Digital Commons Network^™

Dogs Increase Recovery Of Passerine Carcasses In Dense Vegetation, H. Jeffrey Homan, George M. Linz, Brian D. Peer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers use carcass searches to assess mortality resulting from biological (e.g., diseases) and physical (e.g., structure collisions) sources. Carcass searches may occur over large areas and need to be completed rapidly because of scavenging and decomposition. However, small carcasses are often missed when dense vegetation is searched. We placed carcasses of house sparrows (Passer domesticus) in dense cover of residual and newly grown vegetation and compared searching efficiency of humans and canines. Dogs received no special training in searching for passerine carcasses. In 36 trials conducted in 5 x 40-m plots, human searchers found 45% (SD=19) of the carcasses …

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2001 Annual Report

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

Wolves in the Northern Rocky Mountains (Idaho, Montana and Wyoming) continue to increase in distribution and numbers (Figures 1,5). Estimates of wolf numbers at the end of 2001 were 261 wolves in the Central Idaho Recovery Area, 218 in the Greater Yellowstone Recovery Area, and 84 in the Northwest Montana Recovery Area (Figure 1, Tables 1,2,3,4). By state boundaries, there were an estimated 251 wolves in the state of Idaho, 189 in Wyoming and 123 in Montana. Of the 63 groups of 2 or more wolves, at least 34 wolf packs met the definition of “breeding pair,” an adult male …

Review Of Antillean Bats Of The Genus Ariteus, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

The genus Ariteus as currently understood is represented by a single species Ariteus flavescens, which is confined to island of Jamaica in the Greater Antilles. It is surprising given the restricted distribution of the species that it was among the first of the New World bats to be described (Gray, 183 1). Philip Henry Gosse (1851) was the first to publish on the natural history of this bat, but he described it under the name of two new species, which subsequently have been treated as junior synonyms of A. flavescens. Until the 1970s, less than 50 recent specimens …

Usefulness Of Subjective Ovine Milk Scores: I. Associations With Range Ewe Characteristics And Lamb Production, G. D. Snowder, A.D. Knight, L. Dale Van Vleck, C. M. Bromley, T. R. Kellom

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

Range ewes are commonly evaluated for milking ability by producers to determine the ewe’s ability to rear lamb(s). The U.S. Sheep Experiment Station has subjectively scored (low, average, high) a ewe’s milking ability within 24 h of lambing for many years. The relationship of subjective milk scores with lamb production was investigated using lambing records of Columbia (n = 1,731), Polypay (n = 1,129), Rambouillet (n = 1,704), and Targhee (n = 1,638) ewes. The incidence of high milk scores increased from less than 10% at first parity to 29 to 40% at second and greater parities. At maturity, Columbia …

A Multiplex Pcr Assay For Differentiating Economically Important Gastrointestinal Nematodes Of Cattle, Dante S. Zarlenga, M. Barry Chute, Louis C. Gasbarre, Patricia C. Boyd

United States Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test was developed for identifying gastrointestinal (GI) nematodes that commonly infect cattle. This assay was developed using adult-derived genomic DNA and shown capable of discriminating parasite eggs from the feces of experimentally-infected animals at both the species and genus levels. Sequence data from internal (ITS) and external (ETS) transcribed spacers of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats as well as the 3′-end of the small subunit rDNA and 5′-end of the large subunit rDNA were used to generate five primer sets which, when used simultaneously in a multiplex PCR, produce a unique electrophoretic DNA banding …

Impacts Of Supplemental Feeding On The Nutritional Ecology Of Black Bears, Steven T. Partridge, Dale L. Nolte, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Charles T. Robbins

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bear (Ursus americanus) damage to managed conifer stands during the spring in the U.S. Pacific Northwest is a continuing management concern. Because bear damage to managed conifers may reflect the limited availability of nutritious foods, supplemental feeding has been used to decrease damage. Highly palatable, pelleted feed is provided ad libitum from April until late June when berries ripen and such damage stops. We examined black bear use of supplemental feed during the spring and summer of 1998 and 1999 in western Washington. Bears were captured in areas where supplemental feed was provided and in control areas …

