Life Sciences Commons^™

Plants, Prions And Possibilities: Current Understanding And Significance Of Prion Uptake Into Plants, Tracy A. Nichols

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is an infectious, neurodegenerative disease of deer (white-tailed and mule), elk, moose, sika deer and muntjac caused by a misfolded version of a normally occurring protein. The notion that CWD could be spread indirectly via the environment has been documented and accepted in the scientific community for quite some time. Deer and elk consume soil, inhale dust and lick objects that have infectious material on them, resulting in chronic, low dose exposure. Surface contamination of plants with urine or feces is likely an additional source of exposure via ingestion and has been modeled in the laboratory …

Chapter 8 Keeping Wildlife Out Of Your Food: Mitigation And Control Strategies To Reduce The Transmission Risk Of Food-Borne Pathogens, Alan B. Franklin, Kurt C. Vercauteren

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In this chapter, we provide a general framework for developing strategies to mitigate the contamination of agricultural operations with pathogens carried by wildlife. As part of this framework, we present adaptive management as a viable approach to developing these strategies to reduce the uncertainty over time as to whether management methods are being effective. We provide the general steps to developing an adaptive management strategies as well as generic mitigation methods that can be applied to agricultural operations as part of an adaptive management strategy.

American Robins (Turdus Migratorius) And Cedar Waxwings (Bombycilla Cedrorum) Vary In Use Of Cultivated Cherry Orchards, Rachael A. Eaton, Catherine A. Lindell, Jeffrey Homan, George M. Linz, Brian A. Maurer

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Some fruit-eating bird species commonly consume cultivated fruit. Species-specific variation in diet preferences could result in varying use of orchards and impacts on the fruit-producing industry. However, species specific studies of avian orchard use are lacking, particularly throughout the fruit-growing season. Our objectives were to quantify the frequency of daily bird visits to orchards and the amount of time birds spent visiting orchards each day over the fruit-ripening season. Birds are well-documented consumers of cultivated sweet cherries (Prunus avium), which are relatively high in sugar and low in proteins and lipids. American Robins (Turdus migratorius) and …

Outbreak Of H7n8 Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza In Commercial Turkeys With Spontaneous Mutation To Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza, Mary Lea Killian, Mia Kim Torchetti, Nichole Hines, Sam Yingst, Thomas J. Deliberto, Dong-Hun Lee

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) subtype H7N8 was detected in commercial turkeys in January 2016. Control zone surveillance discovered a progenitor low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) virus in surrounding turkey flocks. Data analysis supports a single LPAI virus introduction followed by spontaneous mutation to HPAI on a single premises.

Effects Of Renewable Energy Production And Infrastructure On Wildlife, José Antonio Sánchez-Zapata, Miguel Clavero, Martina Carrete, Travis L. Devault, Virgilio Hermoso, Miguel Angel Losada, María José Polo, Sonia Sánchez-Navarro, Juan Manuel Pérez-García, Francisco Botella, Carlos Ibáñez, José Antonio Donázar

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The high levels of human demands of resources—from food to space and energy—are one of the main drivers of global change and are causing large negative impacts on ecosystems functioning worldwide (Vitousek et al. 1997 ). Global change components range from climate change to habitat destruction, species invasions, pollution and eutrophication. Although these factors can produce ecosystem changes independently, the final descent is often driven by synergistic processes. The resulting amplifying feedbacks can be disconnected from the original driver of change, leading to a state shift in the biosphere with unexpected consequences (Barnosky et al. 2012 ). Climate change seems …

Puerto Rican Amazon Amazona Vittata, T. White, R. M. Engeman, V. Anadon

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Once numbering only 13 birds in the wild, this parrot has been saved from extinction. Conservation action has increased the population since 1975, but it remains Critically Endangered because the number of mature individuals remains tiny. If more released birds successfully breed in the wild and numbers remain stable or increasing, the species may warrant downlisting in the future.

