Digital Commons Network^™

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

• Research assistant hired for Relict Leopard Frog conservation project.
• High school minority intern hired to assist with research efforts.
• Nocturnal visual encounter surveys for Relict Leopard Frogs conducted at all established natural sites and at 6 of 7 translocation sites.
• Vegetation management conducted to decrease tamarisk cover along the stream at the Pupfish Refuge Spring – a Relict Leopard Frog translocation site.
• New draft guidelines and field count protocols developed for midwinter bald eagle count.
• Preliminary analysis and modeling of thrasher habitat selection conducted and sampling assessed
• Call-broadcast surveys for thrasher species conducted at 43 points countywide, focusing on vegetation …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Management: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2006, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• Two new Weed Sentry research assistants were hired.
• Weed Sentry staff surveyed for exotic species on 89 miles of roads on NPS and BLM land and treated more than 21,000 exotic plants in incipient populations.
• A grid-based rare plant monitoring method was tested this quarter.
• A manuscript detailing vegetation succession on a water pipeline at Lake Mead NRA was submitted for review to the journal Crossosoma.
• New integrative projects undertaken this quarter included establishing a competition study between a native grass and the exotic Sahara mustard, salvaging plants for research purposes from private sites with permission from landowners, …

Oliver Ranch Science School Complex & Wild Horse And Burro Facility: Final Close-Out Report, Margaret N. Rees

Oliver Ranch Project

“The mission of the Red Rock Desert Learning Center is to instill stewardship and respect by increasing knowledge and understanding of the Mojave Desert ecosystems and cultures through a unique experiential discovery program.”

Identifying Economic Indicators For Ecosystem-Based Management:, Scott Norris

Publications

In America and across the world, the use of ecosystem-based management is

increasing. One of the primary challenges faced in using this method of management is the integration of economic data and environmental information. This report explores the use of a new tool for integrating economic data, ecosystem-based economic indicators, in a case study of Elkhorn Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, an estuarine environment located in Monterey County, CA. Research and literature reviews were used to detail the economic activities of the area, in order to identify possible indicators,criteria for evaluating the indicators, and potential sources of indicator data. After …

The Tangled Web Of Community Ecology: Making Sense Of Complex Data, Monica Lynn Beals

Doctoral Dissertations

Ecological communities are governed by complicated processes that give rise to observable patterns. Making sense of these patterns, much less inferring the underlying processes, has proved challenging for several reasons. Manipulative experiments in natural communities may not be feasible due to large numbers of variables, lack of adequate replication, or the risk of undesirable consequences (e.g., introducing an invasive species). The multivariate nature of ecological datasets presents analytical problems as well; many statistical techniques familiar to ecologists have difficulty handling large numbers of potentially collinear variables. I present results from three studies of spider communities in which I employ a …

Avian Community Ecology: Patterns Of Co-Occurrence, Nestedness, And Morphology, Michael David Collins

Doctoral Dissertations

A central tenet of the competition paradigm is that community structure is governed by deterministic rules. The competition paradigm pervades nearly all subdisciplines and extends to the broadest, deepest questions in ecology. To determine whether patterns of co-occurrence, nestedness, and morphology in avian communities are consistent with a competition hypothesis, I use null models to compare observed patterns to patterns expected in the absence of competition.

I use presence-absence matrices of birds in three archipelagoes to test whether species exhibit exclusive distributions. Congeneric birds co-occur significantly less frequently than predicted in two archipelagoes, consistent with a competition hypothesis. However, when …

Does Seed-Caching Experience Affect Spatial Memory Performance By Pinyon Jays?, B. Lucas Stafford, Russell P. Balda, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Food-storing birds use spatial memory to find previously cached food items. Throughout winter, pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) rely heavily on cached pinyon pine (Pinus edulis) seeds. Because of a recent severe drought, pinyon pine trees had not produced a significant seed crop for several years. Therefore, 1- and 2-year-old birds never had the opportunity to cache and recover seeds and birds 4 or more years of age had not recovered seeds in 3 years. This study examined whether natural but extreme variability in experience might result in differences in abstract spatial memory ability during a non-cache …

Karyotypes Of Eight Species Of Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) With A Description Of A New Karyotype For The Genus, Renata Cecília Amaro-Ghilardi, Gabriel Skuk, Rafael O. De Sá, Miguel Trefaut Rodrigues, Yatiyo Yonenaga-Yassuda

