Digital Commons Network^™

Population Genetic Structure Of Nebraska Paddlefish Based On Mitochondrial Dna Variation, Allen L. Szalanski, Richard Bischof, Gerald Mestl

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

Eighty-three paddlefish Polyodon spathula that were collected from 1995 to 1999 from the Missouri River Galvins Point Dam tailwater were analyzed for genetic variation in the mitochondrial DNA d-loop region. Additional samples from Montana, South Dakota, and Louisiana were used for comparative purposes. To facilitate the efficient analysis of numerous paddlefish samples, we applied a method that employs polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) to resolve restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). DNA sequencing of 10 paddlefish revealed 22 polymorphic sites. Polymerase chain reaction–RFLP analysis of 93 paddlefish using three restriction enzymes detected six of the polymorphic …

Sample Size Requirements For In Situ Vegetation And Substrate Classifications In Shallow, Natural Nebraska Lakes, Craig P. Paukert, David W. Willis, Richard S. Holland

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Staff Research Publications

We assessed the precision of visual estimates of vegetation and substrate along transects in 15 shallow, natural Nebraska lakes. Vegetation type (submergent or emergent), vegetation density (sparse, moderate, or dense), and substrate composition (percentage sand, muck, and clay; to the nearest 10%) were estimated at 25–70 sampling sites per lake by two independent observers. Observer agreement for vegetation type was 92%. Agreement ranged from 62.5% to 90.1% for substrate composition. Agreement was also high (72%) for vegetation density estimates. The relatively high agreement between estimates was likely attributable to the homogeneity of the lake habitats. Nearly 90% of the substrate …

Terrestrial Natural Communities Of Nebraska - Version Ii, Gerry Steinauer, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

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

For more than a decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and state natural heritage programs, including the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program (NNHP), have used a “coarse filter/fine filter” approach to preserving biological diversity (The Nature Conservancy, 1994). This approach involves identification and protection of natural communities (coarse filter) as well as rare species (fine filter). Identifying and protecting representative examples of natural communities ensures conservation of most species, biotic interactions and ecological processes. Those species that “fall through” the community filters are generally the rare species. Identification and protection of viable occurrences of rare species serves as the fine filter for …

Conservation In A Highly Fragmented Landscape: The Central Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregional Conservation Plan, The Central Tallgrass Prairie Ecoregion Planning Team

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

With the adoption of Conservation by Design in 1995, The Nature Conservancy recognized the importance of working at larger scales to achieve our mission which is: the long-term survival of all viable native species and community types through the design and conservation of portfolios of sites within ecoregions. The Conservancy set forth to design conservation plans on an ecoregional basis by working closely with various conservation partners. These plans are intended to provide a framework within which the Conservancy and our partners, such as the Natural Heritage Programs, can make decisions regarding conservation actions to be taken at the …

U.S. Fish And Wildlife Service Biological Opinion On The Operation Of The Missouri River Main Stem Reservoir System, Operation And Maintenance Of The Missouri River Bank Stabilization And Navigation Project, And Operation Of The Kansas River Reservoir System

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

The Corps of Engineers provides the primary operational management of the Missouri River and is responsible under the Endangered Species Act to take actions within its authorities to conserve listed species. On April 3, 2000, the Corps asked the Fish and Wildlife Service to formally consult under the Endangered Species Act on the Operations of the Missouri River Main Stem System, and related Operations of the Kansas River Tributary Reservoirs, and the Operations and Maintenance of the Missouri River Bank Stabilization and Navigation Project. The Corps of Engineers prepared biological assessments for each of these projects and determined that their …

Proximity Of White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, Ranges To Wolf, Canis Lupus, Pack Homesites, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech

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

Seven adult female White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northeastern Minnesota lived within 1.8 km of Wolf pack (Canis lupus) homesites without vacating their home ranges. Six of these deer and at least three of their fawns survived through the Wolf homesite period.

