Digital Commons Network^™

Conditioning Beaver To Avoid Desirable Plants, Julie L. Harper, Dale L. Nolte, Thomas J. Deliberto, David L. Bergman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Conditioned food aversion can be used to train animals to avoid select foods. Generally, aversive conditioning is best applied when animals first encounter a food item. However, almost by definition damage is inflicted to desirable plants very familiar to the culprit. We assessed the potential for training beaver to avoid a known preferred food. During a 5 day day treatment period beavers were offered only corn at 1600 hours. Six hours later, animals that had ingested corn were injected with 150 mg/kg lithium chloride (LiCl), with a control group receiving sodium chloride (NaCl). Alternate foods were then offered with corn …

The Eradication Of Bovine Tuberculosis From Infected Wildlife Populations: A New Zealand Scenario, Garry J.E. Knowles, Mark Hunter, Amy Rush

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Animal Health Board (AHB) is the agency responsible for controlling bovine tuberculosis (Tb) in New Zealand. In 2000, the AHB embarked on a strategy designed to reduce the annual period prevalence of Tb infected cattle and farmed deer herds from 1.67% to 0.2% by 2012/13. Under current rules of the Office International des Epizooties (OIE) this would allow New Zealand to claim freedom from Tb. The epidemiology of Tb in New Zealand is largely influenced by wildlife reservoirs of infection and control of Tb vector populations is central to the elimination of Tb from New Zealand's cattle and deer …

Preliminary Serologic Survey Of Selected Diseases And Movements Of Feral Swine In Texas, A. Christy Wyckoff, Scott E. Henke, Tyler Campbell, David G. Hewitt, Kurt Vercauteren

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) populations occur throughout eastern, central, and southern Texas, and their populations appear to be increasing. Despite their abundance and wide distribution, little is known about their range and interaction with domestic animals. In the last decade the national pork production industry has enforced an eradication program for economically detrimental swine diseases such as pseudorabies and brucellosis. It is hypothesized that feral hogs can be reservoirs that could reintroduce diseases to disease-free domestic swine herds. The objectives of this on-going project are to determine the prevalence of selected swine diseases that exist within feral hog …

Use Of Deer Repellents To Preserve Wildlife Food Plots For Game Birds, Wendy M. Arjo, Kimberly K. Wagner, Chad D. Richardson, Dale L. Nolte

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Food plots are a vital element for the survival of game bird species such as bobwhite quail (Colinus virginianus) on Fort Riley Military Installation in Kansas. However, white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) tend to eat the sorghum when it starts to ripen in September and continue feeding on it through November and December, often leaving no food for the quail during the winter. We conducted pen and field trails to determine if repellents were an effective and feasible method to protect grain sorghum food plots from deer damage. Two-choice pen trials with both deer and game bird …

Badger Movement Ecology In Colorado Agricultural Areas After A Fire, Craig A. Ramey, Jean B. Bourassa

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

While investigating the American badger (Taxidea taxus) in eastern Colorado' s wheatlands, we studied 3 badgers which were affected by a 2.1 km² man-made fire and compared them to 2 adjacent badgers unaffected by the fire. All badgers were equipped with radio-telemetry collars and generally located day and night for approximately 1 month pre-fire and 3 weeks post-fire. Three point triangulation locations were converted into a global information system database. Adaptive kernel analyses compared pre- and post-fire horizontal: home ranges (i.e. 95% utilization areas, UAs), core activity areas (50% UAs), movements, den and habitat use patterns. Mean …

Development Of Diazacon™ As An Avian Contraceptive, Christi A. Yoder, Kimberly S. Bynum, Lowell A. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Due to increasing human-wildlife conflicts with birds and growing opposition to lethal techniques, nonlethal methods need to be developed to help manage bird populations. DiazaCon™ is a promising oral contraceptive that acts by directly inhibiting the conversion of desmosterol to cholesterol. Because cholesterol is essential for the production of the steroid reproductive hormones testosterone, progesterone, and estradiol, DiazaCon™ also indirectly inhibits the formation of these hormones. These hormones are essential for sperm and egg production, and the production of egg yolk precursors in the liver. Because DiazaCon™ is cleared slowly from the liver, its contraceptive effects are long-lasting. Initial research …

