Digital Commons Network^™

Green Canyon Recreation Management Plant, Jesse Evans, Erin Haddock, Todd Tibbetts, Lindsey Topham

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

The purpose of this plan is to look at the way Green Canyon is currently being managed and make recommendations for management based on our findings. Prior to this document, a Landscape Assessment was conducted on Green Canyon. This plan incorporates that assessment but focuses on the recreation management of the canyon. We will discuss history, current management, social conditions, purpose and need, as well as methods we used to go about gathering information. The focus is to identify key issues and concerns within the canyon. Management recommendations will be made based on the issues and concerns identified.

Behavioral Interactions And Conflict Among Domestic Dogs, Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs, And People In Boulder, Colorado, Marc Bekoff, Robert W. Ickes

Ethology Collection

Interactions among domestic dogs (Canis familiaris), black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus), and people were studied at Dry Creek, Boulder, Colorado. Our objective was to develop a basic understanding of the nature of dog–prairie dog interactions in this recreational area, because this is an issue that has high visibility and over which there is conflict in Boulder: There are those who want dogs to run free regardless of their impact on the behavior and lives of prairie dogs and those who want to protect prairie dogs and have dogs restrained or go elsewhere. We found that dogs clearly influenced the behavior …

Alpha Status, Dominance, And Division Of Labor In Wolf Packs, L. David Mech

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

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the “alpha” pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs, based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves …

Plant And Breeding Bird Communities Of Black-Tailed Prairie Dog Colonies And Non-Colonized Areas In Southwest Kansas And Southeast Colorado, Stephen L. Winter

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This research was initiated to determine if plant and bird communities on black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus Ord) colonies in southwest Kansas and southeast Colorado differed from those found on associated non-colonized areas. Vegetation height and density, and the cover and frequency of numerous plant species differed between prairie dog colonies and non-colonized areas that were co-dominated by mid-height grasses and shortgrasses. A comparison of prairie dog colonies with non-colonized areas that were dominated solely by shortgrasses did not reveal a difference in vegetation height and density. The number of species that differed in cover or frequency between prairie dog …

Flea News 57 (January 1999), Robert E. Lewis

Flea News

Mailing list changes

Miscellanea: The following article concerning plague in prairie dogs in Texas is taken from the July-August issue of the Technical Information Bulletin of the Armed Forces Pest Management Board.

Siphonaptera literature

Winter 1999, Nsu Oceanographic Center

Currents

No abstract provided.

Status Of Three Plethodontid Salamanders (Genus Plethodon) From The Ouachita National Forest Of Southwest Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, J. D. Wilhide

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A three-year field investigation was initiated in 1996 to update previous information on the local abundance and distribution of three salamanders of the genus Plethodon (P. caddoensis, P.fourchensis, and P. ouachitae); these salamanders are found within a five-county area of the Ouachita National Forest in southwestern Arkansas. Plethodon fourchensis was most numerous at three sites in Polk County; a total of 18 specimens was found. Searching for Plethodon fourchensis was successful following moderate-to-heavy precipitation but only in selected habitats on Fourche and Irons Forks mountains. The preferred habitats of P. caddoensis were talus-covered slopes and wet ravines consisting of mostly …

Influences Of Relative Humidity, Soil And Air Temperatures, And Lunar Phase On Occurrence Of Terrestrial Plethodontid Salamanders At High Elevation Sites, Jo Santiago

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Microhabitat environments and occurrences of terrestrial plethodontid salamanders including Plethodon nettingi Green, Plethodon cinereus (Green), Plethodon wehrlei Fowler and Dunn, Plethodon glutinosus (Green), and Desmognathus ochrophaeus Cope were monitored over a 15 month period at high elevation sites in the Stuart Knob area of the Monongahela National Forest in eastern West Virginia. Environmental data collected for eight equal-sized study plots (8m² ) included relative humidity, air and soil temperatures, and lunar phase. Five hundred and twenty-five salamanders were captured in diurnal and nocturnal searches, and an additional 52 individuals were observed. It was found that the most common occurring …

Regurgitative Food Transfer Among Wild Wolves, L. David Mech, Paul C. Wolf, Jane M. Packard

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

Few studies of monogamous canids have addressed regurgitation in the context of extended parental care and alloparental care within family groups. We studied food transfer by regurgitation in a pack of wolves on Ellesmere Island, North West Territories, Canada, during 6 summers from 1988 through 1996. All adult wolves, including yearlings and a post-reproductive female, regurgitated food. Although individuals regurgitated up to five times per bout, the overall ratio of regurgitations per bout was 1.5. Pups were more likely to receive regurgitations (81%) than the breeding female (14%) or auxiliaries (6%). The breeding male regurgitated mostly to the breeding female …

