Life Sciences Commons^™

Expansion Of The Chlorovirus Genus By Studies On Virus Natural History And Chlorella Host Metabolism, Cristian F. Quispe

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Inland waters cover about 2.5 percent of our planet and harbor huge numbers of known and unknown microorganisms including viruses. Viruses likely play dynamic, albeit largely undocumented roles in regulating microbial communities and in recycling nutrients in the ecosystem. Phycodnaviruses are a genetically diverse, yet morphologically similar, group of large dsDNA-containing viruses (160- to 560-kb) that inhabit aquatic environments. Members of the genus Chlorovirus are common in freshwater. They replicate in eukaryotic, single-celled, chlorella-like green algae that normally exist as endosymbionts of protists in nature. Very little is known about the natural history of the chloroviruses and how they achieve …

Occupancy Analysis And Density Estimation Of Kori Bustards (Ardeotis Kori) And Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida Meleagris) For Use In Landscape Conservation Planning In The Northern Tuli Game Reserve, Botswana, Kathryn R. Mccollum

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

For understudied species, more informed conservation planning and decision-making on both the local and landscape levels may be attained through the use of occupancy and abundance estimations. Here, we focus on two iconic bird species in eastern Botswana, kori bustards (Ardeotis kori) and helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris). The overall goal of this project was to better understand the hierarchy of factors that influence occupancy (ψ) and density of kori bustard and helmeted guineafowl populations within the Northern Tuli Game Reserve and how these factors may interact to affect landscape conservation and usage. We performed distance sampling …

Open Educational Resources: A Catalyst For Innovation, Dominic Orr, Michele Rimini, Dirk Van Damme

Concepts in Animal Parasitology Textbook

Foreword:

Open educational resources (OER) are rapidly becoming a major phenomenon in education across OECD countries and beyond. Initiated largely at the level of institutions by pioneers and technology advocates, the OER community has grown considerably over the past ten years and the impact of OER on educational systems has become an issue of public policy. The open education community is increasingly well organised and enjoys support from various institutions and foundations. National governments have developed, or are in the process of developing, open policies to support access to and use of OER.

It is the task of the OECD …

North Shore: A Natural History Of Minnesota’S Superior Coast, Janet R. Keough

The Prairie Naturalist

Many readers of The Prairie Naturalist have lived along or visited Lake Superior’s coast. Like me, you have probably wondered about the geology and history of this beautiful and dramatic feature of northeastern Minnesota. Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer have written an accessible book that comprehensively describes the history and geology of the coast, surrounding highlands, and Lake Superior itself. In addition, the authors have provided fascinating subchapters on some of the most interesting species that are key elements of the region.

This rather large but beautiful book is arranged in five major chapters that cover the dominant geological units …

Sage-Grouse Nests In An Active Conifer Mastication Site, Charles P. Sandford, David K. Dahlgren, Terry A. Messmer

The Prairie Naturalist

Greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; sage-grouse) have experienced long-term range-wide population declines and now may occupy less than 50% of their historic range (Schroeder et al. 2004). Conifer encroachment into sagebrush (Artemisia spp.) habitat was identified as a major conservation threat by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) as the agency reviewed the listing status of the species for possible protection under the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (USFWS 2013).

Conifer encroachment into sagebrush habitats negatively impacts sage-grouse at landscape scales (Doherty et al. 2008, Casazza et al. 2011, Baruch-Mordo et al. 2013). Sage-grouse will utilize …

North Shore: A Natural History Of Minnesota’S Superior Coast, Janet R. Koeugh

The Prairie Naturalist

Many readers of The Prairie Naturalist have lived along or visited Lake Superior’s coast. Like me, you have probably wondered about the geology and history of this beautiful and dramatic feature of northeastern Minnesota. Chel Anderson and Adelheid Fischer have written an accessible book that comprehensively describes the history and geology of the coast, surrounding highlands, and Lake Superior itself. In addition, the authors have provided fascinating subchapters on some of the most interesting species that are key elements of the region.

