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Occurrence Of Blarina Brevicauda In Arkansas And Notes On The Distribution Of Blarina Carolinensis And Cryptotis Parva, R. S. Pfau, D. Blake Sasse, M. B. Connior, I. F. Guenther

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We provide an update on the species and distribution of shrews occurring in Arkansas. Shrews were collected within Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Wildlife Management Areas and along the Buffalo National River. We also searched mammal collections at several institutional museums to provide additional locality records for Cryptotis parva. Specimens of Blarina were identified to species by DNA sequencing of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene. Previously, Blarina hylophaga was believed to occur in the northwest corner of Arkansas and B. carolinensis throughout the rest of the state. However, our genetic analysis revealed that it is B. brevicauda that occupies the …

Seasonal Activity, Population Characteristics, And Age Estimation In The Aquatic Salamander, Siren Intermedia Nettingi (Goin), J. A. Sawyer, S. E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We conducted a study of the Western Lesser Siren (Siren intermedia nettinigi), at a locality termed the Airport Road site in Jonesboro (Craighead County, AR) from November 2004 until March 2007. This site consisted of a network of roadside ditches in cultivated lawns in an industrial park. Even though sirens are known to occur frequently in ditches, most studies of the genus Siren have taken place in natural wetlands. We compiled mark-recapture data at the Airport Road site for each season to determine if the seasonal activity pattern for sirens in northeast Arkansas varied from activity data previously published from …

New Records And Notes On The Natural History Of Vertebrates From Arkansas, M. B. Connior, R. Tumlison, H. W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Bat Species Diversity In Old-Growth Vs. Second Growth Forests In Lilley Cornett Woods, Letcher County, Kentucky, Lindsay R. Conley

Online Theses and Dissertations

Bat activity in old-growth forests (+150 years) is a subject that is poorly understood. The majority of old-growth forests are located in the northwestern portion of the United States, and with current silviculture practices, many forests are being cut. There have been no published studies that specifically examine bat use of old-growth forests in Kentucky. The objective of this study was to determine the diversity of bat species associated with old-growth and second growth forests within the Lilley Cornett Woods Appalachian Ecological Research Station, Letcher County, Kentucky. This study was conducted over 2 field seasons; 2009 and 2010. Mist netting …

Characteristics Of Rest Sites Used By Raccoons (Procyon Lotor) In Richmond, Kentucky, Jonathan Ridenour

Online Theses and Dissertations

The raccoon (Procyon lotor) is one of many species that have adapted to living in urban/suburban environments. In this study, radio-tagged raccoons within the city limits of Richmond, KY, were monitored to locate rest sites. A rest site is defined as any site occupied by a raccoon during the non-motile periods of its daily activity cycle. Thirty-three different rest sites were located throughout the spring and summer seasons of 2009-10. With some rest sites being used multiple times for a total of 50.

Of the individual rest sites located, 9, 16, and 8 were located in trees, in …

Use Of Cranial Characters In Taxonomy Of The Minnesota Wolf (Canis Sp.), L. David Mech, Ronald M. Nowak, Sanford Weisberg

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Minnesota wolves (Canis sp.) sometimes are reported to have affinity to a small, narrow-skulled eastern form (Canis lupus lycaon Schreber, 1775) and sometimes to a larger, broader western form (Canis lupus nubilus Say, 1823). We found that pre-1950 Minnesota wolf skulls were similar in size to those of wolves from southeastern Ontario and smaller than those of western wolves. However, Minnesota wolf skulls during 1970–1976 showed a shift to the larger, western form. Although Minnesota skull measurements after 1976 were unavailable, rostral ratios from 1969 through 1999 were consistent with hybridization between the smaller eastern wolf and …

Mechanisms For Decisions About The Future, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Evolutionary and psychological perspectives on decision making remain largely separate endeavors. The bounded rationality approach integrates these two perspectives by focusing on simple, plausible mechanisms of decision making and the cognitive capacities needed to implement these mechanisms. Decisions about the future provide a class of decisions that lend themselves to a bounded rationality approach. Though many different mechanisms may exist for making decisions about the future, only a subset of these mechanisms actually require a representation of the future. The bounded rationality approach helps focus on the cognitive capacities and decision mechanisms that are necessary for a full understanding of …

Livestock And Domestic Dog Predations By Wolves In Michigan, Justin L. Edge, Dean E. Beyer Jr., Jerrold L. Belant, Mark J. Jordan, Brian J. Roell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Wolves (Canis spp.) have recolonized the Great Lakes region and expanded into agricultural areas where there is increasing concern of conflict with livestock. We documented 121 wolf predation events on captive or domestic animals in the Upper Peninsula (UP) of Michigan between April 1996 and April 2009. We investigated the relationship between annual wolf abundance and predation events, seasonality of predations on livestock, and the association between previous winter severity and predations on livestock. The annual number of predations on livestock increased with wolf abundance, and overall, predations on cattle and calves increased during calving season. We observed a …

