Life Sciences Commons^™

Infectious Necrotizing Enteritis And Mortality Caused By Vibrio Carachariae In Summer Flounder Paralichthys Dentatus During Intensive Culture, Bruno Soffientino, Todd Gwaltney, David R. Nelson, Jennifer L. Specker, Michael Mauel, Marta Gomez-Chiarri

Marta Gomez-Chiarri

An epizootic causing mortality among cultured summer flounder Paralichthys dentatus occurred in summer of 1998 at a land-based facility on Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island, USA. The disease, flounder infectious necrotizing enteritis (FINE), was characterized by reddening around the anal area, distended abdomens filled with opaque serosanguineous fluid, enteritis and necrosis of the posterior intestine. In extreme cases of the disease, the posterior intestine was detached from the anus and was observed coming out the vent. The intestine of individuals that recovered from the dsease ended in a blind-sac; the abdomens of these fish were distended, due to food and water …

Effect Of Weaning Age On Nursery Pig Performance, Alison Smith, Kenneth J. Stalder, Timo Serenius, Thomas J. Baas, John W. Mabry

Dr Alison Smith

Weaning age is an extremely important management decision in commercial pork production. The decision is based upon many factors which include sow performance, herd health, pig performance and costs and revenues associated with these factors such as lactation space utilization, and weaned pig value. The industry shifted to weaning litters at earlier ages in order to improve piglet health throughout the nursery and grow finish phases of production. In order to avoid transmission of pathogens from sow to piglet, the Segregated Early Weaning (SEW) concept was developed. This process consists of farrowing sows on the same site as the rest …

Deglaciation Explains Bat Extinction In The Caribbean, Liliana M. Davalos, Amy L. Russell

Amy L. Russell

New Record Of Pacific Sierra (Scomberomorus Sierra) With Notes On Previous California Records, Jonathan P. Williams, Daniel J. Pondella Ii, Brent M. Haggin, Larry G. Allen

Daniel Pondella

On 22 October 2006, a Pacific sierra (Scomberomorus sierra) was caught by gillnet near Mother’s Beach, Marina del Rey, Los Angeles County, California (33º58’50"N, 118º27’25"W) during sampling for juvenile white seabass (Atractoscion nobilis). This catch represents the northernmost record of Pacific sierra, and one of several specimens known from California.

Shrews, Rats, And A Polecat In "The Pardoner's Tale", Sandy Feinstein, Neal Woodman

Neal Woodman

No abstract provided.

Euscorpius Sicanus (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae) From Tunisia: Dna Barcoding Confirms Ancient Disjunctions Across The Mediterranean Sea, Matthew R. Graham, Pavel Stoev, Nesrine Akkari, Gergin Blagoev, Victor Fet

Victor Fet

We used a DNA barcoding marker (mitochondrial cox1) to investigate the controversial natural occurrence of Euscorpius sicanus (C.L. Koch) in North Africa. We tested this hypothesis by comparing a sample collected from a mountain in Tunisia to disjunct populations in Sardinia, Malta, and Greece. Using these samples, and a few additional Euscorpius spp. from southern Europe as outgroups, we reconstructed the maternal phylogeny. We then used a molecular clock to place the phylogeny in a temporal context. The Tunisian sample grouped closest to a specimen from Sardinia, with both being more distantly related to E. sicanus from Malta, which is …

Current Taxonomic Status Of The Plesiosaur Pantasaurus Striatus From The Upper Jurassic Sundance Formation, Wyoming, F. Robin O’Keefe, William Wahl Jr.

F. Robin O’Keefe

Plesiosaur material has been known from the Redwater Shale member of the Sundance Formation (Jurassic: Oxfordian) of Wyoming for over 100 years, but has received little research attention. Here we report on the taxonomic status of a long-necked cryptocleidoid plesiosaur from the Redwater Shale, the correct identity of which is Pantosaurus striatus Marsh 1893. The taxon Muraenosaurus reedii Mehl 1912 is shown to be a junior synonym of Pantosaurus striatus. Pantosaurus is described on the basis of the holotype and referred specimens, and found to be a cryptocleidoid plesiosaur possessing between 35 and 40 cervical vertebrae. These vertebrae are very …

