Life Sciences Commons^™

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Quarterly Progress Report, Period Ending December 31, 2010, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• Final milestones and deliverables for this project were completed this quarter.
• Fall monitoring surveys were completed at all sites.
• Habitat actions to improve breeding pools were conducted at one site.
• Data and associated metadata were compiled and quality assured.
• Final and annual reports were written and submitted in required formats for Clark County

and the Relict Leopard Frog Conservation Team.

Project 2. Bald Eagle Winter Monitoring and Evaluation

• This project was previously completed and all associated deliverables met.
• Efforts were provided this quarter in support of the 2011 winter count.

Project …

Oregon Aspen Project, Forest Restoration Partnership

Aspen Bibliography

The Oregon Aspen Project was initiated in response to the decline of aspen groves in Oregon and throughout the Western United States, and the lack of information to guide managers interested in stewardship to enhance this resource. There were three central goals and accompanying objectives for this project which are listed below. The project accomplishments are provided below each bulleted objective

Reduction Of Iron (Iii) And Humic Substances Plays A Major Role In Anaerobic Respiration In An Arctic Peat Soil, David A. Lipson, Mony Jha, Ted K. Raab, Walter C. Oechel

Ted K. Raab

Arctic peat soils contain vast reserves of organic C and are largely anaerobic. However, anaerobic respiration, particularly the role of Fe(III) and humic substances as electron acceptors, is not well understood in such ecosystems. We investigated these processes in a drained thaw lake basin on the Arctic coastal plain near Barrow, Alaska. We measured concentrations of soluble Fe and other potential electron acceptors, described the microbial community, and performed experiments in the laboratory and field to measure net rates of Fe(III) reduction and the relationship of this process to C cycling. In most areas within the basin, aerobic conditions existed …

Low Endemism, Continued Deep-Shallow Interchanges, And Evidence For Cosmopolitan Distributions In Free-Living Marine Nematodes (Order Enoplida), Holly M. Bik, W. Kelley Thomas, David H. Lunt, P. John D. Lambshead

Hubbard Center for Genome Studies (HCGS)

Background: Nematodes represent the most abundant benthic metazoa in one of the largest habitats on earth, the deep sea. Characterizing major patterns of biodiversity within this dominant group is a critical step towards understanding evolutionary patterns across this vast ecosystem. The present study has aimed to place deep-sea nematode species into a phylogenetic framework, investigate relationships between shallow water and deep-sea taxa, and elucidate phylogeographic patterns amongst the deep-sea fauna. Results: Molecular data (18 S and 28 S rRNA) confirms a high diversity amongst deep-sea Enoplids. There is no evidence for endemic deep-sea lineages in Maximum Likelihood or Bayesian phylogenies, …

Molecular Evidence Suggests Multiple Evolutionary Origins Of Sociality In The Polyphenic Spider Anelosimus Studiosus (Araneae: Theridiidae)., Nathaniel O. Weber

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Anelosimus studiosus exhibits two behavioral phenotypes: subsocial and social. This is the only documented spider inhabiting a temperate climate exhibiting social behavior. While the subsocial phenotype is most common throughout the range, the social behavior occurs in isolated pockets in northern latitudes. This study examines the origins of the social phenotype within a segment of the spider's range. Two hypotheses are tested: 1) pockets of social behavior represent a single origin or 2) pockets of social behavior represent local evolutions, thus leading to multiple origins of evolution. Microsatellite loci were used to determine genetic structure of the population and to …

Lack Of Rhythmicity In The Honey Bee Queen: An Investigation Of Temporal Behavioral Patterns In Apis Mellifera Ligustica., Jennifer N. Johnson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Little is known about the behavioral patterns of honey bee queens. To determine if mated honey bee queens possess diel rhythmicity in behavior, we observed them in glass-sided observation hives using three types of observation regimes: focal studies consisting of 2-hour and 24-hour continuous observations as well as scan-sampling of multiple queens. All behaviors (active: walking, inspecting, egg-laying, begging for food, feeding, and grooming self; inactive: standing) occurred at all times of day and night, but no queen showed consistent diel rhythmicity in any of the individual behaviors. There were no consistent diel differences in active versus inactive behaviors or …

Ecoweb 1.1: Ecologists' Cooperative Web Bank, Joel E. Cohen

Cohen Laboratory

ECOWeB is a machine-readable database of several hundred food webs compiled from published sources by several ecologists.