Assessment Of Heavy Metal Concentrations In Water, Plankton, And Fish Of Lake Manzala, Egypt, Mohamed Bahnasawy, Abdel Aziz Khidr, Nadia Dheina

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The levels of some heavy metals (Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) were determined in water, plankton, and fish (Liza aurata) collected from 5 sites in Lake Manzala. Metals in the water and fish exhibited a significant seasonal and regional variation, in which all metals attained their maximum value during summer, while the lowest levels were found during winter. The concentration of different metals in water, plankton, and fish tissues followed the same order: Zn > Cu > Pb > Cd. The mean concentrations of metals in the water were as follow: Cu, 0.055; Zn, 0.311; Cd, 0.020; and Pb, 0.022 mg/L. The Cd …

Helminth Parasites Of The Balkan Green Lizard, Lacerta Trilineata Bedriaga 1886, From Bursa, Turkey, Hi̇kmet Sami̇ Yildirimhan, Charles Robert Bursey, Fayik Naci̇ Altunel

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Thirty-eight Balkan green lizards, Lacerta trilineata, from Turkey were examined for helminths. Three species of Digenea, Plagiorchis elegans, Pleurogenoides medians, Brachylaemus sp. (metacercaria); 2 species of Cestoda, Oochoristica tuberculata and Mesocestoides sp. (tetrathyridium); and 6 species of Nematoda, Abbreviata abbreviata, Ascarops strongylina (larva in cysts), Falcaustra armenica, Oswaldocruzia filiformis, Skrjabinelazia hoffmanni, Skrjabinodon medinae, were found. Lacerta trilineata represents a new host record for each of the parasite species; Plagiorchis elegans, Brachylaemus sp., Oochoristica tuberculata, Mesocestoides sp., Abbreviata abbreviata, Ascarops strongylina (larva), Falcaustra armenica Skrjabinelazia hoffmanni, and Skrjabinodon medinae are reported from Turkey for the first time.

Life History And Habitat Use Of The Juvenile Alabama Shad (Alosa Alabamae) In Northern Gulf Of Mexico Rivers, Paul Fraser Mickle

Dissertations

The Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, is an anadromous species that is in decline and has seen extirpations from impoundments as well as decreased water quality. Alabama shad live in the Gulf of Mexico and ascend Northern Gulf of Mexico Drainages to reproduce early in the year (January-May). The juveniles spend the majority of the year in these freshwater systems before emigrating out to the Gulf of Mexico as late as December.

This dissertation focuses on the juvenile life stages that occur within the Northern Gulf of Mexico drainages. Spawning conditions of the river, as well as the habitat and diet, …

Distributions Of Sharks Across A Continental Shelf In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers, John Dindo, Brian Dzwonkowski, Terry A. Henwood

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Declines in shark populations have sparked researchers and fishery managers to investigate more prudent approaches to the conservation of these fish. As managers strive to improve data collection for stock assessment, fisheries-independent surveys have expanded to include data-deficient areas such as coastal regions. To that end, a catch series from a nearshore survey off Alabama was combined with data from a concurrent offshore survey with identical methodology to examine the depth use of sharks across the continental shelf (2–366 m). The combined data set contained 22 species of sharks collected from 1995 to 2008: 21 species in the offshore data …

Ranked Risk Assessment For Bycatch In Multiple Fisheries: A Bioregional Risk Assessment Method, Richard Evans, Brett W. Molony

Fisheries Research Reports

This report demonstrates a method to rapidly assess the cumulative risk to sustainability of bycatch species of multiple fisheries. The method draws on other techniques already published in scientific literature and adds a new cumulative ranked estimate of total catch across multiple fisheries.

Landscape Factors Impacting Survival Of Sympatric Red-Necked Wallabies (Macropus Rufogriseus) And Swamp Wallabies (Wallabia Bicolor) In Urbanized Areas, Karen Zusi

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Urbanization and infrastructure build-up often includes many processes that can damage the natural environment in surrounding areas. Road, powerline, and dam construction, as well as mining, drilling, and overall land-clearing, have severe impacts that resonate through the adjacent wildlife communities. Some species, however, are able to persist in the fringes of urban environments; the swamp wallaby, Wallabia bicolor, is one such example in Australia. A different species of macropod, the red-necked wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus), is similar to the swamp wallaby in many ways but has failed to persist in the outskirts of urban areas. This study aimed to quantitatively differentiate …

My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

An autobiographical article by ornithologist Paul A. Johnsgard that spans his early years in North Dakota, undergraduate and graduate studies, his arrival and professional years at the University of Nebraska, his writings and writing influences, artwork, teaching and Cedar Point Biological Station, hunting and photography, conservation, religious beliefs, and numerous writing projects underway.