Reproductive Biology, Food Habits, And Forage Ratios Of The Candy Darter, Etheostoma Osburni, In The Cherry River, West Virginia, With An Analysis Of Mitochondrial Dna, Ann Elizabeth Schoolcraft

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Etheostoma osburni, the candy darter, is endemic to the lower New River drainage of West Virginia and Virginia and Gauley River drainage of West Virginia. As a result of its endemism and evidence of declining population numbers, the species has been given the status of Special Concern in both states. Candy darters occur in the Appalachian Plateau and Ridge and Valley provinces, and are influenced by different environmental selective pressures. In this study, candy darters were collected in the summer and fall of 1998 and spring of 1999 by backpack electroshocking for determination of their seasonal reproductive biology, food …

Survey Of Medium And Large Mammals In An Urban Park (Murray Park), Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas, Josie H. Dickins, David W. Clark, Steffany C. White, Gary A. Heidt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Because of increased environmental awareness by city planning commissions, there are more urban parks and greenbelt areas. These areas often result in increased human and wildlife contacts, thus resulting in the need for management plans regarding urban wildlife. From September 1998 to March 1999, we conducted mammal surveys of the urban greenspace Murray Park, Little Rock, Pulaski County, Arkansas. Surveys were conducted using five methods: direct observations; spot lighting; live trapping; animal sign; and scent posts. Species recorded included, opossum (Didelphis virginiana), nine-banded armadillo (Dasypus novemcinctus), fox squirrel (Sciurus niger), gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), beaver (Castor canadensis), woodchuck (Marmota monax), …

Effects Of Predation On Two Species Of Stream-Dwelling Crayfish (Orconectes Marchandi And Cambarus Hubbsi) In Pool And Riffle Microhabitats, Heidi Dukat, Daniel D. Magoulick

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Community structure may be governed by many abiotic and biotic factors. Of the biotic factors, predation is often considered to be critical in structuring freshwater stream communities. In the Warm Fork of the Spring River, the crayfish Cambarus hubbsi is found mainly in riffles, whereas the crayfish Orconectes marchandi is found in high numbers in pools. We hypothesized that predation, mainly by fish, is a factor causing this segregation. Higher predation rates for C. hubbsi than 0. marchandi in the pools and higher predation rates for 0. marchandi than C. hubbsi in the riffles were expected. A transplant tethering experiment …

Post-Metomorphic Growth And Reproduction In The Eastern Narrowmouth Toad (Gastrophryne Carolinensis) From Northeastern Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, Walter E. Meshaka Jr., Robert L. Cox Jr.

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Post-metamorphic growth and the reproductive cycle of the eastern narrowmouth toad (Gastrophryne carolinensis) were studied from 204 individuals collected during the April August 1989 activity season in a two-county area of northeastern Arkansas near the northwestern edge of the species' geographic range. Late summer metamorphs require a full growing season before they can reproduce as they approach their second year of life. The oldest individuals may be at least five years old. By late April, gonadal cycles of adults had commenced; the males were producing sperm, and some of the females were gravid. Fertility of both sexes increased during the …

Alpha Status, Dominance, And Division Of Labor In Wolf Packs, L. David Mech

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

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the “alpha” pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs, based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves …

Twenty-Year Home-Range Dynamics Of A White-Tailed Deer Matriline, Michael E. Nelson, L. D. Mech

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

We examined the seasonal migration and home-range dynamics of a multigeneration white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) matriline comprising six females from four generations spanning a 20-year period in northeastern Minnesota. All, from the matriarch to her great-granddaughter, migrated to the same summer and winter ranges, the longest individual record being 14.5 years. Three maternal females concurrently occupied exclusive fawning sites within their ancestral matriarch’s summer range, while two nonmaternal females explored new areas and ranged near their mothers. One great-granddaughter expanded her summer range 1 km beyond the matriarch’s summer range while essentially vacating half of her ancestors’ range …

The Effect Of Proximity On Landmark Use In Clark’S Nutcrackers, Kristy L. Gould-Beierle, Alan Kamil

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, store thousands of pine seeds during the autumn and retrieve them throughout the winter. It has been shown that these birds are able to use visual cues to relocate hidden food in the laboratory. In this set of experiments, we trained three groups of Clark’s nutcrackers to find a hidden food goal that was placed in the same spatial location relative to the testing room. During training, the location of two local cues in relation to the goal differed between the three groups. Group 1 learned the task with the cues closest to the goal, group …

Patterns Of Movement And Orientation During Caching And Recovery By Clark’S Nutcrackers, Nucifraga Columbiana, Alan Kamil, Russell P. Balda, Sally Good