This rather large but beautiful book is arranged in five major chapters that cover the dominant geological units …

Remembering The Days Of Old: Data Exploration And Simple Statistics, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Greetings GPNSS members! By the time you read this editorial, most of you will probably be enjoying spectacular seasonal changes in the outdoors this autumn and a hint of winter in the air (for those of us in the northern Great Plains region). I write this editorial during my favorite time of year, deer hunting in the Midwest. Temperatures are finally start- ing to resemble the fall and the Christmas Holiday season is just around the corner. Much like my children have images of Santa dancing in their heads on Christmas Eve, each fall I replay images of a trophy …

Effects Of Short-Term Soil Conditioning By Cheatgrass And Western Wheatgrass, James J. O'Connor, Janet S. Prevey

The Prairie Naturalist

The exotic grass Bromus tectorum (cheatgrass) is a ubiquitous invader in the western USA. Cheatgrass is a proficient competitor, frequently displacing native plants, forming monotypic stands and reducing biodiversity in ecosystems it invades. Our experiment tested whether short-term soil modification by cheatgrass and a predominant native grass, Pascopyrum smithii (western wheatgrass), affected subsequent growth of both species. We compared productivity of cheatgrass and western wheatgrass by harvesting aboveground biomass of plants grown in either cheatgrass- or western wheatgrass-conditioned soils over two simulated growing seasons. Results indicated that cheatgrass soils do not inhibit the productivity of the native grass, but do …

Estimating Herbaceous Biomass Of Grassland Vegetation Using The Reference Unit Method, Eric D. Boyda, Jack L. Bulter, Lan Xu

The Prairie Naturalist

Aboveground net primary production provides valuable information on wildlife habitat, fire fuel loads, and forage availability. Aboveground net primary production in herbaceous plant communities is typically measured by clipping aboveground biomass. However, the high costs associated with physically harvesting plant biomass may prevent collecting sufficient data to account for natural spatial and temporal variability of vegetation at a landscape scale. Various double-sampling techniques have been developed to increase sample size while reducing cost. We applied a biomass estimation technique previously developed for estimating shrub biomass using representative samples or “reference units” to estimate herbaceous grassland biomass. Our reference units consisted …

Distribution And Occurrence Of Bat Species In North Dakota, Josiah J. Nelson, Paul R. Barnhart, Erin H. Gillam

The Prairie Naturalist

Prior to 2009, a detailed survey of occurrence and distribution of bats in North Dakota had not been conducted. Localized surveys, occurrence reports, and museum specimens provided the only records of bats in the state. Ongoing habitat loss, exploitation of natural resources, and the impending spread of white-nose syndrome to the western United States are major threats to bat populations of the region. The objective of this study was to document presence and distributions of bat species resident in North Dakota. From 2009 to 2012, multiple mist-netting and acoustic surveys were conducted to document species presence across North Dakota. A …

Variability In The Selection Patterns Of Pronghorn: Are They Really Native Prairie Obligates?, Paul F. Jones, Mike Grue, Mike Suitor, Darren J. Bender, Cormack Gates, Dale Eslinger, Julie Landry-Deboer

The Prairie Naturalist

In Canada, pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) are primarily considered a native prairie obligate because of their reliance on open grassland vegetation communities, although an assessment of local ecological knowledge suggests that pronghorn in Alberta select a variety of habitat from native prairie to cultivated lands. The primary objective of our study was to assess whether pronghorn in Alberta and Saskatchewan are native prairie obligates. Specifically, we addressed the following questions: 1) do individual pronghorn show similar selection patterns for native prairie and, therefore, support the notion that they are prairie obligates; 2) do pronghorn show consistent resource selection patterns …

Book Reviews: Bumble Bees Of North America. Paul H. Williams, Robbin W. Thorp, Leif L. Richardson, And Sheila R. Colla., Samuel O’Dell

The Prairie Naturalist

Bumblebee identification is generally considered straight- forward, yet mistakes often are made due to the degree of similarity between the color patterns of different species. Bumble Bees of North America aims to improve the accuracy of identifications by both casual observers and professionals through the use of intuitive diagrams, descriptions, and the more technical dichotomous keys. In addition to providing the first complete field guide to North American bumblebees, the authors make efficient use of the reader’s attention by summarizing taxonomic history, favored food plants, and environmental issues concerning bumblebees.

