The legislative procedures regarding wild pigs in the United States are expanding in scope and priority, however, the uniformity of legislation is entropic at best. Each state addresses the issues of wild pigs differently and treatment is based on a priority of resource concerns. An evaluation was conducted at the national level of federal, state, and local policy with regards to wild pig control. Additionally, successful and unsuccessful legislation is evaluated to determine commonalities in the social, economic, and ecological factors contributing to the success or failure of legislation. Information collected provides state legislatures with sample model legislation that can be passed with the support of stakeholders and the citizenry, as well as help guide states into a more uniform system of policy. Furthermore, it provides states without, or with low populations of wild pigs, a proactive suite of legislation to prevent further spread and facilitate eradication of localized populations.

The wild turkey is endemic to North America and has played a role in human cultures past and present. However, with the turkey's elusive behavior some aspects of its ecology are challenging to understand. Diet is one of these difficult aspects to study. The purpose of this study was to determine the diet selection of wild turkeys in central Utah using non invasive stable isotope technology. We hypothesize that turkey diet is highly specific, that consumption of specific plant species correlates with the needs of the individual turkey, and that stable isotope analysis will reveal patterns in annual dietary intake. Vegetative forage, turkey feces, and feather samples were collected from the Salt Creek area east of Mt. Nebo during 2007 and 2008. Feces samples were identified to bird sex and forage samples were identified to family or growth form (grass, forb, and shrub) when species could not be determined. Carbon isotope analysis of turkey feces and dietary forage using a mass spectrometer revealed that composition of turkey diet changed seasonally and yearly. Isotope analysis of dietary forage according to vegetative growth form revealed that turkey diet for the spring of 2007 contained approximately 46.0% grasses, 30.0% forbs, and 24.0% shrubs and trees. The summer diet for 2007 consisted of 39.0% grasses, 31.0% forbs, and 30.0% shrubs and trees. During spring 2008, grasses comprised 10.3% of the diet whereas forbs and tree/shrubs constituted 53.0% and 36.7%, respectively. Turkey summer diet for 2008 was found to consist of 13.1% grasses, 48.5% forbs, and 38.4% shrubs/trees. Isotope analysis of turkey feathers revealed no significant patterns in isotope signatures in relation to vegetation type and season of year. Stable isotope signatures resulting from fecal analysis reflect opportunistic foraging behavior as birds utilized a wide variety of forages throughout the year. Our findings suggest habitat structure and type play a more major role in wild turkey survival then food type. These findings also strengthen the need to rigorously evaluate turkey habitat prior to reintroduction with respect to vegetative composition and structure and their relationship with wild turkey behavior and life processes.

OPTIMIZING MICRONUTRIENT INTAKE OF LACTATING WOMEN IN KWAZULU-NATAL, SOUTH AFRICA, THROUGH INCREASED WILD EDIBLE PLANT CONSUMPTION Kerry Pearson Micronutrient consumption in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, is insufficient to meet the needs of lactating women. Inadequate intake negatively impacts the health of both the mother and infant. Increasing consumption of wild edible plants has been recommended to combat these deficiencies, but information has not yet been provided on which types of wild plants should be eaten or in what quantity. The objective of this study was to determine the optimal mixture of wild edible plants that needs to be consumed to meet the micronutrient needs of lactating women in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. This was done by creating optimization models using linear programming. Components of these models included identifying gaps between current micronutrient intake and recommended intake levels and the creation of composite nutrient profiles for groups of wild edible plants available in KwaZulu-Natal. One model calculated the optimum amount of wild edible plants that would need to be consumed in addition to the current diet to meet micronutrient recommendations. A second semi-isocaloric model calculated the optimum amount of wild edible plants that would need to be consumed if half the additional calories would replace an equivalent number of calories of the main staple food, maize. A combination of 250g leafy vegetables and 349g fruit, replacing 54g of maize meal, was determined to be the best model. This mixture will meet the micronutrient needs of 50% of lactating women and would add only 192 calories to the diet. The same blend will meet the needs of 75% of women for all nutrients except calcium, zinc, thiamin, and riboflavin. It is hoped that increased use of wild plants will also increase physical activity and make the consumption of high quality animal products more economically feasible. Understanding forces that have brought about current dietary patterns in this population and working in tandem with other nutrition intervention programs will be the best way to successfully implement these goals. More complete information is needed on the nutrient profiles of wild edible plants in South Africa and on how anti-nutrients in these plants effects bioavailability of nutrients and the health of the consumer. Despite these limitations, it is clear that a reasonable increase in wild edible plant consumption can have a tremendous positive impact on micronutrient consumption of lactating women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.

京都大学 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第24676号 / 農博第2559号 / 新制||農||1100(附属図書館) / 学位論文||R5||N5457(農学部図書室) / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 寺内 良平, 教授 髙野 義孝, 教授 吉田 健太郎 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

This dissertation investigates the manner in which animals are treated, respected, and thought about In ancient Mesopotamia. The animals are seen in every level of culture and in a variety of roles. The dissertation tries to unravel how humans thought about animals as seen through Akkadian literature. The Akkadian literature is an excellent source of information since it has a long literary tradition with a conglomeration of text genres providing an opportunity to observe the attitudes, emotions, and beliefs Babylonian and Assyrian cultures had towards wild animals.

No description available.

Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) survival, habitat use, and nest-site characteristics were studied on Malmaison Wildlife Management Area, Mississippi, 2003-2004. Survival rates were 0.55, 0.0004, 0.26, and 0.30 for jakes, adult gobblers, juvenile hens, and adult hens, respectively for the entire study. Spring survival for all groups was 0.51 (95% CI 0.36, 0.65) and was least among seasons. Predation (65%) and harvest (21%) were major causes of mortality. Brood hens used bottomland hardwood stands, pine plantations, and old fields more than expected during the post-nesting period. Non-brood hens used bottomland hardwood stands more than expected during the pre- and post-nesting periods. Forbs were the predominant vegetation type at nests. Vegetation height was 0.3-0.6 m for all nest sites. Vertical screening cover for all nests was in the 21-40% obscurity category at 1 m and 41-60% category at 3 and 5 meters. Vine composition differed between successful (2%) and unsuccessful (20%) nests (P = 0.03).

It is the attempt of the present writer to present a concise picture of the genus Sphaeralcea as it occurs in the state. Descriptions, a specific key, distribution maps, illustrations and pertinent synonomy are presented.

No description available.

No description available.