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The Utility Of Census Or Survey For Monitoring Whooping Cranes In Winter, Bruce H. Pugesek, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We discuss recent changes in the monitoring program for endangered whooping cranes (Grus americana) on their winter habitat in Texas. A 61-year annual census was replaced in the winter of 2011-2012 with a distance sampling procedure. Justification for the change was, in part, based on criticism of the previous methods of counting cranes and the assessment of crane mortality on the wintering grounds. We argue here that the arguments, methods, and analyses employed to discount the census procedure and mortality estimates were applied incorrectly or with flawed logic and assertions. We provide analysis and logical arguments to show …

Protocol And Results From The First Season Of Captive-Rearing Whooping Cranes For A Non-Migratory Release In Louisiana, Glenn H. Olsen, Jane N. Chandler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The principal historic range of the whooping crane (Grus americana) consisted of the tall grass prairies and wetlands of southwest Louisiana, Texas, and parts of Mexico (Allen 1952). Whooping cranes migrated there from Illinois, Iowa, Minnesota, Dakotas, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and breeding grounds of the remnant flock in and near Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada.

Habitat Selection By Breeding Sandhill Cranes In Central Wisconsin, Tamara P. Miller, Jeb A. Barzen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We used compositional analysis to describe habitat use for a dense population of breeding sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) in central Wisconsin at 2 spatial scales: selection of home range within a study area and selection of habitats within the home range. Habitat use and home range size were estimated from radio-telemetry data from 12 breeding sandhill crane pairs. Research in Wisconsin that was performed on the landscape level suggests that breeding cranes depend on wetlands and do not select upland habitats. Evaluating habitat selection at different spatial levels, such as during different stages of the breeding season, …

Historic And Recent Winter Sandhill Crane Distribution In California, Gary L. Ivey, Caroline P. Herziger, David A. Hardt, Gregory H. Golet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Understanding the geographic distribution and long-term dynamics of winter foraging areas and night roost sites of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) is important to their conservation and management. We studied sandhill crane distribution in California’s Central Valley from December 2012 through February 2013. We mapped observed flock and night roost locations. Flock locations occurred between Tehama County in the north and Kern County in the south. Flocks were concentrated in the northern Sacramento Valley, the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta, the northern San Joaquin Valley south of Tracy to Mendota (including the lower Stanislaus and Tuolumne River floodplains and the Grasslands …

A Review Of Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Through Indiana, Allisyn-Marie T. Y. Gillet

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Indiana Division of Fish and Wildlife conducts surveys from October to December to collect long-term data on greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida). Results from these censuses contribute to a fall index of the Eastern Population, which informs wildlife management decisions and research priorities. Recent findings from the annual U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service Fall Sandhill Crane Migration Survey demonstrate a decline in the number of cranes observed at fall staging areas throughout Indiana since 1979. However, nationwide data exhibit a trend of population increase. I provide evidence to show that the apparent decline in the …

Addendum To Encomia And Reflections, Clyde Jones (1935-2015): Encomium, Robert J. Baker, Carleton J. Phillips, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

This is the authors' collective attempt to provide an encomium (an honest song of praise) for Clyde Jones. After some urging from the editors of this volume, the authors conspired to share some memories of Clyde.

Editors’ note: Due to various factors, this encomium was submitted too late to be included in the published memorial volume. However, in consideration of the relationship of the authors to Clyde Jones, we agreed to make this encomium available via electronic format as a supplement to the printed volume.

Evaluation Of Essential Oils (Stay Strong) For Dairy Calves, Kelly Ann Froehlich

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stay Strong (SS, Ralco Inc., Marshall, MN) is a blend of essential oils (EO) and prebiotic fiber technologies designed to promote immunity and stimulate appetite, helping to diminish health challenges and stresses experienced by newborn calves. Current feeding inclusion rates are unknown to achieve optimal performance in the first 8 weeks of life. The study objectives were to determine the optimal feeding inclusion rate of SS when added to milk replacer (MR) to achieve optimal performance when compared to a yeast cell wall (YCW). One hundred Holstein calves were blocked by birth date and randomly assigned to 1 of 5 …

Cortex Necessary For Pain — But Not In Sense That Matters, Adam J. Shriver

Animal Sentience

Certain cortical regions are necessary for pain in humans in the sense that, at particular times, they play a direct role in pain. However, it is not true that they are necessary in the more important sense that pain is never possible in humans without them. There are additional details from human lesion studies concerning functional plasticity that undermine Key’s (2016) interpretation. Moreover, no one has yet identified any specific behaviors that mammalian cortical pain regions make possible that are absent in fish.

