Digital Commons Network^™

Stemborers Associated With Smooth Cordgrass, Spartina Alterniflora (Poaceae), In A Nursery Habitat, W. H. White, D. Adamski, G. Fine, E. P. Richard, Jr.

USDA Systematic Entomology Laboratory

Extensive ecological studies have been conducted on insects inhabiting native stands of smooth cordgrass, Spartina alterniflora Loisel; however, this is not the case for insects found in smooth cordgrass in a nursery habitat. We investigated species composition and larval disposition among stemborers (Lepidoptera: Coleophoridae and Crambidae) infesting stems of smooth cordgrass in nursery plots. One thousand and forty stems of smooth cordgrass were randomly selected in 2003 and examined for presence of stemborer larvae. Height of larvae on or within stem, height of stem from ground level to top-visible dewlap, and condition of the leaf-whorl were documented. Stemborers representing six …

Assessment Of Ecological Risks In Weed Biocontrol: Input From Retrospective Ecological Analyses, Svata M. Louda, Tatyana A. Rand, F. Leland Russell, Amy E. Arnett

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Prediction of the outcomes of natural enemy introductions remains the most fundamental challenge in biological control. Quantitative retrospective analyses of ongoing biocontrol projects provide a systematic strategy to evaluate and further develop ecological risk assessment. In this review, we highlight a crucial assumption underlying a continued reliance on the host specificity paradigm as a quantitative prediction of ecological risk, summarize the status of our retrospective analyses of nontarget effects of two weevils used against exotic thistles in North America, and discuss our prospective assessment of risk to a federally listed, threatened species (Cirsium pitcheri) based on those studies. …

A Method For Testing The Host Specificity Of Ectoparasites: Give Them The Opportunity To Choose, Carlos El Esbérard, Fernanda Martins-Hatano, Emerson B. Bittencourt, David Ep Bossi, Angélica Fontes, Marcela Lareschi, Vanderlaine Menezes, Helena G. Bergallo, Donald Gettinger

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

Host-choice experiments were carried out with rodent and bat ectoparasites on Ilha Grande, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. We constructed experimental chambers that enclosed three different rodent or bat host species, and then introduced a selected set of ectoparasitic arthropods. When given the opportunity to choose among host species, the ectoparasites showed a strong tendency to select their primary hosts, and reject novel host species. These kinds of simple experiments can be valuable tools for assessing the ability of ectoparasites to locate and discern differences between host species, and make choices about which hosts to infest, and which hosts …

Breeding Bird Communities In Riparian Forests Along The Central Platte River, Nebraska, Craig Davis

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences

The Platte River has changed from a nearly treeless prairie river to a heavily forested river. These habitat changes have likely benefited many woodland birds, but have harmed other migratory birds such as cranes. In response to this impact on migratory birds, conservation groups implemented a tree-clearing program to enhance habitat for these species. This practice is not without controversy because of concerns about its effect on woodland birds. The goal of this study was to determine the composition and abundance of breeding birds that use these forests and discuss the potential impacts of tree clearing on woodland birds. Surveys …

A Multi-Forest Comparison Of Dietary Preferences And Seed Dispersal By Ateles Spp., Sabrina E. Russo, Christina J. Campbell, J. Lawrence Dew, Pablo R. Stevenson, Scott A. Suarez

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Investigations of coevolutionary relationships between plants and the animals that disperse their seeds suggest that disperser-plant interactions are likely shaped by diffuse, rather than species-to-species, coevolution. We studied the role of dietary plasticity in shaping the potential for diffuse coevolution by comparing dietary fruit preferences and seed dispersal by 3 species of spider monkeys (Ateles spp.) in 4 moist forests in Colombia, Ecuador, Panama, and Surinam. In all forests, spider monkeys were highly frugivorous and preyed upon seeds of few species. We estimated dietary use of fruiting taxa based on absolute consumption and preference, which accounts for resource availability. …

Online Dictionary Of Invertebrate Zoology: Q R, Mary Ann Basinger Maggenti, Armand R. Maggenti, Scott L. Gardner

Armand R. Maggenti Online Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology

