Digital Commons Network^™

A Functional Response In Resource Selection Links Multi-Scale Responses Of A Large Carnivore To Human Mortality Risk, Kyle Duncan Dougherty, J. A. Dellinger, B. Cristescu, D. J. Gammons, D. K. Garcelon, J. M. Higley, Q. E. Martins, S.P.D. Riley, J. A. Sikich, T. R. Stephenson, T. W. Vickers, G. M. Wengert, C. C. Wilmers, H. U. Wittmer, John F. Benson

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Theory suggests that animals make hierarchical, multiscale resource selection decisions to address the hierarchy of factors limiting their fitness. Ecologists have developed tools to link population-level resource selection across scales; yet, theoretical expectations about the relationship between coarse-and fine-scale selection decisions at the individual level remain elusive despite their importance to fitness. With GPS-telemetry data collected across California, USA, we evaluated resource selection of mountain lions (Puma concolor; n = 244) relative to spatial variation in human-caused mortality risk. With hierarchical resource selection, coarse-scale selection determines availability at finer scales. This simple relationship allowed us to demonstrate that …

Winona State University Improving Our World Blog: 2013-2022, Winona State University

Winona State University Blogs

The Winona State University (WSU) Improving Our World Blog articles and entries from September 2013-February 2022. Note: there may be format coding in the document.

Winona State University Rochester Blog:2014-2023, Winona State University

Winona State University Blogs

The Winona State University (WSU) Rochester Blog includes articles and entries from May 2014-March 2023. Note: there may be format coding in the document.

Combined High Rates Of Alternative Breeding Strategies Unexpectedly Found Among Populations Of A Solitary Nesting Raptor, R. N. Rosenfield, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, W. E. Stout, T. G. Driscoll, A. C. Stewart, P. N. Frater, S. L. Talbot

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Evaluating The Repellent Properties Of Paprika On Ants, Jonathan J. Toj Castellanos

2024 REYES Proceedings

Ants are a problem no matter where you are, which is why we should always have a way to repel them on hand. Spices can be an eco-friendly and cheaper alternative to common insecticides sold in supermarkets. These insecticides are generally made from toxic products, which can affect both humans and animals. This research aimed to find the perfect spice to replace insecticides. Paprika was chosen because it is very common, especially in Guatemalan territory. Several experiments were conducted to verify the effects of paprika on ants. It was tested on one of the most common ant species in Central …

Evaluating The Risk Landscape Of Hawaiian Monk Seal Exposure To Toxoplasma Gondii, S. Robinson, K. Falinski, D. Johnson, E. Vanwormer, K. Shapiro, M. Barbieri

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Investigations Into The Ant Deterrent Properties Of Asafoetida Ferula Asafoetida And Star Anise Illicium Verum, Chinmayaram K

2024 REYES Proceedings

This study assesses asafoetida and star anise as eco-friendly alternatives to chemical ant deterrents. It involved placing replicates of two bait types, a control (granulated sugar) and a treatment (granulated sugar and spice), on yellow paper substrates at five different ant-infested sites. The efficacy of the spice was evaluated by comparing the ant count on each bait every 10, 40, 60, 120, and 180 minutes. Percentage repellency (PR) was calculated for both the spices, and the data was analysed with the sign test. Further tests used only the treatment bait to evaluate the efficacy of the two varieties of asafoetida …

Water, Feeding Efficiencies, And Development Of Dermestes Maculatus Degeer (1774), B. V. Adams, Leon G. Higley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Development Modeling Of Phormia Regina(Diptera:Calliphoridae), A. Roe, J. D. Wells, Leon G. Higley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Bone Traces And Modifications From Feeding By Dermestes Maculatus, B. V. Adams, Leon G. Higley

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

That Dermestes maculatus feeding can leave marks on bones is established in the literature - that D. maculatus routinely mark bones is not. Our results here, exposing fleshed bones to D. maculatus adults and immatures for almost two months after complete tissue removal, indicate that under natural conditions D. maculatus do not feed on bones. The key issue seems to be the ability of D. maculatus to seek new food sources versus being confined (and eventually starving) on bones. In a natural setting, once a food supply is exhausted, D. maculatus would seek new food …

Efficient Sabre-Sheath Hyperpolarization Of Pyruvate And Other Alpha-Ketocarboxylates And Ultra-High-Qualityfactor Wireless Masing Magnetic Resonance Sensing Of Hyperpolarized Contrast Media, Isaiah Olabisi Adelabu

