Digital Commons Network^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 14, No. 3. September 1982

The Prairie Naturalist

FECAL pH OF DESERT AND EASTERN COTTONTAIL RABBITS IN TEXAS ▪ R. J. Warren and K. T. Scribner

NESTING OF THE AMERICAN AVOCET IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ J. G. Sidle and P. M. Arnold

REVISED CHECKLIST OF NORTH DAKOTA BIRDS ▪ C. A. Fannes and R. E. Stewart

THE EFFECT OF WEATHER FACTORS ON AUDUBON CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS L. L. Falk

NOTES:

Additional Nest Record for Red-breasted Nuthatch in North Dakota ▪ R. Hopkins

A Henslow's Sparrow in North Dakota ▪ R. B. Renken and J. J. Dinsmore

First Documented Record of the Moose in South Dakota ▪ D. A. …

The Ecology Of The Mottled Sculpin, Cottus Bairdii, In The Clearwater River, Beltrami County, Minnesota, Mark A. Hanson

Biology Graduate Theses

No abstract provided.

An Analysis Of Howling Response Parameters Useful For Wolf Pack Censusing, Fred H. Harrington, L. David Mech

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

Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were studied from April 1972 through April 1974 in National Forest in northeastern Minnesota by radio-tracking and simulated howling. Based during 217 of 456 howling sessions, the following recommendations were derived for using howling as a census technique: (1) the best times of day are dusk and night; (2) July, August, and are the best months; (3) precipitation and winds greater than 12 km/hour should be avoided; (of 5 single howls should be used, alternating "flat" and "breaking" howls; (5) trials should 3 times at about 2-minute intervals with the first trial at lower …

The Effects Of Kepone On The Estuarine Copepod Acartia Tonsa, Judith Marie Wilson

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Due to the contamination of a 113 km reach of the James River, Kepone poses a serious environmental threat to the Chesapeake Bay. The purpose of the study is to determine the acutely toxic and sublethal levels of kepone for the copepod Acartia tonsa, and to investigate what effects those levels may have on filtration rates.

Kepone was determined to be acutely toxic to A. tonsa, with a 96 hour LC50 of 4.96 ug/1. Dunaliella tertiolecta was selected as the food source for the grazing experiments. Kepone concentrations of 0.046 ug/1 significantly (0.05 level) reduced the flltering rate …

Feeding Behavior Of Three Species Of Spionid Polychaetes, Thomas Lane Stokes Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Observations of feeding behavior of three species of spionid polychaetes (Paraprionospio pinnata, Polydora ligni, and Streblospio benedicti) were performed in currents ranging from 0 to 10 cm/sec over fine and coarse sediments and in high and low suspended particle loads. These interface feeders may suspension feed, deposit feed, or both simultaneously using a pair of anterior tentaculate feeding palps. P. ligni and S. benedicti were found to alter their palp behaviors in response to experimental manipulations. P. ligni reacted strongly to currents by suspension feeding with coiled palps. S. benedicti reacted strongly and complexly to food particle type and availability. …

Variation In Leaf Macronutrients Of Overstory Trees As Influenced By Species Season And Soil Type In The Great Dismal Swamp Of Virginia, Bruce J. Bandle

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Leaf macronutrient variation was studied in four plant communities in the Dismal Swamp of Virginia. composition differed markedly between these sites. Soils and species Eight important overstory trees were studied in August 1980; whereas red maple (Acer rubrum L.} and black gum (Nyssa sylvatica Marsh.}, which occurred on all four sites, were sampled seasonally. Significant differences (p .05) were found in the nutrient concentrations of the leaves between species, seasons, and sites. These differences may be attributed to inherent species characteristics, leaf expansion, nutrient translocation, and differences in soil organic matter content, pH, and degree of …

An Ecological Analysis Of Relic Diatoms In Sediments Of Las Vegas Bay, Lake Mead, David Ross Hetzel

Publications (WR)