Monitoring Of Terrestrial Carnivore Populations, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

There is increasing concern about the status and distribution of terrestrial carnivore populations throughout the world (Schaller, 1996). Changes in land-use practices, habitat loss and fragmentation, sanctioned human persecution, declines in natural prey, disease, illegal poaching, and increased competition within carnivore guilds have brought about a general decline in several carnivore populations with some species now occupying a fragment of their former range. The continued loss of suitable habitat due to an ever expanding human population has placed the issue of conservation and protection of some carnivores as a top environmental priority and/or controversy for many agencies and organizations. Paramount …

Porcine Zona Pellucida Immunocontraception: Long-Term Health Effects On White-Tailed Deer, Lowell A. Miller, Ken Crane, Stan Gaddis, Gary J. Killian

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As part of a 9-year study on the contraceptive effects of Porcine Zona Pellucida (PZP) on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), we analyzed serum chemistry panels during the first 4 years. This included the first 2 years when does were being actively immunized, and 2 years post-immunization. The chemistry panel was designed to detect pathologies that might result from the immunization of the deer. Blood chemistry results did not suggest any pathological changes resulting from the immunization. Seasonal differences in serum cholesterol were similar in both the control and PZP-treated groups. Seasonal changes in the mean body weights of …

Effect Of Primary And Secondary Repellents On European Starlings: An Initial Assessment, Roger W. Sayre, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife managers need chemical repellents that are effective at deterring damage by birds, but these repellents must be environmentally and toxicologically safe. The number of commercially available bird repellents has been reduced because of concerns about environmental safety. Currently, there are 2 categories of avian repellents. Chemicals that are reflexively avoided by birds because they irritate the peripheral chemical senses are referred to as primary repellents. Chemicals that cause gastrointestinal illness and learned avoidance of ancillary sensory cues that are paired with the illness are known as secondary repellents. Secondary repellents most often identified as the most effective avian repellents …

Use Of Acetaminophen For Large-Scale Control Of Brown Treesnakes, Peter J. Savarie, John A. Shivik, Gary C. White, Jerome C. Hurley, Larry Clark

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Because the brown treesnake (Boiga irregularis) has virtually extirpated the avifauna on Guam and is a threat to other Pacific islands, the development of alternative and efficient control methods is required. Therefore, we performed a large-scale field experiment to determine whether the acetaminophen baits we developed could be used to reduce population levels of brown treesnakes on Guam. Toxic baits were made by inserting 80 mg of acetaminophen into dead neonatal mice, and these mouse baits were used to treat plots. Reference plots were baited with unadulterated baits. We used mark-recapture methods to estimate snake abundance on plots …

Black Bear Forest Damage In Washington State, Usa: Economic, Ecological, Social Aspects, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Dale L. Nolte

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bear (Ursus americanus) damage to coniferous forests can be detrimental to the forest products industry in Washington state. Value of timber damage, west of the Cascade Mountains is millions of dollars every year. The Washington Forest Protection Association’s (WFPA) Animal Damage Control Program (ADCP) manages bear damage in cooperation with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW). Bears can significantly affect the viability of other wildlife, for example, elk (Cervus elaphus) calf predation on calving sites. Conversely, bear-damaged trees add to the snags and dead wood on the ground, which provide important habitat and …

Environmental Familiarization In Rats: Differential Effects Of Acute And Chronic Nicotine, Rick A. Bevins, Jana Koznarova, Tracy J. Armiger

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

If an environment is familiar, rats will interact more with a novel object than if the environment is unfamiliar. In two experiments we used this behavioral tendency to assess the effects of nicotine on environmental familiarization (i.e., an elevated platform). As expected, rats given 2 min of exposure to the platform on 2 consecutive days (familiarization phase) interacted more with a novel object in a subsequent test than rats that had not experienced the platform until the test day. During the familiarization phase acute pretreatment with nicotine (0.6 and 1.8 mg/kg, subcutaneous) 10 min before platform exposure interfered with familiarization …

