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Restoring Wildlife Habitat On Rat Island: Environmental Assessment

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Restoration of natural ecosystem function on Rat Island promises to re-establish native seabirds and other native species, thus returning this wilderness island to a healthy natural community. This restoration cannot occur until the island is cleared of the invasive non-native rats that now dominate the living community.

Introduced non-native species are a leading cause of extinctions in island communities worldwide. Increasingly, land managers are removing introduced species to aid in the restoration of native ecosystems. Rats are responsible for 40-60% of all recorded bird and reptile extinctions worldwide. Given their widespread successful colonization on islands and the resulting impact to …

Prey Naiveté: Evolutionary And Ecological Implications, Jonathan G. Cox

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Despite its ecological importance, the concept of prey naivete has become a biological truism that receives little study. I explored the evolution of naivete and its likely influence on two major ecological patterns: a) the historically greater destructiveness of freshwater predator introductions, and b) the greater strength of aquatic trophic cascades. In a review of the ecological literature, I demonstrate that the conditions for the evolution of naivete (isolation) exist in freshwater habitats at multiple spatial scales. In addition, I show that freshwater prey exhibit naivete which could be responsible for the high impacts of freshwater predator introductions. I then …

Foraging Behavior And Habitat Use By The Carolina Chickadee (Poecile Carolinensis) In West-Central Indiana, Ihan Chen

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

I studied the effect of environmental conditions on the foraging behavior of Carolina chickadees (Poecile carolinensis) in Kiewig woods, property of Indiana State University, in West Terre Haute in west-central Indiana. My study method uses Optimal Foraging Theory (Brown 1988) to measure the giving up density (GUD) of Chickadees under different environmental conditions ( different resource abundances, different habitat types, different resource types and different seasons). For my experiment, I set up 24 feeding stations in three kinds of habitats ( open area, secondary growth woods and mature woods) within 4 sites and paired trays in each habitat X site. …

Designation Of A Neotype For Leptodactylus Gracilis (Duméril And Bibron, 1840) (Amphibia: Leptodactylidae), Rafael O. De Sá, A. Dubois, A. Ohler

Biology Faculty Publications

The examination of the preserved specimens in the herpetological collection of the Museum National d'Histoire Naturelle, along with a review of the original literature, indicates that no extant specimen can be undoubtedly identified as the holotype of Leptodactylus gracilis (DumCri.l and Bibron, 1840). Furthermore, it revealed that the type locality recently assigned to this taxon is in error.

Seasonal Changes In Thermal Conductance Of Bat Pelage: A Comparison Of The Eastern Red Bat (Lasiurus Borealis) And Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus Fuscus), Daniel Justin Judy

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two species with different ecologies and natural histories use different morphological characteristics and thermoregulatory strategies to survive seasonal environmental changes. The purpose of this project was to investigate two such species, the eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis) and big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus). Red bats roost in the foliage of trees and occasionally leaf litter and have dense fur, as well as a furred interfemoral membrane. These two species differ in their morphology and roosting ecology in that big brown bats are generally larger with less dense fur, no fur on the interfemoral membrane, and are less exposed to environmental …

Trapping, Survival, And Probable Causes Of Mortality Of Chukar Partridge, Aaron Clark Robinson

Theses and Dissertations

We present an efficient and effective method for trapping chukars (Alectoris chukar) on artificial water sources. We compared a B-trap, a prairie chicken (Tympanuchus cupido) walk-in trap, a modified quail recall trap, and a newly designed Utah walk-in-funnel trap. Our Utah funnel trap outperformed standard techniques by more than 65%, and exceeded previous published results by 35%. Use of this method allows researchers and managers the ability to capture large numbers of Chukars relatively efficiently. With appropriate modifications this design is applicable for capturing a variety of bird species using small water developments. Chukars (Alectoris chukar) have been introduced throughout …

Attenuation Of Ruminal Methanogenesis, Eric J. Behlke

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Ruminal methanogens reduce carbon dioxide to methane (CH₄), thereby preventing hydrogen use by bacteria for VFA synthesis resulting in a 2 to 12% loss in feed gross energy. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. The objectives of this work were to determine: 1) the extent to which ruminal cultures acquire resistance to a nitrofuranyl derivative of para-aminobenzoate (NFP) and an extract from the plant Yucca shidigera (Yucca); 2) the effect of distillers dried grains plus solubles (DDGS) on ruminal CH₄ production; 3) the effect of brome hay-based diets, corn-based diets, and in vivo …

The Ecology Of Translocated Greater Sage-Grouse In Strawberry Valley, Utah, Rick Joseph Baxter

