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Pre-Spawning Migration Of Channel Catfish Into Three Warmwater Tributaries-Effects Of A Cold Tailwater, Gary L. Siegwarth, James E. Johnson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Spring migrations of channel catfish (Ictalurus punctatus) into the Kings, Mulberry and Buffalo rivers, Arkansas, were compared to determine adult catfish migration into a warm water river that flows into a cold tailwater. The Buffalo River flows into a cold tailwater reach of the White River and supports a sparse channel catfish population compared to similar rivers in the region that do not flow into cold tailwaters. This is an important factor because many recent studies have demonstrated that channel catfish make pre-spawning migrations into tributary streams and may contribute significantly to tributary populations. To assess channel catfish migration, hoop …

Contribution Of Zooplankton Lipids To The Flux Of Organic Matter In The Northern Adriatic Sea, Mirjana Najdek, Staša Puškarić, Alexander B. Bochdansky

OES Faculty Publications

Analyses of particulate material collected by sediment traps moored at a location in the northern Adriatic Sea in 1991 revealed the presence of zooplankton fatty acids, even though zooplankton and other 'swimmers' killed by the trap's preservative were carefully removed. Laboratory experiments were conducted to (1) prove the existence of zooplankton lipids within fecal pellets, (2) exclude the possibility of incomplete separation of swimmers and other material as eventual contamination with polyunsaturated fatty acids in fecal pellets, (3) evaluate the importance of zooplankton lipids to mass flux and (4) reveal the mechanisms which lead to excretion of undigested organic matter, …

Predator Deterrence In The Central Newt, Notophthalmus Viridescens Louisianensis (Wolterstorff) With Notes On Salamander Antipredator Strategies, Malcolm Mccallum

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of the skin secretions of Notophthalmus viridescens as a predator deterrent has been well documented. Still, there have been documented cases of predation on this salamander. This study investigates the ability of a variety of herptiles to feed on N. viridescens louisianensis.

In the first experiment, plethodonts and efts were fed on alternate weeks to snakes. Latency of response, anatomical location of predator attack, and behaviors displayed by predators and prey were recorded during each trial.

In the second experiment, tongue flick frequency by T. sirtalis to the essence of live N. viridescens louisianensis, Eurycea cirigerra …

An Evaluation Of Benthic Macroinvertebrate Community Structure And Sediment Toxicity In Lake Taylorville, Sanhita Datta

Masters Theses

Sediments act as a "sink" for xenobiotics which can be accumulated by a variety of organisms and thereby enter the food chain contaminating fish, wildlife and humans. Although the chemical nature of these substances can be known by direct chemical analysis of the sediments, the significance of the contaminants and their bioavailability should be determined through bioassay techniques. A survey of the benthic macroinvertebrates of Lake Taylorville, a reservoir in central Illinois which is fed by two rivers that drain a primarily agricultural area, revealed a rather depauperate fauna. Subsequent studies were conducted in order to identify the underlying cause …

Zooplankton Community Structure As A Function Of Abiotic And Biotic Factors Prior To A Multiphased Restoration Effort, John H. Ensign Jr.

Masters Theses

Lake Taylorville, an impoundment on the South Fork of the Sangamon River, is located just south of Taylorville in Christian County, Illinois. The tributaries of this reservoir drain primarily agricultural areas and contribute to degradation of the reservoir through excessive sediment and nutrient loading. A restoration project is underway which involves construction of sediment basins and dry dams. Analysis of the crustacean zooplankton community has formed an integral part of an intensive limnological investigation of the reservoir during the initial stages of the restoration effort. Seasonal variation in the composition, and density of the major groups was observed. Rotifers (Brachionus …

The Relative Weight (Wr) Condition Index As A Predictor Of Growth, Prey Abundance And Environmental Conditions, Hongsheng Liao

Masters Theses

We evaluated the relative weight (W_r) condition index for assessment of growth, prey availability and environmental conditions in fish populations. Standard weight (W_s) equations for pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) and golden shiner (Notemigonus crysoleucas) from 302 pumpkinseed and 285 golden shiner populations, with well over 10,000 fish of each species, were developed with regression-line-percentile (RLP) technique. The proposed W_s equation in metric units for pumpkinseed is log₁₀W_s = -5.179 + 3.237 log10TL, and for golden shiner is log10W_s = -5.593 + 3.302 log10TL. The English-unit versions of these equations were also developed. …

Artificial Cavity Box Use By Eastern Screech Owl, Otus Asio, Lori A. Davis

Masters Theses

Screech owl use of 29 artificial cavity boxes placed in wooded habitat on a 14.6 hectare study area in east central Illinois was monitored from 1975 through 1993. A total of 28 screech owls were captured a total of 155 times. Two to 4 adults were usually present and 3 broods were reared in the boxes. The time between first and last capture of birds taken 4 or more times ranged from 270 to 2589 days (average 1740 days). Home range of 5 owls captured 8 to 17 times ranged from 0.45 to 6.0 ha. Cavity boxes were used more …