Ianr Day, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

We are called to great work, you and I.
We are called to fulfill the mission of the land-grant university, and I consider that as much a distinct honor as it is a serious responsibility.
I am so pleased to be able to meet that honor and that responsibility by working with all of you, and I’m delighted to talk with you today. While I haven’t had the opportunity to meet everyone in this room, I’ve certainly been glad for all the opportunities that have arisen to meet some of you. And I look forward to getting to know others. …

Contributions Of Genetic Drift And Negative Selection On The Evolution Of Three Strains Of Wheat Streak Mosaic Tritimovirus, I.-R. Choi, J.S. Hall, M. Henry, Lingyu Zhang, G. L. Hein, Roy C. French, D.C. Stenger

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Genome sequences of three Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV) strains were compared. The Type and Sidney 81 strains of WSMV from the American Great Plains were closely related, with sequence identities of 97.6% (nucleotide) and 98.7% (amino acid). In contrast, the El Batán 3 strain from central Mexico was divergent, and shared only 79.2–79.3% (nucleotide) and 90.3–90.5% (amino acid) sequence identity with Type and Sidney 81. All threeWSMVstrains were serologically related, however the El Batán 3 capsid protein (CP) had 15 fewer amino acid residues. Phylogenetic analysis of the CP cistron indicated that Type, Sidney 81, and nine other American …

Evolution Of River Dolphins, Healy Hamilton, Susana Caballero, Allen G. Collins, Robert L. Brownell Jr.

United States Department of Commerce: Staff Publications

The world's river dolphins (Inia, Pontoporia, Lipotes and Platanista) are among the least known and most endangered of all cetaceans. The four extant genera inhabit geographically disjunct river systems and exhibit highly modified morphologies, leading many cetologists to regard river dolphins as an unnatural group. Numerous arrangements have been proposed for their phylogenetic relationships to one another and to other odontocete cetaceans. These alternative views strongly affect the biogeographical and evolu- tionary implications raised by the important, although limited, fossil record of river dolphins. We present a hypothesis of river dolphin relationships based on phylogenetic analysis of three …

The Other Tools For Wolf Management, John A. Shivik

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Non-lethal options are being studied by researchers at the National Wildlife Research Center. But do they really work?

Field Evaluation Of A Visual Barrier To Discourage Gull Nesting, P. A. Pochop, J.L. Cummings, R. M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Ring-billed Gull Larus delawarensis and California Gull L. californicus populations have increased throughout the western United States in close association with human settlement (Conover 1983; Ryder 1993). On Upper Nelson Island in the Columbia River, the number of Ring-billed and California Gull nests increased from 4 600 in 1978 to 21 000 in 1999 (Thompson and Tabor 1981; Pochop, this manuscript). Agriculture and landfills provided food sources, and construction of reservoirs increased island nest sites for gulls (Ryder 1993). Gulls gather below hydroelectric facilities in the spring to feed on migrating juvenile salmonids (Steuber et al. 1995). Also, increased gull …

Inability To Predict Geographic Origin Of Yellow-Headed Blackbirds, Xanthocephalus Xanthocephalus, During Migration, Daniel J. Twedt, George M. Linz, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Yellow-headed Blackbirds (Xanthocephalus xanthocephalus) collected at different breeding locations in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and North Dakota exhibit clearly discernable morphometric differences with larger bodied birds found at more northern and western locations. We reduced eight skeletal measurements and body length from adult female and male Yellow-headed Blackbirds to their first two principal components. Principal component scores progressively increased at more northwestern locations. Principal component scores were also derived from measurements of birds collected in central North Dakota throughout summer and fall. We hypothesized an increase in principal component scores of Yellow-headed Blackbirds from summer through fall within central …

Objectives And Integrated Approaches For The Control Of Brown Tree Snakes, Richard M. Engeman, Daniel S. Vice

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The inadvertent introduction of the brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) to Guam has resulted in the extirpation of most of the island’s native terrestrial vertebrates, has presented a health hazard to small children, and also has produced an economic problem. Management of brown tree snakes is aimed at a number of objectives, the foremost of which has been to deter its dispersal through Guam’s cargo traffic to other locations. Another objective is to reclaim areas on Guam for reintroduction of native wildlife. A related objective is the protection of small sensitive sites on Guam from brown tree snake …

