Digital Commons Network^™

Migratory Goose Arrival Time Plays A Larger Role In Influencing Forage Quality Than Advancing Springs In An Arctic Coastal Wetland, Karen H. Beard, Ryan T. Choi, A. Joshua Leffler, Lindsay G. Carlson, Katharine C. Kelsey, Joel A. Schmutz, Jeffrey M. Welker

Ecology Center Publications

With warmer springs, herbivores migrating to Arctic breeding grounds may experience phenological mismatches between their energy demands and the availability of high quality forage. Yet, how the timing of the start of the season and herbivore arrival influences forage quality is often unknown. In coastal western Alaska, approximately one million migratory geese arrive each spring to breed, where foliar %N and C:N ratios are linked to gosling survival and population growth. We conducted a three-year experiment where we manipulated the start of the growing season using warming chambers and grazing times using captive Pacific black brant (Branta bernicla nigricans) to …

The Accelerating Influence Of Humans On Mammalian Macroecological Patterns Over The Late Quaternary, Felisa A. Smith, Rosemary E. Elliott Smith, S. Kathleen Lyons, Jonathan L. Payne, Amelia Villaseñor

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The transition of hominins to a largely meat-based diet ~1.8 million years ago led to the exploitation of other mammals for food and resources. As hominins, particularly archaic and modern humans, became increasingly abundant and dispersed across the globe, a temporally and spatially transgressive extinction of large-bodied mammals followed; the degree of selectivity was unprecedented in the Cenozoic fossil record. Today, most remaining large-bodied mammal species are confined to Africa, where they coevolved with hominins. Here, using a comprehensive global dataset of mammal distribution, life history and ecology, we examine the consequences of “body size downgrading” of mammals over the …

Improving Risk Assessment Of The Emergence Of Novel Influenza A Viruses By Incorporating Environmental Surveillance, Kim M. Pepin, Matthew W. Hopken, Susan A. Shriner, Erica Spackman, Zaid Abdo, Colin Parrish, Steven Steven, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Reassortment is an evolutionary mechanism by which influenza A viruses (IAV) generate genetic novelty. Reassortment is an important driver of host jumps and is widespread according to retrospective surveillance studies.However, predicting the epidemiological risk of reassortant emergence in novel hosts from surveillance data remains challenging. IAV strains persist and cooccur in the environment, promoting co-infection during environmental transmission. These conditions offer opportunity to understand reassortant emergence in reservoir and spillover hosts. Specifically, environmental RNA could provide rich information for understanding the evolutionary ecology of segmented viruses, and transform our ability to quantify epidemiological risk to spillover hosts. However, significant challenges …

Comparison Of Skull Size In Sympatric And Allopatric Fishers (Martes Pennanti) And American Martens (Martes Americana), Matthew Brandt, Miranda Davis, Tom Harrington, Eric Schultz

EEB Articles

Interactions between two species with similar ranges may cause character displacement, especially if the two species are closely related. There is little research regarding character displacement between two related mammal species. American martens (Martes americana) and fishers (M. pennanti) are closely related and have some range overlap. I hypothesized that American martens would be smaller in size in locations where they are sympatric to fishers compared to allopatric locations. Also, I hypothesized that fishers would be larger in sympatric locations compared to their allopatric counterparts. To test these hypotheses, I compared the skull sizes of American …

An Endemic Species In A Protected Area: Euscorpius Carpathicus (L., 1767) In The Cozia National Park, Romania (Scorpiones: Euscorpiidae), Severus-Daniel Covaciu-Marcov, Sára Ferenţi

Euscorpius

In 2016-2018, we identified 48 distribution records of Euscorpius carpathicus in the Cozia National Park, from the Romanian Southern Carpathians. The Carpathian scorpion was found between 300 and 847 m a.s.l., in forested regions, being more numerous in the lower areas situated along the Olt River. E. carpathicus is a native species in the region; it populates natural areas with low human impact.

Sustainable Agriculture Lesson For Middle School Classrooms, Sara Colombe, Madhav P. Nepal, Jennifer Mclaughlin, Matthew L. Miller, Larry B. Browning, P. Troy White

iLEARN Teaching Resources

In this lesson, students will learn about sustainability, where farmers/agriculturists can meet the needs of food, fiber, and fuel for the growing population. Students learn about growing population, its growth rate, major food source, sustainability barrel, potential ripple effects of positive impacts as well as the food waste and its effects.