Q-technique quacking quadrangle quadrat quadrate plates quadricapsular quadricolumella columella quadridentate quadrifid quadrilateral quadrimaculate quadripartite quadripinnate quadriprostatic quadriradiate quadrithecal quadrivalve quartet tetrad quasisocial queen queen control queen substance Quenstedt muscles quick muscle phasic muscle quiescence quiescent quincunx xes quincuncial quinone biochrome cochineal quinones quinquedentate quinquefarious quinquelocular race racemose racemose glands rachidian rhacidian rachiform rachiglossate rhachiglossate rachis rachides rachises radial radial radial apophysis radial cell radial gashes radial growth radial lirae carapace costae radial masses radial-medial cross vein radial muscles radial plates radial processes radial ribs radial sector radial skeleton radial symmmetry bilateral symmetry radial vein radianal plate radiate radiate radiate veins …

The 2005 Nebraska Nest Report, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

The drought that gripped much of western Nebraska for the past 5 years loosened its hold this year as rain returned to more normal levels, especially in the northwest Panhandle. Some other areas of the state still remained at below normal rainfall levels.

The following observers submitted records for the nest report: Kathy Delara (KD), Stephen J. Dinsmore (SJD), Mike Fritz (MF), Robin Harding (RH), Derrick Keim (DK), Alice Kenitz (AK), Courtney Kerns (CK), Daniel H. Kim (DHK), Thomas Labedz (TL), Andre Lima (AL), Leonard McDaniel (LM), Wayne Mollhoff (WM), Colleen Noecker (CN), Don Paseka (DP), Janis Paseka (JP), Lanny …

Intermediary Metabolism And Life History Trade-Offs: Lipid Metabolism In Lines Of The Wing-Polymorphic Cricket, Gryllus Firmus, Selected For Flight Capability Vs. Early Age Reproduction, Anthony J. Zera

Anthony Zera Publications

The extent to which modifications in intermediary metabolism contribute to life history variation and trade-offs is an important but poorly understood aspect of life history evolution. Artificial selection was used to produce replicate genetic stocks of the wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus, that were nearly pure-breeding for either the flight-capable (LW[f]) morph, which delays ovarian growth, or the flightless (SW) morph, which exhibits enhanced early-age fecundity. LW(f) lines accumulated substantially more triglyceride, the main flight fuel in Gryllus, compared with SW-selected lines, and enhanced accumulation of triglyceride was strongly associated with reduced ovarian growth. Increased triglyceride accumulation in LW(f) lines resulted …

Tularemia: Emergence/Re-Emergence, Jeannine M. Petersen, Martin E. Schriefer

Other Publications in Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease

Francisella tularensis is a gram-negative coccobacillus and the etiologic agent of the zoonotic disease tularemia. First described in 1911 in Tulare County, California, it has since been reported throughout the Northern Hemisphere, with natural infections reported among an unusually wide range of vertebrates and invertebrates. In recent years, tularemia has emerged in new geographic locations, populations, and settings. This review will serve to highlight mechanisms contributing to the recent emergence of tularemia as well as a repertoire of diagnostic tools useful for detecting and diagnosing disease.

Lack Of Significant Changes In The Herpetofauna Of Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, Since The 1920s, Blake R. Hossack, Paul Stephen Corn, David S. Pilliod

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We surveyed 88 upland wetlands and 12 1-km river sections for amphibians in Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota, during 2001–2002 to gather baseline data for future monitoring efforts and to evaluate changes in the distribution of species. We compared our results to collections of herpetofauna made during 1920–1922, 1954 and 1978–1979. The boreal chorus frog (Pseudacris maculata) was the most common amphibian in upland wetlands, followed by the tiger salamander (Ambystoma tigrinum), Woodhouse’s toad (Bufo woodhousii), northern leopard frog (Rana pipiens), plains spadefoot (Spea bombifrons) and the Great Plains …

The Benthic Community Of The Eastern Us Continental Shelf: A Literature Synopsis Of Benthic Faunal Resources, R. Allen Brooks, Carla N. Purdy, Susan S. Bell, Kenneth J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The existing scientific literature on offshore benthic assemblages (OBA) residing along the US East and Gulf of Mexico continental shelf was reviewed. Identification was made of any associations between the dominant OBA and particular sediment types and/or bathymetry. Of special interest was the evaluation of reported effects of sand dredge/mining activities on the dominant OBA and recognition of data deficiencies. One hundred and twenty-two references were selected and classified as to type of study with pertinent results extracted. Polychaetes were predominantly cited as the principal infaunal taxa present in studies from both the Gulf of Mexico and US Atlantic coast. …

Attitudes Of Rural Landowners Toward Wolves In Northwestern Minnesota, Andreas S. Chavez, Eric M. Gese, Richard S. Krannich

