Life Sciences Commons^™

Seasonality Of Orthohantavirus Seroprevalence In Northwest Arkansas Rodents, Amy Schexnayder

Biological Sciences Undergraduate Honors Theses

Zoonotic viruses are viruses that can be transmitted from animals to humans. Rodent species are likely to be reservoirs for zoonotic viruses, and particular rodent-borne viruses, such as orthohantaviruses, may greatly threaten human health. Orthohantaviruses are a group of rodent-borne viruses that are at risk for spillover to human populations. Many aspects of orthohantaviruses have been well-researched, yet the seasonality of orthohantaviruses has not yet been thoroughly examined, especially in the southern United States. In this study, we captured 616 rodents trapped over 5953 trap nights across 13 grassland sites in Northwest Arkansas. Rodents were trapped for two consecutive nights …

The Effects Of Commercial Harvest On The Density And Demography Of Aquatic Turtles In Arkansas, Andrhea Darleen Massey

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The United States is home to the second highest concentration of turtle species in the world, after Asia. As of 2018, there are 57 turtle species recognized within the US, 40% of which are listed as threatened or endangered, with the primary threats to population persistence identified as over-consumption and/or habitat loss. Within the US, the Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) region represents the second highest turtle species richness, after the Mobile River Basin. The MAV region of Arkansas is one of the least regulated in terms of commercial aquatic turtle harvest and has undergone large-scale habitat conversion from bottomland hardwood …

Population Connectivity Of The Eastern Collared Lizard Crotaphytus Collaris In Arkansas, Whitney Allison Murchison-Kastner

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Habitat reduction and fragmentation can isolate populations and decrease genetic diversity, making them susceptible to local extirpation. Additionally, geographic barriers can further impede dispersal among populations thus reducing gene flow. Field studies suggest these factors may be responsible for the decline in Eastern Collared Lizard (Crotaphytus collaris) populations in Arkansas. To address the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation on the Eastern Collared Lizard (C. collaris) in Arkansas, I used DNA fragment analysis to examine genetic diversity, population structure and connectivity among C. collaris populations. I do so herein by employing microsatellite data from 138 adults across 11 loci to …

Overwinter Ecology Of Rusty Blackbirds (Euphagus Carolinus) In Arkansas, Araks Ohanyan

ATU Theses and Dissertations 2021 - Present

Rusty Blackbirds are one of the most rapidly declining songbirds in North America. They have lost an estimated 85-95% of their population since the 1960s. Unfortunately, we currently do not know what is causing their decline. However, since habitat alteration and loss in their nonbreeding range has been much more severe than in their breeding range, many think the decline is associated with winter habitat loss. Consequently, knowledge of winter ecology, with a focus on habitat use and selection, may provide management insights useful for reversing the decline. My field assistants and I (hereafter we) used radio telemetry to collect …

Effects Of Management Efforts On Fledging Success Of Endangered Interior Least Terns (Sternula Antillarum Athalassos) On The Mcclellan-Kerr Arkansas River Navigation System In Arkansas, Trevor N. Jensen

Theses and Dissertations from 2020

The Interior Least Tern (Sternula antillarum athalassos) is an endangered shorebird that primarily nests in colonies on barren riverine sandbars on many major river systems throughout the central United States. Water resource development projects such as damming and channelization have altered the natural flow regimes of these systems leading to a decrease in sandbar quality and quantity, and as a result this species is dependent on management to ensure their recovery. Managers within Arkansas have been applying a variety of management approaches to improve sandbar nesting habitat and success of this population intermittently since 2002, with increased intensity since 2015. …

Mesopredator Distribution, Abundance And Potential Competition With The American Burying Beetle (Nicrophorus Americanus) At Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center, Karisa Fenton

Theses and Dissertations from 2019

The American burying beetle (Nicrophorus americanus, hereafter ABB) was listed as an endangered species in 1989 and many hypotheses have been developed to explain their rangewide decline. I investigated the carcass competition hypothesis that implicates increased competition between vertebrate scavengers and ABBs for appropriate-sized carcasses as a cause for ABB decline. Predators of medium size that occupy an intermediate trophic level (hereafter mesopredators) are potential competitors for carcasses. I used camera trapping to assess mesopredator abundances in nine different habitats at Fort Chaffee Joint Maneuver Training Center (FCJMTC) in western Arkansas because this area supports the largest known population of …