Weak Spatiotemporal Response Of Prey To Predation Risk In A Freely Interacting System, Jeremy J. Cusack, Michel T. Kohl, Matthew C. Metz, Tim Coulson, Daniel R. Stahler, Douglas W. Smith, Daniel R. Macnulty

Ecology Center Publications

1. The extent to which prey space use actively minimizes predation risk continues to ignite controversy. Methodological reasons that have hindered consensus include inconsistent measurements of predation risk, biased spatiotemporal scales at which responses are measured and lack of robust null expectations.

2. We addressed all three challenges in a comprehensive analysis of the spatiotemporal responses of adult female elk (Cervus elaphus) to the risk of predation by wolves (Canis lupus) during winter in northern Yellowstone, USA.

3. We quantified spatial overlap between the winter home ranges of GPS-collared elk and three measures of predation risk: …

Meta-Analysis Of Characteristics In Upper Missouri River Fishes: Prediction Of Invasiveness, Steph Purcell

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Invasive species are often considered a global threat due to their association with biodiversity loss and novel diseases. The Missouri-Mississippi River Watershed, including the Missouri River Basin, is particularly vulnerable to invasive species because of low species diversity following historic glaciation events. Management of invasive species is imperative in this watershed but continues to be challenging in that there are over 100 invasive species currently present in this region. The goal of this project is to identify characteristics associated with successful invasions that may assist in developing management strategies to reduce the negative outcomes caused by the establishment of invasive …

Effects Of Rangeland Management On Milkweed Grazing And Monarch Conservation, Brittany Poynor

UNO Student Research and Creative Activity Fair

Cattle typically avoid consuming milkweed plants that contain high levels of toxic defense compounds, and therefore many people assume cattle avoid all milkweeds. However, common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca) contains only moderate levels of toxic compounds, and observations suggest that cattle regularly consume common milkweed and may even preferentially graze flowers and leaves of this species. These observations directly relate to efforts to add over one billion stems of milkweed to the central USA for monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) conservation. If cattle intentionally consume common milkweed and other milkweed species, and if certain management practices can reduce …

Spot-On! Exploring Comprehension Of Ecological Concepts With Abstract Art Analogies, Jane Huggins

The Transdisciplinary STEAM+ Journal

Students enrolled in an online general studies course [GNM 2190: Extinct and Threatened Life] at Stockton University were presented with two different pieces of abstract art. They were asked to draw analogies from each piece of art to the ecological concepts studied in the course. Students provided written responses which were submitted as assignments in the learning management software, Blackboard [Bb]. This exercise was described as ‘open-ended’ by the instructor; no grading rubrics were used. Responses to each piece of art were collected from 47 students and were subsequently uploaded into Quirkosä software for qualitative analysis. Codes representing major concepts …

Emerging Themes From The Esa Symposium Entitled “Pollinator Nutrition: Lessons From Bees At Individual To Landscape Levels”, Vanessa Corby-Harris, Julia H. Bowsher, Morgan Carr-Markell, Mark J. Carroll, Mary Centrella, Steven C. Cook, Margaret Couvillon, Gloria Degrandi-Hoffman, Adam Dolezal, Julia C. Jones, Christina L. Mogren, Clint R. V. Otto, Pierre Lau, Juliana Rangel, Roger Schürch, Ashley St. Clair

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

Pollinator populations are declining (Biesmeijer et al., 2006; Brodschneider et al., 2018; Cameron et al., 2011; Goulson, Lye, & Darvill, 2008; Kulhanek et al., 2017; National Research Council, 2007; Oldroyd, 2007), and both anecdotal and experimental evidence suggest that limited access to high quality forage might play a role (Carvell, Meek, Pywell, Goulson, & Nowakowski, 2007; Deepa et al., 2017; Goulson, Nicholls, Botias, & Rotheray, 2015; Potts et al., 2003, 2010; Vanbergen & The Insect Pollinators Initiative, 2013; Vaudo, Tooker, Grozinger, & Patch, 2015; Woodard, 2017). Multiple researchers are earnestly addressing this topic in a diverse array of insect-pollinator systems. …

Salmonid Species Diversity Predicts Salmon Consumption By Terrestrial Wildlife, Christina N. Service, Andrew N. Bateman, Megan S. Adams, Kyle A. Artelle, Thomas E. Reimchen, Paul C. Paquet, Chris T. Darimont

Habitat and Trophic Ecology Collection

1. Resource waves—spatial variation in resource phenology that extends feeding opportunities for mobile consumers—can affect the behaviour and productivity of recipient populations. Interspecific diversity among Pacific salmon species (Oncorhynchus spp.) creates staggered spawning events across space and time, thereby prolonging availability to terrestrial wildlife.

