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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences

Industrial Hemp As A Resource For Birds In Agroecosystems: Human–Wildlife Conflict Or Conservation Opportunity?, Emily A. Kotten, Iona Hennessy, Bryan M. Kluever, Zachary T. Brym, Bradley F. Blackwell, Lee A. Humberg, Page E. Klug Jan 2022

Industrial Hemp As A Resource For Birds In Agroecosystems: Human–Wildlife Conflict Or Conservation Opportunity?, Emily A. Kotten, Iona Hennessy, Bryan M. Kluever, Zachary T. Brym, Bradley F. Blackwell, Lee A. Humberg, Page E. Klug

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Industrial hemp (Cannabis sativa L.; hemp) is an emerging crop in the United States with little known about bird use or the potential for birds to become an agricultural pest. We identified birds associated with hemp fields, using repeated visits to oilseed plots in North Dakota, USA (n = 6) and cannabinoid (CBD) plots in Florida, USA (n = 4) from August to November 2020. We did not control for plot area or density; our observations were descriptive only. We observed 10 species in hemp, 12 species flying over hemp, and 11 species both foraging in and …


Baboon And Vervet Monkey Crop-Foraging Behaviors On A Commercial South African Farm: Preliminary Implications For Damage Mitigation, Leah J. Findlay, Russell A. Hill Jan 2020

Baboon And Vervet Monkey Crop-Foraging Behaviors On A Commercial South African Farm: Preliminary Implications For Damage Mitigation, Leah J. Findlay, Russell A. Hill

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Conflict between crop farmers and wild nonhuman primates is a worldwide conservation issue of increasing concern. Most of the research on wild primate crop foraging has so far focused on the conflicts with subsistence agriculture. Crop damage caused by primate foraging in large-scale commercial agriculture is also a major facet of human–wildlife conflict. Despite its increasing severity, there are very few published accounts of on-farm wild primate crop-foraging behavior or effective techniques to deter primates from field crops on commercial farms. To address this knowledge gap and identify some mitigation strategies, we used direct observation from a hide to collect …


Field Guarding As A Crop Protection Method: Preliminary Implications For Improving Field Guarding, Leah J. Findlay, Russell A. Hill Jan 2020

Field Guarding As A Crop Protection Method: Preliminary Implications For Improving Field Guarding, Leah J. Findlay, Russell A. Hill

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Negative interactions between crop farmers and wild primates are an issue of significant concern. Despite many crop farmers using field guards as a method of crop protection against foraging primates, there are very few published accounts of how effective this technique is and how it might be improved. To bridge this knowledge gap, we used direct observations from a hide to collect the behaviors of field guards, chacma baboons (Papio ursinus; baboons), and vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus; vervets) foraging in a 1-ha butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata) field for 4 months (May to August) in …


Using Bioenergetics And Radar-Derived Bird Abundance To Assess The Impact Of A Blackbird Roost On Seasonal Sunflower Damage, Bonne A. Clark, Page E. Klug, Phillip M. Stepanian, Jeffrey F. Kelly Jan 2020

Using Bioenergetics And Radar-Derived Bird Abundance To Assess The Impact Of A Blackbird Roost On Seasonal Sunflower Damage, Bonne A. Clark, Page E. Klug, Phillip M. Stepanian, Jeffrey F. Kelly

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Methods aimed at reducing avian damage to agricultural crops are routinely implemented in situations where efficacy can be assessed by quantifying blackbird (Icteridae) abundance relative to environmental variables and extrapolating to ensuing crop damage. Concomitantly, Weather Surveillance Radar (WSR) data may have potential to enhance crop damage mitigation through improved monitoring of nuisance wildlife populations. We used WSR to derive daily abundance estimates of blackbirds at a fall roost in North Dakota, USA from 2012 to 2019. We integrated these estimates with previously developed bioenergetics-economic models to estimate local sunflower (Helianthus annuus) damage. The greatest losses usually occurred …


