Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Digital Commons Network™

Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®

Animal Sciences

Institution
Keyword
Publication Year
Publication
Publication Type
File Type

Articles 9061 - 9090 of 21439

Full-Text Articles in Entire DC Network

Proteome Basis Of Muscle‐Specific Beef Color Stability, Mahesh Narayanan Nair Jan 2017

Proteome Basis Of Muscle‐Specific Beef Color Stability, Mahesh Narayanan Nair

Theses and Dissertations--Animal and Food Sciences

Fresh beef color is critical to consumers’ purchase decisions, and beef color stability is muscle-specific. Sarcoplasmic proteome plays a critical role in beef color stability. This dissertation focuses on the proteome basis of inter- and intra-muscular variations in beef color.

The first experiment examined the sarcoplasmic proteome of three beef muscles with differential color stability, i.e., longissimus lumborum (LL), psoas major (PM), and semitendinosus (ST), during wet-aging. LL, PM, and ST (n = 8) were subjected to wet-aging for 0, 7, 14, and 21 days. On each aging day, steaks were fabricated, and color and other biochemical attributes were evaluated …


Why Did The Walleye Cross The Reservoir? Explaining Adult Walleye Use Of The Missouri River Upstream Of Canyon Ferry Reservoir To Toston Dam, Tanner M. Traxler Jan 2017

Why Did The Walleye Cross The Reservoir? Explaining Adult Walleye Use Of The Missouri River Upstream Of Canyon Ferry Reservoir To Toston Dam, Tanner M. Traxler

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Over the last decade, walleye (Sander vitreus) have been increasingly using the Missouri River upstream of Canyon Ferry Reservoir to Toston Dam, and Montana Fish, Wildlife, and Parks wants to understand why these walleye are moving upstream and how it could impact the existing fish community in the river. To understand if this expansion of habitat could be associated with spawning and/or foraging, we examined the composition and distribution of juvenile fish in the area. Specifically, the presence of juvenile walleye would indicate that adult walleye were using the river to spawn and/or if there were abundant prey …


Factors Influencing Mountain Lion Kill Rates Across Three Ecosystems In The Americas, Steven Cross Jan 2017

Factors Influencing Mountain Lion Kill Rates Across Three Ecosystems In The Americas, Steven Cross

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

Kill rate, defined as the number of prey killed per predator per unit time, is a key component to understanding predator-prey dynamics. A multitude of factors may affect kill rates, including, variation in age, sex, weight, or presence of offspring of either predator or prey species (intraspecific variation) and events such as the theft of a kill made by another animal (kleptoparasitism). These factors may influence the time a predator spends locating prey (search time) and the pursuing, killing, and consumption of prey (handling time). The sum of search time and handling time may be measured as the time between …


Development And Characterization Of Novel Anti-Bat Monoclonal Antibodies For Studying Bat Immunity, Cailyn Cowan Jan 2017

Development And Characterization Of Novel Anti-Bat Monoclonal Antibodies For Studying Bat Immunity, Cailyn Cowan

Legacy Theses & Dissertations (2009 - 2024)

Abstract


Red Snapper Distribution On Natural Habitats And Artificial Structures In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Mandy Karnauskas, John F. Walter Iii, Matthew D. Campbell, Adam G. Pollack, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers Jan 2017

Red Snapper Distribution On Natural Habitats And Artificial Structures In The Northern Gulf Of Mexico, Mandy Karnauskas, John F. Walter Iii, Matthew D. Campbell, Adam G. Pollack, J. Marcus Drymon, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

In 2011, an intensive, multiple-gear, fishery-independent survey was carried out in the northern Gulf of Mexico (GOM) to collect comprehensive age and length information on Red Snapper Lutjanus campechanus. Based on this synoptic survey, we produced a spatial map of Red Snapper relative abundance that integrates both gear selectivity effects and ontogenetically varying habitat usage. Our methodology generated a spatial map of Red Snapper at a 10-km2 grid resolution that is consistent with existing knowledge of the species: Red Snapper occurred in relatively high abundances at depths of 50–90 m along the coasts of Texas and Louisiana and in smaller, …


Morphological And Molecular Characterization Of, Aditya Gupta, Harpreet Kaur Jan 2017