Homosexual Copulations By Male Tree Swallows, Michael P. Lombardo, Ruth M. Bosman, Christine A. Faro, Stephen G. Houtteman, Timothy S. Kluisza

Peer Reviewed Publications

Homosexual courtship behavior in non-human animals is well known (Ford and Beach 1980) and occurs in a wide variety of taxa. However, homosexual copulations, especially between males, are less well known. In birds, males mounting other males have been observed in the colonially breeding Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) (Fujioka and Yamagishi 1981) and Common Murre (Uria aalge) (Birkhead et al. 1985, Hatchwell 1988). Neither Fujioka and Yamagishi (1981) nor Birkhead et al. (1985) and Hatchwell (1988) reported whether cloacal contact occurred during their observations of male-male mountings. Here we describe homosexual copulations by male Tree Swallows …

Mink Predation On Juvenile American Coots, David J. Delehanty, W. Daniel Svedarsky

Journal of the Minnesota Academy of Science

American Coot (Fulica americana) nest success, defined as at least one chick hatching, frequently exceeds 90% (Fredrickson et al. 1977), indicating success in avoiding nest predation during incubation. However, predation of juvenile coots may be an important factor in coot reproduction. Many anecdotal reports of predation on coots by mink (Mustela vison) exist (for example, Bailey 1926, Bennett 1938, Low 1945, Errington 1967, Arnold and Fritzell 1989). Studies of waterfowl predation (Sowls 1955, Sargeant et al. 1973) and diets of predators (Eberhardt 1973, Arnold and Fritzell 1987) report significant predation of coots by mink. Eberhardt and Sargeant (1977) estimated 52% …

Spatial Distributions Of Three Species Of Desmognathus In A North Carolina Stream, James J. English, Alvan A. Karlin, Laurie D. Lacer

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Salamanders of the family Plethodontidae comprise the most common salamanders in eastern North America. It is not uncommon for more than 10 plethodontid species to occur syntopically in one creek. The purpose of this research was to determine whether the spatial distribution of one species affected the spatial distribution of other species. Geographic Information System technology and nearest-neighbor analyses were used to determine the spatial distributions of three species of the salamander genus Desmognathus. The analysis demonstrates that D. ochrophaeus and D. monticola change their spatial use from a random distribution during the day to a clumped distribution during evening …

Long-Term Study Of Benthos In Dardanelle Reservoir, John D. Rickett, Robert L. Watson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Winter, spring, summer, and autumn samples were collected with a 15.24x15.24-cm Ekman grab from five stations on Dardanelle Reservoir, Pope County, Arkansas during the 24-year period from 1970-1993. Twenty-three taxa representing the eight phyla, Cnidaria, Nematoda, Nematomorpha, Entoprocta, Ectoprocta, Mollusca, Annelida, and Arthropoda, were collected. Numerically, oligochaetes comprised 36%, whereas chironomid larvae, Chaoborus larvae, and Hexagenia naiads mad up 29.7, 17, and 12%, respectively, of the samples. Asiatic clams, fingernail clams, amphipods, and Urnatella were collected frequently during the last 10 years but were not abundant. Other taxa were taken infrequently but consistently during the study period. Densities of all …

Pleistocene And Halocene Remains From The Red River, Southwest Arkansas, Terry A. Sanders

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Vertebrate remains have been found on gravel bars of the Red River in southwest Arkansas, northeast Louisiana, and east Texas. The majority of these specimens were recovered by amateur archaeologists and Dr. Frank Schambach of the Arkansas Archaeology Survey. Extinct species of bison (Bison sp.), mastodon (Mammut americanum), pampathere (Holmesina septentrionalis), llama (Palaeolama mirifica), tortoises (Geochelone sp.), and (Terrapene sp.) indicate a Pleistocene component in the region's alluvium. The giant tortoise, pampathere, and llama represent first known occurrences of these species for the state of Arkansas. Search times between finds were recorded for seven localities. The richest gravel bar averaged …

Renewal And Recovery: Shortleaf Pine /Bluestem Grass Ecosystem And Red-Cockaded Woodpeckers, George A. Bukenhofer, Joseph C. Neal, Warren G. Montague

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Distributional Records Of The Badger (Taxidea Taxus) In Arkansas, Michael E. Cartwright, Gary A. Heidt

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

First Record Of The Channel Shiner, Notropis Wickliffi Trautman, In Arkansas And Comments On The Current River Populations Of Notropis Volucellus (Cope), Henry W. Robison, Thomas M. Buchanan

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Mbl Science Writing Fellowship Report, Bryon H. Waksman, Boyce Rensberger, Robert D. Goldman, Pamela L. Clapp

Long Term Ecological Research Network

Report for the Science Writing Fellowship Program including the introduction, program, announcements and applications, fellows, funding, advisory committee, and future for 1995.