Wayne State University Dissertations

Over the years, there has been research geared towards mitigating disease conditions such as cancers and tumors by molecular sensing of their aberrant metabolism in humans and animal models of diseases. Some of these biomolecules of interest are pyruvate, α-ketoglutarate, and ketoisocaproate, that play a central role in eukaryotic and human metabolic pathways. Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have become predominant in investigating and imaging cancers and tumors for early detection and treatment. Although conventional NMR spectroscopy is limited by low sensitivity, we overcame this barrier through the use of hyperpolarization techniques. NMR hyperpolarization improves …

Limitations Of Invasive Snake Control Tools In The Context Of A New Invasion On An Island With Abundant Prey, Shane R. Siers, Melia G. Nafus, Jereid E. Calaor, Rachel M. Volsteadt, Matthew S. Grassi, Megan Volsteadt, Aaron F. Collins, Patrick D. Barnhart, Logan T. Huse, Amy A. Yackel Adams, Diane L. Vice

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In October 2020, a new population of invasive brown treesnakes (Boiga irregularis) was discovered on the 33-ha Cocos Island, 2.5 km off the south coast of Guam, United States. Cocos Island is a unique conservation resource, providing refuge for many lizards and birds, including endangered species, which were extirpated from mainland Guam by invasive predators including brown treesnakes. We sought to evaluate the usefulness of toxic baiting with acetaminophen-treated carrion baits and cage trapping, common tools for the control of brown treesnakes on mainland Guam, as potential eradication tools on Cocos Island. We evaluated multiple bait types and …

Site-Specific Space Use And Resource Selection By Black Vultures (Coragyps Atratus) In The Southeastern Usa, Betsy Evans, John S. Humphrey, Eric A. Tillman, Michael L. Avery, Bryan M. Kluever

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

North American populations of Black Vultures Coragyps atratus have increased and expanded their distribution in the southern and eastern USA. In conjunction with these patterns has been a rise in human–vulture conflicts. To improve our understanding of space use patterns and better inform management, we evaluated the movements of Black Vultures (n = 23) in the southeastern USA using a long-term GPS tracking database. Our specific objectives were to: (1) quantify home-range sizes in relation to season and geographical study location and (2) examine within-home-range resource selection to identify landscape and anthropogenic factors influencing roost and diurnal space use. …

Antipredator Blood-Squirting Defense In Horned Lizards (Phrynosoma): Chemical Isolation Of Plasma Component(S), Pogonomyrmex Ant Dietary Origin, And Evolution, Wade C. Sherbrooke, Bruce A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

North American horned lizards of the genus Phrynosoma are largely myrmecophagous and squirt systemic blood from circumocular sinuses during encounters with certain mammalian predators. The predators react with distinct revulsion. Using bioassay-guided fractionation of blood plasma, we endeavored to identify the source and characteristics of the active chemical compound(s) responsible for this negative oral response. Our results of coyote bioassays and a series of novel mouse bioassay experiments were largely concordant. The active compound(s) was likely plasma-borne with a molecular weight (mw) of between 800 and 1,600. To identify the source of the active compound(s), we noted bioassay responses …

Eradication Of Feral Swine From A Barrier Island In Florida, Usa: An Examination Of Effort And Multi-Method, Multi-Species Population Indexing, Richard M. Engeman, Eric A. Tillman, Betsy A. Evans, John C. Griffin, Garrison Grobaski, Bradley S. Smith, John Stark, Bryan M. Kluever

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa) were targeted for and successfully eradicated from Saint Vincent Island (SVI), a National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) along the coast of Florida’s panhandle to protect its habitats and uncharacteristically high diversity of wildlife species for barrier islands in the region, including federal and state-listed threatened and endangered species. The eradication effort was initiated in early 2015 and concluded in 2019. A total of 438 feral swine were removed from the Island, 417 by federal control experts and 21 by recreational hunters. In general, the amount of effort needed to eradicate each feral swine slowly increased …

Downed Wood Removal Effects On Survival And Site Fidelity Of Woodrats In A California Oak Woodland, Timothy J. Smyser, Michael A. Hardy, Amy J. Davis, William L. Preston, William D. Tietje

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Owing to the increasing intensity and frequency of wildfires in the western United States, the removal of woody debris (downed dead wood and snags) from fire‐prone landscapes is being evaluated for wildfire mitigation. Consequently, the study of the ecological value of coarse woody debris to sustain dependent species has become of foremost importance. From 2004–2009, we used a before‐after control‐impact (BACI) study design to assess the effects of downed wood removal on a population of big‐eared woodrats (Neotoma macrotis) in an oak woodland (Quercus spp.) in coastal‐central California, USA. Using Pollock's robust design mark‐recapture analyses (with 12 …