Morphological And Molecular Characterization Of, Aditya Gupta, Harpreet Kaur

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The pool barb, Puntius sophore Hamilton, 1822, is a tropical freshwater cyprinid fish native to inland waters in Asia. Herein, a novel myxozoan from plasmodia on the caudal fin of P. sophore from Ranjit Sagar Wetland in Punjab, India is described. Myxospores were consistent with the genus Myxobolus, ellipsoidal in frontal view, lemon-shaped in lateral view; length 7.76 ± 0.28 µm, width 5.36 ± 0.15 µm. There were two polar capsules of unequal size: a larger polar capsule, length 3.01 ± 0.08 µm, width 1.83 ± 0.11 µm, with 6-7 turns of the polar filament, and a smaller polar capsule, …


Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity And Structuring Of Northernwhite-Breasted Hedgehogs From The Central Balkans, Mihajla Djan, Milomir Stefanovic, Nevena Velickovic, Nada Cosic, Dusko Cirovic Jan 2017

Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity And Structuring Of Northernwhite-Breasted Hedgehogs From The Central Balkans, Mihajla Djan, Milomir Stefanovic, Nevena Velickovic, Nada Cosic, Dusko Cirovic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Even though the phylogeography of hedgehogs has been well studied, information on the genetic variability of the northern white-breasted hedgehog Erinaceus roumanicus from the Balkans is lacking, since the previous studies were based on very limited sampling across the Balkans. The aim of this study is to estimate the genetic diversity and population structuring of E. roumanicus from the Central Balkans and to complement an already proposed phylogeographic scenario of this species. Tissue samples of 108 road-killed northern white-breasted hedgehogs were collected across the Central Balkan countries of Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Macedonia. A partial fragment of the …


High Genetic Distinctiveness Of Wild And Farm Fox (Vulpes Vulpes L.)Populations In Poland: Evidence From Mitochondrial Dna Analysis, Beata Horecka, Kornel Kasperek, Grazyna Jezewska-Witkowska, Brygida Slaska, Iwona Rozempolska-Rucinska, Magdalena Gryzinska, Andrzej Jakubczak Jan 2017

High Genetic Distinctiveness Of Wild And Farm Fox (Vulpes Vulpes L.)Populations In Poland: Evidence From Mitochondrial Dna Analysis, Beata Horecka, Kornel Kasperek, Grazyna Jezewska-Witkowska, Brygida Slaska, Iwona Rozempolska-Rucinska, Magdalena Gryzinska, Andrzej Jakubczak

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In Poland, the number of wild red foxes (Vulpes vulpes L.) and the size of the fur-farming industry are growing. There is concern that the gene pool of the wild foxes is being infiltrated by that of the farm animals. We analyzed three groups-Polish farm foxes and wild-living animals from Poland and North America-to investigate the gene flow or introgression between farm and wild red foxes. We took into account the breeding history of the species and the evolutionary relationships between fox populations on different continents. We compared the haplotypes based on the concatenated nucleotide sequences of MT-CO1 (mitochondrially encoded …


Efect Of Dual Growth Factor Administration On Oxidative Markers During Acute Stage Wound Healing In Rats, Bahar Di̇ndar, Kaan Kaltalioğlu, Şule Coşkun Cevher Jan 2017

Efect Of Dual Growth Factor Administration On Oxidative Markers During Acute Stage Wound Healing In Rats, Bahar Di̇ndar, Kaan Kaltalioğlu, Şule Coşkun Cevher

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Wound healing is a complex process affected by various conditions, including oxidative stress. The present study explored the time-dependent effects of platelet-derived growth factor (PGDF) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) administration on oxidative markers during acute stage wound healing. Thirty-six Wistar rats were distributed into three major groups; skin wounds were inflicted in all groups. The wounds were either left untreated (control group), treated topically with blank chitosan gel (blank chitosan gel group), or treated topically with a combination of PDGF and VEGF in chitosan gel (PDGF + VEGF chitosan gel group). Wounds were sampled on postsurgery days 3 …


Microhabitat Partitioning Of Closely Related Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo)Frog Species Previously Assigned To The Genus Hylarana (Amphibia: Anura), Ramlah Zainudin, Badrul Munir Md Zain, Norhayati Ahmad, Shukor Mohd Nor Jan 2017

