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Biomedical subjects

R M Murphey

Publications and source records attributed to R M Murphey.

12 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1990

Social aggregations in cattle. I. Segregation by breed in free-ranging herds.

Social aggregations of free-ranging cattle were studied in the Sonoran Desert of Mexico. Cows reared with animals of their own breed in isolation from other breeds maintained segregated social groups. Cows raised together in a mixed herd containing other breeds allied themselves with herd-mates regardless of breed. Cattle of the mixed herd stayed with their peers rather than rejoining their mothers when they were placed together. Although there were breed differences in group cohesiveness among cattle raised with their own breed, social aggregations appeared to be more dependent on social history than on genetic affiliation and shared phenotype.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

Social aggregations in cattle. II. Contributions of familiarity and genetic similarity.

Social aggregations of three cattle breeds and crosses between them were studied under controlled conditions at a Brazilian research station. Cows raised with animals of their own breed in isolation from other breeds maintained segregated social groups. Cattle of the same breed raised apart formed aggregations based more on familiarity than on genetic communality. There were breed differences in both of those tendencies. Hybrids were no more likely to associate with cattle with which they had one breed in common than with animals of completely different breeds, although having two breeds in common increased the likelihood that hybrids would be found together. Recently weaned calves did not assort themselves by shared kinship, but they formed phenotypic groupings correlated with color. In the absence of familiar individuals, cattle may use familiar phenotypes in establishing social preferences and cohesive herds.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Age group differences in bovine investigatory behavior.

The general relationship between age and investigatory behavior in mammals, and perhaps other taxa, is probably an inverted U-shaped function, but is said to be a negative correlation in bovines. In Observation Set 1, 5 developmental levels of domestic cattle were compared in their responsiveness to a novel stimulus in the form of a person lying on the ground. The age group-behavior relationship approximated an inverted U. In Observation Set II, 3 developmental levels were compared and the animals' responses to a ball and to the reclined figure of a person were studied. Qualitatively, the cattle reacted similarly to both the inanimate and the human objects; again, the relationship between age and investigatory tendencies appeared to be an inverted U-shaped function for both stimuli.

Aging↗
PubMed1981

Escape efficiency of diploid and polyploid frogs: a comparison of Odontophrynus cultripes (2n = 22) and O. americanus (4n = 44).

The escape efficiency of two closely related species of frogs, Odontophrynus cultripes (2n = 22) and the tetraploid O. americanus (4n = 44), were compared in a shuttle box and under simulated naturalistic conditions. O. americanus was generally superior to O. cultripes, and females tended to outperform males within both species. The relative inefficiency of O. Cultripes escape behavior was examined in light of the animals' having an elaborate, passive defense mechanism in the form of well marked venom glands. Escape efficiency was highly variable in both species. Possessing twice the amount of DNA, the tetraploid behavioral variation was paradoxically less than that of the diploid, but compatible with what has been found for morphological characters in other organisms.

Animals↗
PubMed1981

Foraging differences in cattle: fecal analysis of three racial categories in a harsh environment.

Feces from three racial categories of cattle being raised together in degraded, desertic-thorn forest environment in northwestern Mexico were compared for plant epidermal cell content. There were statistically significant group differences for approximately one-third of the plant material found in the feces. The proportional fecal differences between racial categories were similar to those found previously for B-system blood types. The feces of Bos taurus-like cattle contained a greater variety of plants than did those of B indicus-like animals. The findings have implications for studies of behavioral evolution, the effects of cattle on ecology, and cattle husbandry.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Approachability of bovine cattle in pastures; breed comparisons and a breed x treatment analysis.

Bovine cattle from various parts of the world were studied in a physically and culturally homogeneous environment. The animals' approachability by a human in open pastures was associated with breed differences. Dairy breeds were more approachable than beef breed, while a comparison between European (Bos taurus) and humpbacked (B. indicus) stock yielded equivocal results. Raising dairy breeds for meat and raising beef breeds as milch cows had little overall effect on their approachability. Genetic affiliation was a much more powerful variable than treatment. Under ordinary rearing conditions within a particular ethnoenvironmental medium, it would appear that approachability is a relatively stable property of cattle breeds.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Blood type analyses of creole-like cattle: a comparison with Longhorns and mixed controls.

Creole-like cattle blood types were compared with a mixed control group and Longhorn data using hemolytic and electrophoretic techniques. Among the hemolytic tests, the crucial B system analyses indicated that 1) the Creole-like animals were more similar to Longhorns than were the controls; 2) the three groups were different from each other; 3) the three groups were not mutually exclusive. Eleven new phenogroups were postulated. The remaining blood group systems and the electrophoretic tests raised interesting biohistorical questions but were generally less useful in discriminating among the three groups of cattle.

Animal Population Groups↗