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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Correlates Of Snake Entanglement In Erosion Control Blankets, Sarah E. Ebert, Kasey L. Jobe, Christopher M. Schalk, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams, Christopher E. Comer
Correlates Of Snake Entanglement In Erosion Control Blankets, Sarah E. Ebert, Kasey L. Jobe, Christopher M. Schalk, Daniel Saenz, Cory K. Adams, Christopher E. Comer
Faculty Publications
In road construction projects across the United States, erosion control methods (e.g., erosion control blankets [ECBs]), are mandated to stimulate seedbed regeneration and prevent soil loss. Previous reports have suggested that snakes are vulnerable to entanglement in ECBs. We conducted a literature review, field surveys, and an entanglement experiment to examine what factors increase a snake’s risk of ECB entanglement. Our literature review produced reports of 175 reptiles entangled in mesh products, 89.1% of which were snakes, with 43.6% of snake entanglements occurring in erosion control products. During our field surveys, we found 10 entangled snakes (n = 2 alive; …
Biomass Estimations Of Invasives Yaupon, Chinese Privet And Chinese Tallow In East Texas Hardwood And Pine Ecosystems, Mike Tiller, Brian P. Oswald, Alyx Frantzen, Warren Conway, I-Kuai Hung
Biomass Estimations Of Invasives Yaupon, Chinese Privet And Chinese Tallow In East Texas Hardwood And Pine Ecosystems, Mike Tiller, Brian P. Oswald, Alyx Frantzen, Warren Conway, I-Kuai Hung
Faculty Publications
Forest understory fuels can have profound effects on fire behavior and crown fire initiation. Accurate fire behavior prediction in understory fuels is an essential component for estimating fire intensity and severity during wildfire and prescribed fire events. This study focused on estimating temporal and seasonal changes in fuel loading parameters associated with the expansion of invasive yaupon (Ilex vomitoria), Chinese privet (Ligustrum sinense), and Chinese tallow (Triadica sebifera) in East Texas pine and hardwood ecosystems. Fuel loading data of invasive species infested sites indicated significant increases in understory biomass when compared to 1988 estimates, suggesting a clear need to revise …
Seasonal Survival Of Adult Female Mottled Ducks, Jena A. Moon, David A. Haukos, Warren C. Conway
Seasonal Survival Of Adult Female Mottled Ducks, Jena A. Moon, David A. Haukos, Warren C. Conway
Faculty Publications
The mottled duck (Anas fulgivula) is a non‐migratory duck dependent on coastal habitats to meet all of its life cycle requirements in the Western Gulf Coast (WGC) of Texas and Louisiana, USA. This population of mottled ducks has experienced a moderate decline during the past 2 decades. Adult survival has been identified as an important factor influencing population demography. Previous work based on band‐recovery data has provided only annual estimates of survival. We assessed seasonal patterns of female mottled duck survival from 2009 to 2012 using individuals marked with satellite platform transmitter terminals (PTTs). We used temperature and …
Habitat Use And Avoidance By Foraging Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers In East Texas, John N. Macey, Brent Burt, Daniel Saenz, Richard N. Conner
Habitat Use And Avoidance By Foraging Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers In East Texas, John N. Macey, Brent Burt, Daniel Saenz, Richard N. Conner
Faculty Publications
Picoides borealis (Red-cockaded Woodpecker) is an endangered bird endemic to the Pinus (pine) ecosystems of the southeastern US. Mature pine savannahs with a minimal midstory and lush herbaceous groundcover represent high-quality habitat. This study examines the foraging-habitat patterns of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers in East Texas. We present a logistic regression model that best differentiates between foraged and non-foraged habitat. Increases in hardwood-midstory basal area have the greatest negative impact on the probability of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers selecting a habitat patch for foraging. Five additional variables negatively impact foraging probability: shrub height, diameter at breast height (DBH) of pine midstory, canopy closure, density …
Decomposition Of Three Common Moist-Soil Managed Wetland Plant Species, Daniel P. Collins, Warren C. Conway, Corey D. Mason, Jeffrey W. Gunnels
Decomposition Of Three Common Moist-Soil Managed Wetland Plant Species, Daniel P. Collins, Warren C. Conway, Corey D. Mason, Jeffrey W. Gunnels
Faculty Publications
