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Optimal Bait Density For Delivery Of Acute Toxicants To Vertebrate Pests, Kim M. Pepin, Nathan P. Snow, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Oral baiting is a fundamental method for delivering toxicants to pest species. Planning baiting strategies is challenging because bait-consumption rates depend on dynamic processes including space use and demographics of the target species. To determine cost-effective strategies for optimizing baiting, we developed a spatially explicit model of population dynamics using field-based measures of wild-pig (Sus scrofa) space use, bait consumption, and mortality probabilities. The most cost-effective baiting strategy depended strongly on the population reduction objective and initial density. A wide range of baiting strategies were cost-effective when the objective was 80% population reduction. In contrast, only a narrow range of …

Brodifacoum Residues In Fish Three Years After An Island-Wide Rat Eradication Attempt In The Tropical Pacific, Shane R. Siers, Aaron B. Shiels, Steven F. Volker, Kristen Rex, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive rats are known to threaten natural resources and human health and safety. Island-wide rat eradication attempts have been increasing in number and scale during the past several decades, as has the frequency of eradication success. The most common method to remove all rats from an island is to broadcast anticoagulant rodenticide bait into every rat’s home range on the island. Broadcast of toxicants can put humans and other nontarget species in marine and terrestrial environments at risk of exposure. The persistence of anticoagulant residues is somewhat unknown, particularly in marine environments. Three years after ~ 18,000 kg of 25 …

Labeling Compliance And Species Authentication Of Fish Fillets Sold At Grocery Stores In Southern California, Priscila Liou, Angela Banda, Rachel B. Isaacs, Rosalee S. Hellberg

Food Science Faculty Articles and Research

Seafood mislabeling has numerous consequences, including economic deception and food safety risks. The focus of this study was to investigate fish species labeling, use of acceptable market names, and Country of Origin Labeling (COOL) compliance for fresh fish fillets sold at grocery store seafood counters in Southern California. A total of 120 fillets representing 16 different categories of fish were collected from 30 Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA)-listed grocery stores. Each sample underwent DNA barcoding to identify the species. Acceptable market names were confirmed using the FDA Seafood List. Samples were determined to be compliant with COOL if both …

Sex Ratio Is Variable And Increasingly Male Biased At Two Colonies Of Magellanic Penguins, Natasha J. Gownaris, Pablo García Borboroglu, P. Dee Boersma

Environmental Studies Faculty Publications

Sex ratios are commonly skewed and variable in wild populations, but few studies track temporal trends in this demographic parameter. We examined variation in the operational sex ratio at two protected and declining breeding colonies of Magellanic Penguins (Spheniscus magellanicus) in Chubut, Argentina. Penguins from the two colonies, separated by 105 km, migrate north in the non‐breeding season and have overlapping distributions at sea. Conditions during the non‐breeding season can impact long‐term trends in operational sex ratio (i.e., through sex‐specific survival) and interannual variation in operational sex ratio (i.e., through sex‐specific breeding decisions). We found an increasingly male‐biased …

Predicting Changes In Bee Assemblages Following State Transitions At North American Dryland Ecotones, Melanie R. Kazenel, Karen W. Wright, Julieta Bettinelli, Terry L. Griswold, Kenneth D. Whitney, Jennifer A. Rudgers

All PIRU Publications

Drylands worldwide are experiencing ecosystem state transitions: the expansion of some ecosystem types at the expense of others. Bees in drylands are particularly abundant and diverse, with potential for large compositional differences and seasonal turnover across ecotones. To better understand how future ecosystem state transitions may influence bees, we compared bee assemblages and their seasonality among sites at the Sevilleta National Wildlife Refuge (NM, USA) that represent three dryland ecosystem types (and two ecotones) of the southwestern U.S. (Plains grassland, Chihuahuan Desert grassland, and Chihuahuan Desert shrubland). Using passive traps, we caught bees during two-week intervals from March–October, 2002–2014. The …

Year-Round Forage Production For Sustainable Goat Farming, Uma Karki

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Goat farming in the U.S. is based on grazing lands. Forages available for grazing throughout most of the year are essential for supplying required nutrition for goats and minimizing production costs. Most goat farmers do not have pastures productive for an extended period. This situation results in poor performing animals and high production costs. Forage availability can improve by enhancing the productivity, quality, and production duration of pastures. The inclusion of browse species in grazing systems will also improve diet variety, minimize internal parasite problems, and better utilize the soil resources. Grazing opportunity can be extended by developing a …

