Digital Commons Network^™

Status Of Native Stream Fishes Within Selected Protected Areas Of The Niobrara River In Western Nebraska, Jonathan J. Spurgeon, Richard H. Stasiak, George R. Cunningham, Kevin L. Pope, Mark A. Pegg

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

Lotic systems within the Great Plains are characterized by highly fl uctuating conditions through both space and time. Fishes inhabiting these systems have adopted specifi c life- history strategies to survive in such environments; however, anthropogenic disturbance to prairie streams has resulted in declines and extirpation of many native stream fi shes. Terrestrial protected areas (i.e., parks and reserves) are designated to support native fl ora and fauna and, it is assumed, to provide protection to native fi shes. We assessed the presence and relative abundance of stream fi sh populations within protected areas along the Niobrara River in western …

Integrating Societal Perspectives And Values For Improved Stewardship Of A Coastal Ecosystem Engineer, Steven B. Scyphers, J. Steven Picou, Robert D. Brumbaugh, Sean P. Powers

University Faculty and Staff Publications

Oyster reefs provide coastal societies with a vast array of ecosystem services, but are also destructively harvested as an economically and culturally important fishery resource, exemplifying a complex social-ecological system (SES). Historically, societal demand for oysters has led to destructive and unsustainable levels of harvest, which coupled with multiple other stressors has placed oyster reefs among the most globally imperiled coastal habitats. However, more recent studies have demonstrated that large-scale restoration is possible and that healthy oyster populations can be sustained with effective governance and stewardship. However, both of these require significant societal support or financial investment. In our study, …

Whooping Cranes Consume Plains Leopard Frogs At Migratory Stopover Sites In Nebraska, Keith Geluso, Brad T. Krohn, Mary J. Harner, Michael J. Assenmacher

The Prairie Naturalist

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) currently consist of a single, wild population that migrates annually from breeding grounds at Wood Buffalo National Park, Canada, to wintering grounds on and around the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge along the Texas coast, USA (NRC 2005). This population reached a low of less than 20 individuals in 1941 (Allen 1952) but has rebounded to over 250 individuals (Chavez-Ramirez and Wehtje 2012, Gil-Weir et al. 2012). Whooping cranes migrate approximately 4,000 km each spring and autumn, traversing much of the North American Great Plains (Lewis 1995) and periodically landing along rivers, wetlands, and other …

Advocacy For Marine Management: Contributions To A Policy Advocacy Initiative In The Maldives, Neal Collins

Capstone Collection

On June 5, 2009 a 42-­‐km2 area of coral reef situated in the Alif Dhaalu (South Ari) atoll of the Republic of Maldives was designated the South Ari Atoll Marine Protected Area (S.A. MPA) due to a globally significant whale shark aggregation site. The whale shark is notorious for its gargantuan size and docile nature, which has led to a burgeoning tourist industry that gives people the opportunity to swim with the gentle giants in tropical sites such as the Maldives. The S.A. MPA receives tens of thousands of visitors a year that engage in whale shark excursions, however, there …

Exstream Ecology: A Survey Of The Rumford River

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The students of Mansfield High School performed a water quality study on the Rumford River on Tuesday, November 12, 2013 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The study location consisted of one site on the Town of Mansfield Conservation Commission property on Fischer Lane.

The purpose of this study was to introduce benthic macroinvertebrates and their role as indicators for evaluating stream water quality. Students utilized state of the art methods and techniques during all aspects of this study.

The Rumford River is listed on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) National Priority List (NPL). The river was polluted with dioxins, furans and phenols …

Atrazine And Nitrate In Public Drinking Water Supplies And Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma In Nebraska, Usa, Martha G. Rhoades, Jane L. Meza, Cheryl L. Beseler, Patrick J. Shea, Andy Kahle, Julie M. Vose, Kent M. Eskridge, Roy F. Spalding

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

A secondary analysis of 1999–2002 Nebraska case-control data was conducted to assess the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) associated with exposure to nitrate- and atrazine-contaminated drinking water. Water chemistry data were collected and weighted by well contribution and proximity of residence to water supply, followed by logistic regression to determine odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). We found no association between NHL risk and exposure to drinking water containing atrazine or nitrate alone. Risk associated with the interaction of nitrate and atrazine in drinking water was elevated (OR, 2.5; CI, 1.0–6.2). Risk of indolent B-cell lymphoma was higher …

Nondetection Sampling Bias In Marked Presence-Only Data, Trevor Hefley, Andrew J. Tyre, David M. Baasch, Erin E. Blankenship

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

1 Species distribution models (SDM) are tools used to determine environmental features that influence the geographic distribution of species’ abundance and have been used to analyze presence-only records. Analysis of presenceonly records may require correction for nondetection sampling bias to yield reliable conclusions. In addition, individuals of some species of animals may be highly aggregated and standard SDMs ignore environmental features that may influence aggregation behavior.

2 We contend that nondetection sampling bias can be treated as missing data. Statistical theory and corrective methods are well developed for missing data, but have been ignored in the literature on SDMs. We …

Fire And Fish Dynamics In A Changing Climate: Broad- And Local-Scale Effects Of Fire-Induced Water Temperature Changes On Native And Nonnative Fish Communities, Michael K. Young, Lisa Eby, Lisa Holsinger, Daniel J. Isaak, Robert E. Keane

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Fire is a key natural disturbance that affects the distribution and abundance of native fishes in the Rocky Mountain West. In the absence of migratory individuals from undisturbed portions of a watershed, persistence of native fish populations depends on the conditions of the post-fire stream environment. Stream temperatures typically warm after fire, and remain elevated until riparian vegetation recovers. An additional threat to native species is that nonnative fishes have invaded many waters, and these species tolerate or prefer warmer water temperatures. Thus, forecasting the long-term effects of fire on native fish populations requires an understanding of fire dynamics (size, …

Ecology Of Glacial Relict Fishes In South Dakota's Sandhills Region, Eli Felts

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Native stream fish zoogeography has changed substantially across North America during the last century as habitat degradation, stream fragmentation and introductions of nonnative species have led to numerous extinctions, extirpations and altered distributions. Insufficient information regarding imperiled species often results in reactive, rather than proactive, management, and knowledge of species status and ecology is critical in identifying conservation priorities. South Dakota populations of three dace species (northern redbelly dace Chrosomus eos, finescale dace Chrosomus neogaeus, and pearl dace Margariscus margarita) are relict of Pleistocene Glaciation and are isolated from the northern core of their distribution, but little information exists regarding …

Habitat Modeling Of Three Endemic Crayfish Species In The Black River Drainage Of Missouri And Arkansas: Factors Affecting Distribution And Abundance, Matthew Stephen Nolen

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The Ozark faunal region of Missouri and Arkansas harbors a high level of aquatic biological diversity, especially in regards to endemic crayfish. Orconectes eupunctus, Orconectes marchandi, and Cambarus hubbsi are three such endemics that are threatened by a limited natural distribution and the invasions of Orconectes neglectus. I sought to determine how natural and anthropogenic factors influence these three species across multiple spatial scales. Local and landscape data were used in decision tree analyses (CART) to determine their influence effect on presence/absence and density of the three species. Predictive models were validated using k-fold cross validation. O. eupunctus presence was …

Walleye Trophic Position Before And After A Gizzard Shad Extirpation, Bethany J. Bethke, Justin A. Vandehey, Mark J. Fincel, Brian D.S. Graeb, Mark T. Porath

The Prairie Naturalist

Walleye (Sander vitreus) are an ecologically and recreationally important sport fish species. Reduced growth and condition in walleye can occur when prey availability is limited. In two Nebraska reservoirs, walleye consumed gizzard shad (Dorosoma cepedianum) as their primary prey until a winterkill extirpated the gizzard shad in 2001. Because of the winterkill, walleye in the two reservoirs had to change to alternative prey items. Our objective was to determine if stable isotope analysis on archived walleye scales can be used to detect a known food web shift in two reservoir food webs. We quantified the changes …

Role Of The Leguminous Shrub Amorpha Canescens (Leadplant) In The Nebraska Sandhills Grasslands: Water Relations And Patterns Of Water Uptake, Adam Yarina

School of Natural Resources: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

This study investigated the ecophysiological role of Amorpha canescens, a leguminous shrub native to the Nebraska Sandhills. Although A. canescens is an important ecological player in the Sandhills, its impacts on the surrounding plant community are poorly understood. To remedy this, two sites were selected for study at the Gudmundsen Sandhills Laboratory near Whitman, Nebraska – one with A. canescens (G-L) and one without A. canescens (G-NL). Both sites contained five representative herbaceous species: two C₃ grasses (Hesperostipa comata and Koeleria macrantha), two C₄ grasses (Andropogon hallii and Calamovilfa longifolia), and one forb …

Five New Records Of Ants (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) For Nebraska, Kristine T. Nemec, James C. Trager, Elizabeth Manley, Craig R. Allen

The Prairie Naturalist

Ants are ubiquitous and influential organisms in terrestrial ecosystems. About 1,000 ant species occur in North America, where they are found in nearly every habitat (Fisher and Cover 2007). Ants are critical to ecological processes and structure. Ants affect soils via tunneling activity (Baxter and Hole 1967), disperse plant seeds (Lengyel et al. 2009), prey upon a variety of insects and other invertebrates (Way and Khoo 1992, Folgarait 1998), are often effective primary consumers through their prodigious consumption of floral and especially extrafloral nectar, and honeydew (Tobin 1994), and serve as prey for invertebrates (Gotelli 1996, Gastreich 1999) and vertebrates …

Spatial Ecology Of Urban Raccoons In Northeastern Ohio: Implications For Oral Rabies Vaccination, Are R. Berentsen, Mike R. Dunbar, Chadd E. Fitzpatrick, W. David Walter

The Prairie Naturalist

In 1977, rabies was detected in a raccoon (Procyon lotor) in West Virginia, and since the mid-1980s raccoon variant rabies has spread throughout the eastern United States and moved west as far as the eastern edge of Cleveland, Ohio. The primary tool to combat this spread is the distribution of oral rabies vaccine (ORV) baits. A thorough knowledge of raccoon space use is critical in determining bait placement, particularly in urban areas. We monitored nine raccoons in urban areas of Cleveland, Ohio, calculated home range sizes, monitored raccoon movement with respect to potential movement barriers, and used resource selection functions …

Rumford River Water Quality Assessment Utilizing Benthic Macroinvertebrates

Watershed Access Lab Projects

The students of Qualters Middle School performed a study called “Rumford River Water Quality Assessment Utilizing Benthic Macro invertebrates”. The study was conducted on October 19, 2011 in Mansfield, Massachusetts. The study location consisted of one sampling site at the Fulton’s Pond Waterfall on West Street.

The purpose of this study was to introduce benthic macro invertebrates and their role as indicators for evaluating stream water quality. Students utilized state of the art methods and techniques during all aspects of this study.

The Rumford River is listed on the Environmental Protection Agencies (EPA) National Priority List (NPL). The river was …

Operational Meris-Based Nir-Red Algorithms For Estimating Chlorophyll-A Concentrations In Coastal Waters — The Azov Sea Case Study, Wesley J. Moses, Anatoly A. Gitelson, Sergey Berdnikov, Vladislav Saprygin, Vasily Povazhnyi

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We present here results that strongly support the use of MERIS-based NIR-red algorithms as standard tools for estimating chlorophyll-a (chl-a) concentration in turbid productive waters. The study was carried out as one of the steps in testing the potential of the universal applicability of previously developed NIR-red algorithms, which were earlier calibrated using a limited set of MERIS imagery and in situ data from the Azov Sea and the Taganrog Bay, Russia, and data that were synthetically generated using a radiative transfer model. We used an extensive set of MERIS imagery and in situ data collected over …

Wildfire Regime Shifts In Temperate Forest Ecosystems: International Symposium In New Zealand, Tomas Veblen, Alan Tepley, Andres Holz

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

This project consisted of organizing and executing a one-day symposium on “Wildfire Regime Shifts in Temperate Forest Ecosystems” in conjunction with the triennial meeting of the Southern Connection Congress. The VIIth Southern Connection Congress drew together more than 350 environmental scientists and resource managers for its triennial meeting in Dunedin, New Zealand from January 25 to 30, 2013. The Southern Connection Congress (SCC) is a meeting of interdisciplinary researchers and natural resource managers who are interested in the biota and ecosystems of the temperate latitudes of the southern hemisphere. Attendees are from a wide range of research and professional disciplines …

A National Study Of The Consequences Of Fire And Fire Surrogate Treatments, Phil Weatherspoon, Jim Agee, Phil Aune, Jim Baldwin, Jamie Barbour, Frank Beall, Julio Betancourt, Ralph Boerner, Matt Busse, Carl Edminster, Gary Fiddler, Carl Fiedler, Sally Haase, Kathy Harchsen, Mick Harrington, Ron Hodgson, Sue Husari, Jon Keeley, Mike Landram, Bill Laudenslayer, Jim Mciver, Dan Neary, Bill Otrosina, Roger Ottmar, Martin Ritchie, Kevin Ryan, Patrick Shea, Carl Skinner, Scott Stephens, Nate Stephensen, Elaine Kennedy Sutherland, Bob Vihanek, Dale Wade, Tom Waldrop, Dan Yaussy, Andy Youngblood, Steve Zack

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Many U.S. forests, especially those with historically short-interval, low- to moderate-severity fire regimes, are too dense and have excessive quantities of fuels. Widespread treatments are needed to restore ecological integrity and reduce the high risk of destructive, uncharacteristically severe fires in these forests. Among possible treatments, however, the appropriate balance among cuttings, mechanical fuel treatments, and prescribed fire is often unclear. For improved decisionmaking, resource managers need much better information about the consequences of alternative management practices involving fire and mechanicaVmanual "fire surrogates." Long-term, interdisciplinary research thus should be initiated to quantify the consequences and tradeoffs of alternative fire and …

Population Estimate Of Chinese Mystery Snail (Bellamya Chinensis) In A Nebraska Reservoir, Noelle M. Chaine, Craig R. Allen, Kent A. Fricke, Danielle M. Haak, Michelle L. Hellman, Robert A. Kill, Kristine T. Nemec, Kevin L. Pope, Nicholas A. Smeenk, Bruce J. Stephen, Daniel R. Uden, Kody M. Unstad, Ashley E. Vanderham

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

The Chinese mystery snail (Bellamya chinensis) is an aquatic invasive species in North America. Little is known regarding this species’ impacts on freshwater ecosystems. It is believed that population densities can be high, yet no population estimates have been reported. We utilized a mark-recapture approach to generate a population estimate for Chinese mystery snail in Wild Plum Lake, a 6.47-ha reservoir in southeast Nebraska. We calculated, using bias-adjusted Lincoln-Petersen estimation, that there were approximately 664 adult snails within a 127 m² transect (5.2 snails/m²). If this density was consistent throughout the littoral zone (depth) of …

Genetic Structure Of Grass Carp Populations In The Missouri And Mississippi River Basins, Usa, Bobbi M. Adams, Katie N. Bertrand, Michael L. Brown, Donald Auger

The Prairie Naturalist

We provided an early characterization of the genetic structure of the grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella) population as it expands its distribution in both the Missouri and Mississippi River basins. Further, we provided initial comparisons of allelic richness at 17 polymorphic microsatellite markers between 56 grass carp from the USA, and six from the Yangtze River in China. The number of alleles per locus ranged from two to eight and size ranges of alleles for fish collected from the invaded and native ranges were similar (P ≤ 0.001; 107–226 bp) to those previously reported in the literature. Distance-based clustering …

Tracking Large Carnivore Dispersal Using Isotopic Clues In Claws: An Application To Cougars Across The Great Plains, Viviane Hénaux, Larkin A. Powell, Keith A. Hobson, Clayton Kent Nielsen, Michelle A. Larue

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

1. Cougar (Puma concolor) populations, like other large carnivores, have increased during recent decades and may be recolonizing their former ranges in Midwestern North America. The dispersal routes taken by these animals from established populations are unknown and insight into these movements would facilitate their conservation and management.

2. We inferred the origin and migration route of four dispersing cougars using stable hydrogen (δD) and carbon (δ¹³C) isotope values along one of their claws. We compared isotopic variations within claws to regional and large-scale isoscapes of δD and δ¹³C values in prey species. Using …

Phragmites Australis In South Dakota: Historical Distribution And Environment, Carol A. Johnston, Kayla L. Miller

The Prairie Naturalist

Common reed, Phragmites australis, has long been a component of Northern Plains wetlands, but impending invasion by the non-native P. australis haplotype M may displace native haplotypes in the future. To increase understanding of historical Phragmites occurrence, we developed a geographic information system (GIS) protocol to improve the georeferencing of specimens from South Dakota herbaria, and mapped the distribution of Phragmites relative to geology, physiographic regions, and water bodies. There were 91 Phragmites herbarium specimens from South Dakota and adjacent Wyoming. Phragmites collections occurred in nearly all physiographic regions of the state, with concentrations occurring in the Prairie Coteau of …

Habitat Selection By Female Swift Foxes (Vulpes Velox) During The Pup- Rearing Season, Indrani Sasmal, Jonathan A. Jenks, Troy W. Grovenburg, Shubham Datta, Greg. M. Schroeder, Robert W. Klaver, Kevin M. Honness

The Prairie Naturalist

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) was historically distributed in western South Dakota including the region surrounding Badlands National Park (BNP). The species declined during the mid-1800s, largely due to habitat loss and poisoning targeted at wolves (Canis lupis) and coyotes (C. latrans). Only a small population of swift foxes near Ardmore, South Dakota persisted. In 2003, an introduction program was initiated at BNP with swift foxes translocated from Colorado and Wyoming. We report on habitat use by female swift foxes during the pup-rearing season (May–July) in 2009. Analyses of location data from 13 radiomarked female foxes indicated disproportional use (P < 0.001) of some habitats relative to their availability within swift fox home ranges. Swift foxes used grassland (ŵ = 1.01), sparse vegetation (ŵ = 1.43) and prairie dog towns (ŵ = 1.18) in proportion to their availability, whereas they were less likely to use woodland (ŵ = 0.00), shrubland (ŵ = 0.14), pasture/agricultural-land (ŵ = 0.25) and development (ŵ = 0.16) relative to availability. Swift foxes typically are located in habitats that provide greater visibility, such as shortgrass prairie and areas with sparse vegetation; which allow detection of approaching coyotes (e.g., primary predator of swift foxes).

Distribution Of Crayfish Species In Select North Dakota Streams, Cari-Ann Hayer, Terrance L. Velazquez, Mclain S. Johnson, Brian Graeb

The Prairie Naturalist

Crayfish have an integral role in aquatic ecosystems, serving as herbivores, predators, detritivores, and prey for fishes and other aquatic and terrestrial animals (Momot 1995, Taylor et al. 1996, Martin 1997). Many crayfish populations are currently declining as a result of habitat alteration (Taylor et al. 1996) and invasive predators (e.g., rusty crayfish Orconectes rusticus [Girard; Lodge et al. 2000]). Knowledge of crayfish distribution and biology in North America and specifically North Dakota is sparse or lacking (Taylor et al. 1996) and baseline information is necessary to identify effects of anthropogenic alterations. Early inventories documented 3 crayfish species in North …

