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Adding Nutrients To Enhance The Growth Of Endangered Sockeye Salmon: Trophic Transfer In An Oligotrophic Lake, Phaedra E. Budy, Chris Luecke, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Snake River sockeye salmon Oncorhynchus nerka, listed under U.S. law as endangered in 1991 in response to a decline in anadromous adult numbers, spend their first 1–2 years in Redfish Lake, Idaho, before migrating to the sea. To determine how nutrient enhancement might influence phytoplankton, zooplankton, and fish production, we performed fertilization experiments in large enclosures in this oligotrophic lake using juvenile kokanee (lacustrine O. nerka) as analogues for endangered sockeye salmon. Fertilization of the metalimnion substantially increased chlorophyll a (150%), phytoplankton biovolume (75%), primary productivity (250%), and zooplankton biomass (200%), and moderately increased fish growth (12%) over our control …

The Role Of Bowfin, Amia Calva, In Multiple Species Management Plans, Benjamin Jacob Hausmann

Masters Theses

The major challenge to fisheries managers of the 21st century will be to maintain the diversity, not only of fishing opportunity, but also of traditionally non-game and economically unimportant species. With the relatively recent understanding of the importance of ecosystem level management, attention is being focused on native species that were often ignored or eradicated under past management practices. One such fish that has been largely ignored is the bowfin, Amia calva. Ecological data pertaining to bowfin natural history are limited and to date no attempt has been made to integrate bowfin into fisheries management decisions within the species native …

Habitat Selection, Reproductive Success, And Impaling Patterns Of A Migratory Population Of Loggerhead Shrikes, Jeffrey D. Esely Jr.

Masters Theses

I studied habitat selection and reproductive success of a migratory population of Loggerhead Shrikes (Lanius ludovicianus migrans) as well as the temporal and spatial patterns of impaling exhibited by this population during the nesting season. The selection of breeding habitat was investigated at different spatial scales. Thirty-eight (67%) of 57 nests were located in osage orange (Maclura pomifera) trees. Shrike territories (area ≤ 200 m from nest site) contained significantly more pasture, fenceline, and perch sites, but less com, alfalfa, and forest than random sites. At larger spatial scales, more grassland was detected within 300 m …

Heartworm And Lungworms In Illinois' Canids And Their Possible Effect On Coyote Condition And Reproduction, David G. Gregory

Masters Theses

This study focuses on the prevalence of heartworm and lungworms in Illinois' canid species, and the effect that they may have on condition (body weight, kidney fat, marrow fat) and reproduction (placental scars) on coyote populations. A total of 1,150 coyotes (Canis latrans), 2,269 domestic dogs, 47 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and 2 gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were examined. Prevalence of heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) averaged 17.8% in coyotes, 3.0% in domestic dogs, 2.0% in red foxes, and 0% in gray foxes. Domestic dogs not receiving any type of prophylactic treatment had a higher prevalence (12.5%) of heartworms than dogs on …

Ecology Of The Eastern Cottonmouth (Agkistrodon P. Piscivorus) At Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge: A Comparative Study Of Natural And Anthropogenic Marsh Habitats, Chad Lee Cross

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Mark-recapture sampling and radiotelemetry were used to investigate populations of the eastern cottonmouth, Agkistrodon p. piscivorus, in both natural and anthropogenic marsh habitats at Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge (BBNWR), Virginia Beach, Virginia from autumn 1995 to late spring 1998. Mark-recapture subjects were captured, marked by ventral scale-clipping, and released back into the population. A modified Schnabel Census estimator was used to estimate population sizes and corresponding densities in both marsh systems based on a total of 244 captures of 222 individuals. Most snakes were found >0.05 in from water, but it was apparent that proximity to water played …

The Birds And Habitat Of Kings Park, Bradley W. Cox

Theses : Honours

Kings Park is a large urban park in the centre of Perth with extensive areas of semi-natural bushland. The park is an important refuge for birds in the metropolitan area but is losing species through habitat disturbance. Understanding the way in which birds are related to their habitat helps to understand the effect of habitat disturbance on the bird community. The aim of this project was to generate guidelines which will aid in the management and conservation of birds in the park, through an understanding of the relationship of the birds to their habitat. The avifauna and various habitat factors …