Microhabitat Partitioning Of Closely Related Sarawak (Malaysian Borneo)Frog Species Previously Assigned To The Genus Hylarana (Amphibia: Anura), Ramlah Zainudin, Badrul Munir Md Zain, Norhayati Ahmad, Shukor Mohd Nor

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Microhabitats play an important role as resources that are partitioned between phylogenetically related or ecologically similar species (i.e., a guild). This hypothesis was tested by first elucidating phylogenetically closed Sarawak frog species via DNA sequencing of the 16S rRNA mitochondrial DNA gene, and later determining their microhabitat guild and partitioning via nonmetric dimensional scale. Mitochondrial 16S gene revealed 5 monophyletic groups consisting of Hylarana erythraea + Amnirana nicobariensis, Chalcorana raniceps, Abavorana luctuosa, Pulchrana signata + P. picturata, and P. baramica + P. glandulosa + P. laterimaculata. On the other hand, microhabitat utilization grouped the frogs into 5 ecological guilds consisting …


Seasonal Pattern Of Population Dynamics, Spawning Activities, And Diet Composition Of Sardine (Sardina Pilchardus Walbaum) In The Eastern Adriatic Sea, Barbara Zorica, Vanja Cikes Kec, Olja Vi̇djak, Viktor Kraljevic, Goran Brzulja Jan 2017

Seasonal Pattern Of Population Dynamics, Spawning Activities, And Diet Composition Of Sardine (Sardina Pilchardus Walbaum) In The Eastern Adriatic Sea, Barbara Zorica, Vanja Cikes Kec, Olja Vi̇djak, Viktor Kraljevic, Goran Brzulja

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Monthly samples from commercial catches obtained with purse seiners operating in the Croatian fishing grounds (eastern Adriatic Sea) were collected throughout 2013, excluding January and December due to a fishing ban. Overall, 1010 sardine individuals were analyzed. Total body length ranged from 10.4 to 17.6 cm (mean ± SD: 13.9 ± 1.28 cm). Slightly larger individuals were caught during autumn at the beginning of the spawning season. Analysis of length-mass relationship showed that sardine specimens grow isometrically (b = 3.063). Seasonal oscillations of condition factor indicated that the examined specimens were in the best condition at the beginning of the …


Zerconid Mites (Acari, Zerconidae) In İstanbul,With Four New Records For The Turkish Fauna, Eli̇f Hi̇lal Duran, Raşi̇t Urhan Jan 2017

Zerconid Mites (Acari, Zerconidae) In İstanbul,With Four New Records For The Turkish Fauna, Eli̇f Hi̇lal Duran, Raşi̇t Urhan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The zerconid mites collected from İstanbul Province between January 2012 and September 2013 are evaluated and the following species are recorded: Prozercon balıkesirensis, P. buraki, P. carpathofimbriatus, P. demirsoyi, P. fimbriatus, P. satapliae, P. sultani, P. traegardhi, P. yavuzi, Zercon colligans, Z. cretensis, Z. inonuensis, Z. istanbulensis, Z. laczii, Z. lepurus, Z. marinae, and Z. nemoralis. Of these, P. carpathofimbriatus, Z. cretensis, Z. laczii, and Z. marinae are recorded for the first time from Turkey. On the basis of collected specimens, short descriptions of newly recorded species are noted, the measurements of 17 species are given, and their geographic distributions …


Species Diversity And Community Structure Of Zooplankton In Threedifferent Types Of Water Body Within The Sakarya River Basin, Turkey, Pinar Gürbüzer, Özge Buyurgan, Çağri Tekatli, Ahmet Altindağ Jan 2017

Species Diversity And Community Structure Of Zooplankton In Threedifferent Types Of Water Body Within The Sakarya River Basin, Turkey, Pinar Gürbüzer, Özge Buyurgan, Çağri Tekatli, Ahmet Altindağ

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The aim of this study was to identify differences between different types of water body within the same river basin by comparing the composition of the zooplankton community. The study was conducted in three types of water body in the Sakarya Basin in northwestern Turkey: an alluvial barrier lake (Lake Poyrazlar), a pond (Sorgun Pond), and a reservoir (Çubuk II Reservoir). The spatiotemporal changes of these three types of aquatic habitats were investigated in terms of the zooplankton organisms by examining their diversity, evenness, and differences in the abundance of species. A total of 81 species were identified. Thirty-eight species …