Effects Of Turbidity On The Vision And Behavior Of Longear Sunfish, Lindsey Denea Caudle

Undergraduate Honors Theses

Fish are known to use vision in many essential behaviors, including foraging, intraspecific communication and predator avoidance. Turbidity is one of the many environmental factors potentially affecting vision quality. I examined the behavior of interacting conspecific fish in varying levels of turbidity to determine how this environmental variable affects vision and behavior. Experiments were designed to observe how longear sunfish, Lepomis megalotis, reacted to visual cues - in this case a conspecific fish in a glass jar - in the presence or absence of turbidity. My hypothesis is that sunfish will display territorial behavior when introduced to another fish …

Cross-Sectional Analysis Of Salivary Cortisol And Cyathostome Infestation In Horses, Danielle L. Keating

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Projects

With an increase in anthelmintic resistance and decreased efficacy of many commercial dewormers, understanding factors that contribute to parasite infestations in horses is integral to their management. The goal of this study was to look at the potential relationship between parasites and stress response by evaluating salivary cortisol levels and cyathostome egg shedding levels. Using a sample size of n = 200 horses from the state of Ohio, fecal and saliva samples were collected from each horse. Fecal egg counts were performed for each horse with a modified Stoll method, and saliva samples were tested with an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay …

Active Aggregation Among Sexes In Bean Flower Thrips (Megalurothrips Sjostedti) On Cowpea (Vigna Unguiculata), Saliou Niassy, Sunday Ekesi, Nguya K. Maniania, Benedict Orindi, Gerald B. Moritz, Willem J. De Kogel, Sevgan Subramanian

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Male sexual aggregations are a common territorial, mating-related or resource-based, behaviour observed in diverse organisms, including insects such as thrips. The influence of factors such as plant substrate, time of day, and geographic location on aggregation of thrips is uncertain, therefore we monitored the dispersion of male and female bean flower thrips (BFT), Megalurothrips sjostedti (Trybom) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), on cowpea, Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp. (Fabaceae), over three cowpea growth stages and across three cowpea-growing areas of Kenya. Our results indicated that for all the crop growth stages, the density of BFTs varied over the time of day, with higher densities …

A Genetically Distinct Hybrid Zone Occurs For Two Globally Invasive Mosquito Fish Species With Striking Phenotypic Resemblance, Rebecca J. Wilk, Lisa Horth

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Hybrid zones allow for the investigation of incipient speciation and related evolutionary processes of selection, gene flow, and migration. Interspecific dynamics, like competition, can impact the size, shape, and directional movement of species in hybrid zones. Hybrid zones contribute to a paradox for the biological species concept because interbreeding between species occurs while parental forms remain distinct. A long‐standing zone of intergradation or introgression exists for eastern and western mosquito fish (Gambusia holbrooki and G. affinis) around Mobile Bay, AL. The region has been studied episodically, over decades, making it perfect for addressing temporal dynamics and for providing …

Zooplanktonic Community Dynamics Of The Minnesota River With An Ichthyoplankton Gear Comparison, Nathaniel Lederman

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

The Minnesota River, like many large rivers, has been functionally altered by human activities and climate change. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency has designated 271 kilometers (50.3%) of the 539 kilometer Minnesota River as “biologically impaired.” However, assessing biological communities in large rivers is often difficult and limited to examination of upper trophic levels (e.g., piscivorous fishes). Few studies examined zooplanktonic communities, largely due to difficulties associated with sampling. Because of the need to improve assessment strategies for biological impairments in the Minnesota River, the zooplanktonic community, including crustaceous zooplankton, rotifers, macroinvertebrates, and ichthyoplankton was evaluated within an impaired and …

Monitoring Yogurt Culture Fermentation And Predicting Fermentation Endpoint With Fluorescence Spectroscopy, Timothey P. Mains, Frederick Alan Payne, Michael P. Sama

