Animal Studies Commons^™

Canine Chronic Kidney Disease In Uk Veterinary Practices: Prevalence, Risk Factors And Survival, D. G. O'Neill, J. Elliott, D. B. Church, P. D. Mcgreevy, P. C. Thomson, D. C. Brodbelt

Epidemiology Collection

Analyses covering 107,214 dogs attending 89 UK practices aimed to estimate the prevalence and identify risk factors associated with canine chronic kidney disease (CKD) diagnosis and survival. The apparent prevalence (AP) was estimated using a cross-sectional approach while the true prevalence (TP) was estimated using Bayesian analysis. A nested case-control study design was used to evaluate risk factors. Survival analysis was conducted using the Kaplan-Meier survival curve method and multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression modelling. CKD AP was estimated at 0.21% and TP at 0.37%. CKD risk factors included increasing age, being insured and certain breeds. The median survival time …

Eastern Spotted Skunk (Spilogale Putorius) At The Ouachita Mountains Biological Station, Polk County, Arkansas, L. M. Hardy

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A population of the eastern spotted skunk (Spilogale putorius) has been discovered at the Ouachita Mountains Biological Station in the Ouachita Mountains of Polk County, Arkansas. In 2010 a motion camera recorded a very brief infrared video of an animal that, after much study and conversation with other biologists, was concluded to be an eastern spotted skunk. Since that time the identification has been confirmed with at least 6 still photographs and one additional video that have been obtained from 2 other locations on the station. At least 2 or 3 individuals are present. All were photographed at night in …

Consumer Perceptions Of Poultry Production In Arkansas: Perceptions Analysis, Stuart Estes, Leslie D. Edgar

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Poultry production holds an important place in Arkansas economically and as a food source. The importance of poultry production ultimately hinges on the demands of the consumer. With this in mind, this study surveyed consumers to assess their perceptions of poultry production in Arkansas. The instrument, used to survey consumers, was created by the researcher and an expert committee at the University of Arkansas. Consumers were interviewed through direct communication at grocery stores in northwest Arkansas. Data gathered from the study were analyzed for descriptive and correlational statistics. Two key findings were that consumers were unsure about the use of …

Genetic Analysis Of Putative Familial Relationships In A Captive Chimpanzee (Pan Troglodytes) Population, Renato Robledo, Joseph G. Lorenz, Jeanne Beck, James Else, Patrick Bender

Anthropology and Museum Studies Faculty Scholarship

Twelve autosomal dinucleotide repeat loci were analyzed in chimpanzees genomes by DNA amplification using primers designed for analysis of human loci. The markers span the entire length of human chromosomes 21 and 22. Nine markers were polymorphic in chimpanzee as well, with a somewhat comparable level of polymorphism and allele size range. Even in the presence of very limited information and in spite of missing samples, it was possible to reconstruct a complex pedigree and to provide molecular data that corroborate family relationships that were deduced from cage history and behavioral data. The conclusions were further supported by mitochondrial DNA …

Perch-Type Characteristics Of Overwintering Red-Tailed Hawks (Buteo Jamaicensis) And American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius), A. J. Worm, M. M. Bobowski, Thomas S. Risch

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Red-tailed Hawks (Buteo jamaicensis) and American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are primarily sitand-wait predators that rely on perches to forage most efficiently. Overwintering Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels use available perches (e.g., utility poles and wires, trees, fences, gates, etc.) to hunt for prey items in agricultural fields in northeast Arkansas. Observations were made from December 2011-March 2012 and November 2012-March 2013 in three representative cover-types (short rice stubble, soybean stubble, and fallow areas including roadsides) to determine which perch-types were used by Red-tailed Hawks and American Kestrels. Utility pole crossbeams at an average height of 6.3 m were the main …

Arkansas Animal Science Department Report 2012, David L. Kreider

Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station Research Series

No abstract provided.

