Other Animal Sciences Commons^™

Life History And Distribution Of Two Species Of Cownose Ray, Rhinoptera Bonasus And Rhinoptera Brasiliensis, In Mississippi Coastal Waters, Anna Millender

Master's Theses

Historically, the American Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera bonasus) was considered the only rhinopterid residing in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM); however, recent studies have confirmed the presence of the Brazilian Cownose Ray (Rhinoptera brasiliensis) throughout this region. The current study investigated the life history and distribution of both species within Mississippi waters, an area that previously represented a data gap for both species. From April 2016 – July 2025, 193 R. bonasus and 94 R. brasiliensis were analyzed to describe the reproductive biology. Reproductive timing, mating, gestation length, and parturition were similar among species. Although more …

Notes On Reproduction, Seasonality, And Roost Sites For Silver-Haired Bats (Lasionycteris Noctivagans) In Western Nebraska, Joseph W. Paysen, Dawson V. Kosmicki, Keith Geluso

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Silver-haired Bats (Lasionycteris noctivagans) are a migratory species found throughout the United States, southern Canada, and northern Mexico. Throughout their range, Silver-haired Bats roost in various tree species, generally within decaying features like cavities and exfoliated bark. Herein we report on additional reproductive and seasonal data as well as the first data on trees used as roost sites by Silver-haired Bats in Nebraska. We captured individuals along a small tributary of the North Platte River at Ash Hollow State Historical Park, Garden County, Nebraska, and tracked bats to their roosts. At this location, we documented lactation on 17 …

Influence Of Gossypol From Cottonseed Meal Fed To Pregnant Sows On Seminiferous Tubule Diameters In Male Offspring, Elizabeth Callaway

Animal Science Undergraduate Honors Theses

Feral swine were first brought to the United States in the 1500s as a source of food and have been reported as an invasive species since then without an efficient method of population control. Ongoing research indicates that the total cost of the damage this species has caused estimates to around 1.5 billion dollars each year (USDA, 2023). Gossypol is a phenolic compound found in the cotton plant and can be administered in the form of cottonseed meal (CSM). Gossypol has been associated with reduced fertility in various species (Randel et al., 1992). Pregnant sows were fed cottonseed meal to …

Effects Of Winter Ticks (Dermacentor Albipictus) On The Reproduction Of Utah Moose (Alces Alces Shirasi), Samuel D. Robertson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Fall 2023 to Present

Moose (Alces alces) are the largest and only solitary members of the deer family. The species can be found across many northern regions around the world. Moose are considered to have high intrinsic, recreational and ecological value. In recent years, there have been concerns about declining moose populations in portions of the species circumpolar range. Moose in Utah (Alces alces shirasi) belong to the Shiras subspecies, which is the smallest of the four subspecies found in North America. Utah moose are the southernmost naturally occurring moose population in the world. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources …

Der Kormoran Phalacrocorax Carbo In Der Mongolei, Michael Stubbe, Lucie Marie Baltz, Davaa Lchagvasuren, Lukas Kratzsch, Lara-Sophie Dey, Annegret Stubbe

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The Great Cormorant Phalacrocorax carbo is a wide spread breeding species in Mongolia with a progressive population trend. Observations of the Mongolian-German Biological Expeditions were analyzed and summarized with data from literature. About 1,500 young birds were ringed in 2016 and 2017. One important recovery was coming from the wintering area Mai Po Marshes Nature Reserve of Hong Kong. It is unclear if all Mongolian Cormorants are flying at the same route to their wintering region in South China. The main feeding fishes in Mongolia belong to endemic species of the genus Oreoleuciscus (Cyprinidae). Measurements of 113 eggs from Tolbo- …

Mist-Netting Of Forest-Dwelling Bats In The Lazovsky State Nature Reserve, Russian Far East, Kerstin Birlenbach

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Many bat species depend on a high value of healthy and undisturbed forests with a high ratio of roost sites in old tree stands. This investigation focused on the diversity, distribution and reproduction status of bats within the area of Lazovsky State Nature Reserve. The importance of an area for bats can be measured by the ratio of reproduction. The most important and sensitive time in a bats yearly circle is the time of hibernation in winter and the reproduction time of females. From the beginning of July to the end of August 2007, in total 139 bats of eight …

Table Of Contents

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Preface

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Table Of Contents

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Abridged Submission Guidelines

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

No abstract provided.

