About Book

Zoology is the branch of biology devoted to the study of animal life. It covers structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. It includes diverse approaches such as electron microscopy, molecular genetics, and field ecology. Animals provide important model species for studies of ecological genetics, macroevolution, physiological ecology and behavioural ecology among many other fields. Their role in ecosystem functioning, disease ecology and global change illuminates their importance in biology. Zoology is both descriptive and analytical. It can be approached either as a basic science or as an applied science. Although the study of animal life is ancient, its scientific incarnation is relatively modern. It is now considered as an interdisciplinary field that applies a great variety of techniques to obtain knowledge of the animal kingdom. This compendium discusses several aspects of zoology and its perspective. It elucidates new techniques and their applications in a multidisciplinary approach. It talks in detail about zoonoses surveillance, scientific territorialism, sciences of complexity, stress physiology, genetic characterization, bacterial zoonoses, welfare of pets and dynamic zoometry concept. The aim of this book is to provide this complex subject in an easy to understand and student friendly manner. It is recommended for students and researchers that deal with biology, zoology, genetics, and evolution who not only wish to explore and understand other approaches to popular theories in zoology, but also wish to be more familiarized and delve deeper with the common yet frequently discussed and debated topics in the field.

Preface............................................................................................................v

Chapter 1 Static/Dynamic Zoometry Concept to Design Cattle Facilities Using Back Propagation Neural Network (BPNN).........................................1

Abstract...................................................................................................1

1. Introduction............................................................................................2

2. Zoometry concept.................................................................................4

3. Back propagation neural network (BPNN)...................................12

4. Construction of prediction model for cattle facilities using

BPNN.....................................................................................................15

5. Conclusion(s)........................................................................................19

Chapter 2 Welfare of Pet Birds and Potential Zoonoses....................................23

Abstract.................................................................................................23

1. Introduction..........................................................................................24

2. Welfare of pet birds............................................................................25

3. Zoonotic diseases of pet birds..........................................................25

4. Route of transmission........................................................................28

5. Guidelines for welfare of pet birds and for prevention of potential

zoonotic diseases.................................................................................30

6. Conclusion............................................................................................30

Conflict of Interest..............................................................................31

Chapter 3 Emerging Bacterial Zoonoses in Migratory Birds............................37

Abstract.....................................................................................................37

1. Introduction..........................................................................................37

2. Emerging bacterial zoonoses in migratory birds ........................38

3. Conclusion............................................................................................53

Chapter 4 Conservation Physiology of Tigers in Zoos: Integrating Stress

Physiology and Behaviour to Monitor Their Health and

Welfare.........................................................................................................60

Abstract..................................................................................................... 60

1. Introduction..........................................................................................61

2. Stress physiology of tigers................................................................62

3. Tiger stress biology research in captivity......................................64

4. Conclusions .........................................................................................68

Acknowledgements.............................................................................69

Chapter 5 Sciences of Complexity and Chaos to Analyze Vectors and

Zoonosis......................................................................................................73

1. Introduction..........................................................................................73

2. Usefulness of fractals in the theory of chaos................................78

3. Small world and social networks....................................................80

4. Usefulness of the analysis of processes of chaotic time series.... 82

5. Discussion.............................................................................................84

Chapter 6 Zoological Collections and the Effects of Scientific

Territorialism..............................................................................................91

1. Introduction..........................................................................................91

2. Animal social behavior: Territorialism............................................92

3. Scientific collections............................................................................95

4. Researcher’s conduct..........................................................................99

5. Discussion...........................................................................................102

6. Conclusion..........................................................................................111

7. Acknowledgments.............................................................................112

Chapter 7 Genetic Characterization of Jaguars (Panthera onca) in Captivity

in Zoological Parks of Colombia........................................................117

Abstract...............................................................................................117

1. Introduction........................................................................................118

2. Materials and methods....................................................................120

3. Results.................................................................................................125

4. Discussion...........................................................................................132

Acknowledgements...........................................................................136

Chapter 8 Zoonoses Surveillance in Italy (2000-2009): Investigation on

Animals with Neurological Symptoms.............................................141

1. Introduction........................................................................................141

2. Materials and methods....................................................................143

3. Results ................................................................................................147

4. Discussion...........................................................................................162

5. Conclusions .......................................................................................174

6. Acknowledgment..............................................................................174

Citation......................................................................................................185

Index...........................................................................................................187

About Author

Jack Morris is a Guest Lecturer at Community College, Pretoria. He pursued his Ph.D. in Zoology from Science Research University, Bournemouth. His researches are focused on phylum chordate, toothless mammals and reptiles. Morris has written numerous research papers and articles, to peer-reviewed journals on chordate genomics, deuterostome animals, methodology of ecophysiology, and physiological ecology of vertebrates, comparative physiology and evolutionary physiology. He has attended numerous conferences and symposiums and has presented more than 10 papers on zoology.