High Thermal Quality Rookeries Facilitate High Thermoregulatory Accuracy In Pregnant Female Rattlesnakes, Haley A. Moniz, Jack Henry Buck, Hayley L. Crowell, Scott M. Goetz, Trevor D. Ruiz, Emily N. Taylor, Scott M. Bobacks

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Temperature is a primary factor influencing organismal development, and the fluctuating daily and seasonal thermal regimes of temperate climates may challenge the ability of viviparous reptiles to optimize body temperatures during gestation. Testing how viviparous reptiles navigate highly variable thermal conditions (e.g., relatively cold nights and/or highly fluctuating temperatures) is a powerful way to understand how they use microhabitats for thermoregulatory benefits. We assessed the thermal ecology of pregnant and non-pregnant female prairie rattlesnakes (Crotalus viridis) inhabiting a high-elevation, montane shrubland in northwest Colorado throughout their short summer active season, addressing the thermal consequences of microhabitat selection with …

Characterizing Feral Swine Movement Across The Contiguous United States Using Neural Networks And Genetic Data, Rachael M. Giglio, Courtney F. Bowden, Ryan K. Brook, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Timothy J. Smyser

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Globalization has led to the frequent movement of species out of their native habitat. Some of these species become highly invasive and capable of profoundly altering invaded ecosystems. Feral swine (Sus scrofa × domesticus) are recognized as being among the most destructive invasive species, with populations established on all continents except Antarctica. Within the United States (US), feral swine are responsible for extensive crop damage, the destruction of native ecosystems, and the spread of disease. Purposeful human-mediated movement of feral swine has contributed to their rapid range expansion over the past 30 years. Patterns of deliberate introduction of …

Bayesian Integrated Species Distribution Models For Hierarchical Resource Selection By A Soaring Bird, Ryo Ogawa, Guiming Wang, L. Wes Burger, Bronson Strickland, J. Brian Davis, Fred L. Cunningham

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Migratory birds exhibit seasonal geographic range (hereafter, range) dynamics during the annual cycle. Few studies have examined how migratory birds select their habitats for range occupancy at the species level and space use at the individual level simultaneously. We hypothesized that environmental variables directly related to fitness components would affect the range occupancy probabilities of migrants, whereas environment variables related to movements and flights would affect the space use intensities of migrants. We built Bayesian integrated species distribution models (ISDMs) to evaluate the effects of climate conditions, wind conditions, and landcover compositions on the seasonal range dynamics of American white …

Raccoon Density Estimation From Camera Traps For Raccoon Rabies Management, Amy J. Davis, Wesley C. Dixon, Richard B. Chipman, Amy T. Gilbert, Jacob E. Hill, James C. Beasley, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., Guha Dharmarajan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Density estimation for unmarked animals is particularly challenging, yet density estimates are often necessary for effective wildlife management. Raccoons (Procyon lotor) are the primary terrestrial wildlife reservoir for Lyssavirus rabies within the United States. The raccoon rabies variant (RRVV) is actively managed at landscape scales using oral rabies vaccination (ORV) within the eastern United States. To effectively manage RRVV, it is important to know the density of raccoons to appropriately scale the density of ORV baits distributed on the landscape. We compared methods to estimate raccoon densities from camera‐trap data versus more intensive capture‐mark‐recapture (CMR) estimates across 2 …

Using Open-Path Dual-Comb Spectroscopy To Monitor Methane Emissions From Simulated Grazing Cattle, C. Weersekara, L. C. Morris, N. A. Malarich, F. R. Giorgetta Et Al.

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Retention Of P-Chip Microtransponders And Post-Tagging Survival Of Small-Bodied Stream Fishes, J. Spooner, Jonathan J. Spurgeon

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Reduced Representation Sequencing Reveals Weak Genetic Differentiation Between Canadian And European Larus Hyperboreus (Glaucous Gull), E. Lachance Linklater, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, G. J. Robertson, L. Colston-Nepali, F. Vigfusdottir, V. L. Friesen

Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Salamander Modeling: Bridging The Gaps In Environmental Science Accessibility, Grace Leopold

Undergraduate Review

In the realm of science education, ensuring inclusivity and accessibility for all students, especially those with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), is an imperative goal. IEPs are customized plans designed to support students with diverse learning needs, which can encompass a broad spectrum of disabilities and learning differences (Shaw, 2021). Providing learners with an IEP is an integral part of Special Education, however, there are a host of overarching challenges faced by students with IEPs in science education, especially in environmental science classes. In this thesis, the development and application of clay salamander models are evaluated for their potential to provide …

