Other Animal Sciences Commons^™

Field Journal: The Excluded Middle, Carrie E. Kouts

Masters Theses

What does it look like to engage with organisms and landscapes at the periphery of anthropocentric value structures? How does one break the internalized myth that the “built” environment is excluded from the natural world? When does a hyper-mobile and hyper-commodified society confront the exponential crisis of animal death? Within this series of journal entries, field notes, collection observations, weird prose, and sensory musings, one will find questions on the nature of being human and the complex narratives of care we encounter in a world shared with more-than-humans. Each handwritten vignette and photograph from daily life weaves a non-linear and …

New York City’S Rising Sea Level And Coastal Erosion: Approaches To Resiliency, Ryder D. Isidro

Student Theses 2015-Present

No abstract provided.

Hilling As A Management Tactic And Tool For Understanding Soybean Gall Midge (Resseliella Maxima Gagné), Pragya Gupta

Department of Entomology: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Soybean gall midge (Resseliella maxima Gagné, SGM) emerged as a new species in the United States Midwest in 2019, causing injury to soybean (Glycine max L.) Infestation of R. maxima starts with females laying eggs in the fissures or cracks that develop at the base of soybean during the V2-V3 growth stage. The emerged larvae feed on the stem internally, leading to wilting and death of the plants. With knowledge gaps in biology and behavior, management strategies for this pest are challenging. Hilling is a cultural practice causing soil to cover the base of stems and is …

A Year Of Wins For Farmed Animals, Lewis Bollard

General – Farm Animal Issues

Although the European Union shelved its ambitious farmed animal welfare reforms, there were other “wins” for farmed animals in 2023. There were 130 new corporate pledges to eliminate cages for laying hens and the worst abuses of broiler chickens. So far, over 1,000 corporate pledges have been fully implemented, and 39% of American hens, 60% of European hens, and 80% of British hens are cage-free, up from 6%, 41%, and 48%, respectively, a decade ago. The US Supreme Court upheld California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of eggs, pork, and veal from caged animals and their offspring in California. …

A Year Of Wins For Farmed Animals, Lewis Bollard

Nexus – UNEP – Animal Welfare, Environment, Sustainable Development

Although the European Union shelved its ambitious farmed animal welfare reforms, there were other “wins” for farmed animals in 2023. There were 130 new corporate pledges to eliminate cages for laying hens and the worst abuses of broiler chickens. So far, over 1,000 corporate pledges have been fully implemented, and 39% of American hens, 60% of European hens, and 80% of British hens are cage-free, up from 6%, 41%, and 48%, respectively, a decade ago. The US Supreme Court upheld California’s Proposition 12, which bans the sale of eggs, pork, and veal from caged animals and their offspring in California. …

Addressing Water Hyacinth (Pontederia Crassipes) Impacts On Aquatic Biota In Lake Okeechobee, Joseph Salerno

All HCAS Student Capstones, Theses, and Dissertations

The incursion of water hyacinth, Pontederia crassipes in Lake Okeechobee has resulted in management systems to be implemented to reduce the coverage of the invasive macrophyte. Its residence in the Lake Okeechobee ecosystem and the effects it has on organisms in the lake, whether it be positive or harmful is unknown. This study attempted to assess the potential effects that water hyacinth has on aquatic biota in Lake Okeechobee. Biotic data were collected on open water, water hyacinth covered, and native vegetation covered habitats via hook-and-line fishing, electrofishing, baited minnow traps, and the sampling of plant roots over a thirteen-month …

Impacts Of Disturbance And Nutrient Addition On Coastal Dune Arthropod Communities, Kayla Beitzel

Honors Theses

Coastal dune ecosystems are globally distributed ecosystems that occur from the tropics to the poles and serve as the first line of defense during storms. They are critical habitats for a variety of organisms and also play a critical role in stabilizing coastal habitats. These systems face increased pressure via urban development, recreational expansion, and sea-level rise (Newman et al. 2023; Webster et al. 2005). Insects are vital consumers in coastal ecosystems and act as regulators of plant growth. Low-diversity ecosystems, like coastal dune systems, often contain a higher abundance of low-diverse insect consumers (Ripple et al. 2021), which can …