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The natural recolonization of gray wolves (Canis lupus) into parts of their former range in the upper Midwest of the United States has led to wolves establishing territories in semi-agricultural areas containing livestock. As part of a study on wolf–livestock relationships in a northwestern Minnesota agricultural area, we surveyed rural landowners within and outside of wolf range to assess perceptions regarding the risks wolves pose to livestock (mainly cattle). The mean response score for rural landowners to the statement “I think wolves should be allowed to exist in northwest Minnesota” was between neutral and disagree. There was no …

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants; Proposed Endangered Status For The Salt Creek Tiger Beetle (Cicindela Nevadica Lincolniana)

Endangered Species Bulletin

We, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service), propose to list the Salt Creek tiger beetle (Cicindela nevadica lincolniana) as endangered under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973, as amended (Act). The Salt Creek tiger beetle, a member of the family Cicindelidae, is endemic to the saline wetlands of eastern Nebraska and associated streams in the northern third of Lancaster County and southern margin of Saunders County in Nebraska, where it is found in barren salt flat and saline stream edge habitats. Of six known populations in 1991, three are now extirpated and the remaining …

Relationship Of Stream Flow Regime In The Western Lake Superior Basin To Watershed Type Characteristics, N. E. Detenbeck, V. J. Brady, D. L. Taylor, V. M. Snarski, S. L. Batterman

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Staff Publications

To test a conceptual model of non-linear response of hydrologic regimes to watershed characteristics, we selected 48 secondand third-order study sites on the North and South Shores of western Lake Superior, MN(USA) using a random-stratified design based on hydrogeomorphic region, fraction mature forest, and fraction watershed storage (lakeCwetland area/watershed area). We calculated several commonly used hydrologic indices from discharge and velocity estimates, including daily flow indices, overall flood indices, low flow variables, and ratios or ranges of flow percentiles reflecting the nature of cumulative frequency distributions. Four principal components (PCs) explained 85.9 and 88.6% of the variation of flow metrics …

Prevalence Of Pathogenic Yersinia Enterocolitica Strains In Pigs In The United States, Saumya Bhaduri, Irene V. Wesley, Eric J. Bush

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Yersinia enterocolitica is considered an important food-borne pathogen impacting the pork production and processing industry in the United States. Since this bacterium is a commensal of swine, the primary goal of this study was to determine the prevalence of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica in pigs in the United Sates using feces as the sample source. A total of 2,793 fecal samples were tested for its presence in swine. Fecal samples were collected from late finisher pigs from 77 production sites in the 15 eastern and midwestern pork-producing states over a period of 27 weeks (6 September 2000 to 20 March 2001). …

Abundance Of Plodia Interpunctella (Hubner) And Cadra Cautella (Walker) Infesting Maize Stored On South Carolina Farms: Seasonal And Non-Seasonal Variation, Richard T. Arbogast, Shahpar R. Chini

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Seasonal trends and short-term fluctuations in abundance of Plodia interpunctella (Hubner) and Cadra cautella (Walker) infesting maize stored on two South Carolina farms were studied during three storage seasons (September 1990–June 1993). Coils of corrugated paper placed on the grain surface were used to trap mature larvae seeking pupation sites. Temperatures in the grain (18-cm-deep) and in the bin headspace were recorded hourly, and grain moisture content was measured weekly. Weekly mean numbers of moth larvae, and adults of two natural enemies, trapped in the coils were used for tracking changes in their abundance over time. The most significant findings …

Optimizing Allocation Of Monitoring Effort Under Economic And Observational Constraints, Scott A. Field, Andrew J. Tyre, Hugh P. Possingham

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Efforts to design monitoring regimes capable of detecting population trends can be thwarted by observational and economic constraints inherent to most biological surveys. Ensuring that limited resources are allocated efficiently requires evaluation of statistical power for alternative survey designs. We simulated the process of data collection on a landscape, where we initiated declines over 3 sample periods in species of varying prevalence and detectability. Changing occupancy levels were estimated using a technique that accounted for effects of false-negative errors on survey data. Declines were identified within a frequentist statistical framework, but the significance level was set at an optimal level …

Facts From A Year Of Drought: Forage Competition Between Livestock And The Mongolian Pika (Ochotona Pallasi) And Its Effects On Livestock Densities And Body Condition, Vroni Retzer

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Burrowing small mammals in grasslands have long been regarded as pests because they compete for forage with livestock and reduce the forage availability for livestock by destroying pastures through their intensive digging activity.

