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Experimental Analysis Of Nest-Site Choice And Its Relationship To Nest Success In An Open-Cup–Nesting Passerine, Sarah Cancellieri, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Nest placement presumably reflects selection for secure sites to minimize failure. Most tests of this hypothesis, however, have failed to support it. We used artificial nests (ARTs) to experimentally evaluate nest-site-choice behavior by an open-cup–nesting bird, the Eastern Kingbird (Tyrannus tyrannus). In 2010 and 2011, we placed ARTs in trees in the riparian zone at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, USA, to test whether (1) characteristics describing the physical location in trees of used and unused ARTs differed, (2) used ART sites more closely resembled naturally chosen sites, (3) successful natural nests (NATs) and successful ARTs were similarly …

Regulation Of Oocyte Meiotic Resumption Using Camp Modulators In Bovine In Vitro Maturation, Sarah Farmer

LSU Master's Theses

In vitro maturation (IVM) is a reproductive technique critical to in vitro embryo production (IVP) in commercial livestock industries, research, and human infertility treatment. Currently, IVP has low efficiency due to an inadequate IVM system in which premature meiotic resumption results in low oocyte viability. Meiotic arrest is regulated primarily by 3’,5’-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP), and the most successful methods of improving IVM utilize cAMP modulators to maintain high intra-oocyte cAMP, delaying the onset of maturation. This thesis includes experiments comparing standard bovine IVM to a novel extended IVM method similar to the procedure described by Albuz and colleagues (Albuz …

Benthic And Pelagic Pathways Of Methylmercury Bioaccumulation In Estuarine Food Webs Of The Northeast United States, Celia Y. Chen, Mark E. Borsuk, Deenie M. Bugge, Terill Hollweg

Dartmouth Scholarship

Methylmercury (MeHg) is a contaminant of global concern that bioaccumulates and bioamagnifies in marine food webs. Lower trophic level fauna are important conduits of MeHg from sediment and water to estuarine and coastal fish harvested for human consumption. However, the sources and pathways of MeHg to these coastal fisheries are poorly known particularly the potential for transfer of MeHg from the sediment to biotic compartments. Across a broad gradient of human land impacts, we analyzed MeHg concentrations in food webs at ten estuarine sites in the Northeast US (from the Hackensack Meadowlands, NJ to the Gulf of Maine). MeHg concentrations …

Small Tidal Channels Improve Foraging Opportunities For Calidris Shorebirds, Aileen K. Miller, Catherine E. De Rivera

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Estuarine intertidal habitats are heterogeneous, therefore migratory shorebirds are expected to forage in microhabitats where they can maximize their energy intake. Identifying proximate factors that migratory shorebirds use to accept or reject a particular habitat patch will help land managers make conservation and restoration decisions that provide the greatest benefits to shorebird populations during migration, a period of intense energy usage. We examined whether small semipermanent tidal channels were preferentially used by foraging Western Sandpipers (Calidris mauri) and Dunlins (C. alpina) during a spring migratory stopover in Bandon Marsh, an Oregon, USA, estuary. Further, we tested …

Phenology Of Annulus Formation In Walleye And Smallmouth Bass Otoliths, Brianna J. Graff, Daniel J. Dembkowski, Melissa R. Wuellner

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Walleye Sander vitreus and smallmouth bass Micropterus dolomieu were sampled monthly (May-October) from Lake Sharpe, South Dakota during 2006 and 2007 to estimate the timing of otolith annulus formation and to evaluate the influence of fish age, sex, and sample location (walleye only) on the timing and detection of annulus formation. Timing of annulus formation was evaluated using marginal increment analysis. Walleye samples were stratified by age, sex, and sample location (i.e., upper and lower Lake Sharpe) and smallmouth bass samples were stratified by age and sex. Monthly mean marginal increment measurements for both species generally increased from May to …

