Digital Commons Network^™

An Ecological Survey Of Forest Succession In A Northeast Ohio Ecosystem Following An Emerald Ash Borer Infestation, Joseph Haas

Williams Honors College, Honors Research Projects

This paper will be an ecological survey of a selected 28 acre piece of land in northeast Ohio impacted by the Emerald Ash Borer. This invasive species arrived in North America in 2002 and has since spread throughout the country wreaking havoc on the ash tree population. The purpose of this study is to determine what tree species are replacing the native ash trees in the succession of the forest. In order to achieve this goal, a section of the selected land will be blocked off and subdivided into manageable sections to facilitate data collection, namely the location of the …

Drivers And Impacts Of The Invasive Round Goby (Neogobius Melanostomus) In Michigan Tributaries To The Great Lakes, Corey Krabbenhoft

Wayne State University Dissertations

The abundance and persistence of the invasive round goby (Neogobius melanostomus) has often resulted in antagonistic interactions between the invasive and its native competitors. In this study, I sought to quantify the consequences and environmental context of these interactions in Great Lakes tributaries. Specifically, I aimed to identify changes in feeding and reproductive behavior in a native competitor in response to round goby invasion, identify potential solutions to increase regular stream monitoring by tapping into citizen science programs, and quantify the environmental context associated with successful goby invasion. Surveys of fish communities were conducted over three years in seven Michigan …

Mind The Gap: Experimental Tests To Improve Efficacy Of Fladry For Nonlethal Management Of Coyotes, Julie K. Young, John Draper, Stewart Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are the top predator of livestock in the contiguous United States. Developing more effective nonlethal tools to prevent coyote depredation will facilitate coexistence between livestock producers and coyotes. Fladry is a nonlethal deterrent designed to defend livestock by creating a visual barrier to wolves (C. lupus). Fladry may also be effective with coyotes, but large gap spacing between flags may reduce its efficacy. To address this issue, we performed 2 experiments on captive coyotes using fladry modified to reduce gap spacing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Predator Research Facility in Millville, Utah, USA, during 2015–2016 and …

What Are The Transmission Mechanisms Of Influenza A Viruses In Wild Mammals?, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Some influenza A viruses (IAVs) represent serious potential threats to public and agricultural health, with 3 notable examples from the past decade. During 2009, a novel H1N1 IAV (A[H1N1]pdm09), which was first detected in the United States, spread rapidly throughout many regions of the world. In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that >60 million human cases were associated with this emergent and pandemic virus. During 2013, a novel H7N9 avian-origin IAV (Asian lineage avian influenza A[H7N9] virus) was first detected in China. This virus not only cost the poultry industry more than $1 …

Analysis Of Iophenoxic Acid Analogues In Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus) Sera For Use As An Oral Rabies Vaccination Biological Marker, Are R. Berentsen, Robert T. Sugihara, Cynthia G. Payne, Israel Leinbach, Steven F. Volker, Ad Vos, Steffen Ortmann, Amy T. Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is a reservoir of rabies virus (RABV) in Puerto Rico and comprises over 70% of animal rabies cases reported annually. The control of RABV circulation in wildlife reservoirs is typically accomplished by a strategy of oral rabies vaccination (ORV). Currently no wildlife ORV program exists in Puerto Rico. Research into oral rabies vaccines and various bait types for mongooses has been conducted with promising results. Monitoring the success of ORV relies on estimating bait uptake by target species, which typically involves evaluating a change in RABV neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) post vaccination. This …

Carrion Availability In Space And Time, Marcos Moleón, Nuria Selva, David M. Bailey, David M. Bailey, Ainara Cortés-Avizanda, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

Availability of carrion to scavengers is a central issue in carrion ecology and management, and is crucial for understanding the evolution of scavenging behaviour. Compared to live animals, their carcasses are relatively unpredictable in space and time in natural conditions, with a few exceptions (see below, especially Sect. “Carrion Exchange at the Terrestrial-Aquatic Interface”). Carrion is also an ephemeral food resource due to the action of a plethora of consumers, from microorganisms to large vertebrates, as well as to desiccation (i.e., loss of water content; DeVault et al. 2003; Beasley et al. 2012; Barton et al. 2013; Moleón et …

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

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

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 carrots, apples, …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 15. Psittacula Krameri, The Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae)1, Aaron B. Shiels, Nicholas P. Kalodimos