River Geomorphology And Fish Barriers Affect On Spatial And Temporal Patterns Of Fish Assemblages In The Niobrara River, Nebraska, Greg A. Wanner, Mark A. Pegg, Steven Schainost, Robert A. Klumb, Dane A. Shuman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The Niobrara River in northern Nebraska traverses the heart of the Great Plains with portions of the river protected under the National Wild and Scenic River system managed by the National Park Service. The Niobrara River changes from a narrow, entrenched stream to a wide, highly braided river with four fish barriers and 36 distinct geomorphic segments in the lower 531 river kilometers (rkm). Our objectives were to examine the spatial and temporal patterns of fish assemblages in the Niobrara River related to environmental variables, fish barriers, and river geomorphology. Tote-barge electrofishing occurred monthly from June to September in 2009 …

Review Of Mammalian Teeth: Origin, Evolution, And Diversity By Peter S. Ungar, Patricia W. Freeman

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Peter Ungar has written a book on mammalian teeth, a topic close to the heart of mammalogy itself and most mammalogists. His distillation of the massive literature on teeth into a succinct whole will appeal to scientists and professionals across disciplines. With paleontological and extant dental research in one place I no longer have to search these areas separately to find what I want. Ungar’s broad background includes physical anthropology, anatomy, and paleontology. Further, he has been one of the pioneers using dental microwear to analyze diets in primates and geographic information systems (GISs) on a microscale to study cusps …

On The Brink Of Change: Plant Responses To Climate On The Colorado Plateau, Seth M. Munson, Jayne Belnap, M. Schelz, Mary Moran, T. W. Caolin

Canyonlands Research Bibliography

The intensification of aridity due to anthropogenic climate change in the southwestern U.S. is likely to have a large impact on the growth and survival of plant species that may already be vulnerable to water stress. To make accurate predictions of plant responses to climate change, it is essential to determine the long-term dynamics of plant species associated with past climate conditions. Here we show how the plant species and functional types across a wide range of environmental conditions in Colorado Plateau national parks have changed with climate variability over the last twenty years. During this time, regional mean annual …

Fire Ecology And Management Of Non-Forested Ecosystems In Western North America. Final Report: Description Of Organizational Meetings And Development Of A Publication Plan, Matt Brooks

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

It has been almost 30 years since the last major book on the ecology and management of fire was published that contained extensive information from non-forested ecosystems across western North America (Wright and Bailey 1982). During subsequent years there have been notable books that have focused largely on forested ecosystems (e.g. Agee 1993), and there was one very recent book that addressed many important grassland, shrubland, woodland, and forest areas, but its geographic extent was confined to California (Sugihara et al. 2006). No single book has since matched the geographic scope associated with non-forested ecosystems in western North America as …

Fire Regimes Of Montane Grasslands Of The Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico, Donald A. Falk, Craig D. Allen, Robert Parmenter, Thomas Swetnam, Clifford Dils

Joint Fire Science Program Research Project Reports

Montane grasslands are an important ecosystem type in Southwestern landscapes, occurring from the forest borders of piñon-juniper woodland to high elevation subalpine and alpine ecosystems. Thus, they often represent a mosaic element embedded in the forest landscape matrix, playing key roles in processing water and nutrients, and providing habitat for unique suites of species, often at higher levels of diversity than those found in surrounding uplands. Soils, local temperature and moisture gradients, and disturbance all play roles in determining the distribution and extent of montane grasslands. Of these factors, fire plays the most dynamic role in regulating the location and …

Population Viability Analysis Of Swift Fox (Vulpes Velox) At The Badlands National Park, Indrani Sasmal

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The swift fox (Vulpes velox) was historically distributed in southwestern South Dakota including the region surrounding Badlands National Park (BNP). The species declined during the mid-1900s due to habitat fragmentation, non-target poisoning, and harvest. A remnant population occurred on USDA Forest Service lands in Fall River County, South Dakota. Following the successful reintroduction of the species in Canada (1983), a reintroduction program was initiated in BNP in the year 2003. Free-ranging swift fox from Colorado and Wyoming were translocated to BNP from 2003 to 2006. Despite these releases and observations of free-ranging swift fox occurring throughout western South Dakota, it …