Animal Sciences Commons^™

Late Cretaceous Marine Vertebrates From The Tarrant Formation, Tarrant County, Texas U.S.A, Aaron Johnson, Kenshu Shimada

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

The Tarrant Formation (middle Cenomanian: ca. 96 million years ago) is a stratigraphic member of the Upper Cretaceous Eagle Ford Group in Texas, U.S.A., and consists of calcareous sandstone formed near the East Texas Embayment of the Late Cretaceous Western Interior Seaway, an epicontinental seaway in North America. We examined vertebrate fossils from the Tarrant Formation based on specimens collected through surface collecting and bulk sampling from three localities in Tarrant County, Texas, including the type locality of a pachyrhizodontid fish, Polcynichthys lloydhilli. Our preliminary examination shows that the fossil fauna includes shark species such as Ptychodus anonymous, Archaeolamna sp., …

Rehabilitating An Aging Ichthyology Collection And Turning Into An Effective Teaching Tool For Organismal Biology, Emmy Delekta

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Natural history collections are crucial for understanding the world’s biodiversity. These collections also hold important value in educating students about biodiversity, particularly phenotypic diversity. The University of Louisville (UofL) Department of Biology holds a natural history collection, a wet collection of preserved fishes, that appears to have been maintained up through the 1990s. However, due to shifts in funding priorities and faculty interests, much of the collection was relocated and what remains has been neglected for many years. Here, we describe our efforts to rehabilitate, revitalize, and digitize what is left of UofL’s ichthyology collection - transforming it into a …

Habitiat Structure And Ecomorphology Of Fishes In Neotropical Blackwater Creeks., Devya Hemraj-Naraine

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Freshwater ecosystems provide habitat for a diversity of aquatic flora and fauna. However, anthropogenic activities like mining and pollution alters aquatic habitats and the ecosystem services they provide. In South America, which hosts one quarter of all freshwater fish species, aquatic habitats are under considerable encroachment from human development. We surveyed nine blackwater creeks tributary to the Demarara River along a major Highway in Guyana to determine whether fish morphology and community structure correlate with habitat characteristics among sites with different degrees of human impact. Twenty-three morphological traits were measured on 3-5 adult specimens of each species. The most abundant …

Functional Implications Reflected In Neurocranial Morphology Of Lamniform Sharks (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes), Jake J. Wood

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Lamniform sharks (Elasmobranchii: Lamniformes) display diverse habitat preferences and lifestyles. Based on museum specimens and published illustrations, we examined the proportion of the anteroposterior length of the rostral, olfactory, optic, and otic regions with respect to the neurocranial length in each lamniform species as a proxy of relative importance of each sensory region (electroreception, olfaction, vision, and ‘coordination’) to its lifestyle. We show that: 1) Carcharias and Megachasma (ragged-tooth and megamouth) have short rostral and large otic regions indicative of slower-swimming pelagic lifestyles with elevated coordination for balancing in the water column; 2) Alopias pelagicus, A. vulpinus, …

Habitat Characteristics And Winter Use Of Woodpecker-Excavated Tree Cavities, Adrianna Yoder

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

Avifauna are in decline in North America, including red-headed woodpeckers (Melanerpes erythrocephalus). Red-headed woodpeckers are negatively impacted by urbanization, which has decreased their ideal habitats of oak-savannas and through the management of urban trees there has been a reduction in the amount of tree decay, a necessary feature of suitable trees that woodpeckers can make cavities in. Cavities are created and used as nests in the breeding season (spring/summer) and as roost-sites in the non-breeding season (fall/winter). In the Chicagoland region, during the fall some red-headed woodpeckers migrate while others do not and remain overwinter, making them facultative …

Repeatability And Distribution Of Behavior Types Over Time And Across Populations In Free-Ranging Adult And Juvenile Ornate Box Turtles (Terrapene Ornata), Abigail Trautman

