Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons^™

Individual-Level Antibody Dynamics Reveal Potential Drivers Of Influenza A Seasonality In Wild Pig Populations, Kim M. Pepin, Kerri Pedersen, Xiu-Feng Wan, Fred L. Cunningham, Colleen T. Webb, Mark Q. Wilber

USDA Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Swine are important in the ecology of influenza A virus (IAV) globally. Understanding the ecological role of wild pigs in IAV ecology has been limited because surveillance in wild pigs is often for antibodies (serosurveillance) rather than IAVs, as in humans and domestic swine. As IAV antibodies can persist long after an infection, serosurveillance data are not necessarily indicative of current infection risk. However, antibody responses to IAV infections cause a predictable antibody response, thus time of infection can be inferred from antibody levels in serological samples, enabling identification of risk factors of infection at estimated times of infection. Recent …

Grizzly Bear Monitoring By The Heiltsuk People As A Crucible For First Nation Conservation Practice, William G. Housty, Anna Noson, Gerald W. Scoville, John Boulanger, Richard M. Jeo, Chris T. Darimont, Christopher E. Filardi

Chris Darimont, PhD

Guided by deeply held cultural values, First Nations in Canada are rapidly regaining legal authority to manage natural resources. We present a research collaboration among academics, tribal government, provincial and federal government, resource managers, conservation practitioners, and community leaders supporting First Nation resource authority and stewardship. First, we present results from a molecular genetics study of grizzly bears inhabiting an important conservation area within the territory of the Heiltsuk First Nation in coastal British Columbia. Noninvasive hair sampling occurred between 2006 and 2009 in the Koeye watershed, a stronghold for grizzly bears, salmon, and Heiltsuk people. Molecular demographic analyses revealed …

Population Genetic Structure Of Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In A Marine Archipelago Suggests Island-Mainland Differentiation Consistent With Dietary Niche, Astrid V. Stronen, Erin L. Navid, Michael S. Quinn, Paul C. Paquet, Heather M. Bryan, Chris T. Darimont

Chris Darimont, PhD

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that ecological heterogeneity across space can influence the genetic structure of populations, including that of long-distance dispersers such as large carnivores. On the central coast of British Columbia, Canada, wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758) dietary niche and parasite prevalence data indicate strong ecological divergence between marine-oriented wolves inhabiting islands and individuals on the coastal mainland that interact primarily with terrestrial prey. Local holders of traditional ecological knowledge, who distinguish between mainland and island wolf forms, also informed our hypothesis that genetic differentiation might occur between wolves from these adjacent environments.

Results: We used microsatellite genetic markers …

Intrapopulation Diversity In Isotopic Niche Over Landscapes: Spatial Patterns Inform Conservation Of Bear–Salmon Systems, Megan S. Adams, Christina N. Service, Andrew Bateman, Mathieu Bourbonnais, Kyle A. Artelle, Trisalyn Nelson, Paul C. Paquet, Taal Levi, Chris T. Darimont

Chris Darimont, PhD

Intrapopulation variability in resource acquisition (i.e., niche variation) influences population dynamics, with important implications for conservation planning. Spatial analyses of niche variation within and among populations can provide relevant information about ecological associations and their subsequent management. We used stable isotope analysis and kernel-weighted regression to examine spatial patterns in a keystone consumer–resource interaction: salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) consumption by grizzly and black bears (Ursus arctos horribilis, n = 886; and Ursus americanus, n = 557) from 1995 to 2014 in British Columbia (BC), Canada. In a region on the central coast of BC (22,000 km² ), grizzly bears consumed …

Maintaining Ethical Standards During Conservation Crises, Ryan K. Brook, Mark Cattet, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Gilbert Proulx

Chris Darimont, PhD

Many species at risk in Canada and globally are at or approaching a crisis, especially where little or nothing consequential is being done to prevent extirpation. Such is the case of endangered boreal caribou (Rangifer tarandus caribou) in southern Alberta, Canada. Expedient but inadequate emergency ‘fixes’ have been experimentally implemented to arrest their decline and potential extirpation, but use of these measures raises important ethical problems. In their study of the effects of killing wolves (Canis lupus) on the Little Smoky woodland caribou population, Hervieux et al. (2014a) employed lethal methods that included shooting a firearm from a helicopter and …

Political Populations Of Large Carnivores, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet, Adrian Treves, Kyle A. Artelle

Chris Darimont, PhD

No abstract provided.