Optimizing Reproductive Performance In The Goat Herd, Dahlia O'Brien, Stephen Wildeus

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Reproductive efficiency impacts pregnancy rates, kidding/lambing frequency and number of offspring available for market each year. To enhance reproductive performance, consider breed, selection, nutrition and health, and understand basic female and male reproduction. Proper ration formulation and feeding promotes reproductive function and leads to more offspring. Selecting the highest performing females while culling unproductive does increases reproductive rates. Diseases affect the reproduction and survival of kids, so adopting disease prevention strategies including routine vaccinations and deworming protocols that promote good herd health is necessary. Understanding male and female reproduction are critical in managing puberty, minimizing the effects of seasonality …

Temperature And Polyunsaturated Fatty Acid’S Effect On Daphnia Magna Reproduction, Mark Albright

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Organisms adapt to their environments by adjusting their biochemistry and physiology; such adaptation is limited by resource availability and physiological constraints. The freshwater crustacean Daphnia magna inhabits a wide range of environments and must survive and reproduce within a range of temperatures. One limit to low-temperature adaptation is thought to be the availability of unsaturated fatty acids necessary to maintain proper fluidity of cellular membranes. D. magna maintained at 10 ºC on a diet poor in unsaturated fatty acids have been observed to produce clutches that fail to develop. However, this has not been observed on a diet rich in …

Managing Sociality Of A Captive Female Bornean Orangutan From Breeding To Post-Partum At The Smithsonian's National Zoo, Marie Vergamini

Theses and Dissertations

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Orangutan Species Survival Plan® aims to maintain 100 Bornean orangutans (Pongo pygmaeus) in captivity. Because investment in breeding these lineages is high, properly managing sociality of potential mothers is essential. This study assessed how behaviors of a captive breeding female at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo changed from pre-gestation through the offspring’s sixth month of age to improve breeding recommendations.

The infant Bornean orangutan was born September 2016. Results indicate that during breeding, the mother socialized most with two adult females. During pregnancy, the pregnant female socialized in less energy-consuming ways, i.e. grooming. …

Parasite Infection Mediates Trait Tradeoffs In Fundulus Heteroclitus, Sarah Dunn

Honors College Theses

To be successful, an animal must eat, grow, and reproduce. With limited resources, there are tradeoffs between these critical life history parameters but the direction of the tradeoffs is largely unknown in a changing environment. To determine whether environmental context affects life-history tradeoffs, I surveyed and quantified investment into reproduction, growth, and a proxy for immunity (parasitism), in the mummichog, Fundulus heteroclitus, a common inhabitant of salt marshes in Georgia. Three salt marsh sites along coastal Georgia (Shellman Bluff, Skidaway Island, and Tybee Island) were selected using a proxy for anthropogenic disturbance (impervious surface), which also fell along a …

Influence Of Steroids And Gonadotropins On Reproduction In Beef Cattle, Thomas L. Devine

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to evaluate the influence of steroids and gonadotropins on reproduction in beef cattle. In experiment 1, beef heifers were used to determine the influence of growth-promoting implants on growth, reproductive development, estrous behavior, and pregnancy rate. Heifers were assigned to 1 of 4 implant treatment groups: control (CON); trenbolone acetate (TBA); trenbolone acetate plus estradiol (TBA+E2) or zeranol (ZER). Heifers were implanted once, A.I. and exposed to bull during this experiment. Body weight, BCS, HH, RTS, estrous behavior and pregnancy data were collected throughout this experiment. Average daily gain of heifers was greater for …

Life History Tradeoffs And The Costs Of Reproduction In Arizona Bark Scorpions (Centruroides Sculpturatus), Michael Marie Webber

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Tradeoffs in life history evolution result from conflicts in the time and energy that can be simultaneously invested in activities such as growth, reproduction, and survival. Reproduction is an energetically costly activity for organisms, and is known to elicit alterations in the daily activity patterns of individuals. I investigated reproductive tradeoffs in the Arizona Bark Scorpion,Centruroides sculpturatus. To better understand the nature of tradeoffs in this species, I examined the influence of reproductive state on the predatory efficiency and thermal preference of reproductive females. Further, I examined the influence of reproductive activities (i.e. gestation) on the ability of reproductive females …

Stress And Reproductive Hormones In Grizzly Bears Reflect Nutritional Benefits And Social Consequences Of A Salmon Foraging Niche, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Katherine E. Wynne-Edwards, Judit E. G. Smits

Physiology Collection

Physiological indicators of social and nutritional stress can provide insight into the responses of species to changes in food availability. In coastal British Columbia, Canada, grizzly bears evolved with spawning salmon as an abundant but spatially and temporally constrained food source. Recent and dramatic declines in salmon might have negative consequences on bear health and ultimately fitness. To examine broadly the chronic endocrine effects of a salmon niche, we compared cortisol, progesterone, and testosterone levels in hair from salmon-eating bears from coastal BC (n = 75) with the levels in a reference population from interior BC lacking access to salmon …

Reproduction And Population Characteristics Of White-Tailed Jackrabbits In South Dakota, Charles Dieter, Dustin Schaible

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

We evaluated the reproductive biology of314 white-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus townsendii) in 44 counties throughout South Dakota from June 2004 to September 2005. We classified jackrabbits as juveniles or adults based on the closure of the proximal epiphysis of the humerus using X-ray analysis. We determined annual reproductive activity through fluctuations in measured weights of reproductive organs for both sexes. The 2005 breeding season started in late February and proceeded until mid-July, approximately 142 days, allowing for females to potentially produce 3.3 litters. We found four distinct breeding periods by the overlap of estimated conception and parturition dates. Mean …

Long-Term Ecology Of Asiatic Wild Ass (Equus H. Hemionus Pallas) In Central Asia, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Ravčigijn Samjaa