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

Determination of the endpoint of yogurt culture fermentation is a process parameter that could benefit from automation. The feasibility of using a fluorescence sensor technology based on 280 nm excitation and 350 nm emission to predict the endpoint of yogurt culture fermentation was investigated and compared with the endpoint prediction from a near-infrared (880 nm) light backscatter sensor. Yogurt cultures with three levels of milk solids (8%, 10%, and 12%) and three temperatures (40°C, 43°C, and 46°C) were tested with three replications in a 3 x 3 factorial design (n = 27). Prediction models were developed for each optical measurement …

Ecology Of Two Reintroduced Black Bear Populations In The Central Appalachians, Sean Mccarthy Murphy

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Reintroduced populations are vulnerable to demographic and environmental stochasticity, deleterious genetic effects, and reduced population fitness, all of which can increase extinction probability. Population viability is principle to determining the status of reintroduced populations and for guiding management decisions. To attempt to reestablish black bear (Ursus americanus) populations in the central Appalachians, two reintroductions using small founder groups occurred during the 1990s in the Big South Fork area along the Kentucky-Tennessee border (BSF) and in the Jefferson National Forest along the Kentucky-Virginia border (KVP). My objectives were to estimate demographic and genetic parameters, and to evaluate long-term viability …

Quantifying The Success Of Eastern Oyster Pilot Reefs In Brevard County, Florida, Lacie Anderson

Honors Undergraduate Theses

Crassostrea virginica, the eastern oyster, is a native keystone species that inhabits many coastal and estuarine ecosystems along the Atlantic seaboard. Introduction of the eastern oyster into estuarine areas with limited current populations is gaining popularity as a pro-active approach to improve estuarine water quality. In November 2014 and April 2015, a total of five pilot oyster reef treatments were deployed in Brevard County: bagged adult oysters (grown by community members under their docks through oyster gardening) collected in fall 2014 and spring 2015, bagged clean shell, oyster restoration mats, and empty plots (control). Locations of deployment included a …

Cognition And Problem Solving Using Detour Reaching And Novel Object Tasks In The Budgerigar, Mollie E. Kemp

Undergraduate Distinction Papers

As animal cognition is a complex and multifaceted issue, our understanding of the topic is still incomplete. Particularly, our understanding of what factors may drive the development of intricate and costly behaviors relating to cognition, like bird call or song, are not well understood. One possible explanation is the cognitive capacity hypothesis which states that song complexity is a signal of cognitive abilities and thus an indication of a mate’s ability to problem solve and thus effectively provide for offspring and mates. However, previous research of this hypothesis has yielded mixed results and has 1) focused solely on male song …

The Contribution Of Missouri River Reservoir Side-Channel And Floodplain Habitats To Mainstem Fish Populations: The Effects Of Losing Connectivity Between Hipple Lake And Lake Sharpe, William Joseph Radigan

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Catastrophic flooding of the Missouri River in 2011 has had lasting effects on floodplain habitats (i.e. floodplain lakes) and side-channel habitats (e.g. canals, side-channel embayments, stilling basins, and tributaries) in Lake Sharpe, SD. Floodplain and side-channel habitats are rare habitat in Lake Sharpe, a mainstem Missouri River reservoir, and are thought to be crucial habitat for prey and sport fish. Hipple Lake, the only warm-water floodplain embayment in Lake Sharpe, is in danger of losing connectivity to the reservoir because of sedimentation resulting from the 2011 flood. To evaluate Hipple Lake’s natal and adult contribution to Lake Sharpe’s fishery, otolith …

Flight Mechanics And Control Of Escape Manoeuvres In Hummingbirds. I. Flight Kinematics, Bo Cheng, Bret W. Tobalske, Donald R. Powers, Tyson L. Hedrick, Susan M. Wethington, George T.C. Chiu, Xinyan Deng

Faculty Publications - Department of Biological & Molecular Science

Hummingbirds are nature’s masters of aerobatic manoeuvres. Previous research shows that hummingbirds and insects converged evolutionarily upon similar aerodynamic mechanisms and kinematics in hovering. Herein, we use three-dimensional kinematic data to begin to test for similar convergence of kinematics used for escape flight and to explore the effects of body size upon manoeuvring. We studied four hummingbird species in North America including two large species (magnificent hummingbird, Eugenes fulgens, 7.8 g, and blue-throated hummingbird, Lampornis clemenciae, 8.0 g) and two smaller species (broad-billed hummingbird, Cynanthus latirostris, 3.4 g, and black-chinned hummingbirds Archilochus alexandri, 3.1 g). Starting from a steady hover, …