Relic diatoms in sediments of the inner Las Vegas Bay, near the Las Vegas Wash sewage inflow, were examined in order to assess historic trophic conditions in this area of Lake Mead. Diatom sedimentation rates and ratios of Araphidineae/Centrales (A/C) diatom groups were determined from sediment cores collected in the old wash channel 1.5 km from the sewage inflow (station 2), in a small cove 1.5 km further downstream (station 3) and in an adjacent embayment off Gypsum Wash (station 4). Diatom sedimentation rates generally increased from the bottom to the top of each core, but pronounced minima existed at …

Determining The Uptake And Possible Assimilation Of The Plant Component Of Spartina Detritus By Palaemonetes Pugio Using A Rapid Radiolabeling Method, Michael Peter Crosby

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Assimilation of the plant components of Spartina alterniflora detritus by the grass shrimp, Palaemonetes pugio, was investigated in a laboratory feeding study. A new radiolabeling procedure was utilized to label the sterilized detritus with ¹⁴C. Organic carbon values were calculated for both S. alterniflora and P. pugio. The grass shrimp were found to assimilate significantly the detritus, with an assimilation efficiency of approximately 14%, and an approximate ingestion rate of 2.508 x l0^-4mg C detritus/mg C shrimp hour^-l occurred. It is hypothesized that coprophagous activity may be important to the completion of digestion of …

An Ecological Study Of The Troglobitic Cirolanid Isopod Antrolana Lira Bowman From Madisons Saltpetre Cave And Stegers Fissure, Augusta Co., Virginia, T. Lynn Collins

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

An ecological study of the troglobitic cirolanid isopod, Antrolana lira Bowman, was begun in August 1979 and continued through September 1980. The isopod is restricted to two phreatic lakes in Madisons Saltpetre Cave and one phreatic lake in nearby Stegers Fissure, Augusta Co., Virginia.

All three phreatic lakes were scuba dived and surveyed. No direct connections were found between the lakes. However, physical similarities suggest that the lakes are made up of the same body of phreatic water.

Random samples were taken monthly and seasonally from the east lake in Madisons Saltpetre Cave and the lake in Stegers Fissure. Specimens …

Parallel-Arm Maze Performance Of Sighted And Blind Rats: Spatial Memory And Maze Structure, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Sighted and peripherally blinded groups of rats learned to obtain a small reward from each arm of an eight-arm parallel maze, and a sighted group was similarly trained on a radial maze. The parallel-sighted and parallel-blind groups were equally slow, and much slower than the radial-sighted group, to attain criterion performance. The three groups shared several response characteristics: selectively avoiding the most recently entered arms, frequently choosing adjacent arms, and an absence of 'spatial generalization' among the arms. The findings support a simple model proposing how subjects identify and choose among the maze-arms.

U.S. Declares War On Coyotes

Close Up Reports

The coyote has long been perceived as a threat by ranchers who graze their sheep on U.S. public lands. At the ranchers' insistence, U.S. government employees are paid to shoot coyotes from helicopters and airplanes, ambush them in cruel steel-jaw leghold traps, and plant cyanide guns that explode in the coyotes' faces. The Humane Society of the United States is irrevocably opposed to the unabated, cruel, and unnecessary practice of killing animals in the name of "predator control." The resumed use of denning and the threat of reinstituting 1080 makes our--and your--actions even more urgent.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 14, No. 2. June 1982

The Prairie Naturalist

DISTRIBUTIONS, DENSITIES, AND RELATIVE ABUNDANCES OF GRASSHOPPERS (ORTHOPTERA: ACRIDIDAE) IN A NEBRASKA SAND HILLS PRAIRIE ▪ A. Joern

FLORA OF FOREST CLEARINGS CREATED BY LOGGING IN BELTRAMI COUNTY, MINNESOTA ▪ E. W. Devlin

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1981 ▪ R. N. Randall

RAPTOR USE OF HARDWOOD DRAWS IN CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ▪ R. C. Gaines and S. C. Kohn