2. We sought to understand how such variation might influence consumption by terrestrial predators compared with resource abundance and intra- and interspecific competition.

3. Using stable isotope analysis, we investigated how the proportion of salmon in the annual diet of male black bears (Ursus americanus; n = 405) varies with species diversity and density of spawning …

Gardening Resources, Center For Urban Resilience

Module 10: Garden Ecology

No abstract provided.

Nitrogen Demand Associated With Increased Biomass Yield Of Switchgrass And Big Bluestem: Implications For Future Breeding Strategies, Michael D. Casler, Dokyoung Lee, Robert B. Mitchell, Paul R. Adler, R. Mark Sule, Keith D. Johnso, Robert Kallenbach, Arvid A. Boe, Russell D. Mathison, Kim A. Cassida, Doohong Min, Kenneth J. Moore

Native Plant Focused Publications

Development of perennial biomass cropping systems is focused on maximizing biomass yield with minimum inputs, particularly nitrogen (N) fertilizer. Historical breeding efforts have focused on increasing biomass yield but have ignored N-use efficiency. The purpose of this study was to quantify the increased N demand associated with realized gains in biomass yield from big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii Vitman) and switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) breeding programs. Nitrogen demand was highly variable across locations and years, ranging from − 1.7 to + 6.8 kg N Mg−1 DM, with an average of 2.2 kg N Mg−1 DM. Increases in N demand were closely …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 87 March 2019 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU Annual Treasurer's Report for 2018, by Jan Johnson … 2

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2018 - Feb. 2019, by W. Ross Silcock …3

2018 - 2019 Christmas Bird Counts, by Don Paseka …15-16 & 25-38

Annual Color Photo Section …17-24

Subscription and Organization Information … 39

New State Record For Coniopteryx Tineiformis Curtis (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae), Lawrence Barringer

Insecta Mundi

Coniopteryx tineiformis Curtis (Neuroptera: Coniopterygidae) is reported from Pennsylvania for the first time, a new state record. The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture’s collection holdings were reviewed and four specimens from two counties were found. These records fill in a gap in this species’ reported range, despite no records of it from adjacent states.

2018-2019 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Eighteen counts were held during the 2018-19 Christmas Bird Count season. This is two more than were done last season, which was the first time that as many as sixteen counts were held. This year no counts were postponed or cancelled, and the Beaver Valley Count was revived after a four year hiatus. Twelve of the counts were done during the first week of the count period. While the conditions for these early counts were mild and dry, heavy precipitation in late fall coupled with an early onset of cold weather in the first part of December resulted in little …

Annual Color Photo Section (2019)

Nebraska Bird Review

LeConte's Sparrow, Little Salt Fork Marsh, Lancaster Co., 22 Oct. 2018. Photo by Ruth Stearns.

Harris's Sparrow and Whitecrowned Sparrow, Polk Co., 29 Oct. 2018. Photo by Jan Johnson.

Vesper Sparrow, Chimney Rock Road, Morrill Co., 18 Sept. 2017. Photo by Clem Klaphake.

Fox Sparrow, Mahoney State Park, Cass Co., 25 Feb 2019. Photo by Elizabeth Winter.

Adult Bald Eagle, Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Sarpy Co., 25 Jan. 2019. Photo by Mike Schilmoeller.

White-winged Dove, photographer's yard,Wahoo, Saunders Co., 19 May 2019. Photo by Joe Freeborn.

