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Articles 1 - 7 of 7
Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
Friends Or Foes: Interpreting The Relationship Between Two Synoptic Small Mammals In Southeastern Virginia, The Hispid Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) And Eastern Harvest Mouse (Reithrodontomys Humulis), Sarah A. Crawford
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Relatively little is known about the relationship between the hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) and the eastern harvest mouse (Reithrodontomys humulis). Literature on these two syntopic genera in other areas of the United States suggests that competition may exist; however, both species seem to be greatly affected by environmental changes, making it difficult to draw any definite conclusions. Live trapping and microhabitat data collected from 2 old fields in Chesapeake, Virginia over a 9-year period were used to assess the biotic and abiotic influences on space use by these two species. Each I-ha plot consisted of 2 live traps placed …
Rats As Forest Pests In Southeastern Virginia: Girdling By The Hispid Cotton Rat Sigmodon Hispidus As A Significant Source Of Mortality Of Loblolly Pines (Pinus Taeda) In A Successional Pine Forest, Robyn M. Nadolny
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The hispid cotton rat (Sigmodon hispidus) is a common field rodent throughout the southeastern US, where volunteer loblolly pine trees (Pinus taeda) invade open space and begin the process of ecological succession from field to pine forest. Recent analysis of the diet of S. hispidus indicates that loblolly pine bark is stripped and eaten during the winter months. In this study, we explored the extent of rodent girdling on a 1.23 ha grid in a successional pine forest in southeastern Virginia. During the winter of 2005 we observed damage to 65% of trees in our study area, with 98% …
Seasonal Variation In Diet Of The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) Based On Fecal Analysis, Lynn A. Walker
Seasonal Variation In Diet Of The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) Based On Fecal Analysis, Lynn A. Walker
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus, live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat eats predominantly grasses, but grasses rarely are the only food. Fecal samples were collected each month during an ongoing capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community at a location in southern Chesapeake, Virginia. In the lab, five fecal pellets per animal were stained, placed on a microscope slide, and covered with starch-gel medium and coverslip. Then a clear nail polish was applied to produce a semi-permanent slide. Using a microscope and a set of reference slides, plant …
An Examination Of Seasonal Growth And Survivorship Of Sigmodon Hispidus In Southeastern Virginia, Heather Alyssa Green
An Examination Of Seasonal Growth And Survivorship Of Sigmodon Hispidus In Southeastern Virginia, Heather Alyssa Green
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
A reexamination of specific population dynamic aspects of Sigmodon hispidus, the hispid cotton rat, is necessary in order to gain additional knowledge and perspective on this species in its northernmost distribution on the east coast of the United States. Previous studies of Virginia cotton rats were based on data from necropsies, which do not allow for the determination of certain population characteristics, such as density, growth, and survival. General population trends and rates of growth and survival in males and females throughout the seasons in Virginia will also provide a basis for comparison with populations of cotton rats in …
Evaluation Of The Gross Anatomy Seasonal Changes Function And Histology Of The Perineal Gland In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Julie Anne Winchell
Evaluation Of The Gross Anatomy Seasonal Changes Function And Histology Of The Perineal Gland In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Julie Anne Winchell
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The perinea! gland in the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, is a seasonally cyclic, subcutaneously located organ which is associated with the reproductive system. On gross dissection, the gland possesses a strong attachment to the penis with only loose fascia! connections to the rectum and surrounding muscle and skin. Histologic exam confirms this connection to the reproductive tract and shows the organ to be a compound tubuloacinar gland with a projection leading into the penis. The cyclic hypertrophy and regression of the gland closely parallels that of the testes and seminal vesicles indicating that this cyclicity may be under …
The Effect Of 6-Methoxybenzoxazolinone On Reproductive Condition In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Vera Lee Adams
The Effect Of 6-Methoxybenzoxazolinone On Reproductive Condition In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Vera Lee Adams
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
A non-estrogenic hormone, 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA), found in young growing grasses, has been shown to be a reproductive initiator in several herbivorous rodents. However, the mechanism by which 6-MBOA initiates reproduction has not been determined. Many believe that 6-MBOA represents a reliable cue that the vegetative growing season has begun, but it is unknown whether this hormone is a primary cueing mechanism or if it works in conjunction with other environmental factors. Therefore, a controlled laboratory experiment was conducted using male and female Sigmodon hispidus, the hispid cotton rat, to determine whether different dosages of 6-MBOA (4μg, 40 …
Reproduction In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon-Hispidus Say And Ord (Rodentia: Muridae), In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Michael H. Mitchell
Reproduction In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon-Hispidus Say And Ord (Rodentia: Muridae), In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Michael H. Mitchell
Biological Sciences Faculty Publications
The hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, a species of the southwestern United States that has been moving northward and eastward in this century, was first observed in Virginia in 1940. In this study of the cotton rat in southeastern Virginia, most males were reproductively competent from February through November, embryos were recorded from March through October, and litter sizes were comparable to those from other locations except Kansas. Also unlike the cotton rat in Kansas, animals grew at substantial rates during the winter in Virginia. The hispid cotton rat seems to have adjusted its breeding season in …