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A Report On Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs In Nebraska, Their Biology, Behavior, Ecology, Management, And Responses To A Visual Barrier Fence, Nancy S. Foster

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

I examined the effects of a visual barrier fence, which had a see-through visibility of 600/0, on the foraging, vigilance, and aggressive behaviors of adult female black-tailed prairie dogs from June through August 1990 in central Nebraska. I also examined changes in their home ranges and use of an area in response to this fence. Prairie dogs prefer an open view of their surroundings. Therefore, I expected animals near a visual barrier to spend more time in vigilance and aggression, and less time foraging. Adult female prairie dogs exposed to the visual barrier devoted more time to foraging and less …

Polymorphism Of Eimerian Oocysts Can Be A Problem In Naturally Infected Hosts: An Example From Subterranean Rodents In Bolivia, Scott Lyell Gardner, Donald W. Duszynski

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Since 1986, 364 tuco-tucos (Ctenomys spp.) representing 7 species were collected from 16 major collecting areas representing at least 4 distinct ecological habitats in Bolivia, South America. All were examined for coccidia, and 125 (34%) had oocysts in their feces including 84 of 236 (36%) Ctenomys boliviensis from tropical palm/savanna habitats; 1 of 3 (33%) C. conoveri from a chaco thorn forest; 3 of 7 (33%) C. frater from medium altitude grass habitats; and 6 of 8 (75%) C. lewisi and 31 of 35 (88%) C. opimus from high altitude/puna habitats. None of 3 C. …

Lake Mead Nutrient Enhancement Project, Peter D. Vaux, Larry J. Paulson, Nevada Department Of Wildlife, National Oceanic And Atmospheric Administration

Publications (WR)

The Lake Mead Fertilization Project is a research program designed to investigate the potential for using large-scale artificial fertilization to enhance the game fisheries of this reservoir through an increase in the population of threadfin shad, the system's primary forage species. A substantial decline in the population of largemouth bass, together with poor condition of adult striped bass, are the two major issues affecting the Lake Mead game fisheries. Both issues have been hypothesized to be a result of an inadequate amount of forage in the reservoir. Previous studies have in turn suggested that a major factor limiting the shad …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 22, No. 4. December 1990

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

DISTRIBUTION AND STATUS OF GREATER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS IN COLORADO ▪ B. F. Van Sant and C. E. Braun

IMPORTANCE OF AN OLD, MULTIPLE-USE RESERVOIR TO MIGRATING AND WINTERING DABBLING DUCKS ▪ D. M. Leslie, Jr. , and W. J. Stancill

SIMILARITY OF MALLARD NESTING ON A SOUTH DAKOTA ISLAND BETWEEN 1967-68 and 1985-87 ▪ S. G. Simpson and D. Limmer

BOBCAT HABITAT USE IN SOUTHEASTERN MONTANA DURING PERIODS OF HIGH AND LOW LAGOMORPH ABUNDANCE ▪ B. J. Giddings, G. L. Risdahl, and L. R. Irby …

Freshwater Aquaculture In Western Australia., Fisheries Department Of Western Australia

Fisheries Management Papers

Freshwater aquaculture in Western Australia is a relatively new industry. The first serious attempts began in 1975 after the Government relaxed the regulations on marron to allow for its farming and sale (at the legal minimum size of 17 mm carapace length). Since 1975, marron have been the focus of most attempts at aquaculture although in recent years trout, yabbies, freshwater aquarium fish and a number of other fish species have received greater attention. In 1984 the Minister for Fisheries established the Fish Farming Legislative Review Committee to review and make recommendations on the fish farming provisions of the Fisheries …

Future Policy For Charter Fishing Operations In Western Australia., P. Millington

Fisheries Management Papers

About 40 boats in Western Australia gain some of their income from taking recreational fishing parties out on charter. Half of these charter boats are also licensed commercial fishing boats. There are few Fisheries Department controls over charter boat fishing at present. However, with increasing tourism and leisure time, there are sound reasons for the Minister for fisheries to tighten up the controls over charter boat fishing to prevent over-exploitation in some areas or on particular stocks.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 22, No. 3. September 1990

