The demand and consumption of food products created by the livestock- and fishing industries, have a major environmental impact, affecting climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystems. Yet, there seems to be a lack of public awareness of the direct impact one’s choice of food has on the environment, which suggests that more effective efforts are needed in order to introduce the concept to consumers. By the influence of a post-humanist perspective, this thesis investigates how the environmental impact of consuming animal-based food is communicated by Swedish environmental non-governmental organizations, and how the organizations are actively working to change consumers’ dietary habits by selecting more sustainable options. The research has focused on the external communication channels of the organizations, where verbiage and imagery have been analyzed in context, by using an analytical perspective of a constructionist view of communication, of where I acknowledge that communication has changed in our digital society. The findings indicated that the organizations are showing clear efforts and willingness of communicating the environmental impact of consuming animal-based food, although these efforts remain quite limited. The promotion of a plant-based diet as a way to help mitigate climate change was also communicated to a fair extent, but the organizations seemed to be privileging the preferences of consumers for animal-based food products over the actual need for them. Given that scientific evidence has shown that human consumption of animal-based food products has a major environmental impact, the overall produced knowledge by the organizations’ communication of consuming such products is still lacking. This suggests that more effective communication efforts are still needed, given the severity of the issue, which requires a drastic social change in eating habits as currently practiced in developed nations, in order to effectively mitigate climate change.

Livestock (cattle and sheep) were examined as seed disseminators for reseeding degraded Intermountain rangelands. "Hycrest" crested wheatgrass [Agropyron desertorum (Fisch. ex Link) Schult. X A. cristatum (L.) Gaert.] seed was fed to yearling Holstein steers and Suffolk ewes. Dw1g was collected from each animal type and deposited on plots of high and low densities of an annual [cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.)] and perennial [squirreltail (Sitanion hystrix Nutt.)] grass species. The experiment evaluated the ability of the dung to suppress the resident vegetation, and the recruitment and establishment of Hycrest seedlings emerging from the dung. Sheep dung had little suppressive effect on resident vegetation and did not provide Hycrest with a favorable microsite for germination and establishment. Cattle dung provided favorable conditions for germination of Hycrest on all plots, but seedlings were unable to compete with either high or low densities of cheatgrass. Hycrest seedlings emerging from cattle dung were more successful in establishing on squirreltail plots, and most successful in establishing on the control plots (bare ground). Cheatgrass plants located near cattle and sheep dung benefited from an input of nutrients and a gapformation (with cattle dung), which translated into greater plant height, weight, and fecundity. The squirreltail plants did not show any noticable advantages gained from adjacent dung deposition. Even though cheatgrass was suppressed by cattle dung on the surface, its roots proliferated in the soil profile immediately under the cattle dungpat to levels equal to that found in other areas within the plots.

The Allideghi Wildlife Reserve in the Amibara District of Afar Regional State, Ethiopia, has international significance for harboring endangered Grevy's Zebra and other wildlife dependent on grasslands. The reserve is increasingly used by pastoral people and their herds. Impacts of livestock on native vegetation include direct effects of grazing and indirect effects from livestock-facilitated dispersal of an invasive plant, Prosopis juliflora. The main research objective was to determine effects of pastoralism and vegetation change on prospects for sustaining the Allideghi Wildlife Reserve as grassland habitat for Grevy's Zebra. Methods included use of driving surveys to quantify resource use by herbivores, vegetation analysis, and engagement with local people. Resource-use patterns of livestock across the Allideghi grassland were often positively affected by proximity of water, while that for wild ungulates was often negatively affected by proximity of people. Livestock concentration at a major borehole has created a large piosphere with concomitant reductions in herbaceous standing-crop, productivity, and species richness; plant species have shifted from grasses to forbs in severely grazed sites. Vegetation further from the borehole was resilient in response to moderate grazing pressure in terms of species composition and productivity. Since being introduced at a nearby commercial plantation in the 1970s, P. juliflora has been dispersed to the Allideghi Wildlife Reserve via livestock; cattle, sheep, and goats eat the pods and deposit seeds in manure at settlements and favored foraging areas. Prosopis juliflora greatly reduced species richness and basal cover of native herbaceous vegetation in the Allideghi grassland. Analysis of remotely sensed images from the past 30 years indicated major land-use change in the district due to agricultural expansion as well as land-cover change due to Prosopis encroachment and heavy grazing. Recent efforts have been undertaken by various agencies to control P. juliflora, via harvest in the district, but this has yielded variable and often negative results. Without a concerted effort to limit livestock grazing and control spread of P. juliflora, the future for the grassland and wildlife at the Allideghi Wildlife Reserve is grim. Agencies and policy makers need to promote science- and community-based approaches to help rectify the situation. (311 pages)