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The main population of the nominate form Equus hemionus hemionus Pallas, 1775 occurs in the south-east Gobi desert of Mongolia. From 2003 to 2012 we studied the reproductive ecology and mortality of dschiggetajs or khulans (English also ‘hulan’). During these years, the rate of reproduction was variable, ranging from 6.4% to 23.0% depending on climate, feeding conditions, and fitness of the mares. Our research shows that there appears to be a relationship between minimum temperatures in June (main foaling time) and rate of successful reproduction. The primary cause of decline in the numerical density of the population of E. hemionus …

Alteration Of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A (Vegfa) Isoform Expression Results In Abnormal Gonadal Function, Ningxia Lu

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

In the female, vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGFA) isoforms regulate follicle development and affect the initial primordial follicle pool. In male rodent testes, they are involved in the development of vasculature and seminiferous cords. The objective of the current study was to evaluate effects of Sertoli and Granulosa cellspecific production of VEGFA isoforms on vascular development and gonadal morphogenesis. We used a DMRT1-cre crossed to a floxed VEGFA mouse to determine potential phenotypes in male Sertoli-cell (VEGFA-DSertG) and female Granulosa-cell (VEGFA-DGranG) specific knockouts. In females, we found smaller ovarian weight, fewer corpus luteums (CLs) with some abnormal CL morphology, …

Reproductive Ecology Of Two Common Woody Species, Juniperus Sabina And Artemisia Santolinifolia, In Mountain Steppes Of Southern Mongolia, Katrin Ronnenberg

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The present study describes the reproductive ecology of the prostrate shrub Juniperus sabina and the dwarf shrub Artemisia santolinifolia in dry mountain steppes of southern Mongolia. Whereas stands of the juniper are located at the drought limit of the genus’ distributional range, the genus Artemisia is typical of central Asian drylands. Both species produce large numbers of reproductive organs. For Juniperus sabina, however, only 2.5% of the morphologically intact seeds were found to be viable. Correspondingly, neither seedlings nor saplings were found in the field, and recruitment by reseeding happens at most rarely under the present climatic conditions.

Instead, …

Das Arteninventar Der Avifauna Der Mongolei Während Einer Nord-Süd-Durchquerung 1997, Tobias Stenzel, Michael Stubbe, R. Samjaa, Annegret Stubbe, C. Dulamsuren

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Here we present a detailed report on bird biodiversity of ecosystems along a North-South transect through Mongolia in 1997whic h serves as a guideline for further research projects and training for students in all Mongolian vegetation zones from northern steppes to southern deserts.

Two hundred fifty-five bird species were observed between 21st of July and 10th of August 1997. The main study sites were located in the North the Selenge-Orchon-basin with meadows and dune woodlands 15 km southern from Suchbaatar, the Middle Gobi-Aimag with desert steppes and sajrs (covered with Ulmus pumila) and in the Bordzongijn-gobi in the South …

First Results Of Wild Ass Research In The South Gobi Aymag/Mongolia In 2003 And 2004, Annegret Stubbe, Michael Stubbe, N. Batsajchan, R. Samjaa, S. Doržderem

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

The population of the Mongolian wild ass belongs to the nominate form Equus hemionus hemionus described by Pallas in 1775. This species is adapted to semidesert habitats in the Gobi region and is listed in the Red Book of Mongolia as well as on appendix I of the Washington Convention (CITES). Mapping of the northern border of the distributional range showed a remarkable decrease in size in comparison to the maps of Murzaev (1954) or Bannikov (1954). The pressure of civilization, settlements, motorization, and increasing numbers of domestic livestock in connection with the occupation of water resources and illegal hunting …

Zur Populationsökologie Und Raumnutzung Der Steppenwühlmaus Microtus Brandti (Radde, 1861) In Der Fortpflanzungsperiode, Ulrich Zöphel, N. Dawaa

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

During the growing season between 1988 and 1990 the population biology of Brandt’s vole (Microtus brandti) was observed in a population near Ulaanbaatar. Mark-recapture techniques (1,438 markings, 19,606 recaptures in total) and complementary methods were used. The density maximum was observed in July with 98 (1988); 169 (1989) and 94 (1990) individuals/ha and the population fluctuated by a factor of 7.4.

At the beginning of reproductive period the males disperse over a minimum distance of one female home range whereas the females do not migrate after winter. The typical mating system is promiscuity. Youngsters have been recorded from …

Seasonal Activity And Reproduction In Bats Of East-Central Nebraska, Kenneth N. Geluso, Russell A. Benedict, Francis L. Kock

Biology Faculty Publications

Information on seasonal activity and reproduction is presented for seven species of bats inhabiting east-central Nebraska (Eptesicus fuscus, Myotis septentrionalis, Nycticeius humeralis, Lasionycteris noctivagans, Lasiurus borealis, L. cinereus, and Pipistrellus subflavus). Early and late dates of capture show five species active in the state for longer periods than previously reported. During some years, E. fuscus and M. septentrionalis emerge from winter torpor in March and feed on insects. Some E. fuscus inhabiting a floodplain forest in summer use houses in nearby towns as hibernacula, and year-round use of buildings by E. fuscus is substantial compared to other species of bats. …