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A Biological Inventory And General Assessment Of Eastern Nebraska Saline Wetlands In Lancaster And Southern Saunders Counties, Richard A. Gersib, Gerald A. Steinauer

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

A recent inventory of Lancaster and southern Saunders counties identified 133 saline wetlands and 99 potential saline wetlands. The wetlands ranged from 0.4 ha (1 ac) to over 80 ha (200 ac). Information was gathered on the quality, threats, vulnerability, restoration feasibility, and water source of each wetland. Saline wetlands in Lancaster and southern Saunders counties have undergone extensive degradation through commercial, residential, and agricultural development. Recommendations for preservation of saline and potential saline wetlands are given.

Social Behavior And The Ontogeny Of Foraging In The Kea (Nestor Notabilis), Judy Diamond, Alan B. Bond

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

Kea are omnivorous parrots endemic to the high mountains of the South Island of New Zealand. Over a two-year period, we recorded quantitative behavioral data from 38 banded male kea foraging at a refuse dump outside Arthur's Pass National Park and analyzed the effects of social factors on the ontogeny of foraging. Members of the four distinguishable age classes — fledglings, juveniles, subadults, and adults — displayed characteristic differences in foraging ability and in the social behavior used to obtain access to resources. Adults performed most of the excavation that uncovered new food resources. Fledglings explored and manipulated objects almost …

Pheasants In Asia 1989, David A. Hill, Peter J. Garson, David Jenkins

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Conference Proceedings

Section 1: Studies of Pheasants in China

Distribution and Status

An overview of research on pheasants in China, 1978-88, Cheng Tso-Hsin

Pheasant conservation in Asia:Ssome introductory remarks, Keith Howman and Lew Young

The distribution of pheasants and partridges in China, Tang Chan-Zhu

The ecological and geographical distribution of pheasants in Wolong Nature Reserve, Deng Wei Jie

The gamebirds of Boaxing, Sichuan, China, He Fen-Qi and Cui Xie-Zhen

Galliformes of Yunnan Province in China, Yang Lan

Pheasant and partridge species of the Nu River Autonomous Region, Northwestern Yunnan, China, He Fen-Qi, Gao Ying-Xing and Zheng Yang-Zhi

Pheasants on the Qinghai-Xizang Plateau, …

Bower Size And Male Reproductive Success In A Cichlid Fish Lek, Kenneth R. Mckaye, Svata M. Louda, Jay R. Stauffer, Jr.

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Sexual selection may be a major factor in the proliferation of polygamous species (Lande 1981). When males provide no resources or parental care and females have numerous males from which to choose, "extravagant" male secondary characteristics may result solely from sexual selection (Darwin 1871; Fisher 1930; Lande 1981). Dominey (1984) argued that such "runaway" sexual selection was the driving mechanism behind the explosive speciation of the polygamous cichlid fishes in the Great Lakes of Africa. However, the few studies examining cichlid mate selection in situ have concentrated primarily on species engaging in biparental care of the young (Perrone 1978; Neil …

Personality Development In Evolutionary Perspective, Patricia Draper, Jay Belsky

Department of Anthropology: Faculty Publications

A relationship between personality processes and evolution can be seen when behaviors associated with sexual maturation, mating, and parenting are examined This article stipulates the types of proximal cues implicated in the shaping of personality variables that become important in the development of the individual's reproductive behavior

Tetrigidae (Orthoptera) With Partly Exposed Wings, R. E. Blackith

Insecta Mundi

Long series of some species of Tetrigidae from south Asia show that the wings regularly project beyond the pronotal shield by some 15- 35 percent of their length, depending on the species. There is little intraspecific variation and alary polymorphism is not normally detectable. The role of such exposed wings is discussed and one new species is described. Most such species probably owe their evident relationship to evolution prior to the disintegration of the Gondwanaland super-continent.

1990 Annual Report Nebraska Game And Parks Commission

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

No abstract provided.

Species Richness Gradients Of Oak Forest Plants Along The Missouri River In Nebraska And Iowa, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The upland deciduous forests of the Missouri River valley contain many plants typical of forests to the east of this area, which are assumed to have migrated northward and westward along the river in postglacial times. Previous workers have reported a gradient of decreasing species richness upstream among woody species, which is suggested to be the result of climatic gradients and differential dispersal capabilities of the immigrant species. Floristic work on all vascular species in eight woodland sites along the Nebraska-Iowa border quantifies the presence of similar gradients for herbaceous species, but of differing degrees. These studies also reveal the …

The Effectiveness Of Orco Mole Bait In Controlling Mole Damage, Dale K. Elshoff, Glenn R. Dudderar

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 4th (1989)

The tunneling damage caused by eastern moles (Scalopus aquaticus) and star-nosed moles (Condvlura cristata) is well known to professionals in lawn care, golf course maintenance, and turf grass production, as well as many private landowners. Present damage control methods, including trapping, gas and smoke fumigants, and insecticide applications have a wide variety of limitations and prove impractical in some situations. An easily applied mole damage control method is needed that professional and nonprofessional applicators can use in a variety of environmental and physical conditions.

