Crested wheatgrass [Agropyron cristatum L. (Gaertn.)] is an important cool-season forage grass widely used for early spring grazing. However, the genomic resources for this non-model plant are still lacking. Our goal was to generate the first set of next generation sequencing data using the genotyping-by-sequencing technique. A total of 272 crested wheatgrass plants representing seven breeding ...

ASSTRACT.--Recently, we acquired DNA of two rare species of heron, the Neotropical Zigzag Heron (Zebrilus undulatus) and the African White-crested Bittern (Tigriornis leucolophus). To estimate their phylogenetic relationships to other herons, we compared these species with representatives of the major heron clades using DNA-DNA hybridization. Even though the Zigzag Heron resembles a tiger-heron...

We documented the antibody prevalence to three arboviruses, St. Louis encephalitis virus (SLEV), eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV), and West Nile virus (WNV), in Crested Caracaras (Caracara cheriway; n = 80) in Florida from 2007 to 2008. Antibody prevalence to WNV was higher (9%) than for the other viruses. Most seropositive birds were adults (< or =3 yr of age), with 55% of adults testi...

The disposal of untreated urban sewage in to open water bodies is common in most developing countries. This poses potential negative consequences to public health and agricultural sustainability. Hyderabad, one of India’s largest cities, disposes large amounts of its wastewater untreated into the Musi River, from where it is used, with the aid of irrigation weirs, for agricultural production. T...

As alarm calls indicate the presence of predators, the correct interpretation of alarm calls, including those of other species, is essential for predator avoidance. Conversely, communication calls of other species might indicate the perceived absence of a predator and hence allow a reduction in vigilance. This "eavesdropping" was demonstrated in birds and mammals, including lemur species. Inter...

Scour in bed material downstream weirs is considered the most unfavorable process which threats the overall stability of the weir. Weirs with oblique angle in the horizontal plan will affect the scour profile downstream the structure and may reduce it. The objective of this paper is to investigate the effect of oblique weir angle on the scour profile. Furthermore, the effect of V-notch angle on...

In the last three decades the design of stepped spillways regained some interest because of their suitability with new construction methods including gabion placement. In this study, the hydraulic performances of gabion stepped weirs were investigated experimentally in terms of the air-water flow properties and energy dissipation rate. A physical study was performed in a relatively large size f...

Condensation of water vapor in the exhaled air stream as it passes over previously cooled membranes of the nasopharynx is thought to be a mechanism that reduces respiratory water loss in mammals and birds. Such a mechanism could be important in the overall water economy of these vertebrates, especially those species occupying desert habitats. However, this hypothesis was originally based on mea...