Information on livestock operations, particularly what kind of livestock operations are practiced in the Somali central rangelands, and how these operations differ for different herders in different vegetation types and farming systems, could serve as a major tool in making management decisions. This study provides a detailed description of range livestock operations in the Somali Central Rangelands. It also answers some important management questions. Range livestock operations were inventoried through personal interviews with the owners and herders. Data are supplemented by previous nation-wide and regional survey statistics. Herd productivity data which include herd structures, age, age-related sales, slaughters, gifts, and Zakat (religious payment) was derived from the herd recording survey. The results indicate the need for long term data to serve as a base for decisions concerning range and livestock development.

No description available.

Ticks are hematophagous ectoparasites capable of transmitting various pathogens, including bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, to vertebrates. In the United States, tick-borne pathogens are responsible for around 95% of arthropod-borne diseases. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness. However, emerging tick-borne viruses such as Bourbon virus (BRBV), Powassan virus (POWV), and Heartland virus (HRTV) can cause more severe health problems, including death and neurological abnormalities. The reports of molecular detection of viral RNA in field-collected ticks and serological evidence in a pilot study of wildlife species suggest the presence of these emerging viruses in Virginia. The presence poses a serious health threat, but the extent of their presence or circulation in Virginia is unknown. The objectives of the research are (1) to determine the evidence of circulation of POWV, HRTV, and BRBV in Virginia through serological assessment of domestic and wild animals in Virginia and (2) estimate transmission parameters and the basic reproduction number underlying tick-borne virus distribution and prevalence via a mathematical model. Here, we discuss the known literature relevant to tick-borne virus emergence; we assessed the presence of specific neutralizing antibodies against POWV, HRTV, and BRBV in wildlife and livestock sera collected from different health planning regions in Virginia. We used a susceptible-infected-susceptible (SIS) ordinary differential equation model to estimate transmission parameters that best describe the disease dynamics of emerging tick-borne viruses in Virginia. In our study, wildlife sera were seropositive against POWV (18%), BRBV (8%), and HRTV (5%). A wide range of different wildlife species were shown to be exposed to each virus examined. Livestock are also exposed to tick-borne viruses, with seroprevalences of 1%, 1.2%, and 8% detected in cattle for POWV, BRBV, and HRTV, respectively. We estimated the transmission rate and basic reproduction number to be 1.57 and 0.645, respectively. In conclusion, there is a widespread circulation of tick-borne viruses in western and northern Virginia within diverse species of animal populations. / Master of Science in Life Sciences / Ticks are blood-sucking ectoparasites that can transmit various pathogens, including bacteria, protozoa, and viruses, to humans and other vertebrates. In the United States, tick-borne pathogens are responsible for about 95% of all arthropod-borne disease cases. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne illness. However, emerging tick-borne viruses such as Bourbon virus (BRBV), Powassan virus (POWV), and Heartland virus (HRTV), can cause more severe health problems, including potentially death or neurological abnormalities. The reports of molecular detection of viral RNA in field-collected ticks and serological evidence in a pilot study of wildlife species suggest the presence of these emerging viruses in Virginia. However, there is a lack of knowledge on the extent of their circulation. Firstly, this study aims to determine the evidence of circulation of POWV, HRTV, and BRBV in Virginia through serological assessment of domestic and wild animals. Secondly, this study aims to estimate transmission parameters and calculate the basic reproduction number of emerging tick-borne viruses. Evidence of prior infection against all three tick-borne viruses was detected in both wild and domestic animal species from the five Virginia health planning regions, with most samples in the study coming from southwestern and northwestern regions. In conclusion, there is a circulation of tick-borne viruses in Virginia, which is a potential threat to the public health.

The protozoan Cryptosporidium parvum is one of the major causative pathogens of diarrhoea in young ruminants; therefore, it causes economic losses and impairs animal welfare. Besides C. parvum, there are many other non-infectious and infectious factors, such as rotavirus, Escherichia coli, and Giardia duodenalis, which may lead to diarrhoeic disease in young livestock. Often, more than one infectious agent is detected in affected animals. Little is known about the interactions bet-ween simultaneously occurring pathogens and their potential effects on the course of disease. In this review, a brief overview about pathogens associated with diarrhoea in young ruminants is presented. Furthermore, information about coinfections involving Cryptosporidium is provided.