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

ASSEMBLAGES OF SMALL FISH IN THREE HABITAT TYPES ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA ▪ D. T. O'Shea, W. A. Hubert, and S. H. Anderson

SPAWNING HABITAT OF CHANNEL CATFISH IN THE POWDER RIVER SYSTEM, WYOMING-MONTANA D. R. Gerhardt and W. A. Hubert

OCCURRENCE OF AMERICAN WHITE PELICANS ALONG THE PLATTE RIVER, NEBRASKA ▪ J. G. Sidle, C. A. Faanes, and W. G. Jobman

DIET OF CANVASBACKS DURING BREEDING ▪ J. E. Austin, J. R. Serie, and J. H. Noyes

BROOD HABITAT USE OF RIO …

Innocent As Doves, But Not Wise As Serpents: Nineteenth Century Evangelicals And Evolution, Kenneth W. Hermann

Pro Rege

This article was originally presented at a faculty symposium at Dordt College, chaired by the former editor of Pro Rege, Russell Maatman, in February 1990.

Evangelicals And Evolution: Retrospect And Prospect, David N. Livingstone

Pro Rege

This article was originally presented at a faculty symposium at Dordt College, chaired by the former editor of Pro Rege, Russell Maatman, in February 1990.

Highway Deicing Salts And The Mobilization Of Selected Heavy Metals From Stream Sediments, Harlie David Cole

Dissertations

This study was undertaken to: (a) determine the effect of sodium chloride concentration on mobilizing cadmium, copper, lead, nickel, and zinc from stream sediments; (b) determine if chloro-metal complexes may play a role in any such mobilization; and (c) determine the correlations between chloride ion and each of these metals in an urban stream during winter road-salting periods.

The drainage basin of the Red Run, an urban stream draining all or parts of several cities north of Detroit, Michigan, was chosen as a study site. Stream sediments containing the five heavy metals were stirred with sodium chloride or sodium nitrate …

Phytoplankton In Lake Drummond And Two Drainage Ditches In The Great Dismal Swamp, Virginia, Christine Gregory Phillips

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A twelve month study was conducted on the phytoplankton of Lake Drummond and Washington and Jericho Ditches from December 1988 to November 1989. Surface water samples were collected for nutrient and chlorophyll analysis from June 1989 to November 1989. The dominant phytoplankton component was the pico-nanoplankton (< 3 micron) category. A total of 57 species were identified from Lake Drummond, 51 species from Washington Ditch, and 31 species from the Jericho Ditch. Three major phytoplankton groups were identified at these sites: bacillariophyceans, cyanophyceans and cryptophyceans. The dominant species was the diatom Asterionella formosa. Nutrient and chlorophyll concentrations increased from summer to fall. Based on nutrient and chlorophyll g concentrations and species diversity indices, Lake Drummond is classified as eutrophic.

Small Mammals In The Great Dismal Swamp Of Virginia And North Carolina, Robert K. Rose, Roger K. Everton, Jean F. Stankavich

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Small" mammals were surveyed in a range of habitats in the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina. The survey is based on three chronologically overlapping studies, each lasting 15-18 months and for which the results have been reported separately. A different trapping method was used in each of the three studies: nest boxes, Fitch live traps, or pitfall traps. Only two species of mammals, both arboreal, were taken in nest boxes, compared with 10 and 9 species in Fitch live traps and pitfall traps, respectively. The Fitch live traps had a much higher catch rate per 1,000 trap-nights …

Reproduction In The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon-Hispidus Say And Ord (Rodentia: Muridae), In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose, Michael H. Mitchell

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus Say and Ord, a species of the southwestern United States that has been moving northward and eastward in this century, was first observed in Virginia in 1940. In this study of the cotton rat in southeastern Virginia, most males were reproductively competent from February through November, embryos were recorded from March through October, and litter sizes were comparable to those from other locations except Kansas. Also unlike the cotton rat in Kansas, animals grew at substantial rates during the winter in Virginia. The hispid cotton rat seems to have adjusted its breeding season in …