Landsat Evaluation Of Trumpeter Swan Historical Nesting Sites In Yellowstone National Park, Laura Elizabeth Cockrell

Online Theses and Dissertations

The trumpeter swan (Cygnus buccinator) has historically nested in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming. Declines in habitat quality may be limiting the growth of the Tri-State Flock. The purpose of this study was to map historical nesting areas for trumpeter swans in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) and evaluate Landsat images for changes to habitat. Historical nesting sites were evaluated through image classification and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and compared to field conditions. Swan nesting records were analyzed in comparison to drought index and human visitation rates to determine if these factors may contribute to the …

Vocal Responses Of Adult Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia Sialis) To Potential Nest Predators And The Behavioral Responses Of Nestlings, Erin E. Grabarczyk

Online Theses and Dissertations

The alarm calls of some birds are functionally referential and may provide nestlings with information about the threat posed by potential predators. However, few investigators have examined the responses of nestlings in cavity nests to the anti-predator vocalizations of adults. Therefore, the objectives of my study of cavity-nesting Eastern Bluebirds (Sialia sialis) were to examine (1) the vocal responses of adult Eastern Bluebirds to different predators, and (2) the behavioral responses of nestlings to those adult vocalizations. My study was conducted from April - July 2013 at the Blue Grass Army Depot in Madison County, Kentucky. Pairs of Eastern Bluebirds …

Spawning Comparison Of Luxilus Chrysocephalus And Campostoma Oligolepis, Christopher Messer

Summer Community of Scholars Posters (RCEU and HCR Combined Programs)

No abstract provided.

Morphological And Biometrical Comparisons Of The Baculum In The Genus Nannospalax Palmer, 1903 (Rodentia: Spalacidae) From Turkey With Consideration Of Its Taxonomic Importance, Teoman Kankiliç, Tolga Kankiliç, Peri̇nçek Seçki̇n Ozan Şeker, Erkut Kivanç

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The morphological variability of the baculum (os penis) of 147 adult specimens of species in the genus Nannospalax from 58 localities in Turkey was examined using morphological and numerical taxonomic methods. Significant differences among all of the Turkish species in the genus were determined by morphological and biometrical comparison of the bacula, and the results of this study showed that N. nehringi and N. xanthodon are separate species and that the names are not synonyms. Additionally, because the central Anatolian mole rat populations that were classified by previous studies as members of N. nehringi or N. xanthodon had highly different …

The Impact Of Multiple Nursery Areas On The Population Structure Of Atlantic Menhaden, Brevooria Tyrannus, Kristen A. Anstead

OES Theses and Dissertations

Understanding the population structure and patterns of connectivity in marine fishes is essential when making predictions about a species' resiliency and persistence in an increasingly changing environment. The Atlantic Menhaden Brevoortia tyrannus is a clupeid that plays a critical role in the marine food web and supports one of the largest fisheries on the US East Coast. In addition to a decrease in overall numbers and spawning stock biomass, recruitment levels have remained low since the 1990s. Menhaden use numerous estuaries along the Atlantic coast for juvenile development before recruiting to the adult population and the contribution of each of …

Department Of Fisheries Annual Report To Parliament 2013/14, Government Of Western Australia Department Of Fisheries

Department of Fisheries Annual Reports

This annual report provides an overview of the Department and its operations for the financial year ended 30 June 2014. It has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Financial Management Act 2006, the Fish Resources Management Act 1994 and the Public Sector Commission’s Annual reporting framework – 2013/14 reporting year.

