Digital Commons Network^™

The Elephants Of Interview Island, Romulus Whitaker

Elephant

Report from survey work on elephants living on the Andaman Islands in the Bay of Bengal, June, 1977.

Known Elephant Distribution In Africa: An Updated Map, Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Alison K.K. Hillman

Elephant

Map depicting the elephant distribution in Africa as of Spring 1979.

Suggested Mechanical Model Of Elephant Trunk Muscle Tissue And Its Sheer Conjecture, Norris Whitehall

Elephant

A detailed simile modeling elephant trunk muscle tissue.

The Addo Elephant Research Project: A Brief Introduction, Anthony Hall-Martin

Elephant

Description of "an intensive research programme on the ecology, population dynamics, and behaviour" of elephants in the Addo Bush area of Cape Province, South Africa, launched in May 1976.

Ivory And Ivorine, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Items from news and other reports relating to ivory and ivorine.

Iucn/Wwf Elephant Survey And Conservation Programme Questionnaire, Elephant Editors

Elephant

A survey soliciting data from captive elephants.

Elephant Interest Group Questionnaire, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Form for consideration for the Elephant Interest Group.

A Note From The Editor, Jeheskel Shoshani

Elephant

Dr. Shoshani introduces the newsletter and documents increasing interest and support.

Elephants In The News, Elephant Editors

Elephant

"Motty"-- Birth of an African/Asian elephant at Chester Zoo; Elephants at the Washington Park Zoo, Portland, Oregon, USA; Elephants at the Knoxville Zoo, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; "Dima"--26,000-year-old baby mammoth tissues are being studied at the University of California and Wayne State University, USA

Recent Correspondence, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Letters from Pieter deVilliers, Richard Lair, and Norris Whitehill

Elephant Interest Group - Membership List, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Mailing List for the Elephant Interest Group. This document contains sensitive personal information and is therefore not openly available on this site. Please contact the administrators for details.

Errata And Comments For Elephant Newsletter No. 2, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Errata and comments for Elephant Newsletter No. 2

Miscellaneous, Elephant Editors

Elephant

Including: a plea for publication of The African Elephant Bibliography; Errata and comments for Elephant 1.2; Information for readers; Proposal of an elephant hotline; and prompts for reader opinion

Population Limitation Of Jackrabbits: An Examination Of The Food Hypothesis, William R. Clark

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The study was conducted to examine the importance of forage resources in limiting peak population density of black-tailed jackrabbits (Lepus californicus). The research design combined field studies of jackrabbit diet and vegetation impact with computer simulation of herbivore nutrition and population dynamics. The relationships between available forage, dietary intake, energy and protein balance and population changes were compared for high and low population density. Hypotheses tested were : (1) Dietary composition is unaffected by availability above 10 kg/ha; (2) Jackrabbits do not require more forage than is available at high population densities; (3) Dietary composition is not significantly …

Information Transfer And Regulation In A Model Ecosystem With Environmental Stochasticity, M. Mckee

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The concept of regulation in ecosystems has been given considerable attention in the ecological literature, but no formal treatment has been offered. This study proposes a rigorous definition of regulation which is derived from the mathematics of information and communication theory. A theoretical, mathematical equivalent of the definition is also offered which implies serious limitations as to the value of most traditional laboratory population studies and deterministic population models in understanding regulation in ecosystems. The empirical validity of this theoretical equivalence is tested through use of a competition model of two diatoms. Other observations concerning the relationship between environmental variability …

Development And Validation Test Of A Mule Deer Habitat Rule, Glenn Gephart

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A mathematical description of Rocky Mountain mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus hemionus) habitat was developed and subjected to validation testing using correlation and multiple regression statistical techniques. Data were collected on a central Utah study area, which was divided into mountain and desert regions.

Data on deer utilization and several habitat components from 86 study plots visited in 1976 were used to develop a habitat rule. Data from 46 study plots visited in 1977 were used to test the accuracy of the rule. Deer utilization was determined from pellet group counts on 20 0.001 ha pellet plots at each …

Some Effects Of A Grazer, Hyalella Azteca On Ecosystem Level Properties In Aquatic Microcosms, Martin D. Werner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study to determine some ecosystem level effects of an aquatic invertebrate grazer, Hyalella azteca, was performed in aquatic ix microcosms. Impact of the grazer was assessed in three general areas: 1) inorganic nutrient levels of the microcosm water column, 2) productivity and respiration of the biotic community, and 3) plant community composition in the microcosms.