Carnivores From The Mexican State Of Puebla: Distribution, Taxonomy, And Conservation, Jose Ramirez-Pulido, Noe Gonzalez-Ruiz, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

We examined 96 museum specimens belonging to 14 species of Carnivora from the Mexican State of Puebla. In addition, four species were documented based on literature records and by indirect evidence. The carnivorous mammals of Puebla belong to 5 families, 18 genera, 18 species and 23 subspecies. Eight of these 23 taxa are reported herein for the first time from the state of Puebla. Of the 18 species, Herpailurus yagouaroundi, Lontra longicaudis, Taxidea taxus, and Galictis vittata are considered by Norma Oficial Mexicana as threatened species, Leopardus wiedii and Eira barbara in danger of extinction, and Potos flavus is …

Kentucky Warbler (Vol. 81, No. 2), Kentucky Library Research Collections

The Kentucky Warbler

No abstract provided.

Stopover Ecology Of Autumn Landbird Migrants In The Boise Foothills Of Southwestern Idaho, Jay D. Carlisle, Gregory S. Kaltenecker, David L. Swanson

Intermountain Bird Observatory Publications and Presentations

The topography of western North America provides a complex landscape for landbird migrants, and stopover patterns in this region are poorly understood. We examined seven years of stopover data (1997–2003) from a montane area in southwestern Idaho to determine whether this area provides suitable stopover habitat. We compared the proportion of birds recaptured, stopover duration, and changes in energetic condition within and among species and between two mist-netting sites located in different habitats. The proportion of birds recaptured ranged from zero to over 20%, and fewer than 5% of individuals were recaptured in most species. Mean minimum stopover durations from …

2002 Licensed Angler Survey: Summarized Results, Keith L. Hurley, Kristin L. Duppong-Hurley

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

On October 22, 2002, 5000 six-page surveys (Appendix 3) were sent to a stratified-random sample of Nebraska anglers drawn from the 2001 licensed anglers database. The database included all anglers who purchased a fishing license in 2001 as well as all lifetime fishing permit holders who purchased their license before or during 2001. The database did not include those possessing a free permit, such as veteran’s or senior citizen permits. The survey subsample (2.6% of the 2001-licensed angler database) was stratified such that the proportions of surveys in the subsample (4366 residents and 634 non-residents) matched the proportions of resident/non-resident …

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.

Effect Of Fat And Casein Particles In Milk On The Scattering Of Elliptically Polarized Light, Czarena L. Crofcheck, Jeremie Wade, Janakiraman N. Swamy, Mustafa M. Aslan, M. Pinar Mengüç

Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering Faculty Publications

In this article, we present an experimental approach to determine the milk fat content using scattered light intensity profiles. The elements of the scattering (Mueller) matrix have been shown to provide valuable information about variation of the optical properties of scattering particles. The scattering behavior of fat and casein in terms of the scattering matrix elements was experimentally determined for milk with varying fat levels ranging from 0.05 wt% (skim) to 3.20 wt% (whole). Three of the scattering Mueller matrix elements, specifically S₁₁, S₁₂/S₁₁, and S₃₃/S₁₁, were found to be …

Fisheries Occasional Paper No. 19 - Management Of Western Rock Lobster Fishery - Proposed Resource Sustainability Management Package For The Northern Zones (A And B), Department Of Fisheries Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The proposed effort reduction management package presented in this paper was developed in close co-operation with rock lobster industry to address the short-term sustainability concerns regarding the level of breeding stock in the northern region.