Bumble Bees of North America is organized into three distinct …

Remembering Paul B. Kannowski, Robert Seabloom

The Prairie Naturalist

I am saddened to report that Dr. Paul Kannowski passed away 3 September 2015, succumbing to cancer. He was 88. A native of Grand Forks, Paul attended the University of North Dakota for his B.S. and M.S. degrees, and the University of Michigan for his Ph.D. He joined the University of North Dakota Biology Department in 1957, retiring in 1990 after 33 years of service

Paul chaired UND’s Biology Department twice, totaling 13 years, considered to be a remarkable achievement by many of us who have been exposed to that task! His leadership was instrumental in the nearly exponential growth …

Notes: Woodpecker Forage Availability In Habi- Tat Disturbances Of The Black Hills, Brian E. Dickerson, Angie K. Ambourn, Mark A. Rumble, Kurt K. Allen, Chad P. Lehman

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat disturbance events are critical to ecological systems in which some bird species have become specialized. The vegetation community, reduced competition, ability to avoid predators, nest-site characteristics, and forage opportunities within a disturbed ecosystem are all aspects that make it desirable for selection by particular species (Svärdson 1949, Cody 1981, Martin 1998). Specifically, avian species rely on the forest conditions created by fire, insects, and disease (Brawn et al. 2001, Hunter et al. 2001, Devictor et al. 2008). In the Black Hills National Forest (BHNF) of South Dakota,two major types of natural disturbances include wildfires and mountain pine beetle (Dendroctonus …

Estudios En Biodiversidad, Volumen I, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Maritza López-Herrera

Zea E-Books Collection

Este libro es el producto del trabajo colegiado que han desarrollado los profesores, investigadores, y estudiantes que conforman la Red Temática de Calidad Ambiental y Desarrollo Sustentable, a través del macroproyecto “Evaluación del impacto ambiental por actividades antropogénicas: Alternativas de mitigación”. El cual fue apoyado con recursos financieros por parte del Programa para el Desarrollo Profesional Docente (PRODEP), de la Secretaria de Educación Pública (SEP) en México. Las instituciones de educación superior y cuerpos participantes en la red temática son la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Hidalgo (Uso, Manejo y Conservación de la Biodiversidad UAEHCA- 10; Ciencias Ambientales UAEH-CA-59); Universidad …

Métodos Cuantitativos Para La Conservación De Los Vertebrados, Michael J. Conroy, John P. Carroll, Juan Carlos Senar, Jeffrey J. Thompson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Este libro es destinado para el uso por biólogos del campo y otras personas, incluso biólogos de campo en el futuro que podrían estar en un curso de la universidad y trabajando en estudios y conservación de animales. Nuestro objetivo es que los biólogos usen este libro como (haciendo apología a nuestro colega Evan Cooch) una “introducción suave” al campo de la ecología cuantitativa. Esperamos convencer a los lectores que los métodos y aproximaciones del libro no son solo para los matemáticos, estadísticos y programadores de computadoras, sino que de hecho son herramientas esenciales para practicar la conservación en el …

When An Invasive Plant Fails To Invade, Stephen L. Young

West Central Research and Extension Center, North Platte

In 2012, much of the US Midwest was gripped in one of the most severe droughts on record. While conducting experimental fieldwork at a site in Nebraska during June of that year, I noticed a single musk thistle (Carduus nutans; Figure 1) that appeared to be in the bolt or early flowering stage, which is typical for the species at that time. Here, however, two things were unusual: this plant was less than 1 meter tall (with adequate moisture and light, musk thistle typically grows to heights of 1–2.5 meters before flowering), and was only 3 months old (the bolt …

