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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 …

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 …

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 …

Ecophysiology Of Two Native Invasive Woody Species And Two Dominant Warm-Season Grasses In The Semiarid Grasslands Of The Nebraska Sandhills, Kathleen D. Eggemeyer, Tala Awada, David A. Wedin, F. Edwin Harvey, Xinhua Zhou

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Populations of Pinus ponderosa and Juniperus virginiana are expanding into semiarid Sandhills grasslands in Nebraska. To evaluate the physiological basis of their success, we measured the seasonal course of leaf gas exchange, plant water status, and carbon isotope discrimination in these two native trees and two native C₄ grasses (Schizachyrium scoparium and Panicum virgatum). Compared to the trees, grasses had higher net photosynthetic rates (A_net) and water use efficiency (WUE) and more negative predawn and midday water potentials (Ψ) in June and July. While leaf Ψ and rates of leaf gas exchange declined for all …

Female Preference For Complex/Novel Signals In A Spider, Damian O. Elias, Eileen Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy

Eileen Hebets Publications

Identifying the various factors that influence complex signal evolution is a difficult task, yet it is fundamental to understanding the evolution of animal communication. Here we explore the evolution of complex courtship signaling by taking advantage of a system in which sexual selection on male courtship traits has driven the diversification of geographically isolated populations of the jumping spider Habronattus pugillis Griswold. Using 2 populations (Santa Rita [SR] and Atascosa [AT]) in which SR females show xenophilic mating preferences for foreign (AT) over local males (SR), we examine the mechanisms driving this preference. Both AT and SR males produce multimodal …

A Coprological View Of Ancestral Pueblo Cannibalism, Karl Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

As the object of my scientific study, I’ve chosen coprolites. It’s not a common choice, but to a paleonutritionist and archaeoparasitologist, a coprolite—a sample of ancient feces preserved by mineralization or simple drying—is a scientific bonanza. Analysis of coprolites can shed light on both the nutrition of and parasites found in prehistoric cultures. Dietary reconstructions from the analysis of coprolites can inform us about, for example, the origins of modern Native American diabetes. With regard to parasitology; coprolites hold information about the ancient emergence and spread of human infectious disease. Most sensational, however, is the recent role of coprolite analysis …

Spatial Heterogeneity, Predator Cognition, And The Evolution Of Color Polymorphism In Virtual Prey, Alan B. Bond, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Cryptically colored prey species are often polymorphic, occurring in multiple distinctive pattern variants. Visual predators promote such phenotypic variation through apostatic selection, in which they attack more abundant prey types disproportionately often. In heterogeneous environments, disruptive selection to match the coloration of disparate habitat patches could also produce polymorphism, but how apostatic and disruptive selection interact in these circumstances is unknown. Here we report the first controlled selection experiment on the evolution of prey coloration on heterogeneous backgrounds, in which blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) searched for digital moths on mixtures of dark and light patches at three different …

Seismic Signal Production In A Wolf Spider: Parallel Versus Serial Multi-Component Signals, Damian O. Elias, Norman Lee, Eileen Hebets, Andrew Mason

Eileen Hebets Publications

Animal signals can consist of multiple parts within or across sensory modalities (multi-component signals or multimodal signals). While recent work has focused on multimodal signals, the production, processing and evolution of multi-component signals has received considerably less attention. Here, using synchronous high-speed video and laser vibrometer recordings followed by experimental manipulations of putative sound-producing structures, we explored the mechanisms of seismic signal production in the courtship display of Schizocosa stridulans Stratton. Two types of seismic courtship signals were observed: ‘rev’ and ‘idle’ signals. Revs consist of a high-frequency component produced by flexions of the male pedipalp (stridulation) simultaneous with a …

An Examination Of Agonistic Interactions In The Whip Spider Phrynus Marginemaculatus (Arachnida, Amblypygi), Kasey D. Fowler-Finn, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Intraspecific interactions in adult whip spiders (Phrynus marginemaculatus) were investigated in a laboratory setting to quantify agonistic interactions and to determine predictors of contest outcome. Males were initially paired with size-symmetric or size-asymmetric opponents to assess the effect of size symmetry on contests. Three weeks later, the same males were paired with either the same opponent, or a different opponent to determine whether or not individuals remember earlier encounters. Finally, we quantified aspects of female-female contests. Agonistic encounters between males are characterized by varying degrees of pedipalpal opening, elevation displays, and rapid flicking (~ 29 Hz) of the …

Anatomy And Physiology Of Giant Neurons In The Antenniform Leg Of The Amblypygid Phrynus Marginemaculatus, A. J. Spence, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Amblypygids have modified front legs that are not used for locomotion, but rather to probe the environment in the manner of antennae. These elongate, motile sense organs are referred to as antenniform legs. We have found remarkable replication in structure and function of giant neurons in the antenniform leg of the amblypygid Phrynus marginemaculatus C. L. Koch 1841 when compared with other amblypygids. These neurons have such large diameter axons (several μm) that their action potentials can be recorded outside the cuticle. Their cell bodies are found in the periphery, in the distal-most segments of the antenniform leg, centimeters away …

