Digital Commons Network^™

Herbivore Experience With Plant Defense Compounds Influences Acquisition Of New Flavor Aversions, Bruce A. Kimball, Dale L. Nolte

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Multiple experiments were conducted with a mammalian herbivore to determine how experience

with plant secondary metabolites (terpenes and tannins) influenced acquisition of new aversions to

diets containing these same plant metabolites. Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus) were employed as

behavioral models for this study. Twenty-four subjects were assigned to three treatment groups that

received 20 days of experience with test diets: (A) terpene diet only; (B) tannin diet only; and (C)

terpene and tannin diets offered singly on alternate days. In experiment 1, all subjects were offered

both diets in a two-choice test to determine if experience affected diet preference. Both …

Avian Use Of Harvested Crop Fields During Spring Migration Trrough North Dakota, Alegra M. Galle, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Over the past century, the amount of mixed-grass prairie in North Dakota has diminished with a concomitant increase in land used for crop production. Consequently, the diversity of habitat available for migrant birds has decreased, and birds are now limited to choosing habitats that are uncharacteristic of those used during other times of the year. Because of the extensive agricultural production in this region, the value of harvested crop fields to spring-migrating birds was studied by examining avian habitat use in harvested fields to determine differences in bird use among these habitats. In the spring of 2003, 60 harvested fields …

Fisheries Research Contract Report No. 8 - The Nutritional Management Of Barramundi, Brett Glencross

Fisheries Research Contract Reports

Barramundi nutrition research has been undertaken since 1988. Since that time the requirements for most nutrients, energy demand, ingredient utilisation and the effects of nutrition on flesh quality aspects have all been examined to varying extents.

Optimal protein content of diets has been shown to vary with diet energy density and also the size of fish which are being fed. Most studies have suggested a protein requirement from 45% to 55%. For small fish a protein to energy ratio of 25 to 30 g/MJ is suggested. Limited work has been done on fish larger than 500 g. The 10 essential …

Unlv Magazine, Holly Ivy De Vore, Nancy Syzdek, Patrice E.M. Hollrah, Douglas Unger, Eugene Moehring, Gillian Silver, John F. Gallagher, Lori Bachand, Gian Galassi, Hal Rothman, Mark Hoversten, Phil Hagen, Donna Mcaleer, Suzan Dibella

UNLV Magazine

No abstract provided.

Bacterial Degradation Of Disinfection By-Products In Drinking Water, Laura Inga Fauntleroy

Chemistry & Biochemistry Theses & Dissertations

Chlorine became a major disinfectant for the removal of microbial contaminants in 1914. Current water chlorination procedures yield halogenated disinfection byproducts (DBPs), such as haloalkanes and haloacetic acids (HAAs), due to the reaction of chlorine with naturally occurring organic compounds. Various water utilities have observed decreased HAAs levels in maximum residence time locations (MRTLs), where they were expected to be higher. These MRTLs have low free chlorine residual and high heterotrophic bacteria plate counts. Xanthobacter autotrophicus, GJ-10, is a bacterium that has been shown to contain dehalogenase enzymes and, therefore, can biodegrade HAAs. A number of water-system bacteria were …

Increasing Acceptance And Efficacy Of Zinc Phosphide Rodenticide Baits Via Modification Of The Carbohydrate Profile, J. J. Johnston, D. L. Nolte, B. A. Kimball, K. R. Perry, J. C. Hurley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Toxicant coated grain-based baits are widely used to control rodent pests throughout the world, but where alternative food sources are available, bait acceptance and efficacy are often less than optimal. In an attempt to develop baiting strategies to increasebait acceptance and efficacy of zinc phosphide-coated baits, a sugar-enhanced rolled oat based zinc phosphide bait was evaluated. With pre-baiting, 100 and 60% mortality was achieved for California and Belding’s ground squirrels, respectively. A series of two choice tests with a variety of potential bait matrices indicated that rolled oats was a desirable base matrix for both species but the lecithin sticker …

Use Of Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Measures In Conservation Biology Research: Considerations For Application And Interpretation, Joshua J. Millspaugh, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fecal glucocorticoid metabolite analyses are increasingly being used by a variety of scientists (e.g., conservation biologists, animal scientists) to examine glucocorticoid (i.e., stress hormone) secretion in domestic and wild vertebrates. Adrenocortical activity (i.e., stress response) is of interest to conservation biologists because stress can alter animal behavior, reduce resistance to disease, and affect population performance. The noninvasiveness of fecal-based assessments is attractive, particularly when studying endangered species, because samples can often be obtained without disturbing the animal. Despite such advantages, many confounding factors inhibit the utility of this technique in addressing conservation problems. In particular, interpretation of fecal glucocorticoid metabolite …

Refuge Update – September/October 2004, Volume 1, Number 5

RefugeUpdate (USFWS-NWRS)

Table of Contents:

Prairie Science Class Celebrates Anniversary, page 16 Program integrates environmental education into routine public school curriculum.