Game-Theoretic Approaches To Optimal Resource Allocation And Defense Strategies In Herbaceous Plants, Molly R. Creagar

Department of Mathematics: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Empirical evidence suggests that the attractiveness of a plant to herbivores can be affected by the investment in defense by neighboring plants, as well as investment in defense by the focal plant. Thus, allocation to defense may not only be influenced by the frequency and intensity of herbivory but also by defense strategies employed by other plants in the environment. We incorporate a neighborhood defense effect by applying spatial evolutionary game theory to optimal resource allocation in plants where cooperators are plants investing in defense and defectors are plants that do not. We use a stochastic dynamic programming model, along …

Animal Husbandry In The 21st Century: Application Of Ecological Theory And Precision Technology To Inform Understanding Of Modern Grazing Systems, Ira Lloyd Parsons

Theses and Dissertations

Ruminant animals comprise the greatest proportion of herbivores around the world, provide essential ecosystem services and human consumable protein by consuming grass and human inedible dietary fiber. Herbivory pressure alters plant communities and species diversity, effectively making grazing animals ecosystem engineers in dynamic ecosystems. Development of advanced computer processing power coupled with biometric and ecosystem sensors may be employed in the internet of things framework to create an integrated information system designed to inform understanding of grazing system function and animal energy balance. Towards this end, I utilized Bos indicus / Bos taurus crossbred steers (n = 20) across two …

Nonnative Ungulate Impacts On Greater Sage-Grouse Late Brood-Rearing Habitat In The Great Basin, Usa, Mikiah R. Mcginn, Steven L. Petersen, Melissa S. Chelak, Randy T. Larsen, Loreen Allphin, Brock R. Mcmillan, Dennis L. Eggett, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Domestic livestock grazing is the dominant land use on much of the current range inhabited by greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) in the western United States. Nonnative feral horses (Equus ferus caballus) also inhabit important sage-grouse seasonal habitats. Overabundant feral horse populations and improper grazing by domestic cattle (Bos taurus) can impact the health of sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) and desert shrub rangeland communities and native wildlife. These impacts to sage-grouse can be exacerbated when they affect late brood-rearing habitat, which provide the forbs and arthropods required to fledge broods. Managers require better information …

Wyoming’S Wild Horse Ranch: History And Description Of A Socio-Ecological Experiment, Alex Sas-Jaworsky, John Derek Scasta

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The growing population of free-roaming horses (Equus ferus caballus) on western public rangelands has necessitated that federal agencies, such as the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and U.S. Forest Service, develop novel approaches to curb growth including reproduction management. However, bureaucracy has hindered effective research and application of horse management on public lands and examples on private lands may present new solutions. Here we present the history and current population management strategy for the Wild Horse Ranch (WHR) located in southeastern Wyoming, USA, as an example of an ongoing private entity managing horses. Prior to 1985, this ~6,000-ha …

Rapid Quantitative Analysis Of Toxic Norditerpenoid Alkaloids In Larkspur (Delphinium Spp.) By Flow Injection - Electrospray Ionization – Mass Spectrometry, Dale R. Gardner, Stephen T. Lee, Daniel Cook

Poisonous Plant Research (PPR)

A rapid flow injection - electrospray ionization – mass spectrometry (FI-ESI-MS) method for the quantitative and qualitative analysis of norditerpenoid alkaloids in larkspur plants was developed. The FI-ESI-MS method was calibrated for alkaloid concentrations with larkspur plant samples against an existing Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy FTIR method. There was a strong correlation (r = 0.9926, r = 0.9891) between the FTIR and FI-ESI-MS methods. The relative standard deviation (RSD) for all measurements were ≤ 6.2 % except for the sample with the lowest concentration which was 19%. The sample throughput of the FI-ESI-MS method is much higher than the FTIR …

Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021, Department Of Primary Industries And Regional Development, Tim Scanlon

Books & book chapters

The Primary Industries Development Research Highlights 2021 showcases the breadth and depth of the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s research and development activities over the past several years.

