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- -- 20 January 2020, Monday - Martin Luther King Day Holiday
- -- 27 January 2020: Monday - This marks the last day for dropping courses without receiving a grade of “W”, deadline 4:30 p.m.
- ACADEMIC CALANDER
Advances in Sustainable Stand Mangement
Professor Thomas J. Dean contributed a chapter to a recently published book entitled, Achieving Sustainable Management of Boreal and Temperature Forests. The chapter titled, “Advances in stand management and regeneration” is available in PDF from the Dr. Dean.
From the Introduction: “ … the chapter focuses on advance in stand management and regeneration. Multiaged forests are thought to have the redundant structure to withstand changing disturbance regimes expected with future climate scenarios. The chapter describes methods for deciding how to control stand density multiaged silviculture at the stand level and the individual tree level, as well as providing an analysis of current density management principles. It also examines stand regeneration and the resilience and recovery of multiaged forests.”
The complete table of contnets for "Achieving sustainable management of boreal and temperate forests" is available HERE
RNR Student Researching Tiger Genetics
LEFT: Alessandra Bresnan, LSU graduate student in the College of Agriculture School of Renewable Natural Resources, is studying conservation genetics of tigers. Her research is funded by LSU through its role with the Tigers United University Consortium. Photo provided by Bresnan
(01/08/20) Baton Rouge, La. — Ask any LSU football fan what makes up a tiger and answers might include passion, determination and hard work. But one LSU student is conducting research on what truly makes up a tiger.
Alessandra Bresnan, a graduate student in the College of Agriculture School of Renewable Natural Resources, is studying conservation genetics of captive and wild tigers with the hopes of bringing awareness to their plight.
Bresnan’s research is funded by LSU through its role with the Tigers United University Consortium, which also includes Auburn University, Clemson University and the University of Missouri, all of which have tiger mascots. The universities have joined forces and are committed to saving wild tigers worldwide.
With LSU facing Clemson in the College Football National Championship, both universities are raising money for tigers — LSU with the Tiger Conservation Fund.
“Since the start of the last century, the world has lost 97 percent of its tigers,” Bresnan said.
More tigers live in captivity than in the wild, with fewer than 3,900 tigers in the wild. While the exact number of captive tigers in the U.S. is unknown, it is estimated at 5,000 to 10,000. Bresnan said only a small population of the captive tigers is managed through species survival plans in accredited zoos.
“The species survival plans aim to preserve tigers’ natural genetic variability and sub-species groupings,” she said.
Inbreeding of tigers in captivity and cross breeding tigers with other species such as lions have caused a host of genetic and health issues in captive populations, Bresnan said. Many inbred tigers are born with deformities, vision problems and other health concerns.
Bresnan is just starting her research, but she plans to conduct a genetic analysis of U.S. tigers, including generic tigers or tigers of unknown or hybridized subspecies as well as purebred species found in accredited zoos.
In her study, she also will collect and examine samples from museum specimens.
“These have been collected from the wild over the past century, to serve as a proxy for wild tigers, allowing us to identify genetic changes in wild tigers of the past to the captive tigers of today,” Bresnan said.
By incorporating genetic information, Bresnan said she can investigate two important aspects of captive tigers in the U.S. — “Relatedness and assessment of adaptation to captivity in tigers managed in zoos and highlighting the detrimental impacts of commercialized breeding of unmanaged tigers.”
Bresnan has already done preliminary work with the tigers housed at the Baton Rouge Zoo, looking at which samples taken from the tigers, including blood, fur, cheek swab and scat, yielded the most DNA material.
The doctoral student works in the lab of Sabrina Taylor, the Weaver Brothers Distinguished Professor in the School of Renewable Natural Resources. Taylor’s research interest includes population-level genetic variation in threatened species and species of management concern, and historical genetic variation using museum DNA.
Bresnan said the matchup against the tigers on the football field is great time to show the need for research such as hers at universities in the consortium.
Money raised through LSU’s Tiger Conservation Fund advances science for the preservation of wild tigers in tiger range countries, creates a fellowship program for undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students interested in conducting research on tiger management and conservation, and prepares LSU students for careers in wildlife management, conservation and ecosystem health.
2019 Laborde Award for Leaderrship
Jenna Cheramie, a senior in Wildlife Ecology at the LSU School of Renewable Natural Resources, is the 2019 recipient of the Laborde Award for Leadership. This scholarship is presented annually to a senior in RNR who has demonstrated leadership in student organizations while maintaining a record of academic excellence.
Pictured (L to R): Dr. Michael Kaller, Scholarship Committee Chair; Dr. Luke Laborde, donor; Miss Jenna Cheramie, and Dr. Allen Rutherford, Director of the School of Renewable Natural Resources (in holiday attire)!
Congratulations!
Dr. Sabrina Taylor, associate professor in the School of Renewable Natural Resources was recognized at the LSU AgCenter, College of Agriculture award ceremony in December.
Dr. Taylor received the 2019 Sedberry Award for Outstanding Graduate Teacher. She was also the recipient of the 2019 Louisiana Agriculture Magazine Article of the Year award for “The Seaside Sparrow and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.”
Louisiana Agruculture Magazine
Spring 2019
The spring 2019 issue of Louisiana Agriculture focuses on the “birds and the bees” and the importance of reproduction and breeding to the success and profitability of our agriculture industry. LSU AgCenter scientists are dedicated to finding ways to not only improve plants and animals on the farm but also in nature to enhance and sustain our environment. See below for links to the articles. If you would like to subscribe to the print copy, or if you have any questions, or if you want to unsubscribe from this list, please contact the editor, Linda Benedict. The LSU AgCenter is here to serve you.
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Highlights - Articles by several RNR faculty mmbers and students:
- The “Birds and the Bees” and Agriculture
Christopher Green - This issue of Louisiana Agriculture focuses on the essence of agriculture, which is the ability to harness reproduction of plants and animals.
- Seaside Sparrows and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill
Sabrina S. Taylor - The Seaside Sparrow is a good indicator species for the effects of disturbances, such as oil spills and hurricanes, along the Gulf of Mexico.
- White-tailed Deer Reproduction: How fawns are made
Glen T. Gentry Jr. - LSU AgCenter research on the white-tailed deer has provided a wealth of information to improve understanding of the deer breeding season.
- Mottled Duck Breeding Ecology in Southwest Louisiana
Lizzi Bonczek and Kevin Ringelman - The mottled duck is a unique nonmigratory duck found only along the western Gulf of Mexico coast and peninsular Florida.
- Asian Carps Are Here to Stay
William E. Kelso - Sometimes reproduction goes awry as is the case with Asian carps. They were introduced to control parasites in catfish, and now they are taking over.
- Improving Reproduction for Reliable Marine Bait
Christopher Green - LSU AgCenter scientists are working to provide Louisiana coastal anglers with a cost-effective source of marine baitfish.
- College of Agriculture News for Spring 2019
Tobie Blanchard - Forestry students get the chance to compete regionally and to network; six ag graduates become University medalists; alumnus tells of opportunities in digital agriculture; annual college awards
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