Focus on Hunting, page 8-15 While the National Wildlife Refuge System has been shaped by a variety of public concerns, hunters were among the early, substantive voices.

Texas Brochures Turned Some Heads, page 17 South Texas Refuge series of brochures are notable for their beauty and more.

Forty Years for the Wilderness Act, Page 18 National Wilderness Preservation System protects more than 105.7 million acres, including more than 20 million acres on 65 refuges.

Technical Assessment Of Natural Resource Management Threats And Options In The Northern Agricultural Region Of Western Australia, Lorinda Hunt, G Patterson, Northern Agricultural Catchments Council (Wa)

Resource management technical reports

Analysis of the risk of soil, land and water degradation within the Northern Agricultural Region of Western Australia. Natural resource issues discussed include: acid groundwater, acid sulfate soils, climate change, dryland salinity, flooding, herbicide resistance, non-wetting (water repellence), nutrient loss and eutrophication, remnant vegetation decline, soil acidity, soil fertility decline, soil structure decline, subsurface compaction, waterlogging, wind erosion and soil contamination.

Day 3: Friday, August 6, 2004: Cbm And Unconventional Gas Development, Gary Bryner, Ken Wonstolen

Energy Field Tour 2004 (August 4-6)

19 pages (includes illustrations and maps).

Pastoral Risk Management In Southern Ethiopia: Observations From Pilot Projects Based On Participatory Community Assessments, D. Layne Coppock, Solomon Desta, Seyoum Tezera, Rancis K. Lelo

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

The Borana pastoral system has come under increasing pressure as human populations grow and per capita availability of resources declines. Livestock exhibit large, periodic die-offs that threaten wealth accumulation and food security. Several types of interventions may improve risk management here. For example, there may be opportunity for some pastoralists to diversify their livelihoods. Here we report on a community-based process involving pilot projects begun since 2000. We have embraced Participatory Rural Appraisal (PRA) and Action Research (AR) as tools for investigation and empowerment of local people. Full PRAs were conducted for semi-settled communities, located near towns, to identify priority …

Agribusiness Sheep Updates - 2004 Part 2, Anyou Liu, Clinton Revell, Phil Nichols, Brad Nutt, Darryl Clements, Lucy Anderton, Stephen Gherardi, Chris Oldham, Paul Sanford, John Gladman, G. E. Donald, A. Edirisinghe, D. A. Henry, S. P. Gittins, R. C. G. Smith, Roy Butler, Kelly Pearce, David Masters, David Pethick, Andrew Thompson, Ken Hart, Johan Greeff, Beth Paganoni, Rachel Kirby, Matt Ryan, Kira Butler, Roger Heggarty, David Hopkins, Samantha Giles, Tom Plaisted, Mark Ferguson, Darren Gordon, John Young, Sandra Brown, Ian Mcfarland, John Archer, John Milton, Rob Davidson, Graeme Martin, David Lindsay, Johnathan England, Mandy Curnow, Karina P. Wood, Ashley K. White, B. Lloyd Davies, Paul M. Carberry, Mark Hyder, Mike Freer, Andrew Van Burgel, Kazue Tanaka, Andrew Peterson, Roger Wiese, Gonzalo Mata, Evan Burt, Amanda Miller, Anne Bennett, Felicity Flugge, Amir Abadi, Perry Dolling, Dean Thomas, Mike Ewing, David Lindsay, Emma Kopke, E. A. Dowling, E. K. Crossley, Brien (Ben) E. Norton, John Karlsson, Geoff Pollott, Diana Fedorenko, Darryl Clements, Robert Beard, Brown Besier, Una Ryan, Caroline Bath

Sheep Updates

Precision Pastures

Using Species Diversity to Improve Pasture Performance Anyou Liu and Clinton Revell, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia

New Annual Pasture Legumes for Sheep Graziers Phil Nichols, Angelo Loi, Brad Nutt and Darryl McClements Department of Agriculture Western Australia

Pastures from Space – Can Satellite Estimates of Pasture Growth Rate be used to Increase Farm Profit? Lucy Anderton, Stephen Gherardi and Chris Oldham Department of Agriculture Western Australia

Summer-active Perennial Grasses for Profitable Sheep Production Paul Sanford and John Gladman, Department of Agriculture, Western Australia

Pastures From Space – Validation Of Predictions Of Pasture Growth Rates DONALD, G.E^{.A …}

Retrospective Isotopic Analyses Of Stellar Sea Lion Tooth Annuli And Sea-Bird Feathers: A Cross-Taxa Approach To Investigating Regime And Dietary Shifts In The Gulf Of Alaska, Keith Hobson, Elizabeth Sinclair, Anne York, James Thomason, Richard Merrick

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Stable isotope (δ¹⁵N and δ¹³C) values of individual tooth annuli of female Steller sea lions (n = 120) collected from the 1960s through the 1980s were used for retrospective analyses of temporal changes in food webs in the Gulf of Alaska and North Pacific Ocean. We also examined isotopically contour feathers of tufted puffins (n = 135) and crested auklets (n = 37) through this period to test for broader isotopic patterns indicative of whole food web changes. Steller sea lions decreased slightly in δ¹³C and increased in δ¹⁵N values, suggesting an …

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter, Volume 10-1, Summer 2004

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Canada’s National Wildlife Diseases Strategy is Taking Shape
Report of the Expert Scientific Panel on Chronic Wasting Disease in Canada
CCWHC - International: Costa Rica
Protozoal Infection of the Brain in Northern Gannets
Capture Myopathy in River Otters Associated with Transmitter Implantation and High Concentrations of Mercury in Tissues
Primary Brain Tumors in Two Free-ranging Cervids
Kidney Failure in Snowshoe Hares – More Specimens Needed
Marine Mammals Emergency Network-St. Lawrence River
St. Lawrence Beluga Health Surveillance Program: 2003
Reovirus in Crows - An Emerging Disease?
Electrocution of Aquatic Animals due to Malfunction of a Submerged Pump
Knotted Tree Squirrels
Antifreeze …

Western Gray Whales Off Sakhalin Island, Russia: A Joint Russia-U.S. Scientific Investigation July-September 2003, David W. Weller, Alexander M. Burdin, Amanda L. Bradford, Yulia V. Ivashchenko, Grigory A. Tsidulko, Aimée R. Lang, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Research on the western gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) population summering off northeastern Sakhalin Island, Russia, has been ongoing since 1995. This collaborative Russia-U.S. research program has produced important new information on the present day conservation status of this critically endangered population. This report reviews recent findings from 2003 research activities and combines such with data from previous years, in some cases ranging back to 1994. Photo-identification research conducted off Sakhalin Island in 2003 resulted in the identification of 75 whales, including 11 calves and two previously unidentified non-calves. When combined with data from 1994-2002, a catalog of 131 …

The Effects Of Lactation On Seedling Damage By Mountain Beaver, Wendy M. Arjo, Dale L. Nolte, Julie L. Harper, Bruce A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The mountain beaver is a semi-fossorial rodent of the Pacific Northwest and is among a variety of herbivores that retard plant growth and cause tree seedling deformities and mortality. Douglas-61 seedlings are planted in the Pacific Northwest from February through March, a period coinciding with mountain beaver parturition. Previous research suggested that in spring, lactating females depend more on conifers than do non-lactating females and males. We conducted experiments to determine if female reproductive condition influenced seedling damage, and if physiological stage of the seedling affected damage. Dormant and flushing trees were offered to 6 pregnant and 6 non-pregnant females …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 36, No.2 June 2004

The Prairie Naturalist

PREDICTING NEONATAL AGE OF WHITE-TAILED DEER IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS . . T. J. Brinkman, K. L. Monteith, J. A. Jenks, and C. S. DePemo

DUCK NESTING ON ROTATIONAL AND CONTINUOUS GRAZED PASTURES IN NORTH DAKOTA . R. K. Murphy, D. J. Schindler, and R. D. Crawford

MORPHOLOGY OF LESSER PRAIRIE-CHICKENS IN KANSAS ▪ C. A. Hagen, J. C. Pitman, R. J. Robel, and R. D. Applegate

