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Nest-Site Selection By Belted Kingfishers (Ceryle Alcyon) In Colorado, Sara Shields, Jeffrey F. Kelly

Habitat Assessment and Management Collection

Along the Cache la Poudre River in northern Colorado, belted kingfishers nested in relatively tall banks that lacked a toe. Kingfishers constructed burrows in soils that contained significantly less sand than was present at systematically sampled points. This finding conflicts with earlier findings that indicate kingfishers select sandy soils for burrow construction. Otherwise, the physical characteristics of banks used by belted kingfishers in Colorado were similar to those found elsewhere.

The Asian Elephant: Ecology And Management, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Book review for the following title:

The Asian Elephant: Ecology and Management. By Raman Sukumar, Cambridge University Press, 1993, 282 pages. $34.95 hardcover

Influence Of Physics On The Distribution Of Ichthyoplankton Across The Chesapeake Bay Plume, Christian S. Reiss

OES Theses and Dissertations

Most marine fish have retained pelagic larval stages that are spawned away from juvenile habitats. Physical and biological processes on a number of scales may affect larval survival. Mesoscale features like estuarine or riverine plumes and fronts are thought to affect larval survival by transporting larvae to juvenile habitats or by retaining larvae in favorable developmental habitats. It is likely that these features are major contributors in the regulation of shelf-spawned estuarine-dependent taxa.

This study examined how physical oceanographic features affected the spatial distribution of ichthyoplankton across the Chesapeake Bay Plume. Larval surveys were conducted across the shelf and within …

Active And Passive Settling By Marine Benthic Nematodes, Rodney Duane Bertelsen

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study investigates whether active processes participate in the settlement of marine benthic nematodes. The settling rates of three estuarine benthic nematode taxa were examined in a linear flume using two treatments defined by the type of sediment bed placed in the flume. One treatment bed contained sediments rendered "unattractive" by boiling. The other treatment bed contained unaltered "attractive" sediment. Preliminary still water choice experiments confirmed the attractive and unattractive properties of these sediment treatments with each taxon. Recolonization trays placed in the field confirmed that each taxon did disperse in the water column. One taxon (Theristus sp?) exhibited significantly …

Ecology Of The Early Life History Of The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus: Recruitment, Predation, And Habitat Requirements, Charles A. Acosta

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Recruitment variability of the early life history stages of marine benthic organisms can have profound consequences on population dynamics. I studied factors affecting recruitment success of postlarvae and early juveniles of the Caribbean spiny lobster. I examined patterns in postlarval supply, investigated wind forcing as a potential transport mechanism for recruiting postlarvae, and quantified predation on postlarvae in south Florida, USA. In an eight-year time series, spiny lobster postlarval supply occurred year-round between the new and first quarter lunar phases. The major annual peak occurred around March corresponding to spawning activity ten months earlier, and a smaller non-seasonal peak occurred …

Microzooplankton Dynamics In Lower Chesapeake Bay And Its Major Tributaries, Gyung Soo Park

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study identified the temporal and spatial variability of microzooplankton density and biomass at 14 stations located within Chesapeake Bay and four rivers. Microzooplankton are defined as those heterotrophic organisms which range from 20 to 200 $\mu$m in size, and in this study were mainly composed of copepod nauplii, rotifers, and ciliates. Ciliates were the most abundant microzooplankton, comprising more than 90% of the total density, with copepod nauplii representing approximately 50% of the total microzooplankton biomass (carbon content). Rotifers contributed less than 5% for both density and biomass of the total microzooplankton.

Maximum ciliate abundance occurred from spring to …

The Effects Of Enrichment Treatments On Jaguar Behavior At The Warner Park Zoo, Miranda Cagle

Honors Theses

Not long ago, Sasha walked onto grass for the first time in seven years. For Pasha, it was the first in six. The two jaguar inhabitants of the Warner Park Zoo, Sasha, a nine-year-old female, and Pasha, her eight-year-old half-brother, were transferred to a new enclosure on 12 November 1995. Prior to that date, they had been housed in a smaller cage with a cement floor. The new enclosure was a long-awaited improvement for the zoo, designed to house two of its most wellknown animals. It was expected that the new enclosure would promote more natural behavior in the two …

Management Of The South Coast Purse Seine Fishery, J Fowler, K Donohue, R.C. J. Lenanton, M. Moran, D Gaughan

Fisheries Management Papers

This paper has presented a strategy for moving the management of the small pelagics fishery off the south coast to management of the whole fishery, which facilitates a more biologically sound and economically stable fishery.