Food Patch Particularity And Forging Strategy Of Reintroduced Przewalski's Horse In North Xinjiang, China, Zang Sen, Cao Qing, Alimujiang Keremu, Liu Shanhui, Zhang Yongjun, Hu Defu Jan 2017

Food Patch Particularity And Forging Strategy Of Reintroduced Przewalski's Horse In North Xinjiang, China, Zang Sen, Cao Qing, Alimujiang Keremu, Liu Shanhui, Zhang Yongjun, Hu Defu

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In 2001, Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) was reintroduced into a Eurasian desert-steppe transitional area in China. Recent studies of Przewalski's horse have not examined the relationship between food patches and the horse's feeding choice behavior. This study aimed to study the vegetation communities of the reintroduction area and combine this information with feeding time data to explore the foraging strategy of Przewalski's horse. A total of 588 vegetation patches were surveyed, which were divided into 27 vegetation clusters. All vegetation clusters could be divided into feeding clusters, which constituted 59.23% of the study area, and nonforaging clusters, which constituted 11.14%. …


Diet Selection Of Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) In Chitral, Pakistan, Rukhsana Khatoon, Iftikhar Hussain, Maqsood Anwar, Muhammad Ali Nawaz Jan 2017

Diet Selection Of Snow Leopard (Panthera Uncia) In Chitral, Pakistan, Rukhsana Khatoon, Iftikhar Hussain, Maqsood Anwar, Muhammad Ali Nawaz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Snow leopard (Panthera uncia) is an elusive endangered carnivore found in remote mountain regions of Central Asia, with sparse distribution in northern Pakistan, including Chitral and Baltistan. The present study determined the food habits of snow leopard, including preferred prey species and seasonal variation in diet. Fifty-six scat samples were collected and analyzed to determine the diet composition in two different seasons, i.e. summer and winter. Hair characteristics such as cuticular scale patterns and medullary structure were used to identify the prey. This evidence was further substantiated from the remains of bones, claws, feathers, and other undigested remains found in …


Hirstiosoma Amfilohijei Sp. Nov. (Trombidiformes: Smarididae) From Montenegro, Ryszard Haitlinger, Miloje Sundic Jan 2017

Hirstiosoma Amfilohijei Sp. Nov. (Trombidiformes: Smarididae) From Montenegro, Ryszard Haitlinger, Miloje Sundic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Hirstiosoma amfilohijei sp. nov. (Trombidiformes: Smarididae) is described and illustrated from larvae collected from herbaceous plants in Montenegro.


First Report Of Gray Whale (Eschrichtius Robustus, Lilljeborg, 1861) Conjoined Twin Calves In The Eastern Pacific Ocean, Elena Tamburin, Erica Carone, Irma Gonzalez Lopez, Felipe Galvan Magaña Jan 2017

First Report Of Gray Whale (Eschrichtius Robustus, Lilljeborg, 1861) Conjoined Twin Calves In The Eastern Pacific Ocean, Elena Tamburin, Erica Carone, Irma Gonzalez Lopez, Felipe Galvan Magaña

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In January 2014, gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) conjoined twin calves were found dead in Laguna Ojo de Liebre (Scammon's Lagoon), Baja California Sur, Mexico. The thoracopagus (united ventrally at the chest) individuals were conjoined in the thorax region, sharing the navel and genital area, but with two distinct heads and flukes. Although observed in humans and domestic animals, this case is rare among cetaceans. Some conjoined twin cetacean fetuses have previously been reported; however, this is the first report of the congenital anomaly in Eschrichtius robustus.