Theses and Dissertations

Manuscript No. 1 Translocations of greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) have been attempted in 7 states and one Canadian province with very little success. To recover a small remnant population and test the efficacy of sage-grouse translocations, we captured and transported 137 adult female sage-grouse from 2 source populations to a release site in Strawberry Valley, Utah during March-April 2003-2005. The resident population of sage-grouse in Strawberry Valley was approximately 150 breeding birds prior to the release. We radiomarked each female and documented survival, movements, reproductive effort, flocking with resident grouse, and lek attendance. We used Program MARK to calculate annual …

Fisheries Research Report No. 168 - Sustainable Development Of Barramundi Cage Aquaculture At Lake Argyle., Brett Glencross, S. Percival, B. Jones, J Hughes

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC report and KSRP report - Project 2003/026

A preliminary sensory evaluation study was conducted to confirm the presence of a taint issue. Prior to this the issue was reliant on purchaser feedback and was not verified independently. To examine the issue of flavour taint a series of barramundi samples were collected from Lake Argyle (purged and unpurged), wild (estuarine) and marine farmed barramundi were assessed. No significant differences in flavour attributes and/or acceptability attributes were detected between the wild and farmed barramundi, provided the barramundi was either marine-farmed or purged. However, it was determined that a clear “muddy” …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 83, No. 4), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Initial Sequence And Comparative Analysis Of The Cat Genome, J. U. Pontius, James C. Mullikin, Douglas R. Smith, Agencourt Bioscience Corporation, Kerstin Lindblad-Toh, Sante Gnerre, Michele Clamp, Jean Chang, R. Stephens, Beena A. Neelam, Natalia Volfovsky, Alejandro A. Schaffer, R. Agarwala, Kristina Narfstrom, William J. Murphy, Urs Giger, Alfred L. Roca, Agostinho Antunes, Marilyn Menotti-Raymond, Naoya Yuhki, Jill Pecon-Slattery, Warren E. Johnson, Guillaume Bourque, Glenn Tesler, Nisc Comparative Sequencing Program, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

The genome sequence (1.9-fold coverage) of an inbred Abyssinian domestic cat was assembled, mapped, and annotated with a comparative approach that involved cross-reference to annotated genome assemblies of six mammals (human, chimpanzee, mouse, rat, dog, and cow). The results resolved chromosomal positions for 663,480 contigs, 20,285 putative feline gene orthologs, and 133,499 conserved sequence blocks (CSBs). Additional annotated features include repetitive elements, endogenous retroviral sequences, nuclear mitochondrial (numt) sequences, micro-RNAs, and evolutionary breakpoints that suggest historic balancing of translocation and inversion incidences in distinct mammalian lineages. Large numbers of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), deletion insertion polymorphisms (DIPs), and …

Relative Effects Of Mammal Herbivory And Plant Spacing On Seedling Recruitment Following Fire And Mining, Michael H. Parsons, Christine M. Rafferty, Byron B. Lamont, Kenneth Dods, Meredith M. Fairbanks

Natural Resources Research Articles

No abstract provided.

Bats Of Anguilla, Northern Lesser Antilles, Hugh H. Genoways, Carleton J. Phillips, Scott C. Pedersen, Linda K. Gordon

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Five species of bats are known in the literature from Anguilla—Monophyllus plethodon, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Artibeus jamaicensis, Natalus stramineus, and Molossus molossus. These records are scattered in the literature as parts of simple reports of the species from the island or included in revisions of taxonomic groups that occur on the island, but the first comprehensive study of bats of Anguilla is presented herein. In addition to providing morphometric and natural history information for the five species of bats previously known from the island, records of a species of bat new to the fauna of the island of Anguilla—Tadarida …

Fish & Wildlife News: Summer/Fall 2007

Fish and Wildlife News

Contents:
Director’s Corner / 1
News Briefs / 3
Service Spotlight / 8
Back to Nature / 8
Path to Discovery / 12
A Prescription for Healthy Kids / 14
River Explorers / 16
Linking Girls to the Land / 18
Senses in the Desert / 22
Science / 24
Around the Service / 28
In Their Own Words / 42
Our People / 45
Transitions / 45
Honors / 47
In Memoriam / 49

Developmental Reproductive Effects Of Exposure To Pharmaceutical Steroids In The Aquatic Environment: Studies On Mosquitofish (Gambusia Affinis Affinis),Roach (Rutilus Rutilus) And Medaka(Oryzias Latipes), Taisen Iguchi, Yoshinao Katsu, Hiroshi Urushitani, Anke Lange, Charles R. Tyler

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Pharmaceutical androgens and estrogens discharged into the aquatic environment are now known to induce adverse effects in fish and are a health concern for wildlife. Mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) exposed to a pharmaceutical androgen, trenbolone, used to enhance cattle growth and found to pollute waters below feedlots in the USA, has been shown to alter the development of the anal fin of the females and disrupt gonopodium development in fry. In our work, we showed that altered gonopodium development was associated with disruption in the normal patterns of expression of 2 cloned androgen receptors. Furthermore, exposure to trenbolone at 1 µg/L …

Adaptation To Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents: Some Molecular And Developmental Aspects, Florence Pradillon, Françoise Gaill

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Alvinella pompejana is a polychaetous annelid inhabiting the surface of deep sea hydrothermal chimneys along the ridge of the east part of the Pacific ocean. The main characteristic of this emblematic species is its habitat, which is very aggressive considering its temperature. The exceptional thermotolerance of this species (up to 80°C) has been the subject of much controversy. This review is focused on the thermal adaptation of this worm regarding molecular data relative to its extracellular matrix and life history traits.