Mercury Bioaccumulation In Fish In A Region Affected By Historic Gold Mining: The South Yuba River, Deer Creek, And Bear River Watersheds, California, 1999, Jason T. May, Roger L. Hothem, Charles N. Alpers, Matthew A. Law

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Mercury that was used historically for gold recovery in mining areas of the Sierra Nevada continues to enter local and downstream water bodies, including the Sacramento–San Joaquin Delta and the San Francisco Bay of northern California. Methylmercury is of particular concern because it is the most prevalent form of mercury in fish and is a potent neurotoxin that bioaccumulates at successive trophic levels within food webs. In April 1999, the U.S. Geological Survey, in cooperation with several other agencies—the Forest Service (U.S. Department of Agriculture), the Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the California State Water Resources …

Mercury Contamination From Historic Gold Mining In California, Charles N. Alpers, Michael P. Hunerlach

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Mercury contamination from historic gold mines represents a potential risk to human health and the environment. This fact sheet provides background information on the use of mercury in historic gold mining and processing operations in California, and describes a new USGS project that addresses the potential risks associated with mercury from these sources, with emphasis on historic hydraulic mining areas. Miners used mercury (quicksilver) to recover gold throughout the western United States at both placer (alluvial) and hardrock (lode) mines. The vast majority of mercury lost to the environment in California was from placer-gold mines, which used hydraulic, drift, and …

Metals Transport In The Sacramento River, California, 1996–1997 Volume 2: Interpretation Of Metal Loads, Charles N. Alpers, Ronald C. Antweiler, Howard E. Taylor, Peter D. Dileanis, Joseph L. Domagalski

United States Geological Survey: Publications

Metals transport in the Sacramento River, northern California, from July 1996 to June 1997 was evaluated in terms of metal loads from sam-ples of water and suspended colloids that were collected on up to six occasions at 13 sites in the Sacramento River Basin. Four of the sampling periods (July, September, and November 1996; and May–June 1997) took place during relatively low-flow conditions and two sampling periods (December 1996 and January 1997) took place during high-flow and flooding conditions, respec-tively. This study focused primarily on loads of cadmium, copper, lead, and zinc, with secondary emphasis on loads of aluminum, iron, …

The Effect Of Biogenic Fe(Ii) On The Stability And Sorption Of Co(Ii)Edta22 To Goethite And A Subsurface Sediment, John M. Zachara, Steven Smith, James K. Fredrickson

United States Department of Energy: Publications

Laboratory experiments were conducted with suspensions of goethite (α-FeOOH) and a subsurface sediment to assess the influence of bacterial iron reduction on the fate of Co(II)EDTA^2-, a representative metal-ligand complex of intermediate stability (log K_Co(II)EDTA = 17.97). The goethite was synthetic (ca. 55 m²/g) and the sediment was a Pleistocene age, Fe(III) oxide-containing material from the Atlantic coastal plain (Milford). Shewanella alga strain BrY, a dissimilatory iron reducing bacterium (DIRB), was used to promote Fe(III) oxide reduction. Sorption isotherms and pH adsorption edges were measured for Co²⁺, Fe²⁺, Co(II)EDTA^2-, …

Briefing Book Nebraska

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Table of Contents

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Presence in Nebraska

Boyer Chute National Wildlife Refuge

Crescent Lake / North Platte National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Fort Niobrara / Valentine /John and Louise Seier National Wildlife Refuge Complex

Rainwater Basin Wetland Management District and Sandhills Habitat Office

Partners for Fish and Wildlife (PFFW)

Ecological Services (ES) Field Office

Law Enforcement

North American Waterfowl Management Plan

Nebraska Federal Aid-- Sport Fish and Wildlife Restoration

Migratory Bird Conservation

Cassin’S Sparrow (Aimophila Cassinii) Status Assessment And Conservation Plan, Janet M. Ruth

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Cassin’s Sparrow (Aimophila cassinii) is a grassland species endemic to the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Its behavior and ecology have been shaped by these arid ecosystems and the health of its populations is dependent on the availability of grasslands that contain a shrub component. Populations of many grassland birds have experienced dramatic declines due to the loss and deterioration of grassland habitats, and there has been concern about the trends in Cassin’s Sparrow populations. Without better information about population trends, ecology, and effects of management activities, and without a stronger emphasis on grassland management, Cassin’s Sparrows and other grassland …

Canada Lynx Conservation Assessment And Strategy, Bill Ruediger, Jim Claar, Steve Mighton, Bob Naney, Tony Rinaldi, Fred Wahl, Nancy Warren, Dick Wenger, Al Williamson, Lyle Lewis, Bryon Holt, Gary Patton, Joel Trick, Anne Vandehey, Steve Gniadek

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

The Lynx Conservation Assessment and Strategy was developed to provide a consistent and effective approach to conserve Canada lynx on federal lands in the conterminous United States. The United States Department of Agriculture Forest Service, United States Department of the Interior Bureau of Land Management, and United States Department of the Interior Fish and Wildlife Service initiated the Lynx Conservation Strategy Action Plan in spring of 1998.