The Interaction Of Fire And Grazing In Oklahoma Artemisia Filifolia Shrubland, Stephen L. Winter

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I. FIRE-RESILIENCY OF A NORTH AMERICAN ARTEMISIA (ASTERACEAE) SHRUB: IMPLICATIONS FOR RESTORATION OF A CRITICAL ECOSYSTEM PROCESS. Conclusions: Unlike most North American Artemisia shrub species, our research suggests that A. filifolia is highly resilient to the effects of fire. Therefore, use of prescribed fires for the restoration and maintenance of ecosystem processes and properties is appropriate in A. filifolia shrublands of the southern Great Plains in North America.

II. RESTORATION OF THE FIRE-GRAZING INTERACTION IN ARTEMISIA FILIFOLIA SHRUBLAND OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS, NORTH AMERICA. Synthesis and applications. Vegetation structure in Artemisia filifolia shrublands of our study were readily altered …

Current Distribution Of Rare Fishes In Eastern Wyoming Prairie Streams, Christina E. Barrineau, Elizabeth A. Bear, Anna C. Senecal

The Prairie Naturalist

Distributions of native fishes have declined throughout the Great Plains region. Over 50% of native fishes within the Missouri River drainage in Wyoming have experienced declines in distributions. Thus, the primary goal of our study was to assess current distribution of rare native fishes in eastern Wyoming prairie streams. Of the 10 rare fishes sampled, goldeye (Hiodon alosoides), western silvery minnow (Hybognathus argyritis), plains minnow (H. hankinsoni), and Iowa darter (Etheostoma exile) have experienced declines in distribution over the last decade. Plains topminnow (Fundulus sciadicus) appears to be expanding to areas outside …

Population And Diet Assessment Of White Bass In Lake Sharpe, South Dakota, Andrew E. Ahrens, Travis W. Schaeffer, Melissa R. Wuellner, David W. Willis

The Prairie Naturalist

White bass (Morone chrysops) have been introduced into all 4 South Dakota Missouri River reservoirs and compose a substantial proportion of the annual recreational harvest. To date, limited studies have examined white bass population dynamics and food habits in South Dakota Missouri River reservoirs. Our objective was to examine population dynamics and food habits of white bass in Lake Sharpe, a South Dakota mainstem Missouri River reservoir. White bass consistently consumed invertebrates during May but switched to a more piscivorous diet later in the growing season; most of the fish consumed were gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum). …

Cropland Nesting By Long-Billed Curlews In Southern Alberta, James H. Devries, Steven O. Rimer, Elizabeth M. Walsh

The Prairie Naturalist

Long-billed curlews (Numenius americanus) are described primarily as a grassland nesting species. However, no studies to date have quantified nest habitat selection among available habitats. During a study of waterfowl nest habitat selection and success in landscapes ranging from cropland to grassland-dominated, we found 9 curlew nests of which 8 were located in active cropland within cropland-dominated landscapes. Cropland nests occurred in fall-seeded winter wheat and spring-seeded barley and nests were clumped in distribution. Four cropland nests and 1 nest in native grass pasture hatched young. Further research is needed to characterize nesting habitat selection and reproductive success …

Population Characteristics Of Central Stonerollers In Iowa Streams, Scott M. Bisping, Jesse R. Fischer, Michael C. Quist, Andrew J. Schaefer

The Prairie Naturalist

The central stoneroller (Campostoma anomalum) is a herbivore that can have substantial effects on algal communities, nutrient dynamics, and energy flow in streams. Despite its importance in lotic ecosystems, little is known about its population dynamics in streams of the Great Plains. Our objective was to describe age structure, age-specific mortality, and growth rates of central stonerollers in three Iowa streams. We sampled fish from 41 reaches during June-August 2007. We sampled 466 central stonerollers, of which we aged 192. Fish varied in length from 32 to 130 mm and in age from age 0 to 4 years. …

Examination Of Owl Pellets For Northern Pocket Gophers At Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge, Nebraska, Stacey L. Bonner, Keith Geluso

The Prairie Naturalist

Analysis of regurgitated pellets from owls is a well-known and nondestructive method that provides useful information regarding diet (Errington 1930). This technique also is used to examine composition of small mammal communities and distribution of prey species (e.g. Kamler et al. 2003, Torre et al. 2004, Poole and Matlack 2007). In western Nebraska, two species of owls that regularly breed in the region are the common barn owl (Tyto alba) and great horned owl (Bubo virginianus). In the early 1970s, Rickart (1972) studied the diet of both species at Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge (CLNWR), Garden …