Effects Of Non-Consumptive Recreation And Environmental Factors On Arkansas State Park Biodiversity, Bennett P. Grooms

Theses and Dissertations from 2016

State parks serve a dual conservation role by offering protected habitat to many species while also promoting recreational use of natural resources. Non-consumptive recreation activities, however, have long-term negative effects on the behavior, physiology, and reproductive success of state park biotic communities. The purpose of my research was to investigate the possible synergistic effects of non-consumptive trail use, environmental factors, and trail design factors on avian, mesocarnivore, and woody vegetation communities in Arkansas state parks. During 18 May – 7 August 2015, I conducted avian point counts, trail user counts, set camera traps, and sampled vegetation at 227 points on …

The Abundance And Distribution Of Mallards In The Lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley Of Arkansas, John Andrew Herbert

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The management of wintering waterfowl in North America requires flexibility because of constantly changing landscapes and conditions. Many mallards use the lower Mississippi Alluvial Valley (MAV) for wintering habitat, making this an area of emphasis for improving management strategies. In this study, I used mallard observation data from 2009-2014 aerial surveys collected in the Arkansas portion of the lower MAV to explain the abundance and distribution and of mallards. Using spatial hierarchical models and breaking covariate data to 2x2 km grid cells, I analyzed how covariates relate to the changes of abundance and distributions within and among surveys. Mallard abundance …

Distribution Of The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen Aegyptiacus) In Northwestern Arkansas And In The United States Of America, Cameron Chesbro

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Egyptian Goose (Alopochen aegyptiacus) is an exotic member of the Anatidae that has been residing in northwestern Arkansas since the 1980s (Smith and James 2012). Following the discovery of Egyptian Geese in the area, not much attention has been given to the consequences of population increase. The Egyptian Goose has shown many diverse population growth patterns in areas where it has been introduced and started feral populations. The purpose of this study was to assess the current population size of the Egyptian Goose in northwestern Arkansas,and confirm successful breeding. The methods used in this study included conducting road surveys …

Survival, Abundance, And Geographic Distribution Of Temperate-Nesting Canada Geese (Branta Canadensis) In Arkansas, Margaret Eliese Ronke

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Temperate-nesting Canada geese in Arkansas have grown in abundance and range since reintroduction in the 1980s. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission uses harvest and other methods to maintain the population at desired levels. However, continued management of temperate-nesting geese requires knowledge of the population's demographics and current range to help establish quantifiable management goals.

To assess the need and effect of changing hunting regulations, survival and recovery rates and abundance were estimated for this population. Annual survival rates of temperate-nesting Canada geese banded and recovered in Arkansas from 2005 to 2011 were estimated using the Burnham joint live-dead recovery …

Small Mammal Community Associations And Habitat Use At Pea Ridge National Military Park, Benton County, Arkansas, Christopher Reddin

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

Juniperus virginiana L. (Eastern Red Cedar) is a fire-intolerant tree species that has been invading and altering grassland ecosystems throughout the American Great Plains and Midwest. To see how Eastern Red Cedar encroachment affects small mammal communities, we surveyed small mammals using mark-recapture methods in Eastern Red Cedar forest and 5 other habitats common to the Ozark region. Additionally, we compared the microhabitat use of presumed juniper obligate Peromyscus attwateri J.A. Allen (Texas Mouse) and its conspecific P. leucopus Rafinesque (White-Footed Mouse). We ran over 7000 trap-nights and found that the small mammal species composition in Eastern Red Cedar was …

Extinct And Extirpated Birds And Mammals Of Arkansas, Nora Smith

Honors Theses

Arkansas was purchased from France as part of the Louisiana Purchase in 1803. Parts of it were explored by the Dunbar and Hunter expedition in 1804-05. ln 1819, it was detached from the Missouri Territory and made a separate territory. By 1821, the capital moved to Little Rock, and on June 15, 1836, Arkansas became the 25th state of the United States of America. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission was established on March 11, 1915, and the first "real" law pertaining to game hunting was passed. The commission started to establish game refuges in 1929, and by 1960, it …