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A Review Of Biomarkers Used For Wildlife Damage And Disease Management, Tricia L. Fry, Mike R. Dunbar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Biomarkers are distinctive biological indicators used to identify, often through indirect means, when an event or physiologic process of interest has occurred in an animal. Historically, a variety of biomarkers, as well as bait-markers, have been used in wildlife management including radioactive isotopes, stable isotopes, fatty acids, systemic and physical biomarkers. The ability to successfully track, monitor, and identify animals using minimally invasive techniques is becoming increasingly important as wildlife-human interactions increase. This paper is an overview of the benefits and limitations of previously and presently used biomarkers in wildlife damage and disease management with emphasis on the use of …

Blackbird Use Of Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots, George M. Linz, Jonathan M. Raetzman, Heath M. Hagy, H. Jeffrey Homan, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbird (Icteridae) damage to ripening sunflower fields in North Dakota ranges from $5-10 million and has probably forced many growers to abandon this crop. From 2004 to 2006, USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services cost-shared Wildlife Conservation Sunflower Plots (WCSP) with sunflower growers. The objective of the WCSP was to provide blackbirds an attractive nearby alternative food source to reduce damage in commercial fields. From 2004 through 2006, sunflower damage in the WCSP’s was 39%, 32%, and 60%, respectively. In comparison, damage in nearby commercial fields was 5%, 4%, and 18%, over those years. In 2006, drought in the region …

Anaerobic Digestion: Decision Support Software, Marco Poliafico

Theses

Ireland has significant quantities of livestock; meat exportation is a vibrant sector of the economy. Environmental management of animal wastes has therefore become an important concern. On the other hand in the last decade, national and EU policy debate has highlighted the need to investigate alternative energy: in particular energy for transport.

This study investigates the quantities of animal wastes produced in Ireland and their potential treatment using Anaerobic Digestion technologies. In 2005 Ireland had over 8 millions animals (cattle and pigs) and the annual slaughter accounted for over 4.2 million of these creatures. These animals have been responsible for …

Comparison Of Efficiency Of An Advanced Oxidation Process For Degrading Major Classes Of Dyes, Fatima Hasan Abdullah Ai-Hamedi

Theses

Synthetic dyes are a major part of our life. Products ranging from clothes to leather

Accessories to furniture all depend on extensive use of organic dyes.

There are numerous classes of these dyes. However, azo, anthraquinonoid,

Triarylmethane, diarylmethane, acridine, quinine, xanthane and nitro represent the major

Classes and are most commonly used dyes.

An unfortunate side effect of their widespread use is the fact that up to 12% of these dyes are

Wasted during the dyeing process, and that approximately 20% of this waste enters the environment (mostly in water supply). The effluents from these industries cause the water bodies …

Impact Of Land Use On Water Quality In The Indian Lake Watershed: An Integrated Geographic Information Systems Approach, Michael Belke

Browse all Theses and Dissertations

Geology and land use and land cover are the most important factors that influence water quality. The purpose of this study is to investigate how these factors operate in a rural watershed. Specifically, this thesis tests the feasibility of a proposed formula to relate how land use affects surface water quality and to infer hydrogeochemical reactions that control water chemistry through hydrogeochemical speciation and mineral stability relationships. Samples were collected from Indian Lake and its watershed in West-Central Ohio. BASINS, produced by the USEPA, was then used to delineate sub-watersheds and find the land use areas of these watersheds. The …

Species-Specific Visitation And Removal Of Baits For Delivery Of Pharmaceuticals To Feral Swine, Tyler A. Campbell, David B. Long

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Within the domestic swine industry there is growing trepidation about the role feral swine (Sus scrofa) play in the maintenance and transmission of important swine diseases. Innovative disease management tools for feral swine are needed. We used field trials conducted in southern Texas from February to March 2006 to compare species-specific visitation and removal rates of fish-flavored and vegetable-flavored baits with and without commercially available raccoon (Procyon lotor) repellent (trial 1) and removal rates of baits deployed in a systematic and cluster arrangement (trial 2). During trial 1, 1) cumulative bait removal rates after four nights …

Review Of Infectious Diseases Of Wild Rodents By Dennis Padovan, Robert G. Mclean

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Infectious Diseases of Wild Rodents is a collection of reference material on a wide variety of infectious diseases documented in rodent species throughout the world. Editorially, this was a massive undertaking to provide a comprehensive and systematic coverage of the information on so many rodent species and infectious diseases in one volume. Although the information is not presented in much detail, the breadth of coverage makes this a good reference book for those interested in rodent diseases throughout the world. The information is presented in two different formats: disease information in the first part of the book is arranged by …