The management package does not address the serious long-term sustainability or socio-economic issues (e.g. cost pressures and related fleet capacity) facing the industry. If the fishery stays with input controls there will need to be regular reviews of the level of exploitation and its impact on the breeding stock. If exploitation increases and the breeding stock continues to decline additional fishing effort reductions in the …

Fisheries Occasional Paper No. 20 - Management Of Western Rock Lobster Fishery - Advice To Stakeholders - Assessment Of Southern Zone Resource Sustainability Options, Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The management options presented in this paper have been developed in close cooperation with the rock lobster industry to address the short-term sustainability and economic concerns regarding the level of exploitation and its impact on the breeding stock in the southern region. The main focus in the short-term is to consider options that reduce fishing effort during periods that may be economically inefficient to fish and at the same time reduce the level of exploitation.

The management package does not address the serious long-term sustainability or socioeconomic issues (e.g. cost pressures and related fleet capacity) facing the industry. If the …

K-Means Clustering With Multiresolution Peak Detection, Guanshan Yu, Leen-Kiat Soh, Alan B. Bond

Avian Cognition Papers

Clustering is a practical data mining approach of pattern detection. Because of the sensitivity of initial conditions, k-means clustering often suffers from low clustering performance. We present a procedure to refine initial conditions of k-means clustering by analyzing density distributions of a data set before estimating the number of clusters k necessary for the data set, as well as the positions of the initial centroids of the clusters. We demonstrate that this approach indeed improves the accuracy and performance of k-means clustering measured by average intra to interclustering error ratio. This method is applied to the virtual ecology project to …

Attention-Altering Signal Interactions In The Multimodal Courtship Display Of The Wolf Spider Schizocosa Uetzi, Eileen A. Hebets

Eileen Hebets Publications

Complex signals are common throughout the animal kingdom, consisting of one or more signals in one or more sensory modalities presented within a single display. I tested an efficacy-based backup hypothesis of complex signal function using the bimodal courtship signaling wolf spider Schizocosa uetzi. This hypothesis predicts that the visual and vibratory courtship displays function as backups to each other in the presence of environmental variability. I compared mating frequencies across four environmental treatments in which the visual and vibratory environments were manipulated independently in a 2 × 2 design with visual treatments of light/dark (i.e., visual signal present/absent) …

Observed Omnivory In The Herbivorous Blue Tilapia (Oreochromis Aureus), Stephen M. Oliveira Jr.

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

Gila seminuda, a native endangered species, and Oreochromis aureus, a nonnative invasive species, share the same habitat in the form of the Reid Gardner Power Plant intake ponds. The purpose of this study is to characterize the feeding habits of Oreochromis aureus within the Reid Gardner Power Plant intake ponds and address the potential predation habits of Oreochromis aureus. Stomach contents of O. aureus were identified and analyzed using chi-square and log-likelihood ratio techniques, with respect to mass, length, girth, gender, or spatial distribution of samples. Results showed omnivorous behavior with a 7.00% predatory/prey relationship, and no difference of feeding …

Seasonal Changes In Composition Of Lipid Stores In Migratory Birds: Causes And Consequences, Barbara J. Pierce, Scott R. Mcwilliams

Biology Faculty Publications

It is well established that birds use fat stores to primarily fuel migration; however, few studies have focused on the causes and consequences of observed seasonal changes in fatty acid composition of fat stores in birds. We propose and test two hypotheses that address the causes of these seasonal changes in composition of fat stores: (1) diet composition determines fatty acid composition of fat stores, and (2) birds selectively metabolize and store certain fatty acids during migration in lieu of changing their diet. When we offered Red-eyed Vireos (Vireo olivaceous) choices between diets that differed only in fatty acid composition, …

Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions In Utah: An Analysis Of Wildlife Road Mortality Hotspots, Economic Impacts And Implications For Mitigation And Management, Christine A. Kassar

