Digital Commons Network^™

Bear Behavior In The Vicinity Of Supplemental Feeding Stations In Western Washington, Dale L. Nolte, Timothy J. Veenendaal, George 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 stat e 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 …

Disrupting Evolutionary Processes: The Effect Of Habitat Fragmentation On Collared Lizards In The Missouri Ozarks, Alan R. Templeton, Robert J. Robertson, Jennifer A. Brisson, Jared Strasburg

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Humans affect biodiversity at the genetic, species, community, and ecosystem levels. This impact on genetic diversity is critical, because genetic diversity is the raw material of evolutionary change, including adaptation and speciation. Two forces affecting genetic variation are genetic drift (which decreases genetic variation within but increases genetic differentiation among local populations) and gene flow (which increases variation within but decreases differentiation among local populations). Humans activities often augment drift and diminish gene flow for many species, which reduces genetic variation in local populations and prevents the spread of adaptive complexes outside their population of origin, thereby disrupting adaptive processes …

Genetic And Diurnal Variation In The Juvenile Hormone Titer In A Wing-Polymorphic Cricket: Implications For The Evolution Of Life Histories And Dispersal, Anthony J. Zera, Gretchen Cisper

Anthony Zera Publications

The wing-polymorphic cricket, Gryllus firmus, contains (1) a flight-capable morph (LW_f) with long wings and functional flight muscles, (2) a flightless morph with reduced wings and underdeveloped flight muscles (SW), and (3) a flightless morph with histolyzed flight muscles but with fully developed wings (LW_h). The LW_f morph differed genetically from the SW morph and phenotypically from the LW_h morph in the size of flight muscles, ovarian growth during the first week of adulthood, and the hemolymph titer of juvenile hormone (JH). This is the first study to document that phenotypes that differ …

The Endocrine-Genetic Basis Of Life-History Variation: The Relationship Between The Ecdysteroid Titer And Morph-Specific Reproduction In The Wing-Polymorphic Cricket Gryllus Firmus, Anthony J. Zera, Justin Bottsford

Anthony Zera Publications

The hormonal basis of variation in life-history traits is a poorly studied topic in life-history evolution. An important step in identifying the endocrine-genetic causes of life-history variation is documenting statistical and functional associations between hormone titers and genotypes/phenotypes that vary in life-history traits. To this end, we compared the blood ecdysteroid titer and the mass of the ovaries during the first week of adulthood among a flight-capable morph and two fl ightless morphs of the wing-polymorphic cricket Gryllus firmus. Ecdysteroids are a group of structurally related hormones that regulate many important aspects of reproduction in insects. Both the ecdysteroid …

Effects Of Concentration And Temperature On The Coupled Heat And Mass Transport In Liquid Mixtures, Yaşar Demirel, Stanley I. Sandler

Papers in Thermal Mechanics

Using published experimental data on the thermal conductivity, mutual diffusivity, and heats of transport, the degree of coupling between heat and mass flows has been calculated for binary and ternary nonideal liquid mixtures. The binary mixtures consist of two types: the first is six systems of six-to-eight-carbon straight and branched chain alkanes in chloroform and in carbon tetrachloride; and the second is mixtures of carbon tetrachloride with benzene, toluene, 2-propanone, n-hexane, and 11-octane. The ternary mixture considered is toluene-chlorobenzene-bromobenzene. The published data are available at 35°C, 30°C, and 35°C and ambient pressure. Using the linear nonequilibi-ium thermodynainics (LNET) and the …

Evolution In The Information Age: Rediscovering The Nature Of The Organism, Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

The newest synthesis of evolutionary thought is emerging, and promises to return evolutionary biology to Darwin’s panoramic view of life. The key element is a long-standing dualism in evolutionary theory. This dualism has a long history within evolutionary biology, being manifested under guises such as: (1) the nature of the organism and the nature of the conditions, (2) internal and external, or intrinsic and extrinsic, factors, (3) production and exchanges, (4) boundary and initial conditions, (5) metabolism and replication, (6) energy and information, and (7) costs and benefits, and conflict and resolution. A partially retrospective review suggests that there is …

Plant-Derived Oils Reduce Pathogens And Gaseous Emissions From Stored Cattle Waste, Vincent H. Varel, Daniel N. Miller

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

Carvacrol and thymol in combination at 6.7 mM each completely inhibited the production of short-chain volatile fatty acids and lactate from cattle waste in anoxic flasks over 23 days. Fecal coliforms were reduced from 4.6 x 10⁶ to 2.0 x 10³ cells per ml 2 days after treatment and were nondetectable within 4 days. Total anaerobic bacteria were reduced from 8.4 x 10¹⁰ to 1.5 x 10⁷ cells per ml after 2 days and continued to be suppressed to that level after 14 days. If the concentration of carvacrol or thymol were doubled (13.3 mM), either …