The lynx has been proposed for listing as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act (Federal Register, Volume 63, No. 130, July 8, 1998). In the proposed rule, the U.S. Fish and …

Cormorant Food Habit And Potential Impacts On Sport And Commercial Fisheries: An Annotated Bibliography, John L. Trapp, Shauna Hanisch

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

This list includes literature on the double-crested cormorant that contains: (1) qualitative or quantitative descriptions of food habits, or (2) qualitative or quantitative information on the impacts of cormorant predation on fish populations. The latter category includes papers that discuss the various bioenergetics variables that may be used in simulation models to assess impacts on prey populations.

American Woodcock Population Status, 2000, James R. Kelley Jr.

United States Fish and Wildlife Service: Publications

Singing-ground and Wing-collection surveys were conducted to assess the population status of the American woodcock (Scolopax minor). Singing-ground Survey data indicated that the number of displaying woodcock in the Eastern Region decreased 11.0% (P<0.1) from 1999 levels. In the Central Region, there was a 10.4% increase in the number of woodcock heard displaying (P<0.1) compared to 1999 levels. Trends from the Singing-ground Survey during 1990-00 were negative (-3.5 and –3.1% per year for the Eastern and Central regions, respectively; P<0.01). There were long-term (1968-00) declines (P<0.01) of 2.3% per year in the Eastern Region and 1.6% per year in the Central Region. The 1999 recruitment index for the Eastern Region (1.1 immatures per adult female) was 35% below the long-term regional average; the recruitment index for the Central Region (1.2 immatures per adult female) was 29% below the long-term regional average. The index of daily hunting success in the Eastern Region increased from 1.9 woodcock per successful hunt in 1998 to 2.0 woodcock per successful hunt in 1999, and seasonal hunting success increased 3%, from 7.2 to 7.4 woodcock per successful hunter in 1998 and 1999, respectively. In the Central Region, the daily success index in 1999 was unchanged from the 1998 index (2.1 woodcock per successful hunt) but the seasonal success index decreased 11% from 11.3 to 10.0 woodcock per successful hunter.

Cytokines In Mycoplasma Hyorhinis-Induced Arthritis In Pigs Bred Selectively For High And Low Immune Responses, N. R. Jayagopala Reddy, Bruce N. Wilkie, Peter Borgs, Bonnie A. Mallard

School of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences: Faculty Publications

Yorkshire pigs were bred selectively for high and low immune responses (H and L pigs, respectively) based on multiple antibody (Ab) and cell-mediated immune response traits. In a previous experiment, generation 4 (G4) pigs of each line were infected with Mycoplasma hyorhinis. High responders had a more rapid and higher Ab response and less polyserositis, but arthritis was more severe in H pigs than in L pigs. To test the hypothesis that line differences were attributable to differential expression of cytokines, M. hyorhinis infection was induced in pigs of G8. Arthritis was more severe clinically (P, ≤0.05) and postmortem …

Ecogeochemistry Of The Subsurface Food Web At Ph 0–2.5 In Iron Mountain, California, U.S.A., Eleanora I. Robbins, Teresa M. Rodgers, Charles N. Alpers, D. Kirk Nordstrom

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Pyrite oxidation in the underground mining environment of Iron Mountain, California, has created the most acidic pH values ever reported in aquatic systems. Sulfate values as high as 120 000 mg 1^-1 and iron as high as 27600mg 1^-1 have been measured in the mine water, which also carries abundant other dissolved metals including Al, Zn, Cu, Cd, Mn, Sb and Pb. Extreme acidity and high metal concentrations apparently do not preclude the presence of an underground acidophilic food web, which has developed with bacterial biomass at the base and heliozoans as top predators. Slimes, oil-like films, flexible …

Tsc3p Is An 80-Amino Acid Protein Associated With Serine Palmitoyltransferase And Required For Optimal Enzyme Activity, Ken Gable, Harry Slife, Dagmar Bacikova, Erin Monaghan, Teresa M. Dunn