Metazoan Endoparasites Of The Gray Fox, Urocyon Cinereoargenteus From New Mexico, John E. Ubelaker, Bretton S. Griffin, Genevieve M. Konicke, Nora Abdullah, Aya Mouhaffel, Donald Duszynski, Robert L. Harrison

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Metazoan gastrointestinal endoparasites were recovered from 10 of 14 (71.4%) gray foxes [Urocyon cinereoargenteus (Schreber, 1775)] collected in New Mexico from 1996 -1998. They include a pentastome Porocephalus sp., (n=1, 7.1%), a trematode: Fasciola hepatica Linnaeus, 1758 (n=1, 7.1%), the nematodes: Physaloptera rara Hall and Wigdor, 1918 (n=3, 14.3%), Physaloptera praeputialis Linstow, 1899 (n=2, 14.3%), an unidentified female Physaloptera sp. (n=1, 7.1%), Toxocara mystax (Zeder, 1800) (n=2, 14.3%), Toxocara canis (Werner, 1782) (n=1, 7.1%), Spirocerca lupi (Rudolphi, 1809) (n=6, 42.9%), and cestodes: Taenia pisiformis (Bloch, 1780) n=3, n=3, (21.4%), Taenia serialis (Gervais, 1847) (n=3, 21.4%), and Mesocestoides …

Discovery And Delimitation: Criconematid Nematodes Of North American Grasslands, Magdalena Jean Olson

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Approximately 200 years ago, North American landscapes were dominated by vast expanses of grassland. The Great Plains, an ecologically complex and diverse ecoregion, extended from Canada to the Gulf of Mexico, and from the Rocky Mountains to the border of the eastern hardwood forest in Indiana. Now the original tallgrass prairie exists in small widely dispersed remnant patches surrounded by agroecosystems. This study is an effort to characterize soil nematode diversity and population structure within those remnant patches. The plant parasitic nematode family Criconematidae serves as our indicator for nematode diversity, due to its global distribution, high abundance in natural …

Mammalian Records From Southwestern Kansas And Northwestern Oklahoma, Including The First Record Of Crawford’S Desert Shrew (Notiosorex Crawfordi) From Kansas, Cody A. Dreier, Keith Geluso, Jennifer D. Frisch, Brittney N. Adams, Alyx R. Lingenfelter, Anthony E. Bridger, Patricia Freeman, Cliff Lemen, Jeremy A. White, Brett R. Andersen, Hans W. Otto, Curtis J. Schmidt

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Mammalian distributions are constantly changing. Some distributional shifts reflect habitat change, climate change, and human transplantations; thus, such shifts are due to actual expansions or contractions of populations. However, other species ranges that appear to shift as the result of new records being added to known distributional limits actually might reflect populations that previously were undetected due to a lack of past surveys or species that are difficult to detect. In 2013, multiple techniques were employed to document mammalian distributional records in southwestern Kansas and northwestern Oklahoma. We discovered three new county records in Morton County, Kansas (Crawford’s Desert Shrew, …

At Home And At Large In The Great Plains: Essays And Memories, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This volume presents fourteen essays (some updated) that originally appeared in Prairie Fire, a monthly free newspaper that for seven years (as of 2015) has carried important messages of social, environmental, and economic issues in a mature and nonpartisan manner to tens of thousands of residents of Nebraska, western Iowa, eastern Colorado, and southern South Dakota, and by mail to subscribers in the rest of the world. These essays discuss the North American east-west ecological boundaries, spring migration events, birds at the bird feeder, feathered survivors of a glacial past, the threatened sharp-tailed grouse of Nebraska and South Dakota, and …