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk, midtown Omaha, Douglas Co,. 18 Aug. 2014. Photo by Craig Crews. …

Gender Differences In Peer Review Outcomes And Manuscript Impact At Six Journals Of Ecology And Evolution, Charles W. Fox, C. E. Timothy Paine

Entomology Faculty Publications

The productivity and performance of men is generally rated more highly than that of women in controlled experiments, suggesting conscious or unconscious gender biases in assessment. The degree to which editors and reviewers of scholarly journals exhibit gender biases that influence outcomes of the peer‐review process remains uncertain due to substantial variation among studies. We test whether gender predicts the outcomes of editorial and peer review for >23,000 research manuscripts submitted to six journals in ecology and evolution from 2010 to 2015. Papers with female and male first authors were equally likely to be sent for peer review. However, papers …

Coarse Particulate Organic Matter Dynamics In Ephemeral Tributaries Of A Central Appalachian Stream Network, Ken M. Fritz, Gregory J. Pond, Brent R. Johnson, Chris D. Barton

Forestry and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Headwater ephemeral tributaries are interfaces between uplands and downstream waters. Terrestrial coarse particulate organic matter (CPOM) is important in fueling aquatic ecosystems; however, the extent to which ephemeral tributaries are functionally connected to downstream waters through fluvial transport of CPOM has been little studied. Hydrology and deposition of leaf and wood, and surrogate transport (Ginkgo biloba leaves and wood dowels) were measured over month‐long intervals through the winter and spring seasons (6 months) in 10 ephemeral tributaries (1.3–5.4 ha) in eastern Kentucky. Leaf deposition and surrogate transport varied over time, reflecting the seasonality of litterfall and runoff. Leaf deposition …

An Interactive Application For Tracking The Movement Of The Limulus Polyphemus Throughout Long Island Sound (Lis), Ismael Youssef, Samah Senbel, Jennifer Mattei

Biology Faculty Publications

Poster presented at the Long Island Sound Research Conference held March 15, 2019 in Port Jefferson, New York.

Graduate Certificate In Natural Resources And The Environment, Joanna Burkhardt

Library Impact Statements

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Land Use On Greenhouse Gas Flux In Playa Wetlands And Associated Watersheds In The High Plains, Usa, Dale W. Daniel, Loren M. Smith, Scott T. Mcmurry, Brian A. Tangen, Charles F. Dahl, Ned H. Euliss Jr., Ted Lagrange

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

In the High Plains, U.S., native prairie conversion to cropland agriculture has resulted in a loss of service delivery capabilities from most depressional wet-lands as a result of sedimentation. Restoring historic hydrological conditions to affected wetlands may rejuvenate some services, however, there may be tradeoffs due to emissions of CH4 and N2O. We evaluated the influence of two predominant conservation programs (Wetlands Reserve Program, WRP and Conservation Reserve Program, CRP) on gas emissions (CO2, CH4, N2O) from 42 playas and uplands in the High Plains of Nebraska. Because playa restoration through the WRP is most prevalent in the Rainwater Basin …

A New Genus And Seven New Species Of Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae) From Central And South America, Eugenio H. Nearns, Francisco E. De L. Nascimento

Insecta Mundi

Thomsonista Nearns and Nascimento, a new genus of Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Lamiinae), is described and illustrated. Seven new species of Onciderini are described and illustrated: Hesychotypa antonkozlovi from Ecuador; Hesychotypa danilevskyi from Panama; Lingafelteria pandolfii from Brazil; Oncideres antonkozlovi and Oncideres erwini from Peru; Oncideres johnmarvini from Costa Rica and Panama; and Thomsonista antonkozlovi from Colombia.

Thomsonista Nearns y Nascimento, un nuevo género de Onciderini Thomson, 1860 (Coleoptera, Cerambycidae, Lamiinae), es descrito e ilustrado. Siete nuevas especies de Onciderini son descritas e ilustradas: Hesychotypa antonkozlovi de Ecuador; Hesychotypa danilevskyi de Panamá; Lingafelteria pandolfii de Brasil; Oncideres antonkozlovi y …

Notes On Some Parasitoids (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) Associated With Acanthococcus Lagerstroemiae (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) In The Republic Of Korea, Soo-Jung Suh

Insecta Mundi

A survey of the parasitoids associated with Acanthococcus lagerstroemiae (Kuwana) (Hemiptera: Eriococcidae) in the Republic of Korea in 2014 resulted in the documentation of one species of Aphelinidae, Marietta picta (Andre), and two species of Encyrtidae, Metaphycus eriococci (Timberlake) and Zaomma eriococci (Ferrière). Of these, M. eriococci and Z. eriococci are newly recorded from Korea. In addition, one species of encyrtid is newly recognized as a parasitoid associated with A. lagerstroemiae from Korea. In this paper, the list of parasitoid species of A. lagerstroemiae that occur in Korea is updated and a brief diagnosis and photographs of these species are …

