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Ontogenetic Changes In Feeding Ecology And Habitat Of The Damselfish Neoglyphidodon Melas At Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef, Sai-Wing Chan

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This study examines ontogenetic shift in habitat and feeding ecology of the black damselfish, Neoglyphidodon melas in three patch reef sites at Lizard Island, Great Barrier Reef. This rarely studied species is unique in its coprophagous relationship with the faeces of the giant clam Tridacna gigas. Distribution and habitat composition between three sites and two reef zones was estimated with 48 Visual Belt and Point Intercept Transects. 80 Focal Animal Studies revealed specific foraging strategies and aggressive behaviours. The timing of this study permitted the inclusion of juvenile recruits resulting in a more complete and comprehensive study across developmental stages. …

Fisheries Research Report No. 166 - Stock Enhancement Of Haliotis Laevigata In Western Australia - A Preliminary Assessment, Anthony M. Hart, Frank Fabris, Sabine Daume

Fisheries Research Reports

A preliminary assessment of stock enhancement of Haliotis laevigata (Greenlip abalone) in Western Australia was undertaken with the release of 6,000 abalone near Augusta in 2004. The objective of the project was to obtain quantitative data on the likelihood of enhancement, as an additional management tool to TACs and size-limits, being successful in natural habitats in Western Australia. Baseline surveys coupled with an assessment of growth and survival of released 1+ and 2 + animals were undertaken at 12 sites within Flinders Bay, Augusta. Overall survival was 19% for 1+ age abalone and 27% for 2+ animals after 9 months. …

Water Current, Volume 39, No. 4, Fall 2007

Water Current Newsletter

Spring Seminars Tap Range of State, National Issues In 13-Lecture UNL Public Series By Steve Ress
April Water Law, Policy and Science Conference To Focus on Great Plains Water Quality Challenges
China’s water quality issues resonate at home
Meet the Faculty
Map Shows Groundwater Decline Slowed By Kelly Helm Smith
USGS Study Identifies Major Source of Nitrate in Precipitation
New Ph.D. Specialization in Applied Ecology at UNL By Tala Awada, Ph.D.
Water Resources Advisory Panel Holds October Progress Meeting By Jessica Harder and Steve Ress
Nebraska’s Top-10 Water Challenges
2007 UNL Water Colloquium & Water Sciences Laboratory Open House(Friday, Oct. …

Scwds Briefs: Volume 23, Number 3 (October 2007), Gary L. Doster , Editor, Scwds Briefs, Michael J. Yabsley

Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study: Publications

Table of Contents:

Hemorrhagic Disease in 2007

Gone with the Pigs? VS on Ossabaw Island

Theileriosis in Alabama Reindeer

Cryptosporidium in Wildlife

TWS Addresses Baiting and Feeding of Wildlife

SCWDS Awards at WDA Meeting

SCWDS Anniversary Honored

AFWA Resolution 2007-1

Arctic Report Card 2007: Tracking Recent Environmental Changes, J. Overland, L. Bengtsson, R. Przybylak, J. Walsh, J. Richter-Menge, S. Nghiem, D. Perovich, I. Rigor, A. Proshutinsky, J. Morison, V. Romanovsky, R. Armstrong, L.D. Hinzman, N. Oberman, A. Shiklomanov, E. Hanna, J. Box, P. Huybrechts, R. Van Bogaert, D. Walker, G.J. Jia, O. Grau, M. Hallinger, M. De Dapper, C. Jonasson, T.V. Callaghan, D. Russell, M.J.J.E. Loonen, C. Zöckler, B. Ebbinge

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

Collectively, the observations indicate that the overall warming of the Arctic system continued in 2007. There are some elements that are stabilizing or returning to climatological norms. These mixed tendencies illustrate the sensitivity and complexity of the Arctic System.

Atmosphere: Hot spot shifts toward Europe

Ocean: North Pole Temperatures at depth returning to 1990s values

Sea Ice: Summer extent at record minimum

Greenland: Recent warm temperatures associated with net ice loss

Biology: increasing tundra shrub cover and variable treeline advance; up to 80% declines in some caribou herds while goose populations double

Land: Increase in permafrost temperatures

The Arctic Report …

An Extraordinary Patch Of Feral Hog Damage In Florida Before And After Initiating Hog Removal, Richard M. Engeman, John Woolard, Henry T. Smith, Jean Bourassa, Bernice U. Constantin, Daniel Griffin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral hogs (Sus scrofa) are a particularly destructive exotic species in the United States (U.S. Department of Agriculture 1999), including Florida, which, along with Hawaii, is one of 2 states cited as having the most severe invasive species problems (U.S. Congress 1993) in the country. First introduced to North America by the European colonists (Conover 2007) hogs were one of the first invasive exotic species to take hold in Florida. They can transmit disease to livestock (Hartin et al. 2007) and humans (Conover and Vail 2007). They impose a variety of negative environmental impacts, including habitat degradation and …