Antigenic Characterization Of H3 Subtypes Of Avian Influenza A Viruses From North America, Elizabeth Bailey, Li-Ping Long, Nan Zhao, Jeffrey S. Hall, John A. Baroch, Jacqueline M. Nolting, Lucy Senter, Frederick L. Cunningham, G. Todd Pharr, Larry Hanson, Richard Slemons, Thomas J. Deliberto, Xiu-Feng Wan

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Besides humans, H3 subtypes of influenza A viruses (IAVs) can infect various animal hosts, including avian, swine, equine, canine, and sea mammal species. These H3 viruses are both antigenically and genetically diverse. Here, we characterized the antigenic diversity of contemporary H3 avian IAVs recovered from migratory birds in North America. Hemagglutination inhibition (HI) assays were performed on 37 H3 isolates of avian IAVs recovered from 2007 to 2011 using generated reference chicken sera. These isolates were recovered from samples taken in the Atlantic, Mississippi, Central, and Pacific waterfowl migration flyways. Antisera to all the tested H3 isolates cross-reacted with each …

Inferring Invasive Species Abundance Using Removal Data From Management Actions, Amy J. Davis, Mevin B. Hooten, Ryan S. Miller, Matthew L. Farnsworth, Jesse Lewis, Michael Moxcey, Kim M. Pepin

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Evaluation of the progress of management programs for invasive species is crucial for demonstrating impacts to stakeholders and strategic planning of resource allocation. Estimates of abundance before and after management activities can serve as a useful metric of population management programs. However, many methods of estimating population size are too labor intensive and costly to implement, posing restrictive levels of burden on operational programs. Removal models are a reliable method for estimating abundance before and after management using data from the removal activities exclusively, thus requiring no work in addition to management. We developed a Bayesian hierarchical model to estimate …

Pathogen Emergence In The Age Of Pandemics, Sarah N. Bevins

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The emergence of novel or previously rare pathogens is not new. Throughout recorded history, catastrophic mortality has followed the arrival of new infectious diseases to areas that had no previous experience with the offending agent. The second plague pandemic, more commonly known as the Black Death, was caused by a bacterium that originated in China but then spread throughout Asia, Europe, and Africa via the Silk Road and other routes of commerce. The emergence of rinderpest in Africa, associated with Asian cattle imported by European colonists, killed millions of domestic livestock and wild animal species in the 1890s. The result …

Nutritional Effects On Reproductive Performance Of Captiveadult Female Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Eric M. Gese, Beth M. Roberts, Frederick F. Knowlton

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Interactions between animals and their environment are fundamental to ecological research. Field studies of coyote (Canis latrans) reproductive performance suggest mean litter size changes in response to prey abundance. However, this relationship has been assessed primarily by using carcasses collected from trappers. The objective of this study was to assess whether nutritional manipulation prior to mating affected reproduction in adult female coyotes. We examined the effects of caloric restriction during the 7 months prior to estrus on the reproductive rates of 11 captive female coyotes and the subsequent initial survival of pups through two reproductive cycles. This was …

Cholecalciferol Plus Diphacinone Baits For Vole Control: A Novel Approach To A Historic Problem, Roger A. Baldwin, Ryan Meinerz, Gary W. Witmer

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Combination baits containing cholecalciferol plus an anticoagulant are effective against commensal rodents resistant to anticoagulants, and they likely pose less risk than anticoagulant-only rodenticides due to lower concentrations of active ingredients and shorter time to death. However, these combination baits have not been tested for agricultural rodent pests. Therefore, we established a study to test the efficacy of cholecalciferol plus diphacinone artichoke bract and pellet baits to determine their ability to manage California voles Microtus californicus in artichokes, where resistance to anticoagulants is known to occur. Field tests using radiocollared voles indicated that bract baits were highly efficacious (85 %), …

Natality Of Yearling Coyotes In West Virginia, G. G. Albers, J. W. Edwards, R. E. Rogers, L. L. Mastro

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Minimal information is available regarding the reproduction of coyotes (Canis latrans) in the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes the states of Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia. Since reproductive information is useful to assess populations and determine management strategies and because this information is unavailable for the Mid-Atlantic, we examined uterine tracts of 66 female coyotes collected from February to May 2010 for fetuses. We measured fetuses using a digital caliper and approximated dates of conception and parturition. Nine (13.6%) female coyotes were pregnant with visible fetuses; seven of these females were yearlings (1.5–2.5 y old). …

New Study Underway To Estimate The Impact Of Lesser Scaup On Arkansas’ Baitfish Industry, Stephen Clements, Brian Davis, Brian S. Dorr, Luke A. Roy, Anita M. Kelly, Carole R. Engle

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The baitfish industry is an important economic enterprise for many aquaculture producers in Arkansas. The industry generates approximately $30 million annually in farm-gate sales of these small fish that include fathead minnows, goldfish and golden shiners. Diving ducks known as scaup, or “Bluebills,” spend late fall through early spring in Arkansas and Mississippi on deep water wetlands, rivers, and aquaculture ponds. The notion that scaup are consuming an abundance of baitfish in Arkansas ponds has concerned commercial growers for several years.