Simulated Migration Of European Silver Eel; Swim Capacity And Cost Of Transport, Guido Van Den Thillart, Arjan Palstra, Vincent Van Ginneken

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

An important aspect of the reproduction of European silver eels is the huge distance (ca 6000-km) they have to swim to reach their spawning grounds. So, obviously endurance swimming is a major requirement for successful reproduction. As migrating eels don’t feed, two major questions should be asked: 1) what are the energy costs to cross the Atlantic Ocean, 2) How much fat do eels need to cover the expenses. From swim tunnel experiments run for days till even 6 months we could determine the cost of transport (COT): 0.5 kJ km-1 kg-1. This amount is about 5 times lower than …

Effects Of Elevated Seawater Co2 Concentration On The Meiofauna, Haruko Kurihara, Atsushi Ishimatsu, Yoshihisa Shirayama

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

An increase in atmospheric CO2 concentration leads to a rise in CO2 concentrations and a decrease in pH of the ocean surface water due to continuous gas exchange between air and seawater, which may have serious impacts on neritic marine organisms. In this study, we assessed the impacts of elevated CO2 concentrations on meiobenthic organisms by exposing them to seawater equilibrated with air (control: CO2 concentration 380 ppm) or CO2-enriched air (2,000 ppm higher than control, CO2 concentration predicted by the year 2300) for 56 days in microcosms. We observed no significant differences in the abundance of total meiofauna, nematodes, …

Role Of Sex Hormones In Sex Change Of Grouper, Masaru Nakamura, Mohammad Ashraful Alam, Yasuhisa Kobayashi, Ramji Kumar Bhandari

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Groupers are commercially important coral reef fishes because of their excellent flavor and high price. Due to their sex changing nature, commercial aquaculture operations have not yet been developed for groupers. Sex steroids play a critical role in the initiation of sex change, but their exact function and mechanism of action are unknown. We have investigated the role of sex steroids in protogynous sex change using the honeycomb grouper, Epinephelus merra, for a number of years. Our studies have shown that sex steroids play a major role in sex change. In this review, we integrate our findings to better understand …

Neuroendocrinology Of Fish Metamorphosis And Puberty: Evolutionary And Ecophysiological Perspectives, Sylvie Dufour, Karine Rousseau

Journal of Marine Science and Technology–Taiwan

Metamorphosis and puberty are two major events of the postembryonic development in Vertebrates. Based on some examples from fish species, we review the definition, role and regulation of these events, analyze their common and different features, as well as their impact on the evolution and diversity of life cycles. The term of puberty, firstly defined in humans, has been subsequently extended to the first acquisition of the capacity to reproduce in all mammalian and non-mammalian vertebrates as well as in invertebrates. By definition, puberty occurs only once in the life cycle. However, some similarities may be found with other events, …

Eutrophication In Farmington Bay And Its Potential Impacts On Wildlife, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Refuge Update Article Index, Ellen Fritts

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

This document was developed to promote protection of Alaska’ wildlife from nonnative rodents, especially rats. If constitutes a statewide invasive rodent management plan, which is part of a multi-agency effort to minimize the impact of invasive species in Alaska. A literature search and interviews were conducted, and reviews were obtained from experts in Alaska and elsewhere. The plan summarizes resisting information relevant to Alaska and recommends a collaborative structure for undertaking strategic actions, the Alaska Rodent Action Team. It also identifies dozens of strategic actions that are needed to prevent and eradicate invasive rodents. These fall into six categories: legal …

Analyzing Site Loyalty In Nyctimene Robinsoni At The End Of The Dry Season, Kolleen Nellett

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

The loyalty of Nyctimene robinsoni to its daytime roosting sites at the end of the dry season was assessed using radio tracking in Cape Tribulation, far north Queensland, Australia. N. robinsoni is a solitary roosting bat which specializes in figs. Bats were netted in front of a female fruiting Ficus congesta and glue-on transmitters were attached. Bats were then tracked to their daytime roosting sites and GPS coordinates were recorded. Night time positions were also monitored to gather information about how far from its roosting site each bat was foraging. A total of five bats were tagged although only two …

Fisheries Research Report 165: Biological And Fisheries Data For Managing Deep Sea Crabs In Western Australia - Project 2001/055, Roy Melville-Smith, S M. Norton, Adrian W. Thomson

Fisheries Research Reports

The crystal crab fishery on the west coast of Western Australia has only been commercially fished since the late 1990s. When this project was initiated in 2001, only compulsory monthly catch and effort data were being collected. This project has successfully set up the methods and means to collect and analyse more appropriate commercial catch and effort data for the fishery. Fishers now record detailed daily catch and effort data for legal as well as undersize and berried crabs and the Department of Fisheries, WA, has a regular monitoring programme to record population size structure information.