My Life In Biology: Paul A. Johnsgard, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

I was born in 1931 in the very small town of Christine, North Dakota, on the Red River about 20 miles south of Fargo. My granddad owned a general store there, and my father worked in that store for as long as we lived in Christine, which was until 1939. These were the Depression years, and my major memories of that time are of hot dusty streets in the summer and bitterly cold winters, when I had to walk across town to school. ...

Waterfowl became increasingly important to me because of my mother's cousin "Bud" Morgan, who at that …

The Identity Of Zachaenus Roseus Cope, 1890 (Anura: Species Inquirenda), Esteban O. Lavilla, J. J. Nuñez, F. E. Rabanal, José A. Langone, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Zachaenus roseus Cope, 1890, has puzzled systematists working in southern South America. A single individual, the holotype, has ever been collected and this specimen is in extremely poor preservation condition. Herein, the precise location of the type locality of Z. roseus is determined based on a historical review of the literature. Furthermore, following a careful comparison with all species that inhabit the southern austral forest, and that could potentially correspond to Zachaenus roseus, we conclude that this taxon is placed in the synonymy of Eupsophus calcaratus (Günther, 1881)

Multidisciplinary Assessment And Documentation Of Past And Present Human Impacts On The Neotropical Forests Of Petén, Guatemala, Christopher Stephen Balzotti

Theses and Dissertations

Tropical forests provide important habitat for a tremendous diversity of plant and animal species. However, limitations in measuring and monitoring the structure and function of tropical forests has caused these systems to remain poorly understood. Remote-sensing technology has provided a powerful tool for quantification of structural patterns and associating these with resource use. Satellite and aerial platforms can be used to collect remotely sensed images of tropical forests that can be applied to ecological research and management. Chapter 1 of this article highlights the resources available for tropical forest remote sensing and presents a case-study that demonstrates its application to …

Terrestrial Ecosystem Classification In The Rocky Mountains, Northern Utah, Antonin Kusbach

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Currently, there is no comprehensive terrestrial ecosystem classification for the central Rocky Mountains of the United States. A comprehensive classification of terrestrial ecosystems in a mountainous study area in northern Utah was developed incorporating direct gradient analysis, spatial hierarchy theory, the zonal concept, and concepts of diagnostic species and fidelity, together with the biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification approach used in British Columbia, Canada.

This classification was derived from vegetation and environmental sampling of both forest and non-forest ecosystems. The SNOwpack TELemetry (SNOTEL) and The National Weather Service (NWS) Cooperative Observer Program (COOP) weather station network were used to approximate climate of …

Greater Sage-Grouse Seasonal Ecology And Responses To Habitat Manipulations In Northern, Utah, Eric T. Thacker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Declining greater sage-grouse populations (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter sage-grouse) have led to increased concern regarding the long-term stability of the species. Previous research has identified factors contributing to the observed population declines. Habitat degradation and loss have been implicated as major factors in population declines. Although much is known about sage-grouse biology, more information is needed about population responses to specific management actions. This research was conducted to document sage-grouse responses to site-specific management actions. Additionally, I evaluated sage-grouse temporal and seasonal habitat-use and the comparability of techniques used by range and wildlife managers to measure vegetation responses of …

Diversity And Abundance Of The Dark Kangaroo Mouse, Microdipodops Megacephalus, In Communities Of Nocturnal Granivorous Rodents In Western North America, Ashley Sagers Haug

Theses and Dissertations

The dark kangaroo mouse, Microdipodops megacephalus, is a sensitive species in the Great Basin Desert. This thesis explores the structure of desert rodent communities of the Great Basin to better understand M. megacephalus' place in the community and the conditions that promote large and stable populations. To determine community structure, I used nestedness analysis to evaluate 99 communities of nocturnal granivorous rodents. I found that the community structure was non-random, indicating the existence of assembly rules and ecological constraints. I also found that M. megacephalus was the second most vulnerable species in the community. To explore the correlation …

Conserving Migratory Land Birds In The New World: Do We Know Enough?, John Faaborg, Richard T. Holmes, Angela D. Anders, Keith L. Bildstein

Dartmouth Scholarship

Migratory bird needs must be met during four phases of the year: breeding season, fall migration, wintering, and spring migration; thus, management may be needed during all four phases. The bulk of research and management has focused on the breeding season, although several issues remain unsettled, including the spatial extent of habitat influences on fitness and the importance of habitat on the breeding grounds used after breeding. Although detailed investigations have shed light on the ecology and population dynamics of a few avian species, knowledge is sketchy for most species. Replication of comprehensive studies is needed for multiple species across …

Ducks, Geese, And Swans Of The World: Sources Cited, Paul A. Johnsgard

Ducks, Geese, and Swans of the World by Paul A. Johnsgard

350+ citations

Interspecific Variation In Palatability Suggests Cospecialization Of Antipredator Defenses In Sea Hares, Kimberly K. Takagi, Nadia N. Ono, William G. Wright