Wildlife Health Centre Newsletter – Volume 13, Fall/Winter 2007, Number 1

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

Feature Articles:
International Polar Year 2007/2008 - What’s in it for Wildlife Health?
Viral Hemorrhagic Septicemia Virus (VHSV) type IV`b’in the Great Lakes— an Update

Disease Updates

Atlantic Region
“Flesh-eating Disease” in Two Raccoons due to Streptococcus group G infection
Avian Cholera in Open Ocean Seabirds of Atlantic Canada Cerebellar Abiotrophy in a Moose

Quebec Region
Besnoitiosis in Caribou Herds (Rangifer tarandus
Incursion of Raccoon Rabies in the Province of Quebec

Ontario/Nunavut Region
Canine Distemper Virus in Sled Dogs—Nunavut and NT
CCWHC Seeking Increased Submissions of Reptiles and Amphibians

Western/Northern Region
Update on Bovine Tuberculosis in the Riding Mountain …

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Wildlife Disease Investigation Manual

Canadian Cooperative Wildlife Health Centre: Newsletters and Publications

This manual is intended as a reference for people investigating wildlife mortality events or illness. Its primary objective is to ensure that appropriate samples are collected in the field, and that these reach a diagnostic laboratory in suitable condition for detailed examination. This will ensure an optimal chance to determine the cause and nature of the disease and to assess significance.

It is impossible to provide detailed guidelines that will be appropriate for all circumstances; our intent is to provide general directions that can be modified to fit the circumstances. Whenever possible, the laboratory that will be examining the specimens …

Benthic Mapping For Habitat Classification In The Peconic Estuary: Phase I Groundtruth Studies, Robert M. Cerrato, Nicole P. Maher

School of Marine & Atmospheric Sciences Faculty Publications

Benthic habitat maps of the estuary seafloor will increase our knowledge of range and variability in benthic habitats, will assist managers in their efforts to protect and/or restore commercially and recreationally important finfish and shellfish, will link land usage (e.g. developed vs. undeveloped areas) and water quality data to benthic habitat quality, and will make it possible to utilize faunal data as a long-term indicator of the overall “health” of the estuary. We are developing benthic habitat maps by combining high-resolution remote sensing techniques with detailed study of the physical and faunal characteristics at point locations in different seafloor environments. …

Ground Water Dependence Of Endangered Ecosystems: Nebraska’S Eastern Saline Wetlands, F. Edwin Harvey, Jerry F. Ayers, David C. Gosselin

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Many endangered or threatened ecosystems depend on ground water for their survival. Nebraska’s saline wetlands, home to a number of endangered species, are ecosystems whose development, sustenance, and survival depend on saline ground water discharge at the surface. This study demonstrates that the saline conditions present within the eastern Nebraska saline wetlands result from the upwelling of saline ground water from within the underlying Dakota Aquifer and deeper underlying formations of Pennsylvanian age. Over thousands to tens of thousands of years, saline ground water has migrated over regional scale flowpaths from recharge zones in the west to the present-day discharge …

Search For Effective Natural Enemies Of Tetranychus Evansi (Acari: Tetranychidae) In Northwest Argentina, Imeuda P. Furtado, Silvana Toledo, Gilberto J. De Moraes, Serge Kreiter, Markus Knapp

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

The mite Tetranychus evansi Baker & Pritchard (Tetranychidae) probably originated in South America. Because of its importance as a tomato pest in Africa, an extensive project has been conducted to detect potentially effective natural enemies in South America for the classical biological control of the pest in Africa. A search for the natural enemies of T. evansi was conducted in the Province of Tucumán, northwestern Argentina, in December 2004, and this report describes the results. One hundred predatory mites of the family Phytoseiidae referring to 11 species were collected on 11 examined species of solanaceous plants. The most abundant phytoseiid …

Comparison Of Immune And Adverse Effects Induced By Adjuvac And Freund's Complete Adjuvant In New Zealand White Rabbits (Oryctolagus Cuniculus), Jenny G. Powers, Paul B. Nash, Jack C. Rhyan, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Though Freund's complete adjuvant effectively increases immune response to vaccines in various species, its potentially severe inflammatory effects have led many animal researchers to seek alternative immunological adjuvants. In a study of New Zealand white rabbits, the authors compared the immune and adverse effects of Freund's complete adjuvant with the effects of two formulations of AdjuVac, an immunological adjuvant previously developed by their group. ALL three adjuvants improved humoral immune response but also caused inflammation. Inflammatory reactions caused by AdjuVac, however, tended to be Less severe than those caused by Freund's complete adjuvant.