Avian Cognition Papers

Clark’s nutcrackers regularly store large numbers of pine seeds and remember the locations of the cached seeds. Although they are very accurate, they do make some errors during recovery. In an attempt to determine whether any behaviours during caching predicted the occurrence of errors during recovery, we videotaped Clark’s nutcrackers while they cached and recovered seeds under laboratory conditions. We used the videotapes to develop complete, quantitative descriptions of caching and recovery behaviour, with an emphasis on body orientation and directions of movement. During caching, the birds showed the greatest change in their orientation and direction following cache creation. During …

Searching Image In Blue Jays: Facilitation And Interference In Sequential Priming, Alan B. Bond, Alan C. Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Repeated exposure to a single target type (sequential priming) during visual search for multiple cryptic targets commonly improves performance on subsequent presentations of that target. It appears to be an attentional phenomenon, a component of the searching image effect. It has been argued, however, that if searching image is an attentional process, sequential priming should also interfere with performance on subsequent nonprimed targets, and such interference has never been unequivocally demonstrated. In blue jays (Cyanocitta cristata) searching in an operant apparatus for targets derived from images of cryptic moths, detection performance was strongly facilitated in the course of …

How Do They, Indeed? A Reply To Biegler Et Al., Alan Kamil, Juli E. Jones

Avian Cognition Papers

We trained Clark’s nutcrackers, Nucifraga columbiana, to search halfway between two landmarks while varying the distance between the landmarks (Kamil & Jones 1997). We found that the birds learned the problem readily and generalized to novel interlandmark distances within the range of distances used during training. Unlike some other studies in which responses to proportional distance were obtained (e.g. O’Keefe & Burgess 1996; Tommasi et al. 1997), the nutcrackers showed very precise search and maintained this precision during the transfer test. The distributions of digging locations around the central position were concentrated within ±1–2 cm of the central location …

Female Responses To Isolated Signals From Multimodal Male Courtship Displays In The Wolf Spider Genus Schizocosa (Araneae: Lycosidae), Eileen Hebets, George W. Uetz

Eileen Hebets Publications

Male wolf spiders within the genus Schizocosa display considerable variation in foreleg ornamentation as well as in courtship communication. Multiple modes of male signaling have evolved in a number of species. Divergence in courtship signals among species within this genus may be directly associated with variation in the sensory sensitivities of conspecific females. We isolated the visual and vibratory courtship cues of four species of Schizocosa and recorded conspecific female receptivity to each isolated cue. We also examined female receptivity to complete multimodal courtship signals. We found that the sensory sensitivities of conspecific females were associated with the predominant modes …

Plant Hybrid Zones And Insect Host Range Expansion, Diana Pilson

Diana Pilson Publications

The hybrid bridge hypothesis suggests that plant hybrids ‘‘bridge’’ the genetic gap between actual and potential host species, and that, for this reason, herbivorous insects are more likely to evolve an expanded host range in the presence of hybrids. While intuitively appealing, the hypothesis has two implicit assumptions: that phenotypic gaps between potential hosts limit host range, and that characters controlling host use are additively inherited in plant hybrids. Evaluation of these assumptions suggests that operation of the hybrid bridge hypothesis is relatively uncommon. In addition, the hypothesis has not been well integrated into existing theoretical and empirical work on …

Sociality And Social Learning In Two Species Of Corvids: The Pinyon Jay (Gymnorhinus Cyanocephalus) And The Clark’S Nutcracker (Nucifraga Columbiana), Jennifer J. Templeton, Alan Kamil, Russell P. Balda

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

The hypothesis that social learning is an adaptive specialization for social living predicts that social species should learn better socially than they do individually, but that nonsocial species should not exhibit a similar enhancement of performance under social learning conditions. The authors compared individual and social learning abilities in 2 corvid species: the highly social pinyon jay (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus) and the less social Clark’s nutcracker (Nucifraga columbiana). The birds were tested on 2 different tasks under individual and social learning conditions. Half learned a motor task individually and a discrimination task socially; the other half learned …

Evolutionary Relationships Among The Protostrongylidae (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) As Inferred From Morphological Characters, With Consideration Of Parasite-Host Coevolution, Ramon A. Carreno, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The phylogeny of nematodes in the family Protostrongylidae (Nematoda: Metastrongyloidea) was reconstructed by cladistic analysis of 28 binary and multistate characters derived from comparative morphology. Analyses were hierarchical, and examined (1) relationships among genera, including 13 ingroup taxa and Metastrongylidae as an outgroup (single tree, 78 steps, consistency index [CI]=0.705); and (2) relationships among genera and species groups including 21 ingroup taxa and Metastrongylus apri as an outgroup (single tree, 76 steps, CI=0.582). In the species-level tree, Protostrongylidae was divided into 2 major clades, one containing the subfamilies Muelleriinae (including the recently described Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis) Elaphostrongylinae, and the Varestrongylinae …