The Lives Of Others: Social Rationality In Animals, Jeffrey R. Stevens, Andrew J. King

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Darwin (1871) boldly claimed that humans and other animals differ very little in their cognition; a statement that has raised the ire of many scientists (Bolhuis & Wynne, 2009; Penn, Holyoak, & Povinelli, 2008). Rather than stating this continuity as a fact, we will explore the similarities and differences between humans and animals in the social rationality of their decision making. We find this a fruitful exercise because it can profit researchers of both humans and animals. Our purpose here is to provide an evolutionary background of social rationality: Why do animals attend to the lives of others? To this …

Changing Room Cues Reduces The Effects Of Proactive Interference In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Nucifraga Columbiana, Jody L. Lewis, Alan C. Kamil, Kate E. Webbink

Avian Cognition Papers

To determine what factors are important for minimizing interference effects in spatial memory, Clark’s Nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana were tested for their spatial memory for two serial lists of locations per day. In this experiment two unique landmark sets were either different between List 1 and List 2 or the same. We found that Nutcrackers were most susceptible to interference when the landmark sets were the same. This study suggests that repeatedly testing animal memory in the same room, with the same cues, can hamper recall due to interference.

Differences In Relative Hippocampus Volume And Number Of Hippocampus Neurons Among Five Corvid Species, Kristy L. Gould, Karl E. Gilbertson, Andrew J. Hrvol, Joseph C. Nelson, Abigail L. Seyfer, Rose M. Brantner, Alan C. Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

The relative size of the avian hippocampus (Hp) has been shown to be related to spatial memory and food storing in two avian families, the parids and corvids. Basil et al. [Brain Behav Evol 1996;47: 156-164] examined North American food-storing birds in the corvid family and found that Clark’s nutcrackers had a larger relative Hp than pinyon jays and Western scrub jays. These results correlated with the nutcracker’s better performance on most spatial memory tasks and their strong reliance on stored food in the wild. However, Pravosudov and de Kort [Brain Behav Evol 67 (2006), 1-9] raised questions …

Benchmarking Cow Comfort On North American Freestall Dairies: Lameness, Leg Injuries, Lying Time, Facility Design, And Management For High-Producing Holstein Dairy Cows, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. K. Barrientos, K. Ito, E. Galo, Daniel M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

In this paper, we describe a novel approach to corporate involvement in on-farm assessment, driven by the desire to provide a service for dairy producers and to create a vehicle for engagement on issues of dairy cow welfare. This program provides producers with feedback on animal-based (including gait score, leg injuries, and lying time) and facility-based (including freestall design, bedding practices, feed bunk design and management, and stocking density) measures that can be used to better address their management goals. The aim of this paper is to describe variation in the prevalence of lameness and leg injuries, lying behavior, facility …

Response Of Broiler Chickens To Variation In Dietary Nutrient Content, Sarah Diane Goodgame

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Rising feed costs, environmental pollution concerns targeted at animal agriculture, a worldwide focus on sustainability and the never ending battle to improve production and efficiency within the poultry industry challenges nutritionists to focus on products to improve nutrient digestibility and decrease feed costs while at the same time maximizing performance. The research presented in this dissertation focuses on improving nutrient utilization of protein sources with protein liberating enzymes currently available commercially. The research also conducted addresses the addition of crystalline amino acids valine and isoleucine and their effect on improving efficiency of broilers.

The first research project compared the efficacy …

The Impact Of Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (Bse) On World Protein Supply, Jarrod Kersey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

As world population, per capita income and urbanization increase, consumption of meat, poultry, milk and eggs will continue to rise to meet the needs of approximately nine billion people in 2050. Global beef, pig and chicken production and per capita consumption increased between 2000 and 2010, with growth in broiler production and consumption outpacing both beef and swine. The increased production and consumption requires readily available feed ingredients in regions where animal production is rapidly developing. Animal-based protein feed ingredients are often difficult to move from country to country due to real or perceived risk of animal disease. Zoosanitary standards …