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In the US, the roaded landscape has had serious ecological effects. We studied wildlife-vehicle collisions occurring on the 248 state routes in Utah from 1992 to 2002. We tracked trends and patterns in deer-vehicle collisions, evaluated all routes for frequency of deer kills, and identified "hotspots" (segments of road with high concentrations of collisions per mile). We found pronounced patterns: e.g., 61.15% of all collisions occurred on only 10 routes. We studied the effects of posted speed limit and annual average daily traffic flow and found that no relationship existed between traffic volume and/or posted speed limit and the number …

Bird And Small Mammal Communities Of Sagebrush-Dominated Mountain Meadows: An Examination Of Meadow Characteristics As Part Of A Hierarchical, Multi-Level Study Of The Wasatch-Cache National Forest, Elizabeth Johnson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Sagebrush shrubsteppe ecosystems have increasingly garnered attention as an endangered ecosystem. Ninety nine percent of all sagebrush ecosystems are thought to have been impacted by humans, and over 50% of grassland and shrubsteppe species are believed to be in decline. Most of the research on sagebrush ecosystems has been conducted at lower elevations and in large expanses of sagebrush. A considerable amount of sagebrush is found at higher elevations, often in meadows found within a forest matrix. The role of this high-elevation habitat is poorly understood. We conducted bird, small mammal, vegetation, and soil surveys in sagebrush-dominated mountain meadows within …

Agricultural Systems For Saline Soil: The Potential Role Of Livestock, David G. Masters, H C. Norman, E G. Barrett-Lennard

Natural Resources Research Articles

Human-induced soil salinity is becoming a major threat to agriculture across the world. This salinisation occurs in both irrigated and rain-fed agricultural zones with the highest proportions in the arid and semi-arid environments. Livestock can play an important role in the management and rehabilitation of this land. There are a range of plants that grow in saline soils and these have been used as animal feed. In many situations, animal production has been poor as a result of low edible biomass production, low nutritive value, depressed appetite, or a reduction in efficiency of energy use. Feeding systems are proposed that …

Big Brains Do Matter In New Environments, Lori Marino

Evolutionary Biology Collection

No abstract provided.

Mammals Of The Cosigüina Peninsula Of Nicaragua, Hugh H. Genoways, Robert M. Timm

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Nicaragua’s Cosigüina Peninsula, located at the northwestern tip of the country, is one of the most poorly studied biotic regions in Central America. The peninsula has been occupied for millennia because the climate of the region supported human habitation and because of its strategic position along the rich Pacific coast. The combination of long-term occupancy by humans and the cataclysmic eruptions of Volcán Cosigüina have produced a heavily impacted landscape. During the 1960s, the University of Kansas conducted multiyear field surveys of the terrestrial mammals on the peninsula and the adjacent mainland to quantify species diversity, relationships, abundances, habitat use, …

Playback Experiments Using Regional Duets And Solos: Territoriality In The Grey-Breasted Wood Wren In Eastern Andean Ecuador, Arathi Govind

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

In this study, playback experiments were conducted on the Grey-breasted Wood Wren, H. leucophrys, at Yanayacu Biological Research Station and Center for Creative Studies in Ecuador. This study was conducted in order to see how reactive the birds were towards duets from the area, solos from the area, and duets from other regions of the country. Pairs were expected to react more strongly towards duets than solos and familiar duets stronger than unfamiliar ones. Two different playback experiments were conducted. In the first experiment, six different pairs were chosen along with four different song types, a Yanayacu duet, a male …

Fisheries Research Report No. 149 - The Western Rock Lobster Fishery 2001/2002 To 2002/2003, C F. Chubb, E H. Barker