DAILY AND SEASONAL BEHAVIOR OF BISON ON AN OKLAHOMA TALLGRASS PRAIRIE . E. J. Maichak, K. L. Schuler, and M. E. Payton

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA 2003 ▪ R. N. …

Science-Based Organic Farming: A Resource For Educators, Charles A. Francis, Mindi Schneider, Brad Kindler

Publications from the Center for Applied Rural Innovation (CARI)

Organic farming is an important and growing part of the United States food system. The organic sector has grown by at least 20% per year for the past two decades, and currently shows no indication of slowing in this growth. There is increasing consumer concern about where and how food is produced, and people want to be assured access to safe and healthy food products. Interest and concern about food security, and discussion about the merits of a local food system as compared to the vulnerable globalized marketplace are also becoming increasingly important. In Nebraska we have only limited local …

Chromatographic Analysis Of Sagebrush Monoterpenes In Blood Plasma, Bruce A. Kimball, Luthando E. Dziba, John J. Johnston, Frederick D. Provenza

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

An analytical method is required for the analysis of monoterpenes in animal plasma to support a pharmacokinetic study. Monoterpenes common to sagebrush are extracted from sheep plasma by employing solid-phase extraction (SPE), followed by analysis of the extracts by gas chromatography with flame ionization detection. The analytes are quantitated versus an external standard and by comparison with a surrogate standard added to the sample prior to extraction. In addition to comparing the two quantitative methods, the storage stability of the analytes in plasma and SPE columns is evaluated. Both methods employed for quantitation yield precision suitable for pharmacokinetic studies. However, …

Watershed Management To Control Pollution In The Ayuquila River, Jalisco, Mexico, Luis Manuel Martinez Rivera

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The Ayuquila River watershed is important to western Mexico because of its biodiversity, physiography, fisheries resources, and water production. However, human activities are continuingly affecting natural resources within the basin. Soil erosion, as result of land use change, agriculture in steep land, extensive grazing activities and forest fires; and water diversion and pollution of the Ayuquila River are two relevant issues that have affected the natural resources of this watershed.

This river system plays an important role in wildlife conservation, containing 29 fish species, of which 12 are found inside the BRSM. The River also contains nine species of crustacean, …

Field Guide: Diseases And Parasites Of Marine Mammals Of The Eastern Arctic, Kara L. Vlasman, G. Douglas Campbell

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

The purpose of this guide is to provide information on the diseases, parasites, and abnormalities that may occur in marine mammals of the eastern Canadian Arctic. It also provides instructions on collection and submission of samples from animals that appear diseased or abnormal to laboratories for examination and testing.

Scwds Briefs: Volume 20, Number 1 (April 2004)

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

• First Culture of the STARI Agent for Lyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensulato, the most common tick-borne disease of humans worldwide and the most frequently reported vector-borne disease in the United States.
• Unusual wild elk mortality that began in late January to early February 2004 in the Red Rim area southwest of Rawlings, Wyoming, has been preliminarily diagnosed as lichen (Xanthoparmelia chlorochroa) toxicosis.
• During 2003, hemorrhagic disease (HD) was documented in seven states through virus isolation at SCWDS. Most of our isolations were associated with an outbreak in western Idaho and adjoining eastern Washington. Both epizootic …

Factors Influencing Seagrass Recovery In Feather Sound, Tampa Bay, Florida, Feather Sound Seagrass Recovery Workgroup

Reports

This document is a summary of the findings and recommendations of the Feather Sound Seagrass Recovery Workgroup.

In response to nutrient load reductions and resulting clearer water, seagrasses have expanded significantly in many areas of Tampa Bay since the mid-1980s. However, the recovery rate and expansion of seagrasses in several areas, especially in the Feather Sound region of Old Tampa Bay, have been much slower. This project was designed to examine factors that may be affecting seagrass recovery and growth in the Feather Sound region compared to three other areas of Old Tampa Bay.