An Autecological Study Of Pyxidanthera Barbulata In The Blackwater Ecologic Preserve Virginia, John Marc Lowenthal

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Pyxidanthera barbulata (pyxie moss), a rare and endangered subshrub, has been found in decreasing numbers in it's "pine barren" habitat. An autecological study encompassing vegetation association analysis and environmental measurements was performed in the Blackwater Ecologic Preserve, its only known location in Virginia. The preserve is being subjected to controlled burning and the effect of burning on the species was evaluated. A multivariate analysis of variance was performed to identify species associations, and simple analysis of variance was done to find trends in the environmental data. Four taxa were positively associated with P. barbulata, Gaultheria procumbens, Vaccinium tenellum, Cladonia spp., …

Seasonal And Diel Patterns Of Abundance And Productivity Of Phototrophic Picoplankton In The Lower Chesapeake Bay, Lewis Francis Affronti Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

This study was performed to evaluate phototrophic pico-plankton (0.2 to 2.0 μm) dynamics within the lower Chesapeake Bay. A 15 month study of phototrophic picoplankton abundance and productivity was made from June 1988 to October 1989. Annual picoplankton abundance using epifluorescence microscopy ranged from 7.26 x 10⁶ cells/1 in the winter to 9.28 x 10⁸ cells/1 during late summer.

In situ incubations of natural picoplankton populations over the 15 month study were used to test the applicability of the frequency of dividing cells technique in estimating phototrophic picoplankton growth rates. The regression equation o fμ = 2.37 x …

Description Of The Tadpoles Of Gastrophryne Pictiventris And Nelsonophryne Aterrima (Anura: Microhylidae), With A Review Of Morphological Variation In Free-Swimming Microhylid Larvae, Maureen A. Donnelly, Rafael O. De Sá, Craig Guyer

Biology Faculty Publications

The tadpoles of Gastrophryne pictiventris and Nelsonophryne aterrima are described based on material collected in Costa Rica and Panama, respectively. The tadpole of G. pictiventris resembles those of the other species of Gastrophryne. The tadpole of N. aterrima differs from other New World microhylid tadpoles in location of the vent tube (medial), the spiracular opening (ventral to the gut), and eyes (dorsolateral). The unique configuration of mouthparts in N. aterrima is described. Morphological variation in microhylid tadpoles is reviewed and six larval characters are analyzed cladistically for IO New World microhylid genera.

Fisheries Research Report No. 89 - Relationships Among Partial And Whole Lengths And Weights For Western Australian Pink Snapper Chrysophrys Auratus (Sparidae), M. J. Moran, C. Burton

Fisheries Research Reports

Pink snapper, Chrysophrysauratus (Sparidae) is one of the major commercial and recreational fish in Western Australian inshore waters. This report presents a number of equations and conversion factors for management and scientific study of the species. Equations to calculate total lengths from partial lengths will facilitate enforcement of minimum legal lengths when snapper are landed in a "head-off" condition. For fisheries science purposes, there are equations to convert among total length, standard length and length to caudal fork; and to convert lengths and weights of processed fish to whole lengths and weights. Length-weight relationships are presented and compared with those …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 22, No. 2. June 1990

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

BREEDING BIOLOGY OF THE BLACK-TAILED PRAIRIE DOG IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. W. Seabloom and P. W. Theisen

PATTERNS OF RESOURCE USE IN A LIZZARD COMMUNITY IN THE NEBRASKA SAND HILLS PRAIRIE ▪ R. E. Ballinger, S. M. Jones, and J. W. Nietfeldt

A THIRTEEN-YEAR SURVEY OF THE APHIDOPHAGOUS INSECTS OF ALFALFA ▪ N. C. Elliott and R. W. Kieckhefer

STATUS AND DISTRIBUTION OF PLAINS SHARP-TAILED GROUSE IN COLORADO ▪ A. W. Hoag and C. E. Braun

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - …

Historic Trends In The Distribution And Populations Of Estuarine Marsh Birds Of The Connecticut River, Robert J. Craig

Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station

No abstract provided.