Experimental Infections Of Muskoxen (Ovibos Moschatus) And Domestic Sheep With Umingmakstrongylus Pallikuukensis (Nematoda: Protostrongylidae): Parasite Development, Population Structure, And Pathology, Susan J. Kutz, Eric P. Hoberg, Lydden Polley

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Three captive muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) were successfully infected with third-stage larvae of Umingmakstrongylus pallikuukensis digested or emerged from the slugs Deroceras reticulatum and D. laeve, for the first time completing the life cycle of this parasite under experimental conditions. The course of parasite development and patency was followed for 26 months post infection (p.i.) using fecal examinations and radiography. The prepatent periods in two of the muskoxen were 91 and 95 days and the patent period in one extended for 23 months. Larval production peaked 13–14 months p.i. On postmortem of two of the muskoxen at months …

The Chondrocranium Of The Mexican Burrowing Toad, Rhinophrynus Dorsalis, Charles C. Swart, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The chondrocranium of Rhinophrynus dorsalis is described and illustrated. Autapomorphies of R. dorsalis are the presence of the symplectic cartilage and a cartilaginous process on the ascending process of the palatoquadrate. Synapomorphies of Rhinophrynus shared with the Pipidae are: (1) early formation of the lower jaw and (2) presence of a suprarostral plate. Alternative developmental pathways for the formation of the suprarostral plate are considered. Histological data indicates that the suprarostral plate forms from: (1) the early fusion of the cornua trabeculae with the suprarostral cartilages, (2) an anterior growth of the ethmold plate, and (3) subsequent fusion …

Unidad De Los Anfibios Modernos Como Grupo Natural, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

RESUMEN

La monofilia de la infraclase Lissamphibia ha sido cuestionada. Algunos autores sugieren un origen independiente del Orden Gymnophiona basados en la condición compacta (= estegocrotafía) del cráneo de la cecilias. La presente revisión indica la irrelevancia del estegocrotafismo para establecer las relaciones filogenéticas del grupo. Los datos disponibles sugieren: 1) el estegocrotafismo es secundariamente derivado en cecilias, y 2) Lissamphibia representa un grupo monofilético.

SUMMARY

Unity of modern Amphibians as a natural group

The monophyly of Lissamphibia has been previously questioned. Some authors suggested an independent origin of Gymnophiona based on the solid condition (= stegokrotaphy) of the caecilian …

Alarm Calls Affect Foraging Behavior In Eastern Chipmunks (Tamias Striatus), Jessica K. Baack

Masters Theses

I used playback experiments to test whether alarm calls affected the foraging behavior of Eastern chipmunks (Tamias striatus). I subjected chipmunks, foraging at artificial feeding stations, to three playback treatments (silent, control noise, and alarm call) and examined changes in vigilant and foraging behavior. Chipmunks responded to alarm calls with a greater degree and duration of vigilant behavior, such as look-ups and alert postures. Chipmunks also ran a shorter distance to cover, ran more directly to cover, and took longer to re-emerge from the burrow after hearing an alarm call. Alarm calls caused individuals to spend more time …

Growth And Yield-Per-Recruit Modeling Of Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus) In The Chesapeake Bay, And A Comparison Of Biological Reference Points, Kevin Ray Piner

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Spot were sampled from the Chesapeake Bay commercial fishery from 1993–1995 to determine if spot are overfished. Transversely sectioned otoliths were determined to be the most appropriate structure for ageing spot. It was determined that spot have a high natural mortality rate (M = 0.9) and fast growth (K = 0.6). This combination of M and K makes spot relatively impervious to growth overfishing as determined by yield-per-recruit modeling. Because spot are nearly impervious to growth overfishing, management thresholds based on yield-per-recruit modeling may be inappropriate. In addition, the combination of high M and fast K makes it possible to …

The Impacts Of External Nutrient Sources On Marine Phytoplankton In An Eastern Shore Sea-Side Estuary, Claudette Lajoie Jenkins

OES Theses and Dissertations

The Eastern Shore of Virginia (Greens Creek) as well as a large portion of the North Atlantic coastline is characterized by estuarine systems not dominated by large river systems. Instead, small freshwater creeks influence many coastal systems yet little information has been documented on their ecological significance. The focus of this research is to identify the biogeochemical and physical interactions within an estuarine water-column and understand the importance of freshwater sources in governing phytoplankton production. The hypothesis of this research is that increases in external nutrient loading into Greens Creek will not result in an increase in primary production. The …

Deforestation In The Tropics: Reconciling Disparities In Estimates For India, Shaily Menon, Kamaljit S. Bawa

Peer Reviewed Publications

Here we examine recent disparate estimates of deforestation obtained for India. We discuss the sources of disparity and the implications of inaccurate estimates and suggest ways in which future attempts at estimating deforestation might reconcile the disparity. Despite the importance of deforestation and its consequences, no attempt has been made to reconcile the different estimates obtained for India.