The First Record Of Greek Endemic Weevil Hypera (Boreohypera) Moczarskii (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea, Curculionidae) In Central Serbia, With Elements For Species Redescription, Snezana Pesic Jan 2017

The First Record Of Greek Endemic Weevil Hypera (Boreohypera) Moczarskii (Coleoptera: Curculionoidea, Curculionidae) In Central Serbia, With Elements For Species Redescription, Snezana Pesic

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The rare weevil species Hypera (Boreohypera) moczarskii Penecke, 1936, previously recorded only in Greece, has been registered for the first time in Central Serbia. Two adult males were collected in 1993 and 1994, in two places in the area of Kragujevac (Central Serbia). These findings extend H. moczarskii's distribution area to the north, and this rare species should no longer be considered as Greek, but rather as endemic to the Balkan Peninsula. Both specimens are males, and drawings of the aedeagus are shown for the first time. Hypera moczarskii is one of two European members of the subgenus Boreohypera Korotyaev, …


Sightings Of Cetaceans In The Western Antarctic Peninsula During The First Joint Turkish-Ukrainian Antarctic Research Expedition, 2016, Bayram Öztürk, Mehmet Arda Tonay, Meli̇ke İdi̇l Öz, İzzet Noyan Yilmaz, Hali̇m Ayteki̇n Ergül, Ayaka Amaha Öztürk Jan 2017

Sightings Of Cetaceans In The Western Antarctic Peninsula During The First Joint Turkish-Ukrainian Antarctic Research Expedition, 2016, Bayram Öztürk, Mehmet Arda Tonay, Meli̇ke İdi̇l Öz, İzzet Noyan Yilmaz, Hali̇m Ayteki̇n Ergül, Ayaka Amaha Öztürk

Turkish Journal of Zoology

During the cetacean surveys of the first Turkish-Ukrainian Antarctic Research Expedition conducted on 5-8 April 2016 in Lemaire Channel, Penola Strait, Flanders Bay, southern Gerlache Strait, and southern Neumayer Channel in the Western Antarctic Peninsula, 74 humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) in 24 sightings and 11 Antarctic minke whales (Balaenoptera bonaerensis) in 6 sightings were recorded. The overall encounter rate (number of sightings/survey effort in nautical miles) was 0.333 (0.266 for humpback whale, 0.066 for Antarctic minke whale). According to the sighting distribution, the Lemaire Channel and Penola Strait are important migration and feeding habitats for whales. Five humpback whales were …


Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology In Southwest Nebraska, Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwendolyn C. Bachman, Joseph J. Fontaine Jan 2017

Severe Drought Impacts Female Pheasant Physiology In Southwest Nebraska, Jessica A. Laskowski, Gwendolyn C. Bachman, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

In 2012, Nebraska experienced one of the worst droughts since the 1930s, accompanied by abnormally high temperatures. We studied the impacts of the 2012 summer drought on female ring-necked pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) body condition and baseline and stress-induced corticosterone concentrations (CORT). We hypothesized that drought conditions would reduce pheasant body condition, increase chronic stress resulting in elevated baseline CORT levels, and down-regulate pheasant stress response to acute stressors, resulting in reduced stress-induced CORT concentrations. In southwestern Nebraska, we captured female pheasants in 2012 (pre-drought) and 2013 (post-drought). Pheasants had poorer body condition after the drought. Although female CORT …


Capturing Change: The Duality Of Time-Lapse Imagery To Acquire Data And Depict Ecological Dynamics, Emma Brinley Buckley, Craig R. Allen, Michael L. Forsberg, Michael Farrell, Andrew J. Caven Jan 2017

Capturing Change: The Duality Of Time-Lapse Imagery To Acquire Data And Depict Ecological Dynamics, Emma Brinley Buckley, Craig R. Allen, Michael L. Forsberg, Michael Farrell, Andrew J. Caven

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We investigate the scientific and communicative value of time-lapse imagery by exploring applications for data collection and visualization. Time-lapse imagery has a myriad of possible applications to study and depict ecosystems and can operate at unique temporal and spatial scales to bridge the gap between large-scale satellite imagery projects and observational field research. Time-lapse data sequences, linking time-lapse imagery with data visualization, have the ability to make data come alive for a wider audience by connecting abstract numbers to images that root data in time and place. Utilizing imagery from the Platte Basin Timelapse Project, water inundation and vegetation phenology …


Adaptive Management Of Rangeland Systems, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Joseph J. Fontaine, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Noelle M. Chaine, Kevin L. Pope, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr. Jan 2017

Adaptive Management Of Rangeland Systems, Craig R. Allen, David G. Angeler, Joseph J. Fontaine, Ahjond S. Garmestani, Noelle M. Chaine, Kevin L. Pope, Dirac L. Twidwell Jr.