Ecology, Behavior And Bionomics First Genotyping Of Spodoptera Frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Progeny From Crosses Between Bt-Resistant And Bt-Susceptible Populations, And 65-Locus Discrimination Of Isofamilies, Renee S. Arias, Maribel Portilla, J. D. Ray, Carlos A. Blanco, S. A. Simpson, Brian E. Scheffler

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

Concerns exist that Bt-resistant populations of Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) found in Puerto Rico, could spread to continental United States, and about the lack of molecular tools to monitor potential crosses or distinguish populations. In this work, the feasibility of genotyping S. frugiperda crosses between Bacillus thuringiensis (Berliner) (Bacillales: Bacillaceae) (Bt) resistant and susceptible populations using simple sequence repeats (SSRs, or microsatellites) was assessed. Parents and their corresponding progeny (five resistant, five susceptible phenotype) were genotyped using 192 SSRs on three reciprocate crosses alternating male and female from Bt-susceptible and Bt-resistant populations. Oviposition, mortality and fecundity were …

Food Habits Of Fall-Collected Age-0 Walleyes In Eastern South Dakota Gla- Cial Lakes, Benjamin J. Schall, Matthew J. Phayvanh, Jeffrey D. Grote, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Melissa R. Wuellner

The Prairie Naturalist

Food habits of age-0 fishes can influence their growth and survival prior to the first winter (Hoxmeier et al. 2006, Shoup and Wahl 2011). Ontogenetic diet shifts in juvenile piscivorous fishes result in a transition in consumption from zooplankton to macroinvertebrates and eventually fish throughout development (Mittelbach and Persson 1998). Certain food items may be more energetically beneficial to fishes than others as consumption of prey fishes may lead to faster growth rates of predators, decreased overwinter starvation, avoidance of competition, and reduced predation risk (Werner and Gilliam 1984). By the time age-0 walleyes (Sander vitreus) have reached lengths of …

West Nile Virus And Ferruginous Hawks (Buteo Regalis) In The Northern Great Plains, Shubham Datta, Jonathan A. Jenks, David E. Knudsen, Kent C. Jensen, Will M. Inselman, Christopher C. Swanson, Troy W. Grovenburg

The Prairie Naturalist

Emerging infectious diseases (EID) present significant threats to the conservation of global biodiversity (Daszak et al. 2000). Evaluating impacts (spatial, temporal and demographic) of EIDs on sensitive and declining wildlife populations is challenging because quantitative information is usually dependent on estimates rather than counts (Wobeser 2007) and mortality rates are seldom quantified with conventional monitoring (Naugle et al. 2005).

West Nile virus (WNv), a mosquito-borne Flavivirus (family Flaviviridae; Komar 2001), was discovered in northwest Uganda in 1937 (Smithburn et al. 1940). First encountered in the western hemisphere in New York in 1999 (Nash et al. 2001), WNv has become enzootic …

Habitat-Related Differences In Necroph- Ilous Species Composition: Implications For Resource Competition, Adrienne L. Conley, Elisabeth K. Jorde, Rachel E. Jorde, Lauren K. Yares, Kenzie K. Lee, Carrie L. Hall, Daniel R. Howard

The Prairie Naturalist

Competition for resources is one of the most important selective factors influencing the expression of life history traits in both plants and animals (Darwin 1859). In grasslands, competition for resources such as nutrients, water, and space often is constrained by stochastic processes (Axelrod 1985). Disturbance factors such as fire, grazing by large herbivores, and fluctuating climatic conditions tend to alter the structure and magnitude of competition for limited resources among grassland communities more frequently than in other ecosystems (Snaydon 1987, van der Maarel 1993). Vertebrate carrion is one important resource used by both plants and animals in grasslands, providing a …

Comparison Of Two Trap Net Designs For Sampling Muskellunge, Brian G. Blackwell, Todd M. Kaufman, Tyrel S. Moos, David O. Lucchesi