A Pricing Policy For Fisheries Agencies, Management Committee Of Scfa, Standing Committee Of Fisheries And Aquaculture (Sfca), Department Of Primary Industries And Energy

Fisheries Management Papers

The intent of this paper is to inform members of Standing Committee for Fisheries and Aquaculture (SCFA) and the members of the Ministerial Council for Fisheries, Forestry and Aquaculture of the methods of fee setting that are currently applied by fisheries agencies in Australia, and alternative pricing policies for fisheries agencies.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 29, No.1. March 1997

The Prairie Naturalist

UPDATED DISTRIBUTION OF THE LEAST WEASEL ON THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS ▪ S. R. Hoofer and J. R. Choate

ESTIMATING SURVIVAL OF SONG BIRD CARCASSES IN CROPS AND WOODLOTS ▪ G. M. Linz, D. L. Bergman, and W. J. Bleier

SEXUAL ALLOCATION IN Carex stricta, A MONOECIOUS, TUSSOCK-FORMING SEDGE ▪ D. M. Estrella and C. E. Umbanhowar, Jr.

ABUNDANCE OF THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRRELS IN SHORTGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ L. C. Higgins and P. Stapp

BATS OF JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT, SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. R. Choate and J. M. Anderson

NOTES

Northern Harrier Builds Nest On Top Of Depredated Mallard …

The Influence Of The Wastewater Drainage From The Las Vegas Valley On The Limnology Of Boulder Basin, Lake Mead, Nevada-Arizona, James F. Labounty, Michael J. Horn, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Lake Mead, Colorado River, Arizona-Nevada, is one of the most heavily used reservoirs in the western United States, providing abundant recreational opportunities as well as downstream domestic and agricultural water for over 22 million users. Based on average nutrient levels and productivity, Lake Mead is classified as mildly mesotrophic. The interflow of the Colorado River dominates the limnology of much of the 106 km-long reservoir, and may still be identified at Hoover Dam under certain conditions. The lower basin of Lake Mead ending at Hoover Dam is known as Boulder Basin and is near the Las Vegas metropolitan area. Las …

The Biological Flora Of Coastal Dunes And Wetlands. Sesuvium Portulacastrum (L.) L., Robert I. Lonard, Frank W. Judd

School of Integrative Biological & Chemical Sciences (Formerly Dept. of Biology)

Sesuvium portulacastrum (L.) L. (sea purslane, cenicilla) is a pantropical, perennial, trailing herb (Aizoaceae) with pink-purple or occasionally white flowers that grows on coastal beaches of five continents and many islands. Herein we present a review of the biology of S. portulacastrum. It is an important pioneer species on sandy beaches in the subtropics and tropics, where its stoloniferous, mat-forming growth habit promotes embryonic dune formation in belts parallel to the shoreline. Colonies act as barriers to intercept and hold water and wind transported sand. Sesuvium portulacastrum's success as a colonizing species is related, in large part, to its …

Land Use Patterns In Relation To Lake Water Quality In The Messalonskee Lake Watershed, Problems In Environmental Science Course (Biology 493), Colby College, Colby Environmental Assessment Team, Colby College

Colby College Watershed Study: Other Area Studies

The main purpose of this study is to assess the current land use patterns and their influences on the water quality of Messalonskee Lake, including the biotic and abiotic parameters which are involved. More specifically, four main objectives were proposed. First, was to calculate the water budget and flushing rate for Messalonskee Lake. Second, was to determine the influence of current and historical land use patterns on lake water quality. Third, was to utilize gathered information to construct a phosphorus model, which will enable future water quality predictions to be made. Our fourth and final objective was to make recommendations …

Eastern South Dakota Wetlands, Rex R. Johnson, Kenneth F. Higgins, Michael L. Kjellsen, Charles R. Elliot

Natural Resource Management Faculty Books

Diverse and extensive wetland resources have always been familiar parts of the landscape to farmers, hunters, and residents of eastern South Dakota. The journals and oral histories of adventurers, trappers, and natives and immigrants reveal how wetlands shaped the wildlife and the people who lived on and modified the land to meet their own needs. The history of South Dakota wetlands parallels the history and interactions of people and wetlands elsewhere in North America and the world. This interaction can best be characterized as constant conflict. Driven primarily by economics, farmers the world over expended tremendous energy to "reclaim" and …

Natural History Of The Four-Toed Salamander, Hemidactylium Scutatum, In West Virginia, Sandra L. Kilpatrick

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

A 2-year study was conducted to determine the reproductive and nesting habits, embryonic and larval development, and tolerance to acid conditions of Hemidactylium scutatum in West Virginia. Five study sites located in or adjacent to the Otter Creek National Wilderness Area, Monongahela National Forest, Randolph County, West Virginia, were monitored to determine nesting habits and length of incubation and larval periods in Hemidactylium Time of breeding was determined by spermatogenic wave analysis and time of egg deposition was determined by examination of ovarian follicles and field observations of gravid females migrating to nest sites. Breeding occurred in autumn and again …