Stories featured in Research Highlights 2021 stem from about 60 (of 140) current and recently-completed projects undertaken by the Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development’s (DPIRD) 1100 scientists, technical experts and economists throughout the State.

Explore our Research Highlights 2021.

The publication demonstrates the innovative and applicable research that DPIRD and its collaborators and investment partners deliver to Western Australia.

Download the Research Highlights 2021 here. Alternatively, …

Not All Pollinator Gardens Are Created Equally: Determining Factors Pertinent To Improving Pollinator Garden Effectiveness, Travis Watson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Increasing evidence documenting the decline of insect populations, resulting from increasing human disturbances has resulted in efforts to establish pollinator gardens to provide additional resources for insect populations. However, our understanding of biotic and abiotic garden characteristics important for attracting and sustaining pollinator diversity is limited. Here, we evaluated 17 pollinator gardens to evaluate the effect of five biotic and three abiotic garden characteristics on pollinator species richness, abundance, and proportional representation of four pollinator functional groups. Plant species richness positively influenced pollinator richness and negatively influenced flower visitation. Bombus proportional abundance responded to several variables (distance to vegetation, plant …

Effect Of Supplemental Garlic On The Incidence Of Anemia In Horses, Victoria Willis

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

Garlic (Allium sativum L.) is a spice that has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes or flavoring in food. Garlic has also been commonly used as a fly and pest control for horses and is still commonly used for that purpose today. Recent research has shown garlic may cause Heinz body anemia in horses. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the incidence of Heinz body anemia in horses supplemented with varying rates of garlic. This study included 12 horses divided into 4 groups (control and 3 supplement rates: low (0.0625 g/kg), medium (0.125 g/kg), high (0.1875 g/kg)) …

Exopolysaccharide From Mycelium Of Ganoderma Lucidum As A Potential Additive For Juvenile Red Hybrid Tilapia (Oreochromis Sp.), Pajaru Rahman Janathu Ferdaus

Student Works (2020-2029)

Functional feed additives are added during feed preparation to improve the growth performance and cellular defense for the fishes. Interaction of cellular biomolecules and dysfunction of red hybrid tilapia (Oreochromis sp.) could be avoided by strengthening the antioxidant defense with antioxidant rich sources. As for this, a bioactive polysaccharide of Ganoderma lucidum was found to have its antioxidant bioactivities. Thus the potential of exopolysaccharide (EPS) extracted from the mycelium of G.lucidum as feed additive for red hybrid tilapia was evaluated in this research. In this experiment, one hundred twenty (120) juveniles were randomly divided into four groups and designated with …

A Survey Of Dairy-Goat Keeping In Zanzibar, Tiffanie Stone, Charles A. Francis, L. O. Eik

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Dairy goats with improved genetics for milk production were recently introduced onto small-scale farms in Zanzibar through governmental and non-governmental projects. These projects were meant to support small-scale farmers by improving both income and household nutrition through milk production. No follow up had been conducted to understand what effects dairy goat keeping had on these small-scale farms, or how they could be improved. A survey of 193 dairy goat farmers in Zanzibar was conducted, including 30% and 60% of all dairy goat farmers on Unguja and Pemba, the two largest islands, respectively. The objective was to understand the impact keeping …

Considerations For Nisc’S Future Without Isac, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

The Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) was established in 1999 by Executive Order 131121 and furthered by Executive Order 137512 to provide consultation, feedback, information on particular issues, and expert advice generally for consideration by the National Invasive Species Council (NISC). ISAC is composed of distinguished, experienced volunteers from various organizations that are appointed to serve on the Committee by the Secretary of the Interior. Their task is to develop assessments on many aspects of the invasive species issue in the United States and to provide recommendations for the management, control, and response to key invasive species as articulated in …