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The rose-ringed parakeet (RRP), Psittacula krameri, has become established in at least four Pacific Island countries (Hong Kong China, Japan, New Zealand, U.S.A.), including the Hawaiian islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i. Most Pacific islands are at risk of RRP colonization. This species was first introduced to Hong Kong in 1903 and Hawai‘i in the 1930s–1960s, established since 1969 in Japan, and in New Zealand since 2005 where it has repeatedly established after organized removals. The founding birds were imported cage-birds from the pet trade. In native India, RRP are generally found associated with human habitation and are considered a …

Targeted Short-Term Nutrient Reduction To Manage Ventenata Dubia An Invasive Winter Annual Grass: Soil And Plant Responses, Jaren F. Lamm

EWU Masters Thesis Collection

Invasive winter annual grasses, IWAGs, have degraded extensive ecosystems around the world and continue to invade new ones yearly. IWAGs readily form large monocultures or near monocultures, thus management and restoration goals largely focus on maintaining or increasing plant diversity in impacted ecosystems. Unfortunately, common management methods also reduce native plant diversity and harm the soil microbiome. These effects require additional measures to be taken, like reseeding, and plant diversity is still usually well below remnant targets. Early season short-term nutrient reduction to manage IWAGs is largely unexplored and would potentially decrease IWAG abundance, active earlier than most plants, but …

Identifying The Homology Of The Short Human Pisiform And Its Lost Ossification Center, Kelsey M. Kjosness, Philip L. Reno

PCOM Scholarly Works

Background: The pisiform and calcaneus are paralogous bones of the wrist and ankle and are the only carpal and tarsal, respectively, to develop from two ossification centers with an associated growth plate in mammals. Human pisiforms and calcanei have undergone drastic evolutionary changes since our last common ancestor with chimpanzees and bonobos. The human pisiform is truncated and has lost an ossification center with the associated growth plate, while the human calcaneus has expanded and retained two ossification centers and a growth plate. Mammalian pisiforms represent a wide range of morphologies but extremely short pisiforms are rare and ossification center …

Relationship Between Habitat And Barn Owl Prey Delivery Rate And Composition In A Napa Valley Vineyard Agroecosystem, Dane A. R. St. George

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

The provision of habitat for natural enemies of agricultural pests is common in integrated pest management approaches globally but has rarely been examined for vertebrate predators controlling vertebrate pests. To mitigate the economic and environmental costs of treating for rodent pests, winegrape producers in Napa Valley, California, have installed nest boxes to attract barn owls (Tyto alba) to their properties, but their effectiveness to control rodent pests in vineyards has not been thoroughly tested. A rigorous estimate of the number of rodents barn owls remove from the landscape is a necessary first step, and this study aimed to …

Colloidal And Truly Dissolved Metal(Loid)S In Wastewater Lagoons And Their Removal With Floating Treatment Wetlands, Lauren Sullivan

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Climate change is predicted to cause continuing declines in late-season streamflow, thus increasing the relative contribution of wastewater effluent to surface water flows. Wastewater effluent represents a critical point source of metal and metalloid contamination to aquatic ecosystems and wastewater lagoons are the most common wastewater treatment system in the rural United States. Although the fraction of total wastewater metals and metalloids in "dissolved" forms (defined here asnm) likely drives the potential for negative effects on receiving waters, this broad operational definition lumps truly dissolved solutes (nm) with small colloids and nanomaterials (1-450 nm; hereafter colloids). This size distinction may …

Habitat Use And Nightly Activity Patterns Of Bats On A Military Landscape In Western Kentucky, Carson E. Mcnamara

Online Theses and Dissertations

Bat populations of eastern North America continue to decline due to the cumulative effects of White-nose Syndrome, habitat loss, and anthropogenic disturbances across the landscape. Unique stressors exist on military installations, such as noise created during training activities. Given the scarcity of data that exists for these widespread ownerships, I created predictive models for nightly bat activity related to local habitat, landscape, and military use parameters. Bat activity was assessed during the summers of 2016 and 2017 using full-spectrum acoustic detectors across the Wendell H. Ford Regional Training Center (WHFRTC), a ca. 4200 ha military landscape in the Interior Rivers …

Ecosystem Functional Consequences Of Body Size Variation In An Apex Predator (Ambystoma Jeffersonianum), David Samuel Smith

Online Theses and Dissertations

Biodiversity is often emphasized at the species level where each species is assigned a mean functional trait value. However, populations within a species, and individuals within a population, often exhibit considerable intraspecific functional variation. Therefore, instead of focusing on species’ mean trait values, we must incorporate intraspecific variation when considering species’ ecological roles and conservation values. The primary objective of this study was to determine the effects of variation in body size (a functional trait in many aquatic taxa) in an apex predator on ecosystem functioning. We sought to characterize trophic cascades initiated by larval populations of Ambystoma jeffersonianum that …

