Digital Commons Network^™

Fire And Road Disturbance Impacts On Forest Plant Species And Seed Rain In Table Mountain Fire Arai, Kittitas County, Washington, Jonathan A. Betz

All Master's Theses

Forest communities are in a constant state of change. Disturbance events can alter the physical landscape and create conditions favorable to some species while negatively impacting others. Fire has been a natural, reoccurring source of disturbance in Pacific Northwest forests. Over the past centuries the fire paradigm has changed in favor of fire suppression. Forest roads permit access provide greater access but further fracture forest community’s continuity. The 2012 Table Mountain Fire and road influence have altered the plant community’s seed rain and vegetation. This study measured dispersed seeds and understory vegetation cover as functions of roads and fire intensity. …

Changes In Walleye Fecundity And Egg Size Before, During, And After Rehabilitation Of The Red Lakes Fishery, Benjamin J. Miller, Benjamin D. Erb

Journal of Earth and Life Science

The Red Lakes in northern Minnesota experienced a major Walleye Sander vitreus fishery crash in the late 20th century, but has since recovered to record abundances and supports a major commercial and recreational fishery. Fecundity is an integral aspect of recruitment that can contribute greatly to the understanding of fishery population dynamics. To elucidate the effects of varying Walleye densities and exploitation rates on fecundity and egg size in years 1989 (overexploited fishery), 2004 (recovering fishery), and 2017 (recovered fishery), we analyzed linear models that related fecundity or egg size to morphological features for these three sampling periods. Walleyes were …

Goldeye Hidon Alosoides Calorimetry In Red Lake, Jesse Mendel

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Goldeye Hiodon alosoides are found across North America and are a relatively unstudied group of fish as they have had no economic value in the past. Ecologically speaking, these fish could have importance to the waters that they inhabit, as they are prey to fishes like Walleyes Sander vitreus, Northern Pike Esox lucius, and Muskellunge Esox masquinongy. These fish could potentially be vital to predatory fishes because of the amount of oil found in these fish, creating gram for gram more energy than compared to other consumable substances. The average energy density for all Goldeye was 6.73 …

Examining Black Bullhead Ameiurus Melas Age And Growth In Shallow Minnesota Lakes, Michael S. Collins, Anna M. Medina

Journal of Earth and Life Science

Ageing methods, population age structures, and growth trajectories for Black Bullhead Ameiurus melas were evaluated for six populations from shallow lakes divided between two ecoregions in Minnesota, USA. A total of 693 fish were collected in July and August 2018 and measured for total lengths (TL) and weights (g). We collected ageing structures from 320 of these fish. Crosssections of lapillar otoliths (n=191) and pectoral spine structures (n=75) were used to estimate age by two readers in a blind reading procedure. Fish caught ranged in total lengths from ~40 to 350 mm and weighed between 8 and 380 g. Black …

Cause‐Specific Mortality Of The World’S Terrestrial Vertebrates, Jacob E. Hill, Travis L. Devault, Jerrold L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aim: Vertebrates are declining worldwide, yet a comprehensive examination of the sources of mortality is lacking. We conducted a global synthesis of terrestrial vertebrate cause‐specific mortality to compare the sources of mortality across taxa and determine predictors of susceptibility to these sources of mortality.

Location: Worldwide.

Time period: 1970–2018.

Major taxa studied: Mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Methods: We searched for studies that used telemetry to determine the cause of death of terrestrial vertebrates. We determined whether each mortality was caused by anthropogenic or natural sources and further classified mortalities within these two categories (e.g. harvest, vehicle collision and predation). …

Feral Swine Harming Insular Sea Turtle Reproduction: The Origin, Impacts, Behavior And Elimination Of An Invasive Species, Richard M. Engeman, Robert W. Byrd, Jamie Dozier, Mark A. Mcalister, James O. Edens, Elizabeth M. Kierepka, Timothy J. Smyser, Noel Myers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine are among the world's most destructive invasive species wherever they are found, with translocations figuring prominently in their range expansions. In contrast, sea turtles are beloved species that are listed as threatened or endangered throughout the world and are the focus of intense conservation efforts. Nest predation by feral swine severely harms sea turtle reproduction in many locations around the world. Here we quantify and economically assess feral swine nest predation at North Island, South Carolina, an important loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach. Feral swine depredation of North Island sea turtle nests was first detected in 2005, with …

