Digital Commons Network^™

Chronic Wasting Disease Effects On A Breeding Season Behavior In White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), Miranda Hsiang-Ning Jacobson Huang, Stephen Demarais, Bronson K. Strickland, Allan Houston, Alejandro Banda, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife disease outbreaks can lead to population declines, which are usually attributed to increased direct or indirect mortality. Alternatively, behavior associated with sickness can lead to social isolation, potentially decreasing fitness of affected individuals. A useful case study to examine this dynamic is chronic wasting disease (CWD), a neurological disease of cervids, known to affect behavior and movement. In this study, we monitored scraping, a White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus; WTD) breeding season behavior, in an area of high CWD prevalence to determine if this reproductive behavior is affected by CWD. At 107 scrape sites, we detected 3,063 scrape interactions and …

Trichinella Murrelli Identified In Red Foxes (Vulpes Vulpes) In Pennsylvania, Usa, Jitender Dubey, Peter C. Thompson, Larissa S. De Araujo, Aditya Gupta, Sasha Kay, Oliver C. H. Kwok, Jaquin Battle, Kyle R. Van Why, Justin D. Brown, Benjamin Rosenthal

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Trichinella infections have been eliminated from pork where pigs are raised in biosecure facilities, but wildlife infections persist. Trichinella murrelli is the primary zoonotic species in wild carnivores in the United States, having been identified in several species of omnivores and carnivores. Here, we document its occurrence in seven of 21 (33.3%) red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) from six counties in Pennsylvania. Encysted Trichinella juveniles were detected in muscle squashes (< 5 g samples) of all seven foxes, and in histological sections of the tongue and limb muscle of three. Juveniles from muscle squashes were pooled and tested in a multiplex PCR capable of differentiating all Trichinella species native to the USA; all samples contained only T. murrelli. This is the first identification of T. murrelli in red foxes from Pennsylvania, …

Heating Decoys To Mimic Thermal Signatures Of Live Animals For Drones, Landon R. Jones, Cerise Mensah, Jared S. Elmore, Kristine O. Evans, Morgan B. Pfeiffer, Brad F. Blackwell, Raymond B. Iglay

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Method name

Heating animal decoys to mimic thermal signatures for drones

Abstract

Thermal sensors mounted on drones (unoccupied aircraft systems) are popular and effective tools for monitoring cryptic animal species, although few studies have quantified sampling error of ani- mal counts from thermal images. Using decoys is one effective strategy to quantify bias and count accuracy; however, plastic decoys do not mimic thermal signatures of representative species. Our objective was to produce heat signatures in animal decoys to realistically match thermal images of live animals obtained from a drone-based sensor. We tested commercially available methods to heat plastic decoys of …

Competitive Behaviors Between Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus) And Turkey Vultures (Cathartes Aura) During Scavenging / Comportamientos Competitivos Entre Coragyps Atratus Y Cathartes Aura Durante El Carroñeo, Amanda M. Herbert, Patrick A. Zollner, Landon R. Jones, Marian L. Wahl, Grant N. Burcham, Bryan M. Kluever, Lee A. Humberg, Brandon M. Quinby

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Abstract

Interference competition occurs when an individual prohibits another’s access to a resource through antagonistic interactions. Despite considerable research on scavenger interactions at carrion, the limited evidence for competitive interactions between black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and turkey vultures (Cathartes aura) relies upon the frequency of antagonistic interactions without considering other forms of competition. Using remote cameras, we recorded the duration of aggression, scavenging, and vigilance behaviors exhibited by individual black vultures and turkey vultures scavenging stillborn domestic cattle carcasses within flocks composed of one or both vulture species. We tested for differences of durations of each …

The Texas Feral Swine Eradication And Control Pilot Program, David R. Pipkin, Bruce R. Leland, Katherine Garwood, Linda Tschirhart-Hejl, Michael J. Bodenchuk, John M. Tomecek

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The United States Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (the 2018 Farm Bill) established the Feral Swine Eradication and Control Pilot Program. The program funded US$75M for 5 years, split evenly between the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), both programs within the United States Department of Agriculture. The agencies solicited joint programs from states with high densities of feral swine in two phases. In Texas, NRCS and APHIS submitted three multi-county project areas along watersheds for Phase I funding and one eradication effort along with two crop protection projects in Phase II. …