Habitat Modeling Of Three Endemic Crayfish Species In The Black River Drainage Of Missouri And Arkansas: Factors Affecting Distribution And Abundance, Matthew Stephen Nolen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ozark faunal region of Missouri and Arkansas harbors a high level of aquatic biological diversity, especially in regards to endemic crayfish. Orconectes eupunctus, Orconectes marchandi, and Cambarus hubbsi are three such endemics that are threatened by a limited natural distribution and the invasions of Orconectes neglectus. I sought to determine how natural and anthropogenic factors influence these three species across multiple spatial scales. Local and landscape data were used in decision tree analyses (CART) to determine their influence effect on presence/absence and density of the three species. Predictive models were validated using k-fold cross validation. O. eupunctus presence was …

Economic Contribution Of The Agricultural Sector To The Arkansas Economy In 2010, Katherine Mcgraw, Jennie Popp, Wayne Miller

AAES Research Reports and Research Bulletins

This report is the seventh in a series of reports examining agriculture’s economic contribution on the Arkansas economy. Utilizing data from the United States Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), USDA Economic Research Service (ERS), USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), and Minnesota IMPLAN Group, Inc. (MIG), the economic contribution of agriculture on the Arkansas economy was estimated for the most recent year available, 2010. Gross Domestic Product (GDP) by State information for Arkansas in 2010 was compared with those of other states in the Southeast U.S. to give a measure of the relative importance of agriculture in Arkansas.2 The total …

Grey Parrot Number Acquisition: The Inference Of Cardinal Value From Ordinal Position On The Numeral List, Irene M. Pepperberg, Susan Carey

Sentience Collection

No abstract provided.

Haemato Biochemical Alterations In Goats Infected With Coccidiosis, J. Anumol, P. V. Tresamol, K. Vinodkumar, M. R. Saseendranath

Biochemistry Collection

Coccidiosis is an important disease which account for anaemia and associated problems like poor growth rate, suppressed resistance and high mortality in kids. While considering the various etiological factors resulting in anaemia among goats of Kerala, coccidiosis account for about 8 per cent, indicating the significance of adopting proper prevention and control measures against this disease. The present study reveals the severity and depth of anaemic changes induced by coccidia in goats. All the haematological parameters, serum biochemical parameters and serum levels of iron, copper and zinc of coccidiosis infected animals are evaluated statistically by comparing with healthy control animals.

Size And Shape Information Serve As Labels In The Alarm Calls Of Gunnison’S Prairie Dogs Cynomys Gunnisoni, C. N. Slobodchikoff, William R. Briggs, Patricia A. Dennis, Anne-Marie C. Hodge

Veterinary Science and Medicine Collection

Some animals have the capacity to produce different alarm calls for terrestrial and aerial predators. However, it is not clear what cognitive processes are involved in generating these calls. One possibility is the position of the predator: Anything on the ground receives a terrestrial predator call, and anything in the air receives an aerial predator call. Another possibility is that animals are able to recognize the physical features of predators and incorporate those into their calls. As a way of elucidating which of these mechanisms plays a primary role in generating the structure of different calls, we performed two field …

Association Between Stall Surface And Some Animal Welfare Measurements In Freestall Dairy Herds Using Recycled Manure Solids For Bedding, A. W. Husfeldt, M. I. Endres

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The objective of this cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between stall surface and some animal welfare measurements in upper Midwest US dairy operations using recycled manure solids as bedding material. The study included 34 dairy operations with herd sizes ranging from 130 to 3,700 lactating cows. Forty-five percent of the herds had mattresses and 55% had deep-bedded stalls. Farms were visited once between July and October 2009. At the time of visit, at least 50% of the cows in each lactating pen were scored for locomotion, hygiene, and hock lesions. On-farm herd records were collected for the …

Mother Goats Do Not Forget Their Kids’ Calls, Elodie F. Briefer, Mónica Padilla De La Torre, Alan G. Mcelligott

