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The Prairie Naturalist Volume 25. No. 4. December 1993

The Prairie Naturalist

Paul B. Kannowski, Editor

Nikki R. Seabloom, Assistant Editor

Douglas H. Johnson, Book Review Editor

CONTENTS

FACTORS INFLUENCING DEER/VEHICLE MORTALITY IN EAST CENTRAL SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. S. Gleason and J. A. Jenks

PRONGHORN SKULL FOUND ALONG EDGE OF HISTORIC EASTERN DISTRIBUTION IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ W. F. Jensen and R. W. Seabloom

SOREX MERRIAMI IN NEBRASKA ▪ P. W. Freeman, J. D. Druecker, and S. Tvrz

ARE DEER MICE A COMMON PREY OF COYOTES? ▪ G. A. Kaufman, D. E. Brillhart, and D. W. Kaufman

EFFECT OF PRAIRIE-FIRE ASH ON FOOD CHOICE BY DEER MICE AND HISPID COTTON RATS …

The Probe, Issue 139 – December 1993

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Look Before You Leap: Business considerations in wildlife damage management -- Terry Whitworth
Reed Joseph Continues Support of NADCA
NADCA Awards Best Student Paper
Position Available: DIRECTOR, DENVER~WILDLIFE RESEARCH CENTER
USDA/APHIS.
New 43-page publication entitled: The Denver Wildlife Research Center Highlights Report, 1991-1992.

Sorex Merriami In Nebraska, Patricia W. Freeman, Jay D. Druecker, Scott Tvrz

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

We report the capture of a second specimen of Merriam’s shrew (Sorex merriami) from the northwestern comer of Nebraska from dry grassland of sage and rabbitbrush. The first specimen, captured in 1965, is a more eastern record in what today is Sandhills prairie.

Wildlife Exposure Factors Handbook, Volume I Of Ii, United States Environmental Protection Agency

United States Environmental Protection Agency: Publications

The Exposure Assessment Group of the Office of Health and Environmental Assessment (OHEA) has prepared the Wildlife Exposure Handbook in support of the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response and the Office of Water. The Handbook provides information on various factors used to assess exposure to wildlife. The goals of the project are (1) to promote the application of risk assessment methods to wildlife species, (2) to foster a consistent approach to wildlife exposure and risk assessments, and (3) to increase the accessibility of the literature applicable to these assessments.
The bulk of the document summarizes literature values for …

Water Current, Volume 25, No. 4, December 1993

Water Current Newsletter

Grew: Politics Change Rationale for Research
From the Director
Husker Harvest Winners
Needs of Research, Editor Differ
Conjunctive Use Conference Focus
1994 Seminars Look at State's Water History
Variety of Voices Heard at Symposium
Research Brief: Comparitve Toxicity of Pyrethroid Insecticides to Terrestrial and Aquatic Insects
Surface Water Management Interest of Faculty Member
Diretory Lists Wetlands Faculty
Scientists Examine Irrigation with Swine Waste Water
Platte River Atlas Examines Multi-Faceted Big Bend Area
Looking for Resources Information?

Changes In Benthic Invertebrate Composition In Response To Reservoir Aging, Arthur Popp

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

No abstract provided.

Diversity: How To Lie With Biodiversity, Gordon H. Rodda

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Biodiversity is the bandwagon of the moment. Unfortunately, the concept is sufficiently complex that almost any population biology study, with almost any conclusion, can be framed as an effort to measure or conserve biodiversity. Based on what 1 have seen in the literature and heard at recent scientific meetings, here is a primer on some of the more popular ways to bend biodiversity data.

Suppose you wish to claim that a species is disappearing. With the explanation that time and funding were limited, you might present population trajectories based on as few as two estimates of abundance. Perhaps the final …

Review Of Evolution And The Recognition Concept Of Species: Collected Writings By Hugh E. H. Paterson And Edited By Shane F. Mcevey (Johns Hopkins University, 1993), Daniel R. Brooks

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Review of Evolution and the Recognition Concept of Species: Collected Writings by Hugh E. H. Paterson and Edited by Shane F. McEvey (Johns Hopkins University, 1993).