Glyphosate-Resistant Soybean Cultivar Yields Compared With Sister Lines, Roger Wesley Elmore, Fred W. Roeth, Lenis Alton Nelson, Charles A. Shapiro, Robert N. Klein, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Alex Martin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Herbicide-resistant crops like glyphosate resistant (GR) soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are gaining acceptance in U.S. cropping systems. Comparisons from cultivar performance trials suggest a yield suppression may exist with GR soybean. Yield suppressions may result from either cultivar genetic differentials, the GR gene/gene insertion process, or glyphosate. Grain yield of GR is probably not affected by glyphosate. Yield suppression due to the GR gene or its insertion process (GR effect) has not been reported. We conducted a field experiment at four Nebraska locations in 2 yr to evaluate the GR effect on soybean yield. Five backcross-derived pairs of …

Ecotoxicology, Ronald J. Kendall, Todd A. Anderson, Robert J. Baker, Catherine M. Bens, James A. Carr, Louis A. Chiodo, George P. Cobb Iii, Richard L. Dickerson, Kenneth R. Dixon, Lynn T. Frame, Michael J. Hooper, Clyde F. Martin, Scott T. Mcmurry, Reynaldo Patino, Ernest E. Smith, Christopher W. Theodorakis

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The field of environmental toxicology, particularly as related to the area of ecotoxicology, continues to be a rapidly developing discipline of environmental science (Connell and Miller, 1984; Duffus 1980; Guthie and Perry, 1980; Hoffman et al., 1995; Moriarity 1988; Truhaut, 1977). The term ecotoxicology was introduced by Truhaut in 1969 (Truhaut, 1977) and this field is a natural extension of toxicology. It is best defined as the study of the fate and effects of toxic substances on an ecosystem and is based on scientific research employing both field and laboratory methods (Kendall, 1982; Kendall, 1992; and Hoffman et al., 1995). …

Glyphosate-Resistant Soybean Cultivar Yields Compared With Sister Lines, Roger Wesley Elmore, Fred W. Roeth, Lenis Alton Nelson, Charles A. Shapiro, Robert N. Klein, Stevan Z. Knezevic, Alex Martin

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Herbicide-resistant crops like glyphosate resistant (GR) soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.] are gaining acceptance in U.S. cropping systems. Comparisons from cultivar performance trials suggest a yield suppression may exist with GR soybean. Yield suppressions may result from either cultivar genetic differentials, the GR gene/gene insertion process, or glyphosate. Grain yield of GR is probably not affected by glyphosate. Yield suppression due to the GR gene or its insertion process (GR effect) has not been reported. We conducted a field experiment at four Nebraska locations in 2 yr to evaluate the GR effect on soybean yield. Five backcross-derived pairs of …

Effects Of Sterilization On Territory Fidelity And Maintenance, Pair Bonds, And Survival Rates Of Free-Ranging Coyotes, Cassity Bromley, Eric M. Gese

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Predation on sheep by coyotes (Canis latrans) is a longstanding problem for sheep producers. Current research suggests that surgical sterilization of coyotes could prove to be an effective method of reducing their depredation rates on domestic sheep by modifying their predatory behavior. However, for sterilization to be a viable management tool, the territorial and affiliative behaviors of pack members would need to remain in place. We tested whether surgically sterilized coyotes maintained pair bonds and territories in the same manner as intact coyotes. We also examined if territory fidelity and survival rates differed between sterile and intact coyotes. …

On The Rarity Of Food Provisioning By Male Dickcissels, Lawrence D. Igl, Louis B. Best

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

Males of polygynous bird species typically provide less parental care to their offspring than males of monogamous species (Ketterson and Nolan 1994). Generally, in polygynous species, a male forfeits some potential reproductive success ifhe shifts his reproductive effort from mating with multiple females to parental care (Trivers 1972, Gubemick et al. 1993, Schleicher et al. 1993). In the polygynous dickcissel (Spiza americana), singing and foraging activities constitute much of a male's time-activity budget (Schartz and Zimmerman 1971, Finck 1984). Although male dickcissels are attentive to their nests and mates (e.g., nest protection and vigilance) females incubate the eggs …

Michaelis–Menten Kinetics For Enzymatic Depolymerization Of A Linear Polyester Synthesized From Z-Protected Glutamic Acid, R. M. Tadros, Hossein Noureddini, Delmar C. Timm