Ecological Response Of Phytoplankton To The Oil Spills In The Oceans, Danling Tang, Jing Sun, Li Zhou, Sufen Wang, Ramesh P. Singh, Gang Pan

Mathematics, Physics, and Computer Science Faculty Articles and Research

Oil spills in oceans have substantial influence on marine ecosystems. This study investigates 21 oil spills in the world. Analyzing Chlorophyll-a (Chl-a) from Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiomerer (MODIS) data after Penglai oil spills on 4 June 2011, found a bloom with peak value of Chl-a (13.66 mg m⁻³) spread over an area of 800 km² during 18–25 June 2011, and a pronounced increase in the monthly Chl-a concentration (6.40 mg m⁻³) on June 2012 in the Bohai Sea. Out of the 21 oil spills, 14 blooms were observed, while 11 …

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2019, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Rangeland Health Session

Managing Sand Deposits after the Flood by Daren Redfearn

Rangeland Health: What Is It and Why Do I Care?” by Patrick Shaver

Managing a Sandhills Ranch with an Eye to Soil Health by Dana Larsen

Grazinglands Management Session

Soil Health: Expectations and Evidence by Virginia Jin

Mob Grazing on Nebraska Sandhills Meadow by Walt Schacht

Effect of Length of Grazing Period on Upland Sandhills Range by Jerry Volesky

Carbon Input and Loss in Semi-arid Sandy Rangeland by Martha Mamo

Graze 365 by Jacob Miller

Soil Health and Grazing Strategies: Opportunities for Increasing Soil Water by Andrea Basche …

Past Invasive Species Advisory Committee (Isac) Members, National Invasive Species Committee

National Invasive Species Council

United States Department of the Interior

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC)

Past ISAC Members:

Class 9 (2016-2019)

Class 8 (2011-2016/2017)

Class 7 (2011-2012/2014)

Class 6 (2009-2011/2012)

Class 5 (2008/2009-2010)

Class 4 (2006-2008)

Class 3 (2004-2006)

Class 2 (2002-2004)

Class 1 (1999-2001)

Radical Social Ecology As Deep Pragmatism: A Call To The Abolition Of Systemic Dissonance And The Minimization Of Entropic Chaos, Arielle Brender

Student Theses 2015-Present

This paper aims to shed light on the dissonance caused by the superimposition of Dominant Human Systems on Natural Systems. I highlight the synthetic nature of Dominant Human Systems as egoic and linguistic phenomenon manufactured by a mere portion of the human population, which renders them inherently oppressive unto peoples and landscapes whose wisdom were barred from the design process. In pursuing a radical pragmatic approach to mending the simultaneous oppression and destruction of the human being and the earth, I highlight the necessity of minimizing entropic chaos caused by excess energy expenditure, an essential feature of systems that aim …

Reducing The Risk Of Invasive Pathogens To Wildlife Health In The United States, Edward E. Clark Jr., Marshall Meyers, David Eldon Starling, Brent Stewart, Nathan Stone, Gary Tabor, Jeffrey S. White

National Invasive Species Council

Call to Action

In keeping with action items 4.3.1 and 4.3.2 of the 2016–2018 National Invasive Species Council (NISC) Management Plan, the Wildlife Health Task Team of the Invasive Species Advisory Committee (ISAC) was charged with: 1) identifying the major areas of vulnerability to native wildlife from the introduction and spread of invasive pathogens, and 2) making recommendations to address these vulnerabilities, including through potential changes in statute, regulation, policy, or practice of the relevant agencies.