Mismeasured Mortality: Correcting Estimates Of Wolf Poaching In The United States, Adrian Treves, Kyle A. Artelle, Chris T. Darimont, David R. Parsons

Chris Darimont, PhD

Measuring rates and causes of mortalities is important in animal ecology and management. Observing the fates of known individuals is a common method of estimating life history variables, including mortality patterns. It has long been assumed that data lost when known animals disappear were unbiased. We test and reject this assumption under conditions common to most, if not all, studies using marked animals. We illustrate the bias for 4 endangered wolf populations in the United States by reanalyzing data and assumptions about the known and unknown fates of marked wolves to calculate the degree to which risks of different causes …

Indigenous Knowledge And Science Unite To Reveal Spatial And Temporal Dimensions Of Distributional Shift In Wildlife Of Conservation Concern, Christina N. Service, Megan S. Adams, Kyle A. Artelle, Paul C. Paquet, Laura V. Grant, Chris T. Darimont

Chris Darimont, PhD

Range shifts among wildlife can occur rapidly and impose cascading ecological, economic, and cultural consequences. However, occurrence data used to define distributional limits derived from scientific approaches are often outdated for wide ranging and elusive species, especially in remote environments. Accordingly, our aim was to amalgamate indigenous and western scientific evidence of grizzly bear (Ursus arctos horribilis) records and detail a potential range shift on the central coast of British Columbia, Canada. In addition, we test the hypothesis that data from each method yield similar results, as well as illustrate the complementary nature of this coupled approach. Combining information from …

Global Patterns And Drivers Of Ecosystem Functioning In Rivers And Riparian Zones, Scott D. Tiegs, David M. Costello, Mark W. Isken, Guy Woodward, Peter B. Mcintyre, Mark O. Gessner, Eric Chauvet, Natalie A. Griffiths, Alex S. Flecker, Vicenç Acuña, Ricardo Albariño, Daniel C. Allen, Cecilia Alonso, Patricio Andino, Clay Arango, Jukka Aroviita, Marcus V.M. Barbosa, Leon A. Barmuta, Denise A. Bruesewitz, Francis J. Burdon, Marcos Callisto, Cristina Canhoto, Krista A. Capps, Maria M. Castillo, Joanne Clapcott, Fanny Colas, Checo Checo Colón-Gaud, Julien Cornut, Verónica Crespo-Pérez, Wyatt F. Cross, Joseph M. Culp, Michael Danger, Olivier Dangles, Elvira De Eyto, Alison M. Derry, Veronica Díaz Villanueva, Michael M. Douglas, Arturo Elosegi, Andrea C. Encalada, Sally Entrekin, Rodrigo Espinosa, Diana Ethaiya, Verónica Ferreira, Carmen Ferriol, Kyla M. Flanagan, Tadeusz Fleituch, Jennifer J. Follstad Shah, André Frainer, Nikolai Friberg, Paul C. Frost, Erica A. Garcia, Liliana García Lago, Pavel Ernesto García Soto, Sudeep Ghate, Darren P. Giling, Alan Gilmer, José Franciso Gonçalves Jr., Rosario Karina Gonzales, Manuel A.S. Graça, Mike Grace, Hans-Peter Grossart, François Guérold, Vlad Gulis, Luiz U. Hepp, Scott Higgins, Takuo Hishi, Joseph Huddart, John Hudson, Samantha Imberger, Carlos Iñiguez-Armijos, Tomoya Iwata, David J. Janetski, Eleanor Jennings, Andrea E. Kirkwood, Aaron A. Koning, Sarian Kosten, Kevin A. Kuehn, Hjalmar Laudon, Peter R. Leavitt, Aurea L. Lemes Da Silva, Shawn G. Leroux, Carri J. Leroy, Peter J. Lisi, Richard Mackenzie, Amy M. Marcarelli, Frank O. Masese, Brendan G. Mckie, Adriana Oliveira Medeiros, Kristian Meissner, Marko Miliša, Shailendra Mishra, Yo Miyake, Ashley Moerke, Shorok Mombrikotb, Rob Mooney, Tim Moulton, Timo Muotka, Junjiro N. Negishi, Vinicius Neres-Lima, Mika L. Nieminen, Jorge Nimptsch, Jakub Ondruch, Riku Paavola, Isabel Pardo, Christopher J. Patrick, Edwin T.H.M. Peeters, Jesus Pozo, Catherine Pringle, Aaron Prussian, Estefania Quenta, Antonio Quesada, Brian Reid, John S. Richardson, Anna Rigosi, José Rincón, Geta Rîșnoveanu, Christopher T. Robinson, Lorena Rodríguez-Gallego, Todd V. Royer, James A. Rusak, Anna C. Santamans, Géza B. Selmeczy, Gelas Simiyu, Agnija Skuja, Jerzy Smykla, Kandikere R. Sridhar, Ryan Sponseller, Aaron Stoler, Christopher M. Swan, David Szlag, Franco Teixera-De Mello, Jonathan D. Tonkin, Sari Uusheimo, Allison M. Veach, Sirje Vilbaste, Lena B.M. Vought, Chiao-Ping Wang, Jackon R. Webster, Paul B. Wilson, Stefan Woelfl, Marguerite A. Xenopolous, Adam G. Yates, Chihiro Yoshimura, Catherine M. Yule, Yixin X. Zhang, Jacob A. Zwart