Effects Of Hydrology On The Growth And Recruitment Of Stream Fish In The Eastern Broadleaf Province Of Minnesota, Eric J. Krumm

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

Agricultural practices and urban development have altered streamflows within the Eastern Broadleaf Province of Minnesota. Stream-flow alteration can produce significant changes in native freshwater communities. Therefore, knowledge of streamflow effects on representative freshwater populations and communities within the province are needed to maintain ecological integrity. Fish community and population dynamics often display predictable responses to flow regimes, which can make fishes model organisms for examining flow-ecology relationships.

In lotic systems, annual variation in streamflow can influence the annual growth and recruitment of fishes. Understanding the growth and recruitment of fish populations is essential for management and conservation efforts. Growth can …

Development And Evaluation Of A Habitat Suitability Model For White-Tailed Deer In An Agricultural Landscape, Eric Anstedt

All Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Other Capstone Projects

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are an ecological, economical, and socially significant species that occupy a variety of ecoregions. White-tailed deer are mobile habitat generalists that prefer habitats containing woody cover. Deer have successfully adapted to habitat-fragmented, agricultural landscapes. As a result, deer are not uniformly distributed across intensively cultivated areas, which make field surveys difficult with often highly variable spatial data. To increase sampling efficiency (deer observed / sampling effort), the landscape can be stratified based upon preferred habitat types. Habitat suitability models (HSI) have been used to represent hypothesized wildlife-habitat relationships, and therefore the likelihood of deer being observed …

Mediterranean Water Shrew (Neomys Anomalus): Range Expansion Northward, Linas Balciauskas, Laima Balciauskiene, Uudo Timm

Turkish Journal of Zoology

We identified three individuals of the Mediterranean water shrew (Neomys anomalus) in Estonia, expanding the known distribution range of the species to the north by 500 km from the most northern location in Lithuania and over 700 km from Poland. The identification of the species in Estonia, the most northern known locality, was based on the position of mental foramen, height of coronoid process (>4.3 mm), and Libois index (

A Simple Method To Reduce Interpretation Error Of Ages Estimated From Otoliths, Bradley J. Smith, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Daniel A. James, Melissa R. Wuellner

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

We designed and tested a novel otolith viewing apparatus termed the otolith illumination device (OID) to ascertain if its use would result in a reduction of interpretation error as determined by increased precision of age estimates obtained from otoliths of walleye Sander vitreus and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu. Clarity of annuli on otolith sections viewed with the OID was generally greater than clarity of annuli on sections viewed with an alternative method. OID-based age estimates were equally as, and in some instance more precise than ages estimated using the alternative method. Additionally, no systematic differences in coefficients of variation …

Winter Habitat Quality But Not Long- Distance Dispersal Influences Apparent Reproductive Success In A Migratory Bird, Clark S. Rushing, Peter P. Marra, Michele R. Dudash

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Long- distance breeding and natal dispersal play central roles in many ecological and evolutionary processes, including gene flow, population dynamics, range expansion, and individual responses to fluctuating biotic and abiotic conditions. However, the relative contribution of long- distance dispersal to these processes depends on the ability of dispersing individuals to successfully reproduce in their new environment. Unfortunately, due to the difficulties associated with tracking dispersal in the field, relatively little is known about its reproductive consequences. Furthermore, because reproductive success is influenced by a variety of processes, disentangling the influence of each of these processes is critical to understanding the …

Age, Growth And Natural Mortality Of Blackfin Snapper Lutjanus Buccanella From The Southeastern United States And U. S. Caribbean, Michael L. Burton, Jennifer C. Potts, Daniel R. Carr