Some Aspects Of The Biology Of Monogenean (Platyhelminth) Parasites Of Marine And Freshwater Fishes, Graham C. Kearn

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Müller was the first to describe a monogenean, collected from the skin of the halibut (Hippoglossus hippoglossus). However, he regarded the parasite as a leech and named it Hirudo hippoglossi. It was not until 1858 that its status as a monogenean was established by van Beneden and named Epibdella (now Entobdella) hippoglossi. Van Beneden published a detailed and accurate description of the parasite and one of his excellent illustrations is reproduced here. Entobdella hippoglossi is one of the largest monogeneans, measuring up to 2 cm in length. It has a smaller relative, measuring 5 to …

Pentastomids Of Wild Snakes In Australia, Crystal Kelehear, David M. Spratt, Denis O'Meally, Richard Shine

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Pentastomids are endoparasites of the respiratory system of vertebrates, maturing primarily in carnivorous reptiles. Adult and larval pentastomids can cause severe pathology resulting in the death of their intermediate and definitive hosts. The study of pentastomids is a neglected field, impaired by risk of zoonoses, difficulties in species identification, and life cycle complexities. We surveyed wild snakes in the tropics of Australia to clarify which host species possess these parasites, and then sought to identify these pentastomids using a combination of morphological and molecular techniques. We detected pentastomid infections in 59% of the 81 snakes surveyed. The ubiquity of pentastomid …

Successes And Challenges From Formation To Implementation Of Eleven Broad-Extent Conservation Programs, Erik A. Beever, Brady J. Mattsson, Matthew J. Germino, Max Post Van Der Burg, John B. Bradford, Mark W. Brunson

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

Integration of conservation partnerships across geographic, biological, and administrative boundaries is increasingly relevant because drivers of change, such as climate shifts, transcend these boundaries. We explored successes and challenges of established conservation programs that span multiple watersheds and consider both social and ecological concerns. We asked representatives from a diverse set of 11 broadextent conservation partnerships in 29 countries 17 questions that pertained to launching and maintaining partnerships for broad-extent conservation, specifying ultimate management objectives, and implementation and learning. Partnerships invested more funds in implementing conservation actions than any other aspect of conservation, and a program’s context (geographic extent, United …

A Gray Wolf (Canis Lupus) Delivers Live Prey To A Pup, L. David Mech

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

A two-year-old sibling Gray Wolf (Canis lupus) carefully captured an Arctic Hare (Lepus arcticus) leveret alive on Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada, and delivered it alive to a pup 28–33 days old. This appears to be the first observation of a Gray Wolf delivering live prey to a pup.

Nocturnal Homing In The Tropical Amblypygid Phrynus Pseudoparvulus (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi), Eileen Hebets, E.J. Gering, Verner P. Bingman, Daniel D. Wiegmann

Eileen Hebets Publications

Arthropods are renowned for their navigational capabilities, with numerous examples known from insects and crustaceans. Early studies of amblypygids (Class Arachnida, Order Amblypygi) also suggest complex nocturnal navigation, despite their apparent lack of visual adaptations to the low-light conditions of a tropical understory. In a series of two studies, we use the tropical amblypygid, Phrynus pseudoparvulus, to assess their nocturnal homing ability. Our first experiment displaced and tracked resident and nonresident individuals. Resident individuals, displaced up to 4.5 m from their home refuges and released onto their home tree, were more likely to return to their previously occupied refuge than …

Detection Of Predator Cues Alters Mating Tactics In Male Wolf Spiders, Dustin J. Wilgers, Daniel Wickwire, Eileen Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Males of the wolf spider, Rabidosa punctulata, exhibit condition-dependent alternative mating tactics, whereby small, poor condition males engage in multimodal courtship while large, good condition males adopt a direct mount tactic that forgoes courtship. This study explores the possibility that tactic-specific costs can help explain this unintuitive pattern of mating tactic expression. Specifically, we hypothesize that courtship signaling is costly with respect to eavesdropping by predators and that males can alter their tactic expression based upon the perceived environmental predation risk. We test this by first examining the risk of predation associated with different mating tactics. We use a …

Redescription Of Oligacanthorhynchus Microcephalus (Rudolphi, 1819) Schmidt 1972 (Syn. Oligacanthorhynchus Tortuosa (Leidy, 1850) Schmidt 1972) (Acanthocephala: Oligacanthorhynchidae), Dennis J. Richardson, Scott Lyell Gardner, Jonathan W. Allen Jr.