Reporting Results Of Data Analysis, Preparing Scientific Manuscripts, And Website Development Efforts, Christopher N. Jacques

The Prairie Naturalist

Preparation of scientific manuscripts and use and presentation of statistics have been topics of several commentaries from previous journal Editors-in-Chief, and have been submitted as invited papers, so I would like to share my perspective as the current Editor-in-Chief (Editor) of The Prairie Naturalist (Journal). Because there is not complete consensus among the experts about when hypothesis testing versus information theoretic methods, or Bayesian versus frequentist methods are suitable, previous Editors have avoided presenting their perspectives (Thompson 2010). I also will avoid presenting my perspective as Editor. I will, however, present my perspective on several of these approaches and then …

The Prairie Naturalist, Vol. 42, Issue 3/4, December 2010, The Great Plains Natural Science Society

The Prairie Naturalist

EDITOR'S NOTE: REPORTING RESULTS OF DATA ANALYSIS, PREPARING SCIENTIFIC MANUSCRIPTS, AND WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS • Christopher N. Jacques

Current Distribution of Rare Fishes in Eastern Wyoming Prairie Streams • Christina E. Barrineau, Elizabeth A. Bear, and Anna C. Senecal

Diets of Nesting Swainson's Hawks in Relation to Land Cover in Northwestern North Dakota • Robert K. Murphy

Resource Selection of Greater Prairie-Chicken and and Sharp-Tailed Grouse Broods in Central South Dakota • Mark A. Norton, Kent C. Jensen, Anthony P. Leif, Thomas R. Kirschenmann, and Gregory A. Wolbrink

Population Characteristics of Central Stonerollers in Iowa Streams • Scott M Bisping, …

Summer Activity Pattern And Home Range Of Northern Pocket Gophers In An Alfalfa Field, Jon C. Pigage, Helen K. Pigage

The Prairie Naturalist

AIlocation of time for feeding, resting and reproduction in subterranean animals is difficult to determine. Although pocket gophers (Thomomys spp.) are among the most widely studied subterranean rodents, there are conflicting reports on activity measurement in these animals. Activity studies have included opening gopher burrows (Tryon 1947), laboratory studies of activity (Vaughan and Hansen 1961), telemetry studies (Anderson and McMahon 1981, Bandoli 1987, and Cameron et al. 1988), and subcutaneously implanted radioactive gold wires (Gettinger 1984). The diversity of techniques reflects the difficulty of generalizing results from different species of pocket gophers in natural and artificial environments. Patton and …

Seasonal Yellow Perch Harvest In Two Dissimilar South Dakota Fisheries, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Michael L. Brown, David O. Lucchesi

The Prairie Naturalist

Angler effort and fish harvest in South Dakota have historically been quantified through summer and winter creel surveys. However, the late-summer, pulsed recruitment of yellow perch (Perea flavescens) into a fishery combined with an increase in fall movement and feeding activity suggested September and October could be significant periods of perch harvest in South Dakota lakes. Seasonal trends in angler effort and yellow perch harvest during 2005-2007 were compared for high- and low-quality yellow perch fishery types commonly found in eastern South Dakota glacial lakes. High-quality yellow perch fisheries are characterized by fast growth (mean total length at age-3 greater …

Resource Selection Of Greater Prairie-Chicken And Sharp-Tailed Grouse Broods In Central South Dakota, Mark A. Norton, Kent C. Jensen, Anthony P. Leif, Thomas R. Kirschenmann, Gregaory A. Wolbrink

The Prairie Naturalist

Habitat use of sympatric greater prairie-chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) and sharp-tailed grouse (T. phasianellus) broods during the brood-rearing season has not been quantified for stable prairie grouse populations in large contiguous grassland landscapes in the Northern Great Plains. Characteristics of habitats used by prairie grouse broods were described based on data collected from 35 broods (18 greater prairie-chicken and 17 sharp-tailed grottse) during the breeding seasons of 2004 and 2005. Greater prairie-chicken and sharp-tailed grouse broods used vegetation with visual obstruction heights 2:26 cm and 37 cm, respectively. Greater prairie-chicken broods selected western wheatgrass (Pascopyrum smithii …

The River Discontinuum: Applying Beaver Modifications To Baseline Conditions For Restoration Of Forested Headwaters, Denise Burchsted, Melinda Daniels, Robert Thorson, Jason Vokoun

