Biodiversity Commons^™

Phylogeography And Genetic Ancestry Of Tigers (Panthera Tigris), Shu-Jin Luo, Jae-Heup Kim, Warren E. Johnson, Joelle Van Der Walt, Janice S. Martenson, Naoya Yuhki, Dale Miquelle, Olga Uphyrkina, John M. Goodrich, Howard Quigley, R. Tilson, Gerald Brady, Paolo Martelli, Vellayan Subramaniam, Charles Mcdougal, Sun Hean, Shi-Qiang Huang, Wenshi Pan, Ullas K. Karanth, Melvin Sunquist, James L. D. Smith, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Eight traditional subspecies of tiger (Panthera tigris), of which three recently became extinct, are commonly recognized on the basis of geographic isolation and morphological characteristics. To investigate the species' evolutionary history and to establish objective methods for subspecies recognition, voucher specimens of blood, skin, hair, and/or skin biopsies from 134 tigers with verified geographic origins or heritage across the whole distribution range were examined for three molecular markers: (1) 4.0 kb of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequence; (2) allele variation in the nuclear major histocompatibility complex class II DRB gene; and (3) composite nuclear microsatellite genotypes based on 30 loci. Relatively …

Historical Biogeography Of The Woodchuck (Marmota Monax Bunkeri) In Nebraska And Northern Kansas, Zachary P. Roehrs, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Discusses the historical biogeography of the Woodchuck (Marmota monax bunkeri) in Nebraska and northern Kansas.

First paragraph:

Jones et al. described the western limit of Marmota monax in the United States as the eastern edge of the northern Great Plains in Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, and the Dakotas. Mengel introduced the idea of the Great Plains grasslands as a barrier to contact between birds of eastern and western North American forests. In his studies of bird biogeography on the Platte River, Knopf reported that this barrier has eroded with development of riparian forests along river courses of the Great …

Feeding Behavior Of Sheep In Relation To Kinetics Of Sagebrush Monoterpenes: Implications For Landscape Biodiversity, Luthando E. Dziba

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The sagebrush steppe is one of the most extensive vegetation types in the western US and an important habitat for wild and domestic herbivores. When sagebrush dominates, however, forage and habitat quality decline. Although sagebrush is nutritious, its forage value is reduced by terpenes. A better understanding of how terpenes limit intake is vital for increasing consumption of sagebrush and for enhancing and maintaining biodiversity in the sagebrush-steppe.

To better understand how terpenes in sagebrush limit intake, we studied feeding behavior of sheep in the field, influence of sagebrush monoterpenes on regulation of intake in pens, and the feeding behavior …

Rare, Threatened And Endangered Species Of Oregon (2004), James S. Kagan, Sue Vrilakas, Eleanor P. Gaines, Cliff Alton, Fern Mcarthur, Kuuipo Walsh, Eric Scheuering, John A. Christy, Jon Hak, Claudine Tobalske, Annie Weiland, Theresa Koloszar, Oregon Natural Heritage Information Center

Institute for Natural Resources Publications

Extinction is a natural process. Today, however, plant and animal species are disappearing world-wide at an accelerated pace. Based on current trends, half of the species on earth will be extinct within the next 100 years. The major cause of this phenomenon is large-scale destruction of native habitats, which has increased since European settlement began in the mid 1800's - in Oregon and throughout the New World.

Once lost, a species can never be recovered, and there is no way of knowing how useful it may have been. We do know that human beings and many of their industries depend …

Re-Assessment Of Carrying Capacities In The Ashburton River Catchment, Alan L. Payne, A M E Van Vreeswyk, K A. Leighton

Agriculture reports

Potential carrying capacities for land systems in the catchment of the Ashburton River were first estimated in 1983 as a result of a rangeland survey of the area undertaken during 1976, 1977 and 1978. Potential carrying capacity (termed capability capacity in the 1988 report) is a suggested sustainable level of use assuming that all pastures are in good range condition, the entire station is adequately watered for the effective management of livestock and seasonal conditions are average. The Ashburton Land Conservation District Committee had previously requested a re-assessment of carrying capacities for Ashburton stations following the widespread establishment of buffel …

