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The Prairie Naturalist Volume 6, Nos. 3 And 4. September-December 1974

The Prairie Naturalist

A BIOLOGICAL SURVEY OF KRAFT SLOUGH ▪ G. L. Krapu & H. F. Duebbert

CHRISTMAS BIRD·COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1974 ▪ R. N. Randall

USE OF SMALL FENCES TO PROTECT GROUND BIRD NESTS FROM MAMMALIAN PREDATORS ▪ A. B. Sargeant & A. D. Kruse

BOOK REVIEW: Finding Birds in Minnesota ▪ E. M. Welter

Aspects Of Habitat Selection In Grassland Birds, Keith Graham Harrison

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

Bulletin No. 20: Tidal Marsh Invertebrates Of Connecticut, Nancy C. Olmstead, Paul E. Fell

Bulletins

36 pp. 1974. Descriptions and illustrations of over 40 species of mollusks, crustaceans, arachnids and insects found on our tidal marshes.

The Relative Attenuation Of Self-Stimulation, Eating And Drinking Produced By Dopamine-Receptor Blockade, E. T. Rolls, B. J. Rolls, P. H. Kelly, S. G. Shaw, R. J. Wood, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Spiroperidol, which blocks dopamine (DA) receptors, attenuated self-stimulation of the nucleus accumbens, septal area, hippocampus, anterior hypothalamus and ventral tegmental area. Dopamine is thus involved in self-stimulation of many sites (in addition to the lateral hypothalamus). The attenuation was not a simple motor impairment of the speed of bar-pressing in that the nucleus accumbens and septal self-stimulation rates were lower than those in treated animals self-stimulating at other sites (Experiment 1). Feeding was partly attenuated, and drinking was much less attenuated by the spiroperidol. Since the rats bar-pressed for brain- stimulation reward, chewed pellets to eat, and licked a tube …

Bats Of Margarita Island, Venezuela, With Zoogeographic Comments, James Dale Smith, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Sixteen species of bats are reported from Margarita Island, Nueva Esparta, Venezuela. These include two species of emballonurids, one noctilionid, two mormoopids, nine phyllostomatids, one vespertilionid, and one molossid. Accounts including natural history and taxonomic comments are given for each species. The chiropteran fauna of Margarita Island is compared with the bat faunas of the adjacent Venezuelan mainland and islands off the northern coast of South America, including Trinidad and other Antillean islands. It is concluded that the chiropteran fauna of Margarita Island represents an attenuated mainland fauna.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 6, No.2. June 1974

The Prairie Naturalist

WOOD DUCKS IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ H. A. Doty

AERIAL FEEDING BY RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS NEAR FULLER'S LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA ▪ W. C. Royall, Jr. & O. E. Bray

ARBOREAL WOODCHUCKS? ▪ K. T. Killingbeck

IMAGES, CHOICE, AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ▪ E. Smith

BREEDING STATUS OF THE LEAST BITTERN IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ C. L. Cink

NOTE: Maximum Sizes for Ambystomatid Salamanders ▪ D. W. Larson

Annotated Checklist Of Mammals Of The Yucatán Peninsula, México. Ii. Rodentia, J. Knox Jones Jr., Hugh H. Genoways, Timothy E. Lawlor

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The Yucatán Peninsula, as encompassed in this series of papers, includes the Mexican states of Campeche and Yucatán, and the Federal Territory of Quintana Roo. This region is a low-lying plain that rises gently in elevation from north to south. It is surrounded on three sides by water and bounded on the south by British Honduras (i.e. Belize), Guatemala, and the Mexican state of Tabasco. The vegetation of the peninsula increases in height from north to south and from the coast inland. Generally, forest to the north is xerophilic, but that of the southern part of the peninsula is tall, …

Social Play In Coyotes, Wolves, And Dogs, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

No abstract provided.

The Ecology Of The Dominant Tick Species In The Northwestern Portion Of The Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge, Mary Keith Garrett

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Elements of the ecology of the two dominant man-biting ticks were studied during 1971-1973 in two locations in Southeastern Virginia, namely, what is now the Dismal Swamp National Wildlife Refuge and Newport News City Park. Tick species composition, relative abundance, density, and distribution in the two areas were compared. In addition, the Dismal Swamp locality was used as a test area for studies on the survival of native, lab reared and translocated Dermacentor variabilis (Say) and Amblvomma americanum (L.) in relation to selected abiotic factors. The Newport News locality served as a control area for these studies.

The species …

Observations On The Distribution And Composition Of Zooplankton In Portions Of The Intracoastal Waterway, Virginia, O. Clair Hillard Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Five stations were established in the Southern Branch of the Elizabeth River, the Dismal Swamp Canal, the Albemarle and Chesapeake Canal and the North Landing River. Representative samples of zooplankton were taken from October 1971 to June 1972. A. total of 57 species were identified and discussions regarding seasonal distribution in relation to physical factors and circulation are presented.

The composition of the zooplankton was found to fluctuate greatly due to the variables characteristic of the study area. The combined effect of tidal flow with freshwater input in conjunction with drainage from the Great Dismal Swamp, results in isolated populations …

Oregon's Nutria Problem, Lee W. Kuhn, E. Paul Peloquin

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 6th (1974)

The nutria or coypu, Myocastor coypus, is a large semi-aquatic rodent that superficially resembles an overgrown muskrat or a stunted beaver. They were introduced into Oregon from about 1930 to the 1950s. At one time Oregon had more than 600 fur farmers raising these animals for fur; now there are none. Some animals escaped and many others were released into the wild when it became apparent that pelt values were nonexistent and production costs greatly exceeded profits. Being prolific and quite mobile the nutria quickly spread through much of western Oregon. By the 1960s damage to agricultural crops was …

Seasonal Changes In Water Quality And Primary Productivity In Doe Valley Lake, Edmond J. Bacon, Stuart E. Neff

KWRRI Research Reports

Primary productivity and water quality were studied in Doe Valley Lake, a 147-hectare impoundment on Doe Run, a spring-fed stream in Meade County, Kentucky, from 13 June 1969 to 31 July 1972. Doe Valley Lake is monomictic during most winter seasons, but it is dimictic during more severe winters because of its morphometry and location on the borderline climatic region for dimictic lakes (37° N latitude). Oxygen depletion in the hypolimnion is severe, and anaerobic conditions usually prevail by late June. A hypolimnetic areal deficit of 0.038 mg/cm²/day was calculated. Supersaturation of oxygen in the epilimnion was common, …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 6, No.1. March 1974

The Prairie Naturalist

AVIAN MORTALITY FROM COLLISIONS WITH OVERHEAD WIRES IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ G. L. Krapu

NOTES ON THE BIOLOGY OF THE OLIVE-BACKED POCKET MOUSE PEROGNATHUS FASCIATUS ON THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ J. E. Pefaur & R. S. Hoffman

NOTE: Swans Resting on the Surface of A Dry Lake ▪ D. S. Gilmer

Social Play And Play-Soliciting By Infant Canids, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

The development of social interaction was studied in infant coyotes, beagles, and wolves. In this paper, social play behavior is discussed. Social play may be characterized in a number of ways: (i) actions from various contexts are incorporated into labile (unpredictable) temporal sequences; (ii) the "play bout" is typically preceded by a metacommunicative signal which indicates "what follows is play"; these signals are also observed during the bout; (iii) certain actions may be repeated and performed in an exaggerated manner; (iv) the activity appears "pleasurable" to the players.

By comparing these three species, some insight into the dynamics of social …

Mayflies, Or Ephemeroptera, Of West Virginia With Emphasis On The Nymphal Stage, Gerald M. Faulkner

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

This thesis presents the first detailed study of the Ephemeroptera of West Virginia. Eight hundred twelve cites were collected with five hundred eight yielding mayfly specimens. Twelve families are represented including twenty-seven genera and one hundred fifteen species. Four new species are reported along with seventy-seven state records and five hundred twelve county records. Distributional trends of species collected from four or more counties are proposed along with distributional maps on all species reported.