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

As studies continue to investigate inter-individual variation, it is becoming increasingly evident that individual animals have their own unique behavior type (personality; repeatable behaviors over time and context) that persists throughout their life. Behavior is simply different forms of motion, and a behavior type influences which motions (behaviors) are most likely to be on display. Behavioral types can influence resource acquisition, predation risk, and mating opportunities and thus can directly influence the fitness of any given individual. In this study, we examine the behavior types of free-ranging adult ornate box turtles (Terrapene ornata), including their repeatability and variation …

Effect Of Temperature Variation On Endurance Swimming Capacity Of Juvenile White Sturgeon (Acipenser Transmontanus), Alex M. Stolberg

2023 Midwest Ecology & Evolution Conference

White sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus), a species within one of the most globally threatened taxa, are highly susceptible to changes in their environments due to unique life history traits. Specifically, juvenile white sturgeon are impacted by altered watershed dynamics caused by water diversion structures such as dams, weirs, irrigation ditches, or levees. One location of great concern is the Sacramento-San Joaquin (S-SJ) watershed where decades of water diversion has brought on changes to the temperature, flow, and management of the area. This study looks to primarily identify the impact of water temperature on the endurance swimming capacity of juvenile white sturgeon, …

Dairy Digest 2023 : Live Like Someone Left The Gate Open, South Dakota State University Dairy Club

Dairy Digest

This is the 2023 Dairy Digest. The Diary Digest is published annually by the South Dakota State University Dairy Club. The Digest contains information and news about the activities and members of the SDSU Dairy Club for the academic year 2022 - 2023.

Wpa News 120 (2023), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Spring 2023), number 120

Published by the World Pheasant Association

2023 Little International Agricultural Exposition Catalog, Little International Agricultural Exposition South Dakota State University

Little International "Little I" Agricultural Exposition Catalogs

This is the catalog for the 100th Little International 'Little I' Agricultural Exposition, held on March 31 & April 1, 2023.

Neoliberalismo Y La Mar: Los Efectos Del Sistema Neoliberal Y La Pesca Artesanal De Caleta Portales, Isaac Bronfine

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study is meant to explore the fundamental conflict between the neoliberal system implemented in Chilean society and the artisanal fishing sector, represented by Caleta Diego Portales in Valparaíso, Chile. The struggle of the artisanal fishing sector has been made more salient in the minds of the general Chilean public due to the estallido social or “social explosion” in 2019 which lead to a process of drafting a new constitution, and the recent corruption scandals regarding government officials and fishing law reforms.

Beginning with how neoliberal theory gained traction in intellectual spaces around the world, this study then examines how …

Anuran Species Diversity And Abundance Between Three Locations In El Valle De Antón, Coclé, Panamá, Xena Gehring

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Panama is an incredibly biodiverse country that houses 230 species of amphibians including 188 species of frogs, 35 of which are endemic to Panama. Commonly found in terrestrial and aquatic habitats, frogs play a very important role in the regulation of insect populations and serve as a valuable food resource to other predators. The greatest threat to amphibian species at this time is Chytridiomycosis, a fungal pathogen that infects the skin and often results in death. Many species of amphibians have already gone completely extinct or are extinct in the wild due to the proliferation of this disease. The skin …

Rocky Intertidal Community Structure Along An Upwelling Gradient Between Playa Venao And Nueva Gorgona On Panama’S Pacific Coast, Claire Brady

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ecological research on rocky intertidal ecosystems has increasingly focused on the regional oceanographic processes that shape community structure over functional group interactions. Intertidal communities’ dependence on onshore and offshore transport of intertidal species larvae, dissolved inorganic nutrients, and phytoplankton signal that upwelling and nearshore currents can have an influential role in determining the growth and composition of intertidal systems. The community structure of rocky intertidal areas was compared between two locations along an upwelling gradient in the Gulf of Panama: Nueva Gorgona, with intermittent seasonal upwelling, and Playa Venao, with fringe seasonal upwelling. The surface cover of algae, barnacles, and …

