Lindsay P. Campbell, Michael P. Milleson, Lawrence E. Reeves, Phillip E. Kaufman, Samantha M. Wisely

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences Faculty Publications

Simple Summary

Ticks are vectors of several agents of human disease, and improvements to traditional surveillance methods are needed to aid in tick-borne disease monitoring and prevention. Invasive wild pigs are broadly distributed in the southern U.S., and removal efforts are often undertaken by local, state, and federal entities. Wild pigs are hosts to several human-biting tick species associated with agents of human disease. This research examines the use of tick collection from wild pigs in the state of Florida as a method of surveillance for ticks and tick-borne pathogens of human concern. Four species of human-biting ticks were collected …

Genotype By Environment Interaction And Heteroscedasticity Influence The Expression Of Parasite Resistance In Katahdin Sheep, Brian C. Arisman, Joan M. Burke, James L. M. Morgan, Ronald M. Lewis

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Increasingly, sheep producers are choosing breeds that express resistance to gastrointestinal parasites due to reduced efficacy of anthelminthic drugs. One such breed is Katahdin. Katahdins are raised in various climates and management systems in the United States, which can be combined into eco-management clusters to describe production environments more holistically. The objectives of this study were to determine if genotype by environment interaction (G × E) and heteroscedasticity existed across these eco-management clusters for traits indicative of parasite resistance. Body weights (BW), FAMACHA scores (FAM), and fecal egg counts (FEC) were collected at around 90 d in 3,527 Katahdin lambs …

Estimating Body Weight And Body Condition Score Of Mature Beef Cows Using Depth Images, Yijie Xiong, Isabella C.F.S. Condotta, J. A. Musgrave, Tami M. Brown-Bandl, J. Travis Mulliniks

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Obtaining accurate body weight (BW) is crucial for management decisions yet can be a challenge for cow–calf producers. Fast-evolving technologies such as depth sensing have been identified as low-cost sensors for agricultural applications but have not been widely validated for U.S. beef cattle. This study aimed to (1) estimate the body volume of mature beef cows from depth images, (2) quantify BW and metabolic weight (MBW) from image-projected body volume, and (3) classify body condition scores (BCS) from image-obtained measurements using a machine-learning-based approach. Fifty-eight crossbred cows with a mean BW of 410.0 ± 60.3 kg and were between 4 …

Evaluation Of Anti-Hyperuricemic Effects Of Alocasia Longiloba Miq. (Keladi Candik) Extracts In Potassium Oxonate Induced Rat Model, Ferid Abdulhafiz, Arifullah Mohammed, Mohd Farhan Hanif Reduan, Zulhazman Hamzah, Zulhisyam Abdul Kari, Guillermo Tellez-Isaias

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Hyperuricemia has become a significant public-health concern in recent years, and the available treatments have been reported to have an adverse side effect on patients. Alocasia longiloba has been used traditionally in Malaysia for treating gout, inflammation, and wounds. However, the plant has not been investigated for its effects on hyperuricemia. This study investigated the anti-hyperuricemic and anti-inflammatory effects of A. longiloba extracts in hyperuricemic rats induced by potassium oxonate (250 mg/kg body weight). Rats were given A. longiloba extracts or a standard drug for two-week, and blood and tissue samples were collected for analysis. Results show that A. longiloba …

Horizontal Transfer Of Probable Chicken-Pathogenicity Chromosomal Islands Between Staphylococcus Aureus And Staphylococcus Agnetis, Douglas D. Rhoads, Jeff Pummil, Nnamdi S. Ekesi, Adnan A.K. Alrubaye

Cell and Molecular Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Staphylococcus agnetis is an emerging pathogen in chickens but has been most commonly isolated from sub-clinical mastitis in bovines. Previous whole-genome analyses for known virulence genes failed to identify determinants for the switch from mild ductal infections in cattle to severe infections in poultry. We now report identification of a family of 15 kbp, 17–19 gene mobile genetic elements (MGEs) specific to chicken osteomyelitis and dermatitis isolates of S. agnetis. These MGEs can be present in multiple copies per genome. The MGE has been vectored on a Staphylococcus phage that separately lysogenized two S. agnetis osteomyelitis strains. …