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Serine palmitoyltransferase catalyzes the first step of sphingolipid synthesis, condensation of serine and palmitoyl CoA to form the long chain base 3-ketosphinganine. The LCB1/TSC2 and LCB2/TSC1 genes encode homologous proteins of the a-oxoamine synthase family required for serine palmitoyltransferase activity. The other a-oxoamine synthases are soluble homodimers, but serine palmitoyltransferase is a membrane-associated enzyme composed of at least two subunits, Lcb1p and Lcb2p. Here, we report the characterization of a third gene, TSC3, required for optimal 3-ketosphinganine synthesis in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. S. cerevisiae cells lacking the TSC3 gene have a temperature-sensitive lethal phenotype that is reversed by supplying …

Escherichia Coli O157:H7 In Beef Cattle Presented For Slaughter In The U.S.: Higher Prevalence Rates Than Previously Estimated, Lisa J. Gansheroff, Alison D. O'Brien

Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Before 1982, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) had identified only one Escherichia coli isolate of the O157:H7 serotype; it had been isolated from a patient with bloody diarrhea. Then, in 1982, two outbreaks of severe bloody diarrhea occurred among people who had eaten hamburgers at a fast food chain. The CDC isolated E. coli O157:H7 from people who had become ill as well as from a hamburger patty. In 1983, Karmali et al. discovered an association between infection with E. coli that produce Shiga toxin (then called Vero toxin), including O157:H7 strains, and another severe and sometimes …

Managing For Enhancement Of Riparian And Wetland Areas Of The Western United States: An Annotated Bibliography, David A. Koehler, Allan E. Thomas

United States Bureau of Land Management: Staff Publications

This annotated bibliography contains 1,905 citations from professional journals, symposia, workshops, proceedings, technical reports, and other sources. The intent of this compilation was to: (1) assemble, to the extent possible, all available and accessible publications relating to riparian management within a single source or document; (2) provide managers, field biologists, researchers, and others, a point of access for locating scientific literature relevant to their specific interest; and (3) provide, under one cover, a comprehensive collection of annotated publications that could disseminate basic information relative to the status of our knowledge.

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery 2000 Annual Report

Rocky Mountain Wolf Recovery: Annual Reports

Gray wolf populations (Canis lupus) were extirpated from the western U.S. by the 1930s. Subsequently, wolves from Canada occasionally dispersed south into Montana and Idaho but failed to survive long enough to reproduce. Public attitudes toward predators changed and wolves received legal protection with the passage of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) in 1973. Wolves began to successfully recolonize northwest Montana in the early 1980s. By 1995, 6 packs lived entirely in northwestern Montana. In 1995 and 1996, 66 wolves from southwestern Canada were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park (YNP) (31 wolves) and central Idaho (35 wolves).

The …

2000 Nebraska Swine Report

Nebraska Swine Reports

Articles:

Pubertal Response in Gilts to Type and Frequency of Boar Exposure and as Influenced by Genetic Line and Age at Initiation of Boar Contact
Candidate Reproductive Genes Do Not Explain Responses in Lines Selected for Ovulation Rate and Litter Size
The Effect of Oxytocin at the Time of Insemination on Reproductive Performance — A Review
Extruded-Expelled Soybean Meal for Pigs
The Effects of Dietary Feather Meal Concentration and Space Allocation on Performance and Carcass Characteristics of Barrows
A Review of the Ammonia Issue and Pork Production
Nitrogen Balance and Growth Trials With Pigs Fed Low-Crude Protein, Amino Acid-Supplemented Diets …

Nitrogen Balance And Growth Trials With Pigs Fed Low-Crude Protein, Amino Acid-Supplemented Diets, Jose Figueroa, Austin Lewis, Phillip S. Miller

Nebraska Swine Reports

To find out why low-crude protein, amino acid-supplemented diets often reduce growing pig performance, we conducted two experiments. In the first experiment, a nitrogen balance trial, three standard corn-soybean meal diets and three corresponding low-crude protein, amino acid-supplemented diets were used. The diets were: 14% CP and 10% CP + AA, 16% CP and 12% CP + AA, and 18% CP and 14% CP + AA, fed to 12 (90 lb) gilts in three periods of 7 d each. The amino acids lysine, tryptophan, threonine and methionine were added to low-crude protein diets to reach the same total amount as …

The Investigation Of Betaine As A Growth Promotor And/Or Carcass Modifier And The Efficacy Of Betaine To Replace Methionine In Finishing Diets, Steven J. Kitt, Phillip S. Miller, Austin J. Lewis, Robert Fischer