Biology Faculty Publications

Karyotypes of eight species of Leptodactylus (Anura, Leptodactylidae) with a description of a new karyotype for the genus. Eight species of the Neotropical genus Leptodactylus were karyologically studied: seven of them (L. gracilis, L. mystacinus, L. petersii, L. pustulatus, L. macrosternum, L. ocellatus, L. labyrinthicus) presented 2n=22 and L. silvanimbus showed a distinctive karyotype with 2n=24. Nucleolar organizer regions (Ag-NORs) were detected in two different pairs of chromosomes: pair 4 at the proximal region of the long arm of one individual of L. mystacinus from São Paulo state and of L. petersii; and …

Genetic Resolution Of The Enigmatic Lesser Antillean Distribution Of The Frog Leptodactylus Validus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), Keneth Yanek, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Leptodactylus validus has an unusual distribution, inhabiting Trinidad, Tobago, and the Lesser Antilles, but not the mainland of South America. This distribution is inconsistent with other distribution patterns observed for these islands. Although slight variation in adult morphology has been observed among the different island populations of L. validus, call data suggest the presence of a single species. Calls of L. pallidirostris from Venezuela and Brazil suggested that this taxon might be conspecific with L. validus. Sequence data from the 12S and 16S mt rDNA genes indicate that L. validus represents a single species throughout its distribution and is conspecific …

Integration Without Unification: An Argument For Pluralism In The Biological Sciences, Sandra D. Mitchell, Michael R. Dietrich

Dartmouth Scholarship

In this article, we consider the tension between unification and pluralism in biological theory. We begin with a consideration of historical efforts to establish a unified understanding of evolution in the neo‐Darwinian synthesis. The fragmentation of the evolutionary synthesis by molecular evolution suggests the limitations of the general unificationist ideal for biology but not necessarily for integrating explanations. In the second half of this article, we defend a specific variety of pluralism that allows for the integration required for explanations of complex phenomena without unification on a large scale.

Convergence, Constraint And The Role Of Gene Expression During Adaptive Radiation: Floral Anthocyanins In Aquilegia, Justen B. Whittall, Claudia Voelckel, Daniel J. Kliebenstein, Scott A. Hodges

Biology

Convergent phenotypes are testament to the role of natural selection in evolution. However, little is known about whether convergence in phenotype extends to convergence at the molecular level. We use the independent losses of floral anthocyanins in columbines (Aquilegia) to determine the degree of molecular convergence in gene expression across the anthocyanin biosynthetic pathway (ABP). Using a phylogeny of the North American Aquilegia clade, we inferred six independent losses of floral anthocyanins. Via semiquantitative reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), we monitored developmental and tissue-specific variation in expression of the six major structural ABP loci in three Aquilegia species, two that …

Determining Environmental Drivers Of Fish Community Structure Along The Coast Of Maine, Adrian Jordaan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The work presented here was conceived to determine whether structure in marine communities could be related to multiple scaled environmental parameters, as seen in lake and stream systems. Four datasets collected from 2001 to 2005 were used. The datasets ranged from local scale tidepool and estuarine surveys, to more regional intertidal/subtidal surveys and conclude using a coast-wide trawl survey. Initially, a bootstrap program for running principal component analysis (PCA) was developed and tested for utility with additional information from Pearson correlation coefficients. The bootstrap-PC A program was capable of determining confidence limits for correlations amongst species. The results from analysis …

Evaluating Diet Composition Of Pronghorn In Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, Christopher N. Jacques, Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, Daniel E. Roddy

The Prairie Naturalist

The pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) was reintroduced into Wind Cave National Park (WCNP), South Dakota, in 1914, and thus, has inhabited the Park for nearly a century. During the 1990's, a decline in the population raised concern for the continued existence of pronghorn inside WCNP; an investigation into the observed decline was initiated. Primary objectives of our study were to evaluate diet composition and forage selection by pronghorn in WCNP. Microhistological analysis was conducted on 58 fecal samples collected opportunistically from pronghorn during 2002. Blue grama (Bouteloua gracilis), common juniper (Juniperus communis), and northern bedstraw …

Spatial And Seasonal Variation In Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions, Jonathan M. Conard, Philip S. Gipson

The Prairie Naturalist

To understand seasonal variation in the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions and the influence of land cover type on collision distribution we counted road-kill carcasses for 84 weeks along a 40 km route on two state highways in northeastern Kansas. We noted land cover type adjacent to each road-kill and tested the null hypothesis that road-kills were distributed randomly with respect to land cover type. Wildlife-vehicle collisions were not distributed randomly in relation to land cover availability. Instead, collisions occurred more often then expected adjacent to riparian areas and less often than expected adjacent to agricultural fields. Wildlife-vehicle collisions varied seasonally …

Amphibians And Reptiles In A Mixed-Grass Prairie In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, Patricia K. Moore

The Prairie Naturalist

There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at 109 km² Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwestern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected.