A Cladistic Analysis And Taxonomic Revision Of The Plesiosauria (Reptilia: Sauropterygia), F. Robin O’Keefe

F. Robin O’Keefe

The Plesiosauria (Reptilia: Sauropterygia) is a group of Mesozoic marine reptiles known from abundant material, with specimens described from all continents. The group originated very near the Triassic–Jurassic boundary and persisted to the end- Cretaceous mass extinction. This study describes the results of a specimen-based cladistic study of the Plesiosauria, based on examination of 34 taxa scored for 166 morphological characters. The Pliosauroidea is found to by polyphyletic due to the inclusion of the Polycotylidae; this second clade is instead a member of the Plesiosauroidea, and thus more closely related to elasmosaurs than to other ‘pliosaurs’. Characters of body proportion …

Preliminary Report On The Osteology And Relationships Of A New Aberrant Cryptocleidoid Plesiosaur From The Sundance Formation, Wyoming, F. Robin O’Keefe, William Wahl Jr.

F. Robin O’Keefe

The cryptocleidoid plesiosaur Tatenectes laramiensis, new genus, is described from the Redwater Shale Member of the Sundance Formation, Narrona County, Wyoming. The holotype of this species was a partial skeleton that has since been lost. A neotype is designated that preserves the same elements present in the holotype. A second specimen is referred to the taxon, and this specimen includes cranial material. The preserved cranial elements are the left squamosal, a partial right frontal, several isolated teeth, the parasphenoid, and large portions of the left and right pterygoids. The skull shares many traits with that of Kimmerosaurus, a cryptocleidoid plesiosaur …

Inferring And Testing Hypotheses Of Cladistic Character Dependence By Using Character Compatibility, F. Robin O’Keefe, Peter J. Wagner

F. Robin O’Keefe

The notion that two characters evolve independently is of interest for two reasons. First, theories of biological integration often predict that change in one character requires complementary change in another. Second, character independence is a basic assumption of most phylogenetic inference methods, and dependent characters might confound attempts at phylogenetic inference. Previously proposed tests of correlated character evolution require a model phylogeny and therefore assume that nonphylogenetic correlation has a negligible effect on initial tree construction. This paper develops “tree-free” methods for testing the independence of cladistic characters. These methods can test the character independence model as a hypothesis before …

The Braincase Of Youngina Capensis (Reptilia, Diapsida): New Insights From High-Resolution Ct Scanning Of The Holotype, Nicholas M. Gardner, Casey M. Holliday, F. Robin O’Keefe

F. Robin O’Keefe

Detailed descriptions of braincase anatomy in early diapsid reptiles have been historically rare given the difficulty of accessing this deep portion of the skull, because of poor preservation of the fossils or the inability to remove the surrounding skull roof. Previous descriptions of the braincase of Youngina capensis, a derived stem-diapsid reptile from the Late Permian (250 MYA) of South Africa, have relied on only partially preserved fossils. High resolution X-ray computed tomography (HRXCT) scanning, a new advance in biomedical sciences, has allowed us to examine the reasonably complete braincase of the holotype specimen of Youngina capensis for the first …

Morphologic And Ontogenetic Patterns In Elasmosaur Neck Length, With Comments On The Taxonomic Utility Of Neck Length Variables, F. Robin O’Keefe, Norton Hiller

F. Robin O’Keefe

Elasmosaur cervical vertebrae are common fossils, but their taxonomic utility is limited due to a lack of understanding concerning their shape within and among taxa. In this paper, we analyze data from complete elasmosaur necks in an attempt to quantify and understand the variation in centrum dimensions. In accord with previous studies, variation in cervical centrum shape is found to stem from at least three sources: ontogeny, intracolumn variation, and intercolumn or taxonomic variation. Ontogenetic variability seems reminiscent of that seen in Cryptoclidus, with an overall positive allometry in the length of all centra that is accentuated in the mid-cervical …

Range Liverstock Nutrition And Its Importance In The Intermountain Region, C. Wayne Cook

Christopher Cook

It has been estimated that about 728 million acres or about 76 percent of the entire land area in the West is used for grazing (Stoddard and Smith 1956). In Utah about 93 percent of the land area or 48,900,000 acres is considered range land (Reuss and Blanch 1951). Although some of this range land is forested, a large area of it can be used only for grazing. Therefore, range livestock production is an important segment of western agriculture.