Management Of Vegetation To Reduce Wildlife Hazards At Airports, Brian E. Washburn, Thomas W. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions (wildlife strikes) pose a serious safety risk to aircraft. Wildlife strikes cost civil and military aviation at least S490 million annually in the United States (Cleary et al. [I]). Over 46,500 wildlife strikes with civil aircraft were reported to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) during 1990-2002 (Cleary et al. 111). Aircraft collisions with birds accounted for 97% of the reported strikes, whereas strikes with mammals and reptiles were 3% and Larus spp.), waterfowl such as Canada geese (Branta canadensis), raptors (hawks and owls), and blackbirds (Ictennae)/starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are the species presently of …

A Comparison Of Anuran Species Richness Between Primary And Secondary Forest In São Francisco Do Pará, Michael Reichert

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Deforestation in the Amazon has become a serious conservation issue. The process of destruction of primary forest results in the creation of secondary forest that differs from primary forest in a number of important ways. Anurans (frogs and toads) are one group that may be affected by the loss of primary forest and creation of secondary forest areas, and are an important focus for conservation efforts. Previous studies on anuran reactions to loss of primary forest have been few and inconclusive. This study examined anuran species richness in an area of primary and secondary forest in order to determine whether …

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2004 Annual Report

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

The gray wolf (Canis lupus) population in the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) states (Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming) continued to increase in distribution and numbers (Figure 1, Tables 4a, 4b). Estimates of wolf numbers at the end of 2004 were 452 wolves in the Central Idaho Recovery Area (CID), 324 in the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area (GYA), and 59 in the Northwest Montana Recovery Area (NWMT) for a total of 835 wolves (Figure 1, Table 4a). By state boundaries, there were an estimated 422 wolves in the state of Idaho, 260 in Wyoming and 153 in Montana (Table 4b). …

Coyote Attacks: An Increasing Suburban Problem, Robert M. Timm, Rex O. Baker, Joe R. Bennett, Craig C. Coolahan

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 21st (2004)

Coyote attacks on humans and pets have increased within the past 5 years in California. We discuss documented occurrences of coyote aggression and attacks on people, using data from USDA Wildlife Services, the California Department of Fish & Game, and other sources. Forty-eight such attacks on children and adults were verified from 1998 through 2003, compared to 41 attacks during the period 1988 through 1997; most incidents occurred in Southern California near the suburban-wildland interface. Attack incidents are typically preceded by a sequence of increasingly bold coyote behaviors, including: nighttime coyote attacks on pets; sightings of coyotes in neighborhoods at …

Coyotes In Yellowstone National Park: The Influence Of Dominance On Foraging, Territoriality, And Fitness, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The coyote, is an opportunistic, generalist predator that has expanded its distribution to most of North America and is probably one of the most widely researched canids. Yet, its typically nocturnal, secretive behavior mean there have been only two studies-both in Grand Teton National Park, Wyoming-based on direct observation of wild coyotes (Camenzind 1978b; Bekoff and Wells 1986). The coyote population in YNP has not been persecuted for several decades, and thus is tolerant of humans to an extent that has facilitated our studies of how coyotes deal with fluctuations in temperature, snow depth, snow-pack hardness, and food availability (e.g. …

Effects Of Forage Nutritional Quality (Energy And Protein) On Deer Acceptance Of Foods Containing Secondary Metabolites, Dale L. Nolte, Bruce A. Kimball, Kelly R. Perry, Juan J. Villalba, Frederick D. Provenza

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Deer foraging on tree seedlings is recognized as the most widespread detriment to reforestation efforts. Non-lethal approaches to reduce deer damage to seedlings are highly desirable. Avoidance of natural secondary metabolites contained in conifers may provide feasible means to develop non-lethal measures. Other studies have demonstrated that sheep and goats fed diets with high protein-to-energy ratios, or allowed to select between concentrates high in either energy or protein, ate much more of a high-terpene diet and of a high-tannin diet than when they were fed diets high in energy-to-protein ratios. Thus, manipulating foraging options for deer may impact their ability …

Projecting Range Expansion Of Invasive European Green Crabs (Carcinus Maenas) To Alaska: Temperature And Salinity Tolerance Of Larvae, Anson Hines, Greg Ruiz, Natasha Gray Hitchcock, Catherine E. De Rivera

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

The European Green Crab (Carcinus maenas) is a global invader, successfully colonizing many world regions and having significant ecological and economic impacts. The Green Crab colonized western North America in the late 1980s, spreading primarily northward from the initial establishment in San Francisco Bay to several other bays in northern California, Oregon, and Washington. Initial analysis, based largely upon temperature tolerance of postlarval crabs, suggests Green Crabs will continue to spread and become established throughout much of Alaska. However, establishment of self-sustaining populations in Alaska may be restricted by environmental conditions for reproduction and larval development, instead of the broad …