A Bioeconomic Model For The Optimization Of Local Canine Rabies Control, Aaron Anderson, Johann Kotze, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Brody Hatch, Chris Slootmaker, Anne Conan, Darryn Knobel, Louis H. Nel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We present a new modeling tool that can be used to maximize the impact of canine rabies management resources that are available at the local level. The model is accessible through a web-based interface that allows for flexibility in the management strategies that can be investigated. Rabies vaccination, sterilization, chemo-contraception, and euthanasia can be specified and limited to specific demographic groups. Additionally, we allowed for considerable complexity in the specification of management costs. In many areas, the costs of contacting additional dogs increases as management effort increases, and this can have important strategic implications. We illustrated the application of the …

No Detection Of Brodifacoum Residues In The Marine And Terrestrial Food Web Three Years After Rat Eradication At Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific, A. Wegmann, G. Howald, S. Kropidlowski, N. Holmes, A.B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive alien species represent one of the greatest threats to native plants and animals on islands. Rats (Rattus spp.) have invaded most of the world’s oceanic islands, causing lasting or irreversible damage to ecosystems and biodiversity. To counter this threat, techniques to eradicate invasive rats from islands have been developed and applied across the globe. Eradication of alien rats from large or complex island ecosystems has only been successful with the use of bait containing a rodenticide. While effective at eradicating rats from islands, rodenticide can persist in the ecosystem longer than the time required to eradicate the target rat …

Ecological Functions Of Vertebrate Scavenging, James C. Beasley, Zachary H. Olson, Nuria Selva, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

The role of vertebrate scavenging in food web dynamics has historically been minimalized and portrayed as the activity of a select group of obligate scavengers (e.g., vultures), with a simplistic linkage between carrion and detritivores in food webs. Research in the last few decades, however, has revealed that the role of carrion in food web dynamics is severely underestimated, highly complex, and pervasive among ecosystems across the globe (DeVault et al. 2003; Selva and Fortuna 2007; Wilson and Wolkovich 2011). Such observations have led to a surge in research interest in scavenging ecology that continues to reveal new information …

The Marin County Livestock Protection Program: 15 Years In Review, Stephanie Larson, Devan A. Mcgranahan, Robert M. Timm

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Predation by wild carnivores challenges livestock producers worldwide. To reduce or offset losses due to predation, a variety of predator control methods and compensation schemes have been developed. In 2001, Marin County, California, USA replaced its U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (WS) cooperative predator damage management program with a county-run program that emphasized nonlethal methods for preventing and controlling coyote (Canis latrans) predation on domestic sheep (Ovis aries). This new Livestock Protection Program (LPP) cost-shared with livestock producers’ efforts to improve fencing, obtain and maintain guard animals, and other such nonlethal methods, and initially it …

Temporal Trends In Florida Panther Food Habits, Gretchen Caudill, David P. Onorato, Mark W. Cunningham, Danny Caudill, Erin H. Leone, Lisa M. Smith, Deborah Jansen

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Once on the brink of extinction, the Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has reoccupied parts of its extirpated range in southern Florida, USA over the past 20 years, which has largely been attributed to genetic restoration efforts initiated in 1995 to combat inbreeding depression and subsequent deleterious traits. Concurrent to the resurgence, an increase in documented livestock depredation events has heightened concern over human– panther conflicts. We examined 312 stomach content, scat, and feces (large intestine contents) samples collected 1989 to 2014 across the endemic range in southern Florida. We compared frequency of occurrence of prey items in …

In The News, Jason Matthews, Joe N. Caudell

Human–Wildlife Interactions

No abstract provided.

Mice And Rats: Perceptions, Realities, And Impacts On Humankind, Terry A. Messmer

Human–Wildlife Interactions

This is the Letter from the Editor.

Who Takes The Bait? Non-Target Species Use Of Bear Hunter Bait Sites, Ellen M. Candler, William J. Severud, Joseph K. Bump

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Hunting bears (Ursus spp.) over baits is legal in many countries, states, and provinces, but the practice remains a controversial topic among wildlife managers, hunting groups, and the general public. The baits used to attract bears may also provide a pulsed resource on the landscape that can be used by other wildlife species, particularly carnivores. To determine what other species might use bear bait sites, we constructed and monitored 21 bear bait sites with camera traps from August to October 2016 in the western Upper Peninsula of Michigan, USA. The sites mimicked typical American black bear (U. americanus …

Predicting Black Bear Activity At Backcountry Campsites In Bryce Canyon National Park, Utah, Wesley G. Larson, Tom Smith

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Developing the capacity to predict black bear (Ursus americanus; bear) activity in a diversity of habitats will help conserve bear populations and their habitats and minimize human–bear conflicts. This capacity will be particularly important in areas that provide bear habitat and offer backcountry hiking and camping experiences. Bryce Canyon National Park (BRCA), located on the edge of the Paunsaugunt Plateau in southern Utah, USA, provides important bear habitat and offers visitors 12 backcountry campsites. To effectively manage these areas to minimize human–bear conflicts, park managers will need better information about black bear use of these campsites and other …

New Associate Editors, Dwayne Elmore, David K. Dahlgren

Human–Wildlife Interactions

New associate editors are Dwayne Elmore and David Dahlgren.