Enhancement And Monitoring Of The Procambarus Clarkii Population In Lake Mead, Mikell Beth Hager

Publications (WR)

Procambarus clarkii are found in extremely low numbers throughout Lake Mead, AZ-NV. The crayfish are an important dietary component for game fish. Enhancement of the crayfish population would broaden the fishery forage base. Crayfish were stocked and monitored in a study cove on Saddle Island to determine if the Procambarus clarkii population could be enhanced. A trapping survey of the area after the following reproductive season yielded low numbers of crayfish. A comparison of pre-stocking and post-stocking catch per trap day (CPTD) values revealed no significant increase in the population. Procambarus clarkii growth is limited by environmental factors in Lake …

Comparative Foraging Ecology Of Sheep And Goats In Caatinga Woodland In Northeastern Brazil, Scott L. Kronberg

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Small-ruminant production is an important part of the agricultural economy of northeastern Brazil. However, mild-to-severe undernutrition of livestock is an annual occurrence. Goats can tolerate the marginal forage conditions better than sheep, but the mechanisms underlying their superior tolerance are not understood.

An analysis of animal liveweights at the end of the year-long study indicated that reproducing mixed-race goats gained nearly twice (P<.05) the weight of reproducing hair-sheep of the Santa Ynez breed, and non-reproducing goats gained about 1.2 times more (P<.05) weight than non-reproducing sheep. Daily weight gains of lambs were less (P<.10) than those of kids for their first 80 days of life.

In the wet season, reproducing sheep and goats gained similar (P>.05) weight, while non-reproducing sheep gained more (P≤.05) than non-reproducing goats. Non-reproducing goats had greater (P<.05) forage organic matter intake (OMI) than the corresponding sheep in the two wet periods. In the late-wet period, non-reproducing goats had greater (P<.05) digestible energy intake (DEI) than corresponding sheep did but had similar (P>.05) digestible protein intake (DPI) as sheep.

In the dry …

Yellowstone's Northern Elk Herd: Critical Evaluation Of The "Natural Regulation" Paradigm., Charles Edward Kay

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Prior to 1968, the National Park Service contended that an unnaturally large population of elk had severely damaged Yellowstone Park's northern winter range, including aspen and willow communities. However, under "natural regulation" management adopted in the earl y 1970s the agency now believes that vegetation changes in the park are due to normal plant succession, climatic change, or fire suppression, not ungulates. The agency also believes that large numbers of elk (12, 000 - 15, 000) have wintered on the park's northern range for the last several thousand years. This study tested several of the major assumptions or predictions of …

The Effects Of Disease, Prey Fluctuation, And Clear-Cutting On American Marten In Newfoundland, Canada, Richard J. Fredrickson

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Individual variation in survival and behavior of American marten (Martes americana) was studied in relation to disease, prey fluctuation, and clear-cutting from 10 January 1986 through 20 August 1987 in Newfoundland, Canada. Thirty-seven of forty marten captured on the study area were telemetered and monitored for part or all of the study.

Marten mortality was concentrated in two intervals, fall 1986 and late winter 1987. Mortality during fall 1986 was attributable to encephalitis, while marten deaths during late winter 1987 resulted from predation and starvation attributable to the prey decline. Nonsuppurative encephalitis was first detected 7 October 1986; …

A Descriptive Study Of Range Livestock Operations In The Somali Central Rangelands, Abdinasir M. Abdulle

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Information on livestock operations, particularly what kind of livestock operations are practiced in the Somali central rangelands, and how these operations differ for different herders in different vegetation types and farming systems, could serve as a major tool in making management decisions. This study provides a detailed description of range livestock operations in the Somali Central Rangelands. It also answers some important management questions.