This study tested the effectiveness of Oreo Mole Bait, a chlorophacinone pellet …

Population Dynamics And Harvest Response Of Beaver, Neil F. Payne

Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference: 4th (1989)

"For when we speak of the fur trade, we mean the beaver trade. Other furs were handled; others — notably the rich sea otter — were more valuable by far. But the beaver was the root and core of the trade ... Many men died, a continent was explored, an indigenous [human] race degraded and its culture crushed; all because beaver fur, with its tiny barbs, felted up better than any other" (Berry 1961:18).

The habits of beaver (Castor canadensis) allow them to be located and trapped readily, resulting in their extirpation from many areas. Beaver populations have …

Salsuginus Thalkeni N. Sp. (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) From Fundulus Zebrinus In The South Platte River Of Nebraska, John J. Janovy Jr., Tim R. Ruhnke, Terry A. Wheeler

John J. Janovy, Jr. Publications

Salsuginus thalkeni n. sp. (Monogenea: Ancyrocephalidae) is described from the gills of the plains killifish, Fundulus zebrinus, in the South Platte River of Nebraska. Salsuginus thalkeni is distinguished from previously described species by measurements of sclerotized parts and by proportions (measurement ratios), differences between dorsal and ventral hamuli, and angles between deep and superficial hamulus roots.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 21, No.2 June 1989

The Prairie Naturalist

THE MISSISSIPPI KITE IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE SOUTHERN GREAT PLAINS ▪ E. G. Bolen and D. L. Flores

TAPE-RECORDED CHICK CALLS TO LOCATE GRAY PARTRIDGE NESTS ▪ J. P. Carroll

BORROW DISTRIBUTION OF THE THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRREL IN GRAZED MIXED-GRASS PRAIRIE: EFFECT OF ARTIFICIAL HABITAT STRUCTURE ▪ D. W. Kaufman and G. A. Kaufman

PIPING PLOVERS NESTING AT NELSON RESERVOIR, MONTANA ▪ D. W. Prellwitz, T. A. Prellwitz, K. L. Stutzman, and J. W. Stutzman

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1988 ▪ R. N. Randall

CHANGING HABITATS IN THE PLATTE RIVER VALLEY OF NEBRASKA ▪ J. …

Wolf Population Survival In An Area Of High Road Density, L. David Mech

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

Wolf mortality in a high-road-density area of Minnesota exceeds that in an adjacent wilderness, and is primarily human-caused. The wolf population there is maintained primarily by ingress from the adjacent wilderness areas. A road density of 0.58 km/km² can be exceeded and the area still support wolves if it is adjacent to extensive roadless areas.

Kansas Attitudes On Prairie Dog Control, Charles D. Lees, F. Robert Henderson

Great Plains Wildlife Damage Control Workshop Proceedings

In Kansas prairie dog management is primarily determined by private individuals and local government agencies. We conducted a mail survey of 350 affected landowners as a means to evaluate the effectiveness of current prairie dog control. The same survey was also sent to 350 randomly selected state residents within the general prairie dog range. We evaluated people's perceptions of prairie dogs, the effectiveness of control methods, costs of control, and reasons for poor response to control techniques. Results indicate people that have previously been involved in prairie dog control on lands they manage have different opinions about prairie dogs than …

Breeding Bird Populations Of A Floodplain Tallgrass Prairie In Kansas, Calvin Cink, Peter Lowther

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Breeding birds were censused yearly from 1974-1988 on a 10.1 ha floodplain tallgrass prairie, a portion of the Baker Wetlands Research Area on the south edge of Lawrence, Kansas. Dickcissels (Spiza americana) were the most abundant species, with densities about six times greater than in the Flint Hills tallgrass prairie (149 territorial males/km² VS. 25/ km²). This may be due to availability of moisture and associated density of grass stems and insect production. The bird community in the floodplain prairie however, is less diverse (5 species VS. 10 species). Grasshopper sparrows (Ammodramus savannarum) …

Lloyd C. Hulbert 1918-1986 (Proceedings Dedication)

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Because we have and will yet all benefit from his vision, leadership, and unselfish efforts, it is fitting that these Proceedings be dedicated to Lloyd C. Hulbert, Professor of Biology, Plant Ecologist for the Kansas Agricultural Experiment Station, and Director of the Konza Prairie Research Natural Area.