Dwayne Elmore is a professor, wildlife extension specialist, and Bollenbach Chair in wildlife biology in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management at Oklahoma State University. Specific areas of interest include wildlife habitat relationships, Galliform ecology and management, and thermal ecology. Current research projects are focused on how management and human activity affect various species of grouse and quail. He works with stakeholder groups including private landowners, NGOs, U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, and multiple state wildlife agencies to provide technical assistance on land management issues. …

Managing Cougars In North America: Revisions Underway, Jonathan A. Jenks

Human–Wildlife Interactions

In 2011, the Jack H. Berryman Institute, in cooperation with the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Cougar Working Group, published “Managing Cougars of North America” (available through www.berrymaninstitute.org or Amazon.com). Over 5,000 copies of the book were distributed. Because the science regarding management of cougars has dramatically grown over the last decade, the partners are again collaborating on a revision of the 2011 book. Currently, the chapters are undergoing a peer-review process through Human–Wildlife Interactions. Jonathan A. Jenks, South Dakota State University, is serving as the editor-in-chief for the peer-review process and will be the editor for the …

Comparing Live-Capture Methods For Nutria: Single- Versus Multiple-Capture Cage Traps, Trevor R. Sheffels, Jacoby Carter, Mark D. Sytsma, Jimmy D. Taylor

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Herbivory and burrowing by nutria (Myocastor coypus) cause substantial ecological and economic damage. Trapping is a common, effective practice for reducing nutria damage; however, trapping approaches must continually be adapted to keep pace with evolving animal welfare and ethical issues and to more effectively target pest species of interest. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of 2 nonlethal trap types for nutria: single-capture (SCT) and multi-capture (MCT) cage traps. We established 3 MCTs and 3 SCTs at each of 7 sites on a 10,500-ha mixed-use island located 15 km northwest of Portland, Oregon, USA. We pre-baited using …

Comparison Of Conservation Policy Benefits For An Umbrella And Related Sagebrush-Obligate Species, Jonathan B. Dinkins, Jeffrey L. Beck

Human–Wildlife Interactions

Many conservation strategies promote the potential of multiple species benefitting from protection of large areas necessary for the continued viability of 1 species. One prominent strategy in western North America is Wyoming’s Sage-grouse Core Area Policy, which was designed to conserve greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus; hereafter, sage-grouse) breeding habitat, but may also serve as an umbrella to conserve other sagebrush (Artemisia spp.)-obligate wildlife, including songbirds. Sagebrush-obligate songbirds and sage-grouse have undergone population declines throughout the western United States attributed to similar habitat issues. We compared trends of sagebrush-obligate songbirds from the Breeding Bird Survey and sage-grouse lek …

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Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Detecting Balsam Woolly Adelgid Infestations Using Tree Rings, Morgan Lane Leef

Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports (ETD)

Balsam woolly adelgid (BWA), Adelges piceae(Ratzeburg), is a sap-sucking, exotic invasive insect that arrived in North America from central Europe around 1900. Since then, its range has expanded from New Brunswick, Canada to the southern Appalachian Mountains. It is a threat to all North American true-fir species, but populations can be controlled by cold continental winters. Adelgid feeding leaves noticeable traces on the wood tissue (“rotholz”) and causes a temporary positive radial growth response among affected trees. The purpose of this research was to determine dates of initial outbreaks, balsam fir radial growth change during outbreaks, and the relationship …

Biogeochemical Response To Vegetation And Hydrologic Change In An Alaskan Boreal Fen Ecosystem, Danielle L. Rupp

Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports

Boreal peatlands store approximately one third of the earth’s terrestrial carbon, locked away in currently waterlogged and frozen conditions. Peatlands of boreal and arctic ecosystems are affected increasingly by shifting hydrology caused by climate change. The consequences of these relatively rapid ecosystem changes on carbon cycling between the landscape and the atmosphere could provide an amplifying feedback to climate warming. Alternatively, the advancement of terrestrial vegetation into once waterlogged soils could uptake carbon as a sink. Previous work suggests that fens will become an increasingly dominant landscape feature in the boreal. However, studies investigating fens, their response to hydrologic and …

