Animal Domestication, Welfare & Behavior
What is domestication?
Process where populations of animals change genetically and phenotypically and is driven by human-desired traits with selection
What is the central dogma?
DNA encodes RNA which encodes proteins which drives biology
What 5 species are you responsible for knowing about?
Cattle, Horses, Sheep, Goats, and Pigs
What are the 3 core concepts of biotechnology and what is the main point of each of them?
Analytical - ‘omics (analysis). Synthetic - direct synthesis. Manipulation - genetic engineering.
Explain the difference between macroevolution and microevolution.
Macroevolution - dramatic biological changes across many species. Microevolution - heritable changes within a population.
What are the 3 views of animals and explain each one?
Animal rights - animals have the same rights as people. Animal welfare - humans use animals but provide animals for their needs. Human dominion - use animals in whatever way possible.
What are model organisms and what traits are important for them?
Species used to study genetics. Large offspring size, long generation time, relatively inexpensive, amenable to laboratory study, and recently well characterized genome.
What are 3 purposes for horses at Rutgers?
Teaching, research, and mounted patrol
What is bioinformatics?
The application of computational tools to capture and interpret data; manage data in biology.
What is the flight zone of an animal?
How much area around an animal it will tolerate before the animal moves away.
Are feralization and tame the same? Why?
No. Feralization - reversal period where animals are reintroduced to the wild and no longer domesticated (reverse of domestication, feral cats). Tame - individual animal that has been conditioned to be nice to humans.
Name the 3 disciplines of genetics and what each one means?
Transmission (traits passed down between generations), molecular (molecules of genetics copied, encoded, and modified), and population genetics (how genomes change within and between populations).
What's the difference between a sow and a gilt AND a heifer and a cow?
Sow - female pig that has given birth. Gilt - female pig that has not given birth. Heifer - female cattle that has not given birth. Cow - female cattle that has given birth.
What is CRISPR-Cas9?
Introduces precise changes to DNA sequences. Manipulation biotechnology.
What is the color code of biotechnology?
Distinguishes different fields of research. Blue - marine. Red - medical/pharmaceutical. White - industrial. Green - agricultural.
What are the 5 Freedoms?
From hunger or thirst. From discomfort. From pain, injury, or disease. To express normal behaviors. From fear and distress
Describe X-chromosome inactivation
Explanation of how XIST RNA can “turn off” DNA on 1 X-chromosome randomly. RNA regulates DNA, thus the central dogma is not always true. Mention of tortoiseshell cats.
What breeds are found at Rutgers Farm for ruminant animals?
Dorset (sheep), alpine (dairy goat), boer (meat goat), angus and hereford (meat cattle), holstein (dairy cattle)
Name 3 examples of analytical biotechnology.
Chromatography, Electrophoresis, ELISA, Whole Genome DNA sequencing (WGS), Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR), Flow Cytometry, and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS).
What is the breed outcome of a cross between a black angus and a hereford?
Black Baldy
Name the 3 approaches to animal welfare, what they are about, and who came up with each of them.
Feeling Based Approach - focuses on feelings and is subjective (Duncan). Biological Functioning Based Approach - physiology and health (Broom). Animal’s Nature Based Approach - animal’s ability to promote natural behaviors (Fraser).
Explain the difference between Mendel’s 2 Laws
The Principle of Segregation is how 2 copies of 1 gene are inherited independently of each other. The Law of Independent Assortment is how 2 or more different genes are inherited independently of each other.
Name all 4 supervisors who manage the animals and what animals they manage.
Kelly - Cattle, Emma - Horses, Rebecca - Small Ruminants, Ana - Pigs
Why was the discovery of mRNA vaccines revolutionary?
Speed of development, safety, effectiveness, and adaptability.
Name 3 types of auditing measures.
Outcome-based measure - measurable information from the animal. Management-based measure - records. Resource-based measure - information from the animal’s environment.