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Articles 14971 - 15000 of 19711

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Seed Predators Of Canada Milk-Vetch And Their Parasitoids, Arvid Boe, Paul J. Johnson Jan 2008

Seed Predators Of Canada Milk-Vetch And Their Parasitoids, Arvid Boe, Paul J. Johnson

Native Plant Focused Publications

Canada milk-vetch (Astragalus canadensis L.), North America’s most widespread species of Astragalus, is important for herbivores and granivores in natural ecosystems but suffers heavy seed losses to bruchids and curculionids. Our objectives were: (1) compile a species inventory and describe life histories of insects associated with seed production in Canada milk-vetch, and (2) determine frequencies of pod predation and primary parasitism in Canada milk-vetch. The seed predators were Acanthoscelides perforatus (Horn) and Tychius liljebladi Blatchley. Frequency of pod predation varied between two plant populations (46 and 70%) and between A. perforatus (37 %) and T. liljebladi (21 %). The primary …

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Wallace, Spiritualism, And Beyond: "Change," Or "No Change"?, Charles H. Smith Jan 2008

Wallace, Spiritualism, And Beyond: "Change," Or "No Change"?, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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Competitive Abilities Of Native Grasses And Non-Native (Bothriochloa Spp.) Grasses, Cheryl D. Schmidt, Rob Channell Ph.D., Karen R. Hickman, Keith Harmoney, William J. Stark Ph.D. Jan 2008

Competitive Abilities Of Native Grasses And Non-Native (Bothriochloa Spp.) Grasses, Cheryl D. Schmidt, Rob Channell Ph.D., Karen R. Hickman, Keith Harmoney, William J. Stark Ph.D.

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Old World Bluestems (OWB), introduced from Europe and Asia in the 1920s, recently have begun to raise concerns in the Great Plains. Despite suggestion in the late 1950s that OWB were weedy and negatively impacted biological diversity, they were widely introduced throughout the Great Plains for agricultural purposes. Anecdotal evidence suggests that OWB exhibit invasive characteristics that promote competitive exclusion of native species. The objective of our study was to quantify the competitive abilities of two OWB species (Caucasian bluestem; Bothriochloa bladhii (Retz.) S. T. Blake (= Bothriochloa caucasica (Trin.) C. E. Hubb.) and yellow bluestem; Bothriochloa ischaemum (L.) Keng) …

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Variation In Surrounding Forest Habitat Influences The Initial Orientation Of Juvenile Amphibians Emigrating From Breeding Ponds, Leroy J. Walston, Stephen J. Mullin Jan 2008

Variation In Surrounding Forest Habitat Influences The Initial Orientation Of Juvenile Amphibians Emigrating From Breeding Ponds, Leroy J. Walston, Stephen J. Mullin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

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Environmental Conditions Affect Sperm Competition Risk In Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Carissa A. Schoenick, Patrick C. Enstrom Jan 2008

Environmental Conditions Affect Sperm Competition Risk In Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Carissa A. Schoenick, Patrick C. Enstrom

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Males of many species guard their mates to prevent rivals from usurping paternity of the potential offspring. Environmental conditions, such as temperature, may affect a male’s ability to guard a female effectively and consequently the amount of sperm competition that occurs. We tested whether temperature and light affected mating behavior in laboratory experiments on the Japanese beetle, Popillia japonica Newman, a species in which males guard females for minutes to many hours after mating. When tested in groups, under conditions of high temperature and high light, males guarded females for shorter periods of time and males and females both mated …

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Microsatellite Analysis Of Mating And Kinship In Beavers (Castor Canadensis)., J Cawford, Zhiwei Liu, T Nelson, C Nielsen, C Bloomquist Jan 2008

Microsatellite Analysis Of Mating And Kinship In Beavers (Castor Canadensis)., J Cawford, Zhiwei Liu, T Nelson, C Nielsen, C Bloomquist

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

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Scale-Dependent Habitat Use By Fall Migratory Birds: Vegetation Architecture, Floristics, And Geographic Consistency, Jill L. Deppe, John T. Rotenberry Jan 2008