Management Of The Houtman Abrolhos System, Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Council, Fisheries Department Of Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

In November 1995 Cabinet resolved that the Minister for Fisheries would establish the Abrolhos Islands Management Advisory Committee (AIMAC) pursuant to Section 42 of the Fish Resources Management Act 1994. The role of AIMAC is to advise the Minister for Fisheries about the management of the Abrolhos Islands and the adjoining State Territorial Waters, as detailed in Section 2.2.3.1 of this report. The AIMAC has overseen the preparation of this report on behalf of the Minister for Fisheries. This draft report contains a brief description of the Abrolhos System and its special values. It also states goals and objectives for …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Abalone Aquaculture In Western Australia. Discussion Paper And Draft Policy Guidelines., Cameron Westaway, Jeff Norriss

Fisheries Management Papers

The purposes of this discussion paper is to highlight relevant issues associated with abalone aquaculture development and outline a set of draft policy guidelines. The paper is being disseminated to members of the aquaculture industry, commercial and recreational fishing bodies and the broader community to allow comment.

Diet Of A Relict Population Of The Eastern Woodrat In Nebraska, Hugh H. Genoways, Patricia W. Freeman, Mary K. Clausen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The relict population of Neotoma floridana occurring along the Niobrara River in north-central Nebraska was found to have a diet composed of 38 types of food items of which 37 types were plants. Unique features of the summer diet of this population were a higher than expected use of red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and invertebrates as food items.

Ecological Relationships Between The Marsh Rice Rat (Oryzomys Palustris) And The Meadow Vole (Microtus Pennsylvanicus) In Two Virginia Tidal Marshes, Christopher P. Bloch

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Small mammals were trapped for 23 months on two live trap grids in tidal marshes in Northampton County, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, to examine ecological relationships between the marsh rice rat (Oryzomys palustris) and the meadow vole (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Population density, survival rates, capture probability, recruitment, residence time, and home range size were calculated for each species. Patterns of reproductive activity and fluctuations in mean weight were also observed.

There were considerable differences in population dynamics between the two sites. At Grid 2, where vegetative cover was more abundant, population densities of rice rats and meadow voles …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Evaluation Of Translocation Criteria For Trumpeter Swans Reintroduced To Northern Utah: Habitat Quality And Interactions With Tundra Swans, Katharina A. M. Engelhardt

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Fifty-seven Trumpeter swans (Cygnus buccinator) were translocated to the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge and the Bear River Club Company in northern Utah. The purpose of this effort was to encourage dispersal of the Rocky Mountain population of Trumpeter swans during the winter, and to reestablish a migratory route to southern wintering grounds. I assessed the success of the translocation by evaluating 13 translocation criteria proposed in the literature. In this study I addressed two of these criteria in detail by evaluating habitat quality at the translocation sites and by analyzing potential competitive interactions with Tundra swans ( …

Ecological Life History Of Crangonyx Pseudogracilis Bousfield (Crustacea: Amphipoda) In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Andrea Leigh Henry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Although the genus Crangonyx has been studied in the Appalachian area, most of this work has concentrated on subterranean species. A Crangonyx pseudogracilis population from the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area (GBWMA), Cabell County, West Virginia was sampled weekly from March 1995 through July 1996 to investigate the ecological life history of the amphipod. A total of 1508 amphipods were collected. Amphipods were present in the study sites from November through July, at which time they migrated to deeper waters. Crangonyx pseudogracilis had a one year life cycle and bred from November to May. Adult amphipods began to die off …

Diet And Growth Of Larval And Juvenile Grass Pickerel, Esox Americanus Vermiculatus, And Central Mudminnow, Umbra Limi, In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Erica Midkiff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The central mudminnow, Umbra limi, is a disjunct population in Green Bottom Swamp. The lentic, vegetated areas that are required for spawning for the grass pickerel and the central mudminnow have been reduced by residential, agricultural, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 ha, and a nearby mitigated wetland of 29 ha, provides spawning habitat for the grass pickerel and the mudminnow. Fishes were collected in beds of Potamogetan crispus and Ceratophyllum demursum …