Human influence extends across the globe, fromthe tallestmountains to the deep bottom of the oceans. There is a growing call for nature to be protected from the negative impacts of human activity (particularly intensive agriculture); so-called “land sparing”. A relatively new approach is “rewilding”, defined as the restoration of self-sustaining and complex ecosystems, with interlinked ecological processes that promote and support one another while minimising or gradually reducing human intervention. The key theoretical basis of rewilding is to return ecosystems to a “natural” or “self-willed” state with trophic complexity, dispersal (and connectivity) and stochastic disturbance in place. However, this is constrained by context-specific factors whereby it may not be possible to restore the native species that formed part of the trophic structure of the ecosystem if they are extinct (e.g., mammoths, Mammuthus spp., aurochs, Bos primigenius); and, populations/communities of native herbivores/predators may not be able to survive or be acceptable to the public in small scale rewilding projects close to areas of high human density. Therefore, the restoration of natural trophic complexity and disturbance regimes within rewilding projects requires careful consideration if the broader conservation needs of society are to be met. In some circumstances, managers will require a more flexible deliberate approach to intervening in rewilding projects using the range of tools in their toolbox (e.g., controlled burning regimes; using domestic livestock to replicate the impacts of extinct herbivore species), even if this is only in the early stages of the rewilding process. If this approach is adopted, then larger areas can be given over to conservation, because of the potential broader benefits to society from these spaces and the engagement of farmers in practises that are closer to their traditions. We provide examples, primarily European, where domestic and semi-domestic livestock are used by managers as part of their rewilding toolbox. Here managers have looked at the broader phenotype of livestock species as to their suitability in different rewilding systems. We assess whether there are ways of using livestock in these systems for conservation, economic (e.g., branded or certified livestock products) and cultural gains.

Little is known about black fly pest species in Mississippi, other than research from the 1930s. A better understanding of the pest species that occur in Mississippi is important for human and animal health. My research focused on what species of black flies occur in Mississippi, their seasonality and distribution, and a detailed systematic survey of the primary pest species. Lastly, I attempted to quantify nuisance effects and economic impacts of black flies on people, backyard poultry, and livestock. I examined scientific literature and records of black flies occurring in the southeastern U.S., and particularly Mississippi. This search revealed several unpublished manuscripts by Dr. George H. Bradley on the biology, ecology, and control of black flies in the Mississippi Delta during the 1930s. These publications were curated and made available to the scientific community. I identified and compiled an annotated list of larval, pupal, and adult stages of black flies occurring in Mississippi, derived from specimens housed in the Mississippi State University Entomological Museum (MEM). These specimens had been collected over several decades by a variety of entomologists, students, and the public. In addition, I included data from thousands of black flies collected during this project. To assess seasonality and relative abundance of the primary pest black fly species in Mississippi, I systematically collected adult black fly specimens for two years, documenting species present, seasonality, adult emergence patterns, and associated meteorological conditions. These ten sites were selected based on Dr. George Bradley's extensive work and complaints from local county extension agents, veterinarians, and municipal public works personnel. For economic, human, and animal health impacts of black flies, I employed a four-tiered approach: 1) a survey of lay and medical literature for reports of human health problems from black fly bites, 2) a query of city and county public works personnel concerning black fly nuisance effects, 3) an analysis of statewide hospital outpatient International Classification of Diseases-9 (ICD-9) discharge data and lastly, 4) a statewide survey of backyard poultry owners to ascertain animal health and monetary impacts from black flies.

Bacillus anthracis is a soil dwelling microbe with pronounced pathogenic potential. Historically, anthrax has infected livestock and man. In the modern-age, anthrax is a bioterrorism concern with major incidents every decade. While the threat of large scale attacks is currently viewed as unlikely, the threat is consistent and constant. Current methods to defend against such an attack focus on antibiotics and containment of public panic. Antibiotic resistance, while not currently an issue for anthrax, could easily become so with genetically engineered weaponized strains created by rogue states or independent actors. This project evolved from collaborations between the Grose lab and the Robison lab, both housed in the Microbiology and Molecular Biology Department at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Two undergraduates in the Grose lab isolated 23 genetically distinct phage that infect the non-pathogenic Bacillus anthracis Sterne strain. Results from spot testing on a diverse library of 11 fully virulent strains that represent the extant genetic diversity of pathogenic B. anthracis in BYU’s BSL-3 facility give credence to the idea that phage could be useful in containing this pathogen. Phage were isolated from environmental samples using enrichment culture, high titer lysates of isolated phage were created, and differential assays were performed. Experiments to show phage differences included electron microscopy, restriction digests, and spot testing using different isolates of B. anthracis. These data identified several novel phage that could infect a wide variety of virulent B. anthracis isolates. Preliminary results also showed most of these phage to be different both morphologically and genetically.We propose that phage therapy deserves further research, public awareness, and increased understanding for governmental regulatory awareness.