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Oligacanthorhynchus microcephalus (Rudolphi, 1819) Schmidt, 1972 was originally described from the philander opossum Caluromys philander from Brazil. Oligacanthorhynchus tortuosa (Leidy, 1850) Schmidt, 1972 was originally described from the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) in North America. Six years after describing O. tortuosa, Leidy indicated the synonomy of O. tortuosa with O. microcephalus. This taxonomic view persisted for decades until Van Cleave, in 1924, recognized the validity of O. tortuosa, apparently without examining the type material of O. microcephalus. Subsequent workers have recognized two species of Oligacanthorhynchus from New World opossums: O. microcephalus from South American …

Varestrongylus Eleguneniensis Sp. N. (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae): A Widespread, Multi-Host Lungworm Of Wild North American Ungulates, With An Emended Diagnosis For The Genus And Explorations Of Biogeography, Guilherme G. Verocai, Susan J. Kutz, Manon Simard, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Background: A putative new species of Varestrongylus has been recently recognized in wild North American ungulates based on the ITS-2 sequences of larvae isolated from feces during a wide geographic survey. No taxonomic description was provided, as adult specimens were not examined. Methods: Lungworm specimens were collected in the terminal bronchioles of muskoxen from Quebec, and a woodland caribou from central Alberta, Canada. The L3 stage was recovered from experimentally infected slugs (Deroceras spp.). Description of specimens was based on comparative morphology and integrated approaches. Molecular identity was determined by PCR and sequencing of the ITS-2 region of …

Air Sac Nematode Monopetalonema Alcedinis In A Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle Alcyon) In Maryland, Usa, Ellen Bronson, Kathleen Kelly, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Sporadic and geographically widespread reports of parasites affecting the Belted Kingfisher (Megaceryle alcyon) have been published but few have described details of the pathology. A female, adult kingfisher was found dead in a heavily wooded area of a zoo in Maryland, USA. At necropsy, numerous sexually dimorphic, 4.4–40.5-cm adult Monopetalonema alcedinis nematodes were found tightly wound within the coelomic cavity between organs and completely filling the caudal thoracic and abdominal air sacs. Abundant, 30–60-mm diameter, larvated, thick-walled ova were found in the bronchi and parabronchi, within the mesentery, and in the serosa of multiple coelomic organs. Monopetalonema alcedinis …

Effect Of Stocking Biomass On Solids, Phytoplankton Communities, Common Off-Flavors, And Production Parameters In A Channel Catfish Biofloc Technology Production System, Bartholomew W. Green, Kevin K. Schrader, Peter W. Perschbacher

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

The effect of initial channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus, Rafinesque, 1818) fingerling biomass (1.4, 1.8, or 2.3 kg m^-3) on phytoplankton communities, common off-flavours and stocker catfish production parameters was evaluated in biofloc technology production tanks. Stocker catfish size (145.5–172.6 g fish^-1) at harvest did not differ among treatments, but net yield increased linearly as initial biomass increased (R² = 0.633). Mean total feed consumption increased linearly with initial catfish biomass (R² = 0.656) and ranged from 10.7 to 15.8 kg m ^-3. Total suspended solids (TSS) in all treatments increased linearly …

Nesting Ecology Of White-Throated Sparrows (Zonotrichia Albicollis) : The Effects Of Variation In Clutch-Initiation Date And The Application Of Prescribed Fire On Nesting Success, Melissa Olmstead

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The study of nesting success is one of the most widely-used methods for examining the factors governing recruitment in birds. Many ecological influences act together to increase or decrease nesting success, and knowledge of these mechanisms is crucial for determining the habitat or conservation requirements of a given species. One ecological influence is the timing of breeding, which in many species is related to a decline in nest success later in the breeding season. Much of the research on this subject has focused on cavity-nesting species, and the hypothesis that this seasonal decline is caused by a mismatch between clutch-initiation …