Vocalizations Of Adult American Kestrels (Falco Sparverius): Effect Of Breeding Stage, Sex, And Context On Call Use And Characteristics, Mark Winland

Online Theses and Dissertations

American Kestrels (Falco sparverius) are small falcons with a vocal repertoire known to consist of three different vocalizations: whine, chitter, and klee calls. However, the characteristics and contextual use of these calls have not been quantified. To determine the characteristics of these calls and better understand possible functions, I conducted a combined observational and experimental study of American Kestrels in Madison County, Kentucky, from February to July 2013. I observed kestrels and recorded all vocalizations uttered by males and females during different breeding stages and different behavioral contexts. In addition, I conducted playback experiments using the whine, chitter, and klee …

Population Demographics And Active Foraging Behavior Of Copperheads (Agkistrodon Contortrix) At A Recreational Site In Eastern Kentucky, Jocelyn Hendricks

Online Theses and Dissertations

Recreational areas represent a significant source of human-wildlife interaction, which can have an especially negative effect on organisms, like snakes, that are generally perceived as dangerous by the public. Considering the projected increase in recreation rates in the United States, the threat to this already vulnerable group of organisms deserves attention. While habitat factors associated with recreational areas—fragmentation, decreased canopy cover, altered vegetation composition—have been shown to affect snake thermoregulatory behavior and abundance, detailed studies of wild snake behavior are uncommon due to their cryptic nature. The goal of this study was to reduce human-wildlife conflict at a recreational site …

The Use Of Environmental Dna For The Detection Of Palaemonias Ganteri (Hay, 1901), A Federally Endangered Cave Species, Andrew Joseph Stump

Online Theses and Dissertations

Kentucky’s limestone caves and karst water systems are an ecologically important part of its natural heritage and home to many unique subterranean species. In addition to being geologically interesting, it is also home to one, of only three, extant North American atyids: the federally endangered Kentucky Cave Shrimp (Palaemonias ganteri, Hay 1901). However, access for monitoring and management objectives involving this species and other cave inhabitants can be difficult, highly contingent upon environmental conditions, and time consuming with low yields using traditional techniques. Advancements in metabarcoding and Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) technologies provide tools that may allow researchers and managers …

Taking Darwinism Seriously, Carsta Simon

Animal Sentience

Chapman & Huffman propose that dropping the categorical distinction between human and nonhuman animals may reduce the atrocious acts of humans towards nonhuman animals, but will it? Taking Darwinism seriously means accepting physical and behavioral continuity across species, including the capacity to feel pain.

Applied Cognition Research To Improve Sheep Welfare, Kristina Horback

Animal Sentience

If a change is going to occur in the care and management of domestic sheep, there needs to be a collaborative effort across many disciplines. This review by Marino & Merskin of the literature on cognitive processing in domestic sheep is limited by the inherent bias of the authors, including the impracticable goal of eliminating sheep production. Animal welfare concerns about the management of commercial sheep are valid; however, in order to make a difference, we need to develop an application for this knowledge about cognitive abilities in sheep.

The Importance Of Research Applicability, Krista Mclennan

Animal Sentience

Marino & Merskin’s (2019) review contains key information about the complexity of sheep and their intelligence level, but lacks practical application. The key to making any long-term changes to sheep welfare at an industry level is by generating research that is practically relevant to the sector. The practical application of research should be considered at the design stage and in consultation with producers. Additionally, thought needs to be given to how the practical application of the research will be transferred to those people directly involved in animal care (e.g., producers, stockpersons, etc.). Focusing on the practical relevance and application of …

To Preserve Or To Conserve?, Liv Baker

Animal Sentience

Treves et al. propose the notion of trusteeship to help meet our responsibility to nature and individual animals, their homes, cultures, and societies. This proposal is grounded in a real-world framework that reveals how conservation has become distorted by anthropocentrism, human exceptionalism, and ethical hypocrisy.

