Texas Turkeys

Annual report of the Texas Crop and Livestock Reporting Service on turkey breeder hen numbers in Texas and compared with other states. It includes compiled statistics across consecutive years for different breeds on farms, in flocks, by value, and number of hens raised

Texas Turkeys

Annual report of the Texas Crop and Livestock Reporting Service on turkey breeder hen numbers in Texas and compared with other states. It includes compiled statistics across consecutive years for different breeds on farms, in flocks, by value, and number of hens raised

Texas Turkey Poults

Weekly report of the Texas Crop and Livestock Reporting Service on turkey poult numbers in Texas and compared with other states. It includes compiled statistics across six consecutive weeks during two years for turkey eggs set and poults hatched

Texas Turkey Poults

Weekly report of the Texas Crop and Livestock Reporting Service on turkey poult numbers in Texas and compared with other states. It includes compiled statistics across six consecutive weeks during two years for turkey eggs set and poults hatched

Texas Turkey Poults

Weekly report of the Texas Crop and Livestock Reporting Service on turkey poult numbers in Texas and compared with other states. It includes compiled statistics across six consecutive weeks during two years for turkey eggs set and poults hatched

Molecular Spintronics: Spin-Dependent Electron Transport in Molecular Wires

We present a theoretical study of spin-dependent transport through molecular wires bridging ferromagnetic metal nanocontacts. We extend to magnetic systems a recently proposed model that provides a em quantitative explanation of the conductance measurements of Reed et al. on Au break-junctions bridged by self-assembled molecular monolayers (SAMs) of 1,4-benzene-dithiolate (BDT) molecules. Based on our calculations, we predict that spin-valve behavior should be observable in nickel break-junctions bridged by SAM's formed from BDT. We also consider spin transport in systems consisting of a clean ferromagnetic nickel STM tip and SAMs of benzene-thiol molecules on gold and nickel substrates. We find that spin-valve behavior should be possible for the Ni substrate. For the case where the substrate is gold, we show that it should be possible to inject a highly spin-polarized current into the substrate.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Does natural selection explain the fine scale genetic structure at the nuclear exon Glu-5 ' in blue mussels from Kerguelen ?

The Kerguelen archipelago, isolated in the Southern Ocean, shelters a blue mussel Mytilus metapopulation far from any influence of continental populations or any known hybrid zone. The finely carved coast leads to a highly heterogeneous habitat. We investigated the impact of the environment on the genetic structure in those Kerguelen blue mussels by relating allele frequencies to habitat descriptors. A total sample comprising up to 2248 individuals from 35 locations was characterized using two nuclear markers, mac-1 and Glu-5, and a mitochondrial marker (COI). The frequency data from 9 allozyme loci in 9 of these locations were also reanalyzed. Two other nuclear markers (EFbis and EFprem's) were monomorphic. Compared to Northern Hemisphere populations, polymorphism in Kerguelen blue mussels was lower for all markers except for the exon Glu-5. At Glu-5, genetic differences were observed between samples from distinct regions (F-CT=0.077), as well as within two regions, including between samples separated by <500m. No significant differentiation was observed in the AMOVA analyses at the two other markers (mac-1 and COI). Like mac-1, all allozyme loci genotyped in a previous publication, displayed lower differentiation (Jost's D) and F-ST values than Glu-5. Power simulations and confidence intervals support that Glu-5 displays significantly higher differentiation than the other loci (except a single allozyme for which confidence intervals overlap). AMOVA analyses revealed significant effects of the giant kelp Macrocystis and wave exposure on this marker. We discuss the influence of hydrological conditions on the genetic differentiation among regions. In marine organisms with high fecundity and high dispersal potential, gene flow tends to erase differentiation, but this study showed significant differentiation at very small distance. This may be explained by the particular hydrology and the carved coastline of the Kerguelen archipelago, together with spatially variable selection at Glu-5

Natural variation and the capacity to adapt to ocean acidification in the keystone sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus

A rapidly growing body of literature documents the potential negative effects of CO2-driven ocean acidification (OA) on marine organisms. However, nearly all this work has focused on the effects of future conditions on modern populations, neglecting the role of adaptation. Rapid evolution can alter demographic responses to environmental change, ultimately affecting the likelihood of population persistence, but the capacity for adaptation will differ among populations and species. Here, we measure the capacity of the ecologically important purple sea urchin Strongylocentrotus purpuratus to adapt to OA, using a breeding experiment to estimate additive genetic variance for larval size (an important component of fitness) under future high-pCO2/low-pH conditions. Although larvae reared under future conditions were smaller than those reared under present-day conditions, we show that there is also abundant genetic variation for body size under elevated pCO2, indicating that this trait can evolve. The observed heritability of size was 0.40 ± 0.32 (95% CI) under low pCO2, and 0.50 ± 0.30 under high-pCO2 conditions. Accounting for the observed genetic variation in models of future larval size and demographic rates substantially alters projections of performance for this species in the future ocean. Importantly, our model shows that after incorporating the effects of adaptation, the OA-driven decrease in population growth rate is up to 50% smaller, than that predicted by the \u27no-adaptation\u27 scenario. Adults used in the experiment were collected from two sites on the coast of the Northeast Pacific that are characterized by different pH regimes, as measured by autonomous sensors. Comparing results between sites, we also found subtle differences in larval size under high-pCO2 rearing conditions, consistent with local adaptation to carbonate chemistry in the field. These results suggest that spatially varying selection may help to maintain genetic variation necessary for adaptation to future OA. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd