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A Socioeconomic Portrait Of Prince Hall Masonry In Nebraska, 1900-1920, Dennis N. Mihelich

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

On 6 March 1775, a British military lodge of Freemasons initiated Prince Hall (his name, not a title) and fourteen other African Americans after the white colonial lodge at Boston had rejected their petition. Independence did not alter the attitude of white American Masons; thus, a separate black Masons' organization evolved. Hall secured a charter from the "mother" grand lodge in England and reconstituted his group as the African Grand Lodge of North America. Following his death in 1807 the fraternal order renamed itself in his honor.

Prior to the abolition of slavery Prince Hall Masonry spread slowly among the …

Constraints On Frugivory By Bears, Christy A. Welch, Jeffrey Keay, Katherine C. Kendall, Charles T. Robbins

United States National Park Service: Publications

Bears consuming wild fruits for fall energy accumulation are constrained by several factors, including intake rate, the physiological capacity of the gastrointestinal tract, and the metabolic efficiency of gain in body mass. We measured these relationships through foraging and feeding trials using captive and wild black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos). Four fruit types covering a range of sizes and clustering were offered to captive bears to determine the effect of density, size, and presentation on intake rate. Intake rate (in grams per minute) and bite rates (in bites per minute) increased curvilinearly …

Parasite Biodiversity And Emerging Pathogens: A Role For Systematics In Limiting Impacts On Genetic Resources, Eric P. Hoberg

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Emergence of pathogenic organisms continues as a threat to overall biodiversity and genetic resources. Macroparasites including helminths constitute a potential threat to economically important resources in agriculture and conservation biology. Limitation of this threat can be achieved through survey and inventory for biodiversity and the application of systematics to understand the host range , biogeography and history of faunas. Systematics constitutes the foundation for recognition of endemic and introduced elements of faunas and the basis for predicting the behavior of pathogens introduced to new ecological settings or host groups. The basis for emergence of pathogens has both a deep historical …

Thermal Tolerances Of Platte River Fishes: Field And Laboratory Studies, Brett P. Fessell

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

No abstract provided.

Book Notices

Insecta Mundi

A considerable number of books have been published since our last issue. We have not asked specialists to write formal reviews of these titles. Instead, we have listed them here, with short descriptions. Reviews may be published in later issues, depending on space and available reviewers.

Century-Scale Paleoclimatic Reconstruction From Moon Lake, A Closed-Basin Lake In The Northern Great Plains, Kathleen R. Laird, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Eric C. Grimm, Pietra G. Mueller

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Estimates of past lake-water salinity from fossil diatom assemblages were used to infer past climatic conditions at Moon Lake, a climatically sensitive site in the northern Great Plains. A good correspondence between diatom-inferred salinity and historical records of mean annual precipitation minus evapotranspiration (P - ET) strongly suggests that the sedimentary record from Moon Lake can be used to reconstruct past climatic conditions. Century-scale analysis of the Holocene diatom record indicates four major hydrological periods: an early Holocene transition from an open freshwater system to a closed saline system by 7300 B.P., which corresponds with a transition from spruce forest …

Analysis Of Vertebrate Pest Research, Jim Hone

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

Research on vertebrate pest control is mostly empirical, focusing on control of species X in location Y using method Z. Such an approach is needed. The science of vertebrate pest research is developing some generalizations across species, locations, and methods. This paper further explores such generalizations by discussing six questions asked by Hone (1994), the answers to which are relevant to vertebrate pest research world-wide. Several case studies are examined, with emphasis on control of damage by small mammals and predation control. Suggestions are made for future research.

The Potential Impact Of Introduced Commensal Rodents On Island Flora, Gillian Key, Renata Platenberg, Andrew Easby, Kathleen Mais

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

The impact of introduced commensal rodents on island flora has been relatively little studied compared with their impact on the fauna. The effects on vegetation composition, regeneration, and decomposition are largely unknown, but potentially great. Preliminary studies were carried out in the Galapagos Islands between 1993 and 1994 on the diet of introduced rats, Rattus spp. and feral house mice, Mus musculus, seed recovery rates and subsequent germination rates of seeds. R. rattus diet was primarily vegetation and 48% of rats had seeds in their stomachs. Significant differences were found between body size and overall contribution of both …

Mongolian Rangelands: Rodent Problems And Approaches To Alleviate Damage, Dale L. Nolte

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

Rodents are a major constraint to forage production for livestock in Mongolia. A technical program to identify the magnitude of the problem and strengthen the research capabilities of Mongolian rodent specialists was initiated in 1994. The Brandt's vole is the most widespread and the most detrimental rodent to the steppes of Mongolia. Limited resources inhibit activities by the Mongolian Plant Protection Service to reduce rodent populations. Alternative means to monitor vole activity were developed. Laboratory and field trials showed that voles were susceptible to zinc phosphide treatment and indicated how bait acceptance could be improved.