Considerations For The 2019–2021 Nisc Management Plan, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

The Issue

Efforts to prevent the importation of invasive species are insufficient to protect the United States. Nor are resources adequate for the eradication or control of invasive species that have already entered the country. There is a clear need for more effective coordination and collaboration among federal agencies and other entities to address gaps and inconsistencies in relevant statutes, regulations, agency authorities, as well as to improve and sustain access to the data needed to inform decisions and direct action

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings, 2018, Center For Grassland Studies, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln

Nebraska Grazing Conference Proceedings

Pasture Monitoring Sesion

Overview of Choquette Ranch by Jim Choquette

Field Applications of Pasture and Ecological Monitoring by Christine Su

Keeping Human Knowledge at the Center of Technology by Christine Su

Field Monitoring Exercise with Christine Su, Jim O’Rourke, Bethany Johnston, Brad Schick, Brent Plugge, Ben Beckman, and Jace Stott

Prescribed Fire, Bird Monitoring, and Butterfly Date by Andrew Pierson

Strategies for Rangeland Monitoring by Jim O’Rourke

Pasture Monitoring: Field Experience by Jeff Nichols, Beau Mathewson, and Mitch Stephenson

Ranch Succession Planning Session

Keeping Your Ranching Operation in the Family for Future Generations by Ron Hanson

Sharing Our Ranch Succession …

The Three Creeks Allotment Consolidation: Changing Western Federal Grazing Paradigms, Taylor Payne

Human–Wildlife Interactions

The federal government owns approximately 47% of all land in the western United States. In the state of Utah, about 64% of the land base is managed by the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS). The government has historically issued permits to owners of private lands to allow the owners to graze their livestock on public lands. The permits (allotments) are generally of 10-year duration and allow for an annual season of use. In some cases, continued and repeated historical annual grazing practices may not be ideal for permit holders and their communities nor …

Managed Relocation: Reducing The Risk Of Biological Invasion, Edward E. Clark Jr., Dan Simberloff, Mark Schwartz, Brent Stewart, John Peter Thompson

National Invasive Species Council

Key Finding

Any organism that is relocated to a novel ecosystem has the potential to become an invasive species or spread “hitching” invasive species, or both. Managed Relocation is not congruent with Executive Order 13112 to the extent that it might facilitate “economic or environmental harm or harm to human, animal, or plant health.” Consequently, the actions by federal agencies or those entities supported by federal funding to engage in managed relocation need to be addressed in a manner consistent with EO 13751 Section 3(3), which compels Agencies to:

Refrain from authorizing, funding, or implementing actions that are likely to …

Advanced Biotechnology Tools For Invasive Species Management, Invasive Species Advisory Committee

National Invasive Species Council

Increasingly, genetic tools are being used to detect and solve pressing environmental, social, and health-related challenges. It is clear that investments in technology innovation can be game changing, as advances in biotechnology may provide new methods to protect the nation’s resources from the negative impacts of invasive species. The current toolbox of management options is recognizably insufficient to deal with many of the high-impact species that have been introduced. However, “surrendering” to these species is generally not a viable option from ecological, health, economic, socio-cultural, or political perspectives. Cost-efficient solutions to these “grand invasive species challenges” need to be found. …

Enhancing Federal-Tribal Coordination Of Invasive Species, Blaine Parker, Chuck Bargeron, Sean Southey, Lori Buchanan, Miles Falck, Chris Fisher, Joe Maroney, Mervin Wright, Gintas Zavadkas

National Invasive Species Council

Invasive species are defined by the United States government to mean “with regard to a particular ecosystem, a non-native organism whose introduction causes or is likely to cause economic or environmental harm, or harm to human, animal, or plant health” (Executive Order [EO] 13751). The ecosystems to which invasive species are introduced or spread are not delimited by jurisdictional boundaries; they intersect with lands managed by federal, tribal, state, territorial, and county governments, as well as properties under private ownership. For this reason, effective coordination and cooperation across jurisdictions is of paramount importance in the prevention, eradication, and control of …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2015, Leah English, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

Agriculture and associated agricultural activities are major contributors to the Arkansas economy. Agriculture is defined as the sum of agricultural production and processing activities, unless otherwise specified, and includes crop and animal production and processing, agricultural support industries, forestry and forest products, and textile goods. Agriculture contributes to the economy through direct agricultural production and value-added processing, and also leads to economic activity in other parts of the economy. This report is the tenth in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution to the Arkansas economy. The total economic contribution of agriculture (direct, indirect, and induced effects) on value …