Range livestock operations were inventoried through personal interviews with the owners and herders. Data are supplemented by previous nation-wide and regional survey statistics. Herd productivity data which include herd structures, age, age-related sales, slaughters, gifts, and …

Forest Canopies: Form And Functional Relationships, Steven B. Jack

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Forest canopy structure is strongly influenced by stand density due to changing competitive interactions among the individual trees and in turn directly influences stemwood volume production. The structure and dynamics of forest canopies, particularly in relation to the production of stemwood, were examined in unmanaged, even-aged stands of two dissimilar tree species, Pinus contorta var. latifolia Engelm. and Abies lasiocarpa (Hook.) Nutt. The analysis of structure-production relationships was guided by a conceptual model which generated hypotheses and led to examination of assumptions incorporated in the model.

Mean crown dimensions were related to stand density through a negative exponential function for …

The Effect Of Seasonal Cattle Grazing On California Bighorn Sheep Habitat Use, Melanie J. Steinkamp

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The effect of seasonal cattle grazing on a newly reintroduced population of California bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis californiana) in Big Cottonwood Canyon, Idaho, was studied. The hypothesis that bighorn sheep avoid cattle was tested. The issue of avoidance between bighorn sheep and livestock is arguable. Some studies have found that bighorn sheep avoid cattle while others have found no response of bighorn sheep to cattle.

Evidence was found to document the avoidance of cattle by bighorn sheep. The size of the bighorn's home range and core area decreased with the movement of cattle into areas of high bighorn …

Reproductive Ecology Of Wyoming Big Sagebrush (Artemisia Tridentata Ssp. Wyomingensis) : Effects Of Herbivory And Competition, Richard T. Decker

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Herbivory and plant competition affect sexual reproduction of plants in various ways. Exclusion of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) and cattle, removal of plant competition (both inter- and intraspecific), and all combinations of the above treatments were used to examine the individual and combined affects on Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis (Wyoming big sagebrush) reproduction. Reproduction of Artemisia tridentata ssp. wyomingensis was divided into hierarchical levels of the number of: (1) modules per current-year ' s growth (CYG), (2) nodes per module, (3) inflorescence heads per node, (4) achenes per inflorescence head and (5) percent viable achenes. Counts at hierarchical …

Plant Morphology And Herbivory: Review Of M.J.A. Werger Et Al., Eds., Plant Form And Vegetation Structure: Adaptation, Plasticity And Relation To Herbivory, Svata M. Louda

Svata M. Louda Publications

This edited volume contains 26 contributed papers presented at the International Symposium on Vegetation Structure in Utrecht 14-18 July 1987. The editors organize the papers into three broadly related areas: (1) morphological plasticity of plant growth form in response to environmental variation, (2) morphological and ecological aspects of dry matter partitioning, and (3) herbivory in plant growth and plant community structure. All of the papers take a functional view of plant growth form and vegetation architectural structure, to one extent or another. The papers are uneven; stated objectives, scope of the subject matter covered, and degree of conceptualization vary substantially …

An Analysis Of External Features As Predictors Of Reproductive Status In Small Mammals, Kenneth Wayne Mccravy

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Reproductive status in specimens of nine populations of seven species of small mammals was evaluated by examining the external reproductive features of nipple size, condition of the pubic symphysis, and vaginal condition and, in males, testis position. Usefulness of these external features in predicting true monthly breeding rates was evaluated by comparing predictions of breeding rates with true rates based on necropsy. Accuracy of predictions of reproductive status of individuals based on single external features and combinations of external features and body measurements was then analyzed at a finer level by comparing those predictions with results of necropsy of the …

The Development Of A Policy For The Management Of Dingo Populations In South Australia, R. J. Downward, J. E. Bromell

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 14th (1990)

Competing concerns between conservation and sheep-growing interests in South Australia over problems associated with the naturalized dog,Canis familiaris dingo, prompted the development of a policy for the management of this subspecies. The background to the development of this policy is outlined. The policy provides for a compromise between the need to protect the livestock industry while ensuring the continued survival of the dingo as a wildlife species.