Vertebrate Host Susceptibility To Heartland Virus, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Amanda E. Calvert, J. Jeffrey Root, Tom Gidlewski, Brian H. Bird, Richard A. Bowen, Atis Muehlenbachs, Sherif R. Zaki, Aaron C. Brault

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Heartland virus (HRTV) is a recently described phlebovirus initially isolated in 2009 from 2 humans who had leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Serologic assessment of domestic and wild animal populations near the residence of 1 of these persons showed high exposure rates to raccoons, white-tailed deer, and horses. To our knowledge, no laboratory-based assessments of viremic potential of animals infected with HRTV have been performed. We experimentally inoculated several vertebrates (raccoons, goats, chickens, rabbits, hamsters, C57BL/6 mice, and interferon-α/β/γ receptor–deficient [Ag129]) mice with this virus. All animals showed immune responses against HRTV after primary or secondary exposure. However, neutralizing antibody responses were …

Weak Support For Disappearance And Restricted Emergence/Persistence Of Highly Pathogenic Influenza A In North American Waterfowl, Andrew M. Ramey, Erica Spackman, Mia Kim-Torchetti, Thomas J. Deliberto

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Krauss et al. (1) use lack of detection of highly pathogenic (HP) H5 clade 2.3.4.4 (henceforth “H5”) influenza A viruses (IAVs) from >22,000 wild bird samples collected in North America in 2014–2015 to argue that HP H5 IAVs disappeared from waterfowl and that unresolved mechanisms restrict emergence and perpetuation of HP IAVs in natural reservoir species. Here we offer an alternative interpretation.

Tracking A Deadly Virus Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza In Wild Birds, Tom Deliberto, Gail Keirn

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

For Dennis Kohler, the call was somewhat unexpected. On a cold, windy morning in December 2014, Kohler sat in his Colorado office reviewing research plans for upcoming disease studies. A few hours later, Koehler's colleagues at the National Wildlife Health Center in Madison, Wis., called to notify him and other members of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Wildlife Disease Program (NWDP) that recent samples collected from wild birds in Washington State had tested positive for highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI).

Earlier that month, a die-off of mallards (Anas platyrhynchos), American wigeon (A. Americana) and northern …

Alterations Of The Volatile Metabolome In Mouse Models Of Alzheimer’S Disease, Bruce A. Kimball, Donald A. Wilson, Daniel W. Weason

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the present study, we tested whether the volatile metabolome was altered by mutations of the Alzheimer’s disease (AD)-implicated amyloid precursor protein gene (APP) and comprehensively examined urinary volatiles that may potentially serve as candidate biomarkers of AD. Establishing additional biomarkers in screening populations for AD will provide enhanced diagnostic specificity and will be critical in evaluating disease-modifying therapies. Having strong evidence of gross changes in the volatile metabolome of one line of APP mice, we utilized three unique mouse lines which over-express human mutations of the APP gene and their respective non-transgenic litter-mates (NTg). Head-space gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) …

Evaluation Of Harvest Indices For Monitoring Cougar Survival And Abundance, Michael L. Wolfe, Eric M. Gese, Pat Terletzky, David C. Stoner, Lise M. Aubry

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Harvest indices are used by state wildlife management agencies to monitor population trends and set harvest quotas for furbearer species. Although harvest indices may be readily collected from hunters, the reliability of harvest indices for monitoring demography and abundance of the harvested species is rarely examined, particularly amongst large carnivores. The overall objective of this study was to assess whether cougar (Puma concolor) harvest statistics collected by wildlife managers were correlated with changes in cougar demography, mainly survival rates and abundance. We estimated key demographic parameters for 2 cougar populations in Utah over 17 years during which we monitored 235 …

The Effects Of Habitat, Climate, And Barred Owls On Long-Term Demography Of Northern Spotted Owls, Katie M. Dugger, Eric D. Forsman, Alan B. Franklin, Raymond J. Davis, Gary C. White, Carl J. Schwarz, Kenneth P. Burnham, James D. Nichols, James E. Hines, Charles B. Yackulic, Paul F. Doherty Jr., Larissa Bailey, Darren A. Clark, Steven H. Ackers, Lawrence S. Andrews, Benjamin Augustine, Brian L. Biswell, Jennifer Blakesley, Peter C. Carlson, Matthew J. Clement, Lowell V. Diller, Elizabeth M. Glenn, Adam Green, Scott A. Gremel, Dale R. Herter, J. Mark Higley, Jeremy Hobson, Rob B. Horn, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Christopher Mccafferty, Trent Mcdonald, Kevin Mcdonnell, Gail S. Olson, Janice A. Reid, Jeremy Rockweit, Viviana Ruiz, Jessica Saenz, Stan G. Sovern