Population Densities And Disease Surveys Of Wild Pigs In The Coast Ranges Of Central And Northern California, Rick A. Sweitzer, Ian A. Gardner, Ben J. Gonzales, Dirk Van Vuren, Walter M. Boyce

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 17th (1996)

In 1994 and 1995, 233 different wild pigs were captured during population research at seven research sites focused primarily in the coastal regions of central and northern California. Mark-resight data and information on wild pig movements were used to assess wild pig population densities at those sites. Population densities ranged from 1.01 wild pigs/km² in Mendocino County in 1994 to 3.32 wild pigs/km² in Santa Clara County in 1995. Comparisons of population densities between years at three research sites suggested that wild pig populations increased in 1995 in response to favorable forage conditions after the wet fall and …

1996 Platte River Basin Ecosystem Symposium Proceedings

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 27, No.4 December 1995

The Prairie Naturalist

NEW DISTRIBUTIONAL RECORDS FOR MAMMALS IN KANSAS · D. W Sparks and J. R. Choate

CLAY-COLORED SPARROWS IN NORTH DAKOTA PARASITIZED BY BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS ▪ G. P. Romig and R. D. Crawford

A NOTEWORTHY RECORD AND THE BREEDING DISTRIBUTION OF THE BLUE GROSBEAK IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ L. D. Igl

NEAR LONGEVITY RECORD FOR THE SNOW GOOSE ▪ M T. Koenen and D. M. Leslie, Jr.

COMPARISON OF WATER CONSUMPTION BETWEEN TWO GRASSLAND EMBERIZIDS ▪ J. L. Zimmerman

FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DECLINING PROPORTION OF CITIZENS HUNTING IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ N. J. Dietz, K. F. Higgins, and R. D. Mendelsohn …

Wpa News 49 (1995), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (November 1995), number 49

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Environmental And Edaphic Effects On Western Corn Rootworm (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Overwintering Egg Survival, L. D. Godfrey, Lance J. Meinke, Robert J. Wright, Gary L. Hein

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Western corn rootworm, Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte, overwintering egg survival was studied at 3 soil depths (7.5, 15, and 30 cm), 3 soil textures (silty clay loam, loam, and sandy loam), and 2 surface residue treatments (with and without surface cover) at an eastern Nebraska site in 1989-1990 and 1990-1991. At a western Nebraska site, egg survival was evaluated at 3 soil depths (7.5, 15, and 30 cm), 2 surface residue regimes (with and without surface cover) within a fine sandy loam soil in 1989-1990. Overall, egg survival was low (30.0%) and intermediate (41.0%) at the eastern and western sites, …

Ard News August 1995

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:

COMMENTS FROM THE DEAN
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS TRAINING COURSE
THE CULTURE OF CREDIT
PLANTS AND INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
IANR INTERDISCIPLINARY RESEARCH GRANTS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER RESEARCH AND EDUCATION BUILDING SYMPOSIUM/DEDICATION
WIDAMAN TRUST DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE ASSISTANT AWARD
HARDIN DISTINGUISHED GRADUATE FELLOWSHIP FOR 1995-1996
NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR JUNIOR FACULTY EXCELLENCE IN RESEARCH AWARD
GRANTS AND CONTRACTS RECEIVED JUNE AND JULY, 1995
NEBRASKA ENVIRONMENTAL TRUST NEWS
PROPOSALS SUBMITTED FOR FEDERAL GRANTS
NEW OR REVISED PROJECTS

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 27, No.2. June 1995

The Prairie Naturalist

WILDLIFE MORTALITY ASSOCIATED WITH OIL PITS IN WYOMING ▪ B.J. Esmoil and S.H. Anderson

DRAMATIC INCREASE OF LE CONTE'S SPARROW IN CONSERVATION RESERVE PROGRAM FIELDS IN THE NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ LD. Igl and D.H. Johnson

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1994 ▪ R.N. Randall

DESCRIPTIONS OF WALLEYE STOCKS IN HIGH-ELEVATION RESERVOIRS, WYOMING ▪ T.D. Marwitz and W A. Hubert

NEW VASCULAR PLANT RECORDS FOR THE BLACK HILLS OF SOUTH DAKOTA AND WYOMING • G.E. Larson and J.R. Johnson

NOTES

A New Population of Small White Lady's-Slipper (Cypripedium candidum) in South Dakota ▪ S.E. Boettcher

Sandhill …

Wpa News 47 (1995), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (May 1995), number 47

Published by the World Pheasant Association

The Challenge And Opportunity Of Recovering Wolf Populations, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

The gray wolf once inhabited a wide variety of habitats throughout most of the northern hemisphere north of 20°N latitude. Because the animal preyed on livestock and competed with humans for wild prey, it was extirpated from much of its range outside of wilderness areas. Environmental awareness in the late 1960s brought for the wolf legal protection, increased research, and favorable media coverage. The species has increased in both Europe and North America, is beginning to reoccupy semiwilderness and agricultural land, and is causing increased damage to livestock. Because of the wolfs high reproductive rate and long dispersal tendencies, the …

Hydrellia Bicarina, N.Sp. (Diptera: Ephydridae), A Leafminer In Southern Watergrass, D. L. Deonier

Insecta Mundi

The species Hydrellia bicarina, n.sp. originally misidentified and described as Hydrellia spinicornis Cresson by Deonier (1971) is redescribed and illustrated. This species was first collectedon and reared from Southern Water Grass Luziola fluitans (Michaux) growing in shallow baytree swamps of southern Mississippi by Deonier (197 1). Based on the male and female genitalia and its natural history, this species is a member of the Hydrellia griseola species group.

Bibliography On Hydrellia Griseola Fallen (Diptera: Ephydridae) And Review Of Its Biology And Pest Status, Louis S. Hesler

Insecta Mundi

A bibliography is presented on Hydrellia griseola (FallBn), a cosmopolitan species of shore fly that is an agricultural pest throughout much of its range. The literature review includes 195 references and spans 180 years: from 1813, when H. griseola was first described (as Notophila griseola), to 1993. My review updates and extends by 110 years a previous review of this species. The host plant associations, bionomics, distribution, pest status, and control of this species are reviewed. The known host plants of larval H.griseola are listed. My survey of the literature supports the hypothesis that H. griseola is increasing its …

Rabies--Epidemiology, Prevention, And Future Research, John W. Krebs, Mark L. Wilson, James E. Childs

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

Rabies is caused by a single-stranded, negative-sense RNA virus, maintained in nature by a variety of animal reservoirs. Rabies virus infects the central nervous system, resulting in progressive encephalopathy and ultimately death in an infected human. Globally, the risk of contracting rabies for humans is greatest in regions of the developing world where dog rabies is enzootic. Where rabies in dogs has been eliminated or otherwise controlled through vaccination programs, the disease can be maintained by wildlife. Wildlife primarily involved in maintenance of transmission cycles are carnivores and bats. Persons having frequent contact with wildlife, such as mammalogists, are at …

Rodent-Borne Hemorrhagic Fever Viruses: A Special Risk For Mammalogists?, James E. Childs, James N. Mills, Gregory E. Glass

Zoonotics and Wildlife Disease: Publications

We review two groups of taxonomically unrelated viruses that share similarities in host preference and transmission routes to humans and pose a risk for mammalogists working with rodents. The rodent-borne hemorrhagic fever viruses in the Arenaviridae and Bunyaviridae are widely distributed on most continents where rodents occur. Their geographic distribution usually exceeds the distribution of the recognized human diseases they cause and has resulted from either natural coevolutionary events or the dissemination of viral passengers traveling with introduced mammalian hosts. Diseases of humans caused by these agents are among the most severe and most frequently fatal of zoonotic diseases. These …

