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Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Free-Ranging Deer In Nebraska, David G. Renter, Jan M. Sargeant, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Jeff D. Hoffmann, Jerry R. Gillespie

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

In order to determine the prevalence and distribution of the human pathogen, Escherichia coli O157:H7, in free-ranging deer, hunters were asked to collect and submit fecal samples from deer harvested during a regular firearm season (14–22 November 1998). Prior to the season, 47% of the hunters with permits in the southeastern Nebraska (USA) study area indicated a willingness to participate in the study. Approximately 25% of successful hunters in the area submitted deer fecal samples. Escherichia coli O157:H7 was cultured from four (0.25%) of 1,608 total samples submitted. All of the fecal samples that were properly identified (1,426) and all …

Limited Attention: The Constraint Underlying Search Image, Reuven Dukas, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Recent models of predator search behavior integrate proximate neurobiological constraints with ultimate economic considerations. These models are based on two assumptions, which we have critically examined in experiments with blue jays searching for artificial prey images presented on a computer monitor. We found, first, that when jays had to switch between searching for two distinct prey types, they showed no reduction in detection rates compared to no-switching to no-switching conditions, and second, that when jays divided attention between searching for two prey types at the same time, they had lower detection rates than when they focused attention on one prey …

Changes In Thermotolerance And Hsp70 Expression With Domestication In Drosophila Melanogaster, Robert A. Krebs, S. P. Roberts, B. R. Bettencourt, M. E. Feder

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

To examine how the duration of laboratory domestication may affect Drosophila stocks used in studies of thermotolerance, we measured expression of the inducible heat-shock protein Hsp70 and survival after heat shock in D. melanogaster strains recently collected from nature and maintained in laboratory culture for up to 50 or more generations. After an initial increase in both Hsp70 expression and thermotolerance immediately after transfer to laboratory medium, both traits remained fairly constant over time and variation among strains persisted through laboratory domestication. Furthermore, variation in heat tolerance and Hsp70 expression did not correlate with the length of time populations evolved …

Natural Succession Of Benthic Populations In Constructed Sediment Ponds And Ditches In Southwestern West Virginia, Robin E. Dolin

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Strip mining causes major disturbances of the natural environment. One such disturbance is the creation of valley fills, which often fill in the headwaters of small streams. Runoff from these valley fills can cause heavy siltation as well as acid and heavy metal deposition downstream. One way to combat this problem is through the construction of sedimentation ponds, which slow down the flow of water so that sediment can settle out and water chemistry can be altered before the water is discharged into the stream. Since these ponds are, in effect, temporarily replacing small headwaters once present, the question is …

Factors Influencing Spatial Variability In Soil Nitrogen (N) Dynamics In N-Treated And Untreated Watersheds Of The Fernow Experimental Forest, West Virginia, Nikki Lenore Lyttle

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The central Appalachian region of the United States receives some of the highest inputs of nitrogen (N) due to acidic deposition in the nation. It is believed that these high could levels contribute to a decline in forest soils within the next 50 to 70 yrs. This study examines factors that influence spatial variability in N-treated and untreated watersheds of the Fernow Experimental Forest, Parsons, West Virginia. Within each of the two watersheds [WS4 untreated control, > 100 yr.; WS3 N-treated, acidified, clear cut, ~ 31 yr.], two 0.04 ha plots, one high N and one low N, were selected for …

Distribution, Morphometries, And Tooth Morphology Of The Genus Desmognathus In West Virginia, Jessica Ann Wooten

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Very few genera of vertebrates demonstrate variation in body size, color, pattern, and life history traits to the extreme that is demonstrated in the genus Desmognathus. Exact distribution of Desmognathus, as well as other genera of salamanders, is very difficult to outline because of hybridization between certain desmognathine species. Tooth morphology, tail keeling, head and body shape, and geographic location are factors used in the separation among species in this genus. There are five desmognathine salamanders, including D. monticola, D. fuscus, D. ochrophaeus, D. quadramaculatus, and 0. welteri in West Virginia. The purpose of this study was to analyze the …

A Natural History Study Of Desmognathus Welteri In West Virginia, Zachary Ira Felix

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The Black Mountain salamander, Desmognathus welteri, is a relatively large brownish-green salamander that possesses morphological characters associated with a semi-aquatic lifestyle. The history of this species in the state of West Virginia is an interesting one. Due to taxonomic confusion and the lack of a thorough investigation of the species in the state, little was known about the species until recently. Surveys for Desmognathus welteri in southern West Virginia revealed five new populations. This makes 17 localities for the species in the state. It appears D. welteri is restricted to relatively high elevation, high gradient, forested streams in the Cumberland …