Spatiotemporal Partitioning Of Two Invasive Ungulates In Guam [Abstract], Kelly J. Koriakin, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan P. Snow, D. Buck Jolley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Interspecific interactions are crucial in shaping ecosystem dynamics (Connell 1983, Tilman 1987, Barbosa and Castellanos 2005). Non-native ungulates have been introduced across the globe (Ferretti and Lovari 2014, Volery et al. 2021) and in environments where multiple invasives thrive, these co-occurring sympatric species may shift spatiotemporal patterns to minimize interspecific competition (Schoener 1974, Chesson 2000). Spatiotemporal shifts can lead to cascading effects to the native flora and fauna (Simberloff and Von Holle 1999). Given the potential negative impacts, understanding these interactions is vital for effective management of these ecosystems.

Two invasive ungulates, the wild pig (Sus scrofa) and …

The Influence Of Social And Spatial Processes On The Epidemiology Of Environmentally Transmitted Pathogens In Wildlife: Implications For Management, Aakash Pandey, Chris Wojan, Abigail Feuka, Meggan E. Craft, Kezia Manlove, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Social and spatial structures of host populations play important roles in pathogen transmission. For environmentally transmitted pathogens, the host space use interacts with both the host social structure and the pathogen’s environmental persistence (which determines the timelag across which two hosts can transmit). Together, these factors shape the epidemiological dynamics of environmentally transmitted pathogens. While the importance of both social and spatial structures and environmental pathogen persistence has long been recognized in epidemiology, they are often considered separately. A better understanding of how these factors interact to determine disease dynamics is required for developing robust surveillance and management strategies. Here, …

Surveillance Of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Virus In Wild Canids From Pennsylvania, Usa, Kevin D. Niedringhaus, Taylor C. Chan, Ashley Mcdowell, Lauren Mxwell, Madison Stevens, Lane Potts, Erica Miller, Eman Anis, Kyle Van Why, Thomas Keller, David Stallknecht, Rebecca L. Poulson, Kaitlyn Bahrs, Justin D. Brown

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The avian influenza virus is a global pathogen with significant health and economic implications. While primarily a pathogen of wild and domestic birds, recent outbreaks of the H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) clade 2.3.4.4b have caused mortality in a wide variety of mammals, including members of the Canidae family, on multiple continents. Despite sporadic mortality events globally, the epidemiology and pathobiology of H5N1 HPAIV in wild canids remains poorly defined. During 2022–2024, 41 wild canid carcasses (diagnostic cases), including 23 red foxes and 18 gray foxes, were tested for the influenza A virus (IAV) via PCR, with five …

Rabies, Amy T. Gilbert, Christine Ellis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Illustrated fact sheet on rabies.

Description Of Neoperla Philippinensis Sp. Nov. Confirmed Using Integrative Taxonomy And Some Notes On Neoperla Oculata Banks, 1924 (Plecoptera: Perlidae), Arthien Lovell P. Pelingen

Biology Faculty Publications

I re-examine the assumed phenotypic variable Neoperla oculata Banks, 1924 (Plecoptera, Perlidae) and describe Neoperla philippinensis sp. nov. All material examined herein are collections from the Mindanao region, of which supplementary information were provided including COI mtDNA accessions, female adult associations, and egg morphology characterization.

Incorporating Sex-Diverse And Gender-Inclusive Perspectives In Higher Education Biology Courses, Breanne N. Harris, A Kelsey Lewis, Sam L. Sharpe, Teri J. Orr, Christopher T. Martine, Chloe C. Josefson

Faculty Journal Articles

Inclusive teaching is teaching in a way that reaches all students in the classroom; this is beneficial for everyone, particularly for those with minoritized identities. Instructors play a critical role in scaffolding how students are exposed to and learn science content in the classroom. In this manuscript, we discuss how biology instructors can make their classrooms more inclusive with regard to sex and gender diversity content. Many topics in biology are based on androcentric, heteronormative, and oppressive framing, even though those lenses are more reflective of our own history and culture than they are of the diversity we see in …