Comparison Of Productivity Of Different Breeds Of Meat Goats Under Low-To-Moderate-Input Systems In The United States, Richard Browning Jr., Maria L. Leite-Browning

Professional Agricultural Workers Journal

Abstract

Boer and Kiko goats were imported in the 1990s to enhance the productivity of the US base population of Spanish meat goats. Successful breed introductions require adaptation to the destination environment. Well-planned, low-input management is a good route to meat goat enterprise profitability using proper goat genetics. Reproduction drives profit more than growth and carcass traits. Results of breed evaluation studies on doe reproductive and health traits, the Boer goat influence tended to be negative compared with Kiko and Spanish goat influences. Reduced doe herd reproductive output suggests reduced enterprise profitability. Differences in growth or carcass traits among sire …

Social Referencing In The Domestic Horse, Anne Schrimpf, Marie-Sophie Single, Christian Nawroth

Recognition Collection

Dogs and cats use human emotional information directed to an unfamiliar situation to guide their behavior, known as social referencing. It is not clear whether other domestic species show similar socio-cognitive abilities in interacting with humans. We investigated whether horses (n = 46) use human emotional information to adjust their behavior to a novel object and whether the behavior of horses differed depending on breed type. Horses were randomly assigned to one of two groups: an experimenter positioned in the middle of a test arena directed gaze and voice towards the novel object with either (a) a positive or (b) …

Insights About Diversity Of Tetrabothriidae (Eucestoda) Among Holarctic Alcidae (Charadriiformes): What Is Tetrabothrius Jagerskioeldi?, Eric P. Hoberg, Kaylen Marie Soudachanh

MANTER: Journal of Parasite Biodiversity

Tetrabothriid cestodes are characteristic helminths that infect species of seabirds globally. We begin with the exploration of the diversity of tapeworms of the genus Tetrabothrius Rudolphi, 1819 (Eucestoda: Tetrabothriidae), some of which are distributed among seabirds of the family Alcidae (Charadriiformes) at boreal to higher latitudes of Holarctic seas. During the course of 2 decades of field inventory from 1975 through the early 1990s (in addition to earlier collections assembled by Robert L. Rausch and colleagues in Alaska initiated in the late 1940s), an extensive series of tapeworm specimens attributable to species of Tetrabothrius was recovered from seabirds across the …

Proceedings Of The Fifteenth North American Crane Workshop, Jane E. Austin, Richard P. Urbanek, Megan E. Brown

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Proceedings of the Fifteenth North American Crane Workshop (2020) edited by Jane E. Austin, Richard P. Urbanek, and Megan E. Brown.

The Whelming Sea, Sean Hanley

Theses and Dissertations

The Whelming Sea is a thirty-minute experimental documentary that reveals the moments of entanglement between three animals living along the Mid-Atlantic shoreline; curious humans, spawning horseshoe crabs, and migratory shorebirds. Working from the realm of multispecies ethnography, the film shifts the subjective positioning of the viewer between the human and nonhuman to suggest the complexity of our enmeshed experience. In the face of this current era of mass extinction, the film explores the limitations and poetic possibilities of scientific encounters with the lives of others.

The Abyssinian Art Of Louis Agassiz Fuertes In The Field Museum, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This book documents the paintings and drawings executed by Louis Agassiz Fuertes during the Field Museum of Natural History’s seven-month expedition to Ethiopia (Abyssinia) in 1926–27. During that time Fuertes completed 70 field watercolors that illustrate 55 species of birds and four species of mammals. He also executed 34 pencil drawings, which illustrate 13 species of mammals and 11 species of birds, plus numerous miscellaneous sketches and small watercolors. This book identifies and describes the biology of all 69 species of birds and mammals illustrated by Fuertes and includes 32 color reproductions of Fuertes’s watercolors that were published as a …

Local Adaptation Constrains Drought Tolerance In A Tropical Foundation Tree, Kasey E. Barton, Casey Jones, Kyle F. Edwards, Aaron B. Shiels, Tiffany Knight

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Plant species with broad climatic ranges might be more vulnerable to climate change than previously appreciated due to intraspecific variation in climatic stress tolerance. In tropical forests, drought is increasingly frequent and severe, causing widespread declines and altering community dynamics. Yet, little is known about whether foundation tropical trees vary in drought tolerance throughout their distributions, and how intraspecific variation in drought tolerance might contribute to their vulnerability to climate changE.
2. We tested for local adaptation in seedling emergence and establishment with a full-factorial reciprocal transplant experiment including 27 populations and 109,350 seeds along a 3,500 mm precipitation gradient for …