Chlorophacinone Baiting For Belding’S Ground Squirrels, Craig A. Ramey, George H. Matschke, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The efficacy of using 0.01% chlorophacinone on steam-rolled oat (SRO) groats applied in CA alfalfa by spot-baiting/hand baiting around burrow entrances (~11.5 g) to control free-ranging Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi) were compared in 6 randomly assigned square treatment units (TUs). Four TUs were given the rodenticide and 2 treated with placebo bait. Each TU was a 0.4 ha square surrounded by a similarly treated 5.5 ha square buffer zone. Baits were applied on May 13 and re-applied, on May 20 and May 22, after 7 days of un-forecasted cool wet weather greatly reduced their above ground activity. Pesticide (EPA …

The Science Of Targeting Within Landscapes And Watersheds To Improve Consevation Effectiveness, Todd Walter, Mike Dosskey, Madhu Khanna, Jim Miller, Mark Tomer, John Wiens

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Our ernphasis in this chapter has been an the science that underlies efforts to target conservation efforts to enhance the effeciiveness (and cost-effectiveness) of management, mitigation and restoration.

Serologic Evidence Of West Nile Virus Exposure In North American Mesopredators, Kevin T. Bentler, Jeffrey S. Hall, J . Jeffrey Root, Kaci Klenk, Brandon S. Schmit, Bradley F. Blackwell, Paul C. Ramey, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sera from 936 mammalian mesopredators (Virginia opossums, gray foxes, striped skunks, hooded skunks, raccoons, a bobcat, and a red fox) were collected during 2003 and 2004 in California, Arizona, Texas, Louisiana, Ohio, and Wyoming and screened for flavivirus-specific antibodies by an epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosobent assay (blocking ELISA). Serum samples positive for antibodies against flaviviruses were screened for West Nile virus (WNV)– specific antibodies by blocking ELISA and selectively confirmed with plaque-reduction neutralization tests. High prevalence rates were observed in raccoons (45.6%) and striped skunks (62.9%). The high WNV antibody prevalence noted in mesopredators, their peridomestic tendencies, and their overall pervasiveness …

Reducing Non-Target Hazards Of Rodenticides In Forest Settings, Wendy M. Arjo, David T. Bryson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Mammalian damage to forest resources is widespread and causes annual economic loss. Wildlife damage control is very important to the intensified land use practices and the economics of reforestation using seedlings. Reforestation areas provide ideal habitat for many wildlife species. However, animals negatively impact trees more severely during stand establishment than at any other time. While numerous non-lethal and lethal tools are available for large and medium-sized mammals, fewer tools are available for small mammals. The damage caused by these rodent species has in some cases warranted the use of rodenticides to control populations. Rodenticides are effective tools for reducing …

Genetic Tagging Free-Ranging White-Tailed Deer Using Hair Snares, Jerrold L. Belant, Thomas W. Seamans, David Paetkau

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Use of noninvasive DNA-based tissue sampling (e.g., hair, scats) for individual identification in wildlife studies has increased markedly in recent years. Although field techniques for collecting hair samples have been developed for several species, we are unaware of their use with free-ranging ungulates. From December 2004 to August 2005 we evaluated the efficacy of barbed wire for snaring hair samples suitable for genetic analyses from white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on trails and at baited sites. During initial trials on a semi-captive deer herd in northern Ohio, deer demonstrated avoidance of barbed wire positioned on game trails through four …

Current And Historical Use Of Alpha-Chloralose On Wild Turkeys, David Bergman, Brian F. Wakeling, Timothy B. Veenendaal, John D. Eisemann, Thomas W. Seamans

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Alpha-chloralose (AC) has been used as an anesthetic since 1897 to capture or sedate wildlife, including waterfowl, wood-pigeon (Columba palumbus), and black bear (Ursus americana). The first use of AC in the United States was for the capture of house sparrows (Passer domesticus), red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus), and wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo) in 1964. Prior to the 1990s, AC was not registered by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as an immobilizing agent in the United States for wild animals that might be used for human consumption. In …

Management Strategies For Addressing Wildlife Disease Transmission: The Case For Fertility Control, Gary Killian, Kathleen Fagerstone, Terry Kreeger, Lowell Miller, Jack Rhyan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Transmissible diseases among wildlife species, and between wildlife and domestic livestock, are a matter of increasing concern. A combination of approaches should be considered for controlling disease transmission. If a vaccine is available or can economically be developed for the disease, it should be used as the primary component of the disease management strategy. For example, development of an oral rabies vaccine has led to programs where baits are dispersed on a large scale in a barrier zone to prevent the spread of rabies. However, there are no vaccines available for many diseases and incentives are frequently not present for …

Field Method For Analyzing Birds For Avicide 3-Chloro-P-Toluidine Hydrochloride, Jerome C. Hurley, Patricia A. Pipas, Shelagh K. Tupper, John L. Cummings, Randal S. Stahl

