Digital Commons Network^™

Using A Cost-Effectiveness Model To Determine The Applicability Of Ovocontrol G To Manage Nuisance Canada Geese, Joe Caudell, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Michael Slater

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

OvoControl G is a relatively new product that reduces hatchability of Canada goose (Branta canadensis) eggs, and few data are available on its cost effectiveness. Variables such as presence of nontargets, alternative foods, and public support can affect cost efficacy. We present a model that uses these and other factors to estimate the cost of application of OvoControl G for managing nuisance Canada geese. We found that at low goose densities (<35 pairs of geese), fixed labor was a significant portion of costs. As goose densities increase, OvoControl G becomes more cost effective than other methods, such as egg oiling or addling. Managers can use this model to determine whether OvoControl G will provide a successful and cost-effective treatment for population control of Canada geese in specific management areas.

Review Of Issues Concerning The Use Of Reproductive Inhibitors, With Particular Emphasis On Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts In North America, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Lowell A. Miller, Gary Killian, Christi A. Yoder

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This manuscript provides an overview of past wildlife contraception efforts and discusses the current state of research. Two fertility control agents, an avian reproductive inhibitor containing the active ingredient nicarbazin and an immunocontraceptive vaccine, have received regulatory approval with the Environmental Protection Agency and are commercially available in the USA. OvoControl G Contraceptive Bait for Canada Geese and Ovo Control for pigeons are delivered as oral baits. An injectable immunocontraceptive vaccine (GonaCon Immunocontraceptive Vaccine) was registered with the Environmental Protection Agency for use in female white-tailed deer in September 2009. An injectable product (GonaCon Immunocontraceptive Vaccine) is registered for use …

Evaluation Of Harassment Of Migrating Double-Crested Cormorants To Limit Depredation On Selected Sport Fisheries In Michigan, Brian S. Dorr, Ashley Moerke, Michael Bur, Chuck Bassett, Tony Aderman, Dan Traynor, Russell D. Singleton, Peter H. Butchko, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Diverse management techniques have been used to mitigate conflicts between humans and double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) including harassment methods supplemented by lethal take. In this study we evaluated impacts or programs to harass spring migrating cormorants on the walleye (Sander vitreus) fishery in Brevoort Lake and the yellow perch (Perca flavescens ) and walleye fisheries at Drummond Island. Cormorant foraging declined significantly (p < 0.05) at both locations subsequent to initiation of harassment programs. Overall harassment deteired 90% of cormorant foraging attempts while taking less than 6% lethally on average at each site. Yellow perch were a predominate prey item in number and biomass at both locations. Walleye made up a small proportion of the diet at both locations. However, both walleye and yellow perch abundance increased significantly (p<0.05) at Drummond Island. Walleye abundance at age 3 increased to record levels in 2008 following 3 years of cormorant management at Brevoort Lake. The estimated cormorant consumption of age 1 walleye in the absence of management at Brevoort Lake during 2005 would account for 55% of the record 2006 age 1 walleye population. These results support the hypothesis, that cormorant predation on spawning aggregations of sportfish was a significant mortality factor and cormorant management reduced sportfish mortality and increased abundance at both locations. Continuation of harassment programs and .fishery assessments will determine whether improvement of targeted sport fisheries through control of spring migrating cormorants is sustainable.

Management Effects On Breeding And Foraging Numbers And Movements Of Double-Crested Cormorants In The Les Cheneaux Islands, Lake Huron, Michigan, Brian S. Dorr, Tony Aderrnan, Peter H. Butchko, Scott C. Barras

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The yellow perch fishery of the Les Cheneaux Islands (LCl) region of Lake Huron, MI suffered a collapse in 2000, attributed in part to the increase of double-crested cormorants (Phalocrocorax auritus) in the region. A management program involving egg-oiling and lethal culling was initiated in 2004 to reduce cormorant foraging on yellow perch in the LC1. Counts of cormorant nests, nests oiled, cormorants culled, and aerial counts and telemetry surveys were used to evaluate management. Management contributed to a 74% reduction of cormorants on breeding colonies from 2004 to 2007. Cormorants used the LC1 area significantly more (P<0.05) than surrounding areas. Aerial counts of foraging cormorants declined significantly (P<0.05) over the entire survey area but not within the LCl proper. However, aerial counts of cormorants in the LCI were five-fold less than cormorant counts in the same area in 1995. Reduced cormorant numbers were attributed in part to the elimination of cormorant nesting on a large colony due to the introduction of raccoons. Although the numbers of cormorants using the LC1 did not decline, flocks were significantly smaller and more dispersed after management began. The reduced number of cormorants from 1995 levels and more dispersed foraging likely reduced predation on fish stocks including yellow perch in the LC1. Our findings indicate that the relationship between reduction in cormorant breeding numbers and reduced cormorant foraging in a given area is complex and may be influenced by density dependent factors such as intraspecific competition and quality of the forage base.