NOTES ON DUCK NEST STRUCTURES ▪ J. G. Sidle and P. M. Arnold

EFFECT OF SOIL MOISTURE OR SOIL TEMPERATURE ON REPRODUCTION OF INDIGENOUS NEMATODE POPULATIONS IN A MIXED PRAIRIE ▪ J. D. Smolik

CORRECTION: Replacement for Table …

Distributions, Densities, And Relative Abundances Of Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) In A Nebraska Sandhills Prairie, Anthony Joern

Entomology Papers from Other Sources

Grasshoppers (Orthoptera: Acrididae) represent a conspicuous and often important component of grassland systems (Odum et al. 1962, Smalley 1960, Sinclair 1975, Van Hook 1971, Wiegert 1965). Often, assemblages of grasshoppers are quite diverse and may, on occasion, consume a large fraction of the available vegetation (Hewitt 1977, Hewitt et al. 1976, Mitchell and pfadt 1974). As such, grasshoppers have the potential of being very important in the nutrient and energy flow in grassland ecosystems. However, to understand the impact of grasshoppers at the ecosystem level requires that the densities and fluctuations of populations as well as the species composition of …

Preliminary Report Of Colony Survivorship In The Western Harvetser Ant (Pogonomyrmex Occidentalis) In Western Nebraska, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Colonies of Pogonomyrmex occidentalis Cresson (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) may live an average of 22 to 43 years. The population dynamics of individual colonies of P. occidentalis adjacent to the Univ. Nebraska's Cedar Point Biol. Sta., Keith Co., Nebraska, is the subject of an ongoing investigation. The habitat is a moderately grazed shortgrass prairie dominated by Bouteloua hirsuta, B. gracilis, and Buchloe dactyloides, with Stipa comata, Aristida spp., and various forbs. The colonies studied are in a triangular area about 400 m long and 100 m across at the widest point. The area appears to be at carrying …

Morphometric And Geographic Relationships Of Short-Tailed Shrews (Genus Blarina) In Kansas, Iowa, And Missouri, Nancy D. Moncrief, Jerry R. Choate, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Shrews of the genus Blarina from Iowa, Kansas, and Missouri were studied morphometrically and karyologically. The ranges of two species, B. brevicauda and B. hylophaga, overlap in a broad zone across southern Iowa and northern Missouri. Morphometric analyses revealed an unexpectedly large amount of cranial variation in B. brevicauda, and confirmed the presence of that species in the Kansas River Valley of northeastern Kansas. Considerable mensural overlap was found in geographic areas in which B. hylophaga and B. brevicauda are sympatric, evincing the need for further karyotypic and morphometric studies in those areas. No formal taxonomic changes are …

The Influence Of Winter Social Behavior On The Habitat Selection And Reproductive Success Of The Black-Billed Magpie, Kerry P. Reese

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

This study examined the influence of winter social behavior, particularly dominance relationships, on the subsequent nesting habitat selection and reproductive success of Black-billed Magpies (Pica pica hudsonia) on 2 areas in northern Utah. Hierarchical cluster analysis ordinated the habitats available to breeding birds and Chi-square and Bonferoni-z statistics were used to determine those habitat types the magpies seemed to prefer. Social status was determined by observing color-banded birds engaged in agonistic encounters at winter bait stations. Social dominance was evaluated by % dyads won, not by total % victories. Relationships between winter social status of magpies and their …

Muskrat Population Levels And Vegetation Utilization: A Basis For An Index, Thomas R. Mccabe

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Muskrats (Ondatra zibethicus) are associated with marshlands throughout North America. Their impact on marsh vegetation is well documented. In recent years, research pertaining to marsh ecosystems has emphasized the role of interspersion of marsh vegetation to higher faunal diversity and productivity. Muskrats can provide a natural control of aquatic emergents if managed properly. Experimentation at Fish Springs National Wildlife Refuge, Utah, has attempted to ascertain whether vegetation-utilization index could be used for determining muskrat population levels and to evaluate the impact of muskrats on their primary food resource, Olney's bulrush (Scirpus americanus).