The Marine Biological Laboratory Science Writing Fellowships Program. Including purposes, activities and opportunities, eligibility, program staff, support, selection schedule.

The Near-Shore, Soft-Substrate Bivalves Of The Swan Estuary: An Assessment Of Their Use As Biological Indicators, Graham Bailey

Theses : Honours

The soft-substrate bivalves of the Swan Estuary were evaluated for their suitability as biological indicators. The major requirement of a biological indicator is that a response to changing conditions can be shown. Demonstrating that bivalve community and populations respond to changing environmental conditions within The Estuary would fulfill this criteria. To make this assessment the study conducted a quantitative sampling program which established the current structure of the near-shore soft-substrate bivalve community and this was compared with the community established in 1973-74. To evaluate the predictive potential of bivalve structure as an indicator, major environmental conditions in the Estuary were …

Performance Of Four Seed-Caching Corvid Species In The Radial-Arm Maze Analog, Alan Kamil, Russell P. Balda, Deborah J. Olson

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Four seed-caching corvid species were tested in an open-room analog of the radial-arm maze. During Experiment 1, the species more dependent on stored food, Clark’s nutcrackers (Nucifraga columbiana) and pinyon jays (Gymnorhinus cyanocephalus), acquired the task more quickly and to higher accuracy levels than either scrub jays (Aphelocoma coerulescens) or Mexican jays (A. ultramarina). During Experiment 2, performance after retention intervals was tested. When intervals of 30-210 min were tested in ascending order, species differences observed during acquisition were again obtained. However, when intervals of 5-300 min were tested in random order, …

Sanitation And Parasitism At Harpers Ferry, West Virginia, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

One focus of historical archaeology at Harpers Ferry National Historical Park, West Virginia, is tracing the development of sanitation at the town through the 1800s and 1900s. Historical documentation indicates that there was a degree of resistance to the modernization of village sanitation. This study attempts to verify this resistance through examination of privy soils for parasites indicative of fecalborne disease, specifically the helminth species Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura. The presence of these parasites in the early 1900s would indicate that fecal-borne disease due to poor sanitation continued to be an aspect of town life. The analysis revealed the …

Otitis Media, Mastoiditis, And Infracranial Lesions In Two Plains Indian Children, Robert W. Mann, Douglas W. Owsley, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

One disease condition that is common to nearly all children is otitis media, also known as middle ear disease. Although most people speak of it as a middle ear "infection," other causes such as neoplasm (tumor) can result in manifestations and symptoms mimicking an infectious process. This paper presents findings related to osseous lesions in two Indian children, approximately three to five years of age, who died with otitis media and infracranial lesions. Through macroscopic and radiographic analysis, it is possible to show that one child probably suffered from tuberculosis and the other from histiocytosis X. From an epidemiological and …

Trade, Contact, And Female Health In Northeast Nebraska, Karl Reinhard, Larry Tieszen, Karin L. Sandness, Lynae M. Beiningen, Elizabeth Miller, A. Mohammad Ghazi, Christiana E. Miewald, Sandra V. Barnum

Karl Reinhard Publications

Most scholars are understandably preoccupied with the impact of Europeans on native peoples who were passive, unwilling, or resistant participants in that contact. We present in this chapter a different case. The Missouri River tribes, including the Omaha and Ponca, willingly engaged in relations with Euramericans, especially in the fur trade that dominated interaction in this region. The time frame for this study is 1780- 1820, a period when interaction between individual traders and Native Americans was replaced by the dominance of the American Fur Company in organized exploitation of the Missouri River lands and peoples. This involvement later contributed …

Identification Of Tire Leachate Toxicants And A Risk Assessment Of Water Quality Effects Using Tire Reefs In Canals, S. M. Nelson, G. Mueller, D. C. Hemphill, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Cover is an important component of aquatic habitat and fisheries management. Fisheries biologists often try to improve habitats through the addition of natural and artificial material to improve cover diversity and complexity. Habitat-improvement programs range from submerging used Christmas trees to more complex programs using sophisticated artificial habitat modules. Used automobile tires have been employed in the large scale construction of reefs and fish attractors in marine environments and to a lesser extent in freshwater and have been recognized as a durable, inexpensive and long-lasting material which benefits fishery communities.