Distribution And Elimination Of 3-Trifluoromethyl-4-Nitrophenol (Tfm) By Sea Lamprey (Petromyzon Marinus) And Non-Target, Rainbow Trout (Oncorhynchus Mykiss) And Lake Sturgeon (Acipenser Fulvescens), Michael W. Le Clair

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

The pesticide, 3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol (TFM), has been highly successful in the control of sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus) populations in the Great Lakes. Treatments with TFM involve applying it to streams, where it targets larval sea lamprey which live burrowed in the stream substrate. While the toxic mechanism of TFM has been elucidated, and its effects on sea lamprey described, its effects on non-target fish species such as rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and lake sturgeon (Acipenser fulvescens) are not as well understood. The present work demonstrated that rainbow trout show a great capacity to detoxify the lampricide using glucuronidation, when exposed to …

[Review Of The Book Rare Birds Of North America, By N.G. Howell, Ian Lewington & Will Russell], Natasha D.G. Hagemeyer, Eric L. Walters

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Predation Upon The Long-Spined Sea Urchin Diadema Antillarum By The Spotted Spiny Lobster Panulirus Guttatus, Meredith D. Kintzing, Mark J. Butler Iv

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Sea urchins, important herbivores in marine ecosystems, are strongly impacted by both the direct and indirect effects of predation, and the long-spined sea urchin Diadema antillarum is no exception. Once abundant on Caribbean coral reefs, D. antillarum populations were decimated by disease in the early 1980s, and only where their natural predators have been over-fished has D. antillarum recovery been observed. Spiny lobsters (Palinuridae) are predators of sea urchins, and although there are several species of spiny lobster in the Caribbean, only the spotted spiny lobster Panulirus guttatus is restricted to coral reefs where D. antillarum dwells. We investigated the …

Bolivian Ectoparasites: A Survey Of The Fleas Of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), Elisa Pucu De Araujo, Scott L. Gardner, Marcela Lareschi

Papers in Parasitology

We present the results of a multiyear survey of the fleas from ctenomyid rodents across many different habitats from throughout Bolivia. New species records for Bolivia include Tiamastus palpalis and Ectinorus (Panallius) galeanus. New records of fleas from Ctenomys in Bolivia include Gephyropsylla klagesi, Sphinctopsylla inca, and Tetrapsyllus tristis.

Bolivian Ectoparasites: A Survey Of The Fleas Of Ctenomys (Rodentia: Ctenomyidae), Elisa Pucu De Araujo, Marcela Lareschi, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We present the results of a multiyear survey of the fleas from ctenomyid rodents across many different habitats from throughout Bolivia. New species records for Bolivia include Tiamastus palpalis and Ectinorus (Panallius) galeanus. New records of fleas from Ctenomys in Bolivia include Gephyropsylla klagesi, Sphinctopsylla inca, and Tetrapsyllus tristis.

Evaluating The Effect Maturity On The Intake And Digestibility Of Switchgrass Hay Consumed By Beef Steers, David H. Davis

Theses and Dissertations--Plant and Soil Sciences

There has been increased interest in utilizing switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) as biomass. There are several challenges to developing this industry, and these have led to the potential use of switchgrass as hay for feeding beef cattle in Kentucky. The effect of increasing maturity on crude protein (CP), neutral detergent fiber (NDF), acid detergent fiber (ADF) and nutritive values of switchgrass hay has been well documented, but few in vivo intake and digestibility trials have been conducted to assess this effect on animal performance when feeding beef cattle. Two in vivo intake and digestibility trials were conducted in 2011 …

Microsporidia Biological Control Agents And Pathogens Of Beneficial Insects, Susan Bjornson, David Oi

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

In The News, Robert J. Lewis, Joe N. Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.