Effects Of Mosquito Control Chemicals On Aquatic Fauna, J. L. Lancaster Jr., M. V. Meisch

Arkansas Water Resources Center Technical Reports

No mosquito abatement districts have ever been organized in Arkansas. Mosquito control efforts have been largely adulticiding operations by either aerial application or ground thermal fogging machines. Practically no chemical applications have been directed at the larval stage in residual water in ditches and depressions from which adult populations arise. Some larviciding with ethyl parathion has been done in ricefields. Although the treatment is very effective in mosquito reduction, voluntary treatment has not been completely successful. Because relatively little insecticide has been used as a larvicide in Arkansas, it was possible to evaluate the effect of recommended larvicides on non-target …

Ichthyofaunal Diversification And Distribution In Jane's Creek Watershed, Randolph County, Arkansas, Cheryl Lynn Fowler, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The purposes of this study were to determine the qualitative and quantitative distribution of fishes in the Jane's Creek watershed. Jane's Creek is a clear, spring-fed Ozark stream in northeastern Arkansas. A knowledge of the ichthyofauna of this stream prior to a long-range impoundment is of significance to the natural history of Arkansas. Jane's Creek and its tributaries were found to be alkaline, with no measurable turbidity, and to have low levels of carbon dioxide. Dissolved oxygen values ranged from 6.1 to 16.0 ppm. Only slight differences in physicochemical conditions were noted among stations and between pool and riffle areas …

Effects Of Mississippi Delta Flooding On Spider Populations, Peggy Rae Dorris

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The Mississippi Delta flooded in the spring of 1973. Spider collections made in a Delta area of Mississippi in 1972 are compared with those made in 1973 during the flood and after it subsided. Because many egg cases and immature and mature spiders were destroyed by the flood, the spider population was diminished.

Threatened Fishes Of Arkansas, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Intensive field collecting throughout Arkansas and a survey of literature and museum records revealed 37 fish species and subspecies in Arkansas to be threatened by human activities. Of these 37 threatened forms, seven are considered rare and endangered. One may be extinct. With regard to distribution, 19 threatened forms reside in the White River system and 11 and 10 inhabit the Arkansas and Red River systems, respectively. Nine fishes are considered threatened in the Ouachita River system, four threatened froms are known in the St. Francis drainage, and two are known in the Mississippi River proper.

Defensive Behavior Of The Hognose Snake (Heterodon Platyrhinos), Brenda S. Hemken

Masters Theses

Fourteen out of sixteen Heterodon platyrhinos eggs were hatched in late August, 1973. The immature snakes were manually stimulated and the resultant bluffing and death-feigning behaviors were observed. All of the experimental snakes bluffed, but only three out of ten feigned death. The major components of the bluffing behavior are spreading the neck, hissing, and striking. Death-feigning is preceded by contortions and shows variations in the positions of the mouth and tongue. The newly-hatched snakes exhibited both bluffing and death-feigning, indicating that the behaviors are innate.

An Introduction To The Ethology Of Citellus Variegatus, John W. Bell

Masters Theses

The above ground activity of the rock squirrel Citellus variegatus between November 6, 1972 and May 1, 1973, is described. This is a non-colonial species. Recognition was established between siblings by a nose to nose contact. In foraging they utilize almost any edible material available and during this time of year foraging is most intense between 11:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. Vocalization was limited to alarm calls, which brought the other squirrels to the top of the rocks to become alert, and squeals. Hibernation varied in length depending in part on the elevation and in some did not occur at …

Rate Of Growth As A Method Of Assessing Water Quality, George L. Johnston

Masters Theses

A study of the Embarras River basin was conducted to determine if rate of growth could be used as an indicator of water quality. Six species of sucker were collected from five locations using hand seines and electrofishing gear from December 1970 to December 1971. Tests of eighteen water quality parameters were conducted from November 1970 to November 1971.

The fish were measured and scale samples taken. The rate of growth of the fish taken at the five stations was analyzed and compared using the single classification analysis of variance. Condition factors were also compared.