Recent studies by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation have quantified …

Terrapene Carolina Carolina, Joseph C. Mitchell, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

TERRAPENE CAROLINA CAROLINA (Eastern Box Turtle). REPRODUCTION. Female Terrapene carolina containing oviductal eggs have been recorded in Virginia from 26 May to 25 July (Mitchell, in press. The Reptiles of Virginia. Smithsonian Inst. Press, Washington, D.C.). Other reports of reproduction in Terrapene (see list in Ernst and McBreen 1991. Cat. Amer. Amphib. Rept. 512.1-512.13) indicate that nesting occurs in late spring and early summer throughout its range.

What Are Squirrels Hiding, Michael Steele, Peter D. Smallwood

Biology Faculty Publications

The half-eaten acorns of squirrels are clues to their complex relationship with oaks. The special relationship between squirrels and acorns is examined.

Introduction: One Hundred Years Of Natural History In Turkmenistan, Victor Fet

Biological Sciences Faculty Research

As part of the famous “Great Game” between the Russian and British Empires in Central Asia, Turkmenistan was the last colonial prize of the Russian tsars; its delineation from Afghanistan was completed only in the 1890s. The Russian Empire’s Transcaspian Region (Zakaspiiskaya Oblast) was roughly what Turkmenistan is today; its neighbors were the semi-independent emirate of Bokhara to the east and khanate of Khiva to the north, both remnants of medieval Muslim empires.

This book combines the results of basic scientific research in biogeography and ecology; its purpose is to give a fairly comprehensive account of the nature of Turkmenistan. …

The Role Of Nitrogen Availability, Hydroperiod And Litter Quality In Root Decomposition Along A Barrier Island Chronosequence, Christine Elizabeth Conn

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The decomposition of organic matter regulates carbon and nutrient flux between biotic and abiotic pools. Traditional research emphasizes above ground decomposition processes and, by inference, extends these findings to below ground systems. The study, conducted along a southeastern Atlantic Coast barrier island dune and swale chronosequence (Virginia Coast Reserve Long Term Ecological Research site), addressed how hydroperiod, litter quality and nitrogen availability influenced below ground root decay in response to gradients associated with site age and topographic position and in the context of a nitrogen limited ecosystem. Effects on rates of mass loss and nitrogen and phosphorus dynamics during decomposition …

Diversity Of Vascular Plants And Intensity Of Plant Collecting In Nebraska, Robert B. Kaul, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A computerized database of Nebraska's flora has been made from specimens in 20 herbaria. Almost 1,900 species of native and escaped-alien vascular plants have been collected in the state since the mid-1800s. The flora of some counties is very well known but that of many counties, especially southwestern and Sandhills counties, is poorly collected. More than 800 species (nearly 100% of the species that are likely to occur) have been collected from each of Cherry, Douglas, Lancaster, and Richardson counties, but fewer than 150 species are known from Fillmore and McPherson counties, less than 25% of the potential number species …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 25. No. 4. December 1993

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

FACTORS INFLUENCING DEER/VEHICLE MORTALITY IN EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. S. Gleason and J. A. Jenks

PRONGHORN SKULL FOUND ALONG EDGE OF HISTORIC EASTERN DISTRIBUTION IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ W. F. Jensen and R. W. Seabloom

SOREX MERRIAMI IN NEBRASKA ▪ P. W. Freeman, J. D. Druecker, and S. Tvrz

ARE DEER MICE A COMMON PREY OF COYOTES? ▪ G. A. Kaufman, D. E. Brillhart, and D. W. Kaufman

EFFECT OF PRAIRIE-FIRE ASH ON FOOD CHOICE BY DEER MICE AND HISPID COTTON RATS …

Xenopus Laevis As A Model Organism, David C. Cannatella, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Model organisms are often assumed to be representative of some more inclusive taxon of which the species is a part. This assumption leads to mistaken generalizations about the evolutionary and comparative significance of the data gathered. This paper reviews com? parative and evolutionary studies of Xenopus laevis and its relatives. Phylogenetic analysis of data from DNA sequences and morphology indicate that Xenopus is monophyletic and that Silurana is its sister group. The most basal lineages of Pipidae diverged prior to the breakup of Gondwana. The bizarre morphology of Xenopus is in part due to changes in the mode of meta? …

Proceedings Of The Charter Boat Management Workshop Held As Part Of The First National Fisheries Manager Conference Terrigal Nsw 21 September 1993, A. E. Magee

Fisheries Management Papers

General concern of all states was the actual AND potential impact of charter fishing on the resource and the inability to measure such impacts. The perceived problem with dual licensing was unregulated effort and the abilit to circumvent management controls. This paper provides current charter boat management arrangements in Australia, why they should be managed, types of charter vessels, Licensing, Management of recreational only charter vessels, Non-consumptive charters, Management guides and small scale charter operators, Commonwealth jurisdiction, Development of agreed strategies and Identification of future needs.