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Prey species often deploy different kinds of antipredator defenses, which can interact with each other in ways that are not yet completely understood. Much research into these interactions has utilized gastropod mollusks, usually focusing (in part) on the protective utility of the gastropod shell. This makes the evolutionary reduction of the shell in the opisthobranch gastropods (marine slugs) particularly interesting. This loss of protective function of the shell is associated with the evolution of alternative defenses. Particularly well studied are chemical defenses, especially those using secondary metabolites derived from food resources. As a first step toward understanding interspecific variation in …

What Is The Taxonomic Identity Of Minnesota Wolves?, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The taxonomic identity of the historical and current wolf (Canis lupus L., 1758 or Canis lycaon Schreber, 1775 or their hybrids) population in Minnesota (MN) and the Great Lakes region has been, and continues to be, controversial. So too does its legal status under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. This review summarizes the morphological and genetic information about that population and concludes that historically the MN population consisted of a gray wolf (C. lupus) in the west and an eastern type (Canis lupus lycaon or C. lycaon) in the east with intergrades or hybrids between …

Waterfowl Of North America: Sources, Paul A. Johnsgard

Waterfowl of North America, Revised Edition (2010) by Paul A. Johnsgard

Approximately 500 citations.

See also the updated bibliography in the 2010 supplement: "North America’s Ducks, Geese and Swans in the 21st Century"

Latitudinal Variation In Seasonal Activity And Mortality In Ratsnakes (Elaphe Obsoleta), Jinelle H. Sperry, Gabriel Blouin-Demers, Gerardo L.F. Carfagno, Patrick J. Weatherhead

Biology Faculty Publications

The ecology of ectotherms should be particularly affected by latitude because so much of their biology is temperature dependent. Current latitudinal patterns should also be informative about how ectotherms will have to modify their behavior in response to climate change. We used data from a total of 175 adult black ratsnakes (Elaphe obsoleta) radio tracked in Ontario, Illinois, and Texas, a latitudinal distance of > 1500 km, to test predictions about how seasonal patterns of activity and mortality should vary with latitude. Despite pronounced differences in temperatures among study locations, and despite ratsnakes in Texas not hibernating and switching from diurnal …

Comparative Morphology Of Two Sympatric Species Of Hedgehog In Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia, Richard P. Reading, David Kenny, Sodnomphil Batdorj, James Murdoch

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Daurian hedgehog (Mesechinus dauuricus) and long-eared hedgehog (Hemiechinus auritus) inhabit Ikh Nart Nature Reserve, Mongolia and both species appear to occupy similar niches. We gathered morphological measurements to test for differences between species and sexes. We hoped to gain insight into the mechanisms that allow the species to coexist. We collected morphometric data from 10 long-eared hedgehogs (6 male, 4 female) and 18 Daurian hedgehogs (10 male, 7 female, and 1 unknown sex). Only total body length in Daurian hedgehogs differed significantly between males and females. Otherwise, we found no significant differences between morphometric measures of …

Combining A Dispersal Model With Network Theory To Assess Habitat Connectivity, Todd R. Lookingbill, Robert H. Gardner, Joseph R. Ferrari, Cherry E. Keller

Geography and the Environment Faculty Publications

Assessing the potential for threatened species to persist and spread within fragmented landscapes requires the identification of core areas that can sustain resident populations and dispersal corridors that can link these core areas with isolated patches of remnant habitat. We developed a set of GIS tools, simulation methods, and network analysis procedures to assess potential landscape connectivity for the Delmarva fox squirrel (DFS; Sciurus niger cinereus), an endangered species inhabiting forested areas on the Delmarva Peninsula, USA. Information on the DFS’s life history and dispersal characteristics, together with data on the composition and configuration of land cover on the peninsula, …

Morphological Analyses Of Some Palaearctic Stenopogon Loew, 1847 (Diptera: Asilidae: Stenopogoninae) Based On The Spermatheca Structure, Abdullah Hasbenli̇, Fatma Bayrakdar, Selami̇ Candan, Üzeyi̇r Çağlar

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Females of some Stenopogon species were compared both systematically and phylogenetically utilizing spermatheca morphology. The spermathecae of 8 species and 2 subspecies of Stenopogon (S. coracinus, S. elongatus S. flavibarbis, S. junceus, S. laevigatus, S. nigriventris, S. schisticolor, S. strateagus, S. sabaudus harpax, and S. xanthotrichus xanthomelas) were examined using a scanning electron microscope and subsequently analyzed with cluster analysis. Taxa of evaluated Stenopogon were found to be separated into 2 primary groups, A and B, based on the number of spirals and the diameter of the reservoir. Group A further separated into the sub-groups A1, A2, and A3, while …