Scale-Dependent Habitat Use By Fall Migratory Birds: Vegetation Architecture, Floristics, And Geographic Consistency, Jill L. Deppe, John T. Rotenberry

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Animal habitat selection is a central focus of ecology and conservation biology. Understanding habitat associations in migratory animals is particularly complicated because individuals have variable habitat requirements during the annual cycle, across their geographic range, along migratory routes, and at multiple spatial scales. We studied habitat associations of 16 fall Nearctic–Neotropical migratory land birds at two spatial scales at a stopover site along the northern Yucatan coast to examine scale-dependent habitat use, identify proximate cues shaping birds' distributions, and evaluate similarities in habitat use between our tropical stopover site and temperate sites. We addressed scale-dependent habitat associations in two ways, …

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Behavioural Interactions Between The Introduced Plague Minnow Gambusia Holbrooki And The Vulnerable Native Australian Ornate Rainbowfish Rhadinocentrus Ornatus, Under Experimental Conditions, K. Keller, C. Brown Jan 2008

Behavioural Interactions Between The Introduced Plague Minnow Gambusia Holbrooki And The Vulnerable Native Australian Ornate Rainbowfish Rhadinocentrus Ornatus, Under Experimental Conditions, K. Keller, C. Brown

Sentience Collection

The impact of the plague minnow Gambusia holbrooki on the ornate rainbowfish Rhadinocentrus ornatus was investigated by comparing the behavioural response and microhabitat preferences of populations of R. ornatus collected from locations that are sympatric and allopatric with G. holbrooki. Rhadinocentrus ornatus populations from sympatric areas exhibited a significantly higher frequency of intraspecific chases, spent significantly more time at an intermediate depth and were nipped significantly less often by G. holbrooki compared to the allopatric R. ornatus populations. The frequency of intraspecific chases by all R. ornatus populations were greatest immediately following G. holbrooki exposure and increased further with repeated …

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Lack Of Assortative Mating Between Incipient Species Of Stickleback From A Hybrid Zone, F. C. Jones, C. Brown, V. A. Braithwaite Jan 2008

Lack Of Assortative Mating Between Incipient Species Of Stickleback From A Hybrid Zone, F. C. Jones, C. Brown, V. A. Braithwaite

Evolutionary Biology Collection

Both premating and postmating barriers to gene flow can contribute to reproductive isolation but the relative role of these factors, particularly in the early stages of speciation, is not well understood. Evidence suggests that factors contributing to assortative mating and, thus, the development and maintenance of divergent species, can be ecology-dependent. Here, we present results from a study of assortative mating between recently diverged anadromous and freshwater sticklebacks conducted in semi-natural conditions. Sympatric anadromous and freshwater sticklebacks were sampled from a contact zone and multiple male and female morphs were allowed to breed in replicate ponds. Mate choice was determined …

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Parent-Offspring Resource Allocation In Domestic Pigs, Anna Drake, David Fraser, Daniel M. Weary Jan 2008

Parent-Offspring Resource Allocation In Domestic Pigs, Anna Drake, David Fraser, Daniel M. Weary

Feeding Behavior Collection

Behavioural research on domestic pigs has included parent-offspring conflict, sibling competition, and the use of signals which influence resource allocation. In this paper, we review key sow-piglet behavioural studies and discuss their relevance to resource allocation theory. Sibling competition begins in the uterus and continues after birth, as piglets compete directly for access to the sow's teats. This competition is made more severe by a unique dentition, which newborn piglets use to lacerate the faces of siblings during teat disputes. Competition often leads to the death of some littermates, especially those of low birth weight. Piglets also compete indirectly for …

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What Is A Humane Wildlife Control Service?, John Griffin, Lori Thiele, Pamela Lough, Janet Snyder, Maggie Brasted, John Hadidian Jan 2008

What Is A Humane Wildlife Control Service?, John Griffin, Lori Thiele, Pamela Lough, Janet Snyder, Maggie Brasted, John Hadidian

