Animals are a major group of organisms, classified as the kingdom Animalia or Metazoa. In general they are multicellular, capable of locomotion, responsive to their environment, and feed by consuming other organisms. Their body plan becomes fixed as they develop, usually early on in their development as embryos, although some undergo a process of metamorphosis later on.
The word "animal" comes from the Latin word animal, of which animalia is the plural, and ultimately from anima, meaning vital breath or soul.
Characteristics
Animals have several characteristics that set them apart from other living things. Animals are
eukaryotic and usually
multicellular (although see
Myxozoa), which separates them from
bacteria and most
protists. They are
heterotrophic, generally digesting food in an internal chamber, which separates them from
plants and
algae. They are also distinguished from plants, algae, and
fungi by lacking
cell walls.
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Aquaculture :: Agriculture and Forestry
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Animal :: Eukaryotic
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USDA Agricultural Research ServiceNew Bait Lures Varroa Mite to its Doom Wed, 01 Jul 2009 09:14:00 -0500
Read the
magazine
story to find out more.
ARS scientists have developed
a new bait that may help control varroa mites, the top pest of honey bees.
Click the image for more information about it.
Finding out how genes
govern bees' lives
The latest buzz on Russian
bees
New test on tap for
detecting pesticide-resistant mites
New Bait Lures Varroa Mite to its Doom
By Jan
Suszkiw July 1, 2009
Varroa mites could literally be walking into a trapthanks
to a new attractant developed by Agricultural
Research Service (ARS) scientists in Gainesville, Fla.
The 1/16-inch long parasite, Varroa destructor, is a top pest
of honey bees nationwide, hindering the beneficial insects' ability to
pollinate almonds, blueberries, apples, zucchini and many other flowering
crops.
At the ARS
Chemistry
Research Unit in Gainesville, research leader
Peter
Teal and colleagues are testing a bait-and-kill approach using sticky
boards and natural chemical attractants called semiochemicals.
In nature, Varroa mites rely on these semiochemicals to
locateand then feed onthe bloodlike hemolymph of both adult honey
bees and their brood. Severe infestations can decimate an affected hive within
several monthsand rob the beekeeper of profits from honey or pollinating
services. But in this case, the mites encounter a more heady bouquet of honey
bee odors that lure the parasites away from their intended hosts and onto the
sticky boards, where they starve.
In preliminary tests, 35 to 50 percent of mites dropped off the bees
when exposed to the attractants. Free-roving mites found the semiochemicals
even more attractive, according to Teal.
Moreover, the extra dose of semiochemicals wafting through hives
didn't appear to significantly interfere with the honey bees' normal behavior
or activity, added Teal who, along with postdoctoral associate
Adrian
Duehl and University of Florida
collaborator Mark Carroll, reported the results this past January at the
2009 North American Beekeeping
Conference in Reno, Nev.
The team hopes ARS' patenting of the Varroa mite attractants
will encourage an industrial partner to develop the technology further.
Read more
about the research in the July 2009 issue of Agricultural Research
magazine.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency of the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Spraying Herbicide on Invasive Weeds Doesn't Always Pay Tue, 30 Jun 2009 09:52:00 -0500
It may not always pay for
ranchers to use herbicides to kill exotic invasive weeds on the range,
according to a new study. Click the image for more information about
it.
Knowing where to look for
invasive leafy spurge
Seeded pastures can
sustain cattle-and native rangelands
USDA Livestock and
Range Research Lab expansion unveiled
Spraying Herbicide on Invasive Weeds Doesn't
Always Pay, Study Shows By
Don Comis June
30, 2009
It may not always pay for ranchers to use herbicides to kill exotic
invasive weeds such as leafy spurge, according to a 16-year study by the
Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and
colleagues.
Rangeland ecologist
Matt
Rinella at the ARS
Fort
Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory in Miles City, MT, and
colleagues conducted the study. Data they collected 16 years after a one-time
aerial spraying of herbicide showed that the invasive leafy spurge
(Euphorbia esula L) may have ultimately increased due to spraying.
Conversely, several desirable native forbs were still suffering the effects of
spraying 16 years after spraying.
Although the herbicide would have dissipated within a few years, it
seemed to cause a long-term plant community shift.
Any increase in grass production from the herbicide spraying only
lasted a year or two.