Moist-soil wetland management is used to precisely control delivery, duration, and timing of water addition to, and removal from, managed wetlands with targeted responses including germination and growth of desirable moist-soil plant species. Similarly, water delivery and removal drives decomposition of moist-soil plants as well as nutrient cycling within these systems, which is a key driver of productivity in such managed wetlands. Through deployment of litter bags, we examined rate of mass loss and decay coefficients of three locally abundant moist-soil annual species that are potentially valuable wintering-waterfowl food sources (nodding smartweed Persicaria lapathifolia, red-rooted flatnut sedge Cyperus erythrorhizos …
Winter Movements Of Louisiana Pine Snakes (Pituophis Ruthveni) In Texas And Louisiana, Josh B. Pierce, D. Craig Rudolph, Shirley J. Burgdorf, Richard R. Schaefer, Richard N. Conner, John G. Himes, C. Mike Duran, Laurence M. Hardy, Robert R. Fleet
Winter Movements Of Louisiana Pine Snakes (Pituophis Ruthveni) In Texas And Louisiana, Josh B. Pierce, D. Craig Rudolph, Shirley J. Burgdorf, Richard R. Schaefer, Richard N. Conner, John G. Himes, C. Mike Duran, Laurence M. Hardy, Robert R. Fleet
Faculty Publications
Despite concerns that the Louisiana Pine Snake (Pituophis ruthveni) has been extirpated from large portions of its historic range, only a limited number of studies on their movement patterns have been published. Winter movement patterns are of particular interest since it has been hypothesized that impacts of management practices would be reduced during the winter. Using radiotelemetry, we determined winter movement patterns of Louisiana Pine Snakes (11 males, 8 females) in 5 study areas (2 in Louisiana and 3 in Texas). Movements during winter (November–February) were greatly curtailed compared to the remainder of the year; however, snakes occasionally undertook substantial …
Influence Of Translocations On Eastern Wild Turkey Population Genetics In Texas, Christopher E. Comer, Warren C. Conway, Gary Calkins, Sabrina Seidel, Randy Deyoung, Jason Hardin
Influence Of Translocations On Eastern Wild Turkey Population Genetics In Texas, Christopher E. Comer, Warren C. Conway, Gary Calkins, Sabrina Seidel, Randy Deyoung, Jason Hardin
Faculty Publications
Between 1979 and 2006, over 7,000 eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) from 16 states were translocated to east Texas in an attempt to restore a stable, huntable population. Although current populations are stable in some areas and a spring male-only hunting season was opened in 1995, turkey density in the region remains low and large areas of apparently suitable habitat are not occupied. The longterm effects of the extensive translocations and current levels of connectivity among various populations are unknown. We used microsatellite DNA analysis to assess the influence of translocations on current genetic structure and gene flow in …
Emotional Climate, Feeding Practices, And Feeding Styles: An Observational Analysis Of The Dinner Meal In Head Start Families, Sheryl O Hughes, Thomas G Power, Maria A Papaioannou, Matthew B Cross, Theresa A Nicklas, Sharon K Hall, Richard M Shewchuk
Emotional Climate, Feeding Practices, And Feeding Styles: An Observational Analysis Of The Dinner Meal In Head Start Families, Sheryl O Hughes, Thomas G Power, Maria A Papaioannou, Matthew B Cross, Theresa A Nicklas, Sharon K Hall, Richard M Shewchuk
Faculty Publications
BACKGROUND: A number of studies conducted with ethnically diverse, low-income samples have found that parents with indulgent feeding styles had children with a higher weight status. Indulgent parents are those who are responsive to their child's emotional states but have problems setting appropriate boundaries with their child. Because the processes through which styles impact child weight are poorly understood, the aim of this study was to observe differences in the emotional climate created by parents (including affect, tone of voice, and gestures) and behavioral feeding practices among those reporting different feeding styles on the Caregiver's Feeding Styles Questionnaire. A secondary …
Cooper’S Hawk Nest Site Characteristics In The Pineywoods Region, Richard R. Schaefer, D. Craig Rudolph, Josh B. Pierce, Jesse F. Fagan
Cooper’S Hawk Nest Site Characteristics In The Pineywoods Region, Richard R. Schaefer, D. Craig Rudolph, Josh B. Pierce, Jesse F. Fagan
Faculty Publications
Early accounts describe the Cooper’s Hawk (Accipiter cooperi) as a species in decline in much of North America during the early twentieth century (Bent 1937), particularly when in close proximity to humans (Eaton 1914). This decreasing population trend continued to be recognized later in the century in both Texas (Oberholser 1974) and Louisiana (Lowery 1974). Shooting and trapping during the first half of the 1900s, and pesticide use (especially DDT) after World War II are suggested as primary causes of the decline (Henny and Wight 1972, Bednarz et al. 1990). The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1972 and the ban …