Troop Composition And Behavior Of Mantled Howler Monkeys (Alouatta Palliata) In Mangroves And Forested Islands South Of David, Panama, Slate Hyacinthe

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The mantled howler monkey, Alouatta palliata, is one of the most commonly studied and widely distributed primate species in Central America. They have been reported to inhabit mangrove environments in Panama, but few studies have undertaken to describe their demography and behavior in these particular ecosystems. For my study, I spent 12 days studying A. palliata populations in both the mangrove and forested island ecosystems (Isla Parida and Isla Boca Brava) south of David. Seven groups were found in the mangrove environments, and 11 groups were found on the island environments. The mangrove groups were significantly smaller and at a …

Understanding Invasive Predation: Detections Of Feral Cats (Felis Catus) On Kangaroo Island’S Western River Refuge, Leah Boget

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Feral cats (Felis catus) are a priority-level threat for small to medium-sized native vertebrates across Australia and especially so in insular environments like that of Kangaroo Island, South Australia. The island is home to several endangered and geographically restricted species, including the Kangaroo Island Dunnart (Sminthopsis aitkeni), an endangered marsupial endemic to Kangaroo Island. When bushfires spread across the island and burned x percent of native vegetation in late 2019 to early 2020, these populations were critically impacted and post-fire feral cat predation on the island risked their extinctions, motivating the creation of a refuge with …

Impact Of Wildlife Provisioning On Species Diversity, Relative Frequency, And Richness In New South Wales, Alanah Cohen-Tigör

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Wildlife provisioning and camera trapping are two recently evolving methods of conservation and wildlife management, aimed at protecting animals in the face of ever worsening climate change. Habitats are being destroyed by climate disruption, decreasing species diversity and abundance worldwide. It is imperative that methods of protecting species are developed to slow or reverse this era of extinction. By providing supplementary food and water to ecological communities, the hope is that species will have improved survivorship and reproduction, making them more resilient and resistant to population decline. Camera trapping is product of modern technology, allowing researchers to monitor species without …

White Coat Color Of A Black Angus Calf Attributed To An Occurrence Of The Delr217 Variant Of Mitf, Jessica Lynn Petersen, Renae L. Sieck, David J. Steffen

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

A white calf, with minimal pigmented markings, was born to two registered Black Angus parents. Given the possibility of an unknown recessive or de novo dominant mutation, whole-genome sequencing was conducted on the trio of individuals. A 3-bp in-frame deletion in MITF was identified; this mutation was unique to the calf but identical to the delR217 variant reported in both humans and murine models of Waardenburg syndrome type 2A and Tietz syndrome. Given the coat color phenotype and identity of the mutation, our data support that this calf represents the first instance of this recurring MITF mutation in cattle.

Dietary Soy Galactooligosaccharides Affect The Performance, Intestinal Function, And Gut Microbiota Composition Of Growing Chicks, K. D. Teague, G. Tellez-Isaias, Jianmin Chai, V. Petrone-Garcia, C. N. Vuong, A. Blanch, S. H. Rasmussen, K. Brown, Jiangchao Zhao, S. J. Rochell

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

The objective of this experiment was to investigate the effects of the dietary soy galactooligosaccharides (GOS), raffinose and stachyose, on performance, gastrointestinal health, and systemic stress in young broilers. Birds were fed a GOS-devoid diet based on soy protein isolate (SPI) or the SPI diet with 0.9, 1.8, 2.7, or 3.6% added stachyose and raffinose in a ratio of 4:1 at the expense of corn starch. These 5 treatments were administered to 10 replicate cages of 8 birds. Performance was measured weekly and excreta moisture, N retention, apparent metabolizeable energy, and complete blood cell counts were …

Comparative- And Network-Based Proteomic Analysis Of Bacterial Chondronecrosis With Osteomyelitis Lesions In Broiler's Proximal Tibiae Identifies New Molecular Signatures Of Lameness, Jennifer Cook, Elizabeth Greene, Alison Ramser, Garrett J. Mullenix, Jalila S. Dridi, Rohana Liyanage, Robert F. Wideman Jr., Sami Dridi