Before 19'00 most of the animals in the West grazed on the range all year. However, irrigation crop production has expanded …

Economic Impact Of Double-Crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax Auritus, Depredation On Channel Catfish, Ictalurus Punctatus,Aquaculture In Mississippi, Usa, Brian S. Dorr, Loren W. Burger, Scott C. Barras, Kristina Casscles Godwin

Brian S Dorr

The Yazoo River Basin of Mississippi, USA, supports the largest concentration of hectares devoted to channel catfish, Ictalurus punctatus, aquaculture production in North America. The Yazoo Basin also supports large numbers of resident, wintering and migrating fish-eating birds, with the Double-crested Cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, implicated as the most serious depredating species. We used data from aerial surveys of numbers and distribution of cormorants in the Yazoo Basin and on commercial catfish ponds during winters (November–April) 2000–2001 and 2003–2004 to refine estimates of regional economic losses due to cormorant depredation. In both periods, the greatest monthly estimates of cormorant foraging occurred …

Distributional Records Of Shrews (Mammalia, Soricomorpha, Soricidae) From Northern Central America With The First Record Of Sorex From Honduras, Neal Woodman, John O. Matson, Timothy J. Mccarthy, Ralph P. Eckerlin, Walter Bulmer, Nicté Ordóñez-Garza

Neal Woodman

No abstract provided.

31 Gray Partridge, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Perdix perdix (Linnaeus) 1758 Other vernacular names: Bohemian partridge, English partridge, European partridge, Hungarian partridge, Hun, Hunkie Range: Native to Europe and Asia but introduced into North America and now widely established in southern Canada and the northern United States (see distribution map). The North American population was probably derived from stock representing several different geographic races.

Waterfowl Of North America: Black & White Photographs (Following Page 450), Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Steller Eider, Pair Spectacled Eider, Adult female Spectacled Eider, Adult male Oldsquaw, Male in Summer Oldsquaw, Male in Winter Oldsquaw, Female in late Spring Harlequin Duck, Adult male Harlequin Duck, Pair American Black Scoter, Male (Courtesy Felix Neck Wildlife Trust) European Black Scoter, Pair Surf Scoter, Male (San Diego Zoo Photo) Surf Scoter, Pair White-winged Scoter, Male (Courtesy Felix Neck Wildlife Trust) White-winged Scoter, Adult female Bufflehead, Adult males Bufflehead, Pair Barrow Goldeneye, Adult male Common Goldeneye, Pair Common Goldeneye, Courting pair Smew, Pair Smew, Adult male Hooded Merganser, Adult female Hooded Merganser, Adult male Red-breasted Merganser, Adult male Red-breasted …

Ecogeographic Aspects Of Greater Prairie-Chicken Leks In Southeastern Nebraska, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

An analysis of the distribution of 104 Greater Prairie-chicken leks in Pawnee and Johnson counties indicates that the birds favor using those mile-square sections having no more than two dwellings per section, ones that are located at least two miles from the nearest town, and at least a half-mile from the nearest lek. Relationships with the nearest water were not clear, but most leks were located at least a half-mile from it, perhaps reflecting a general avoidance of heavy cover during the display season.

Cranes Of The World: Key To The Species And Subspecies Of Cranes Of The World, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Key to the Families of Gruoidea Key to Cranes of the World

Birds Of The Rocky Mountains—Species Accounts, Pages 129–141: Upland Gamebirds, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Wilson's Phalarope (Phalaropus tricolor) Gray Partridge (Perdix perdix) Chukar (Alectoris chukar) Ring.necked Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) Spruce Grouse (Dendragapus canadensis) Blue Grouse (Dendragapus obscurus) Willow Ptarmigan (Lagopus lagopus) White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus) Ruffed Grouse (Bonasa umbellus) Sage Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus) Wild Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) Bobwhite (Colinus virginianus)

Birds Of The Great Plains: References, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

A 21-page bibliography, including REGIONAL AND STATE REFERENCES and REFERENCES ON INDIVIDUAL SPECIES. Approximately 400 entries, through 1979. An updated list of references will be found at the end of the new essay "Three Decades of Change in Great Plains Birds."