Three known populations of …

Influence Of Photosynthetic Photon Flux Density On Uv-Binduced Photoinhibition In Soybean Leaves: Comparison Of Preconditioning And Concomitant Light Treatments, Charles W. Warner

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Previous studies indicate that the degree of UV-Binduced photosynthetic inhibition may be highly dependent upon the photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD, total quantum flux in the waveband 400-700 nm) incident on a plant. This study illustrates that Essex soybean leaves (Glycine max) preconditioned under high PPFD suffered less UV-B-induced photoinhibition than when preconditioned under low PPFD. However, sensitivity to UV-B increased when soybean leaves received high-PPFD as a concomitant treatment.

The relative msgnitude of UV-B-induced damage was similar for both light-limited and light-saturated photosynthesis. This probably indicates that UV-B is inhibiting fundamentally different photosynthetic processes.

Soybean leaves preconditioned …

Efficacy Of Denning In Alleviating Coyote Depredations Upon Domestic Sheep, James A. Till

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Bands of domestic sheep lambing on the open range in south central Wyoming were monitored for predator losses prior to and following coyote (Canis latrans) removals. Experimental treatments, including 1) no removal (control), 2) removal of 2 adults and their pups, and 3) removal of pups only, were replicated 15 times each. Number of predation incidents (events) was reduced 98.2% by removing adults and pups. The number of sheep killed was reduced by 98.8%. Removing only litters of pups resulted in a decrease of 87.7% total kills decreased 91.6%. in predation incidents, while Overall, 23 of 30 predation …

Estimation Of Harvest Rate Of Black Bears From Age And Sex Data, David Fraser, James F. Gardner, George B. Kolenosky, Stewart Strathearn

Wildlife Population Management Collection

No abstract provided.

Food Habits And Ecology Of Beavers In Southeastern Virginia, John Lennox Echternach Jr.

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The food habits and ecology of three beaver colonies in James County, Virginia were studied. Vegetation surrounding the colonies was characterized as southern mixed hardwood forest or lowland swamp forest. Stream flow values ranged from 0.013 to 0.369 m³/sec. Water depth ranged from 0.5 60 4.0 m. Caloric value of 13 heavily used woody species ranged from 3305 to 6204 cal/g. Considerable seasonal variation was noted in most species with the lowest caloric values noted in summer. No relationship was found between caloric value and frequency of use. Fresh cutting was monitored on a weekly basis and a …

A Structural Analysis Of Phytoplankton In The Chesapeake Bay Plume And Adjacent Shelf Waters, Charles K. Rutledge

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Community structures of phytoplankton populations from the southern portion of the Chesapeake Bight were examined and associated to real and environmental spaces. The sampling design was specifically intended to examine the small scale three dimensional structure of the Chesapeake Bay plume as characterized by its phytoplankton populations. The phytoplankton were sampled at 101 stations, non-synoptically, over a five day period in mid-June, 1980.

Several multivariate numerical techniques were used to determine the relationships between the phytoplankton species distributions and pattern the low salinity plume distribution. A pattern of distribution which approximated the salinity plume resulted from several clustering procedures. Environmental …

A Remarkable New Species Of Salamander Allied To Bolitoglossa Altamazonica (Plethodontidae) From Southern Peru, David B. Wake, Arden H. Brame, Jr., Richard Thomas

Occasional Papers of the Museum of Natural Science, Louisiana State University

No abstract provided.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 14, No. 1. March 1982

The Prairie Naturalist

LEGUME DISTRIBUTION AND NODULATION IN ARAPAHO PRAIRIE, ARTHUR COUNTY, NEBRASKA ▪ L. A. Kapustka and J. D. DuBois

BREEDING BIRDS IN TWO DRY WETLANDS IN EASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ D. E. Hubbard

RELATIVE EFFICIENCY OF THREE SMALL-MAMMAL TRAPS IN PRAIRIE WETLANDS G. W. Pendleton and R. P. Davison