In order to investigate forage competition between the Mongolian Pika (Ochotona pallasi) and livestock an exclosure experiment consisting of four different treatments was set up. The treatments were: 1) accessible only for pikas, (only pika) 2) accessible only for livestock, (only livestock) 3) accessible for both herbivore groups (pika & livestock) and 4) no grazing (no grazing). During the investigation period all requirements for forage …

Preface, Georg Miehe, Ravčigijn Samjaa, Karsten Wesche

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Preface to Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei, band 9, 2005.

First paragraph:

The present volume 9 of ”Biologische Ressourcen der Mongolei” continues the cooperation between the National University of Mongolia, Ulaan Baatar, and German academic institutions, mainly led by the University of Halle-Wittenberg. Thus, the volume stands in a tradition stretching now over 40 years (described in the respective chapter written by Stubbe et al.), but also raises new issues and topics. The chapters provided by Ts. Jamsran, W. Hilbig, E. Jäger, M. Stubbe und A. Stubbe demonstrate nicely that this cooperation is not only based on continued institutional …

Wildland Fire In Ecosystems Effects Of Fire On Soil And Water, Jan L. Beyers, James K. Brown, Matt D. Busse, Leonard F. Debano, William J. Elliot, Peter F. Folliott, Gerarld R. Jacoby, Jennifer D. Knoepp, Johanna D. Landsberg, Daniel G. Neary, James R. Reardon, John N. Rime, Peter R. Roichaud, Kevin C. Ryan, Arthur R. Tiedemann, Malcolm J. Zwolinski

Joint Fire Science Program Synthesis Reports

This state-of-knowledge review about the effects of fire on soils and water can assist land and fire managers with information on the physical, chemical, and biological effects of fire needed to successfully conduct ecosystem management, and effectively inform others about the role and impacts of wildland fire. Chapter topics include the soil resource, soil physical properties and fire, soil chemistry effects, soil biology responses, the hydrologic cycle and water resources, water quality, aquatic biology, fire effects on wetland and riparian systems, fire effects models, and watershed rehabilitation.

Badger Movement Ecology In Colorado Agricultural Areas After A Fire, Craig Ramey, Jean Bourassa

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

While investigating the American badger (Taxidea taxus) in eastern Colorado’s wheatlands, we studied 3 badgers which were affected by a 2.1 km² man-made fire and compared them to 2 adjacent badgers unaffected by the fire. All badgers were equipped with radio-telemetry collars and generally located day and night for approximately 1 month pre-fire and 3 weeks post-fire. Three point triangulation locations were converted into a global information system database. Adaptive kernel analyses compared pre- and post-fire horizontal: home ranges (i.e. 95% utilization areas, UAs), core activity areas (50% UAs), movements, den and habitat use patterns. Mean (x) …

Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Colony Dynamics In South Dakota Over A 10-Year Period, Kathleen Fagerstone, Howard Tietjen, James Glahn, Greg Schenbeck, Jean Bourassa

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Between 1968 and 1978, aerial photography was used to monitor distribution of blacktailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) colonies on a 400-square mile area in South Dakota, including parts of Buffalo Gap National Grassland, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, and Badlands National Monument (now Badlands National Park). Aerial photographs were taken of the study area in 1968 and annually from 1974 through 1978 at a scale of 1:20,000 (1968) and 1:15,840 (1974- 1978). Prairie dog colonies were identified on the photographs, outlined, and the outline transferred to USGS topographic maps for colony size measurements. This technique reliably detected changes in …

Terrestrial Behavior Of Ateles Spp., Christina J. Campbell, Filippo Aureli, Colin A. Chapman, Gabriel Ramos-Fernández, Kim Matthews, Sabrina E. Russo, Scott Suarez, Laura Vick

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Spider monkeys (Ateles spp.) are well known for their highly arboreal lifestyle, spending much of their time in the highest levels of the canopy and rarely venturing to the ground. To investigate terrestriality by Ateles and to illuminate the conditions under which spider monkeys venture to the ground, we analyzed ad libitum data from 5 study sites, covering 2 species and 5 subspecies. Three of the sites are in Central/North America: Barro Colorado Island (BCI), Panama (Ateles geoffroyi panamensis), Santa Rosa National Park, Costa Rica (A. g. frontatus), and Punta Laguna, Mexico (A. g. yucatanensis). The 2 remaining sites are …