Wildlife Population Management Collection

In May 2007, The Humane Society of the United States launched a for-fee business called Humane Wildlife Servicessm to engage in wildlife control jobs in the Washington, D.C. metro area. We had several purposes in launching this service. First, we felt it necessary to offer a service to customers in our home base area that allowed them to choose a wildlife removal company that did not trap and relocate, or trap and kill, animals. Second, we wished to directly experience and test the operational and conceptual challenges associated with this sort of service. Third, we wished to develop a model …

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Food Webs In Long Island Sound: Review, Synthesis And Potential Applications, Roman Zajac, K. Seals, D. Simpson Jan 2008

Food Webs In Long Island Sound: Review, Synthesis And Potential Applications, Roman Zajac, K. Seals, D. Simpson

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Understanding food web structure and dynamics of ecological systems is a key element in the development of more effective environmental assessment and management procedures. Although various components of the Long Island Sound (LIS) ecosystem have been studied in some detail, a framework for food web based research has been lacking. The objectives of this study were to: a) collect and review all pertinent data available in the scientific literature and technical reports on food web components and interactions in different sections of Long Island Sound; b) based on this review, refine initial conceptual food web models and extract pertinent data …

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The Dynamic Evolutionary History Of The Bananaquit (Coereba Flaveola) In The Caribbean Revealed By A Multigene Analysis, Eva Bellemain, Eldredge Bermingham, Robert Ricklefs Jan 2008

The Dynamic Evolutionary History Of The Bananaquit (Coereba Flaveola) In The Caribbean Revealed By A Multigene Analysis, Eva Bellemain, Eldredge Bermingham, Robert Ricklefs

Biology Department Faculty Works

BackgroundThe bananaquit (Coereba flaveola) is a small nectivorous and frugivorous emberizine bird (order Passeriformes) that is an abundant resident throughout the Caribbean region. We used multi-gene analyses to investigate the evolutionary history of this species throughout its distribution in the West Indies and in South and Middle America. We sequenced six mitochondrial genes (3744 base pairs) and three nuclear genes (2049 base pairs) for forty-four bananaquits and three outgroup species. We infer the ancestral area of the present-day bananaquit populations, report on the species' phylogenetic, biogeographic and evolutionary history, and propose scenarios for its diversification and range expansion.ResultsPhylogenetic concordance between …

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Trends In Habitat And Population Of Florida Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, James L. Hatchitt Jan 2008

Trends In Habitat And Population Of Florida Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, James L. Hatchitt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To map the areas of potential occupied habitat for Florida sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pratensis) in Florida we used known habitat requirements and confirmed locations of occurrence in combination with a Geographic Information System. Using the map of potential habitat resulting from this process, we calculated the changes in the amount and distribution of crane habitat in Florida in 10-year increments since 1974. Based on annual home range sizes, age structure, and average flock size, we estimated the statewide population of Florida sandhill cranes in 2003 to be 4,594 individuals. Considering the area of crane habitat lost since …

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Detection Of Host Habitat By Parasitoids Using Cues Associated With Mycangial Fungi Of The Mountain Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus Ponderosae, A. S, Adams, Diana Six Jan 2008

Detection Of Host Habitat By Parasitoids Using Cues Associated With Mycangial Fungi Of The Mountain Pine Beetle, Dendroctonus Ponderosae, A. S, Adams, Diana Six

Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences Faculty Publications

Cues used by parasitoids to detect habitat of the mountain pine beetle, Dendroctonus ponderosae Hopkins (Coleoptera: Curculionidae), were investigated by observing parasitoid attraction to logs infested with D. ponderosae, logs inoculated with one or both of the symbiotic fungi of D. ponderosae (Grosmannia clavigera (Rob.-Jeffr. & R.W. Davidson) Zipfel, Z.W. de Beer & M.J. Wingf. (Ophiostomataceae) and Ophiostoma montium (Rumbold) Arx (Ophiostomataceae)), logs containing no beetles or fungi, or empty screen cylinders. Captures of Heydenia unica Cook and Davis (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) and Rhopalicus pulchripennis (Crawford) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) on logs with both G. clavigera and O. montium were greater than those …

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Earthworms And Acos: Determining A Preference For Cover Board Designs In Temperate Forests, Marie F. Schneider, Harry Tiebout Jan 2008

Earthworms And Acos: Determining A Preference For Cover Board Designs In Temperate Forests, Marie F. Schneider, Harry Tiebout

Deer and Non-native Invasive Plant Impact Study Documents

No abstract provided.