New Species And Taxonomical Notes In Gorybia Pascoe, 1866 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae), James E. Wappes, Juan Pablo Botero, Antonio Santos-Silva

Insecta Mundi

Three new Gorybia Pascoe, 1866 (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae: Cerambycinae: Piezocerini), species from Bolivia are described: G. martinsi Wappes, Botero and Santos-Silva new species; G. galileoae Wappes, Botero and Santos-Silva, new species; and G. clarkeorum Wappes, Botero and Santos-Silva, new species. In addition, G. bispinosa Martins, Galileo and Limeira-de-Oliveira, 2009 is proposed as a synonym of G. castanea (Gounelle, 1909) and G. maculosa Martins, 1976 as a synonym of G. apatheia Martins, 1976.

A Revision Of The Aphodiini Genus Cnemargulus Semenov, 1903 (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae), Stefano Ziani

Insecta Mundi

The aphodiine genus Cnemargulus Semenov (Coleoptera: Scarabaeoidea: Scarabaeidae) is revised. Two species are recognized as belonging to the genus. A new synonymy (C. krulikovskyi Semenov vs C. pusio Semenov) is proposed. A new country record for Iran is given. Lastly, a key to species is provided.

A Review Of Orthochirus From Turkey, Iraq, And Iran (Khoozestan, Ilam, And Lorestan Provinces), With Descriptions Of Three New Species (Scorpiones: Buthidae), František Kovařík, Ersen Aydın Yağmur, Victor Fet, Fenik S. Hussen

Euscorpius

Three new species, Orthochirus fomichevi sp. n. from Turkey and Iraq, O. gantenbeini sp. n. from Iran (Khoozestan Province), and O. navidpouri sp. n. from Iran (Khoozestan and Lorestan Provinces) are described, compared with other Orthochirus species from the region, and fully illustrated with color photos. Lectotype of O. mesopotamicus Birula, 1918 stat. n. from Iran (Khoozestan Province) is designated. Emended diagnoses are given for O. iranus Kovařík, 2004, O. iraqus Kovařík, 2004, O. mesopotamicus Birula, 1918 stat. n., and O. zagrosensis Kovařík, 2004. A key and a distribution map are included.

Reply To: “Global Conservation Of Phylogenetic Diversity Captures More Than Just Functional Diversity”, Florent Mazel, Matthew W. Pennell, Marc W. Cadotte, Sandra Diaz, Giulio Valentino Dalla Riva, Richard Grenyer, Fabien Leprieur, Arne O. Mooers, David Mouillot, Caroline M. Tucker, William D. Pearse

Ecology Center Publications

Academic biologists have long advocated for conserving phylogenetic diversity (PD), often (but not exclusively) on the basis that PD is a useful proxy for “feature diversity”, defined as the variety of forms and functions represented in set of organisms (see below for an extended discussion of this definition). In a recent paper, we assess the extent to which this proxy (which we coined the “phylogenetic gambit”) holds in three empirical datasets (terrestrial mammals, birds, and tropical marine fishes) when using functional traits and functional diversity (FD) to operationalize feature diversity. Owen et al. offer a criticism of our methods for …

Trypanothacus Gen. N., A New Genus Of Burrowing Scorpion From The Arabian Peninsula (Scorpiones: Buthidae), Graeme Lowe, František Kovařík, Mark Stockmann, František Šťáhlavský

Euscorpius

We define a new fossorial buthid genus Trypanothacus gen. n., similar to Buthacus Birula, 1908, differing primarily in telson shape, with a bulbous vesicle and aculeus shorter than the vesicle, and in heavier dentition on metasomal segments II–III and IV. The new genus includes two species: T. barnesi sp. n. from Oman and T. buettikeri (Hendrixson, 2006) comb. n. from Saudi Arabia, the latter transferred from Buthacus. We provide detailed illustrations of both species from preserved materials, and in vivo habitus and natural habitat are shown for T. barnesi sp. n.. Information is also provided on ecology and captive rearing …