Does Interference Competition With Wolves Limit The Distribution And Abundance Of Coyotes?, Kim Murray Berger, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

1. Interference competition with wolves Canis lupus is hypothesized to limit the distribution and abundance of coyotes Canis latrans, and the extirpation of wolves is often invoked to explain the expansion in coyote range throughout much of North America.

2. We used spatial, seasonal and temporal heterogeneity in wolf distribution and abundance to test the hypothesis that interference competition with wolves limits the distribution and abundance of coyotes. From August 2001 to August 2004, we gathered data on cause-specific mortality and survival rates of coyotes captured at wolf-free and wolf-abundant sites in Grand Teton National Park (GTNP), Wyoming, USA, …

Implementing Uganda’S National Wetlands Policy: A Case Study Of Kabale District, Sophie Glass

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Uganda’s “National Policy for the Conservation and Management of Wetland Resources” was launched in 1995 to promote the protection of Uganda’s wetlands in order to sustain their ecological and socioeconomic functions. Despite the formal policy, wetlands continue to be drained and converted. This report examines factors that account for the divide between the National Wetlands Policy and reality. Six weeks were spent researching the challenges associated with implementing the National Wetlands Policy. Kabale District was used as a case-study to better understand the issues that institutions and stakeholders face when trying to abide by the precepts of the policy. Rapid …

Distribution Of Ultraviolet-Absorbing Sunscreen Compounds Across The Body Surface Of Two Species Of Scaridae, Elizabeth Cerny-Chipman

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

Ultraviolet radiation has far-reaching effects in marine ecosystems, but many marine organisms have UV-absorbing compounds that protect them from sun-induced damage. The mucus of coral reef fish has been found to contain mycosporine-like amino acids that absorb UV light from 309-360 nm. Using UV spectrophotometry, we examined whether fish are able to allocate these MAA sunscreen compounds to areas of the body that receive the most UV radiation. We compared absorbance spectra of mucus from the body surface of dorsal, ventral, caudal and head areas in two species of Scaridae (Scarus schlegeli and Chlorurus sordidus) from Coral Bay, Western Australia. …

Comparison Of Mosquito Control Programs In Seven Urban Sites In Africa, The Middle East, And The Americas, Daniel E. Impoinvil, Sajjad Ahmad, Adriana Troyo, Joseph Keating, Andrew K. Githeko, Charles M. Mbogo, Lydiah Kibe, John I. Githure, Adel M. Gad, Ali N. Hassan, Laor Orshan, Alon Warburg, Olger Calderón-Arguedas, Victoria M. Sánchez-Loría, Rosanna Velit-Suarez, Dave D. Chadee, Robert J. Novak, John C. Beier

All Peer-Reviewed Publications

Mosquito control programs at seven urban sites in Kenya, Egypt, Israel, Costa Rica, and Trinidad are described and compared. Site-specific urban and disease characteristics, organizational diagrams, and strengths, weaknesses, obstacles and threats (SWOT) analysis tools are used to provide a descriptive assessment of each mosquito control program, and provide a comparison of the factors affecting mosquito abatement. The information for SWOT analysis is collected from surveys, focus-group discussions, and personal communication. SWOT analysis identified various issues affecting the efficiency and sustainability of mosquito control operations. The main outcome of our work was the description and comparison of mosquito control operations …

Effects Of Human Choices On Characteristics Of Urban Ecosystems, Lawrence A. Baker, Anthony J. Brazel, Loren Bryne, Alex Felson, Morgan Grove, Kristina Hill, Kristen C. Nelson, Jason Walker, Vivek Shandas

Institute for Sustainable Solutions Publications and Presentations

Most urban ecology in cities remains an "ecology in cities" rather than an "ecology of cities." Accomplishing the latter requires the inclusion of humans within the concept of "ecosystem," both how humans alter the properties of urban ecosystems and how these alterations in turn influence human well-being. These influences are both direct (e.g., physiological and psychological influences on the human organism) and indirect, by influencing ecosystem sustainability. For the 2007 ESA meeting, Larry Baker, Loren Byrne, Jason Walker, and Alex Felson organized a symposium to address the relationships among human choices and urban ecosystems. In the introductory talk of this …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Vegetation Monitoring And Analysis: Year-End Progress Report, October 1, 2006 To September 30, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Vegetation Monitoring