Jaguars, Livestock, And People In Brazil: Realities And Perceptions Behind The Conflict, Sandra C. Cavalcanti, Silvio Marchini, Alexandra Zimmermann, Eric M. Gese, David W. Macdonald

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The jaguar (Panthera onca) is the largest predator in the Neotropics and is arguably the most charismatic species for .conservation in Central and South America. Regrettably, the jaguar is also the carnivore that is least compatible with humans in twenty-first century Brazil. This fundamental incompatibility is due to the jaguar's need for abundant, large prey, as well as extensive, undisturbed habitat. Humans (also large, top predators) have competed directly with jaguars for food (i.e. native and domestic ungulates) for as long as they have coexisted (Jorgenson and Redford 1993), and lately threaten them directly and indirectly through deforestation …

Reproductive Biology Of Male Brown Treesnakes (Boiga Irregularis) On Guam, Tom Mathies, John A. Cruz, Valentine A. Lance, Julie A. Savidge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Reproductive biology of males in the Guam population of the Brown Treesnake, Boiga irregularis, was investigated through monthly examinations of the urogenital system organs and plasma testosterone levels. All males examined during the 12 consecutive months of the study were spermatogenic and had sperm in the ductus epididymis and ductus deferens. No evidence of testicular recrudescence or regression was observed. Testis mass did not vary among months. Epithelial height of the kidney sexual segment was the only feature examined that varied significantly among months, with lowest heights observed in May through July. Despite this variation, the sexual segment in all …

Contraceptive Efficacy Of A Novel Intrauterine Device (Iud) In White-Tailed Deer, Karl D. Malcolm, Timothy R. Van Deelen, David Drake, Darrel J. Kesler, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Overabundant white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) pose risks to property, health, and safety of human beings. Public concerns about lethal management can impair efforts to address these issues, particularly in urban settings. Several techniques developed for reducing reproductive output of deer have limited utility because they require repeated dosing to achieve permanent effect and face uncertain regulatory approval for use beyond experimentation. From 10 August 2006 through 30 December 2007, we evaluated the contraceptive efficacy of copper-containing intrauterine devices (IUDs) implanted trans-cervically in white-tailed deer at the E.S. George Reserve in Pinckney, Michigan. Intrauterine devices were implanted before (n …

Acetaminophen As An Oral Toxicant For Nile Monitor Lizards (Varanus Niloticus) And Burmese Pythons (Python Molurus Bivittatus), Richard E. Mauldin, Peter J. Savarie

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Context. Invasive species are a growing global problem. Biological invasions can result in numerous harmful impacts on local ecologies, and non-native herpetofauna are frequently ignored. Nile monitor lizards (Varanus niloticus) and Burmese pythons (Python molurus bivittatus, recently reassessed as Python bivittatus bivittatus), have become established in southern Florida. Both are large, semi-aquatic predators that pose serious threats to a variety of threatened and endangered species, as well as to the unique ecology of the area.

Aims. Acetaminophen (CAS#103-90-2), a lethal oral toxicant for the invasive brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on Guam, was investigated …

Seeking A Second Opinion: Uncertainty In Disease Ecology, Brett T. Mcclintock, James D. Nichols, Larissa L. Bailey, Darryl I. Mackenzie, William. L. Kendall, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Analytical methods accounting for imperfect detection are often used to facilitate reliable inference in population and community ecology. We contend that similar approaches are needed in disease ecology because these complicated systems are inherently difficult to observe without error. For example, wildlife disease studies often designate individuals, populations, or spatial units to states (e.g., susceptible, infected, post-infected), but the uncertainty associated with these state assignments remains largely ignored or unaccounted for. We demonstrate how recent developments incorporating observation error through repeated sampling extend quite naturally to hierarchical spatial models of disease effects, prevalence, and dynamics in natural systems. A highly …

Evidence For Recent Population Bottlenecks In Northern Spotted Owls (Strix Occidentalis Caurina), W. Chris Funk, Eric D. Forsman, Matthew Johnson, Thomas D. Mullins, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina) is one of the most controversial threatened subspecies ever listed under the US Endangered Species Act. Despite protection of its remaining forest habitat, recent field studies show continued declines of northern spotted owls. One potential threat to northern spotted owls which has not yet been shown is loss of genetic variation from population bottlenecks. Bottlenecks can increase the probability of mating among related individuals, potentially causing inbreeding depression, and can decrease adaptive potential. Here we report evidence for recent bottlenecks in northern spotted owls using a large genetic dataset (352 individuals …