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We developed a fast and simple method to detect presence or absence of DRC-1339 (CPTH: 3-Chloro-p-toluidine Hydrochloride) in birds that fed on DRC-1339 bait sites. We compared the effectiveness of the colorimetric method to the previously published analytical method using birds collected from DRC-1339 bait sites in Louisiana and Texas. We also conducted tests with caged red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to determine if time from consumption of DRC-1339-treated bait to death and time from death to colorimetric analysis affected test results. The colorimetric assay was effective in detecting the presence or absence of DRC-1339 in birds …

Rodenticide Use In Rodent Management In The United States: An Overview, Gary W. Witmer, John D. Eisemann

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rodents occur worldwide and have adapted to most types of ecosystems. Rodents provide many important ecosystem functions and while most rodent species do not cause serious damage problems, a small number of species do. Rodent-caused damage includes crop and stored food consumption and contamination, forestry and nursery damage, rangeland damage, ornamental plant damage, property damage, cable and irrigation pipe damage, disease transmission, and, when introduced to islands, damage and even extinction of native flora and fauna. Many tools are used to reduce rodent populations and damage. Rodenticides are an especially important tool in rodent management. Many types of active ingredients …

Lagomorph And Rodent Responses To Two Protein Hydrolysates, Julia A. Figueroa, Bruce A. Kimball, Kelly R. Perry

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Various species of rodents and lagomorphs were used in bioassays to determine the effectiveness of protein hydrolysates (specifically hydrolyzed casein and gelatin) as herbivore repellents. Mixed sex groups of captive rabbits, pocket gophers, voles, and mountain beavers were offered hydrolyzed casein or gelatin test diets in single-choice tests following a training period with a hydrolysate-free diet. The effectiveness of either hydrolyzed casein or gelatin was dependent on the species. Hydrolyzed casein was identified as an effective repellent for mountain beavers and pocket gophers as these species showed a strong avoidance of hydrolyzed casein diets. Rabbits demonstrated slightly higher avoidance of …

Avian Use Of Rural Roadsides With Cattail (Typha Spp.), Bryan Safratowich, George M. Linz, William H. Bleier, H. Jeffrey Homan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We surveyed 30 roadsides in North Dakota’s Prairie Pothole Region for birds and active nests between May and July 2001–2002. Each roadside transect was 1608 m and had ≥200 linear meters of standing cattail (Typha spp.). We recorded 45 bird species; four species of Icteridae dominated the avifauna. Red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) were both the most abundant species and most abundant nester, averaging 53 birds/10 ha (SE = 7.7) and 30 nests/10 ha (SE = 9.7). Among non-icterid species, song sparrow (Melospiza melodia) and common yellowthroat (Geothlypis trichas) ranked first and second consecutively …

Sexual Selection Drives Speciation In An Amazonian Frog, Kathryn E. Boul, W. Chris Funk, Catherine R. Darst, David C. Cannatella, Michael J. Ryan

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

One proposed mechanism of speciation is divergent sexual selection, whereby divergence in female preferences and male signals results in behavioural isolation. Despite the appeal of this hypothesis, evidence for it remains inconclusive. Here, we present several lines of evidence that sexual selection is driving behavioural isolation and speciation among populations of an Amazonian frog (Physalaemus petersi). First, sexual selection has promoted divergence in male mating calls and female preferences for calls between neighbouring populations, resulting in strong behavioural isolation. Second, phylogenetic analysis indicates that populations have become fixed for alternative call types several times throughout the species’ range, …

Microsatellite Loci For Distinguishing Spotted Owls (Strix Occidentalis), Barred Owls (Strix Varia), And Their Hybrids, W. Chris Funk, Thomas D. Mullins, Eric D. Forsman, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We identified four diagnostic microsatellite loci that distinguish spotted owls (Strix occidentalis), barred owls (Strix varia), F₁ hybrids and backcrosses. Thirty-four out of 52 loci tested (65.4%) successfully amplified, and four of these loci (11.8%) had allele sizes that did not overlap between spotted and barred owls. The probability of correctly identifying a backcross with these four loci is 0.875. Genotyping potential hybrid owls with these markers revealed that field identifications were often wrong. Given the difficulty of identifying hybrids in the field, these markers will be useful for hybrid identification, law enforcement and spotted …

New Insights Into Marine Migration And Winter Habitat Of Gulf Sturgeon, Randy E. Edwards, Frank M. Parauka, Kenneth J. Sulak

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Migrations and movements of Gulf sturgeon Acipenser oxyrinchus desotoi were determined using satellite pop-up archival transmitting (PAT) tags and acoustic telemetry. Adult Gulf sturgeon from four rivers in northwestern Florida were caught with gill nets and were tagged with PAT and acoustic tags in the fall of 2001 and 2002. PAT tags were programmed to release in early February 2002 and 2003 to provide information about location of late-winter marine habitats. However, only 5 of 25 provided meaningful location information. Three of the PAT-tagged fish were relocated acoustically near the PAT tag pop-up locations, one of which was in Choctawhatchee …