Ecological Life History Of Crangonyx Pseudogracilis Bousfield (Crustacea: Amphipoda) In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Andrea Leigh Henry

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Although the genus Crangonyx has been studied in the Appalachian area, most of this work has concentrated on subterranean species. A Crangonyx pseudogracilis population from the Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area (GBWMA), Cabell County, West Virginia was sampled weekly from March 1995 through July 1996 to investigate the ecological life history of the amphipod. A total of 1508 amphipods were collected. Amphipods were present in the study sites from November through July, at which time they migrated to deeper waters. Crangonyx pseudogracilis had a one year life cycle and bred from November to May. Adult amphipods began to die off …

An Ecological Study Of Shale Barren Rock Cress (Arabis Serotina Steele) At Little Fork Shale Barren, Pendleton County, West Virginia, Robert J. Jarrett

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Shale Barren Rock Cress (Arabis serotina Steele) was listed as a federally endangered species by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in August 1989. As part of a cooperative agreement between the West Virginia Natural Heritage Program and the U.S. Navy, research was conducted in 1994 and 1995 at Little Fork Shale Barren (LFSB) to provide baseline information on the population dynamics of A. serotina and to study the vegetation and physical parameters associated with this shale barren community. Soil samples and plant community data were collected from 40 1-m² circular plots for herbaceous vegetation and six 0.02-ha …

Natural History Of The Red-Spotted Newt, Notophthalmus Viridescens Viridescens (Rafinesque), In West Virginia, Jennifer M. Piascik

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Many studies have been conducted on Notophthalmus viridescens viridescens but none have occurred in West Virginia. There are variations in the life history of newts depending on location. In this study, I studied a population of newts in Wayne County, West Virginia from February 1996 to June 1997. I examined population structure, seasonal activity, and reproductive biology.

The population structure can be divided into four classes: egg, larvae, eft, and adult. Eggs at Shoals were deposited in mid-May and larvae were present from mid-June to early September. Larvae began to transform at an approximate total length of 32.8 mm. Red …

Observations On Reproduction, Isozyme Patterns, And Meristics In Mosquitofish (Pisces: Poeciliidae) From West Virginia, Matt Mcreynolds

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Prior to 1988, two subspecies of the mosquitofish Gambusia affinis (G. a. affinis and G. a. holbrooki) were recognized along the Gulf and Atlantic Coasts of the United States. Based on electrophoretic analysis, subsequent investigators recognized G. holbrooki and G. affinis as separate species. Populations in drainages west of Mobile Bay were considered G. affinis, and those east of this divide being G. holbrooki. The only mosquitofish population in West Virginia is found in the Meadow River wetlands (1392 ha). This wetland complex is located at the western end of Greenbrier County in the Allegheny Mountain Province. …

Diet And Growth Of Larval And Juvenile Grass Pickerel, Esox Americanus Vermiculatus, And Central Mudminnow, Umbra Limi, In The Green Bottom Wildlife Management Area, Cabell County, West Virginia, Erica Midkiff

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

The grass pickerel, Esox americanus vermiculatus, is listed as Undetermined on the Vertebrate Species List of Concern in West Virginia. The central mudminnow, Umbra limi, is a disjunct population in Green Bottom Swamp. The lentic, vegetated areas that are required for spawning for the grass pickerel and the central mudminnow have been reduced by residential, agricultural, and industrial developments. Green Bottom Swamp, a naturally occurring wetland of 58 ha, and a nearby mitigated wetland of 29 ha, provides spawning habitat for the grass pickerel and the mudminnow. Fishes were collected in beds of Potamogetan crispus and Ceratophyllum demursum …

Behavioral Response Of The Crayfish Procambarus Clarkii To The Crustacean Molting Hormone 20-Hydroxyecdysone, William D. Hornsby

Honors Capstone Projects and Theses

No abstract provided.

Wetland Resources Of Eastern South Dakota, Rex R. Johnson, Kenneth F. Higgins

Natural Resource Management Faculty Books

The mere mention of the word "wetland" in coffee shops and other gathering places on the prairies today brings out emotions and opinions that run the gamut from saving them all to draining them all. To some people, what we do with wetlands has been, and still is, a personal choice, a matter of exercising individual rights on private property. To others, wetlands are community resources that provide values that touch all of society. They contend that what is done to and about wetlands is a community decision regardless of ownership. Herein lies the controversy we have experienced over wetlands …

Skeletochronological Study Of Adult Spiny Softshell Turtles (Apalone Spinifera) From Northeastern Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, Hilary J. Worley