Subspecies Status And Population Genetic Structure In Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus), Mark P. Miller, Susan M. Haig, Cheri L. Gratto-Trevor, Thomas D. Mullins

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) is a migratory shorebird that is listed as endangered in Canada and the U.S. Great Lakes and as threatened throughout the rest of its breeding and winter range. We undertook a comprehensive molecular-genetic investigation to (1) address subspecific taxonomy, (2) characterize population genetic structure, and (3) infer past bottlenecks and demographic processes in this species. Analyses included individuals from 23 U.S. states and Canadian provinces and were based on mitochondrial DNA sequences (580 base pairs, n = 245) and 8 nuclear microsatellite loci (n = 229). Our findings provide support for separate Atlantic and …

Barcoding Bushmeat: Molecular Identification Of Central African And South American Harvested Vertebrates, Mitchell J. Eaton, Greta J. Meyers, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Matthew S. Leslie, Andrew P. Martin, George Amato

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The creation and use of a globally available database of DNA sequences from a standardized gene region has been proposed as a tool for species identification, assessing genetic diversity and monitoring the legal and illegal trade in wildlife species. Here, we contribute to the Barcode of Life Data System and test whether a short region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene would reliably distinguish among a suite of commonly hunted African and South American mammal and reptile species. We used universal primers to generate reference barcode sequences of 645 bp for 23 species from five vertebrate …

Barcoding Bushmeat: Molecular Identification Of Central African And South American Harvested Vertebrates, Mitchell J. Eaton, Greta L. Meyers, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Matthew S. Leslie, Andrew P. Martin, George Amato

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The creation and use of a globally available database of DNA sequences from a standardized gene region has been proposed as a tool for species identification, assessing genetic diversity and monitoring the legal and illegal trade in wildlife species. Here, we contribute to the Barcode of Life Data System and test whether a short region of the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (COX1) gene would reliably distinguish among a suite of commonly hunted African and South American mammal and reptile species. We used universal primers to generate reference barcode sequences of 645 bp for 23 species from five vertebrate …

Spawning-Related Movements Of Barred Sand Bass Paralabrax Nebulifer, In Southern California: Interpretations From Two Decades Of Historical Tag And Recapture Data, E. T. Jarvis, Christi Linardich, C. F. Valle

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

During the 1960s and 1990s, the California Department of Fish and Game tagged 8,634 barred sand bass in southern California, and 972 fish (11%) were recaptured. Tag returns suggest barred sand bass are transient aggregate spawners that form spawning aggregations consisting of both resident and migrant individuals. Spawning residency at a historic spawning location was estimated by the frequency of returns over time; most same-year returns (82%, n  =  141) were recaptured within a 7 to 35-day period. The maximum recapture distance was 92 km. The average (± SD) non-spawning season recapture distance from peak spawning season tagging locations was …

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation And Management Plan (Ccmp), Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds

2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive : Executive Summary, Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership

PREP Reports & Publications

In the fall of 2010, the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP) completed an 18-month effort to understand current and future environmental issues affecting the Region’s estuaries, to establish realistic goals and objectives for the next 10 years, and to create effective action plans to systematically achieve the shared environmental goals of a broad base of Regional stakeholders.

With input from more than 150 individuals, representing 82 organizations, PREP compiled the 2010 Piscataqua Region Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (CCMP) that lays the foundation for work over the next decade to protect and restore the Region’s estuaries and associated watersheds.

An Assessment Of Sea Turtle Nesting Behavior In Relation To Hurricane- And Restoration-Induced Beach Morphodynamics, Tonya Michele Long

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Coastal habitats are highly dynamic and vulnerable to landscape-level disturbances such as storms and restoration projects. Along the east coast of Florida these areas are particularly valuable as they provide significant nesting habitat for two sea turtle species, the threatened loggerhead (Caretta caretta) and the endangered green turtle (Chelonia mydas). This coast was heavily impacted by three major hurricanes in 2004 and in some areas by large restoration projects in 2005. Recent remote sensing methods allow for broad evaluation of the shoreline and thus the ability to assess sea turtle nesting habitat at a landscape scale. I collected nesting data …

Titanium Niobium Nano Porous Materials: New Photocatalysts For Water Decontamination, Maryam Zarei Chaleshtori

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Water pollution is major environmental problem worldwide. Many common industrial organic compounds that make their way into water systems can be carcinogenic at trace levels and are difficult and costly to remove completely with conventional technologies. Because of this, authorities and researchers are trying to improve current water cleanup techniques.