Softening And Cross-Susceptibility: Exposure To Heat And Desiccation Reduces Future Stress Tolerance In An Insect, Lauren Harter

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

The frequency and duration of environmental stressors, such as heat waves and drought, will continue to grow due to ongoing climate change, thereby increasing the likelihood that organisms will experience stressors consecutively. Exposure to one stressor can improve or impair future tolerance to the same stressor (i.e., hardening or softening, respectively), or enhance or reduce future tolerance to a different stressor (i.e., cross-protection or cross-susceptibility, respectively). Understanding whether stress improves or impairs animals’ abilities to withstand future stressors is critical for determining the physiological sensitivity of animals to ongoing climate change. Here, I evaluated the responses to consecutive heat and …

Hunting Types In North American Eocene And Oligocene Carnivores And Implications For Nimravid Extinction, Miguel Andres Castellanos

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

The late Eocene and Oligocene is traditionally seen as a time of great climactic shift, with open habitats beginning to appear and forests receding. This time period saw both the diversification and subsequent extinction of North American nimravids. The causes of the extinction of this early sabertooth group in the Arikareean remain unclear. One possibility for their decline is that nimravids were competitively disadvantaged in open habitats relative to contemporary, possibly more cursorial caniform predators. Here I analyze and compare the hunting styles of Eocene and Oligocene predators in correlation with their ecological implications via discriminant function analysis of the …

On The Ground And From Above: A Multi-Factor Analysis Of The Direct And Indirect Drivers Of Tallgrass Prairie Small Mammal Communities, Erin Rowland-Schaefer

Graduate Research Theses & Dissertations

Tallgrass prairies are among the most globally threatened ecosystems, with only one percent of the historical extent remaining in Illinois. Prairie restoration is an essential strategy to preserve biodiversity and reestablish threatened species. Practitioners use management tools to shift the landscape context of prairie restoration sites, such as prescribed fire and land cover change. Managers can also impact the landscape connectivity and edge proximity of certain areas through the use of mowed driving lanes. The effects of these factors on small mammals, which are central in tallgrass prairie food webs and relevant to human health and restoration success, are not …

Estradiol’S Role In Timely Puberty Onset In The Ewe, Eliana Gerardine Aerts

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

In female sheep, the release of gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) from the hypothalamus triggers luteinizing hormone (LH) to be released from the pituitary. Luteinizing hormone, in turn, acts on the ovaries to elicit estradiol (E₂) release. E₂ acts in a negative feedback manner to control the amount of LH released. The increase in LH release that drives puberty onset results from a decrease in sensitivity to E₂ as the animal ages. However, the neural mechanisms mediating this change in sensitivity are not known, as is where in the hypothalamus E₂-negative feedback occurs. In the arcuate …

Population Demographics Of Channel Catfish In The Lower Wabash River, Valerie J. Thompson

Masters Theses

Inland fisheries are experiencing increasing demands due to anthropogenic stressors, especially within large river systems that support both recreational and commercial fisheries. Riverine species are sensitive to habitat degradation, species introductions, and exploitation, so continued monitoring and management of these communities are vital to maintain abundance and diversity within these systems. The North American catfish family, Ictaluridae, supports both recreational and commercial fisheries throughout the United States. Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus are heavily studied and managed compared to other sport catfishes in this family because of their economic and ecological significance. One important Channel Catfish fishery exists in the lower …

Acute And Chronic Impacts Of A Biofilm, Activated Sludge, And Ultraviolet Radiation Treatment On The Fathead Minnow, Pimephales Promelas, Julia Fitch

Masters Theses

Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) are a point source of pollution that have potentially damaging effects on downstream fish populations, including reduced growth and survival and reproductive complications. To examine these possible effects, fathead minnows were exposed to effluent of three wastewater treatment processes at the Charleston Wastewater Treatment Plant located in Charleston, Illinois. These three treatments included two secondary treatments, a biofilm treatment and an activated sludge treatment, and one tertiary U.V. treatment. Two trials took place during this project: an acute, two-week exposure trial, and a chronic 119 day exposure trial. Upon completion of each trial, fish were assessed …