WHITE PELICAN POPULATIONS AT CHASE LAKE, NORTH DAKOTA, EVALUATED BY AERIAL PHOTOGRAPHY ▪ J. G. Sidle and E. L. Ferguson

MOSQUITOES (DIPTERA:CULICIDAE) CONSUMED BY BREEDING ANATINAE IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ▪ M. I. Meyer and G. W. Swanson

BOOK REVIEWS:

Peterson's revised field guide ▪ J. M. Andrew

Midwestern turtles ▪ …

Predation By Wild Coyotes: Behavioral And Ecological Analyses, Michael C. Wells, Marc Bekoff

Ethology Collection

Predatory behavior of coyotes (Canis latrans) was studied between 1977 and 1980 in the Grand Teton National Park, Jackson, Wyoming. Major prey were voles (Microtus spp.), Uinta ground squirrels (Spermophilus armatus), pocket gophers (Thomomys talpoides), and grasshoppers (Locustidae). Coyotes typically rushed and ran down squirrels; when hunting mice, coyotes pounced and stabbed at them with their forepaws. Sequence structure was similar, though sequences directed to squirrels were significantly more variable. When juvenile coyotes hunted mice, sequences were similar to those performed by adults that hunted mice. Adults and juveniles were about equally successful. The size of prey last eaten influenced …

The Suriname Small Mammal Survey: A Case Study Of The Cooperation Between Research And National Conservation Needs, Hugh H. Genoways, Henry A. Reichart, Stephen L. Williams

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

A cooperative program between the Foundation for Nature Preservation in Suriname and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History to survey the small mammals of Suriname is reviewed. The program has proven to be mutually beneficial and it is presented as a model for development of similar programs in the future. The technical assistance requested by the Foundation for Nature Preservation in Suriname concerned the distribution and natural history of small mammals, especially those occurring in the Nature Parks and Reserves. The Government of Suriname has established an excellent system of Reserves and Parks throughout the country. They are trying to …

Band Pattern In Helix Aspersa: Variation, Selection And Microgeographic Distribution, John. Elliott

Theses Digitization Project

No abstract provided.

Aquatic Macroinvertebrates Of Three Acid Bogs On Crowley's Ridge In Northeast Arkansas, Jerry L. Farris, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

Qualities and quantities of parameters composing the bog systems in Northeast Arkansas are not entirely reflective of those defining bogs of the northern United States. While pH is restricting to the organisms of each bog studied (4.8-6.9), the major limiting factor is the amount of available water. Three acidophilic bogs with shallow water depths (2-30 cm) yielded a total of 75 aquatic macroinvertebrate taxa. The bog with greatest surface area supported 67 taxa and a mean numerical standing crop of 14 organisms/2 hr sampling period. The bog with the smallest surface area had 13 taxa and a mean standing crop …

Experiences In The Protection Of The Large Predators In Finland, Erkki Pulliainen

Ecology Collection

During the nineteenth century, the large predators of Finland- wolf, bear, lynx, and wolverine- were exterminated in the southern and western regions of the country. There were almost no lynx by the late 1950s, but a protection order issued in 1968 has resulted in a steady increase in their number, to about 300 by 1980. There was a breeding population of wolverines until the late 1960s, but in the 1970s, most were killed by snowmobiles, and only 10-30 are now thought to inhabit the frontiers between Finland and the USSR, and Finland and Norway. Bears, in the 1970s, tended to …

Striving For Common Ground: Humane And Scientific Considerations In Contemporary Wildlife Management, Stephen R. Kellert

Nature Collection

Although there is a diversity of opinion about how to view the relationship between humans and wildlife, recent political pressures from the current administration make it mandatory that these diverse groups coalesce to use their combined leverage to halt the planned incursions into the remaining habitats of wildlife. It is also important to begin to see nature as a complex and interrelated whole, and to respect the integrity of that whole, rather than simply select individual species for affection and protection.