Refuge Update – January/February 2005, Volume 2, Number 1

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Dozen Students Awarded Centennial Scholarships
Focus on . . . Science in the Refuge System
Wildlife Refuge: Tourism Hot Spot
Seeking to Save the Sparrows

In-Burrow Application Of Rozol To Manage Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, Charles D. Lee, Philip Gibson, Jeff Wilson

Wildlife Damage Management Conference Proceedings

Our experiment demonstrated that black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) will consume rodenticide underground in their burrows. We demonstrated the efficacy of Rozol Pocket Gopher Bait containing the active ingredient chlorophacione (0.005%) 21 days post treatment for managing black-tailed prairie dogs in their burrows in Kansas. Active prairie dog burrows were reduced 90% when 54 grams of Rozol was placed in the burrow without prebaiting. Results indicate use of this toxicant when placed in the burrow can be an effective means of managing prairie dogs. In-burrow application of rodenticides for black-tailed prairie dog management should markedly reduce exposure of …

Contaminant Exposure And Reproductive Health Of Sandhill Cranes In The Central Platte River Valley, Nebraska., Matthew S. Schwarz, Christina D. Lydick, Karen J. Nelson, Timothy S. Gross

United States Fish and Wildlife: Staff Publications

The central Platte River Valley provides crucial staging habitat for the endangered whooping crane (Grus americana) and the mid-continent population of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis). Platte River flow depletions and the conversion of native wet meadows for agriculture and other purposes has decreased the cranes natural habitat in the central Platte River Valley, and waste corn now makes up most of the cranes diet while they are in the Valley.

The purpose of this research was to measure organochlorine, elemental contaminant, and pesticide exposure to sandhill cranes from the central Platte River Valley, and to evaluate their reproductive condition. Pesticides …

Plains Harvest Mouse In North Dakota, Robert W. Seabloom, Terry L. Shaffer

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

The plains harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys montanus) is primarily a species of the central and southern plains of North America (Hall 1981, Wilkins 1986). Its published distribution extends from northwestern South Dakota south to the Mexican states of Chihuahua, Sonora, and Durango. To the west, it occurs in eastern Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, and southeastern Arizona, while its eastern limits are in eastern Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and southwestern Missouri. In South Dakota, R. montanus has been reported as far north as the vicinity of Ludlow, Harding County, which is the most northerly published location recorded for the species …

Bears Remain Top Summer Predators, Shannon M. Barber, L. David Mech, P. J. White

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

In the ten years since wolves (Canis lupus) were restored to Yellowstone National Park (YNP), elk (Cervus elaphus) numbers have substantially decreased. The northern range elk herd is the largest elk herd in Yellowstone, and constitutes the majority of the park’s elk population. During 1994–2005, early winter counts of northern Yellowstone elk decreased from 19,045 to 9,545. Also, during winters 2000–2004, calf:cow ratios declined from 29:100 to 12:100, and were among the lowest recorded during the past several decades. Though many factors (e.g., predation, hunting, and drought) likely contributed to this decreasing abundance and low recruitment, …

Environmental Factors Affecting Seed Persistence Of Annual Weeds Across The U.S. Corn Belt, Adam S. Davis, John Cardina, Frank Forcella, Gregg A. Johnson, George Kegode, John L. Lindquist, Edward C. Luschei, Karen A. Renner, Christy L. Sprague, Martin M. Williams Ii

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Weed seedbanks have been studied intensively at local scales, but to date, there have been no regional-scale studies of weed seedbank persistence. Empirical and modeling studies indicate that reducing weed seedbank persistence can play an important role in integrated weed management. Annual seedbank persistence of 13 summer annual weed species was studied from 2001 through 2003 at eight locations in the north central United States and one location in the northwestern United States. Effects of seed depth placement, tillage, and abiotic environmental factors on seedbank persistence were examined through regression and multivariate ordinations. All species examined showed a negative relationship …

Spatial Ecology Of Swift Fox Social Groups: From Group Formation To Mate Loss, Ann M. Kitchen, Erik M. Gese, Seija M. Karki, Edward R. Schauster

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We examined social group formation, movements and denning relative to other group members, home-range use, and the response to social group disruption among 188 radiocollared swift foxes (Vulpes velox) in Colorado. We found that during the initial stages of pair formation mated foxes shared dens more frequently than during the remainder of their pair-bond. The average distance between mated pairs was influenced by season and time of day, with the greatest proximity in the breeding season (727.2 m 6 42.3 SE), and during diurnal hours (463.7 6 34.7 m). Female foxes spent more time in the core area of the …