White-Tailed Deer Antler Research: A Response To Demarais And Strickland, Ben Koerth, James Kroll
White-Tailed Deer Antler Research: A Response To Demarais And Strickland, Ben Koerth, James Kroll
Faculty Publications
Demarais and Strickland presented several questions about the scope and validity of conclusions regarding predictability of mature antler size based on yearling antler size and produced a simulation model reported to demonstrate measurement bias in our 2008 study. We believe our conclusions were appropriate with our research hypothesis and demonstrated the assumed differential selection bias by hunters used in Demarais and Strickland was unwarranted. Demarais and Strickland provided no metadata to document the provenance of data used in their model and did not account for location, year, cohort, nutrition of research animals, or loss of individuals from their sample population …
Juvenile-To-Adult Antler Development In White-Tailed Deer In South Texas, James Kroll, Ben Koerth
Juvenile-To-Adult Antler Development In White-Tailed Deer In South Texas, James Kroll, Ben Koerth
Faculty Publications
Past studies using penned deer provide conflicting results on the age when reliable predictions about antler growth potential in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can be made. We captured wild whitetail males via aerial net gun on 12 ranches in 5 counties in south Texas, USA, from 1999 to 2007 to determine if a reliable juvenile-to-adult relationship in antler development existed. We individually marked and released captured animals at the trap site after we took antler and body measurements. We recaptured marked animals as possible in subsequent years or until we obtained final measurements after legal harvest. Amount of growth in …
Sensation Seeking In Texas Hper And Elementary Education College Students [Abstract], Deborah Buswell, G. James
Sensation Seeking In Texas Hper And Elementary Education College Students [Abstract], Deborah Buswell, G. James
Faculty Publications
No abstract provided.
Shorebird Habitat Use And Nest-Site Selection In The Playa Lakes Region, Warren C. Conway, Loren M. Smith, James D. Ray
Shorebird Habitat Use And Nest-Site Selection In The Playa Lakes Region, Warren C. Conway, Loren M. Smith, James D. Ray
Faculty Publications
Wetlands in the Playa Lakes Region (PLR) provide important habitats for wintering waterfowl, cranes, and both migrant and breeding shorebirds. Playa Lakes Region wetlands experience naturally fluctuating hydroperiods but are exposed to anthropogenic stresses, which are exacerbated during summer and may influence PLR wetland occupancy and selection by breeding shorebirds. We examined wetland-scale habitat use and nest-site selection of the 4 dominant shorebirds (American avocets [Recurvirostra americana], black-necked stilts [Himantopus mexicanus], killdeer [Charadrius vociferus], snowy plovers [C. alexandrinus]) nesting in playas, saline lakes, and in both created and riparian wetlands in the …
Evidence Of Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Nestling Displacement By Southern Flying Squirrels., Brent Burt, James R. Mccormick, Richard N. Conner, Daniel Saenz
Evidence Of Red-Cockaded Woodpecker Nestling Displacement By Southern Flying Squirrels., Brent Burt, James R. Mccormick, Richard N. Conner, Daniel Saenz
Faculty Publications
Red-cockaded Woodpeckers are unique among woodpeckers in that they excavate their roost and nest cavities entirely within living pines. Studies show that there is a propensity for squirrels to use unenlarged cavities, none have shown evidence of Red-cockaded Woodpeckers being killed by southern flying squirrels. However, we report an instance of two nestlings found dead at the base of the nest tree and 3 flying squirrels inside the nest cavity.
Movement Patterns Of Resident And Relocated Northern Bobwhites In East Texas, Xiangwen Liu, R. Montague Whiting Jr., D. Scott Parsons, Donald R. Dietz
Movement Patterns Of Resident And Relocated Northern Bobwhites In East Texas, Xiangwen Liu, R. Montague Whiting Jr., D. Scott Parsons, Donald R. Dietz
Faculty Publications
We compared home range sizes and movement patterns of resident and relocated northern bobwhites (Colinus virginianus) on an area managed specifically for the species in the Pineywoods of east Texas. During the winters of 1990–1992, 155 south Texas, 136 east Texas, and 139 resident bobwhites were radiomarked, released, and thereafter regularly located. Bird locations were plotted on a digitized map, and home range sizes and movement patterns of each group of birds were estimated. Resident bobwhites moved longer daily distances in March and had larger home ranges during the nesting season (May-Jul) than relocated birds (P0.05). Managers that elect to …