Speculative Futures With Southern California Fibershed, Lesley Roberts

Textile Society of America: Symposium Proceedings

Regenerative agriculture disruptor Fibershed embraces and gives voice to the fullness of textile paradigms, economies, societies, ecologies, and skill traditions, seeks to address and rectify the sins and the promises of textile making and textile futures, and promotes healthy, holistic wellbeing. Fibershed is a movement of farmers, fashion activists, and makers growing a new textile economy. Founded in 2012 in a bioregion in Northern California, the community has grown to more than 75 chapters worldwide. Fibershed touts a soil-to-soil paradigm that asks us to consider the entire lifecycle of our textiles. It proposes a climate beneficial, regenerative system whose scope …

A Smart Energy-Efficient Hybrid Gait Monitoring System, Elsa Joy Harris

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Triboelectric nanogenerators are devices that harvest mechanical energy from the environment and turn it into electricity. By coupling the effect of contact electrification and electrostatic induction between two materials that come into contact and then separate they can convert the irregular, low frequency, waste biomechanical energy of human motion into useful electrical energy to run small body-worn electronics. This has shown promising results in multiple applications such as self-powered motion and haptic sensing, self-charging micro-storage devices, neuromorphic computing, and designing batteryless circuits to power small wearables. This work will investigate a smart energy-efficient hybrid gait monitoring system that is powered …

The Specter Of Representation: Computational Images And Algorithmic Capitalism, Samine Joudat

CGU Theses & Dissertations

The processes of computation and automation that produce digitized objects have displaced the concept of an image once conceived through optical devices such as a photographic plate or a camera mirror that were invented to accommodate the human eye. Computational images exist as information within networks mediated by machines. They are increasingly less about what art history understands as representation or photography considers indexing and more an operational product of data processing.

Through genealogical, theoretical, and practice-based investigation, this dissertation project traces a lineage of computation through images from early cybernetics to contemporary machine learning under algorithmic capitalist conditions of …

Reaching Across The Divide: Tools For Bridging Structural And Viral Genomics Using A Combination Of Biophysical Principles And Machine Learning, Diana Yvette Lee

CGU Theses & Dissertations

Bacteriophages are the most ubiquitous biological entity on the planet, but most viruses found in nature cannot be cultured in the laboratory and encode genes whose sequences lack similarity with current nucleotide and protein databases. New predictive methods are thus necessary to determine the phenotype of viruses. In this work, we leverage the physical geometrical constraints of viruses to quantify the correlation between the geometric and genomic characteristics of tailed phages, and predict physical features such as architecture and genome length of uncultured viruses using allometric models and machine learning algorithms. Here, we present a model to predict the T-number …

A Computerized Mastitis Classification Aid Using A Dairy Herd-Based Records: Multi-Layer Perceptron (Mlp) Neural Network With Backpropagation Approach, Ahmed M. Gad Prof, Dina Faris De, Sherif Ramadan Prof, Ghada Afifi Dr, Eman Manaa Prof, Mahmoud El-Tarabany Prof

Business Administration

The main objective of this study is to develop an efficient machine learning-based model for the early prediction of clinical mastitis in Holstein Friesian dairy cattle where automatic milking system (AMS) data is used. The model aims to offer a costless opportunity for mastitis control and reduce its negative impact on livestock production. Different forward multilayer perceptron (MLP) neural networks with backpropagation (BP) learning algorithms using various numbers of hidden neurons and epochs have been introduced. The results of the established models are evaluated based on different metrics such as the accuracy, the F1 core, the precision, the recall, and …

The Flora, Fauna, And Paleoenvironment Of The Late Middle Miocene Quebrada Honda Basin, Bolivia (Eastern Cordillera, Central Andes), Beverly Z. Saylor, Russell K. Engelman, Darin A. Croft

Faculty Scholarship

Miocene ecosystem change in the Central Andes is not well understood because of a dearth of well-dated fossil sites from the region. The late Middle Miocene (~13-12 Ma) Quebrada Honda Basin (QHB) in southern Bolivia (22° S) helps fill this gap and provide vital insights into Neotropical paleoenvironments. The site is among the best-characterized Middle Miocene terrestrial vertebrate sites of South America and has a robust temporal, spatial, and lithostratigraphic framework for analyzing its sedimentary facies, fossils, and paleoenvironment. Here, we present new plant silica (phytolith) assemblage data from the QHB as well as new analyses of QHB faunal data. …