Recovery Plan For The Pallid Sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus Albus), Mark Dryer, Alan Sandvol

Endangered Species Bulletin

The pallid sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus albus Forbes and Richardson) was listed as an endangered species on September 6, 1990 (55 FR 36641) pursuant to the Endangered Species Act (Act) of 1973 (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.) as amended. The range of the pallid sturgeon overlays three U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) Regions: Region 3, Region 4, and Region 6, with Region 6 having been designated the lead Region for recovery (research functions are provided to all Service Regions by Region 8). Because of the wide range of the pallid sturgeon, its believed extreme rarity, numerous threats to species survival, …

The Probe, Issue 138 – November 1993

The Probe: Newsletter of the National Animal Damage Control Association

Happenings in ADC's Western Region -- Jeffrey S. Green
Becoming NEPA Proficient
Threatened and Endangered Species
Brown Tree Snakes
Livestock Guarding Dogs
USDA Wildlife Services Honored at Fish & Wildlife Meeting
A Vision for NADCA -- Gary Simmons, NADCA Candidate for President
Where Will NADCA Be Two Years From Now -- James E. Forbes, NADCA Candidate for President
Personnel Changes in ADC: DR. RUSSELL REIDINGER, Dr. Dick Curnow, JOE PACKHAM, Ed Schafer
Animal Damage Control-Then & Now -- Bill Fitzwater

Comparative Study Of Adaptive Radiations With An Example Using Parasitic Flatworms (Platyhelminthes: Cercomeria), Daniel R. Brooks, Deborah A. Mclennan

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Studies of adaptive radiations require robust phylogenies, estimates of species numbers for monophyletic groups within clades, assessments of the adaptive value of putative key innovations, and estimates of the frequency of speciation modes. Four criteria are necessary to identify an adaptive radiation within the parasitic platyhelminths: (I) a group contains significantly more species than its sister group, (2) species richness is apornorphic , (3) apomorphic traits enhance the potential for adaptively driven modes of speciation (sympatric speciation and speciation by peripheral isolation via host switching), and (4) the frequency of adaptively driven speciation modes is high within the group when …

Wpa News 42 (1993), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (November 1993), number 42

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Center For Sustainable Agricultural Systems Newsletter, November/December 1993

Center for Sustainable Agricultural Systems: Newsletter (1993–2000)

Contents:

Developments in Planning North Central Institute for Sustainable Systems

Sustainable Ag Mentor Program

NCR SARE Speakers Bureau

UNL's Alice Jones Named SARE Director

Update on Buffalo Commons: Seminar by Deborah and Frank Popper

Local Commentary on Buffalo Commons: Interview with Joe Luther

Agriculture and Rural Community Linkages

In the Seminar Spotlight

Mark Drabenstott

Meena Dalal

Paul Thompson

John Ikerd

Ricardo Salvador

Clive Edwards

Matt Liebman

Coalition Recommends Sustainable Ag Policies

Science and Sustainability: Workshop in Bellevue, WA

Update: President's Council on Sustainable Development (PCSD)

Fractal Description Of Soil Fragmentation For Various Tillage Methods And Crop Sequences, Bahman Eghball, Lloyd N. Mielke, Guillermo A. Calvo, Wallace Wilhelm

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

Soil structure has been difficult to quantify and, at best, has been studied semiquantitatively. Fractal representation of soil fragmentation can provide an indication of soil structure. The purpose of our study was to use fractal analysis to quantify soil fragmentation under various tillage and crop sequence treatments at different times during the growing season. We collected soil samples from four tillage treatments (established 10 yr earlier) of chisel, disk, no-till, and moldboard plow in factorial arrangement with two crop sequences of corn (Zea mays L.)-soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.]-corn (C-SC), and soybean- cornaoybean, (S-C-S) on a Sharpsburg (fine, …

Contraception In Domestic And Wild Animal Populations Using Zona Pellucida Lmmunogens, Bonnie S. Dunbar

Contraception in Wildlife Management

The human population presently exceeds 6 billion and is continuing to expand at a startling rate. This population increase has resulted in the depletion of Earth's resources, which are essential for human survival. An unfortunate consequence of this expansion has been the destruction of wildlife habitats. As these habitats have diminished, numerous problems have arisen, including conflicts between wildlife and human populations. The threat of extinction of many plant and animal species has already become a reality; other wildlife populations have increased due to reductions in predator populations. While the increase in the human population must ultimately be checked, there …

A Review Of Baits And Bait Delivery Systems For Free-Ranging Carnivores And Ungulates, Samuel B. Linhart, Andreas Kappeler, Lamar A. Windberg

