No description available.

The aim of this research was, first to test the suitability of different seaweeds and formulated feeds as food for post-weaning juvenile South African abalone and secondly, to test the effects of basket design on the growth of grow-out juvenile abalone in both flow-through and re-circulation systems.

<p>Beach-cast kelp (the most widely used feed for commercially grown South African abalone) is plentiful during winter months when periodic storms cause kelp to wash ashore. During summer, however, this resource is not always readily available and farmed abalone are often starved for short periods. The aim of this research was to assess how periodic kelp starvation influences growth of the commercially grown abalone, Haliotis midae Linnaeus.</p>

Thesis (M.S.)--University of Missouri-Columbia, 2007. / The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file. Title from title screen of research.pdf file (viewed on January 16, 2008) Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2007. / Title from title screen (site viewed Feb. 19, 2008). PDF text: 120 p. : ill. (some col.) ; 579 K. UMI publication number: AAT 3271921. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in microfilm and microfiche formats.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Illinois, 1912. / Reprint of an article in the Journal of Agricultural Research, v. 4., no. 5, which has title: Phosphorus metabolism of lambs fed a ration of alfalfa hay, corn, and linseed meal, by E.L. Ross, M.H. Keith and H.S. Grindley. Biographical.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1970. / Typescript. eContent provider-neutral record in process. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 147-164).

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Wisconsin--Madison, 1973. / Typescript. Vita. Description based on print version record. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 110-124).

The main objective of the study was to determine how phase feeding manipulation affects growth performance, feed cost, carcass characteristics and quality of meat from broiler chickens. A total of 180 day old un-sexed broiler chicks (Cobb 500) were separated into 3 dietary treatments of 60 birds per treatment and each treatment was replicated 3 times with 20 birds per replicate. The dietary treatments were as follows: T1 (starter 1-7 days; grower 8-21 days; finisher 22-35 days), T2 (starter 1-14 days; grower 15-21 days, finisher 22-35 days) and T3 (starter 1-14 days; grower 15-28 days; finisher 29-35 days). Feed intake and body weight gains were recorded weekly in kilograms. Average daily gain and feed conversion ratio were computed weekly. At day 35, the chickens were slaughtered and 12 representative breast muscles from each treatment were used for the determination of muscle pH (pH1, pH24 and pH48) and colour coordinates (Lightness – L*, redness – a* and yellowness – b*) in triplicate at 1 hour, 24 hours and 48 hours post-mortem.Feed intake (FI), feed conversion ratio (FCR), average daily gain (ADG) and average body weight at slaughter (ABW) were not significant (P>0.05) amongst the treatments. The most cost efficient feed (which accumulated the cheapest cost feed per kg were) T1 (R11.32) and T3 (R11.32) although there was a slight difference in the gross profit of these treatments T1 (R45.71) and T3 (R44.48). Carcass characteristics were the same (P > 0.05) across the treatments except for the wing, thigh, drumstick and the breast (P < 0.05). T2 had the highest wing weight (166.63±8.60), T1 (113.03±8.60) and the lowest in T3 (74.46±8.60). The thigh weight were greater (P<0.05) in T2 (185.69±4.34); T1 (185.54±4.34) compared to T3 (166.97±4.34) which was lower. Treatments 1 (204.17±6.57), T2 (197±6.57) had heavier (P<0.05) breast weights than T3 (186.06±6.57). Dietary treatments had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on pH of the breast meat. No differences were observed in colour during the 1 hour period after slaughter. At 24 hours after slaughter, the L* values were different (P < 0.05) in T1 and T2 (44.3 ± 0.37; 43.7 ± 0.37), respectively, T1 and T3 were the same. The a*-values were different (P < 0.05) at 48 hours after slaughter for T1 and T3 (4.5 ± 0.27; 3.4 ± 0.27), T2 was the same as T1. It was therefore, concluded that since manipulation of starter phase did not have adverse effects on growth performance, gross profit, slight statistical difference in meat quality attributes and carcass characteristics. Therefore, the manipulation of starter diet has the potential to be used in broiler production.

Amphipods are the most ubiquitous animals, after nematodes, on earth. Although there are several terrestrial amphipod species, most are aquatic. They are familiar animals in the water table exposed in cave environments and boreholes. The food source on which the amphipods depend was not directly observable in the cave environments frequented by the amphipods. In order to establish the role cave-dwelling amphipods play in ecology, the primary purpose of this study was thus to determine what cave-dwelling amphipods feed on. Amphipod, water and sediment samples were collected from five different caves, in the northern part of South Africa, namely Koelenhof Cave, Sterkfontein Cave, Ficus Cave, Peppercorn’s Cave, and Irene Cave. Following collection and transportation, resulting in zero amphipod mortalities, all of the samples were transferred to rectangular fish tanks stored in an environmental room, set up in such a way as to mimic the conditions in the caves as closely as possible. Long term adaptability and survival proved to be a successful undertaking, resulting in the death of only two amphipods per tank. Scanning electron microscopy was used to observe the mouthparts of the amphipods in order to begin establishing their feeding behaviour. Standard microtechniques were carried out to establish the general histological orientation and histology of the gastrointestinal tract. A Histochemical Fluorescent staining method was employed, and a reddish-orange fluorescence was observed, thereby indicating the presence of mucous in the GIT. Several feeding experiments were carried out, and it was established that on average amphipods can survive without a food source for a maximum of sixty ABSTRACT xv days. Through a series of different feeding experiments, it was determined that amphipods ingest bat faeces, leaf litter, sediment and yeast, with leaf litter producing the highest rate of survival. It was also observed that amphipods, regardless of body size, are predators, scavengers, and cannibals, which may provide an explanation as to why amphipods display evasive behaviour. Microbiology plays a vital role in determining what amphipods feed on, and therefore water, soil, and digestive contents of amphipods were studied using a wide array of microbiological analyses: Heterotrophic Plate Counts; Total Coliforms; Faecal Coliforms; Faecal Streptococci; Confirmatory test for Escherichia coli; Detection of Clostridium, Pseudomonas, and Salmonella. According to the South African Bureau of Standards, the quality of the water contained within all four of the caves in this study may not be used for human consumption prior to undergoing various purification processes. Once the role that cave-dwelling amphipods play in ecology has been firmly established it may then be possible to make use of amphipods as biological indicators, because since they inhabit cave streams and groundwater and are sensitive to pollutants, declines in their populations could indicate a decline in the water quality in their streams and surrounding groundwater supply. / Dr. J.F. Durand