Papers in Biomaterials

A biodegradable polyester resin was polymerized from N-benzyloxycarbonyl-L-glutamic acid and ethylene glycol. Rhizopus delemar lipase was used as a biocatalyst for the rupture of ester bonds during the hydrolysis studies. Depoly-merization was observed to followa Michaelis–Menten mechanism, with the maximumrate of monomer formation dP/dt_max = 1.12 x 10^-8 mol/s and the rate constant K_m x 2.03 x 10^-4 mol. Subject to initial conditions described by the most probable distribution and Michaelis–Menten–type depolymerization rate expressions, population density distribution dynamics of the polymeric molecules that formed the resin were explicitly described using a deterministic approach.

Calculation Of 13C Chemical Shifts In Rna Nucleosides: Structure-13C Chemical Shift Relationships, Paolo Rossi, Gerard S. Harbison

Gerard S. Harbison Publications

Isotropic ¹³C chemical shifts of the ribose sugar in model RNA nucleosides are calculated using SCF and DFT-GIAO ab initio methods for different combinations of ribose sugar pucker, exocyclic torsion angle, and glycosidic torsion angle. Idealized conformations were obtained using structures that were fully optimized by ab initio DFT methods starting with averaged parameters from a collection of crystallographic data. Solid-state coordinates of accurate crystal or neutron diffraction structures were also examined directly without optimization. The resulting ¹³C chemical shifts for the two sets of calculations are then compared. The GIAO-DFT method overestimates the shifts by an average …

Comparison Of Conventional And Two-Stage Reversible Flow, Static-Bed Biodenitrification Reactors, Bryan L. Woodbury, Mohamed F. Dahab

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

This paper compares the operation of a traditional single-stage system with a two-stage, reversible flow biodenitrification system for removing nitrates from drinking water. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ability of these two-stage systems to remove nitrate and residual organics from treated water as compared to single-stage units. In the reversible flow system, the second-stage (i.e. follow) reactor is operated in series with the first-stage (i.e. lead) reactor. After a given period of operation, the flow regime is reversed so that the follow reactor becomes the lead one and vice versa. The active solids remaining in the …

Guidelines For Eradication Of Terrestrial Vertebrates: A European Contribution To The Invasive Alien Species Issue, Piero Genovesi Ph.D.

Other Publications in Wildlife Management

Invasive alien species (IAS) are now acknowledged as one of the major threats to biodiversity, together with habitat loss and fragmentation. Furthermore, it is predicted that biotic invasions will become the major engines of ecological disintegration in the future; this is because of the increased spread of alien species, due to the greater mobility of the human population, rapidly growing transport technology, expanding tourism and travel activities, and world-wide free trade (Cox 1999, Ruesink et al. 1995).

In addition to the threats to biodiversity, the direct costs of IAS are immense. It is difficult to estimate precisely the economic losses …

Locating Nests Of Birds In Grasslands From A Mobile Tower Blind, Thomas F. Fondell, Steven T. Hoekman, I. J. Ball

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Locating nests of grassland passerines can be difficult, labor intensive, and disruptive to birds and vegetation. We developed a mobile tower blind for observing adult bird behavior and used it to locate nests in a western Montana grassland. We compared nest-search efficiency of behavioral observations from the tower versus the ground. Nests of savannah sparrow (Passerculus samhvichensis) were found in a higher proportion of territories searched from the tower (13/16 = 82%) than from the ground (4113 = 3 1%). Average search time for each nest found was lower from the tower (44 min) than from the ground …

Dealing With Nuisance And Depredating Black Bears, Gary W. Witmer, Donald G. Whittaker

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black bears (Ursus americanus) are a valued resource in North America but pose many challenges to resource managers. They may be managed in 1 or more ways, including sustained yield harvests, nuisance animal control, or conservation management. Many black bear populations are stable or increasing, and combine with expanding human populations, increased development, and recreational activities, are leading to an increase in human-bear conflicts. Historically, methods such as relocation, general hunting seasons, or special hunts have been used in an effort to reduce bear density and damage, or to target individual offending animals. Many resource managers now operate …

Gap Filling Strategies For Long Term Energy Flux Data Sets, Eva Falge, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Richard Olson, Peter Anthoni, Marc Aubinet, Christian Bernhofer, George Burba, Reinhart Ceulemans, Robert Clement, Han Dolman, Andre Granier, Patrick Gross, Thomas Grunwald, David Hollinger, Niels-Otto Jensen, Gabriel Katul, Petri Keronen, Andrew Kowalski, Chun Ta Lai, Beverly E. Law, Tilden Meyers, John Moncrieff, Eddy Moors, J. William Munger, Kim Pilegaard, Ullar Rannik, Corinna Rebmann, Andrew E. Suyker, John Tenhunen, Kevin Tu, Shashi Verma, Timo Vesala, Kell Wilson, Steve Wofsy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