Nesting Piping Plover And Least Tern On The Kansas River, William H. Busby, Daniel W. Mulhern, P. Gregory Kramos, David A. Rintoul, William C. Tuttle

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

A portion of the Kansas River in northeastern Kansas was surveyed by boat and air in 1996 and 1997 for nesting colonies of piping plover (Charadrius melodus) and least tern (Sterna antillarum). Both species were found breeding on sandbars at a total of five sites along a 30-km reach of the Kansas River. In 1996, at least two breeding pair of piping plovers and seven breeding pair of least terns were documented. In 1997, at least one pair of piping plovers and five pairs of least terns bred. These are the first known breeding records for …

Woody Vegetation Expansion And Continuing Declines In Open Channel Habitat On The Platte River In Nebraska, Paul J. Currier

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Aerial videography in 1988 and 1994 of the same selected segments of the Big Bend reach of the Platte River in central Nebraska was compared. During this 6-year period, channel area declined 4 to 41 % (median 26%). In river segments where the channel had already narrowed significantly and at sites where channel habitat is actively managed declines were less (17-18%). These substantial changes occurred during a time that included a relatively low flow period (1990-92). Flows during the summer gertttination and establishment period (mid-May through August) for cottonwood (Populus deltoides) and willow (Salix spp.), the …

The Foraging Ecology And Habitat Selection Of The Yellow-Plumed Honeyeater (Lichenostomus Ornatus) At Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia, Kellie Wilson

Theses : Honours

The foraging ecology and habitat selection of the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater was examined using observations and vegetation surveys at Dryandra Woodland, Western Australia. Foraging ecology data was collected over three seasons (autumn, winter and spring) in 1997 at three sites within Dryandra. Habitat selection studies involved 156 sites being surveyed for the presence or absence of the Yellow-plumed Honeyeater. The vegetation characteristics of the site were measured. Yellow-plumed Honeyeaters foraged by gleaning foliage most of the time. Bark and aerial foraging were also common. Birds clearly selected for tree height, preferring to forage on larger (older) trees which may be because …

Helminths Of The Southwestern Toad, Bufo Microscaphus, Woodhouse's Toad, Bufo Woodhousii (Bufonidae), And Their Hybrids From Central Arizona, Stephen R. Goldberg, Charles R. Bursey, Keith B. Malmos, Brian K. Sullivan, Hay Cheam

Great Basin Naturalist

The gastrointestinal tracts, lungs, and urinary bladders from 77 Bufo microscaphus, 61 Bufo woodhousii, and 8 of their hybrids were examined for helminths. One species of trematode (Glypthelmins quieta), 1 species of cestode (Distoichometra bufonis), and 5 species of nematodes (Aplectana incerta, A. itzocanensis, Rhabdias americanus, Physaloptera sp., and Physocephalus sp.) were found. The greatest prevalence (41%) and mean intensity (231.7) were recorded for Aplectana incerta in Bufo woodhousii. It appears hybrids harbor fewer parasites than either parent species.

The Diet Of Oryzomys Palustris Based On Stomach Content Analysis, Shannon L. Wright

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Oryzomys palustris (Harlan) is unusual in that it is one of two carnivorous mammals in the Family Muridae in North America. A diet analysis of Oryzomys palustris. the marsh rice rat, was done based on stomach contents. This was accomplished by taking the animals from two study areas located on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. The animals were taken monthly for one year. Once caught, the animals were sacrificed and their stomach contents were identified to the lowest taxonomic level possible. This study showed that rice rats were omnivorous mammals, eating a variety of foods, including dicots, monocots, crabs, …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

The Influence Of Forest Fragmentation And Landscape Pattern On American Martens And Their Prey, Christina D. Hargis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Habitat fragmentation occurs when large tracts of an orginal habitat are replaced by smaller patches of two or more habitat types, largely through human activities. I studied the behavior of six measures of landscape pattern that seemed appropriate for quantifying fragmentation, and used these measures to investigate the effects of forest fragmentation on American martens (Martes americana) and their prey. The measures I selected were edge density, contagion, mean nearest neighbor distance between patches, mean proximity index, perimeter-area fractal dimension, and mass fractal dimension. To test the behavior of these measures with a variety of landscape patterns, I …

Analysis Of Vertebrate Pest Research, Jim Hone

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

Research on vertebrate pest control is mostly empirical, focusing on control of species X in location Y using method Z. Such an approach is needed. The science of vertebrate pest research is developing some generalizations across species, locations, and methods. This paper further explores such generalizations by discussing six questions asked by Hone (1994), the answers to which are relevant to vertebrate pest research world-wide. Several case studies are examined, with emphasis on control of damage by small mammals and predation control. Suggestions are made for future research.