Managing Minnesota's Recovered Wolves, L. David Mech

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

The Minnesota wolf (Canis lupus) population was estimated by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources at 2,450 during winter 1997-1998 and had increased at an average annual rate of 4.5°% since winter 1988-1989. The population may be removed from the federal endangered species list by 2002, and management would then return to the state. A federal recovery team recommended a population goal of 1,250-1,400 wolves for Minnesota, with none in the agricultural region. A plan approved by the Minnesota legislature, however, continues the protection of wolves, except for pet and livestock depredation control, for at least 5 years …

Climate Change And Forest Disturbances, V. H. Dale, L. A. Joyce, S. Mcnulty, R. P. Neilson, M. P. Ayres, M. D. Flannigan, P. J. Hanson, L. C. Irland, A. E. Lugo, C. J. Peterson, D. Simberloff, F. J. Swanson, B. J. Stocks, B. M. Wotton

The Bark Beetles, Fuels, and Fire Bibliography

No abstract provided.

Spawning Behavior In Hemitremia Flammea (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), Eugene G. Maurakis, Ray Katula, William Roston

Virginia Journal of Science

Spawning behavior in Hemitremia flammea (Flame chub) is described from observations made in the field and laboratory. Spawning in the field occurred over clean gravel (size range=18-25 mm) at water temperatures from 12.8-14.4 C. Spawning in the laboratory occurred over clean gravel (11.3 mm) at water temperatures from 18.3-20 C. Males often pursued females and nudged their vents with their snouts. When the female settled to the substrate, a male moved forward and aligned himself alongside her body. Then the female moved slightly forward accompanied by the male and the pair vibrated their caudal peduncles and tails. The spawn ended …

Thermal And Reproductive Biology Of The Lizards Sceloporus Occidentalis And Sceloporus Graciosus Along An Environmental And Geographical Gradient, Scott Landsborough Parker

Theses Digitization Project

The thermal environment exerts a strong influence on many aspectsof squamate life history. Environmental temperatures constrain daily activity time, fecundity, growth rate, and also influences hatchling phenotype. Cold nest temperatures can slow the development of eggs deposited in the soil, cause developmental abnormalities or result in mortality of embryos.

Diet And Territory Size Of Butterflyfish In Habitats With Varying Coral Cover And Composition, Michael Berumen

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Given the highly stochastic nature of larval supply, coral reef fish may often settle in sub-optimal habitats with limited prey. This study examines the foraging and territorial habits of a coral feeding butterflyfish, Chaetodon baronessa, living in two contrasting habitats with markedly different coral prey. In exposed front reef habitats, where coral prey was highly abundant, C. baronessa was highly selective in its choice of prey and aggressively maintained small territories. In contrast, in back reef habitats where coral prey was scarcer, C. baronessa was more generalist in its choice of prey, and had larger territories that were only weakly …

Is There A Place In The World For Zoos? / Another View Of Zoos, David Hancocks, Richard Farinato

State of the Animals 2001

We human animals make rapid technological and cultural advancements because we have the ability to pass definitive information to succeeding generations. But we also accept too much from the past without challenge. The good, the bad, and the indifferent are muddled together, accumulating in layers that smother each succeeding age. Cultural mores ranging from the silly to the profane, from charming to dangerous, clutter our world. They exist only because, as the British are wont to say, “We have always done things this way.” One very troubling example is the public zoological parks found in almost every city: they are …

Fertility Control In Animals, Jay F. Kirkpatrick, Allen T. Rutberg

State of the Animals 2001

There are, effectively, only two choices for actively managing the size of animal populations: reducing the birth rate and increasing the death rate. (Local population size may also be controlled by movement of individuals in and out; but when the size of animal populations concerns us, movement of individuals merely relocates the concerns. We are not absolved of our responsibility for animals simply because they go somewhere else.) Killing certainly can reduce and even destroy wildlife populations if enough animals of the right description are removed from the population. Until the last decade of the twentieth century, however, fertility control …

Urban Wildlife, John Hadidian, Sydney Smith

State of the Animals 2001

Despite the potential for difficulty, there are several reasons why urban wildlife should be valued and better understood. First is its scientific and heuristic value. Urban wildlife populations are essentially parts of ongoing natural experiments in adaptation to anthropogenic stress. How urban animals are affected by human activities— and how they cope with them— can represent, on a highly accelerated scale, a model of what is happening to species in other biomes. No other wild animals live in such intimate contact and under such constant constraint from human activities as do synanthropes. Second, urban animals are exposed to many environmental …

Urban Wildlife Control: It Starts In Our Own Backyard, John Hadidian

Conservation Collection

No abstract provided.