Resistance And Resilience Of Virgin Islands Bird Populations Following Severe Hurricanes, Robert A. Askins, David N. Ewert

Biology Faculty Publications

We analyzed changes in abundance of terrestrial birds on St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands, for a 32 year period during which 3 major hurricanes occurred. Using 1987 as a baseline year, because it followed a 27 year hiatus when no major hurricanes hit the island, we assessed the impact of hurricanes on vegetation structure and bird populations. Bird abundance was determined for 25 m radius circular plots that were surveyed each year of the study along the same transects. Percent cover of trees, shrubs, and herbs was measured in each plot in 1987, 1990, and 2019. All of the survey …

Catfish Population Characteristics Among River Segments With Altered Fluvial Geomorphic Conditions In The Missouri River, Nebraska, Usa, Martin J. Hamel, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Mark A. Pegg

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Alteration of river systems around the world has created novel environments that have been fragmented, homogenized, or transformed from their natural state, thus posing challenges for understanding how fish populations function. The Missouri River has undergone significant alteration through reservoir construction and channelization. Channel Catfish Ictalurus punctatus and Flathead Catfish Pylodictis olivaris both reside in various fragmented sections of the river, and there is a substantial gap in knowledge of how catfishes synchronously function in this modified system. From 2009 to 2018, we assessed catfishes with baited hoop nets and low-frequency electrofishing among four different areas: upper and lower unchannelized …

Size Scaling In The Skull Of North American Felids As Adaptations For Prey Acquisition, Ashley Destin, Judd A. Case

2020 McNair Scholar Collection

This comparative study explores the relationship between skull morphology and general body size among felids (house cat, lynx, puma), mustelids (minks, weasels, badgers), and canids (foxes, coyotes, wolves); with a focus on North American felids, as it relates to prey acquisition. Previous studies have focused on the evolution of the carnivore skull shape, which include the species examined in this study. Using measurement methods laid out by Radinsky (1981a; 1984), the size of skull components are compared to overall body size to determine the rate of scaling of skull features with body size.

Statistical evaluations of skull measurements within and …

Impact Of Overwintering Cormorants (Phalacrocorax Carbo) On Springtail(Hexapoda: Collembola) Communities Of The Azov And Black Sea Coastal Forests, Ruslan A. Saifutdinov, Daniil I. Korobushkin

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Nesting water bird colonies may act as important drivers of aquatic-terrestrial nutrient turnover in coastal ecosystems. By depositing a large amount of guano, they induce changes in the structure of soils, flora, and fauna. However, little is known about how nesting water bird colonies influence soil fauna, especially in a Mediterranean type of coastal landscape. In this study, focus was placed on how time had elapsed since the last overwintering activity of cormorant colonies, as a factor that affects the structure of springtail communities and edaphic parameters in the Black and Azov Sea coastal forest ecosystems. Black Sea coastal forests …

Occurrence Of Microplastics In The Gastrointestinal Tracts Of Some Edible Fish Speciesalong The Turkish Coast, Sedat Gündoğdu, Cem Çevi̇k, Ni̇han Temi̇z Ataş

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Plastics have become an inseparable part of modern life as a consequence of their versatility, low cost, durability, and lightweight. In this study, the presence of microplastics (MPs) in the stomachs and digestive tracts of 243 individuals of leaping mullet (Chelon saliens (Risso, 1810)), red mullet (Mullus barbatus barbatus Linnaeus, 1758), surmullet (Mullus surmuletus Linnaeus, 1758), Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus (Steindachner, 1868)), and sand steenbras (Lithognathus mormyrus (Linnaeus, 1758)), collected along the Marmara, Aegean, and Mediterranean coasts of Turkey was examined microscopically and through μ-Raman analysis. A total of 283 MP particles were extracted. Among the examined species, the …

Comparing Landscape Suitability And Permeability With And Without Migration Data: Theinfluence Of Species Movement Behavior, Azita Rezvani, Shima Malakoutikhah, Sima Fakheran, Alireza Soffianian, Mahmoud-Reza Hemami, Josef Senn