The Potential Impact Of Introduced Commensal Rodents On Island Flora, Gillian Key, Renata Platenberg, Andrew Easby, Kathleen Mais

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

The impact of introduced commensal rodents on island flora has been relatively little studied compared with their impact on the fauna. The effects on vegetation composition, regeneration, and decomposition are largely unknown, but potentially great. Preliminary studies were carried out in the Galapagos Islands between 1993 and 1994 on the diet of introduced rats, Rattus spp. and feral house mice, Mus musculus, seed recovery rates and subsequent germination rates of seeds. R. rattus diet was primarily vegetation and 48% of rats had seeds in their stomachs. Significant differences were found between body size and overall contribution of both …

Mongolian Rangelands: Rodent Problems And Approaches To Alleviate Damage, Dale L. Nolte

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

Rodents are a major constraint to forage production for livestock in Mongolia. A technical program to identify the magnitude of the problem and strengthen the research capabilities of Mongolian rodent specialists was initiated in 1994. The Brandt's vole is the most widespread and the most detrimental rodent to the steppes of Mongolia. Limited resources inhibit activities by the Mongolian Plant Protection Service to reduce rodent populations. Alternative means to monitor vole activity were developed. Laboratory and field trials showed that voles were susceptible to zinc phosphide treatment and indicated how bait acceptance could be improved.

Population Densities And Disease Surveys Of Wild Pigs In The Coast Ranges Of Central And Northern California, Rick A. Sweitzer, Ian A. Gardner, Ben J. Gonzales, Dirk Van Vuren, Walter M. Boyce

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

In 1994 and 1995, 233 different wild pigs were captured during population research at seven research sites focused primarily in the coastal regions of central and northern California. Mark-resight data and information on wild pig movements were used to assess wild pig population densities at those sites. Population densities ranged from 1.01 wild pigs/km² in Mendocino County in 1994 to 3.32 wild pigs/km² in Santa Clara County in 1995. Comparisons of population densities between years at three research sites suggested that wild pig populations increased in 1995 in response to favorable forage conditions after the wet fall and …

Ecology And Community Relationships Of The River Cooter, Pseudemys Concinna In A Southern Illinois Backwater, Michael J. Dreslik

Masters Theses

In Illinois the River cooter, Pseudemys concinna, is an enigmatic endangered species. Even throughout its range, ecological studies on the River cooter are rare. During 1994 and 1995 I quantified the: growth rates and trends, population size and structure and dietary habits of a population from floodplain lake in Gallatin county, Illinois. Population estimation (Schnabel method) predicted 136 individuals at a density of 4.6 turtles/ha with a biomass of 3.6 Kg/ha. The sex ratio is slightly male biased (1:1.14). From back-calculated growth data, the von Bertalanffy growth model (Fabens' method) estimates males with a higher growth rate (k) and …

Parental Investment In The Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Trachemys Scripta, Michael D. Marlen

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to determine egg and hatchling components of the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta). In addition, energy components transferred from egg to hatchling were used to determine the level of parental investment in embryogenesis and hatchling care. Eggs of the red-eared slider, collected from central Illinois ponds, were obtained by inducing gravid females to lay by an injection of oxytocin. Egg and hatchling lipids were extracted with petroleum ether while egg and hatchling protein content was determined using the micro-Kjeldahl procedure. Eggs averaged 70.7% water by mass, and dry mass of whole eggs and egg yolks averaged 2.4g …

Wpa News 49 (1995), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (November 1995), number 49

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Wpa News 47 (1995), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (May 1995), number 47

Published by the World Pheasant Association