Faculty Publications

River ecosystems receive and process vast quantities of terrestrial organic carbon, the fate of which depends strongly on microbial activity. Variation in and controls of processing rates, however, are poorly characterized at the global scale. In response, we used a peer-sourced research network and a highly standardized carbon processing assay to conduct a global-scale field experiment in greater than 1000 river and riparian sites. We found that Earth’s biomes have distinct carbon processing signatures. Slow processing is evident across latitudes, whereas rapid rates are restricted to lower latitudes. Both the mean rate and variability decline with latitude, suggesting temperature constraints …

Scorpions Of The Horn Of Africa (Arachnida, Scorpiones). Part Xviii. Gint Banfasae Sp. N. From Somaliland (Buthidae), František Kovařík, Graeme Lowe

Euscorpius

Gint banfasae sp. n. from Somaliland is described and compared with other species of the genus. Additional information is provided on the taxonomy and distribution of the genus Gint, fully complemented with color photos of specimens of both sexes of the new species, as well as of their habitat. Included is a key for Gint.

Effects Of Disturbance On Jack Pine- (Pinus Banksiana Lamb.) Dominated Ecosystems In Northern Lower Michigan: Forest Management, Wildfires, And Climate Change, Madelyn Tucker

Wayne State University Dissertations

Jack pine-dominated forests in northern Lower Michigan were historically characterized by a frequent, severe fire regime that produced a patchwork of dense stands interspersed with open barrens. This structure also provided breeding habitat for Kirtland’s warblers, a migratory songbird. Fire suppression management caused forests to become older and reduced Kirtland’s warbler habitat, resulting in severe population losses. Kirtland’s warblers were designated as endangered, and subsequent habitat management has produced homogeneous forests that lack historical structural and compositional diversity. Moreover, future climate may increasingly complicate forest and fire management moving forward. In a landscape defined by disturbance, novel disturbances or changes …

Changes In North American Mammal Niche Preferences From The Late Pleistocene To The Present, Silvia Pineda-Munoz, Anikó Tóth, S. Kathleen Lyons, Yue Wang, Jenny Mcguire

School of Biological Sciences: Posters and Presentations

Human population has exponentially grown since the last glaciation, especially across temperate areas with easy access to water sources, excluding mammal species from their former habitats. Thus, we anticipate a change in environmental niche preferences for temperature and precipitation as increased human population forces mammal species into more extreme climates within their environmental tolerances. For our study, we collected species occurrences from 20,000 ybp to the present for 59 North American mammal species. We inferred temperature and precipitation for each location using paleoclimate simulations (CCSM3). Overall, we found that mammals now live in areas that are warmer and dryer on …

Habitat Associations And Community Interactions Of Non-Native Species In The Southern Basin Of Lake Michigan, Erin O'Shaughnessey

Master's Theses

Non-native crayfishes, mollusks, and macrophytes can have large impacts on biodiversity and damage ecosystem services in freshwaters. In 2015 we discovered an established population of the globally widespread invader red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) in the North Shore Channel of the Chicago Area Waterway System. This population overlaps with a population of rusty crayfish (Faxonius rusticus), a previous invader that is widely distributed and usually the dominant crayfish species across the Great Lakes region. I studied the interactions between these two species while directly competing over shelter and food. In the field, each species was studied to determine the rate …

Microplastic In Aquatic Food Webs: Museum Specimens And Ingestion Experiments Reveal Controls On Microplastic Ingestion By Freshwater Fish, Loren Hou

Master's Theses

Plastic is pervasive in modern economies and ecosystems. Early research suggests freshwater fish commonly ingest microplastic (particles < 5 mm), which may influence fish digestive tissues, but no studies have examined historical patterns in microplastic consumption or rates of microplastic retention in fish. We measured microplastic in digestive tissue of specimens collected and preserved over the last century (Field Museum, Chicago). We selected Micropterus salmoides (largemouth bass), Notropis stramineus (sand shiner), Ictalurus punctatus (channel catfish), and Neogobius melanostomus (round goby) because each was well represented in the museum collection, with specimens from urban rivers. Specimens from 1900-2018 showed increases in microplastic concentration from the 1950's to present. in a second project, we collected round gobies from Lake Michigan in Chicago to conduct feeding experiments to measure microplastic ingestion and retention rates. the majority of microplastic was excreted within 72 hours of ingestion. Results will aid in understanding ecological interactions of microplastic and freshwater fish, informing further work on the movement of microplastic in aquatic food webs.