What Is In An Octopus's Mind?, Jennifer Mather

Animal Sentience

It is difficult to imagine what an animal as different from us as the octopus ‘thinks’, but we can make some progress. In the Umwelt or perceptual world of an octopus, what the lateralized monocular eyes perceive is not color but the plane of polarization of light. Information is processed by a bilateral brain but manipulation is done by a radially symmetrical set of eight arms. Octopuses do not self-monitor by vision. Their skin pattern system, used for excellent camouflage, is open loop. The output of the motor system of the eight arms is organized at several levels — brain, …

‘Mind’ Is An Ill-Defined Concept: Considerations For Future Cephalopod Research, Alexandra Schnell, Giorgio Vallortigara

Animal Sentience

Scientific discussions about the ‘mind’ of an octopus are empirically vacuous and should be confined to folk psychology. This form of labelling is unhelpful for science and should be replaced by specific mechanistic accounts of behavior and associated neural structures, which are amenable to rigorous scientific investigation. Mather provides a detailed review of octopus behavior, but rather than making unquantifiable assumptions about what orchestrates octopus behavior, efforts should focus on investigating cognitive mechanisms that can be measured. In this commentary, we outline two lines of research that include quantifiable methods to facilitate a more robust understanding of cephalopod behaviors and …

Reflections On Sheep Rearing, Joyce D'Silva

Animal Sentience

Sheep rearing has an incredibly long history. Sometimes this alone can give credibility and status to a human practice. In the twenty-first century, it may be time to reassess our treatment of sheep and their place in nature. “Just because we’ve always done it” no longer has validity by itself. There are many other human practices which used to be accepted widely in certain societies and which we now may find abhorrent. With sheep intelligence now rightly regarded as an acceptable area of research within the academic community, it is a good time to reflect on our treatment of these …

What Every Shepherd Knows, Marthe Kiley-Worthington

Animal Sentience

The findings of the research reviewed by Marino & Merskin have been common knowledge to shepherds for millennia. Many of them are also evolutionary necessities for all mammals, especially social ones.

Cognitive Dissonance About Sheep Cognition And Consumption, Catia Correia Caeiro

Animal Sentience

Sheep are perceived as mere resources under the massive demand of the food and wool industry. Evidence that sheep cognition is comparable to that of other species may inspire reflection on sheep consumption. Dogs may be a promising comparison species.

Longevity In Snowshoe Hares, Katrina L. Theisen, Alexander V. Kumar, L. Scott Mills

Undergraduate Theses, Professional Papers, and Capstone Artifacts

For small mammals subject to predation, individual longevity, or lifespan, is typically unknown. Snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus) are used as the focal species of this study to examine the assumption that small prey species do not typically live past one or two years of age. To test this assumption, we analyzed a 20-year capture-mark-recapture database to first index the lifespan of hares. We analyzed this database to determine which factors increased the odds of longevity in hares. Body condition and capture location were significant in increasing the odds of a hare being long lived, whereas sex of the …

City Limits: Heat Tolerance Is Influenced By Body Size And Hydration State In An Urban Ant Community, Dustin Jerald Johnson

University of the Pacific Theses and Dissertations

Cities are rapidly expanding, and global warming is intensified in urban environments due to the urban heat island effect. Therefore, urban animals may be particularly susceptible to warming associated with ongoing climate change. Thus, I used a comparative and manipulative approach to test three related hypotheses about the determinants of heat tolerance or critical thermal maximum (CTmax) in urban ants—specifically, that (1) body size, (2) hydration status, and (3) preferred micro-environments influence CTmax. I further tested a fourth hypothesis that native species are particularly physiologically vulnerable in urban environments. I manipulated water access and determined CTmax for 11 species common …

Geospatial Analysis Of Invasive Plant Species And Their Threats To Ecological Functionality At The Vcu Rice Rivers Center, Erik W. Kellogg

Theses and Dissertations

Invasive plants are a significant threat to native ecosystems and to biodiversity. They are often strong competitors and have multiple techniques to outcompete native plants. Thus, controlling or removing invasive plants facilitates the restoration of native ecosystems. We used GPS technology coupled with field surveying techniques adapted from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to locate and identify invasive plants present within VCU’s Rice Rivers Center. We digitally overlaid a 50-meter x 50-meter grid system over the property. In each grid cell we recorded visual estimations of invasive plant coverage sorted into modified Daubenmire cover classes and used ArcGIS for …

Spatial Genetic Structure And Local Adaptation Within And Among Foxtail Pine (Pinus Balfouriana Subsp. Balfouriana) Populations Located In The Klamath Mountains, California, Rebecca D. Piri

Theses and Dissertations

Foxtail pine (Pinus balfouriana) is a subalpine conifer endemic to California, notably separated into two disjunct subspecies. Previous studies have described the northern subspecies,Pinus balfouriana subsp. balfouriana,as having an uncommonly high level of genetic differentiation and no discernible spatial patterns in phenotypic variation. This study seeks to characterize the spatial genetic structure and patterns of selection of the northern subspecies (Pinus balfouriana subsp. balfouriana) using genome-wide data and to identify the influence of ecology and environment on the unique genetic patterns. I show that genetic differentiation among populations is much less than previously estimated …