Hydrologic Connectivity And The Contribution Of Stream Headwaters To Ecological Integrity At Regional Scales, Mary C. Freeman, Catherine M. Pringle, C. Rhett Jackson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Cumulatively, headwater streams contribute to maintaining hydrologic connectivity and ecosystem integrity at regional scales. Hydrologic connectivity is the water-mediated transport of matter, energy and organisms within or between elements of the hydrologic cycle. Headwater streams compose over two-thirds of total stream length in a typical river drainage and directly connect the upland and riparian landscape to the rest of the stream ecosystem. Altering headwater streams, e.g., by channelization, diversion through pipes, impoundment and burial, modifies fluxes between uplands and downstream river segments and eliminates distinctive habitats. The large-scale ecological effects of altering headwaters are amplified by land uses that alter …

Environmental Information Systems And Community-Based Resource Management In Ghana: An Investigation Of Institutional Policy And Implementation In Context, Abednego Ayitey Aryee

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

This study employed a case-study approach and cross-case analysis to investigate the impact of Environmental Information Systems (EIS) and Local Knowledge Systems (LKS) on agro-forestry management and biodiversity conservation. Questionnaire-based interviews with service providers, resource managers and focus group discussions with farmers associated with the United Nations Capacity 21, the Netherlands Tropenbos International (TBI) and the United Nations Project on People Land Management and Conservation (UNPLEC), projects yielded in-depth information on agro-forestry practices in southern Ghana. The findings of the survey revealed that computer-based information systems have been used to identify areas of resource degradation. This has served as a …

Termite Resource Partitioning Related To Log Diameter, Deborah A. Waller

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

The termites Reticuliterines virginicus and R. flavipes are sympatric in forests along the eastern United States from Florida to Maryland. These congeners construct subterranean nests, forage on surface and buried wood, and appear to have very similar ecological requirements. In the present study, I examined host-wood selection by these species in a coastal forest over two years. Logs inhabited by R. virginicus had significantly greater diameters than those used by R. flavipes. It is not known whether this pattern resulted from species-specific differences in preference for host size or competition for preferred logs. Host-wood temperature did not differ for …

An Analysis Of Social Aspects Of Forest Stewardship Council Forest Certification In Three Ontario Case Studies, Melanie Venne

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Forest certification is a market-based tool whereby forest management is evaluated against a set of standards that consider environmental, economic and social elements of sustainability. Certificiation is therefore a means of providing customers with the assurance that forest products are originating from sustainability managed forests. It grew out of the ideal of sustainable forest management (SFM) and pulls from its predecessor the concept of multiple dimensions of sustainability. The focus of this project was the international forest certification scheme Forest Stewardship Council (FSC).

A comparative case study approach was used to examine the social implications of certification in three FSC …

Local And Regional-Scale Societal Dynamics In Grizzly Bear Conservation, Douglas Andrew Clark

Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive)

Conserving grizzly bear populations is a significant challenge for wildlife managers throughout North America. Much fruitful research has been conducted on the biology of grizzlies, but the human dimensions of bear management remain poorly understood. This imbalance has created conflicts between management agencies and local inhabitants that can jeopardize ecosystem management and planning programs in which grizzlies often feature as key components. Broadly, the goal of this study was to understand how and why such conflicts occur. Qualitative data analysis methods and the policy sciences' interdisciplinary problem analysis framework, along with insights from adaptive governance and co-management concepts, resilience theory, …

Assessment Of Marine And Coastal Pollution A Long The Eastern Coast, United Arab Emirates (Uae), Shaheera Ali Juma Ali Bahwan

Theses

The present study aims to quantifying and assessing the orgasmic and

Inorganic pollutants extents along eastern side of the United Arab

Emirates UAE offshore on the Gulf of Oman, which consist of Fujairah,

Khor Fakkan and Kalba. Rapid development and the highly usage of the

coastal region for industrial activities, sewage disposal and marine

transportation has led to obvious changes in sediments quality of the

marine environment. Twelve coastal sampling stations were selected to

cover the maximum area of the eastern side, three sampling stations were

selected from marine sediments and six sampling collected from spilled

oil near investigated area. …

Vegetation Re-Establishment Of Mojave Desert Plant Communities After 2005-2006 Wildland Fires, E. Cayenne Engel, Scott R. Abella

Fire Science Presentations

Examine biotic and abiotic patterns that determine vegetative regrowth after wildfires to better inform land managers about what to expect after fires and how to manage restoration efforts.