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Adaptive management is an approach to natural resource management that uses structured learning to reduce uncertainties for the improvement of management over time. The origins of adaptive management are linked to ideas of resilience theory and complex systems. Rangeland management is particularly well suited for the application of adaptive management, having sufficient controllability and reducible uncertainties. Adaptive management applies the tools of structured decision making and requires monitoring, evaluation, and adjustment of management. Adaptive governance, involving sharing of power and knowledge among relevant stakeholders, is often required to address conflict situations. Natural resource laws and regulations can present a barrier …


Network Analysis Of A Regional Fishery: Implications For Management Of Natural Resources, And Recruitment And Retention Of Anglers, Dustin R. Martin, Daizaburo Shizuka, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope Jan 2017

Network Analysis Of A Regional Fishery: Implications For Management Of Natural Resources, And Recruitment And Retention Of Anglers, Dustin R. Martin, Daizaburo Shizuka, Christopher J. Chizinski, Kevin L. Pope

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Angler groups and water-body types interact to create a complex social-ecological system. Network analysis could inform detailed mechanistic models on, and provide managers better information about, basic patterns of fishing activity. Differences in behavior and reservoir selection among angler groups in a regional fishery, the Salt Valley fishery in southeastern Nebraska, USA, were assessed using a combination of cluster and network analyses. The four angler groups assessed ranged from less active, unskilled anglers (group One) to highly active, very skilled anglers (group Four). Reservoir use patterns and the resulting network communities of these four angler groups differed; the number of …


Shorebird Stopover Habitat Decisions In A Changing Landscape, Caitlyn Gillespie, Joseph J. Fontaine Jan 2017

Shorebird Stopover Habitat Decisions In A Changing Landscape, Caitlyn Gillespie, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

To examine how habitat use by sandpipers (Calidris spp.; Baird’s sandpipers, dunlin, least sandpipers, pectoral sandpipers, semipalmated sandpipers, stilt sandpipers, and white-rumped sandpipers) varies across a broad suite of environmental conditions, we conducted surveys at wetlands throughout the spring migratory period in 2013 and 2014 in 2 important stopover regions: the Rainwater Basin (RWB) in Nebraska, USA, and the Prairie Pothole Region (PPR) in South Dakota, USA. Because providing adequate energetic resources for migratory birds is a high priority for wetland management, we also measured invertebrate abundance at managed wetlands in the RWB to determine how food abundance influences …


Species Distributions Models In Wildlife Planning: Agricultural Policy And Wildlife Management In The Great Plains, Joseph J. Fontaine, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Erica F. Stuber, Lutz F. Gruber, Andrew A. Bishop, Jeffrey J. Lusk, Eric S. Zach, Karie L. Decker Jan 2017

Species Distributions Models In Wildlife Planning: Agricultural Policy And Wildlife Management In The Great Plains, Joseph J. Fontaine, Christopher F. Jorgensen, Erica F. Stuber, Lutz F. Gruber, Andrew A. Bishop, Jeffrey J. Lusk, Eric S. Zach, Karie L. Decker

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

We know economic and social policy has implications for ecosystems at large, but the consequences for a given geographic area or specific wildlife population are more difficult to conceptualize and communicate. Species distribution models, which extrapolate species-habitat relationships across ecological scales, are capable of predicting population changes in distribution and abundance in response to management and policy, and thus, are an ideal means for facilitating proactive management within a larger policy framework. To illustrate the capabilities of species distribution modeling in scenario planning for wildlife populations, we projected an existing distribution model for ring-necked pheasants (Phasianus colchicus) onto …


Protected Areas As Social-Ecological Systems: Perspectives From Resilience And Social-Ecological Systems Theory, Graeme S. Cumming, Craig R. Allen Jan 2017

Protected Areas As Social-Ecological Systems: Perspectives From Resilience And Social-Ecological Systems Theory, Graeme S. Cumming, Craig R. Allen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Conservation biology and applied ecology increasingly recognize that natural resource management is both an outcome and a driver of social, economic, and ecological dynamics. Protected areas offer a fundamental approach to conserving ecosystems, but they are also social-ecological systems whose ecological management and sustainability are heavily influenced by people. This editorial, and the papers in the invited feature that it introduces, discuss three emerging themes in social-ecological systems approaches to understanding protected areas: (1) the resilience and sustainability of protected areas, including analyses of their internal dynamics, their effectiveness, and the resilience of the landscapes within which they occur; (2) …