Center for Integrative Geosciences

Billions of dollars are being spent in the United States to restore rivers to a desired, yet often unknown, reference condition. In lieu of a known reference, practitioners typically assume the paradigm of a connected watercourse. Geological and ecological processes, however, create patchy and discontinuous fluvial systems. One of these processes, dam building by North American beavers (Castor canadensis), generated discontinuities throughout precolonial river systems of northern North America. Under modern conditions, beaver dams create dynamic sequences of ponds and wet meadows among free-flowing segments. One beaver impoundment alone can exceed 1000 meters along the river, flood the valley laterally, …

Salmon For Terrestrial Protected Areas, Chris T. Darimont, Heather M. Bryan, Stephanie M. Carlson, Morgan D. Hocking, Misty Macduffee, Paul C. Paquet, Michael H. H. Price, Thomas E. Reimchen, John D. Reynolds, Christopher C. Wilmers

Environment and Nature Conservation Collection

Although managers safeguard protected areas for migratory species, little consideration has been given to how migratory species might benefit parks. Additionally, whereas land‐sea connections are considered in management of protected areas, most effort has focused on reducing negative “downstream” processes. Here, we offer a proposal to promote positive “upstream” processes by safeguarding the seasonal pulse of marine nutrients imported into freshwater and riparian ecosystems by spawning migrations of Pacific salmon. Currently, high rates of fishing limit this important contribution to species and processes that terrestrial parks were designed to protect. Accordingly, we propose limiting exploitation in areas and periods through …

Epistemic Mediation: Aligning Expertise Across Boundaries Within An Endangered Species Habitat Conservation Plan, Bruce Evan Goldstein

Bruce Evan Goldstein

This paper uses videotaping and discourse analysis to study participants’ dialogue and conduct during preparation of the Coachella Valley habitat conservation plan in southern California. The research uses social worlds analysis to reveal that the plan’s technical advisors did not find facts through the collective discovery of scientific truths with unitary meanings, but instead constructed facts by aligning professional visions of space, time, and agency. The validity of the resulting plan relied on its ability to be a “boundary object”, meaning different things to different groups, while simultaneously laying claim to universality and objectivity. However, its subsequent failure to satisfy …

Corn Hybrids: Deer Taste The Difference, Joshua A. Delger, Kevin L. Monteith, Jonathan A. Jenks

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

As daylight begins to illuminate the countryside, a cold wind rustles through the leaves of the weedy rows of corn that you barely had time to get in the ground this past spring. The corn plants are stunted, the few small ears of corn that did grow are not even enticing to passing blackbirds, and that stud buck captured on your trail-camera months earlier is nowhere to be seen. Meanwhile, a couple hundred yards across the fence to the south, you hear the unmistakable sound of deer running through corn. Your heart rate involuntarily increases. As the sun continues to …

Description Of The Tadpole Of Proceratophrys Renalis (Miranda-Ribeiro, 1920) (Anura: Cycloramphidae), Filipe Augusto C. Do Nascimento, Barnagleison S. Lisboa, Gabriel O. Skuk, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The tadpole of Proceratophrys renalis is described based on specimens from Maceió, State of Alagoas, northeastern Brazil. At stage 35 the body is slightly dorso-ventrally depressed, ovoid in lateral, dorsal, and ventral views. Oral disc is ventral with lateral emarginations, surrounded by a single row of marginal papillae with a large gap on the upper labium. Labial tooth row formula is 2(2)/3(1 ). The analysis of internal oral anatomy revealed two possible characters that readily distinguish P. renalis from P. boiei, supporting the recent resurrection of P. renal is. Comparisons with available descriptions of the larvae for other species in …

Geological And Ichthyological Investigations Into Palaeodrainage Hypothesis For The Tennessee River, Andrea Karen Persons

Dissertations

The course of the ancestral Tennessee River has been debated in both the geological and biological literature for over 100 years. Several of the proposed courses for the ancestral Tennessee place its course across the state of Mississippi. Geochemical analysis of sedimentary rocks in the Pascagoula River basin supports these hypotheses suggesting that the rocks in the Pascagoula basin were derived from the Highland Rim of Tennessee and northern Alabama, while geochemical analysis of rocks from the Pearl River basin point to deposition from a mixture of sources including the ancestral Mississippi River and perhaps the ancestral Tennessee. To delve …

Ancient And Recent Demographic Events Influence Mitochondrial Dna Diversity In An Immigrant Basque Population, Michael Christopher Davis