Poultry Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) is a specific cause of lameness in commercial fast-growing broiler (meat-type) chickens and represents significant economic, health, and wellbeing burdens. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis remain poorly understood. This study represents the first comprehensive characterization of the proximal tibia proteome from healthy and BCO chickens. Among a total of 547 proteins identified, 222 were differentially expressed (DE) with 158 up- and 64 down-regulated proteins in tibia of BCO vs. normal chickens. Biological function analysis using Ingenuity Pathways showed that the DE proteins were associated with a variety of diseases including cell death, organismal …

Management Plan For The Western Painted Turtle At The Sandy River Delta In Troutdale, Oregon, Emma Scott

Environmental Science and Management Professional Master's Project Reports

This management plan has been prepared for the Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership and is intended to provide guidance for the improvement and protection of western painted turtle (Chrysemys picta bellii) habitat at the Sandy River Delta in Troutdale, Oregon. The Sandy River Delta is a 1500-acre natural area situated where the Columbia and Sandy Rivers meet. Its dynamic floodplain habitat supports a diverse assemblage of species, including the western painted turtle, an Oregon Conservation Strategy Species. A small, unknown number of western painted turtles utilize the wetland habitats of the Sandy River Delta, and the frequency in observations …

Life Line Spring 2023, Otterbein Biology And Earth Science Department

Life Line - The Biology Department Newsletter

In this Issue:

Feathered Friends Living on Campus; The Hidden Mussels of the Olentangy River; Early Assurance Program Students Graduate from HCOM; Students Present at American Society for Microbiology Microbe 2022 Meeting; Environmental Science Upgrades Its Remote Monitoring Capabilities; Speed!; UK Students Visit Local Attractions; That's a Lottl Axolotls.

Growing South Dakota (Spring 2023), College Of Agriculture, Food And Environmental Sciences

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

[Page] 3 Developing Climate-Smart Beef and Bison Commodities
[Page] 5 Joseph Cassady Leads CAFES as New Dean
[Page] 7 Inaugural Class of Klingbeil Scholars
[Page] 9 Jackrabbits to Future Veterinarians
[Page] 11 Protecting South Dakota’s Grasslands
[Page] 13 Growing Youth Programs
[Page] 15 Partnerships for Positive Growth
[Page] 17 Building Highly Effective Boards
[Page] 19 SDSU Extension Podcasts
[Page] 21 Providing Good Food for All
[Page] 23 Improving Seed Varieties
[Page] 25 CAFES Endowed Positions
[Page] 29 Jackrabbits Now and Then

Is Lineage C A Distinct Species?, Shiza Khan

Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Interactive Effects Of Climate Change‐Induced Range Shifts And Wind Energy Development On Future Economic Conditions Of The Atlantic Surfclam Fishery, Stephanie Stromp, Andrew M. Scheld, John M. Klinck, Daphne M. Munroe, Eric N. Powell, Roger Mann, Sarah Borsetti, Eileen E. Hofmann

Faculty Publications

Rising water temperatures along the northeastern U.S. continental shelf have resulted in an offshore range shift of the Atlantic surfclam Spisula solidissima to waters still occupied by ocean quahogs Arctica islandica. Fishers presently are prohibited from landing both Atlantic surfclams and ocean quahogs in the same catch, thus limiting fishing to locations where the target species can be sorted on deck. Wind energy development on and around the fishing grounds will further restrict the fishery. A spatially explicit model of the Atlantic surfclam fishery (Spatially Explicit Fishery Economics Simulator) has the ability to simulate the consequences of fishery displacement …

Genomic Analysis Of Exophiala Sp. Etnp2018, A Marine Fungal Strain Isolated From An Oxygen Minimum Zone, Margaret Kelly Bernish