The study was done on the N-Bar Ranch in Montana. Each plot was either
grazed and sprayed, grazed but not sprayed, not grazed but sprayed or not
grazed or sprayed. Cattle grazing helped maintain native plant numbers when
herbicide was used.
Cattle grazing can help native forbs thrive because cattle prefer
grasses over forbs, and cattle trample soil, loosening soil for seeds that the
animals inadvertently plant when seeds are caught in their hooves or fur. That
said, when herbicide wasn't used, most native forbs did as well with or without
cattle grazing.
Herbicide caused the native plants Missouri goldenrod and yarrow to
become rarer over the 16-year study period. Barring herbicides, these two
species proved capable of co-existing indefinitely with the exotics.
Four native perennials became rarer in sprayed plots, but only when
grazing was excluded: velvety goldenrod, white prairie aster, vetch, and
prairie sagewort. Herbicide spraying caused no long-term harm to four other
native perennials. Rockjasmine and other plants belonging to the
Androsace spp. group were not affected by the herbicide even initially.
The study suggests that applying herbicides over large areas of land
containing herbicide-sensitive native plants is sometimes ill-advised.
The research was published in the journal Ecological
Applications.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency in the
U.S. Department of
Agriculture.
Shedding Light on Fescue Toxicosis Mon, 29 Jun 2009 09:22:00 -0500
New research is shedding light on how endophytic
fungus-infected fescue causes fescue toxicosis--a disease that affects grazing
animals and costs the U.S. cattle industry an estimated $600 million annually.
Click the image for more information about it.
Food for thought:
forage
A forage laboratory for
America's Mid-South
Connecting the Dots for Alkaloids, Toxicosis
Symptoms
By Laura
McGinnis
June 29, 2009 New research from
Agricultural Research Service (ARS)
scientists and their university colleagues is shedding light on the
relationship between chemical compounds and fescue toxicosisa disease
that affects grazing animals and costs the U.S. cattle industry an estimated
$600 million annually.
Fescue toxicosis is a major problem for producers whose herds graze on tall
fescue. A major forage grass in many states, tall fescue can cause toxicosis in
cattle and other ruminants if it's infected with endophytic fungus. The disease
causes lameness and reduced production efficiency, and can even be fatal if
infected animals are subjected to stressful situations, such as extreme heat or
long-distance transport.
Scientists believe many symptoms of toxicosis are caused by chemical
compounds known as ergot alkaloids, but much is still unknown about how they
cause clinical signs to develop. Led by ARS animal scientist
James
Klotz, scientists at the ARS
Forage
Animal Production Research Unit in Lexington, Ky., and the
University of Kentucky are investigating the
physiological responses of ruminants to tall fescue alkaloids.
One sign of toxicosis is a narrowing of blood vessels. Using a model that
predicts changes in blood flow in the limbs of cattle, Klotz and his colleagues
examined the influence of specific alkaloidsboth individually and in
combination.
Of the three alkaloids tested, ergovaline was the most effective at making
the veins contract. The others, N-acetylloline and lysergic acid, had little
effect on vein contraction. The results also showed that combining two
alkaloids did not increase the toxicity of eitherat least in terms of
vein contraction.
Further research is underway to determine how these alkaloids influence
other tissues, organs and physiological systems. In one study, the scientists
showed that ergovaline, but not lysergic acid, can bioaccumulate in vitro,
suggesting that ergovaline may be more likely to induce toxicosis.
Research like this is essential for understanding exactly how
endophyte-infected tall fescue influences grazing animals. Eventually, this
information could help scientists determine which compounds are most toxic and
how to protect cattle from them.
These studies were published in the Journal of Animal Science.
ARS is the principal intramural scientific research agency for the
U.S. Department of Agriculture.
USDA - AgricultureRemarks by First Lady Michelle Obama at the U.S. Department Of Agriculture Transcript: Secretary Tom Vilsack Hosts News Conference Call with Reporters Johanns Signs Framework Agreement with United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization Director General Diouf
Johanns' One Year Report on Avian Influenza ActionsAgriculture Secretary Mike Johanns and Director-General Jacques Diouf of the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) today signed a Framework Agreement to coordinate technical assistance between USDA and the FAO. The agreement will help to address issues important to agriculture, such as chronic hunger, plant and animal diseases including avian influenza, conservation, genetic resources and the growing demand for renewable energy resources.
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