Long-Term Grass Dynamics Within A Mixed-Grass Prairie, Brian S. Mihlbacher, Fred E. Smeins, Gerald W. Thomas, Charles A. Taylor

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Western portions of the Edwards Plateau are dominated by a grass mosaic which consists of a rhizomatous midgrass, tobosagrass [Hilaria mutica (Buckl.) Benth.], and two stoloniferous short grasses, common curlymesquite [Hilaria belangeri (Steud.) Nash] and buffalograss [Buchloe dactyloides (Nutt.) Engelm.]. Permanent 0.3 m x 6 m belt transects were established on three major soil series (Tobosa, Ozona. Valera) across several grazing treatments on the Texas Range Station near Barnhart, Texas, and the distribution of perennial grasses was mapped in 1951 (pre-drought), 1953 (drought), 1957 (post-drought), and 1987. Cover showed no consistent trends in relation to grazing. Total …

Extent Of Woody Vegetation On The Prairie In Eastern Nebraska, 1855-1857, Steven J. Rothenberger

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Early surveyors' notes from five counties bordering the Platte River in eastern Nebraska were utilized to measure the extent of original woody vegetation in this region. These data were compared to field studies from the same area made from 1979-1983, were used to determine areas of prairie-forest transition, and were used to tabulate the extent of woody vegetation in the lower Platte River Valley at the time of European settlement (1855-1857). Using a modified importance value based on relative density and relative dominance of witness trees, the highest ranking pre-settlement tree species were cottonwood [Populus eltoides Marsh. spp. monilifera …

Establishment Of Grasses On Sewage Sludge-Amended Strip Mine Spoils, Cassandra S. Rodgers, Roger C. Anderson

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Usefulness of native prairie and domesticated grasses in re-vegetating strip mine spoil and producing biomass was examined on 30-year old, recontoured spoil banks located near Canton, Illinois. Grasses were planted in the spring and fall on strip mine spoil and spoil amended with 333 MT/ha of dry sewage sludge. By the end of the second growing season, indiangrass [Sorghastrum nutans (L.) Nash] produced more biomass than the other warm-season grasses, switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) and little bluestem [Schizachyrium scoparium (Michx.) Nash], on the unamended plots, and no warm-season grasses survived on the sludge amended plots. Warm-season grasses were …

The Western Prairie Fringed Orchid (Platanthera Praeclara): Monitoringa And Research, Ardell J. Bjugstad, William Fortune

Proceedings of the North American Prairie Conferences

Western prairie fringed orchid (Platanthera praeciara Sheviak and Bowles) populations at one time extended from southwestern Missouri north to northwestern Minnesota, and from eastern Iowa to the Sandhills of north central Nebraska. It is listed as endangered in Iowa and Minnesota and candidate for threatened or endangered status in Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. The questions are, "Why has it declined in numbers?" How have uses such as mowing for hay or grazing by cattle or no use (control) affected the numbers? In 1987, permanently located individual plants were counted on the Sheyenne National Grasslands …

Neue Literatur (Page 42), Martin-Luther-Universität

Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolei / Exploration into the Biological Resources of Mongolia, ISSN 0440-1298

Neue literatur listed on page 42 of Erforschung biologischer Ressourcen der Mongolischen Volsrepublik, Band 6 (1985/1986).

In der Zeitschrift Polish Ecological Studies, Vol. 8, No 1-2 (1982) erschienen folgende Beiträge.

In der Zeitschrift "Acta Facultatis Rerum Naturalium Universitatis Comenianae" Zoologia Nr. 28 (1985), Bratislava, erschienen folgende Beiträge.

Distribution Of Amoebidium And Smittium Species (Trichomycetes) In Mosquito Larvae On The Platte River Floodplain Of Central Nebraska, Roger D. Grigg, Marvin C. Williams

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Trichomycetes (fungi) inhabit the digestive tract of insects and other arthropods. Two genera. Smittium and Amoehidium, were collected from mosquito larvae (Culicidae) from 36 sites in a six-county area of central Nebraska, U.S.A., in the Platte River floodplain during the summers of 1986 and 1987. When present, thirty mosquito larvae per site per month were identified at the fourth instar, checked for the epizooite A. parasiticum, and then dissected and the gut examined by phase-contrast microscopy for S. culisetae and S. culicis. In 1986, 17 species of mosquito larvae from six genera (n = 665) were dissected …

Loss Of Biological Diversity: A Global Crisis Requiring International Solutions: A Report To The National Science Board, Craig Call Black, Perry L. Adkisson, Gardner Mallard Brown, Rita Rossi Colwell, Charles E. Hess, James B. Holderman, K. June Lindstedt-Siva, William A. Nierenberg, Peter Hamilton Raven, Theodore M. Smith, Edward O. Wilson, W. Franklin Harris

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Executive Summary

Biological diversity refers to the variety and variability among living organisms and the ecological complexes in which they occur. Diversity can be defined as the number of different items and their relative frequency. For biological diversity, these items are organized at many levels, ranging from complete ecosystems to the chemical structures that are the molecular basis of heredity. Thus, the term encompasses different ecosystems, species, genes, and their relative abundance (OTA, 1987).