A Direct Comparison Of Trapping And Spotlight Searches For Capturing Brown Tree Snakes On Guam, Richard M. Engeman, D.S. Vice

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Brown Tree Snake populations on Guam are controlled in the vicinities of cargo staging and transport areas to prevent their dispersal from Guam, and their populations are controlled in areas where endangered species are to be reintroduced. Trapping and night-time spotlight searches of fences are the two primary Brown Tree Snake population reduction methods used on Guam. We conducted a three month study comparing Brown Tree Snake captures by spotlighting fences to captures by trapping. Traps were placed either on the edge of the forest paralleling the fences, or they were hung on the fences. Applications of each capture method …

Repelling Sandhill Cranes From Corn: Whole-Kernel Experiments With Captive Birds, Bradley F. Blackwell, David A. Helon, Richard A. Dolbeer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) are opportunistic omnivores that incorporate both waste and unharvested cereal grains (Gramineae) in their diets. Limited hunting of cranes to reduce crop damage has had questionable results, and lethal control of depredating species is increasingly contentious. Our objectives were to evaluate anthraquinone-based Flight Control^TM and methyl anthranilate-based ReJeX-iT^TM AG-36 as nontoxic avian foraging repellents in separate 2-choice pen tests with captive greater sandhill cranes (G. c. tabida) fed with whole-kernel corn (Zea mays). In both tests, crane pairs consumed, respectively, 8.6 and 9.8 times more untreated than treated …

Effect Of Feeding Stations On The Home Ranges Of American Black Bears In Western Washington, Philipp Fersterer, Dale L. Nolte, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Hartmut Gossow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Forest managers establish feeding stations throughout coniferous forests in western Washington that are vulnerable to American black bear (Ursus americanus) damage in the spring. This study was conducted to determine whether the home ranges of bears in areas with supplemental feeding were smaller than the home ranges of bears in similar adjacent areas without supplemental feeding. Home range sizes varied among bears. However, the home range sizes of bears in feeding areas did not differ (P > 0.35) from home ranges of bears in non-feeding areas. Male bears had larger (P = 0.0002) home ranges than female …

Case Study 1 : Foliar Insecticide I, Monte Mayes, John D. Eisemann, Alain Baril, Tony Hawkes, Liesbeth Heijink, Peter Lawlor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A major part of the Woudschoten workshop was conducted in the form of breakout groups dealing with a case study each. A case study consists of a set of test results, data, and information on a fictitious pesticide which could be part of an application for authorization. The groups were asked to take the role of regulators assessing the risk to birds for a specified use. Basic data packages for each case containing a description of the use, standard toxicity data, and background information were prepared by the case study authors and distributed in advance. The groups were then asked …

Bear Behavior In The Vicinity Of Supplemental Feeding Stations In Western Washington, Dale L. Nolte, Timothy J. Veenendaal, Georg J. Ziegltrum, Philipp Fersterer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bear can inflict severe negative Impacts on timber stands in the northwestern United States. A supplemental feeding program to provide bears an alternative food source during spring is practiced in the state of Washington, and to a lesser extent in other states. We initiated concurrent studies to assess characteristics of bear that forage at feeding stations, the interactions of bears around feeders, and impacts of the program on bear territories. Numerous bears fed at stations, including females with and without cubs, yearlings, and males. Bear feeding bouts at stations were generally short, less than 15 minutes. Bears generally fed …

The Probe, Issue 215 – March/April 2001

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Experimental Pocket Gopher Control Device -- Jeff Schalau
The Northeast Wildlife Damage Management Research and Outreach Cooperative -- Paul Curtis, Cornell University and Gary San Julian, Penn State University, Co-Directors
Get a Free "Web Presence" at the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management (ICWDM) -- Dallas Virchow
Cornell Cooperative Extension is now providing an electronic version of Wildlife Damage News (http:www.dnr.cornell.edu/ext/wildlifedamage/). This is an electronic newsletter.
The brown tree snake (Boiga irregularis) and acetaminophen in Guam: "Two 300 mg tablets in a dead mouse, ingested by a brown tree snake, kills the snake within 3 hours," said Mike Pitzler, a …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 33, No.1 March 2001