Sentience Collection

Parent–offspring recognition is crucial for offspring survival. At long distances, this recognition is mainly based on vocalizations. Because of maturation-related changes to the structure of vocalizations, parents have to learn successive call versions produced by their offspring throughout ontogeny in order to maintain recognition. However, because of the difficulties involved in following the same individuals over years, it is not clear how long this vocal memory persists. Here, we investigated long-term vocal recognition in goats. We tested responses of mothers to their kids’ calls 7–13 months after weaning. We then compared mothers’ responses to calls of their previous kids with …

Vocal Expression Of Emotions In Mammals: Mechanisms Of Production And Evidence, Elodie Briefer

Communication Skills Collection

Emotions play a crucial role in an animal’s life because they facilitate responses to external or internal events of significance for the organism. In social species, one of the main functions of emotional expression is to regulate social interactions. There has recently been a surge of interest in animal emotions in several disciplines, ranging from neuroscience to evolutionary zoology. Because measurements of subjective emotional experiences are not possible in animals, researchers use neurophysiological, behavioural and cognitive indicators. However, good indicators, particularly of positive emotions, are still lacking. Vocalizations are linked to the inner state of the caller. The emotional state …

Individual Prey Choices Of Octopuses: Are They Generalist Or Specialist?, Jennifer A. Mather, Tatiana S. Leite, Allan T. Batista

Sentience Collection

Prey choice is often evaluated at the species or population level. Here, we analyzed the diet of octopuses of different populations with the aim to assess the importance of individual feeding habits as a factor affecting prey choice. Two methods were used, an assessment of the extent to which an individual octopus made choices of species representative of those population (PSi and IS) and 25% cutoff values for number of choices and percentage intake of individual on their prey. In one population of Octopus cf vulgaris in Bermuda individuals were generalist by IS=0.77, but most chose many prey of the …

Why (And How) Personalities In Invertebrates?, Jennifer A. Mather

Sentience Collection

No abstract provided.

Immune Responses In Lactating Holstein Cows Supplemented With Cu, Mn, And Zn As Sulfates Or Methionine Hydroxy Analogue Chelates, L. M. Nemec, J. D. Richards, C. A. Atwell, D. E. Diaz, G. I. Zanton, T. F. Gressley

Physiology Collection

The aim of this study was to compare effects of inorganic sulfate versus chelated forms of supplemental Cu, Mn, and Zn on milk production, plasma and milk mineral concentrations, neutrophil activity, and antibody titer response to a model vaccination. Holstein cows (n = 25) were assigned in 2 cohorts based on calving date to a 12-wk randomized complete block design study. The first cohort consisted of 17 cows that had greater days in milk (DIM; mean of 77 DIM at the start of the trial) than the second cohort of 8 cows (32 DIM at the start of the trial). …

Maternal Environment And Fescue Cultivar Effects On Growth, Development, And Fertility Of Beef Heifers, Jennifer Denyse Patterson

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Eighty Brahman-influenced cows (5.6 BCS) were assigned to graze common bermudagrass (CB) or toxic tall fescue (E+) during a 60-d breeding season. Body condition (BC) was assessed at d 0, 30, and 60 of breeding season. Cows were managed to achieve marginal (4.2 BCS) or good (6.3 BCS) BC during last trimester. Heifer birth and weaning (WW; 7 to 8 mo) weights were recorded. The Angus sired heifers were weighed and randomly assigned to E+ or non-toxic (Novel) tall fescue at 9 to 10 mo of age for 190d. Heifer weight, growth data, and antral follicle count (AFC) were collected …

Comparative Response Of Different Broiler Genotypes To Dietary Nutrient Levels, Franco Javier Mussini

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

ABSTRACT

Three studies were conducted to evaluate how the broiler has changed over the years due to intense genetic selection. Four different broiler genotypes, one unselected since the 1950's (HER) representing the old meat-type bird and three current strains (Ross 308, Ross 708, and a test product (TY)) were studied. Differences in growth, morphometry, and response in performance and processing yield to different nutrient levels were studied.