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Proceedings Of The Tenth North American Crane Workshop: Cover, Preface, Contents Jan 2008

Proceedings Of The Tenth North American Crane Workshop: Cover, Preface, Contents

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Every 3 years (or thereabouts), the North American Crane Working Group holds a workshop for the exchange of information regarding efforts to conserve and better understand America’s two cranes. The papers herein, with a few exceptions, were presented in Zacatecas City, Zacatecas, Mexico 7-10 February 2006 at the Tenth North American Crane Workshop. When preparing for a trip to Mexico in February, visions of sunny beaches come first to mind. However the city of Zacatecas is over 8,000 feet above sea level, so nights were often chilly and the altitudinal changes took a while for us flatlanders to adjust to. …

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A Wasting Syndrome In Released Whooping Cranes In Florida Associated With Infectious Bursal Disease Titers, Marilyn G. Spalding, Holly S. Sellers, Barry K. Hartup, Glenn H. Olsen Jan 2008

A Wasting Syndrome In Released Whooping Cranes In Florida Associated With Infectious Bursal Disease Titers, Marilyn G. Spalding, Holly S. Sellers, Barry K. Hartup, Glenn H. Olsen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) have been reintroduced into central Florida beginning in 1993 until the present. Bobcat predation of otherwise healthy cranes in good nutritional condition was the most common cause of mortality. However, release cohorts in the years 1997-1998 (14/22 died) and 2001-2002 (14/27 died, 5/27 clinical illness) experienced unusually high morbidity and mortality. Positive serum neutralizing titers for infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV) were identified following the 2001 event, and an epidemiological study of released birds and the captive source flocks was initiated. Serotype 1 (Lukert and Variant A) tests were mostly negative. Serotype 2 testing …

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New Hunter Education Strategies To Protect Whooping Cranes In Texas And Kansas, Lee Ann Johnson Linam, Helen M. Hands, Jay Roberson Jan 2008

New Hunter Education Strategies To Protect Whooping Cranes In Texas And Kansas, Lee Ann Johnson Linam, Helen M. Hands, Jay Roberson

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The decline of the whooping crane (Grus americana) has often been attributed primarily to loss of habitat and overharvest. Although hunting of whooping cranes is now prohibited, shootings sometimes occur. Recent incidences have prompted the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (Texas) and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks (Kansas) to develop new strategies that increase hunter recognition of legal game species and awareness of endangered species concerns. Both agencies have produced or updated publications for goose and sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) hunters. Texas has developed video news releases for the general public and a video/DVD …

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The Cuban Sandhill Crane As Umbrella Species: Relationship With Plant Diversity In Threatened White Sand Savannahs, Duniet Marrero Garcia, Jose A. Osorio, Xiomara Galvez Aguilera, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez Jan 2008

The Cuban Sandhill Crane As Umbrella Species: Relationship With Plant Diversity In Threatened White Sand Savannahs, Duniet Marrero Garcia, Jose A. Osorio, Xiomara Galvez Aguilera, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

This project describes relationships between the Cuban sandhill crane (Grus canadensis nesiotes) distribution and habitat use and plant diversity in white sand savannahs, a threatened ecosystem in Cuba. Data are based on habitat use and selection of 10 radio-tagged sandhill cranes in the Los Indios Ecological reserve, Isle of Youth. We used Arcview and satellite imagery to map broad vegetation categories. Within the general Pine-Palm savannahs specific plant communities were characterized using species composition and dominant plant life forms. Habitat types most used by cranes for feeding and nesting were also those with highest plant species richness and …