This project has also …

Fisheries Research Report No. 166 - Stock Enhancement Of Haliotis Laevigata In Western Australia - A Preliminary Assessment, Anthony M. Hart, Frank Fabris, Sabine Daume

Fisheries Research Reports

A preliminary assessment of stock enhancement of Haliotis laevigata (Greenlip abalone) in Western Australia was undertaken with the release of 6,000 abalone near Augusta in 2004. The objective of the project was to obtain quantitative data on the likelihood of enhancement, as an additional management tool to TACs and size-limits, being successful in natural habitats in Western Australia. Baseline surveys coupled with an assessment of growth and survival of released 1+ and 2 + animals were undertaken at 12 sites within Flinders Bay, Augusta. Overall survival was 19% for 1+ age abalone and 27% for 2+ animals after 9 months. …

Correlation Of Eastern Wild Turkey Poult:Hen Ratios With Population Indices To Detect Reproductive Density Dependence, Jay D. Mcghee, Jim Berkson

Virginia Journal of Science

Knowledge of how density affects population growth is important for the harvest management of wild turkey. Unfortunately, available time-series are often too short for statistical detection of density dependence. The correlation between wild turkey recruitment and population size was assessed using data from 7 state wildlife agencies, circumventing the problem of short time-series by using multiple datasets. Correlation coefficients were calculated between surveyed poult:hen ratios and harvest-based population indices for 31 geographic or harvest management regions. Estimated correlation coefficients were tested for homogeneity to determine if an average correlation could be calculated. Correlation coefficients for the 29 regions ranged from …

Depauperate Small Mammal Communities In Managed Pine Plantations In Eastern Virginia, James D. Dolan, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations of four different ages were examined to identify changes in the small mammal community in relation to changes in the vegetational community. Small mammals were evaluated during five seasons using two methods of trapping. Live traps accounted for 65% of captures and seven of nine species, whereas pitfall traps yielded eight species, of which two were not taken with live traps. For both trap types, catch rates averaged less than two per 100 trap-nights, very low even for pine forests. Both abundance and biomass of small mammals declined with increasing stand age, whereas species …

Limb Regeneration After Multiple Autotomy And Coxae Removal In The Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Jennifer Ambler

OES Theses and Dissertations

This study investigated limb regeneration in the juvenile blue crab, Callinectes sapidus, specifically the role of the coxa and pedal nerve innervation of the regenerative limb bud over time. The coxa is a leg segment that has been defined as the source of positional, cellular, and neuronal information needed for limb regeneration in brachyuran crabs. This study indicates that removal of coxae under regenerative and non-regenerative conditions did not deter limb regeneration. The coxa is not the exclusive location of limb regenerative information since limbs re-grew with normal positional and functional arrangement in 86% of crabs showing regeneration at removal …

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of The Cotton Rat (Sigmodon Hispidus) Based On Fecal Analysis, Lynn A. Walker

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Cotton rats, Sigmodon hispidus, live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat eats predominantly grasses, but grasses rarely are the only food. Fecal samples were collected each month during an ongoing capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community at a location in southern Chesapeake, Virginia. In the lab, five fecal pellets per animal were stained, placed on a microscope slide, and covered with starch-gel medium and coverslip. Then a clear nail polish was applied to produce a semi-permanent slide. Using a microscope and a set of reference slides, plant …

Antimicrobial Activity Screening Of Recombinant And Synthetic Varasin A Defensin From The Hard Tick Dermacentor Variabilis Against Various Bacteria, Julia A. Sharp

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Hematophagous arthropods, such as ticks and mosquitoes, rely on their innate immune system for defense against pathogens ingested in a blood meal as well as those acquired through injury. In response to pathogen recognition, the production of antimicrobial peptides, such as defensin, is typically upregulated. Varisin, a defensin, is thought to be a key component in the immunocompetence of the hard tick D. variabilis against Borrelia burgdorferi, the causative agent of Lyme disease. To study the antimicrobial effects of varisin, recombinant varisin was expressed by both insect cells and E coli. Purification of the protein followed by enterokinase treatment yielded …