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Baits and bait delivery systems have been described for orally administering a variety of chemicals and biologicals to selected carnivores and ungulates. Development has varied from species for which bait preferences and means of distributing oral contraceptives have not yet been determined even on a limited scale (e.g., white-tailed deer) to cooperative, multicountry programs involving the annual distribution of millions of mass-produced oral rabies vaccine baits (e.g., red foxes in Europe). Much of the technical literature on the subject has appeared in sometimes obscure sources encompassing such fields as medical epidemiology, wildlife diseases, animal behavior, applied ecology, flavor chemistry, furbearer …

The Development Of Contraceptive Methods For Captive Wildlife, Cheryl S. Asa

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Contraception has become critical in managing zoo populations, both to limit production of surplus animals and to promote genetic health. One role of the Contraception Advisory Group, formed in 1989, is to coordinate research to develop new contraceptive methods. Because melengestrol acetate (MGA) implants, which have been used by zoos for almost 20 years, recently have been associated with uterine pathology in felids, several new contraceptive techniques are being evaluated. These include other steroid hormone formulations, such as the birth control pill Depo-Provers®, the Norplant® implant, and MGA added to feed; bisdiamine, an oral male contraceptive; zona pellucida (ZP) vaccine; …

Authors' Affiliations

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Authors' Affiliations

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone (Gnrh) Analogs Or Active Immunization Against Gnrh To Control Fertility In Wildlife, Susan E. Becker, Larry S. Katz

Contraception in Wildlife Management

The administration of analogs, both agonists and antagonists, of GnRH and immunization against GnRH have been investigated for their ability to control reproductive function in domestic species. These methods can be used to inhibit the secretion of gonadotropins, the necessary stimulants for steroidogenesis and gametogensis, thereby potentially preventing ovulation and inhibiting spermatogenesis. Induction of infertility in this manner could be used for nonlethal population control of wildlife species. Relatively little research has been done in this area. This chapter reviews relevant studies with domestic species and discusses results from studies with wildlife species.

Potential Use Of Contraception For Managing Wildlife Pests In Australia, Mary Bomford, Peter O'Brien

Contraception in Wildlife Management

There is an increasing level of interest in contraception to manage wildlife pests in Australia, due mainly to concerns over high recurrent costs, animal welfare, and the failure of current control techniques to prevent damage in some instances. We have developed criteria that need to be met for contraception to be successful for pest control:
• Technology exists to reduce fertility
• An effective delivery mechanism to treat wild animals exists.
• The end result of reduced animal damage is achieved.
• Effects are humane and nontoxic.
• Product is target specific, cost effective, and environmentally acceptable.

Lmmunocontraceptive Vaccines For Control Of Fertility In The European Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes), Mark P. Bradley

Contraception in Wildlife Management

This paper describes the strategies being employed in the development of an immunocontraceptive vaccine using sperm antigens, to control fox populations in Australia. It is proposed that such a vaccine will be delivered orally in a bait, thereby ultimately stimulating a mucosal immune response within the female reproductive tract. The eventual success in producing such a vaccine requires the identification of game antigens that cause immunological infertility, a detailed understanding of the reproductive immunology of foxes and the selection of the most effective form of antigen delivery system.

Human Dimensions Of Contraception In Wildlife Management, Paul D. Curtis, Daniel J. Decker, Rebecca J. Stout, Milo E. Richmond, Cynthia A. Loker

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Wildlife damage management was so much simpler in the good old days. If deer (Odocoileus virginianus), beaver (Castor canadensis), or other animals were a problem in a particular situation, people simply had them shot, trapped, or poisoned. Not many years ago, most people would go along with this approach, and those who didn't like it were marginalized as the "radical fringe." Not so today. Greater and more diverse segments of the public want a say in what professionals decide to do with their wildlife. The public wants to participate in setting objectives for management and in …

Contraception In Wildlife Management: Reality Or Illusion?, David C. Guynn Jr.

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Nuisance wildlife in areas where hunting is not an accepted practice and declining public support of lethal control measures have prompted research on contraceptives as a way to manage population levels. However, complex legal. biological, economic, and ethical issues should be addressed before such techniques are tested even on small, isolated populations. Regulatory authority by State and Federal agencies must define protocols for using contraceptive materials in wild populations. Registration of wildlife contraceptives either as pesticides or vaccines will likely be necessary. Health-related issues include harmful effects on target species, nontarget species and humans who may consume carcasses. Models for …

Considerations For Lmmunocontraception Among Free-Ranging Carnivores: The Rabies Paradigm, Cathleen A. Hanlon, Charles E. Rupprecht