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Estimates of species’ vital rates and an understanding of the factors affecting those parameters over time and space can provide crucial information for management and conservation. We used mark–recapture, reproductive output, and territory occupancy data collected during 1985–2013 to evaluate population processes of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix occidentalis caurina) in 11 study areas in Washington, Oregon, and northern California, USA. We estimated apparent survival, fecundity, recruitment, rate of population change, and local extinction and colonization rates, and investigated relationships between these parameters and the amount of suitable habitat, local and regional variation in meteorological conditions, and competition with …

Identification Of Kill Sites From Gps Clusters For Jaguars (Panthera Onca) In The Southern Pantanal, Brazil, Eric M. Gese, Patricia Terletzky, Sandra M. C. Cavalcanti

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Understanding predator–prey relationships is important for making informed management decisions. Knowledge of jaguar (Panthera onca) predation on livestock and native prey is imperative for future conservation of jaguars in Central and South America.

Aim. As part of an investigation to determine predation patterns of jaguars in the southern Pantanal, Brazil, we examined spatial, temporal and habitat variables, which are useful in categorising location clusters as kill sites and non-kill sites.

Methods. Using GPS-collars on 10 jaguars we obtained a total of 11 784 locations, from which 877 clusters were identified, visited and examined for …

Guiding The Management Of An Agricultural Pest: Indexing Abundance Of California Meadow Voles In Artichoke Fields, Richard M. Engeman, Roger A. Baldwin, Denise I. Stetson

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Nearly 100% of U.S. artichoke production comes from California and is concentrated in Monterey County. California meadow voles are damaging rodent pests that can threaten the profitability of growing artichokes. A practical population monitoring method can be invaluable to integrated pest management programs for guiding when and where control is needed and assessing control efficacy. The standard method for indexing vole populations in artichoke fields has been based on observing chewing on artichoke bracts placed throughout the field. Because toxicants are delivered on artichoke bracts, bias for population indexing is potentially introduced. We therefore compared artichoke bracts to nontoxic grain-based …

Is There A Future For Genome-Editing Technologies In Conservation?, J. A. Johnson, R. Altwegg, D. M. Evans, J. G. Ewen, I. J. Gordon, N. Pettorelli, J. K. Young

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In a recent review, Pimm et al. (2015) highlight emerging technologies in protecting biodiversity. While their list is noteworthy, the authors’ exclusion of innovations in genomic research, with the exception of single-species DNA barcoding methods, was surprising given recent advances in genome-editing technology and its potential application to conservation. Taylor & Gemmell (2016) address that deficiency in a subsequent commentary identifying three avenues where emerging genomic technologies have great potential for increasing our ability to conserve biodiversity. Those areas include the use of next-generation sequencing technologies and methods such as RADseq for monitoring genetic diversity, effective population size, and …

Review Of Anthraquinone Applications For Pest Management And Agricultural Crop Protection, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Scott J. Werner

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We have reviewed published anthraquinone applications for international pest management and agricultural crop protection from 1943 to 2016. Anthraquinone (AQ) is commonly found in dyes, pigments and many plants and organisms. Avian repellent research with AQ began in the 1940s. In the context of pest management, AQ is currently used as a chemical repellent, perch deterrent, insecticide and feeding deterrent in many wild birds, and in some mammals, insects and fishes. Criteria for evaluation of effective chemical repellents include efficacy, potential for wildlife hazards, phytotoxicity and environmental persistence. As a biopesticide, AQ often meets these criteria of efficacy for the …

Resource Selection By Cougars: Influence Of Behavioral State And Season, Linsey W. Blake, Eric M. Gese

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An understanding of how a predator uses the landscape can assist in developing management plans. We modeled resource selection by cougars (Puma concolor) during 2 behavioral states (moving and killing) and 2 seasons (summer and winter) with respect to landscape characteristics using locations from global positioning system (GPS)-collared cougars in the Pryor Mountains, Montana and Wyoming, USA. Furthermore, we examined predation-specific resource selection at 2 scales (fine and coarse). When possible, we backtracked from cache sites to kill sites and used a fine-scale analysis to examine landscape characteristics of confirmed kills. At this fine scale, kill sites had …

Effects Of Simulated Removal Activities On Movements And Space Use Of Feral Swine, Justin W. Fischer, Dan Mcmurty, Chad R. Blass, W. David Walter, Jeff Beringer, Kurt C. Vercauteren