The Gray Wolves (Canis Lupus) Of British Columbia’S Coastal Rainforests, Chris T. Darimont, Paul C. Paquet

Biogeography and Ecological Opportunity Collection

The mainland coast of British Columbia (BC) is a remote area that is comparatively free from human-caused disturbance. However, concerns about current and anticipated increases in industrial forestry activity have prompted conservation biologists to investigate the biota in this understudied region. We were commissioned by the Raincoast Conservation Society to study coastal wolves so that information could be incorporated into ongoing conservation planning and education efforts. The summer of 2000 marked the pilot season of a multi-year research project. Our team spent more than 240 person days in the field during the summer and fall seasons. We surveyed 18 mainland …

The Intein Of The Thermoplasma A-Atpase A Subunit: Structure, Evolution And Expression In E. Coli, Ali Senejani, Elena Hilario, J. Peter Gogarten

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Inteins are selfish genetic elements that excise themselves from the host protein during post translational processing, and religate the host protein with a peptide bond. In addition to this splicing activity, most reported inteins also contain an endonuclease domain that is important in intein propagation. Results

The gene encoding the Thermoplasma acidophilum A-ATPase catalytic subunit A is the only one in the entire T. acidophilum genome that has been identified to contain an intein. This intein is inserted in the same position as the inteins found in the ATPase A-subunits encoding gene in Pyrococcus abyssi, P. furiosus and P. horikoshii …

Effects Of Fire Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) On Hatching Turtles And Prevalence Of Fire Ants On Sea Turtle Nesting Beaches In Florida, Craig R. Allen, Elizabeth A. Forys, Kenneth G. Rice, Daniel P. Wojcik

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Red imported fire ants (Solenopsis invicta Buren) have increasingly been observed in loggerhead (Caretta caretta L.) and green (Chelonia mydas L.) sea turtle nests in Florida, and in the nests of freshwater turtles. They may be attracted to the disturbance, mucous and moisture associated with turtle nesting and establish foraging tunnels into turtle nests shortly after egg-laying, thus increasing the vulnerability of hatchlings to fire ant predation. We conducted experiments on a freshwater turtle (Pseudemys nelsoni Carr) to determine the potential impacts of S. invicta on turtle hatchlings. Over 70% of hatchlings were killed by …

Bald Hills Region And Lyons Family, Susie Van Kirk

Susie Van Kirk Papers

Susie Van Kirk's reference notes and research on the Bald Hills Region and the Lyons Family. Newspaper references date from 1856-1997.

Natural Fertility In Whooping Cranes And Mississippi Sandhill Cranes At Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Jane M. Nicolich, George F. Gee, David H. Ellis, Scott G. Hereford

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The first fertile whooping crane (Grus americana; WC) egg produced through natural breeding at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent) was laid in 1991. Prior to that time, all fertile whooping crane eggs were the result of artificial insemination. Since 1991, eight different whooping crane pairs at Patuxent have produced fertile eggs through natural breeding. Mean fertility averages over years for each pair range from 40% to 93%. Fertility rates for each pair also vary greatly between years, from 0% to 100%, but the causes of the variance are unknown. Experiences with natural fertility in Mississippi sandhill cranes (G …

Counting Cranes: How Much Effort Is Enough?, Douglas H. Johnson, Roderick C. Drewien, Douglas S. Benning

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Accurate population estimates of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are important because management decisions, such as establishing hunting regulations, are based on those estimates. Counts often are made during aerial surveys when the cranes are congregated. A complete census may be feasible if the area to be surveyed is small and adequate resources are available. For large areas, resources may be inadequate for a census so partial counts (sample surveys) are made. Because cranes are gregarious, the counts in a sample of units may contain either a disproportionately large, or a disproportionately small, fraction of the total, leading to …

Hydrophobic Matching Of Short Gramicidins With Phospholipids, Elizabeth Dunn

Inquiry: The University of Arkansas Undergraduate Research Journal

Given the highly stochastic nature of larval supply, coral reef fish may often settle in sub-optimal habitats with limited prey. This study examines the foraging and territorial habits of a coral feeding butterflyfish, Chaetodon baronessa, living in two contrasting habitats with markedly different coral prey. In exposed front reef habitats, where coral prey was highly abundant, C. baronessa was highly selective in its choice of prey and aggressively maintained small territories. In contrast, in back reef habitats where coral prey was scarcer, C. baronessa was more generalist in its choice of prey, and had larger territories that were only weakly …

Effects Of Collection, Transport, And Redeployment Methods On Natural Mortality Of Rangia Cuneata (Mactridae) Used In Biomonitoring Studies, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, William C. Gretes