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Temporal Dynamics And Flock Characteristics Of Sandhill Cranes In The Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez Jan 2008

Temporal Dynamics And Flock Characteristics Of Sandhill Cranes In The Platte River Valley, Nebraska, Felipe Chavez-Ramirez

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

I gathered information on crane flocks in the Platte River Valley during spring staging of 2002-2004. The objective of
this work was to evaluate hypotheses regarding flock size and formation using sandhill crane (Grus canadensis) flocks observed in
the Platte River Valley. Specifically, I wanted to: (a) evaluate the effect of period of migration, geographical location, and habitat
type on flock size, and (b) evaluate predictions regarding ecological theories of flock formation and behavior based on concentrated
resources, accessibility, social facilitation, and potential predation response. Flock size overall was influenced negatively by period
of migration (P < 0.001) and positively by geographical location (P < 0.01). Total crane abundance (55%) of flocks were located
in corn fields, but …

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Population Status, Hunting Regulations, And Harvests Of The Rocky Mountain Population Of Greater Sandhill Cranes, 1981–2005, Kammie L. Kruse, David E. Sharp, James A. Dubovsky Jan 2008

Population Status, Hunting Regulations, And Harvests Of The Rocky Mountain Population Of Greater Sandhill Cranes, 1981–2005, Kammie L. Kruse, David E. Sharp, James A. Dubovsky

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) was not hunted in the U.S. from 1916 until 1981, when Arizona initiated the first modern-day season. Hunting programs in the U.S. were subsequently expanded to 6 states for the RMP and have been guided by a cooperative flyway management plan, including a harvest strategy, which has been periodically updated and endorsed by the Central and Pacific Flyway Councils. From a management perspective, 3 population parameters have been identified to monitor the status and health of this population: harvest, recruitment, and population size. The number of …

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Serological Survey For Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Exposure In Captive Cranes, Barry K. Hartup, Holly S. Sellers Jan 2008

Serological Survey For Infectious Bursal Disease Virus Exposure In Captive Cranes, Barry K. Hartup, Holly S. Sellers

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Between September 2001 and March 2002, unusually high morbidity and mortality was observed during releases of endangered, captive-reared whooping cranes (Grus americana) in central Florida. An ongoing epidemiological investigation has implicated infectious bursal disease virus (IBDV; Family Birnaviridae) as the likely etiological agent (Spalding et al. 2008). The source of this virus remains unknown. A previous serological survey showed positive antibody titers to IBDV serotype 2 were present in small numbers of juvenile and adult whooping cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF), Baraboo, Wisconsin and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Laurel, Maryland between 1995 and 2003 (Hartup et al. …

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Do We Need Such Rare Birds?, Stephen A. Nesbitt Jan 2008

Do We Need Such Rare Birds?, Stephen A. Nesbitt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Gruidae is one of the oldest bird families; the genus Grus dates back at least 9 million years. Though they may have been around a long time, it is unlikely that cranes were ever among the most abundant of birds. Several of the 15 crane species occur today in such low numbers that they are considered in danger of becoming extinct. It has been posited that at the time of European colonization of North America whooping cranes may have numbered 10,000 individuals, so whooping cranes have likely always been rare birds. Rare has often been used as a synonym for …

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Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow Jan 2008

Winter Habitat Selection By A Reintroduced Population Of Migratory Whooping Cranes: Emerging Patterns And Implications For The Future, Lara E. A. Fondow

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

In an effort to model the reintroduced eastern migratory population of whooping cranes (Grus americana) after the remaining wild whooping crane population, biologists selected the salt marshes of Chassahowitzka National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), Florida as the winter release site for ultra-light led juvenile cranes due to its similarities to Aransas NWR, Texas. Releases began in the fall of 2001, and the 3 subsequent winter seasons have afforded the opportunity to observe whether habitat selection by these whooping cranes would be influenced by the pre-selection of salt marsh. Intensive monitoring efforts each winter have revealed a dominant early-winter pattern. …