The grazing amphipod caused inorganic phosphorus and nitrogen (except ammonia) levels to be elevated in the microcosms. The increase was due, at least partially, to excretion of nutrients into the water by the amphipod. The presence of H. azteca did not significantly …

Interrelationships Between Benthic Macroinvertebrates And Habitat In A Mountain Stream, John M. Payne

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A study to determine habitat differences of benthic macroinvertebrates was conducted on the upper Strawberry River, Utah. The investigation was part of a large scale project to determine minimum stream flow requirements for trout. The effects of time, habitat, depth and velocity on the distribution of benthic fauna were evaluated.

Samples of benthic invertebrates (146 total) were collected every 2 months at 8 stations on the river from November, 1975 through August, 1976. Representatives of 59 taxa were collected. Eight taxa comprised 90 percent of the mean annual community standing crop in numbers. Biomass was not dominated by any group …

Spectral Signature Studies For Application In Deer Census Using Remote Sensing Techniques, Maran C. Pate

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study was performed to determine the spectral signatures of deer and their natural background elements for censusing purposes. Consideration was given to atmospheric transmittance, acceptable flying weather, and terrain. Possible spectral bands between 0.3 and 14.0 μm were obtained (over a pathlength of 1500 feet at an altitude of 5000 feet) based upon atmospheric transmittance using the LOWTRAN 3B computer program. They are: 0.30 - 1.33, 1.49 - 1.79, 2.00 - 2.50, 3.00 - 3.16, 3.38 - 4.10, 4.59 - 5.05, and 8.00 - 13.33 μm, for transmittance greater than 75%. Weather conditions are favorable for flying and taking …

Effects Of Forage Availability On Voluntary Intake And Feeding Behavior Of Grazing Heifers, Anastasios S. Nastis

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forage intake by animals is an important factor in determining production of livestock products from rangelands. However, relatively little is known of effects of such forage variables as availability and distribution in space upon intake. Even less is known about how the grazing animal modifies its feeding tactics when confronted with diminishing or limited supplies of available forage and how such altered behavior may affect the animal's energetic cost for existence. Forage intake, body weight gain, grazing time and biting rate of Angus heifers was related to forage availability and plant height on semiarid crested wheatgrass rangeland during the late …

Two Basic Methodological Choices In Wildland Vegetation Inventories: Their Consequences And Implications, Donald Alan Shute

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

In designing inventories of wildland vegetation, two of the many basic methodological choices are: 1) whether data are collected, reduced, and stored in discrete classes or as continuous variables, and 2) whether data are gathered as general purpose variables to bear upon many questions, or as specific purpose variables optimized for only one type of prediction. The effects of these two choices on accuracy of vegetation inventories to predict plant community production were examined by comparing regression models built upon differing sets of independent variables "inventoried" from a common data base. Contrary to expectations, discrete variables of classified community types …

Changes In Spider Community Attributes Along A Subalpine Successional Gradient, Gerald Norman Waagen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The spider communities of four stages of a successional sere leading to and including spruce forests were studied in northern Utah. Four seral stages were recognized. These include: meadows, aspen (Populus tremuloides) stands, subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa) forest, and the climax Engelmann spruce (Pica engelmanii) forests.

During the snow-free periods of 1976, 1977 and 1978, 15,987 spiders were collected by three methods including: pitfall traps, by beating vegetation, and with sweep-net samples. Additionally, 1600 15-second intervals of behavioral observations, and measurements of 182 web locations were made.

Of 99 species collected, 44 were considered …

Growth Of Phytophthora Infestans Race 1.2.4 And Synthesis Of Steroid Glycoalkaloids By The Fungus In Synthetic Media, Melanie R. Maas

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

A chemically defined synthetic medium was developed in which Phytophthora infestans (Mont.) de Bary race 1.2.4 grew extensively. This medium consisted of: 90.0 grams maltose, 20.0 grams DL-alanine, 20.0 grams L-proline, 1.0 gram KNO₃, 0.5 gram KH₂PO₄, 0.25 gram MgSO_4. 7H₂O, 1.0 milligram thiamin per liter of distilled water. The average level of growth in this medium was 0.5864 gram dry weight mycelium per 50 milliliters medium.