At present a network of over 100 field sites are measuring carbon dioxide, water vapor and sensible heat fluxes between the biosphere and atmosphere, on a nearly continuous basis. Gaps in the long term measurements of evaporation and sensible heat flux must be filled before these data can be used for hydrological and meteorological applications. We adapted methods of gap filling for NEE (net ecosystem exchange of carbon) to energy fluxes and applied them to data sets available from the EUROFLUX and AmeriFlux eddy covariance databases. The average data coverage for the sites selected was 69% and 75% for latent …

Gap Filling Strategies For Defensible Annual Sums Of Net Ecosystem Exchange, Eva Falge, Dennis D. Baldocchi, Richard Olson, Peter Anthoni, Marc Aubinet, Christian Bernhofer, George Burba, Reinhart Ceulemans, Robert Clement, Han Dolman, Andre Grainer, Thomas Grunwald, David Hollinger, Niels-Otto Jensen, Gabriel Katul, Petri Keronen, Andrew Kowalski, Chun Ta Lai, Beverly E. Law, Tilden Meyers, Jon Moncrieff, Eddy Moors, J. William Munger, Kim Pilegaard, Ullar Rannik, Corinna Rebmann, Andrew E. Suyker, John Tenhunen, Kevin Tu, Shashi Verma, Timo Vesala, Kell Wilson, Steve Wofsy

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Heightened awareness of global change issues within both science and political communities has increased interest in using the global network of eddy covariance flux towers to more fully understand the impacts of natural and anthropogenic phenomena on the global carbon balance. Comparisons of net ecosystem exchange (F_NEE) responses are being made among biome types, phenology patterns, and stress conditions. The comparisons are usually performed on annual sums of F_NEE; however, the average data coverage during a year is only 65%. Therefore, robust and consistent gap filling methods are required.

We review several methods of gap …

Tropical Climate Changes At Millennial And Orbital Timescales On The Bolivian Altiplano, Paul A. Baker, Catherine A. Rigsby, Geoffrey O. Seltzer, Sherilyn C. Fritz, Tim K. Lowenstein, Niklas P. Bacher, Carlos Veliz

Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences: Faculty Publications

Tropical South America is one of the three main centers of the global, zonal overturning circulation of the equatorial atmosphere (generally termed the “Walker” circulation). Although this area plays a key role in global climate cycles, little is known about South American climate history. Here we describe sediment cores and down-hole logging results of deep drilling in the Salar de Uyuni, on the Bolivian Altiplano, located in the tropical Andes. We demonstrate that during the past 50,000 years the Altiplano underwent important changes in effective moisture at both orbital (20,000-year) and millennial timescales. Long-duration wet periods, such as the Last …

Bats Of The West Indian Island Of Dominica: Natural History, Areography, And Trophic Structure, Hugh H. Genoways, Carleton J. Phillips, Robert M. Timm, Duane A. Schlitter

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Because the islands in the Caribbean long have interested students of mammals and zoogeography, considerable information has been published concerning the biology of the Antillean mammalian fauna in the past three decades (Jones and Schwartz, 1967; Schwartz and Jones, 1967; Koopman, 1968, 1989; Jones and Phillips, 1970, 1976; Varona, 1974; Baker and Genoways, 1978; Baker et al., 1978; Swanepoel and Genoways, 1978; Jones and Baker, 1979; Silva Taboada, 1979; Baker et al., 1984; Eshelman and Morgan, 1985; Buden, 1986; Griffiths and Klingener, 1988; Jones, 1989; Masson et al., 1990; Pederson et al., 1996; Genoways et al., 1998). This increasing interest …

Identification Of Quantitative Trait Loci Affecting Reproduction In Pigs, J. P. Cassady, R. K. Johnson, Daniel Pomp, G. A. Rohrer, L. Dale Van Vleck, E. K. Spiegel, K. M. Gilson

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

The objective of this research was to identify chromosomal regions harboring QTL affecting reproduction in pigs. A three-generation resource population was developed by crossing low-indexing pigs from a randomly selected control line (C) with high-indexing pigs of a line selected for increased index of ovulation rate and embryonic survival (I). Differences between Lines I and C at Generation 10 were 6.7 ova and 3.3 fetuses at 50 d of gestation and 3.1 fully formed and 1.6 live pigs at birth. Phenotypic data were collected on F₂ females, born in three replicates, for ovulation rate (n = 423), age at …

Nebraska’S Preferred Future

Nebraska Network 21: Publications

It is timely and important that we Nebraskans begin more holistic thinking about the connections and interdependencies of the issues which affect the future of our communities.