Gulf and Caribbean Research

We determined ages of Blackfin Snapper (Lutjanus buccanella Cuvier 1828; n = 622) collected from the southeastern United States coast and U.S. Caribbean from 1979–2015 using sectioned sagittal otoliths. Opaque zones were determined to be annular, forming March – July (peaking in April–June). Blackfin Snapper ranged from 1–27 years and from 180–609 mm total length (TL). Body size relationships for Blackfin Snapper were: TL = 1.09 FL + 0.81 (n = 203, r2 = 0.99); FL = 0.91 TL + 3.38 (n = 203, r2 = 0.99); TL = 1.23 SL + 14.27 (n = 83, r2 = 0.97); FL …

Hawks And Owls, Brian E. Washburn

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Human-Wildlife Conflicts: Hawks and owls can negatively impact a variety of human interests, including important natural resources, livestock and game bird production, human health and safety, and companion animals. Conflicts between raptors and people generally are localized and often site-specific. However, the economic and social impacts to the individuals involved can be severe. Despite the problems they may cause, hawks and owls provide important benefits and environmental services. Raptors are popular with birdwatchers and much of the general public. They also hunt and kill large numbers of rodents, reducing crop damage and other problems.

Damage Identification

Management Methods

Economics

Species …

The Evaluation Of Eprinomectin (Longrange®) On Long-Term Parasitic Infection In Nursing Calves During Summer Grazing®, Lyndsea D. Seibert

LSU Master's Theses

One of the most significant threats to the well-being and performance of grazing livestock are gastrointestinal nematode (GIN) parasitic infections. Allowing a large GIN burden to manifest can cause a significant cost in terms of productivity in grazing cattle. Beef producers commonly rely greatly on the efficacy of broad-spectrum anthelmintics, to not only kill resident worms but to also prevent the establishment of ingested infective stage larvae (L3) for a period following treatment. Eprinomectin (LONGRANGE®, E-LR) is the first extended-release injectable cattle dewormer that claims to provide cattle producers season-long persistent parasite control for 100 to 150 d in a …

Metabolic And Body Temperature Responses To Environmental Conditions Across Seasons In Finishing Steers, Bradley M. Boyd, Terry L. Mader, Curtis J. Bittner Bittner, Dirk Burken, Henry Hilscher, Gene Wijffels, John B. Gaughan, Megan Sullivan, Judy Cawdell- Smith, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Two trials (summer and winter) were conducted with 80 steers each at the UNL ARDC near Mead, Neb. Continuous body temperature was collected throughout both trials and blood samples were taken every other week until four weeks prior to harvest. Th is resulted in a total of 6 collections for the summer and 8 collections for the winter. Blood measures responded differently between seasons with significant quadratic interactions between collection time and season suggesting environmental conditions affect blood metabolites.

Effects Of Shade And Feeding Zilpaterol Hydrochloride To Finishing Steers On Performance, Carcass Quality, Heat Stress, Mobility, And Body Temperature, Bradley M. Boyd, Steven D. Shackelford, Kristin E. Hales Hales, Tami M. Brown- Brandl, Meredith L. Bremer, Matthew L. Spangler, Tommy L. Wheeler, David A. King, Galen E. Erickson

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

A finishing study evaluated the effects of shade and feeding zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) on performance, carcass quality, mobility, and body temperature. No effect on body temperature, or performance was observed for shaded cattle versus cattle in open pens. Feeding ZH increased HCW, LM area and decreased yield grade. Zilpaterol hydrochloride increased respiration rate but did not significantly affect body temperature or mobility. Across all treatments mobility decreased with time, therefore, cattle were least mobile at the time of harvest.

Feeding Vitamin E May Reverse Sarcoplasmic Reticulum Membrane Instability Caused By Feeding Wet Distillers Grains Plus Solubles To Cattle, Michael D. Chao, Katherine I. Domenech, Chris R. Calkins Calkins

Nebraska Beef Cattle Reports

Steers were finished on either 0% or 30% wet distillers grains plus solubles with four antioxidant treatments (control; vitamin E; Agrado; vitamin E + Agrado). Feeding wet distillers grains plus solubles increased polyunsaturated fatty acids contents in SR membrane and altered sarcoplasmic reticulum phospholipid profiles. Steaks from steers fed wet distillers grains plus solubles also had more protein degradation. Supplementing vitamin E reversed the alteration of sarcoplasmic reticulum phospholipid profiles and prevented the accelerated protein degradation resulted from feeding wet distillers grains plus solubles. These findings suggest that feeding wet distillers grains plus solubles in the finishing diet may accelerate …