Bluestem And Tussock Fire And Pastoralism In The Flint Hills Of Kansas And The Tussock Grasslands Of New Zealand, James F. Hoy, Thomas D. Isern

Great Plains Quarterly (through 2013)

The ghost of Lady Barker haunts public discourse on the question of burning tussock grassland in New Zealand. The image of this gentle English woman, author of the Canterbury classic Station Life in New Zealand, transformed into a pastoral pyromaniac professing "the exceeding joy of 'burning,'" is compelling. She contests with friends over who can set the most magnificent blaze, exults at solitary cabbage trees exploding into flame, and regrets that she was not there to see the first blaze rage across the plains. Of this ritual, she says, she and her friends "never were allowed to have half …

1995 Platte River Basin Ecosystem Symposium Proceedings

Water Current Newsletter

No abstract provided.

Dramatic Increase Of Le Conte's Sparrow In Conservation Reserve Program Fields In The Northern Great Plains, Lawrence D. Igl, Douglas H. Johnson

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

During a continuing investigation in the northern Great Plains, we documented substantial increases of the Le Conte's Sparrow (Ammodramus Leconteii) in Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) fields in 1994 compared with 1990-93. The most dramatic increases occurred in Eddy County, North Dakota, and Sheridan County, Montana. The changes in habitat associated with the drought from 1989 to early 1993 and above-normal precipitation from mid-1993 through mid-1994 likely produced favorable breeding conditions for this species in CRP fields in 1994.

Getting The Lay Of The Land: Introducing North American Native Grasslands, Anthony Joern, Kathleen H. Keeler

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

The expected catastrophic extinction of species (already under way in many places) will alter the planet’s biological diversity so profoundly that, at the known rate of extinction, it will take millions of years to recover. Yet few ecologists study extinction. Indeed, very little ecology deals with any processes that last more than a few years, involve more than a handful of species, and cover an area of more than a few hectares. The temporal, spatial and organizational scales of most ecological studies are such that one can read entire issues of major journals and see no hint of impending catastrophe. …

Interaction Of Diffuse Competition And Insect Herbivory In Limiting Brittle Prickly Pear Cactus, Opuntia Fragilis (Cactaceae), Jutta C. Burger, Svata M. Louda

Svata M. Louda Publications

We tested the effects of above- and below-ground competition and evaluated insect herbivory on the growth of a common cactus (Opuntia fragilis) in Sandhills prairie. Our purpose was to determine the independent and joint contribution of these factors to the variation observed in cactus size and local abundance. We manipulated ambient prairie vegetation and surface water availability in a full factorial design. When Opuntia fragilis was released from competition with surrounding vegetation, it grew significantly larger in the second growing season, both in terms of number and size of new cladodes. Ramets grown within live prairie vegetation averaged …

Critical Comments: Parasitology Year 2000, Albert O. Bush, Janine N. Caira, Dennis J. Minchella, Steven A. Nadler, John R. Seed

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

We predict that in order for parasitology to thrive by the year 2000 the various subdisciplines of evolution, ecology, biosystematics, and genetics must develop holistic approaches and use parasite models to answer basic biological questions. The students of tomorrow must work as part of a multidisciplinary team; and their questions and answers must be conceptually integrated into the broader biological framework of evolution and ecology.

Annual Review Of The World Pheasant Association 1994/1995, World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Reports and Other Materials

Editor's preface, David Jenkins

President's foreword, Cheng Tso-hsin

Annual report of Council 1994/95

Chapter reports

Pheasant Specialist Group, Peter J. Garson

Habitats used by Elliot's Pheasant in the Leigong Mountain Nature Reserve, Ding Ping, Yang Yuewei, Liang Wei, Jiang Shiren, and Zhuge Yang

Distribution and conservation status of galliforms in the Gaoligongshan Region, Han Lianxian

Pipar report, Rahul Kaul

Partridge, Quail, and Francolin Specialsit Group, Simon D. Dowell

Ecological investigations of Chukar Partridge in northwest China, Liu Naifa

A field project to understand the habitat use of the Swamp Francolin in northern India, Perwez Iqbal, Philip J. K. McGowan, and …

Megapode Newsletter 9(1)-10(1/2) (1995-1998), World Pheasant Association, Birdlife International, Ssc Megapode Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Megapode Newsletter from May 1995, May 1996, November 1996, and February 1998.