A Prairie And Its People: Conflict And Cooperation. E. Frank Schramm, Joseph E.A. Alexis, The Amos Eager Family, The University Of Nebraska And Other Notable Owners Of Nine Mile Prairie And Its Environs, Jon H. Oberg

Publications of UNSM Staff and Affiliates

This study looks at the social history of individuals connected to a particular geographic quadrant -- Section 1 of Middle Creek precinct, Lancaster County, Nebraska. This an area famous for its natural history, as it is the home of Nine Mile Prairie. But the property owners in this section have a colorful history that encompasses the fields of sports, politics, academics, foreign wars, and crime. The study looks primarily at E. Frank Schramm, Joseph E.A. Alexis, and the Amos Eager family, who with other owners contributed importantly to the history and development of the City of Lincoln and the State …

Quantifying Signpost Usage By Captive Male White-Tailed Deer, Cassie L. Auxt, Eric S. Michel, Jonathan A. Jenks

The Prairie Naturalist

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) use rubbing of signpost structures to communicate during the breeding season. Rubbing of signpost structures allows deer to communicate via visual and chemical cues, which allows them to establish dominance hierarchies and maintain hierarchal status throughout the breeding season (Moore and Marchinton 1974, Miller et al. 1981, Hewitt 2011). Once a living tree is rubbed, the exposed light-colored sapwood creates a stark contrast in wooded areas, increasing visibility and further enticing deer to investigate the structure (Oehler et al. 1995). Anatomically, the tubular apocrine sudoriferous glands of white-tailed deer are located at the antler …

Viabilidad Socio-Ecológica Y Ambiental Para El Establecimiento De Un Programa De Aviturismo En Bosque De Morichal, Cumaral-Meta, Diana Jannette Peralta Baquero

Maestría en Agrociencias

El conflicto ambiental que se presentó en las ganaderías extensivas se aborda desde diferentes perspectivas. La principal, considera la deforestación como la mayor amenaza que causa la actividad ganadera productiva en los ecosistemas, ocasionando una alta pérdida de la diversidad biológica. Así, establecer la viabilidad socioecológica y ambiental de los programas de aviturismo como alternativa para mitigar los impactos generados por la ganadería en los bosques de morichal del caño El Oso y bajos inundables, en el municipio de Cumaral - Meta, acuerdos de riesgo entre los diferentes actores que determinaron el estado de afectación de los principales componentes del …

Cichlid Size Vs Flow Rate, Amy E. Naumovski

STAR Program Research Presentations

Cichlids are a diverse group of fish that are known for their prenatal and postnatal care of their eggs and frys (baby fish). This unique characteristic creates a limitation on the amount of eggs a cichlid can lay and protect, which is particulalry effected by the size of the eggs. Cichlids have a large variance in their egg size, which correlates to a large variance in their fry size. This project explores the trade offs cichlids make in egg size and fry size by specifically testing the ability of varying sized cichlids to swim in different flow rates. This could …

Comparing Orientation Behavior And Prey Preference Of Leptasterias Spp. Between Microhabitats, Jenna C. Sanders, Margaret W. Johnson, C Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Leptasterias spp. is a species complex of small, six rayed, predatory sea stars that inhabit rocky intertidal communities along the Pacific coast of North America. A developmental mode of brooding their young, rather than broadcasting for planktonic development, limits dispersal away from the natal area, and may also result in fine scale local adaptation of populations. Local adaptation may lead to morphological and behavioral differences among populations, specifically towards the most available prey. Within the rocky intertidalthere are zones of high and low wave impact which create microhabitats with their own selective forces. In areas of high wave impact, stars …

Are Our Ideas About Octopus Life Too Anthropomorphic To Help?, Kenneth J. Aitken

Animal Sentience

Our understanding of the evolution and ontogeny of the octopus and its behavioral repertoire in its natural habitat remains rudimentary at best. There are many parallels, but also just as many differences from our models of human biology and ontogeny, making anthropocentric generalizations of limited use in explanation.