Ecology Of The Missouri River. Progress Report, Dingell-Johnson Project F-75-R-24, Supplement I - Missouri River Creel Survey, Camp Creek To Kansas State Line, 1 April Through 13 October 2006., Gerald Mestl

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This report describes Missouri River activities and results related to a channelized Missouri River creel survey conducted from 29 March through 10 October 2003. This is the fourth of a planned annual creel survey to be conducted on alternating sections of the channelized Missouri River to measure changes in recreational fishing activity, especially those changes due to large scale habitat restoration efforts. Future reports will contain additional analyses of these data. Anglers spent over 30,000 hours fishing the Missouri River from Camp Creek (rk 883.5) to the Kansas state line (rk 790.2) during the survey period. Effort peaked during the …

Prevalence And Serovars Of Salmonella In The Feces Of Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) In Nebraska, David G. Renter, David P. Gnad, Jan M. Sargeant, Scott E. Hygnstrom

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

To determine the prevalence and serovars of Salmonella in free-ranging deer, we cultured feces from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) harvested by hunters during a regular firearm season in southeastern Nebraska (USA). We recovered Salmonella from 5 (1%; 95% confidence interval: 0.37– 2.20%) of 500 samples and identified four different Salmonella enterica serovars [Litchfield (1), Dessau (1), Infantis (2), and Enteritidis (1)]. Although the prevalence of Salmonella in free-ranging deer appears to be low, the serovars recovered are known to be pathogenic to humans and animals.

Phylogenetic Analysis Of The Scarab Family Hybosoridae And Monographic Revision Of The New World Subfamily Anaidinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea), Federico C. Ocampo

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

1. Introduction to the Scarab Family Hybosoridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). Federico C. Ocampo.

2. Molecular Phylogenetics and Systematic Placement of the Family Hybosoridae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). Federico C. Ocampo and David C. Hawks.

3. Phylogenetic Analysis of the Subfamily Anaidinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea). Federico C. Ocampo.

4. Catalog of the Subfamilies Anaidinae, Ceratocanthinae, Hybosorinae, Liparochrinae, and Pachyplectrinae (Scarabaeoidea: Hybosoridae). Federico C. Ocampo and Alberto Ballerio.

Abstract. Phylogenetic analyses and taxonomic revisions were conducted on the scarabaeoid family Hybosoridae. Two new subfamilies of Hybosoridae are described, Liparochrinae and Pachyplectrinae. Phylogenetic analysis and a systematic revision of the New World subfamily Anaidinae are provided. The …

Social Play In Kakapo (Strigops Habroptilus) With Comparisons To Kea (Nestor Notabilis) And Kaka (Nestor Meridionalis), Judy Diamond, Daryl Eason, Clio Reid, Alan B. Bond

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

The play behavior of the critically endangered kakapo (Strigops habroptilus; Aves: Psittaciformes: Psittacidae) is here compared to that of its closest relatives, the kea (Nestor notabilis) and the kaka (Nestor meridionalis). Contrasting kakapos, which are relatively solitary, with the more social Nestor parrots provides an attractive test of the relative contributions of phylogeny and sociality to the evolution of play. Overlapping cluster analysis of play sequences using a hypergeometric similarity metric indicated that kakapo play is generally less complex, lacking the intensity, duration, structure, and reciprocity of play in the Nestor parrots. Kakapos have …

Invasive Insect Abundance Varies Across The Biogeographic Distribution Of A Native Host Plant, Tatyana A. Rand, Svata M. Louda

Svata M. Louda Publications

Studies of biogeographic variation in species abundances are fundamental to understanding and predicting the impacts of invasive exotic species. We quantified the abundance of the introduced and now invasive biocontrol weevil, Rhinocyllus conicus, on a newly adopted native host plant, Cirsium canescens (Platte thistle), across the plant’s distributional range. We used regression and structural equation analyses to examine variation in weevil abundance at 92–108 sites over three years in relation to variation in abiotic and biotic parameters hypothesized to be important in insect or plant dynamics and distribution. We found that R. conicus now occurs throughout the majority of …

Regional Seismic Song Differences In Sky Island Populations Of The Jumping Spider Habronattus Pugillis Griswold (Araneae, Salticidae), Damian O. Elias, Eileen Hebets, Ronald R. Hoy, Wayne P. Maddison, Andrew C. Mason

Eileen Hebets Publications

Jumping spiders have long been used as model organisms to study visual communication. However, recent studies documenting the presence of intricate multicomponent seismic songs during courtship displays suggest an important role of seismic communication as well. Given the relatively recent focus on seismic communication, the extent to which seismic songs vary among jumping spider species or even among populations remains poorly understood. Here, we use the extensively studied Habronattus pugillis Griswold 1987 complex to explore putative seismic song diversity among males from isolated populations. H. pugillis populations have been studied extensively because of the tremendous diversification of male visual secondary …

Urine-Marking And Ground-Scratching By Free-Ranging Arctic Wolves, Canis Lupus Arctos, In Summer, L. David Mech

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Urine-marking and ground-scratching were observed in an Arctic Wolf (Canis lupus) pack on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, during 16 summers between 1986 and 2005. All previously known urination postures and ground-scratching by breeding males and females were seen, and incidence of marking and scratching was greatest when non-pack wolves were present. Observations of urine-marking of food remains supported the conclusion from a captive Wolf study that such marking signals lack of edible food.