Wildlife Damage To Crops Adjacent To A Protected Area In Southeastern Mexico: Farmers’ Perceptions Versus Actual Impact, Gabriel Can-Hernández, Claudia Villanueva-García, Elías José Gordillo-Chávez, Coral Jazvel Pacheco-Figueroa, Elizabeth Pérez-Netzahual, Rodrigo García-Morales Jan 2019

Wildlife Damage To Crops Adjacent To A Protected Area In Southeastern Mexico: Farmers’ Perceptions Versus Actual Impact, Gabriel Can-Hernández, Claudia Villanueva-García, Elías José Gordillo-Chávez, Coral Jazvel Pacheco-Figueroa, Elizabeth Pérez-Netzahual, Rodrigo García-Morales

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Human–wildlife conflicts occur when wildlife has an adverse effect on human activities (e.g., predation of livestock, crop raiding). These conflicts are increasing, particularly in areas surrounding natural protected areas, where villagers engage in subsistence agriculture. Crop damage may cause farmers to retaliate and harm wildlife species considered responsible for the damage. Among the factors that determine the intensity of the conflict are the frequency of the damage and the amount of biomass consumed relative to the perceptions, values, and cultural history of the farmers affected. To better understand the conflicts between farmers and wildlife, we compared farmer perceptions of wildlife …


Modeling Waterfowl Damage To Crops Surrounding The Quill Lakes In Saskatchewan, Carolyn J. Callaghan, Bahram Daneshfar, Donald J. Thompson Jan 2015

Modeling Waterfowl Damage To Crops Surrounding The Quill Lakes In Saskatchewan, Carolyn J. Callaghan, Bahram Daneshfar, Donald J. Thompson

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Waterfowl using the Central Flyway congregate on staging lakes before fall migration. The Quill lakes area of Saskatchewan Province, Canada, contains many staging lakes, which are surrounded by annual cropland. Crop losses to waterfowl occur every year, but the severity fluctuates greatly from year to year. We obtained historical crop compensation data, waterfowl-staging surveys, harvest chronology, and weather records from various agencies. Using GIS, we referenced all data types to potential claim-land parcels (0.65 km2 for the damage model and 5 km2 for the density model). We constructed empirical landscape level logistic regression models, weighting factors influencing the …


Evaluation Of Foliar Sprays To Reduce Crop Damage By Canada Geese, Charles D. Dieter, Cody S. Warner, Curiong Ren Jan 2014

Evaluation Of Foliar Sprays To Reduce Crop Damage By Canada Geese, Charles D. Dieter, Cody S. Warner, Curiong Ren

Human–Wildlife Interactions

South Dakota Department of Game, Fish and Parks annually spends >$500,000 managing crop damage caused by grazing Canada geese (Branta canadensis). Foliar applications of a chemical feeding deterrent could provide an effective alternative to the methods currently being used to reduce damage. In 2011 and 2012, we evaluated Rejex-It Migrate Turfguard®, Bird Shield®, Avian Control®, and Avipel® as grazing deterrents. We used a ground sprayer to apply the treatments every 7 days to plots in soybean fields in Day County, South Dakota. We monitored activity in the plots using time-lapse photography. We began treating the plots after geese …


Preference Of White-Tailed Deer For Corn Hybrids And Agricultural Husbandry Practices During The Growing Season, Joshua A. Delger, Kevin L. Monteith, Lowell E. Schmitz, Jonathan A. Jenks Jan 2011

Preference Of White-Tailed Deer For Corn Hybrids And Agricultural Husbandry Practices During The Growing Season, Joshua A. Delger, Kevin L. Monteith, Lowell E. Schmitz, Jonathan A. Jenks

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Damage to field corn (Zea mays) by white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can be substantial, resulting in millions of dollars lost annually. Numerous methods exist to minimize deer depredation, but all have met with varying degrees of success. Currently, little information is available on preference of white-tailed deer for corn hybrids during the growing season and how that preference might affect depredation patterns. We used adult female white-tailed deer in captivity to study the effect of herbicide treatments on deer-use (treatment versus no treatment) of corn in 2005 and to document preference among specific corn hybrids in …