Heterogeneous photocatalysts that accelerate the photocatalytic destruction of organic contaminants in water are a potentially inexpensive and highly effective way to remove both trace-level and saturated harmful compounds from industrial waste streams and drinking water. Titanium dioxide has the potential to completely mineralize organic compounds in water under ultraviolet light. …

Iron And Manganese Based Nanomaterials For The Removal Of Selenite And Selenate From Aqueous Solution, Christina Marie Gonzalez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Selenium, a naturally occurring element in the environment, is an essential nutrient for humans and animals. However, there is a narrow range between selenium deficiency and toxicity. Selenium in natural waters generally has a concentration of < 10 ppb (parts per billion); however, in the San Joaquin Valley of California concentrations of selenium ranging from 140 to 1400 ppb have been observed. Anthropogenic practices such as agricultural irrigation drainage, coal burning power plants, combustion of fossil fuels, and mining operations are increasing selenium concentrations in aqueous environments. Once in aqueous environments, selenium exists primarily as the two inorganic oxoanions selenite (SeO32-) and selenate (SeO42-). Both of these selenium oxoanions are known to bioaccumulate and can cause embryotoxic and teratogenic effects to waterfowl. There has been a variety of treatment technologies developed for remediation of both selenium oxoanions in water including bacterial reduction, membrane filtration, chemical reduction, reverse osmosis, and solar ponds. However, these treatment technologies are not cost efficient. In this study an alternative treatment technique known as adsorption was used with three synthetic nanomaterials consisting of an iron oxide, manganese oxide, and an iron/manganese oxide. The pH profiles, time dependencies, competitive anion effects, and adsorption isotherms were performed with each of the nanomaterials for both selenite and selenate. In addition, X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) studies were performed to determine both the oxidation state and binding coordination of the selenium oxoanion binding to the nanomaterials.

The investigation revealed the non microwave-assisted and microwave-assisted synthetic Fe3O4 and Mn3O4 nanomaterials, as well as the non microwave-assisted synthetic MnFe2O4 nanomaterial had the phases of magnetite, hausmannite, and Jacobsite, while the grain sizes were 27, 25, 25, 34, and 27 nm, respectively. The optimal binding of selenium oxoanions for all nanomaterials examined was reached at pH 4. Both non microwave-assisted and microwave-assisted Fe3O4 …

Chromium(Iii/Vi) Binding To Magnetite (Fe3o4), Hausmannite (Mn3o4), And Jacobsite (Mnfe2o4) Nanomaterials, Jeffrey Edward Hernandez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Chromium is a very versatile metal that is used for many applications in the world. Two of the most common ions of chromium that occur naturally are Cr(III) and Cr(VI). These two oxidation states have very different heath effects in living organisms. Cr(III) is relatively non-toxic to living organisms; however, Cr(VI) is very toxic to most living organisms This study was conducted to find a simple and cost effective method to sequester these two common ionic species of chromium from sources of water that are adjacent to or that are affected by other water sources contaminated by these two ions. …

Forest Edge Effects On The Behavioral Ecology Of L'Hoest's Monkey (Cercopithecus Lhoesti) In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda, Tharcisse Ukizintambara

Antioch University Dissertations & Theses

Forest edges are associated with forest edge effects that result from changes in physical features of the habitat, predator species and number, and prominence of human activities and other disturbances that can have direct or indirect impact on the distribution, ecology, and fitness of forest plant and animal species. I conducted a literature review on edge effects on primate species and came up with a classification of primate species in three general categories " thriving, sensitive and resilient species to edge effects " based on behavioral and demographic responses.

In Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, edge effects followed non-monotonic patterns (wave-like) …

Rare's Implementation Strategies Of Environmental Conservation In Indonesia, Alvaro Arvizo

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Like most developing nations, Indonesia is at a crucial stage in its modern political and economic history. Opposing forces are constantly at work, a government struggling to make Indonesia a modern nation and the economic demands of a growing population. This presents the country with a multitude of problems. One of several is that nature's resources are exploited for personal economic gain with no regard for the long-term effects. This is a major concern for environmental conservation and non-profit government organizations (NGOs) worldwide. The American NGO Rare is at the forefront of this issue. Its aim is to meet community …

Hydrological Characteristics Of A Large-Scale Flooding And Draining Experiment, Barrow, Alaska, Edith Jaurrieta De Velasco