Fisheries Research Reports

Season 2001/2002 produced 8,983 tonnes, a far cry from last season’s catch of 11,300 t. The sharp decline in catch was most likely the result of unfavourable environmental conditions throughout much of the season. The catches by the three zones were 1,651 tonnes in zone A, 2,800 tonnes in zone B and 4,532 tonnes in zone C. The sharp decline in total catch on the previous season was also reflected in declining catches in the three zones. Nominal effort also declined slightly from 10.487 million pot lifts in 2000/2001 to 10.367 million pot lifts in 2001/2002. Following the very low …

Continuing Analysis Of Phytoplankton Nutrient Limitation In Farmington Bay And The Great Salt Lake, Wayne A. Wurtsbaugh, Amy M. Marcarelli

Watershed Sciences Faculty Publications

Farmington Bay is a nutrient-enriched, highly eutrophic embayment of the Great Salt Lake. The highly variable salinity of the bay influences what species of plankton can survive there. Previous analyses suggested that cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) may not be able to survive or fix atmospheric nitrogen at high salinities, thus maintaining the lake in a nitrogen-limited state. To determine the interacting influence of nutrients and salinity on the growth and nitrogen fixation of plankton we performed a 28-day bioassay with water from Farmington and Gilbert Bays in October 2004. We tested the response of the plankton to additions of nitrogen (N) …

Availability Of Suitable Habitat For Northern River Otters In South Dakota, Alyssa M. Kiesow, Charles D. Dieter

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Currently, the northern river otter (Lontra canadensis) is listed as a threatened species in South Dakota. We determined whether adequate habitat was available for reintroducing river otters in South Dakota. The 17 rivers/creeks included in the analysis were selected according to stream size, water gradient, and water permanence. A vegetation transect was conducted and a water sample was collected at each study site, ranging from one to four per river. Rivers/creeks were rated (1 = least suitable to 5 = most suitable) according to habitat requirements of river otters in the following categories: stream characteristics, watershed features, water …

Physical Mapping Of Genes In The Porcine Ovarian Transcriptome, A. R. Caetano, J. B. Edeal, K. Burns, R. K. Johnson, C. K. Tuggle, Daniel Pomp

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Reproductive efficiency and associated traits are of major economic importance to the swine industry and have been more difficult to improve genetically than other production traits. Integration of phenotypical data with gene mapping and expression studies provides a powerful approach for dissection of the genetic basis regulating complex traits. We developed a total of 101 polymerase chain reaction-based markers, representing 91 unique genes, for expressed sequence tags previously reported to be putatively differentially expressed in the porcine ovarian transcriptome of a swine line selected on an index of high ovulation rate and embryonic survival. These were subsequently used in physical …

Nebraska Catfish Anglers: Descriptions And Insights Derived From The 2002 Nebraska Licensed Angler Survey, Keith Hurley, Kristin Duppong-Hurley

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

Analyses in this report will refer to number of different groups. Catfish seeking anglers are defined as any angler who has spend at least 1 trip during 2002 in pursuit of a catfish species (channel, blue, flathead, or bullhead). This is the most general group included in the analyses and is also the least avid group of anglers in regards to their relationship to catfish angling. Catfish anglers are defined as those respondents who identified a catfish species as the species they most prefer to target. Catfish anglers represent a smaller group of respondents with a higher avidity for catfish …

Hibernation Is Recorded In Lower Incisors Of Recent And Fossil Ground Ssquirrels (Spermophilus), Tom Goodwin, Gail R. Michener, Daniel Gonzalez, Caroline E. Rinaldi

Faculty Publications

Incremental dentin and associated enamel, features visible on the surface of lower incisors, were characterized for 3 species of ground squirrels (Spermophilus): Pleistocene and Recent S. elegans, Recent S. richardsonii, and Recent S. parryii. A hibernation mark was evident in incisor dentin and enamel, most characteristically as a sleeve of enamel terminating basally adjacent to medially depressed dentin with indistinct and often very fine increments. This mark was absent in juveniles but present in older animals of both sexes for at least 6 weeks after hibernation, eventually being lost through growth and wear of the incisor. Temporal association with hibernation …