Although there was some difference …

The Effect Of Thermal Increases On The Acute Toxicity Of Copper And Hexavalent Chromium To Channel Catfish (Ictalurus Punctatus), Alan Kirk Millis

Masters Theses

48-hr, 96-hr, and incipient median tolerance limits of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus Rafinesque) to copper and hexavalent chromium were determined at temperatures of 50, 60, 70, and 80 F. Standard static bioassay procedures were used. The incipient TLm for copper ranged from 0.56 ppm to 2.15 ppm and from 22.5 to 39.5 ppm for hexavalent chromium. The 48-hr and 96-hr results were somewhat higher. The highest resistance for both metals occurred at 70 F. At 80 F, however, there was a sharp decrease in tolerance. Increased oxygen consumption and opercular movement offer a possible explanation since they would …

Canis Lupus., L. David Mech

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

Order Carnivora, Family Canidae. The genus Canis includes eight species. Approxi- mately 24 New World and eight Old World subspecies of C. lupus are recognized, the number depending on authorities accepted. For summary, see Mech (1970); for full synonymy, see Pocock (1935), Goldman (1944), Ellerman and Morrison- Scott (1951), Novikov (1956), and Hall and Kelson (1959).

Ichthyofaunal Survey Of The Current River Within Arkansas, Joe F. Green, John K. Beadles

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Current River is a clear predominantly spring-fed stream draining the southeastern face of the Ozark escarpment. Beginning at Montauk Springs, Dent County, Missouri, it meanders southward for 180 km to the Arkansas-Missouri state line. The study area containing 14 sampling stations was that part of Current River lying within the boundaries of Arkansas to its confluence with Black River. The collected fishes could be referred to as those common to a wide-ranging faunal group, the Ozark, and the lowland faunal group. Those of the Ozark group were restricted in their range by topography and the river's confluence with Little Black …

Ecology Of Central Washington Semi-Arid Lands A Documentary Film, Phillip Robert Debusschere

All Master's Theses

Contrasting vegetation patterns on the west side versus the east side of Washington's Cascade Mountains, due primarily to precipitation distribution, are documented on 16mm sound color film with primary emphasis upon the driest vegetation zone of eastern Washington. Interrelationships of climate, soils, vegetation patterns and animal life are shown for climax types of vegetation and those areas since altered to new habitats due to cultivation, water impoundment, fire and grazing. Emphasis is upon the importance of baseline studies of these semi-arid land habitats.

Fish And Crustacea Of The Western Australian South Coast Rivers And Estuaries, R.C. J. Lenanton

Fisheries Research Bulletins

A one year survey was undertaken to provide a preliminary check list of the fish fauna of the Western Australian south coast rivers and estuarine systems. Crustaceans collected during the survey were also included in the check list.

The Water Quality And Benthic Macroinvertebrate Fauna Of Lake Charleston, Coles County, Illinois, Paul Barding

Masters Theses

The benthic macroinvertebrate fauna and 15 water quality parameters for five sites on Lake Charleston, Coles County, Illinois were examined for 26 weeks from March 14 through September 5, 1974. None of the water quality parameters studied showed sufficient deviations at any particular area on the lake to merit demarcated water quality zonation. The lake, with its continuous mixing and shallow depth, represented a fairly stable and continuous environment. The benthic macroinvertebrate fauna was determined as fairly diverse and some indication of seasonal variation was apparent. No significant compositional variation over different areas of the lake was found, also indicating …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 5, No.4. December 1973

The Prairie Naturalist

REESTABLISHMENT OF PRAIRIE IN EASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ O. A. Stevens

THE AGE DISTRIBUTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL PERIODICALS ▪ D. H. Johnson

SOME OBSERVATIONS ON THE ECOLOGY OF PLUMATELLA REPENS (L.) (BRYOZOA: PLUMATELLIDAE) IN NORTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. D. Stoaks

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1973 ▪ R. N. Randall 61

NOTE: Red-bellied Woodpecker in Rolette, County, North Dakota ▪ D. T. Disrud 52

Index to Volume 5

Systematics And Evolutionary Relationships Of Spiny Pocket Mice, Genus Liomys, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Introduction

Spiny pocket mice of the genus Liomys are members of the rodent family Heteromyidae and together with the genus Heteromys form the subfamily Heteromyinae. Their geographic range extends from northern Sonora, in western Mexico, and southern Texas southward to the vicinity of the Panama Canal Zone. Within this area, members of the genus occur mainly in dry to arid situations being replaced in areas of rain forest and cloud forest by members of the genus Heteromys. The vernacular name for Liomys is based on the fact that many of their hairs have been modified in the form of …