The Prairie Naturalist

Sampling adequate numbers of muskellunge (Esox masquinongy) is necessary to evaluate stocking success and to collect information on various population metrics (e.g., growth, condition, relative abundance). However, muskellunge are often difficult to sample with standard fish sampling gears. We collected muskellunge in trap nets of two different designs (large trap nets [1.5-m × 1.8-m frames, 1.5-m diameter hoops, double throated, single 1.5-m × 30.5-m lead and 19-mm knotless mesh] and small trap nets [0.9-m × 1.5-m frames, 0.9-m diameter hoops, single throat, single 0.9-m × 15.2-m lead and 19-mm knotted mesh]. We also estimated abundance of muskellunge (>600 mm …

Notes: Are Land-Use Changes Reflected In Diets Of Mourning Doves (Zenaida Macroura) In Eastern South Dakota, Joshua B. Smith, Troy W. Grovenburg, Matthew A. Perrion, Jason M. Augspurger, Trevor W. Bultje, Anna M. Robinson, Brandi L. Crider, Datta Shubham, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

Food habits of the mourning dove (Zenaida macroura) have been extensively studied in the southern United States (McClure 1943, Korschgen 1958, Carpenter 1971) and consist primarily of vegetable matter throughout their range (Beckwith 1959). Diet studies in several states have indicated agricultural crops, specifically corn and wheat, were the most readily consumed plant seeds (Korshgen 1958, Carpenter 1971). Similarities observed in diets of doves were dependent on the agricultural crops available within the area. For example, in Missouri, some seasonal variability was documented suggesting doves forage based on food availability as much as by food preference (Korschgen 1958). However, in …

Inter- And Intra-Specific Interactions In Germination And Seedling Establishment Of Cheatgrass And Russian Wildrye, Erin K. Espeland

The Prairie Naturalist

Cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum) is an invasive species in the arid and semi-arid west of the USA, and is weedy in disturbed prairie landscapes. Perennial Russian wildrye (Psathyrostachys juncea) limits population growth of cheatgrass, but the mechanism is unclear. I conducted glasshouse and greenhouse experiments to test if intra- and interspecific competitive interactions of seeds and seedlings of cheatgrass and Russian wildrye were different across a geographic soil gradient with different cultivation legacies in eastern Montana, USA. Seed-seed interactions occurred in both species. Cheatgrass and Russian wildrye inhibited one another’s emergence in one edaphic condition in one experiment. Cheatgrass growth was …

Using Otolith Microchemistry To Classify Yellow Perch As Stocked Or Naturally Produced, Andrew K. Carlson, Matthew J. Ward, Brian D.S Graeb

The Prairie Naturalist

Fisheries managers routinely use stocking to supplement fish populations (Schramm and Piper 1995, Fisher 1996). Stocking eyed-eggs offers substantial cost savings compared to stocking fry and fingerlings (PFBC 2011); however, traditional stocking evaluation using oxytetracycline (OTC) marking of otoliths is ineffective for eyed-eggs of some species (e.g., yellow perch, [Perca fla- vescens]). Thus, there is a need for additional approaches to be able to classify fish as stocked or naturally produced. Fish otoliths are paired calcified structures in the inner ear that permanently deposit trace elements in proportion to water column concentrations (Campana 1999, Campana et al. 2000). Coupled with …

Bot Fly Infestation Of Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels In Colorado Shortgrass Steppe, Kim Conway, Paul Stapp

The Prairie Naturalist

We studied prevalence of bot fly infestation of thirteen-lined ground squirrels (Ictidomys tridecemlineatus) trapped during 13 years of population monitoring in shrub and grassland habitats in northern Colorado. We also investigated effects of prescribed burning, a common habitat management practice in grasslands, on bot fly prevalence. Infested squirrels were rarely located on shrub sites and during spring (May–Jun) trapping. Across all summers, mean prevalence in grasslands was 7.9% (range: 2.1–23.8%), with years of highest prevalence corresponding to years when the fewest hosts were captured in spring. Infested squirrels had from one to seven warbles, with 46.7% having only one warble. …