Canada Goose Crop Damage Abatement In South Dakota, Troy M. Radtke, Charles D. Dieter Jan 2011

Canada Goose Crop Damage Abatement In South Dakota, Troy M. Radtke, Charles D. Dieter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Canada geese (Branta canadensis) can cause considerable damage to crops during summer when geese are flightless. We evaluated the effectiveness of a program designed to alleviate crop damage on soybeans by Canada geese in South Dakota, USA. The applications of electric fences, feeding stations, and propane cannons reduced the area of crop damage by 90% in 2006 and 80% in 2007, but the timing was important. Fields where abatement practices were applied early in the growing season had less damage than fields where they were applied later. Abatement practices that were properly applied as soon as damage started …


Factors Affecting White-Tailed Deer-Browsing Rates On Early Growth Stages Of Soybean Crops, Gregory M. Colligan, Jacob L. Bowman, Joseph E. Rogerson, Bruce L. Vasilas Jan 2011

Factors Affecting White-Tailed Deer-Browsing Rates On Early Growth Stages Of Soybean Crops, Gregory M. Colligan, Jacob L. Bowman, Joseph E. Rogerson, Bruce L. Vasilas

Human–Wildlife Interactions

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus) damage to soybean crops is a concern for soybean producers. Although researchers have documented decreases in the intensity of deer-browse on soybean plants as the growing season progresses, an understanding of the mechanisms driving the decrease in deer-browse is necessary for reduction and mitigation of deer damage to soybean crops. We tested 4 hypotheses to determine why deer-browse rates decrease 3 weeks after plant emergence: (1) plant phenology affects plant palatability; (2) diet change occurs; (3) deer damage induces a plant response making soybean leaves less palatable: and (4) deer consume fewer leaves but …


Selection Of Pathways To Foraging Sites In Crop Fields By Flightless Canada Geese, Troy M. Radtke, Charles D. Dieter Jan 2010

Selection Of Pathways To Foraging Sites In Crop Fields By Flightless Canada Geese, Troy M. Radtke, Charles D. Dieter

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Geese, especially when they are flightless, can cause significant crop damage. We determined the effects of shoreline characteristics on foraging site selection by flightless Canada geese (Branta canadensis) in South Dakota. Distance from edge of crop field to wetland and visual obstruction by vegetation were important determinants of pathway selection by geese. Geese used crop fields for foraging that were closer to water than unused fields. Geese accessed those fields along pathways with less visual obstruction by vegetation than unused pathways. Our data suggest that this distance of crops to wetlands is the most important shoreline characteristic determining …


Modeling Wildlife Damage To Crops In Northern Indiana, Mónica I. Retamosa, Lee A. Humberg, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr. Jan 2008

Modeling Wildlife Damage To Crops In Northern Indiana, Mónica I. Retamosa, Lee A. Humberg, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Comprehensive information on crop damage by wildlife species is critical if effective strategies for controlling wildlife damage are to be formulated. Discriminating how landscape composition and configuration attributes influence crop damage is important for implementing landscape management techniques to resolve human–wildlife conflicts. We analyzed crop damage data from 100 corn fields and 60 soybean fields located in the Upper Wabash River Basin of northern Indiana during 2003 and 2004. We used negative binomial regression to model the rate of damage to corn and soybean crops in response to local and landscape variables. Rate of crop damage was best predicted by …


Relationship Between Raccoon Abundance And Crop Damage, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr Jan 2008

Relationship Between Raccoon Abundance And Crop Damage, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wildlife damage to crops is a widespread concern among agricultural producers and wildlife professionals. In the United States, raccoon (Procyon lotor) damage to field corn (Zea maize) has become a serious concern, as raccoon depredation to corn has increased significantly in recent years. However, little information is available to suggest the underlying factors responsible for recent increases in raccoon depredation on agricultural crops because there is a limited understanding of the ecological factors influencing wildlife damage to crops at local scales. During 2004, we initiated a study to elucidate the ecological factors influencing depredation to field …