Executive Summary

• The Weed Sentry program surveyed more than 750 miles of federal lands in Clark County for invasive, exotic plant species.
• Weed Sentry also removed more than 600,000 individual invasive plants from federal
  lands. These removals represent pro-active efforts that may have forestalled large
  infestations difficult and costly to eradicate.
• In response to a request by the manager of the Fish and Wildlife Service Desert National
  Wildlife Refuge, a major effort of surveying springs for plant community composition
  and invasive plants provided unique knowledge services by the Weed Sentry program.
  No such baseline information existed for the Sheep Range. …

Lake Mead National Recreation Area Monitoring And Evaluation Of Sensitive Wildlife: Annual Progress Report, Period Ending September 30, 2007, Margaret N. Rees

Wildlife Monitoring

Project 1. Relict Leopard Frog Monitoring, Management, and Research

• Diurnal and nocturnal surveys completed at all natural and translocation sites during the spring – the most striking finding was the lack of frogs observed at Rogers Springs and lower Blue Point despite repeated survey efforts.
• Relict leopard frog annual translocation effort completed – a total of 1365 late stage tadpoles and 592 post-metamorphic frogs from the head-start facilities were released at existing translocation sites.
• Mark-recapture effort at Rogers Spring abandoned because of the lack of frogs; assistance provided for a mark-recapture study at upper Blue Point Spring.
• Potential translocation sites …

Population Biology And Monitoring Of The Cuban Hutia At Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, Gary W. Witmer, Martin Lowney

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The Cuban hutia (Capromys pilorides) is the largest native mammal occurring in Cuba. Endemic to the West Indies, most species of hutia are rare or extinct because of over-harvesting, exotic species introductions, and habitat modifications by humans. An exception is Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where the Cuban hutia is very common and is responsible for a variety of damage and conflicts, including damage to landscaping, gnawing through cables, damage to vehicles, the accumulation of large amounts of feces in residential areas, and damage to native vegetation, with little subsequent regeneration of many plant species. Current management focuses on population …

National Wildlife Research Center: Research Update Summer 2007

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife Services: Vision and Strategic Goals
Spotlight on NWRC Rice Research
Blackbird Damage
History of Rice Research
NWRC Realigns Research Programs
WS Partners with Chinese Scientists to Study Role of Wildlife as Carriers of Avian Influenza
Rodent Control Collaboration at Army Training Area
NWRC Field Station Assists University of Hawaii Anthropology Department
Developing Methods & Providing Wildlife Services
EPA Registers Oral Contraceptive for Pigeons
New DRC-1339 “Take” Models Available for Use
Oregon and Washington Register a New Forest Pest Management Tool
Researchers Present Method for Permitted Take of Migratory Birds
New HPCL Analytical Method Developed for Warfarin
WS Begins Efforts …

Soil Carbon And Tree Litter Dynamics In A Red Cedar–Scotch Pine Shelterbelt, Thomas J. Sauer, Cynthia A. Cambardella, James R. Brandle

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Carbon sequestration in the woody biomass of shelterbelts has been investigated but there have been no measurements of the C stocks in soil and tree litter under this agroforestry practice. The objective of this study was to quantify C stored in surface soil layers and tree litter within and adjacent to a 35-year-old shelterbelt in eastern Nebraska, USA. The 2-row shelterbelt was composed of eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana) and scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris). A sampling grid was established across a section of the shelterbelt on Tomek silt loam (fine, smectitic, mesic Pachic Argiudolls). Four soil …

Integration And Validation Of Networked Avian Radar (Ivar), Marissa Brand

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 9th (2007)

A team of scientists and engineers from the federal government, industry, and academia is evaluating the ability of digital radar systems to identify and track biological targets and then validating these systems under realistic operational conditions. The Integration and Validation of Avian Radars (IVAR) project is funded by the Department of Defense Environmental Security Technology Certification Program. The eBirdRad radar unit utilizes off the shelf X-band marine radar coupled with advanced digital signal processing and tracking algorithms to process target information. The overall objectives of the IVAR project include: 1) the use of independent visual, thermal and other observations to …

An Overview Of Avian Radar Developments – Past, Present And Future, Tim J. Nohara, B. Eng, M. Eng, Peter Weber, Andrew Ukrainec, Al Premji, Graeme Jones

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 9th (2007)

The objective of this paper is to stand back and take an organized look at these developments in avian radar technology, with a view towards improving our understanding of this complex tool set. By reviewing the past, a context will be provided within which one can better appreciate what has been accomplished in the present, and where technology and products still need to go in the future. It is hoped that a better understanding will assist stakeholders in making the best use of these tools, today and tomorrow.