Morphometrics Of Six Turtle Species From South Dakota, Sarah J. Bandas, Kenneth F. Higgins

The Prairie Naturalist

During 2002 and 2003, morphometric measurements were recorded for 755 turtles representing six species in South Dakota. Turtles were captured in a wide variety of wetland habitats across the entire state. With few exceptions, morphometric measurements for South Dakota were near or within the range of measurements reported for all six species from studies in nearby states or provinces. We recommend that morphometric measurements be taken on turtles in future turtle studies and particularly for the less common and rare species.

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, Number 4, December 2006, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

Full issue of The Prairie Naturalist (December 2006), volume 38, number 4.

Amphibians and Reptiles in a MixedGrass Prairie in Northwestern North Dakota by Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, and Patricia K. Moore, pages 207-212

Morphometrics of Six Turtle Species from South Dakota by Sarah J. Bandas and Kenneth F. Higgins, pages 213-222

Evaluation of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use by Spotted Bass by Stanley L. Proboszcz and Christopher S. Guy, pages 223-238

Evaluating Diet Composition of Pronghorn in Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota by Christopher N. Jacques , Jaret D. Sievers, Jonathan A. Jenks, Chad L. Sexton, and …

Multiscale Habitat Associations Of Three Primary Burrowing Crayfish, Shane Welch

All Dissertations

The distribution and habitat associations of three primary burrowing crayfish species were examined at the landscape and patch scales. GIS based predictors were used to model the species occurrence across the study landscapes and vegetation structure data were used to model crayfish abundance within landscape patches. Distocambarus crockeri, a species endemic to the piedmont physiographic region of South Carolina was a terrestrial habitat specialist at broad because of its association with well drained ridge-top soils. Within these soils D. crockeri were dependent on open treeless habitats. The species habitat was consistent with early descriptions of the region and suggested that …

Insights Into The Etheostoma Spectabile Species Complex: Incongruence Between Mitochondrial And Nuclear Gene Sequence Data, Christen M. Bossu

Masters Theses

Hybridization is recognized as an evolutionary process that can provide a significant source of genetic variation and whose genetic consequences have been investigated across a wide taxonomic range of plants and animals. Darters (Percidae: Etheostomatinae) are a clade with documented interspecific hybridization and many species with a recent evolutionary origin, yet most molecular phylogenetic analyses of darters to date have relied primarily on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences. Inferring relationships within and between closely related species using a single locus gene tree is potentially confounded by introgression as well as retention of ancestral polymorphisms. This can lead to incongruence between the …

The Effects Of Pathogen Infection On Nitrogen Remobilization In Arabidopsis Thaliana, Michelle Ann Boercker

Masters Theses

The natural enemies of plants are ubiquitous and can reduce plant fitness. Plants have evolved two defense strategies to ameliorate the fitness cost associated with natural enemy attack. The first strategy, resistance, reduces the frequency and/or severity of natural enemy damage. The second strategy, tolerance, attenuates the fitness cost of natural enemy damage. Very little is known about the traits through which tolerance is manifested, particularly with respect to plant-pathogen systems (pathosystems). Diseased and naturally senescing leaves are often similar in their visible symptoms and molecular activities, suggesting that they may involve similar processes. One process that may be shared …

The Prairie Naturalist, Volume 38, 2006: Reviewers, Author Index, And Subject Index, Elmer J. Finck, Hilary Gillock

The Prairie Naturalist

The list of reviewers, author index, and subject index for volume 38 (2006) of The Prairie Naturalist published by the Great Plains Natural Science Society out of Fort Hays State University in Kansas, United States.

