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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Wing Shape In House Finches Differs Relative To Migratory Habit In Eastern And Western North America, Jeremy R. Egbert, James R. Belthoff
Wing Shape In House Finches Differs Relative To Migratory Habit In Eastern And Western North America, Jeremy R. Egbert, James R. Belthoff
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
We investigated whether wing morphology differed between the sedentary House Finches (Carpodacus mexicanus) of western North America and the introduced population of eastern North America, as the latter has developed migratory behavior since its inception. Wing morphology differed between eastern and western House Finches. Eastern House Finches had shorter proximal primaries and a longer outer primary, perhaps reflecting a thinner and more pointed wing, although no disparity in wing length was detected. Since we interpret these differences in wing shape as modifications for flight capability, we believe that initial evidence for morphological divergence relative to migratory habit between eastern and …
Insect-Mediated Pollination In Slickspot Peppergrass, Lepidium Papilliferum L. (Brassicaceae), And Its Implications For Population Viability, Ian Robertson, Danielle Klemash
Insect-Mediated Pollination In Slickspot Peppergrass, Lepidium Papilliferum L. (Brassicaceae), And Its Implications For Population Viability, Ian Robertson, Danielle Klemash
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Field experiments on the pollination biology of slickspot peppergrass, Lepidium papilliferum L. (Brassicaceae), a rare species endemic to microsites in sagebrush-steppe habitat in southwestern Idaho, were conducted at 2 sites from May to July 2001. Site KB contained over 10,000 plants, whereas site WG contained less than 150 plants. Insect exclusion experiments revealed that seed production in L. papilliferum is dependent on insect-mediated pollination; median percent seed set dropped from 70% to 2% when insects were excluded from flowers. A total of 25 insect families from 5 orders visited L. papilliferum flowers: 24 families at KB and 11 families at …
Peregrine Falcon Eggs: Egg Size, Hatchling Sex, And Clutch Sex Ratios, William Burnham, Calvin Sandfort, James R. Belthoff
Peregrine Falcon Eggs: Egg Size, Hatchling Sex, And Clutch Sex Ratios, William Burnham, Calvin Sandfort, James R. Belthoff
Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations
Eggs (n = 367) collected from wild Peregrine Falcon (Falco peregrinus anatum) nests between 1976 and 1990 in Colorado and New Mexico were artificially incubated and hatched. We retrospectively examined these data for variation in egg length, breadth, and initial mass of hatchlings to resolve questions about relationships among egg size, chick size, and sex; and egg size related to first and second clutches and years. Egg length and breadth were significantly related to chick mass at hatching. Neither egg size nor hatchling mass were related to sex. Egg breadth slightly increased and then decreased over the years eggs were …