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The Responses Of Ecologically Dissimilar Populations Of The Water Snake, Natrix Sipedon Sipedon To Surface Extracts Of Prey Species, With Observations On Feeding And Defense Behaviors, Doris Gove

Masters Theses

Observations of defensive and feeding behavior of Natrix sipedon were made in the field and in the lab. Crypticity, mimicry of poisonous snakes, striking, production of cloacal secretion and tail autonomy were defensive behaviors discussed. Feeding behaviors discussed were hunting, catching prey and tongue-flicking.

Experiments were performed on the responses of snakes from ecologically dissimilar populations of N. sipedon to surface extracts of local prey species. The populations were: (1) a laboratory-reared litter of ten one-year-old snakes; (2) six wild-caught snakes from Sterchi's fish hatchery in north Knoxville, Tennessee; and (3) six wild-caught and eight newborn snakes (a litter) from …

Placental Transfer And Maternal-Fetal Utilization Of Manganese By Third Trimester Pregnant Heifers, Boyce P. Wanamaker

Masters Theses

Although manganese has been demonstrated to be required for normal life processes, little information is available on the placental transfer and maternal-fetal utilization of this mineral in the bovine. Nine pregnant and three non-pregnant heifers were used in this study. They were dosed with a tracer level of radio-manganese for blood balance and subsequent placental transfer and maternal-fetal manganese utilization studies. Results of this study suggested total blood radio-manganese levels to drop from 14% of the administered dose at 3 hours to 1.8% after 144 hours. Blood clearance studies indicated that equilibrium between red cells and plasma was reached 38 …

Seasonal Food Habits Of The Black Bear (Ursus Americanus) In The Smoky Mountains Of Tennessee And North Carolina, Larry Eugene Beeman

Masters Theses

This study was conducted on the Tennessee side of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and game management areas in North Carolina. Information on seasonal food habits of the black bear (Ursus americanus) was obtained through analyses of scat and stomachs collected during 1969 and 1970.

In the Great Smoky Mountains National Park herbaceous species were the most common food items in the spring. When berries of shrub species matured, bears at large qunatities of Rubus sp., Vaccinium sp., and Gaylussacia sp., A saprophyte, Conopholis americana, was also an important food item during the summer and early …

Elevational Studies Of Silphidae (Insecta: Coleoptera) In Southeast Tennessee, Barry Charles Lumpkin

Masters Theses

During the period of June 17-December 2, 1970 baited pit-fall traps were used to collect 3467 specimens of Silphidae and related carrion frequenting Coleoptera at varying altitudes (800-6500 ft.) in southeast Tennessee. Ten species of Silphidae and representatives of five other families of beetles (Carabidae, Staphylinidae, Histeridae, Scarabaeidae, and Trogidae) were consistently collected from the traps during the study period. The genus Nicrophorous appeared to occupy the higher elevations in the study area while the genus Silphidae occupied the lower elevations. N. marginatus and N. hydrophiloides appeared to have their elevational centers at higher altitudes than those found in the …