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Skeletochronological techniques were used to examine age and growth in adult spiny softshell turtles {Apalone spiniferd) from northeastern Arkansas. The diaphyseal region offemurs of 24 specimens (8 mars mars; 16 venus venus) was excised, decalcified in weak hydrochloric acid, and histologically prepared for light microscopy. Skeletal growth was determined from histosectioned bones by measuring femur diameters as well as by counting lines of arrested growth (LAGs) that appear between distinct periosteal layers (marks of skeletal growth =MSGs) laid down during a single growing season. Although significant positive correlations were found between carapace length (CL) and femur diameter in both males …

Crows Do Not Use Automobiles As Nutcrackers: Putting An Oft-Repeated Anecdote To The Test, Daniel A. Cristol, Paul V. Switzer, K L. Johnson, L S. Walke

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Crows Do Not Use Automobiles As Nutcrackers: Putting An Oft-Repeated Anecdote To The Test, Daniel Cristol, Paul Switzer, K Johnson, L Walke

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Fish Community Of Indian Bayou, A Coastal Plain Stream Of Remarkable Species Richness In The Lower White River Drainage Of Arkansas, Thomas M. Buchanan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

It is increasingly important to identify unique aquatic ecosystems in the coastal plain lowlands of Arkansas, because of the extensive human-induced alteration of aquatic habitats and loss of fish diversity in that region. Indian Bayou, part of a small (103 km2 ), chute-fed drainage system off the lower White River in Monroe County, Arkansas, has a fish community that is unique among Delta streams in darter (Percidae) species richness. Twenty-five fish samples collected by seine and rotenone from the Indian Bayou drainage system over an 18-year period produced 62 fish species, including 13 darter species. The fish community at one …

Sidescan Sonar Image, Surficial Geologic Interpretation, And Bathymetry Of The Long Island Sound Sea Floor Off Hammonasset Beach State Park, Connecticut, Roman Zajac, Larry J. Poppe, Ralph S. Lewis, David C. Twichell, Mary L. Digiacomo-Cohen, Eric A. Schmuck, Kenneth F. Parolski

Biology and Environmental Science Faculty Publications

Ongoing research by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) in Long Island Sound, a major East Coast estuary surrounded by the most densely populated region of the United States, is building upon cooperative research with the State of Connecticut that was initiated in 1982. During the initial phase of this cooperative program, geologic framework studies in Long Island Sound were completed and results published (Lewis and Needell, 1987; Needell and others, 1987; Lewis and Stone, 1991). Emphasis of the present program in Long Island Sound is shifting from framework studies toward studies of the sediment distribution, processes that control this sediment …

Winter Activity Patterns Of American Martens (Martes Americana): Rejection Of The Hypothesis Of Thermal-Cost Minimization, Gary S. Drew, John A. Bissonette

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

Despite their temperate to subarctic geographic range, American martens (Martes americana) possess a thermally inefficient morphology. The lack of morphological adaptations for reducing thermal costs suggests that marten may use behavioral strategies to optimize thermal budgets. During the winters of 1989-1990 and 1990-1991, we radio-collared and monitored the diel activity of 7 martens. A log-linear model suggested that the presence or absence of light was the only factor associated with marten activity patterns (p < 0.001). A regression of the percentage of active fixes on ambient temperature failed to detect an association (b = -4.45, p = 0.084, n = 12). Contents of marten seats suggested that their activity was consistent with the prey-vulnerability hypothesis. While martens must balance multiple life requisites, their activity patterns suggest that they accept increased thermal costs in order to increase foraging efficiency. However, the nocturnal activity of martens during winter was also consistent with the hypothesis that they may be able to limit their own exposure to predation risk. The nocturnal habits of Newfoundland martens in the winter were consistent with the hypothesis of avoidance of predation risk.

Stream Organic Matter Budgets, J.R Webster, Judy L. Meyer

Long Term Ecological Research Network

This analysis of organic matter dynamics in streams has 3 objectives: 1) to explore the relationships between physical characteristics of streams and their watersheds (climate, geomorphology) and steam organic matter dynamics using data from a broad geographic area; 2) to compare steam organic matter dynamics in a diverse array of steams in order to suggest determinants of observed patterns; and 3) to reveal deficiencies in currently available data on organic matter dynamics in steams. Streams were included in this analysis not to represent the global diversity of stream types but because organic matter data were available. In the introductory chapter …

Habitat Use By Migrant Whooping Cranes In Saskatchewan, Brian W. Johns, Eric J. Woodsworth, Ed A. Driver

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We investigated habitat use by migrating whooping cranes (Grus americana) in Saskatchewan between 1986 and 1990. At foraging and roosting sites and a sample of randomly selected sites we measured various habitat parameters. Palustrine and lacustrine wetlands were the most frequently used wetlands. Temporary and seasonal wetlands were the primary roost habitat during spring migration, and semi-permanent and permanent wetlands were frequently used during the fall. Cranes were attracted to areas of higher than average wetland density. Land use within 2 km of roost sites was intensively modified by man. Cereal crops were the most used feeding areas. …