The glycoalkaloids, solanidine and solanine, were synthesized by Phytophthora infestans in the above medium with 62.5 percent of the samples positive and an overall …

Biology, Reproductive Potential And The Impact Of Fishing Pressure On The Bluegill Fishery Of Pelican Lake, Uintah County, Utah, Bob D. Burdick

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Certain aspects of the biology of two species of fish, bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and largemouth bass (Micropterus salmoides), and the assessment of fishing pressure upon the sport fishery of Pelican Lake, Uintah County, Utah, a 680 ha warmwater lake, were studied between April 1, 1976 and June 30, 1978. The growth rate of bluegills (sexes combined) was fairly rapid; the mean back-calculated total lengths from ages one through nine were 55, 112, 166, 194, 211, 229, 245, 256 and 259 mm. The growth of largemouth bass was 104, 194, 271, 316, 350, 405 and 416 mm …

A Study Of Nongeographic Variation In Tatera Leucogaster (Mammalia: Rodentia) From Botswana, Pierre Swanepoel, Duane A. Schlitter, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Specimens of Tatera leucogaster from six localities in Botswana were tested for variation with age, secondary sexual variation, and individual variation. Of the six age classes recognized, categories I, II, and III each formed their own group, whereas cat egories IV, V, and VI were not separable on a morphometric basis and were considered to be adults. Significant secondary sexual variation was found only in depth of braincase in which females were larger. The only character exhibiting unusually high individual variation was length of posterior palatal foramen. All other characters exhibited individual variation within acceptable limits.

A Systematic Review Of The Olive-Backed Pocket Mouse, Perognathus Fasciatus (Rodentia, Heteromyidae), Daniel F. Williams, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Geographic variation in Perognathus fasciatus Wied and the identities of specimens of P. fasciatus and P. flavescens from areas of potential sympatry were investigated. Populations of P. fasciatus from the northern Great Plains, in areas with the highest amounts of precipitation, were the darkest colored and had proportionately the smallest auditory bullae. Size varied clinally in the Great Plains, with larger mice being found in the cooler, northern latitudes. Populations from the arid intermountain basins of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming were largest in size, had the longest tails, were the palest in color, and had the largest bullae. Two races …

The Life History And Ecology Of Ptilostomis Postica (Walker) (Trichoptera: Phryganeidae) In Greenbottom Swamp, Cabell County, West Virginia, Mary Beth Roush

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The life histoy and ecology of Ptilostomis postica (Walker) from Greenbottom swamp in Cabell County, West Virginia were investigated from December 1977 to December 1978, Length-frequency histograms indicate the life cycle is uriivoltine. Larvae achieved their greatest growth rate (75%) from fall to winter. Case length showed its greatest increase (70.3%) for this same period. There was high correlation between case length and body length in fall (r=0.72) and winter (r=0.87), however, a low correlation (r=0.18) was found in spring. The diet of the larvae changed from carnivorous in fall and winter to omnivorous in spring. Pupation began at the …

Proposed Environmental Impacts Of The Gallipolis Locks And Dam Replacement, Ohio River Mile 279.2, On The Benthic Macroinvertebrates And Fishes Of Flatfoot Creek, Mason County, West Virginia, William L. Cremeans Jr.

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Gallipolis Locks and Dam at Ohio River Mile 279.2 is soon to be modified or replaced. Construction in the area will effect the lower portion of the small drainage basin (14.61 km) of Flatfoot Creek. Depending on the action taken, a large proportion of Flatfoot Creek and/or a tributary of Mud Run will have severe ecological alterations. For this reason, Flatfoot Creek was investigated for water quality, benthic macroinvertebrates, fish populations and the feeding requirements of the fishes.

A physio-chemical analysis was made of Flatfoot creek. With the exception of five parameters, the creek met guidelines set by state …

Wolf Howling And Its Role In Territory Maintenance, Fred H. Harrington, L. David Mech

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

The wolf (Canis lupus) is a wide-ranging social carnivore with a complex spatial organization (MECH, 1972; 1973). The precise manner in which this organization is maintained is unknown, but territory advertisement using olfactory and acoustic modes seems to be involved.

The acoustic mode includes primarily howling. Within a wolf pack, howling may be useful to reassemble separated members (MECH, 1966; THEBERGE & FALLS, 1967), and may communicate information on individual identity, location, and other behavioral and environmental contingencies (THEBERGE & FALLS, 1967). Between packs, however, howling may serve to advertise territory, communicating the locations of packs and thus …

Fisheries Report No 34 - The Status Of The Salt-Water Crocodile In The Glenelg, Prince Regent And Ord River Systems, Kimberley, Western Australia, A. A. Burbidge, H. Messel

Fisheries Research Reports

Counts were made of Salt-water Crocodiles (Crocodylus porosus) in the estuarine portions of the Glenelg, Prince Regent and Ord River systems of the Kimberley Division, Western Australia. During the survey 581 crocodiles were seen, including 143 hatchlings. The number of non-hatchling crocodiles in present the Glenelg system is estimated to be 200 to 259, in the Prince Regent 190 to 246 and in the Ord 235 to 306 (95% confidence limits).

The number of non-hatchling crocodiles present in the six Kimberley river systems now counted is estimated to be between 957 and 1243 (95% confidence limits) and we believe that …