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

The Arctic appears to be affected by climate change more so than any other region on Earth. Some of the most significant climate change impacts reported for the Arctic are associated with dramatic shifts in the hydrologic regime of terrestrial ecosystems. Understanding the hydrologic processes that are associated with different components of arctic terrestrial ecosystems is important because water in the form of snow or rain influences a range of properties and processes such as land-atmosphere energy and trace gas fluxes, nutrient cycling, ecosystem dynamics, biodiversity, periglacial processes and surface albedo. Furthermore, plants, animals, and native people of the Arctic …

Study Of Pbdes In Wastewater, Water And Sludge Of El Paso Del Norte Border Region Using Sbse Td/Gc-Ms, Beatriz Adriana Rocha-Gutierrez

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) are a group of brominated compounds widely used as flame retardants. PBDEs are structurally similar to polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and appear to act similarly in the environment. Due to their persistence and lipophilicity, PBDEs are found to be bioaccumulated and biomagnified in the food chain. Current research in PBDEs is focused on their occurrences, concentration, fate and transport in the environment, and the impact in the ecosystem and human health. Since PBDEs are not regulated in the USA, large amounts of these harmful chemicals are being dumped indiscriminately into the drainage system. As a result, these …

Development Of Wide Band Gap Semiconductor Materials For Renewable Energy, S.M. Sarif Masud

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

Several new wide band gap semiconductor nanocomposite photocatalytic materials have been synthesized from HTiNbO5 and HNb3O8 for solar energy conversion. As a source of renewable energy, the materials are being tested to produce hydrogen fuel from water via photolysis. The materials have high surface areas, are macroporous, and have flatband potentials suitable for reducing water to create hydrogen. Under visible or ultra violet light, the materials were found to be very promising as hydrogen evolving photocatalysts. As part of the synthesis of the composites, the catalysts also exhibited excellent catalytic activity under UV light for reducing ionic platinum and gold …

Physical And Biochemical Assessment Of Mexican Palo Verde Response To Chromium Toxicity, Yong Zhao

Open Access Theses & Dissertations

In the United States, about 1/3 of the 1400 superfund sites have been reported to be chromium contaminated, making chromium the second most common metal found in superfund chemical contamination sites. Chromium removal from soil has commonly been carried out via chemical, physical, and thermal processes. However, these methods are expensive and/or invasive to local ecosystems. In contrast to these techniques, phytoremediation (the use of plants to remove toxic substances from areas containing contamination at low or medium levels) appears to be a cost-effective and environmentally friendly process for chromium removal. However, most reports on chromium phytoremediation suggest that this …

The Genetic Basis Of Familial Hypercholesterolemia In The United Arab Emirates, Shaikha Saif Mohamed Al Mazrooei

Theses

No abstract provided.

Do New Access And Benefit Sharing Procedures Under The Convention On Biological Diversity Threaten The Future Of Biological Control?, Matthew J.W. Cock, Joop C. Van Lenteren, Jacques Brodeur, Barbara I.P. Barratt, Franz Bigler, Karel Bolckmans, Fernando L. Cônsoli, Fabian Haas, Peter G. Mason, José Roberto P. Parra

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) countries have sovereign rights over their genetic resources. Agreements governing the access to these resources and the sharing of the benefits arising from their use need to be established between involved parties [i. e. Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)]. This also applies to species collected for potential use in biological control. Recent applications of CBD principles have already made it difficult or impossible to collect and export natural enemies for biological control research in several countries. If such an approach is widely applied it would impede this very successful and environmentally safe pest …

Economic Threshold For The Management Of Plutella Xylostella With Granulovirus In Cauliflower Ecosystem, S. Subramanian, R. J. Rabindra, N. Sathiah

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Resistance to chemicals and some biological control agents by Plutella xylostella has resulted in the search for alternatives, such as P. xylostella granulovirus (PlxyGV), for the management of P. xylostella. However, use of PlxyGV would be economical only if it is applied at the right crop stage and at economic threshold levels. Hence, we evaluated the field level economic threshold for application of PlxyGV at the reproductive phase of cauliflower taking into consideration both the economic threshold model and the economic optimization model. PlxyGV was found to be very effective in management of the pest and was comparable to weekly …

The Sagebrush Steppe Treatment Evaluation Project (Sagestep): A Test Of State-And Transition Theory., J. D. Mciver, Mark W. Brunson, S. Buntin, J. Chambers, N. Devoe, P. Doescher, J. Grace, D. Johnson, S. Knick, R. Miller

Environment and Society Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.