A Bayesian Method For Assessing Multi-Scale Species-Habitat Relationships, Erica F. Stuber, Lutz F. Gruber, Joseph J. Fontaine Jan 2017

A Bayesian Method For Assessing Multi-Scale Species-Habitat Relationships, Erica F. Stuber, Lutz F. Gruber, Joseph J. Fontaine

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Context Scientists face several theoretical and methodological challenges in appropriately describing fundamental wildlife-habitat relationships in models. The spatial scales of habitat relationships are often unknown, and are expected to follow a multi-scale hierarchy. Typical frequentist or information theoretic approaches often suffer under collinearity in multiscale studies, fail to converge when models are complex or represent an intractable computational burden when candidate model sets are large.

Objectives Our objective was to implement an automated, Bayesian method for inference on the spatial scales of habitat variables that best predict animal abundance.

Methods We introduce Bayesian latent indicator scale selection (BLISS), a Bayesian …


Reframing Communication About Zika And Mosquitoes To Increase Disease Prevention Behavior, Amanda E. Sorensen, Rebecca C. Jordan, Shannon Ladeau Jan 2017

Reframing Communication About Zika And Mosquitoes To Increase Disease Prevention Behavior, Amanda E. Sorensen, Rebecca C. Jordan, Shannon Ladeau

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Emergence of invasive vector species and the diseases they carry present a clear danger to the public as well as a challenge for scientists and experts to control effectively. Given the urgent need to address this phenomenon, we suggest that desired public action toward these invasive vectors can be motivated through intentional framing in science communication. In this paper, we sought to evaluate the effect of framing about ZIKV (Zika virus) on reported willingness to comply with mosquito prevention action. Post framing intervention, we found a significant increase (N = 26, p < 0.001) in individuals willing to take preventative action against mosquitoes. By methodically investigating best communication practices, this study and others can help practitioners mobilize communities to address large-scale ecological problems. Additionally, the principles outlined here may be transferrable to other communication efforts about ecological issues outside of ZIKV and mosquitoes.


Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment (Nca4), Volume I Jan 2017

Climate Science Special Report: Fourth National Climate Assessment (Nca4), Volume I

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration: Technical Reports and Related Materials

This report is an authoritative assessment of the science of climate change, with a focus on the United States. It represents the first of two volumes of the Fourth National Climate Assessment, mandated by the Global Change Research Act of 1990.

Credits

Jump to:

Writing Team

Coordinating Lead Authors

  • Donald J. Wuebbles National Science Foundation and U.S. Global Change Research Program – University of Illinois
  • David W. Fahey NOAA Earth System Research Lab
  • Kathy A. Hibbard NASA Headquarters

Lead Authors …


A Serosurvey Of Diseases Of Free-Ranging Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Minnesota, Usa, Michelle Carstensen, John H. Giudice, Erik C. Hildebrand, J. P. Dubey, John Erb, Dan Stark, John Hart, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Steve K. Windels, Andrew J. Edwards Jan 2017

A Serosurvey Of Diseases Of Free-Ranging Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) In Minnesota, Usa, Michelle Carstensen, John H. Giudice, Erik C. Hildebrand, J. P. Dubey, John Erb, Dan Stark, John Hart, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Steve K. Windels, Andrew J. Edwards

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

We tested serum samples from 387 free-ranging wolves (Canis lupus) from 2007 to 2013 for exposure to eight canid pathogens to establish baseline data on disease prevalence and spatial distribution in Minnesota’s wolf population. We found high exposure to canine adenoviruses 1 and 2 (88% adults, 45% pups), canine parvovirus (82% adults, 24% pups), and Lyme disease (76% adults, 39% pups). Sixty-six percent of adults and 36% of pups exhibited exposure to the protozoan parasite Neospora caninum. Exposure to arboviruses was confirmed, including West Nile virus (37% adults, 18% pups) and eastern equine encephalitis (3% adults). Exposure rates …