A Successful Case Study: The Bird Control Program Of Waste Management Outer Loop Recycling And Disposal Facility, Louisville, Kentucky, Usa, Russell P. Defusco

Bird Strike Committee-USA/Canada Joint Annual Meeting: 9th (2007)

Landfills and airports have a long history of incompatibility. Birds are attracted to landfills for various reasons including food sources, habitat, and orographic lift. Since landfills can be avian attractants, they are required to be sited at least 10,000 feet away from commercial airports in the United States. Waste Management of Kentucky (WMK) operates a municipal landfill and recycling facility -- the Outer Loop Recycling and Disposal Facility (OLRDF) located less than 1.5 miles south of the Louisville Standiford airport which, as the hub airport for United Parcel Service, is the fourth largest cargo airport in the U.S. As part …

Intrafield Patterns Of Wildlife Damage To Corn And Soybeans In Northern Indiana, Travis L. Devault, James C. Beasley, Lee A. Humberg, Brian J. Macgowan, Monica I. Retamosa, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management programs aimed at reducing wildlife damage to row crops rely on information concerning the spatial nature of wildlife damage at local and landscape scales. In this study we explored spatial patterns of wildlife damage within individual corn and soybean fields by describing relationships between specific locations where wildlife damage was recorded and distances from such locations to various habitat types that presumably influenced animal abundance and movements in our study area. Using stratified random sampling, we conducted depredation surveys of 100 corn fields and 60 soybean fields from May through October both in 2003 and 2004 and recorded the …

Colored Dissolved Organic Matter (Cdom) Workshop Summary, Catherine A. Corbett

Reports

The Charlotte Harbor NEP hosted a 2-day technical exchange workshop on CDOM as an imperative first step in implementation of the program’s numeric water quality targets to initiate a dialogue with local researchers and resource managers on the importance of CDOM dynamics and the roles it plays in estuaries. Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program hosted the technical exchange workshop to discuss and gain a better understanding of CDOM dynamics in the Lemon Bay, Charlotte Harbor and Estero Bay watersheds.

2007 Engr333/Biol354 Project Assignment, Matthew K. Heun

ENGR 333

The Fall 2007 semester ENGR333 project involved a collaboration with students in BIOL354, taught by my colleague Dave Warners. We asked our students “What would it take to make Calvin College carbon neutral?”

This project resulted in the first-ever carbon dioxide emissions and sequestration assessment of Calvin College, attached below.

The student presenters animated the pie charts, and an audible gasp filled the hall when the imbalance between carbon emissions and carbon sequestration became clear.

The students also studied potential routes to carbon neutrality, one of which was a green revolving fund.

This class project resulted in a co-authored publication …

Daytime Cover, Diet And Space-Use Of Golden Jackals (Canis Aureus) In Agro-Ecosystems Of Bangladesh, Michael M. Jaeger, Emdadul Haque, Parvin Sultana, Richard L. Bruggers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Golden jackals are locally common in Bangladesh despite intensive cultivation and high human densities. We studied the relative importance of seasonal flooding, rodent prey-base, and daytime cover on the occurrence of golden jackals in the two major agro-ecosystems in Bangladesh, one with annual monsoon flooding and the other without. Jackals were less common throughout the year where floodwaters occurred that would have excluded them for 1–3 months during their pup-rearing season. Diets of jackals were similar in the two agro-ecosystems. Rodents were the most common food type in scats throughout the year. The occurrence of burrowing rats in scats peaked …

Fisheries Research Report No. 163 - Spatial Scales Of Exploitation Among Populations Of Demersal Scalefish: Implications For Management. Part 1: Stock Status Of The Key Indicator Species For The Demersal Scalefish Fishery In The West Coast Bioregion., Department Of Fisheries, Western Australia

Fisheries Research Reports

Final FRDC report - Project 2003/052

The levels of exploitation on dhufish and pink snapper across the West Coast Bioregion and for baldchin groper at the Abrolhos Islands are above international benchmark standards. This indicates that these stocks are currently being overfished and are therefore likely to be being depleted to levels below those necessary to ensure their long-term sustainability. The current reliance of the dhufish catch on a single recruitment pulse together with the extremely truncated age distribution of pink snapper indicates that both these stocks are particularly vulnerable.

The West Coast Demersal Scalefish Fishery is a multi-species fishery …