Boise State University Theses and Dissertations

The Basques are an ancient people, considered by many anthropologists to represent the oldest extant European population. Because of this, they have been the subject of numerous sociological and biological investigations. The Basque Diaspora, a relatively recent demographic expansion of the Basque population, has until now been overlooked in molecular genetic studies. Samples were taken from 53 individuals with Basque ancestry in Boise, Idaho, and the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence variation of the first and second hypervariable regions were determined. Thirty-six mtDNA haplotypes were detected in the sample. Comparing the genetic diversity in the Idaho sample with other Basque populations, …

A New Partial Skeleton Of A Cryptocleidoid Plesiosaur From The Upper Jurassic Sundance Formation Of Wyoming, Benjamin C. Wilhelm, F. Robin O’Keefe

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

Cryptocleidoid plesiosaurs from the Upper Jurassic are well known from the Oxford Clay (Callovian) of the United Kingdom. The plesiosaurs of the nearly coeval Sundance Formation (Oxfordian) of North America are poorly known, but are thought to include two cryptocleidoid taxa:Pantosaurus striatus and Tatenectes laramiensis. Here we present two specimens recently recovered from the Bighorn Basin of Wyoming. The first specimen comprises three articulated adult cervical vertebrae and fragments of a fourth. This specimen preserves a posteriorly directed cervical neural spine, a character diagnostic of Pantosaurus striatus. It also resembles Pantosaurus in the morphology of its cervical …

Review Of Grouse Of The Plains And Mountains - The South Dakota Story, By Lester D. Flake, John W. Connelly, Thomas R. Kirschenmann, And Andrew J. Lindbloom., Brent E. Jamison

The Prairie Naturalist

Grouse are a fascinating group of birds that offer elaborate breeding displays for birders in the spring, provide sporting opportunities for hunters in the fall, and serve as indicators of grassland health. Though the authors claim that the book targets those who enjoy the outdoors, bird watching, and upland game bird hunting, there is ample reason for ecologists, ornithologists, and grouse researchers to reference this book as well. The book contains general information of interest to a broad audience, but often moves beyond the introductory information to greater detail. Many details are supported by peer-reviewed literature. This book strikes a …

Correlation Of Mature Walleye Relative Abundance To Egg Density, Jordan D. Katt, Casey W. Schoenebeck, Keith D. Koupal, Brian C. Peterson, W. Wyatt Hoback

The Prairie Naturalist

Knowledge of spawning areas can benefit fisheries management (Marsden et al. 1991). Identification of spawning areas allows managers to protect, enhance, and/or restore critical habitat (Gunn et al. 1996, Thompson 2009), examine important biotic and abiotic conditions necessary for reproduction (Quist et al. 2003), and to efficiently collect broodstock for production (Satterfield and Flickinger 1996). The most effective method to directly identify spawning areas of fish with demersal eggs is to sample the substrate for eggs (Marsden et al. 1991). This method has been used to locate spawning areas of several species (Michaletz 1984, Zorn et al. 1998, Martin 2008). …

Review Of Weeds Of The Midwestern United States & Central Canada, Edited By Charles T. Bryson And Michael S. Defelice, James Stubbendieck

The Prairie Naturalist

This volume is the culmination of work by more than 40 weed scientists and botanists. Its stated purpose is to help identifY the great diversity of weedy and invasive plants that interface with agriculture, industry, and natural ecosystems in central North America. The geographic range covered by this book extends from southeastern Saskatchewan to eastern Kansas, northern Kentucky, northwestern Pennsylvania, and southwestern Quebec. This is a welcome edition because a current book on unwanted plants has not been available for the eastern two-thirds of this region. The book is arranged taxonomically by family and alphabetically by species within each family. …

Diets Of Nesting Swainson's Hawks In Relation To Land Cover In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy

The Prairie Naturalist

Relationships between land use practices and types of prey used by Swainson's hawks (Buteo swainsoni) in the Northern Great Plains is of increasing interest as the quantity and quality of habitat in the region declines. I recorded 1,284 prey items at 18 Swainson' s hawk nesting areas throughout northwestern North Dakota during summer 1986-1987. After correcting for detectability biases and food needs of adults, I estimated (90% CI) 2,087-2,859 total prey individuals and 138.3-206.7 kg of prey biomass (x = 69.8 g/item) were consumed by adult and nestling Swainson's hawks during my study. Major prey (>10% overall …