Virginia Journal of Science

Sporadic, high mortality in test populations of wedge clams (Rangia cuneata) has limited the potential for using this otherwise desirable test organism in biomonitoring studies. To determine whether high mortality was due to ontogenic or experimental variables, a two-phased study was conducted. In phase I, mortality of collected and re-deployed wedge clams, subjected to varying transport conditions, was determined at 7, 14, 21 and 60 days re-deployment. The use of three transport times (1, 2, 3 hr.), two vehicle conditions (open, closed) and three transport treatments (open, closed, iced containers) yielded 18 test groups. Individual test group mortalities …

Nocturnal Roost Site Selection And Diurnal Habitat Use By Sandhill Cranes During Spring In Central Nebraska, Craig A. Davis

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

During spring 1998 and 1999, the Platte River Whooping Crane Maintenance Trust conducted ground and aerial surveys of staging sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis; hereafter, cranes) to detennine roost site selection and habitat-use patterns along a l20-Ian stretch of the Platte River in south-central Nebraska. Cranes peaked at 232,023 during 22-28 March 1998 and 206,074 during 28 Februaty-6 March 1999 in the study area, a portion of the total crane staging area in the Platte River Valley. Diurnal observations showed that 48% of the cranes were in com fields, 34% in lowland grasslands, 13% in alfalfa fields, and 5% …

Hematological And Serum Chemistry Norms For Sandhill And Whooping Cranes, Glenn H. Olsen, Melina M. Hendricks, Lindsay E. Dressler

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

The nonnal values used as a diagnostic tool and for comparison of cranes were established in the early 1970's. In that early study, no effort was made to look at factors such as age, sex, or subspecies. In addition, during the early study disease problems (primarily disseminated visceral coccidiosis) and nutritional problems were undiagnosed and uncontrolled. For 2 years during the annual health examinations of cranes at the USGS Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (patuxent), we collected blood from healthy cranes for analysis. We found significant differences between the values reported from the 1970's and the values seen in this study …

The One-By-One Method For Releasing Cranes, David H. Ellis, Daniel P. Mummert, Richard P. Urbanek, Matthew Kinloch, Carolee Mellon, Tressa Dolbeare, Damien P. Ossi

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Although the trend for the past 2 decades has been toward releasing naive groups of juveniles after a lengthy acclimation period, in 5 separate releases (1996-2000) we tested the idea that naive juvenile greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) would survive better if released singly into a wild flock of predator-wary birds than if left as a group, inexperienced at foraging and ill prepared to avoiding predators. We released 3 groups of hand-reared juveniles (n = 12 [1996]; n = 8 [1998], n = 12 [1999]) into a wild flock of sandhill cranes (ca 300 birds) on wintering …

Platte River Cooperative Agreement And Proposed Program: Efforts To Protect, Restore, And Manage Habitat For Whooping Cranes, Least Terns, And Piping Plovers, Clayton Derby, Dale Strickland

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

On 1 July 1997 the states of Nebraska, Wyoming, and Colorado and the U.S. Department of the Interior signed the "Cooperative Agreement for Platte River Research and Other Efforts Relating to Endangered Species Habitats Along the Central Platte River, Nebraska" (Cooperative Agreement). In the Cooperative Agreement, the four parties set forth a "Proposed Platte River Recovery Implementation Program" (Program). The proposed incremental Program uses adaptive management to provide benefits to whooping cranes (Grus americana), least terns (Sterna albifrons), and piping plovers (Charadrius melodus). The proposed Program will also test the assumption that it is possible …

The Use Of Radio Transmitters To Monitor Survival Of Sandhill Crane Chicks, Marilyn G. Spalding, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Stephen T. Schwikert, Robert J. Dusek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

To determine cause of death of Florida sandhill crane (Grus canadensis pratensis) chicks, in 1996-99 we glued shorttenn transmitters on newly hatched chicks. At about 10 days of age, these were replaced with surgically implanted subcutaneous transmitters in the field. Chicks were then recaptured at 55 to 65 days of age for more pennanent transmitters. This combination of transmitter configurations allowed us to track individuals through their rapid-growth period.

Lessons From The Motorized Migrations, David H. Ellis, George F. Gee, Kent R. Clegg, Joseph W. Duff, William A. Lishman, William J. L. Sladen

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Ten experiments have been conducted to determine if cranes can be led on migration and if those so trained will repeat migrations on their own. Results have been mixed as we have experienced the mishaps common to pilot studies. Nevertheless, we have learned many valuable lessons. Chief among these are that cranes can be led long distances behind motorized craft (air and ground), and those led over most or the entire route will return north come spring and south in fall to and from the general area of training. However, they will follow their own route. Groups transported south and …