The Prairie Naturalist

VEGETATION STRUCTURE AND INVERTEBRATE BIOMASS OF CONVENTIONAL AND SUSTAINABLE SORGHUM FIELDS IN KANSAS ▪ R. J. Robel and C Xiong

MONTHLY OPEN-WATER BOTTOM TRAWLING AT TWO SOUTH DAKOTA LAKES ▪ B. G. Blackwell and M. L. Brown

WINTER SURVIVAL AND HOME RANGE OF FEMALE RING-NECKED PHEASANT IN RELATION TO FOOD' PLOTS ▪ A E. Gabbert, J. R. Purvis, L. D. Flake, and A P. Leif

THIRD BREEDING RECORD OF BLUE GROSBEAK IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ K. H. Haas and C A Haas

EVIDENCE OF AMERICAN WOODCOCK NESTING IN SOUTHEASTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ F. Y Sargeant and G. A Sargeant

BOOK …

Preliminary Checklist Of The Orthopteroid Insects (Blattodea, Mantodea, Phasmatodea,Orthoptera) Of Texas, John A. Stidham, Thomas A. Stidham

Insecta Mundi

Texas has one of the most diverse orthopteroid assemblages of any state in the United States, reflecting the varied habitats found in the state. Three hundred and eighty-nine species and 78 subspecies of orthopteroid insects (Blattodea, Mantodea, Phasmatodea, and Orthoptera) have published records for the state of Texas. This is the first such comprehensive checklist for Texas and should aid future work on these groups in this area.

Curculionoidea (Insecta: Coleoptera) From The State Of Guanajuato, Mexico, M. D. Salas-Araiza, C. W. O'Brien, J. Romero-Napoles

Insecta Mundi

Resumen: Este trabajo contribuye a1 conocimiento de las especies de curculionoideos preseiltes en el estado de Guanajuato, Mexico. Se determinaron 73 generos y 125 especies; se destacan, por el numero de Qstas, las subfamilias Baridinae. Curculioninae y Entiminae con 24, 24 y 23 especies, respectivamente. Los generos coil mayor cantidad de especies fueron Geraeus y Anthonomus con siete, y Contrachelus con seis. Se obtuvieron 18 nuevos registros para la Republica Mexicana. El 53.7% de las especies de curculioinoideos del estado de Guanajuato son de afinidad neotropical, el 26% son de afinidad neartica, el 18.4% son de distribuci6n cosmopolita, y el …

Nuevos Registros De Coccoidea (Homoptera: Sternorrhyncha) Para Cuba, Nereida Maestre Novoa, Avas B. Hamon, Isora Baro Oviedo, Mercedes Reyes Hernandez

Insecta Mundi

Resumen: Se dan a conocer nuevos registros de Coccoidea para Cuba, en los cuales se incluye el género Parasaissetia Takahashi (Coccidae) y las especies Saissetia neglecta DeLotto (Coccidae) y Erriococcus dubuis Cockerell (Eriococcidae). Además se relacionan las plantas hospedantes, con nuevos registros para estas especies.

Abstract: New records of Coccoidea for Cuba are given, they include new records of the species Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner) (Coccidae), Saissetia neglecta DeLotto (Coccidae) and Eriococcus dubius (Eriococcidae). Besides the host plants with new records.

Differentiation Of Two Bovine Lentiviruses By A Monoclonal Antibody On The Basis Of Epitope Specificity, Ling Zheng, Shucheng Zhang, Charles Wood, Sanjay Kapil, Graham E. Wilcox, Thomas A. Loughlin, H. C. Minocha

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) and Jembrana disease virus (JDV) are bovine lentiviruses that are closely related genetically. A recombinant fusion protein containing the capsid protein of BIV expressed in Escherichia coli was used to immunize mice and produce monoclonal antibodies. Six hybridomas specific for BIV capsid protein were identified, and one antibody, designated 10H1, was characterized further. Competitive binding assays were performed to analyze the topography of antigenic determinants by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and demonstrated the existence of at least three distinct antigenic determinants on capsid protein. The monoclonal antibody reacted specifically with both BIV capsid and the recombinant fusion …