Waterfowl Of North America: Sea Ducks Tribe Mergini, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

The sea ducks are a group of mostly arctic-adapted diving ducks that usually winter in coastal waters and typically breed in tundra situations or in northern forests. All twenty species (two of which are now extinct) depend predominantly on animal sources of food, and some feed exclusively on such materials. These foods include shellfish, mollusks, other invertebrates, and aquatic vertebrates such as fish. In general the sea ducks are thus not regarded as highly as table birds as are the surface-feeding ducks and some of the more vegetarian pochard species. Like the pochards, their legs are placed well to the …

Grouse And Quails Of North America — Frontmatter, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Table of Contents: List of Illustrations Preface Introduction

Birds Of The Rocky Mountains—Species Accounts, Pages 314–322: Waxwings, Shrikes, & Vireos, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Bohemian Waxwing (Bombycilla garrulus) Cedar Waxwing (Bombycilla cedrorum) Northern Shrike (Lanius excubitor) Loggerhead Shrike (Lanius ludovicianus) European Starling (Sturnus vulgaris) Solitary Vireo (Vireo solitarius) Warbling Vireo (Vireo gilvus) Philadelphia Vireo (Vireo philadelphicus) Red~eyed Vireo (Vireo olivaceous)

The American Wood Quails Odontophorus, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

It is ironic that the genus of New World quails that not only has the greatest collective geographic range (from central Mexico to northeastern Argentina) but also the largest number of species (12 or more, varying with the authority), is one of the least known groups of American gallinaceous birds. This is in large measure the result of the fact that all of the species are forest-adapted, and generally are associated with tropical to sub-tropical communities, where opportunities for easy observation are virtually absent. Not only is this the largest genus of the subfamily Odontophorinae, but also the species tend …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World, Revised Edition [Complete Work], Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

The only one-volume comprehensive survey of the family Anatidae available in English, this book combines lavish illustration with information on the natural history, distribution and status, and identification of all the species. After an introductory discussion of the thirteen tribes of Anatidae, separate accounts follow for each of the nearly 150 recognized species. These include scientific and vernacular names (in French, German, and Spanish as well as English), descriptions of the distribution of all recognized subspecies, selected weights and measurements, and identification criteria for both sexes and various age classes. The “Natural History” section of each species account considers habitats, …

A 2009 Supplement To Birds Of The Rocky Mountains, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

More than 20 years have elapsed since the publication of Birds of the Rocky Mountains, and many changes have occurred in that region’s ecology and bird life. There has also been a marked increase in recreational bird-watching, and an associated need for informative regional references on where and when to look for rare or especially appealing birds. As a result, an updating of the text seemed appropriate, especially as to the species accounts and the technical literature. The following update includes all those species that have undergone changes in their vernacular or Latin names, have had important changes in ranges, …

Birds Of The Great Plains: Family Gaviidae (Loons), Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Common Loon

Cranes Of The World: Blue Crane (Anthropoides Paradises), Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

Other Vernacular Names: Stanley crane; Bloukraan (Afrikaan); Grue bleue (French); Paradieskranich (German); Hagoromo zuru (Japanese); Chetyrekhkrydy zhuravl (Russian); Grulla azul (Spanish); Groote Sprinkhaan-vogel (Boers, Transvaal). Range: Resident in the upland interior of South Africa and possibly adjacent Mozambique north almost to the Zambezi, and with a small isolated population near the Etosha Pan of Namibia (South- West Africa).

Rocky Mountain Birds: Birds And Birding In The Central And Northern Rockies, Paul A. Johnsgard

Paul Johnsgard

“The Rocky Mountain region has fascinated me ever since I traveled to Glacier and Yellowstone National Parks as a teenager, and saw for the first time such wonderful birds as ospreys, American dippers, and Lew­is’s woodpeckers.” This book is in part based on the author’s earlier Birds of the Rocky Moun­tains (1986, revised 2009), but over a third of the original text has been eliminated. The rest has been updated, expanded and modified to be less technical and more useful to birders in the field. Bird enthusiasts will find viewing loca­tions and updated contact information for hundreds of sites in …