A New Subspecies Of Cicindela Nevadica Leconte (Coleoptera: Carbidae: Cicindelinae) From The Badlands Of South Dakota, Stephen M. Spomer

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

A new subspecies of Cicindela nevadica LeConte, Cicindela nevadica makosika Spomer, is described from the South Dakota Badlands. Geographically, the population occurs at the periphery of the range of C. nevadica knausii Leng. However, this new population is geographically isolated from the nearest C. n. knausii populations, which occur ca. 100 air miles north and over 100 air miles south. Phenotypically, C. n. makosika appears most similar to C. n. tubensis Cazier from northeast Arizona. A possible threat to this population is habitat destruction by cattle.

Agroforestry, Elephants, And Tigers: Balancing Conservation Theory And Practice In Human-Dominated Landscapes Of Southeast Asia, Philip J. Nyhus, R L. Tilson

Faculty Scholarship

Large mammal populations theoretically are best conserved in landscapes where large protected areas are surrounded by buffer zones, connected by corridors, and integrated into a greater ecosystem. Multi-use buffer zones, including those containing complex agroforestry systems, are promoted as one strategy to provide both economic benefits to people and conservation benefits to wildlife. We use the island of Sumatra, Indonesia to explore the benefits and limitations of this strategy. We conclude that conservation benefits are accrued by expanding the habitat available for large mammals but more attention needs to be focused on how to reduce and respond to human–wildlife conflict …

Record High Wolf, Canis Lupus, Pack Density, L. David Mech, Shawn Tracy

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

This report documents a year-around Wolf (Canis lupus) density of 18.2/100 km² and a summer density of 30.8/100 km², in a northeastern Minnesota Wolf pack. The previous record was a summer density of 14.1/100 km², for a Wolf pack on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada.

Unusual Behavior By Bison, Bison Bison, Toward Elk, Cervus Elaphus, And Wolves, Canis Lupus, L. David Mech, Rick T. Mcintyre, Douglas W. Smith

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Incidents are described of Bison (Bison bison) in Yellowstone National Park mauling and possibly killing a young Elk (Cervus elaphus) calf, chasing wolves (Canis lupus) off Elk they had just killed or were killing, and keeping the wolves away for extended periods. During one of the latter cases, the Bison knocked a wolf-wounded Elk down. Bison were also seen approaching wolves that were resting and sleeping, rousting them, following them to new resting places and repeating this behavior. These behaviors might represent some type of generalized hyper-defensiveness that functions as an anti-predator strategy.

Limulus In The Limelight: Exploring An Ancient Species, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

In an era when sports numbers shatter historical ceilings (especially in baseball) and fall by the wayside like fall leaves, a most enduring record of life continues to crawl along emerging from the sea early each spring pronouncing their incredible "record" of existences... over 350 million years. Now there is a number that even the rarified air of baseball salaries can admire. Yet, today the remarkable sea creature which endured over 100 million years of dramatically changing earth history prior to the existence of the dinosaurs, and which is comprised of only four species globally, is being tested for its …

Agroforestry, Elephants, And Tigers: Balancing Conservation Theory And Practice In Human-Dominated Landscapes Of Southeast Asia, Philip J. Nyhus, R L. Tilson

Philip J. Nyhus

Large mammal populations theoretically are best conserved in landscapes where large protected areas are surrounded by buffer zones, connected by corridors, and integrated into a greater ecosystem. Multi-use buffer zones, including those containing complex agroforestry systems, are promoted as one strategy to provide both economic benefits to people and conservation benefits to wildlife. We use the island of Sumatra, Indonesia to explore the benefits and limitations of this strategy. We conclude that conservation benefits are accrued by expanding the habitat available for large mammals but more attention needs to be focused on how to reduce and respond to human–wildlife conflict …