Evaluation Of Habitat Enhancement Structure Use By Spotted Bass, Stanley L. Proboszcz, Christopher S. Guy

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat enhancement is a common and effective method used to positively influence fish populations. However, there is a paucity of speciesspecific evaluations of stream habitat enhancement structures for warmwater fishes. We evaluated use of half-log, rootwad enhancement structure, and simulated undercut bank (LUNKERS) by adult and juvenile spotted bass (Micropterus punctulatus) in natural and experimental streams. Enhancement structures were installed in Otter Creek, Kansas. Adult spotted bass use of natural and enhancement structure was documented weekly during summer and fall of 2001 and 2002 with radiotelemetry. Mean total length (TL) of adult fish was 292 mm (SE = …

The Role Of Visual Ornamentation In Female Choice Of A Multimodal Male Courtship Display, Eileen Hebets, K. Cuasay, P. K. Rivlin

Eileen Hebets Publications

The courtship behavior of male Schizocosa uetzi wolf spiders incorporates both visual and seismic signals into a multimodal display. These two signals have been shown to interact in such a manner that the seismic signal alters a female’s response to the visual signal, leading to a putative increased importance of visual signaling in the presence of a seismic signal. Experiments leading to this attention-focusing hypothesis relied in part on the video playback technique, eliciting the question of its significance under more biologically relevant conditions. Here, we directly examine female mate choice of males with differing visual signals (foreleg pigmentation) both …

Cold Body Temperature As An Evolutionary Shaping Force In The Physiology Of Antarctic Fishes, Bruce Sidell

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Notothenioid fishes that dominate the fish fauna surrounding Antarctica have been evolving for 10-14 million years at a nearly constant body temperature of ~0C throughout their life histories. As a result, this group of animals is uniquely suited to studies aimed at understanding and identifying features of physiology and biochemistry that result from the process of evolution at cold body temperature. This project has three major objectives aimed at examining adaptations for life in cold environments:

1. Identify the amino acid substitutions in the fatty acid-binding pocket of fatty acyl CoA synthetase (FACS) that explain its substrate specificity. Fatty acids …

Linking Life Zones, Life History Traits, Ecology, And Spatial Cognition In Four Allopatric Southwestern Seed Caching Corvids, Russell P. Balda, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

This report will review the similarities and differences of four species of pine seed caching members of the avian family Corvidae that live on the slopes and base of the San Francisco Peaks in north-central Arizona. The four species include the Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana), pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), western scrub-jay (Aphelocoma californica), and Mexican jay (A. ultramarina). These corvids demonstrate a specialization gradient for the harvesting, transporting, caching and recovering of buried pine seeds. This gradient is reflected in their dependence on cached pine seeds for winter and early spring survival …

A New Species Of Emballonura (Chiroptera: Emballonuridae) From The Dry Regions Of Madagascar, Steven M. Goodman, Scott G. Cardiff, Julie Ranivo, Amy L. Russell, Anne D. Yoder

Amy L. Russell

Yeast In The Antarctic Dry Valleys: Biological Role, Distribution, And Evolution, Laurie B. Connell

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

The soil community of Antarctic polar desert is comprised of few endemic species of bacteria, fungi, and invertebrates. Both filamentous and single cellular fungi have been isolated from a diversity of Antarctic soil types, but only yeast appear to be endemic to the polar desert soils. Although the ecological roles of yeast in Antarctic soils is undefined, yeast may be the principal taxa in the heterotrophic communities that synthesize sterols required by soil invertebrates. In addition, yeast may be involved in accumulating and mobilizing growth limiting nutrients such as phosphorus into the polar desert food web. This multidisciplinary research will …

Red Rock Desert Learning Center Stakeholder Phasing Meeting: October 5, 2006, Red Rock Desert Learning Center

Reports (RRLC)

• Our goals for this meeting

• What does phasing offer us?

• Possible phasing scenados

• Where do we go from here?

• Other business regarding RRDLC

The Lobster Bulletin, Fall 2006, Lobster Institute, University Of Maine

Lobster Bulletin

The Lobster Bulletin newsletter includes research updates, and information on lobsters and the lobster industry. The Lobster Institute at the University of Maine is dedicated to protecting and conserving the lobster resource, and enhancing lobstering as an industry and a way of life.

Headlines in the Fall 2006 issue include:

• Lobster Institute C.O.R.E. Campaign Receives $100,000 Riverdale Challenge
• Maine Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory to be Outfitted with State-of-the Art Equipment
• A Region-Wide Organization
• Research Report: Equipping the Maine Aquatic Animal Health Laboratory
• Research Report: Immunology Response of Lobster Hemolymph
• Research Report: The New England Lobster Research Initiative Announces 2006 Grant …

Adding Ecological Considerations To Environmental Accounting, David A. Bainbridge

David A Bainbridge

Environmental accounting has often neglected ecological costs. These are essential to complete a true cost accounting. Ecological costs are often very large and long term and if they are ignored the costs/benefits of projects are incorrectly calculated.