Molecular Investigation Of Tick-Borne Pathogens In Feral Swine (Sus Scrofa) From Seven Us States, Sofiane Aiche

Masters Theses

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) have been proposed as part of the lifecycles of multiple tickborne pathogens (TBP). This is a result of the increase in feral swine populations and increased tick populations and geographic ranges. Few surveys exist on the TBP relevant to human and wildlife of feral swine in the US. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence of 10 TBP: Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Cytauxzoon felis, Hepatozoon spp., Babesia spp., Mycoplasma spp., Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, Yersinia pestis, and Rickettsia spp. A total of 87 feral swine blood samples …

Investigating The Relationships Between Biotic And Abiotic Factors Affecting Migratory Behavior In Westslope Cutthroat Trout Within The Priest River System, Kyle M. Keenan

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Numerous salmonid species demonstrate diverse life histories, encompassing both resident and migratory behaviors. Migratory life histories play a pivotal role in maintaining metapopulations for various reasons, facilitating genetic exchange between populations and yielding larger-sized females with increased fecundity relative to residents. This study took place in northern Idaho, within the lower Priest River system, which is highly susceptible to degrading habitat. Previous research has discovered this system as a significant contributor to migratory Westslope Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus lewisi, WCT) in the Lake Pend Oreille and Priest River systems. Expanding on these results, we compared four Priest River tributaries that produced …

Effects Of Isoacids Supplementation In Lactating Cows’ Diet Varying In Forage Fiber Level On Performances, Feed Efficiency, And Milk Fatty Acids Profile, Sumon Ahmed

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

No abstract provided.

Evaluation Of Soybean Meal Versus Distillers Co-Products As A Protein Supplement For Finishing Beef Cattle: Effects On Growth Performance, Carcass Characteristics, And Efficiency Of Dietary Net Energy Utilization, Cassidy R. Ross

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Two randomized complete block design experiments were conducted to: 1) examine the effects of soybean meal with or without additional soybean hulls in replacement of modified corn distillers grains plus (MDGS) solubles on growth performance efficiency of dietary net energy utilization and carcass traits responses in finishing beef steers, 2) determine if partial or complete replacement of dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS) with solvent-extracted soybean meal (SBM) in diets based upon high-moisture ensiled corn influences growth performance, efficiency of dietary net energy utilization, sera urea-N (SUN) concentrations, or carcass traits in finishing beef steers. Experiment 1 was a 118-d …

Methods For Optimizing Detection And Evaluating Habitat Use Of North American River Otters In South Dakota, Jessica Speiser

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) play a critical role as an apex predator in riverine ecosystems. A challenging species to survey using traditional methods, they remain understudied in non-forested regions, such as the Northern Great Plains, where habitat degradation and landscape fragmentation may reduce habitat quality and availability and disrupt landscape connectivity. This thesis aims to improve detectability and investigates the habitat use of river otters in South Dakota to better understand habitat needs of otters and improve their continued recovery and management. My first chapter provides a brief overview of river otters and their ecological roles in freshwater …

Translocations Of North American Bison Across Large Climatic Gradients: Impacts On Thermoregulation, Body Size, And Helmintic Infection, Hayden Wolfe

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Every year, one-eighth of all North American bison (Bison bison) are translocated, often across large climatic gradients. Over the last 16 years bison have been translocated from Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota to establish six herds across the United States central grasslands in Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Kansas. Influence of climatic gradients on herd-level thermoregulation, body size, and helmintic infection were evaluated. Overall, 1174 thermal images and 1050 fecal samples were collected between 2021 and 2023. Physiological heat flux was used to measure thermoregulation, asymptotic body mass (ABM) was used for body size, and helminth genera abundance …

Beef Hot Carcass Weight Influences Proteolysis, Clay J. Carlson

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The objective of this thesis was to determine the influence of beef hot carcass weight on proteolysis to better understand early postmortem proteolysis. Beef tenderness formation is influenced by various factors, such as temperature decline and proteolysis. Limited focus has been given to the effects of carcass weight on proteolysis. This study aimed to investigate the influence of increased beef hot carcass weight (HCW) on proteolysis of four muscles (serratus ventralis, longissimus thoracis, longissimus lumborum, and semitendinosus) during early postmortem aging times. Beef steers (n =12) were harvested and categorized into two weight groups: lightweight (LW; HCW = 349 ± …