There is an ongoing, unprecedented loss of the variety as well as absolute numbers of organisms-from the smallest microorganism to the largest and most spectacular of …

Studies Of Learning And Memory In Natural Contexts : Integrating Functional And Mechanistic Approaches To Behavior, Alan Kamil

Papers in Behavior in Biological Sciences

My purpose in this paper is to describe two research projects that combine experimental psychology and behavioral ecology . The first employs the operant conditioning technology developed by psychologists to test hypotheses arising from ecological studies of foraging animals. The second uses concepts from natural history and ecology to explore the nature and evolution of spatial memory. These two projects demonstrate both the advantages and the challenges of interdisciplinary work.

There are many advantages to combining psychological and biological perspectives on the behavior of animals. But truly interdisciplinary work is rare, mostly because it is so difficult to achieve meaningful …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 20, No. 4. December 1988

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

TABLE OF CONTENTS

RANGE PLANT COMMUNITIES OF THE CENTRAL GRASSLAND RESEARCH STATION IN SOUTH CENTRAL NORTH DAKOTA ▪ C. L Lura, W. T. Barker, and P. E. Nyren

SEASONAL PATTERNS IN SAMPLING DATA FOR LARGEMOUTH BASS AND BLUE GILLS IN A NORTHERN GREAT PLAINS IMPOUNDMENT ▪ E. A. Bettross and D. W. Willis

INTRODUCTION, ESTABLISHMENT, AND DISPERSAL OF WESTERN MOSQUITOFISH IN NEBRASKA (ACTINOPTERYGII: POECILIIDAE) ▪ J. D. Lynch

OBSERVATIONS ON THE ECOLOGY OF CHIGGERS (ACARI: TROMBICULIDAE) FROM SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ E. R. Easton and W. …

Department Of Entomology Newsletter - No. 5, Part 1, 1988, George R. Manglitz

Hexapod Herald and Other Entomology Department Newsletters

When the last Newsletter was published in 1976 (No.4), it was assumed that it would be followed by another In 4 or 5 years. And indeed, considerable effort has been expended on the production of No.5. However, for various very good reasons No.5, although close to publication several times, aborted several times. Now largely because this is the centennial year of our Department, we feel that we can wait no longer. Because of that fact, the format of this Newsletter will be slightly different from those in the past. We have the "news" that you furnished about yourselves 5 or …

Voltinism And The Induction Of Aestival Diapause In The Colorado Potato Beetle, Leptinotarsa Decemlineata (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), Maurice J. Tauber, Catherine A. Tauber, John J. Obrycki, Brian Gollands, Robert J. Wright

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Field studies over 3 yr demonstrated that overwintering populations of the Colorado potato beetle in upstate New York and on Long Island are composed of adults from both the first and second summer generations. The two populations from the climatically different regions differ in their responses to environmental factors that influence voltinism. The critical photoperiod for aestival diapause induction is longer, and the induction of diapause by low temperature is greater, in the population from the cooler, inland locality (upstate New York) than in the population from the warm coastal area (Long Island). Under the long days of early summer, …

Rice As A Trap Crop For The Rice Field Rat In Malaysia, Y. M. Lam

Vertebrate Pest Conference Proceedings: 13th (1988)

The potential of rice as a trap crop for the rice field rat, Rattus argentiventer. was clearly illustrated by the studies conducted in 60.7 ha of newly rehabilitated rice land in Pcrmatang Pauh and in the MARDI Research Centre's rice fields in Bumbong Lima. The rice crop was very attractive to the rats, especially at the reproductive phase. The combina¬tion of a physical barrier and traps was very effective in exploiting rice as a trap crop for rice field rats. The trapping patterns indicated a massive influx of rats from the surroundings for a period of three weeks in Permatang …

Wpa News 19 (1988), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (February 1988), number 19

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Letter To The Editors: Critical Comments On A Recent Letter To The Editors Regarding The Use Of Frozen Carcasses In Parasite Surveys, Danny B. Pence, John M. Aho, Albert O. Bush, Albert G. Canaris, Joseph A. Conti, William R. Davidson, Terry A. Dick, Gerald W. Esch, Timothy Goater, Wynn Fitzpatrick, Donald J. Forrester, John C. Holmes, William M. Samuel, John M. Kinsella, Janice Moore, Robert L. Rausch, William Threlfall, Terry A. Wheeler

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Critical comments on a letter to the editors of the Journal of Parasitology regarding the use of frozen carcasses in parasite surveys.