Recolonization Of Mollusc Assemblages In Mangrove Plantations Damaged By Typhoon Chan-Hom In The Philippines, Severino G. Salmo Iii, Ian R. Tibbetts, Norman C. Duke

Environmental Science Faculty Publications

We investigated the effects of a catastrophic typhoon on mollusc assemblages of damaged mangrove plantations of different ages. Molluscs were sampled from infaunal, epifaunal and arboreal assemblages of mangrove stands in Lingayen Gulf, northwest Philippines, and compared with assemblages of un-impacted areas. Prior to the occurrence of the typhoon, there were clear shifts in the species diversity (H’) and composition of mollusc assemblages with stand age of mangrove forests. This was observed in species composition through the succession in dominance from pioneer to seral or putative climax species, and assemblage type (as arboreal, epifaunal and infaunal). However, severe damage to …

Population Structure And Connectivity Of A Groundwater Crustacean Across Northwestern Montana Aquifers, Megan N. Ritter

Master’s Theses

Floodplain aquifer systems are diverse and heterogenous ecosystems that serve many ecological functions, including habitat provision to a range of groundwater species. The Flathead River system of northwestern Montana is home to many floodplain aquifers of great ecological importance to the region. The basic biology, population structure, and dispersal patterns of obligate groundwater organisms that reside within the aquifers of the Flathead are still largely unknown. In this study, we investigate the population structure of one such taxon, an undescribed species of the amphipod genus Stygobromus. For our low-coverage RADseq dataset, we tested the suitability of three different analysis …

Looking To The Future: Key Points For Sustainable Management Of Northern Great Plains Grasslands, Lora B. Perkins, Marissa Ahlering, Diane L. Larson

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

The grasslands of the northern Great Plains (NGP) region of North America are considered endangered ecosystems and priority conservation areas yet have great ecological and economic importance. Grasslands in the NGP are no longer self-regulating adaptive systems. The challenges to these grasslands are widespread and serious (e.g. climate change, invasive species, fragmentation, altered disturbance regimes, and anthropogenic chemical loads). Because the challenges facing the region are dynamic, complex, and persistent, a paradigm shift in how we approach restoration and management of the grasslands in the NGP is imperative. The goal of this article is to highlight four key points for …

Serological Survey And Pathogen Exposure Of Adult Female White-Tailed Deer In The Western Dakotas, Katherine L. Moratz, Bailey S. Gullikson, Eric S. Michel, Daniel M. Grove, Jonathan A. Jenks, William F. Jensen

Natural Resource Management Faculty Publications

Establishing baseline values for pathogen exposure and nutritional indices is necessary to monitor population health. However, little is known about white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) pathogen exposure and nutritional condition in the Northern Great Plains. Our objective was to assess pathogen exposure and establish nutritional indices for female white-tailed deer in Dunn and Grant counties, North Dakota and Perkins County, South Dakota. During 2014, we collected blood serum from 150 adult female white-tailed deer. Pathogens with the highest antibody prevalence included West Nile Virus (WNV; 85%), epizootic hemorrhagic disease (48%), and malignant catarrhal fever (32%). Serum values for creatine kinase, globulin, …

The Effects Of Forest Gaps On Animal Communication Networks, Cedar Arran Mathers-Winn

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

To avoid predation, many animals have evolved complex systems of anti-predator communication. Alarm calls are a key component of anti-predator behavior in many birds, and can provide detailed information about predators. Additionally, many birds and mammals produce and respond to each other’s alarm calls, creating a complex communication network. Furthermore, individuals may give alarm calls in response to the alarm calls of others nearby, without actually seeing a predator. This makes possible the spatial spread of alarm information, which can result in complex communication networks extending over a large area. However, this requires suitable habitat in which birds will be …

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Human–Wildlife Interactions

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Effects Of Acute Hypoxia On Danio Rerio, Karly Crail

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

The purpose of this research experiment was to determine the effects of acute hypoxia on the embryonic zebrafish (Danio rerio) cardiovascular system and assess the critical oxygen level at which embryonic function is compromised. This goal was achieved by exposing embryos to decreasing oxygen concentrations, (6.0 mg/L-0 mg/L) and observing the heart under an inverted microscope. Data analysis was conducted to determine end systolic volume, end diastolic volume, stroke volume, heart rate, and cardiac output. It was hypothesized that hypoxia would stimulate cardiac activity, because in early developmental stages, tissues are supplied with oxygen through bulk diffusion, and …