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Surveillance For West Nile Virus At The International Crane Foundation 2000–2004, Barry K. Hartup Jan 2008

Surveillance For West Nile Virus At The International Crane Foundation 2000–2004, Barry K. Hartup

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Between 2000 and 2004, serum samples collected annually from captive cranes at the International Crane Foundation (ICF) were analyzed for the presence of West Nile virus (WNV) antibodies using a plaque reduction neutralization test. Eighteen individual cranes representing 8 species were identified with positive titers (geometric mean = 188, range 40 – 1280, n = 29). Whooping cranes (Grus americana) represented the largest proportion of seropositive individuals (33%). Flock seroprevalence increased rapidly in 2003 and 2004 to a peak of 10%, representing a four-fold increase following index cases in 2000. None of the seropositive cranes, however, showed clinical signs consistent …

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Current Status Of Nonmigratory Whooping Cranes In Florida, Martin J. Folk, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Jeannette M. Parker, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen B. Baynes, Kristen L. Candelora Jan 2008

Current Status Of Nonmigratory Whooping Cranes In Florida, Martin J. Folk, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Jeannette M. Parker, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen B. Baynes, Kristen L. Candelora

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Two hundred eighty-nine nonmigratory whooping cranes (Grus americana) were released in Central Florida from 1993-2005. As of January 2006, we had monitored 50 birds (16 pairs) but suspect 10 others had also survived, for a population estimate of 60 birds. The sex ratio for monitored birds was 1:1. From 47 nest attempts (1999-2005), only 4 chicks have fledged and survived to independence. Efforts are underway to determine why recruitment has been lower than expected. Other challenges for the project have included birds colliding with power lines, dispersing beyond their normal range (beyond Florida), forming pair bonds with Florida sandhill cranes …

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Is The Annual March Survey Of The Midcontinental Sandhill Crane Population Appropriately Timed To Reliably Estimate Population Size?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt Jan 2008

Is The Annual March Survey Of The Midcontinental Sandhill Crane Population Appropriately Timed To Reliably Estimate Population Size?, Gary L. Krapu, David A. Brandt

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relies on an annual aerial photo-corrected survey conducted on the fourth Tuesday of March each year in the Central Platte River Valley (CPRV) and North Platte River Valley (NPRV) of Nebraska to estimate size of the midcontinental population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) to help guide population management. Wide unaccounted for annual fluctuations in survey counts over the past 25 years have raised concerns that many cranes either have left the Platte before the survey, have not yet arrived, or over fly the Platte entirely in some years. As a result, …

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Survival And Sources Of Mortality In Florida Sandhill Crane Chicks: Hatching To Fledging, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Stephen T. Schwikert, Marilyn G. Spalding Jan 2008

Survival And Sources Of Mortality In Florida Sandhill Crane Chicks: Hatching To Fledging, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Stephen T. Schwikert, Marilyn G. Spalding

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Forty-five pairs of Florida sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis pratensis) were monitored during the nesting seasons from 1996 through 1999. Thirty-eight chicks were produced from 25 successful nests. Twenty-one of these survived to fledging age. Predation was the source of most (81%) of the mortality for which a cause was determined. Mammals were the primary predator. Average age at time of mortality was 27.2 days for the 17 chicks lost.

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Interaction Of Young Florida Sandhill Cranes With Their Parents, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Paul S. Kubilis, Stephen T. Schwikert Jan 2008

Interaction Of Young Florida Sandhill Cranes With Their Parents, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Paul S. Kubilis, Stephen T. Schwikert

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We studied the interactions of 46 Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) chicks and their parents from hatching until the chicks left the family group. Our goal was to see if young remained closer to one parent than the other and if the distance between a chick and its parents increased as the young approached the age of independence. Using a population of individually marked adult pairs, we ranked the distance to and gender of the nearest parent during 233 30-minute observation periods. Between hatching and 180 days of age, chicks showed a greater tendency to be nearer …

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