Discussion Document:
Purpose: This initiative and document are intended to “seed” discussion by a wide range of groups and individuals at policy making levels of state, county and communities that can influence decisions that affect directions for Nebraska’s future.

Content:
Nebraska’s Megatrends — suggested discussion questions
Summary of Nebraska Preferred Future Characteristics — including cherished values
Nebraska Preferred Future and New Seeds for Nebraska — relationships

Heterogeneity Within Animal Thioredoxin Reductases, Qi-An Sun, Francesca Zappacosta, Valentina M. Factor, Peter J. Wirth, Dolph L. Hatfield, Vadim N. Gladyshev

Vadim Gladyshev Publications

Animal thioredoxin reductases (TRs) are selenocysteine- containing flavoenzymes that utilize NADPH for reduction of thioredoxins and other protein and nonprotein substrates. Three types of mammalian TRs are known, with TR1 being a cytosolic enzyme, and TR3, a mitochondrial enzyme. Previously characterized TR1 and TR3 occurred as homodimers of 55–57-kDa subunits. We report here that TR1 isolated from mouse liver, mouse liver tumor, and a human T-cell line exhibited extensive heterogeneity as detected by electrophoretic, immunoblot, and mass spectrometry analyses. In particular, a 67-kDa band of TR1 was detected. Furthermore, a novel form of mouse TR1 cDNA encoding a 67-kDa selenoprotein …

Virulence Of Puccinia Triticina On Wheat In Nebraska During 1997 And 1998, J. E. Watkins, J. Schimelfenig, P. Stephen Baenziger, Kent M. Eskridge

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Urediniospore isolates of Puccinia triticina were obtained from wheat leaf collections made in three wheat-growing regions in Nebraska in 1997 and in four regions in 1998. Using 16 Thatcher lines that are near-isogenic for leaf rust resistance, 17 virulence phenotypes were found among 121 single uredinial isolates in 1997, and 42 virulence phenotypes were found among 178 isolates in 1998. The most prevalent phenotype in 1997 was MDRR (virulent on Lr1, 3, 3ka, 10, 11, 18, 23, 24, and 30). In 1998, virulence phenotypes MDRR and MDRM (virulent on Lr1, 3, 3ka, 10, 11, 23, 24, and 30 …

Nebraska Farm Bureau Legislative Conference, John Owens

John Owens: Speeches and Appearances

Thank you for inviting me to be with you this morning. I am happy both to be here at your conference, and to be in Nebraska.

My wife Virginia and I slipped into the state literally the week before Christmas, arriving in the face of a strong north wind and windchills hitting 35 to 40 below. It was an exciting advent to our new home, driving for hours over icy, snow packed roads. Living in New Mexico all those years, I’d forgotten how tightly a person can grip a Steering wheel during a white-out!

Ard News February 2001

Agricultural Research Division: News and Annual Reports

CONTENTS:
Comments from the Dean
State Agricultural Experiment Stations National Research Priorities 2005-2010
Importance of World Trade to Agricultural Profitability
University of Nebraska-Lincoln Priorities
Undergraduate Honors Research Program
Anna Elliott Proposals
Grants and Contracts Received December 2000 and January 2001
New or Revised Projects
Proposals Submitted for Federal Grants
December 2000 Graduate Student Survey

Book Review: Fauna Iberica, Volume 14: Coleoptera, Scarabaeoidea I. (Martin-Piera, F. And J. I. Lopez-Colon), Brett C. Ratcliffe

University of Nebraska State Museum: Entomology Papers

At over 500 pages, this is only the first volume of a probable three volume Spanish language treatment of the Scarabaeoidea of the Iberian peninsula. Volume one is a comprehensive and detailed piece of work in the grand tradition of faunas and floras. This first volume treats all of the "lower" scarabaeoids (Laparosticti) except for the Aphodiidae and Aegialiidae, which will appear in the next scarabaeoid volume. The third volume will treat the "higher" scarabs (Pleurosticti).

The book begins with a brief overview of the morphology and life cycle of scarabaeoids followed by a discussion on various relationship hypotheses of …

Wpa News 64 (2001), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (February 2001), number 64

Published by the World Pheasant Association