The objectives of this analysis were to estimate historic (pre-European settlement) enteric CH(4) emissions from wild ruminants in the contiguous United States and compare these with present-day CH(4) emissions from farmed ruminants. The analysis included bison, elk (wapiti), and deer (white-tailed and mule). Wild ruminants such as moose, antelope (pronghorn), caribou, and mountain sheep and go...

Bovine viral diarrhea (BVD) viruses are pestiviruses that have been isolated from domestic and wild ruminants. There is serologic evidence of pestiviral infection in more than 40 species of free-range and captive mammals. Vertical transmission can produce persistently infected animals that are immunotolerant to the infecting strain of Bovine viral diarrhea virus (BVDV) and shed virus throughout...

Chronic wasting disease is a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of cervids, similar to sheep scrapie that has only recently been detected in wild populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) in western Canada. Relatively little is known about local transmission dynamics of the disease or the potential for long-distance spread. We an...

The enforcement of wildlife laws and the captive breeding of threatened/endangered species requires the ability to identify individual animals. DNA profiles of a variety of large North American mammals, birds, and fish were generated using ten different oligonucleotide probes. The probes tested were four multilocus probes [33.6, 33.15, JE46, and (TGTC)5] and six 'human unilocus' probes [MS1 (D1...

Crossbreeding of four Iranian fat-tailed sheep breeds, namely Kurdi (K), Chaal (C), Afshari (A) and Sanjabi (S) was carried out to determine the ram breed effects on productivity of Kurdi fat-tailed ewes (K) under extensive production system. A total of 475 Kurdi ewes were mated to 24 rams from the above four breeds resulting in 454 lambs. Ram breed had a significant influence on early growth t...

Rodent species have active role in transmission of serious pathogens and are reservoir for many zoonotic diseases, so their ectoparasitic fauna become of special concern. A survey of ectoparasites occurring on Calomyscus elburzensis was carried out from April through September 2014 in Khaje Morada rocky hillsides region situated in the southeast of Mashhad, Iran. A total of 48 Goodwin’s brush-t...

Genomic assessment of local sheep breeds is relevant to the reconstruction post-domestication migrations and filling in gaps developmental history contemporary phylogeographic-differentiation patterns Eurasia. In this study, we aimed reveal possible genetic relationships between Russia Persian Highlands (Iran) based on high-density SNP genotypes. All samples (n = 395) from 11 Iranian 10 Russian...

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the effects of inbreeding on average daily gains and Kleiber ratios in Moghani sheep. Traits included average daily gain from birth to 3 months (ADG1), average daily gain from birth to 6 months (ADG2), average daily gain from 3 months to 6 months (ADG3), average daily gain from 3 months to 9 months (ADG4), average daily gain from 3 months to ye...

Numerous factors affect livestock production and productivity. In this chapter we will address those that are of paramount importance: climate, nutrition, and health aspects. In initial section we will review the effects of climate on livestock productivity and provide examples of livestock adaptation to climate constraints such as the Bos indicus cattle breeds adapted to hot weather and the fa...