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Maintaining landscape connectivity through identifying movement corridors is the most recommended conservation strategy to reduce the negative impacts of habitat loss and isolation. The basis of most connectivity modelling approaches for modelling corridors is that species choose movement pathways based on the same criteria they used to choose habitats. However, species behave differently in using landscape elements for moving than for selecting habitat. In other words, suitability of a given landscape feature may differ between moving and habitat use stages. In this study, we evaluated how the availability of migration occurrence points for wild sheep (Ovis orientalis) could affect the …

Preliminary Contributions Toward A Revision Of The Ant Genus Temnothorax Mayr(Hymenoptera: Formicidae) From Pakistan, Muhammad Tariq Rasheed, Imran Bodlah, Yusupov Zalimkhan Magomedovich, Ammara Gull E Fareen, Muhammad Adnan Bodlah, Matthew Prebus, Aijaz Ahmad Wachkoo

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Temnothorax pakistanensis sp. n., a new ant species from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa from the Himalayan range of Pakistan is described based on the worker caste and queen. An identification key and distribution map of the known Pakistani Temnothorax is presented. Summaries of the taxonomic history and biology of the three Temnothorax species of Pakistan is included.

Three New Species Of The Clubiona Corticalis-Group From Southern China(Araneae: Clubionidae), Jianshuang Zhang, Hao Yu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The present paper reveals three new sac spider species. All of them are distributed in southern China and can be placed in the Clubiona corticalis-group: Clubiona caohai sp. nov. from Guizhou, Clubiona dakong sp. nov. from Tibet and Clubiona yanzhii sp. nov. from Hunan. Diagnosis, detailed descriptions, illustrations and distribution map of these three species are provided.

A Procedure For Taxon Assessment Based On Morphological Variation In European Water Frogs (Pelophylax Esculentus Complex), Katarina Breka, Imre Krizmanic, Tanja Vukov, Srdjan Stamenkovic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Methods for morphological identification of water frogs from the Pelophylax esculentus complex have changed over the decades. Still, without resort to genetic analyses, water frogs remain among the most difficult European amphibians to distinguish due to their hybrid nature. The aim of this study was to identify a reliable set of quantitative and qualitative morphological characters that objectively resolve species? identification in the Pelophylax esculentus complex and provide a rapid and robust procedure for taxon identification. Our results showed a substantial difference in morphological characteristics among taxa. The shape and size of the metatarsal tubercle along with the coloration of …

Length-Weight Relationships And Condition Factor Of Five Endemic Fish Species Fromnandu And Wanquan Rivers In Hainan Island, China, Zhice Liang, Xingwei Cai

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Length-weight relationships (LWRs), length-length relationships (LLRs), and condition factor were estimated for Puntius semifasciolatus (Günther, 1868), Acrossocheilus iridescens (Nichols and Pope, 1927), Plesiomyzon baotingensis (Zheng and Chen, 1980), Hemibagrus hainanensis (Tchang, 1935) and Glyptothorax hainanensis (Nichols and Pope, 1927) obtained from Nandu and Wanquan Rivers in Hainan Island during June 2017 to April 2019. Fish samples were collected by a combination of methods including multinet gillnets (20 m in length, 1.5 m in height, there monofilament panels of mesh sizes: 1.0, 6.0, 12.5 cm), benthic large bag nets (5 meters long, stretching mesh size: 0.5 cm). The LWRs and LLRs …

Mosquito (Diptera: Culicidae) Fauna Of The Velyka Dobron' Game Reserve (West Ukraine) With New Distribution Data And Medical Risk Assessment, Kálmán Szanyi, Antal Nagy, Attila Molnár, László József Szabó, Szabolcs Szanyi

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The distribution of mosquito species in the Transcarpathian part of Ukraine is poorly studied. Here we present the results of a four-year survey carried out in the Velyka Dobron' Game Reserve, and provide the actualized checklist of the Transcarpathian Culicidae fauna containing 32 species. Four of the sampled species have not been formerly known in Transcarpathia: Anopheles hyrcanus, Ochlerotatus cataphylla, Ochlerotatus nigrinus, Uranotaenia unguiculata. Based on quantitative composition of studied assemblage, vector potential of species and distribution of transmitted pathogens we evaluate the medical and veterinary risk caused by mosquitoes in Transcarpathian region.