Contraception in Wildlife Management

The raging North American controversy over the reintroduction of wolves into the ecosystem of the greater Yellowstone National Park area exemplifies the emotive relationship between humankind and the Carnivora. What forces act in concert to portray this much maligned Order in unfavorable light? Control of free-ranging carnivore populations by Homo sapiens has been practiced for centuries as part of a pastoral lifestyle, with the intent of protecting one's own life and livelihood from becoming freshly killed prey in the onslaught from mammalian competitors. Traditionally, control is equated most commonly with population reduction through direct elimination of individuals (e.g., typically social …

Research To Develop Contraceptive Control Of Brushtail Possums In New Zealand, Simon E. Jolly, Phil E. Cowan, Janine A. Duckworth

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Common brushtail possums are serious pests in New Zealand, where they threaten the survival of native plants and animals and spread bovine tuberculosis. A National Science Strategy Committee established in 1991 to coordinate possum research gave high priority to research aimed at biological control of possums, particularly contraceptive control. Surveys are identifying pathogens and potential vectors, and research has begun on immunology, gene transcription, potential contraceptive targets, and sociobiology. As there are more than 60 million possums in New Zealand, contraceptive vaccine delivery systems need to be cost effective, and they must be publicly acceptable. A vaccine could be included …

Surgical Sterilization: An Underutilized Procedure For Evaluating The Merits Of Induced Sterility, James J. Kennelly, Kathryn A. Converse

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Despite more than 4 decades of effort, development of effective wildlife damage control programs based on sterilization of target species has met with limited success. This is partly due to the fact that investigators have assumed, rather than empirically tested, whether the reproductive strategies of the target populations were vulnerable to the planned treatment. Equally important, methods selected to induce sterility usually involve a chemical agent that can affect sociosexual behaviors of the nuisance population. In this report, we illustrate how surgically induced sterility circumvents both problems-how it enables one to assess the feasibility and applicability of the concept without …

Remotely Delivered Contraception With Needle-Less Norgestomet Implants, Darrel J. Kesler

Contraception in Wildlife Management

A remotely delivered contraceptive was developed that suppressed estrus and prevented pregnancy in deer with 100-percent efficacy. This contraceptive utilized norgestomet, a potent progestin that is approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in cattle. Although the needle-less norgestomet implant is not FDA approved for use in deer, it is safe for treated animals, humans, and the environment. The remote delivery of this implant can be accomplished up to 40 m away and causes minimal tissue damage and stress if administered properly. Because of its ease, its simplicity of delivery, and the control it provides for proper …

Contraception Of Wild And Feral Equids, Jay F. Kirkpatrick, J.W. Turner Jr., I.K.M. Liu

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Fertility control in wild horses has been attempted with both stallions and mares. Nonreversible surgical sterilazaiton by means of vasectomy has been successful in inhibiting reporcution in wild horses in Montana and Nevada. Administration of a microencapsulated form of testosterone to wild stallions reduced sperm counts and motility and foal counts. In a third approach, intraperitoneal Silastic^TM implants containing ethinylesdtradiol and progesterone blocked ovulation in wild mares for up to 3 years.

The first immunological fertility control of free-ranging wildlife was accomplished with wild horses, Initial experiments demonstrated that immunization with porcine zonae pellucidae was capable of causing contraception …

Overview Of Delivery Systems For The Administration Of Contraceptives To Wildlife, Terry J. Kreeger

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Successful contraception in wildlife requires both an efficacious and safe contraceptive agent and an efficacious and safe method of delivering that agent to the animal. Remote delivery systems (RDS)-mechanical devices capable of administering a single dose to an unrestrained animal, usually by means of a ballistic projectile-can target specific animals and facilitate the administration of contraceptives on a body weight basis. Liquid, solid, and semisolid formulations can be delivered via RDS, and sometimes treatment costs can go down with this methodology. Disadvantages of RDS include the fact that many of them can be used only on larger animals and RDS’ …

Delivery Of Lmmunocontraceptive Vaccines For Wildlife Management, Lowell A. Miller

Contraception in Wildlife Management

Immunocontraceptive technology appears to be a viable approach for population control of nuisance species of wildlife. The administration of immunocontraceptive vaccines is presently performed by syringe injection or by remote delivery via darts or biobullets. In order for immunocontraception to be successful in free-roaming animals, the vaccine must be delivered in an oral form. Recent advances in molecular biology, immunology, and pathology of mucosal infections give us tools to develop effective oral vaccines. Oral vaccines encapsulated in either biodegradable microspheres, synthetic adhesive liposomes, or nonvirulent live vectors hold promise as a practical approach for immunocontraception of free-roaming wildlife. Issues of …