Improving Stream Connectivity In South Dakota, Colton Rainier Curtis

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Stream connectivity is crucial for fish movement and genetic diversity in fragmented landscapes. Road-crossings often act as barriers, disrupting hydrology and isolating fish populations. The Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership (SARP) has developed rapid road-crossing assessment protocols and tools to prioritize restoration projects. However, managers lack tools for planning, directing, and initiating roadcrossing assessments. Managers also require modeling approaches to effectively identify and monitor road-crossings across dynamic stream networks. Presented here is a case study offering a roadmap for effective implementation of collaborative road-crossing assessments and prioritization of remediation projects, alongside an exploration of predictive modeling approaches to identify problematic crossings …

Identification And Characterization Of Three Novel Rumen Bacterial Species In Sheep Fed A Concentrate Diet, Reid Frederick Anema

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Sheep production in the United States is a popular venture for both small farmers and large enterprise owners, as there is a market for end products such as wool and meat. One major factor of raising sheep is nutrition as an adequate diet will allow an animal to reach its full genetic potential for growth. With that in mind, the composition of the diet must be formulated to benefit the animal. Ruminants have the ability to use a variety of plants that are often inedible for humans to create products that humans can consume. These varying feedstuffs, whether they include …

The Blackfeet Nation’S Bison Conservation Herd Management Plan, Brandon Kittson

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

This document is meant to act as a guide to understanding Bison reintroduction on the Blackfeet reservation and serve as a resource for bison management. This report and plan will: 1) review bison ecology and the history of reintroduction efforts on the reservation; 2) identify potential issues and barriers to successful reintroduction; 3) present a summary of current land policies and patterns of land use on the reservation; and 4) provide recommendations for dealing with those potential issues. Recommendations will be based on analyses of previous knowledge of bison and bison behavior.

Comparative Morphology And Ultrastructure Of Olfactory Epithelia In Plethodontid Salamanders: Effect Of Life History Variation, Emily Gremling

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Many amphibian species rely on olfaction for locating prey and for social interactions during different life stages. Despite the importance of the olfactory system, research on its structure has been taxonomically limited. The most diverse family of salamanders, the Plethodontidae, has been largely excluded from research efforts to describe olfactory morphology. Although several histological studies have been conducted, no studies have yet looked at morphology at the level of ultrastructure using electron microscopy. The primary goal of my research was to examine olfactory morphology and ultrastructure in plethodontid species with a range of life history strategies, to better understand the …

Evaluating The Utility Of Tracers To Characterize Environmental Dna Transport And Inform Detection Of Fishes In Small Streams, Gavin B. Bandy

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study was motivated by the need to develop a noninvasive and highly sensitive monitoring tool for determining local occupancy of an endangered aquatic species To make inference into the occupancy of fishes within small stream sites, we developed a method to determine whether environmental DNA (eDNA) concentrations from a target species were elevated relative to a tracer, formulated to mimic eDNA and introduced at a single location. We examined patterns in the observed distribution of the tracer to account for the effects of site-specific transport processes and sampling on distributions of naturally occurring eDNA at small spatial scales (400 …

Temperature Driven Variability In Bull Kelp (Nereocystis Luetkeana) Early Life Stages: A Comparative Study Of California Populations, Marzia Fattori

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

This study investigated the effects of elevated temperatures on the reproductive and developmental stages of Nereocystis luetkeana, a crucial brown macroalgae found along the western coast of North America. My objectives were to 1) evaluate the impact of increasing temperature on the abundance of gametophytes from various sites, 2) determine the length of gametophytes that were affected by temperature on day 10 of culture, 3) assess the presence or absence of oocytes, sporophytes (young vs. multicellular), and abnormal cells, to understand the reproductive and stress responses to higher temperatures, and 4) determine if there is variation among early developmental …