Nebraska Swine Reports

Dietary betaine’s effect on growth performance and carcass composition of finishing barrows was investigated. Two experiments were conducted to assess whether betaine improves growth and/or carcass characteristics. In the first experiment, barrows were fed either a control diet or a diet supplemented with betaine and were either crowded or not crowded. Shoulder weight was increased in pigs fed betaine. Generally, betaine had no effect on growth performance and carcass characteristics. The second experiment attempted to assess whether betaine can replace methionine in finishing diets. Betaine tended to be associated with increased fat-free lean gain. This experiment failed to show that …

Acylation Stimulating Protein: A Potential Regulator Of Fat Synthesis, Jess L. Miner, Carin Ramsel, Sheila Jacobi

Nebraska Swine Reports

The long term goal of this project is to understand the molecular mechanisms controlling fat synthesis. These experiments indicate that acylation stimulating protein (ASP) can stimulate the incorporation of fatty acids into lipid in cultured adipose tissue. This finding justifies a future effort to determine if manipulation of ASP can modify fat deposition.

Nutrients In Groundwaters Of The Conterminous United States, 1992-1995, Bernard Nolan, Jeffrey Stoner

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Results of a national water quality assessment indicate that nitrate is detected in 71% of groundwater samples, more than 13 times as often as ammonia, nitrite, organic nitrogen, and orthophosphate, based on a common detection threshold of 0.2 mg/L. Shallow groundwater (typically 5 m deep or less) beneath agricultural land has the highest median nitrate concentration (3.4 mg/L), followed by shallow groundwater beneath urban land (1.6 mg/L) and deeper groundwater in major aquifers (0.48 mg/L). Nitrate exceeds the maximum contaminant level, 10 mg/L as nitrogen, in more than 15% of groundwater samples from 4 of 33 major aquifers commonly used …

Gender Differences In The Development Of Substance- Related Problems: The Impact Of Family History Of Alcoholism, Family History Of Violence And Childhood Conduct Problems, Stephen T. Chermack, Scott F. Stoltenberg, Bret E. Fuller, Frederic C. Blow

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objective: This study examined gender differences regarding the relative influence of family history of alcoholism (FHA) and family history of violence (FHV) on reported childhood conduct problems (CCP) and adult problems with alcohol, drugs and violence. Method: The participants were 110 men and 103 women with alcohol-related problems recruited within 30 days of enrolling in treatment for substance abuse or dependence. Participants completed self-report measures of pretreatment violence, FHV, CCP, substance use and consequences, and demographics; a semi-structured interview was used to assess FHA. Results: Structural equation modeling (SEM) analyses revealed gender differences with regard to the influence of FHA …

Versatility From A Single Song: The Case Of The Nightingale Wren, Daniel Leger, Katherine E. Brooks, Judith E. O'Brien

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Versatility in song production of birds has drawn considerable attention since its description by Hartshorne (1956), who suggested that birds vary their vocal output to avoid habituation in listeners, especially if singing is extensive. The best-known route to song versatility involves creating permutations and combinations of song elements learned from neighbors or relatives, combined with improvisations (Nowicki et al. 1999). Birds may learn whole songs or individual song elements, which then may be arranged in novel ways.

Versatility might be achieved in other ways besides acquiring numerous song types. For example, individuals could shift the tempo of their songs by …

Antipredator Vigilance Of Juvenile And Adult Thirteen-Lined Ground Squirrels And The Role Of Nutritional Need, Cody Arenz, Daniel Leger

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Juvenile thirteen-lined ground squirrels, Spermophilus tridecemlineatus, are less vigilant (i.e. they spend less time visually scanning the environment) than adults. To determine whether nutritional need was a potential cause of this difference, we supplemented two groups of free-ranging juveniles during the predispersal stage, while juveniles were still near and around the natal burrows. The high-energy food group (HEF: 11 squirrels) received peanut butter and oats while the low-energy food group (LEF: seven squirrels) received lettuce. Adults (14 squirrels) were also supplemented, but due to their greater home range sizes, it was not feasible to classify them as either HEF …

Some Post-Pliocene Buried Soils Of Central United States, James Thorp, W. M. Johnson, E. C. Reed

Conservation and Survey Division: Faculty and Staff Publications

No abstract provided.