Theses and Dissertations

Microbial metabolic activity is central to biogeochemical cycling in virtually all ecosystems. Fungi are important parts of microbial communities, serving as decomposers, parasites, and symbionts. Most of our understanding of fungal ecology is derived from the study of isolated, cultured terrestrial fungi. However, the marine environment includes thousands of divergent, uncultured fungi. A number of these species, which include saprobes, parasites, and endophytes, can survive and sporulate in a wide range of salinities. Other such species face the additional challenge of limited nutrient accessibility. The genus Exophiala includes agents of mycoses in both humans and in marine animals. This research …

Metagenomic And Meta-Transcriptomic Analysis Reveal The Colonization And Expression Profile Of Probiotic Strains In Humans And Animals, Yunjuan Peng, Routing Chen, Zhihao Zhang, Rui Jin, Ting Xe, Xinting Liu, Jianmin Chai, Samantha Howe, Jiangchao Zhao, Ying Li, Feilong Deng

Animal Science Faculty Publications and Presentations

In humans and animals, probiotics are widely accepted as crucial for host health and growth. The investigation of the probiotic colonization and expression of probiotics in the host is beneficial for proper usage of probiotics and isolation of indigenous probiotics. In this study, we analyzed commonly used probiotic strains in the intestines/rumen of humans and animals by analyzing metagenomic and paired meta-transcriptomic data from the gut or rumen microbiome of humans (n = 13), pigs (n = 6), chickens (n = 6), cattle (n = 14), sheep (n = 10), and mice (n = …

A Survey Of Captive Wild And Exotic Animal Training Programs In The Eastern United States, Savannah Atchison

Senior Honors Theses

Methods of positive reinforcement as a successful means for animal training are the result of many years of research into operant conditioning and learning. However, current literature is unclear on the extent to which these methods are utilized in captive wild and exotic animal populations in the United States. Through phone interviews with animal trainers employed at zoos and wildlife rehabilitation centers in the eastern United States, the author determined that these facilities are currently utilizing positive reinforcement training methods which are proving to be a great benefit for all parties involved. They are enabling a variety of voluntary health …

Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza A(H5n1) Virus Outbreak In New England Seals, United States, Wendy Puryear, Kaitlin Sawatzki, Nichola Hill, Alexa Foss, Jonathon J. Stone, Lynda Doughty, Dominique Walk, Katie Gilbert, Maureen Murray, Elena Cox, Priya Patel, Zak Mertz, Stephanie Ellis, Jennifer Taylor, Deborah Fauquier, Ainsley Smith, Robert A. Digiovanni, Adriana Van De Guchte, Ana Silvia Gonzalez-Reiche, Zain Khalil, Harm Van Bakel, Mia K. Torchetti, Kristina Lantz, Julianna B. Lenoch, Jonathan Runstadler

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report the spillover of highly pathogenic avian influenza A(H5N1) into marine mammals in the northeastern United States, coincident with H5N1 in sympatric wild birds. Our data indicate monitoring both wild coastal birds and marine mammals will be critical to determine pandemic potential of influenza A viruses.

Ecological Studies Of Wolves On Isle Royale, Sarah Hoy, Rolf O. Peterson, John A. Vucetich

Ecological Studies of Wolves on Isle Royale

Annual Report 2022-2023

Spatial Ecology And Habitat Preference Of Yellow-Spotted Monitors (Varanus Panoptes) At Lizard Island National Park, Qld, Australia, Ryan Snyder

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Lizard Island National Park is an area of strong habitat diversity, especially given its small size. There are several distinct habitats represented, including open sclerophyll woodlands, mangrove swamps, dune grasslands, foothills elevations, and of course anthropogenically modified human habitats. The object of this study was to observe the abundances and behaviors of the yellow-spotted monitor lizard (V. panoptes) in each of these habitat settings to answer the question of which habitat type is preferred amongst V. panoptes in the landscape context of Lizard Island National Park.

Study transects were conducted over the course of one month measuring abundance of V. …