Experiment 1 evaluated growth and morphometric analysis. Birds of each strain were killed weekly from day 7 to day 56, necropsied and cut up parts and organs weighed. Measurement of small intestine segments …

Evaluation Of Internal Markers For Predicting Digestibility And Fecal Output By Cattle Fed Bermudagrass Hays Of Varying Quality, Juvenal Kanani

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The potential of in situ rumen undegradable dry matter (RUDM), indigestible neutral-detergent fiber (INDF), indigestible acid-detergent fiber (IADF), acid-detergent insoluble ash (ADIA), alkaline-peroxide lignin (APL), and acid-detergent lignin (ADL) to predict digestibility (DMD) and fecal output (FO) by cattle fed bermudagrass [Cynodon dactylon (L.) Pers.] hay-diets categorized by their low (L), medium low (ML), medium high (MH), or high (H) CP concentrations (79, 111, 131, and 164 g/kg DM, respectively) was evaluated. The second objective was to evaluate the effects of time (0600, 1200, 1800, and 2400 h) of fecal sampling on the prediction of FO and DMD. A replicated …

It Pays To Cheat: Tactical Deception In A Cephalopod Social Signalling System, Culum Brown, Martin P. Garwood, Jane E. Williamson

Communication Skills Collection

Signals in intraspecific communication should be inherently honest; otherwise the system is prone to collapse. Theory predicts, however, that honest signalling systems are susceptible to invasion by cheats, the extent of which is largely mediated by fear of reprisal. Cuttlefish facultatively change their shape and colour, an ability that evolved to avoid predators and capture prey. Here, we show that this ability is tactically employed by male mourning cuttlefish (Sepia plangon) to mislead conspecifics during courtship in a specific social context amenable to cheating 39 per cent of the time, while it was never employed in other social contexts. Males …

Effect Of Pen Size, Group Size, And Stocking Density On Activity In Freestall-Housed Dairy Cows, E. Telezhenko, Marina A.G. Von Keyserlingk, A. Talebi, Daniel M. Weary

Housing and Confinement of Farm Animals Collection

The purpose was to determine the effects of the physical dimensions of the pen and group size and stocking density on cow activity. Cows (randomly assigned to 4 groups of 6 animals each) were tested in pens with 24 or 12 lying places and in groups with 12 or 6 cows. All groups were tested in each of the 4 treatments with treatment order allocated using a 4 × 4 Latin square. The distance moved and the number of movements were calculated using 5-min scan sampling of video recordings over a 48-h period. Time spent lying down, number of lying …

Various Gaits Of African Elephant Calves, Elizabeth Anne Jennings

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

It is commonly believed that elephants exhibit only one gait, a lateral sequence walk. However, recently there have been several interesting studies on the footfall patterns of adult African elephants (Loxodonta africana). Scientists have recognized that elephants actually exhibit two patterns of locomotion: a lateral sequence walk and an amble. The amble is a slight modification of the lateral sequence gait. The present study extends this work by examining the relationship between gait and speed in African elephant calves at the Indianapolis Zoo. I collected frame-by-frame observational video data from a newborn calf born at the Indianapolis Zoo across a …

Plasticity Of Boldness In Rainbow Trout, Oncorhynchus Mykiss: Do Hunger And Predation Influence Risk-Taking Behaviour?, Jack S. Thomson, Phillip C. Watts, Tom G. Pottinger, Lynne U. Sneddon

Ethology Collection

Boldness, a measure of an individual's propensity for taking risks, is an important determinant of fitness but is not necessarily a fixed trait. Dependent upon an individual's state, and given certain contexts or challenges, individuals may be able to alter their inclination to be bold or shy in response. Furthermore, the degree to which individuals can modulate their behaviour has been linked with physiological responses to stress. Here we attempted to determine whether bold and shy rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss, can exhibit behavioural plasticity in response to changes in state (nutritional availability) and context (predation threat). Individual trout were initially …