Tapeworms Of Elasmobranchs (Part Ii) A Monograph On The Diphyllidea (Platyhelminthes, Cestoda), Gaines Albert Tyler Ii

Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum

The main objective of this monograph was a synthesis of the available knowledge on the diversity, systematics, host associations, and biogeography of the Diphyllidea. A thorough review of the literature resulted in the transfer of Diagonobothrium into Diphyllidea as a genus inquirendum. The genus Yogeshwaria was also transferred to Diphyllidea as a synonym of Echinobothrium. Its only species, E. nagabhushani n. comb., is considered to be a species inquirenda. New collections resulted in the description of a new species of Echinobothrium. Type and/or voucher specimens for 32 of 36 valid diphyllidean species (including the new species) …

Interference Effects In The Memory For Serially Presented Locations In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Nucifraga Columbiana, Jody L. Lewis, Alan C. Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

The authors tested the spatial memory of serially presented locations in Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana). Birds were serially presented with locations in an open room. The authors buried a seed in a sand-filled cup at each location and then tested nutcrackers for their memory for each location in the list by using the cluster method. For each item in the list, the authors opened a cluster of 6 holes. Accuracy was measured by how many tries were required for the bird to find the correct location within each cluster. In Experiments 1 and 2, the authors presented 2 …

Selective Attention, Priming, And Foraging Behavior, Alan Kamil, Alan B. Bond

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Animals selectively filter and transform their sensory input, increasing the accuracy with which some stimuli are detected and effectively ignoring others. This filtering process, collectively referred to as “selective attention,” takes place at a variety of different levels in the nervous system. It was described in considerable detail by William James over a century ago (James, 1890/1950) and has been a principal focus of research in cognitive psychology for nearly 50 years (Parasuraman & Davies, 1984; Pashler, 1998; Richards, 1998). Investigations of selective attention have also been central to the study of animal cognition, where the process of attention has …

Sl1 Rna Gene Recovery From Enterobius Vermicularis Ancient Dna In Pre-Columbian Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl Reinhard, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Luiz Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo, Ana Carolina Paulo Vincente

Karl Reinhard Publications

Enterobius vermicularis, pinworm, is one of the most common helminths worldwide, infecting nearly a billion people at all socio-economic levels. In prehistoric populations the paleoparasitological findings show a pinworm homogeneous distribution among hunter-gatherers in North America, intensified with the advent of agriculture. This same increase also occurred in the transition from nomad hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers in South America, although E. vermicularis infection encompasses only the ancient Andean peoples, with no record among the pre-Colombian populations in the South American lowlands. However, the outline of pinworm paleo epidemiology has been supported by microscopic finding of eggs recovered from coprolites. …

Parelaphostrongylus Odocoilei In Columbia Black-Tailed Deer From Oregon, Jack A. Mortenson, Arthur Abrams, Benjamin M. Rosenthal, Detiger Dunams, Eric P. Hoberg, Robert J. Bildfell, Richard L. Green

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Documenting the occurrence of Parelaphostrongylus odocoilei has historically relied on the morphological examination of adult worms collected from the skeletal muscle of definitive hosts, including deer. Recent advances in the knowledge of protostrongylid genetic sequences now permit larvae to be identified. Dorsal-spined larvae (DSLs) collected in 2003–2004 from the lung and feces of six Columbian black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus columbianus) from Oregon were characterized genetically. The sequences from unknown DSLs were compared to those from morphologically validated adults and larvae of P. odocoilei at both the second internal transcribed spacer (ITS-2) of ribosomal DNA and the mitochondrial cytochrome …

Hyla Squirella (Squirrel Treefrog): Refugia., Louis A. Somma, David Serrano

Papers in Herpetology

HYLA SQUiREUA (Squirrel Treefrog). REFUGIA. Entomologists commonly use trap-nests to monitor cavity-nesting Hymenoptera. These trap-nests consist of 5 x 10 cm pine timber cut into 12-cm lengths. Five lengths are then stacked and strapped together. Each pIece of timber is predrilled in each side to have either a 3.2, 4.8, 6.4, 7.9, or 12.7 Iiundiameterhole, 8 cmindepth. Thus, each trap-nest consisted of five pieces of wood containing 2 holes of each diameter. They are suspended with wire from tree trunks and branches. We set these wooden traps (N = 10) at Devil's Millhopper Geological State Park, Gainesville, Alachua Co., Florida, …