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Abundance and distribution of feral swine (Sus scrofa) in the USA have increased dramatically during the last 30 years. Effective measures are needed to control and eradicate feral swine populations without displacing animals over wider areas. Our objective was to investigate effects of repeated simulated removal activities on feral swine movements and space use.We analyzed location data from 21 feral swine that we fitted with Global Positioning System harnesses in southern MO, USA. Various removal activities were applied over time to eight feral swine before lethal removal, including trapped-and-released, chased with dogs, chased with hunter, and chased with …

Repellent Application Strategy For Wild Rodents And Cottontail Rabbits, Scott J. Werner, Shelagh T. Deliberto, Roger A. Baldwin, Gary W. Witmer

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Effective chemical repellents and repellent application strategies are needed to manage damages caused by wild rodents and rabbits to agricultural resources. For the purpose of comparatively investigating the behavioral response of wild rodents and rabbits to a chemical repellent, we experimentally evaluated the concentration-response relationship of an anthraquinone-based repellent in California voles (Microtus californicus Peale), Richardson’s ground squirrels (Urocitellus richardsonii Sabine), deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus Wagner) and cottontail rabbits (Sylvilagus audubonii Baird) in captivity. We observed 52–56% feeding repellency for whole oats treated with 10,800ppm anthraquinone or 18,500ppmanthraquinone in mice and squirrels, and 84–85% repellency for …

Aquaculture Depredation By Double-Crested Cormorants Breeding In Eastern North America, Elizabeth C. Craig, D. Tommy King, Jed P. Sparks, Paul D. Curtis

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The double-crested cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritus) has undergone population expansion throughout much of its historical range since the 1970s, resulting in increased pressure on foraging habitats including real and perceived competition with commercial and sport fisheries and impacts on the aquaculture industry. The specific objectives of this study were to determine the stable isotope ratios of birds wintering at aquaculture facilities and natural freshwater and marine habitats, and to determine what percent of birds at distinct breeding colonies wintered in each of these habitats. We exploited natural variation in isotopic ratios of carbon, nitrogen, and sulfur (from feathers) to …

Plant Community Shifts Caused By Feral Swine Rooting Devalue Florida Rangeland, Brittany Bankovich, Elizabeth Boughton, Raoul Boughton, Michael L. Avery, Samantha M. Wisely

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive species threaten agriculture by changing agroecosystem structure and function, reducing habitat value, decreasing biodiversity and ecosystem services and increasing management costs. Grazing lands in south central Florida are a mosaic of sown pastures, native grasslands, wetlands and woodlands that provide a variety of ecosystem services. Disturbance of these pastures and native grasslands by invasive feral swine (Sus scrofa) can have negative consequences for both economic productivity and biodiversity. In this study, we show that the effect of rooting on plant diversity depends on ecosystem type and initial levels of plant species diversity. For example, in native grassland pasture, rooting …

Estimates Of Small Indian Mongoose Densities: Implications For Rabies Management, Shylo R. Johnson, Are R. Berentsen, Christine Ellis, Amy Davis, Kurt C. Vercauteren

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is an invasive species and rabies reservoir in Puerto Rico. In the continental United States, terrestrial wildlife rabies is primarily managed by the National Rabies Management Program (NRMP) of the United States Department of Agriculture through oral rabies vaccination (ORV); the distribution of the vaccine baits is influenced by the population density of the target species. TheNRMPuses a density index for estimating raccoon (Procyon lotor) population density to guide bait distribution. In Puerto Rico, a wildlife rabies vaccination program does not exist and vaccination of domestic animals is limited and not compulsory. …

Limited Antigenic Diversity In Contemporary H7 Avian-Origin Influenza A Viruses From North America, Yifei Xu, Elizabeth Bailey, Erica Spackman, Tao Li, Hui Wang, Li-Ping Long, John A. Baroch, Fred L. Cunningham, Xiaoxu Lin, Richard G. Jarman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Xiu-Feng Wan

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Subtype H7 avian–origin influenza A viruses (AIVs) have caused at least 500 confirmed human infections since 2003 and culling of >75 million birds in recent years. Here we antigenically and genetically characterized 93 AIV isolates from North America (85 from migratory waterfowl [1976–2010], 7 from domestic poultry [1971–2012], and 1 from a seal [1980]). The hemagglutinin gene of these H7 viruses are separated from those from Eurasia. Gradual accumulation of nucleotide and amino acid substitutions was observed in the hemagglutinin of H7 AIVs from waterfowl and domestic poultry. Genotype characterization suggested that H7 AIVs in wild birds form diverse and …