A Faunistic Overview Of Temelucha Förster (Hym., Ichneumonidae, Cremastinae) In Iran, Maryam Zardouei Heydari, Ehsan Rakhshani, Azizollah Mokhtari, Martin Schwarz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Species of the genus Temelucha Förster, 1869 (Hymenoptera, Ichneumonidae, Cremastinae) in Iran are taxonomically overviewed. Sampling was done using Malaise traps and sweeping nets in natural grasslands, forests, orchards and field crops during 2013-2017. Fifteen species are recorded and reviewed, among them 5 species Temelucha albipennis (Zetterstedt, 1838), T. flavia Vas, 2016, T.ophthalmica (Holmgren, 1860), T. pseudocaudata Kolarov, 1982, and T. variipes (Szépligeti, 1899) are new records for the fauna of Iran. T. convergence Zardouei & Rakhshani sp. nov. is described and illustrated. A key to the known species is generated. For all species, brief illustrated diagnoses are also provided.

A New Epigean Pseudoscorpion Species (Pseudoscorpiones: Neobisiidae) From Northeast Of Iran, With An Identification Key To The Species Of The Family Neobisiidae From Iran, Zahra Latifi, Mahrad Nassirkhani, Omid Mirshamsi

Turkish Journal of Zoology

A new epigean species? Roncus khorasanicus sp.n.-is described on the basis of the description of the adult stage (males) found in north-eastern Iran. A detailed description of the selected morphological characters and accurate illustrations of several diagnostic characters of the new species are provided. Moreover, an identification key to the species of the family Neobisiidae from Iran is presented.

Transmission Of Microsporidium Sp. Between Different Generations Of Crepidopdera Aurata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Mustafa Yaman

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Microsporidia are mostly very small, intracellular, spore-forming pathogens classified as Protista and reported in every major group of animals. Insects are one of the most widely distributed hosts for microsporidia. Many entomopathogenic microsporidia cause chronic infections in insects and their effects appear as reduced fertility and pupal weight, reduced fecundity and shortened longevity. Crepidopdera aurata (Coleoptera; Chrysomelidae) is one of the most destructive pests in poplar nurseries. The host-parasite relation in microsporidium infections is of great importance to understand the possibilities to use microsporidia in the host?s biological control. In the present study, the transmission of the microsporidian pathogen Microsporidium …

Rotifera Of Various Aquatic Environments Of Costa Rica In Reference To Central American Rotifer Fauna, Natalia Kuczynska-Kippen, Jolanta Ejsmont-Karabin

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Detailed surveys on rarely examined aquatic ecosystems often lead to the discovery of new species of high conservation value. This study directed towards the recognition of a variety of aquatic environments in Costa Rica (40 habitats, including lakes, wetlands, and small aquatic systems, e.g., ponds, ditches, puddles, tree holes, and bromeliads) established the presence of 105 species of Monogononta representing 33 genera. In total, 91 species and 19 genera were found to be new for Costa Rica, including 29 species recorded for the first time in Central America (e.g., Ascomorpha klementi, Beauchampia crucigera, Brachionus mirabilis, Cephalodella panarista, Filinia saltator, Horaella …

Dna Damage, Oxidative Stress, Decreased Viability And Motility In Common Carp (Cyprinuscarpio L.) Spermatozoa Induced By Tryptophan, Phenylalanine And Cysteine Amino Acids During Short-Term Storage, Mahi̇r Kanyilmaz, Burak Evren İnanan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Free amino acids are found in spermatozoa and seminal plasma. Their qualitative and quantitative presence have been affected by many factors. Under in vitro storage conditions, their effects on spermatozoa in animal species and also human have been concerned over the last decades. In this study, the effects of tryptophan, phenylalanine and cysteine on DNA integrity, lipid peroxidation, viability and motility parameters in spermatozoa of the common carp (Cyprinuscarpio) were assessed during short-term storage. Spermatozoa were incubated at 1, 5, 25, and 50 mM of these amino acids in vitro at 4 °C in a time?dependent manner (6, 24, and …

Effect Of Mound Size On Intranest Thermoregulation In The Red Wood Ants Formicarufa And F. Polyctena (Hymenoptera, Formicidae), Stanislav Stukalyuk, Yuri Radchenko, Maksym Netsvetov, Alexey Gilev

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Red wood ants are capable of active thermoregulation in the nest, which allows them to achieve a high number of workers and a dominant position in biocenoses. We investigated the features of the spring warm-up and the ability for active thermoregulation of the mounds of the ants Formica polyctena and F. rufa in the vicinity of Kyiv, Ukraine. We have proposed a model of thermoregulation of the mound, which takes into account the heat flow from the sun, heat exchange with air and soil, and endogenous heat generated by the antcolony. The calculation of the model for specific values showed …