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United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

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Carrion Cycling In Food Webs: Comparisons Among Terrestrial And Marine Ecosystems, James C. Beasley, Z. H. Olson, T. L. Devault Jan 2012

Carrion Cycling In Food Webs: Comparisons Among Terrestrial And Marine Ecosystems, James C. Beasley, Z. H. Olson, T. L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In light of current global changes to ecosystem function (e.g. climate change, trophic downgrading, and invasive species), there has been a recent surge of interest in exploring differences in nutrient cycling among ecosystem types. In particular, a growing awareness has emerged concerning the importance of scavenging in food web dynamics, although no studies have focused specifically on exploring differences in carrion consumption between aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. In this forum we synthesize the scavenging literature to elucidate differences in scavenging dynamics between terrestrial and marine ecosystems, and identify areas where future research is needed to more clearly understand the role …

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Exploiting Antipredator Behavior In White-Tailed Deer For Resource Protection, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Laura A. Tyson, Jerrold L. Belant, Kurt C. Vercauteren Jan 2012

Exploiting Antipredator Behavior In White-Tailed Deer For Resource Protection, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Laura A. Tyson, Jerrold L. Belant, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Effects of visual obstruction on white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) include enhanced vigilance and flight-initiation distances. Prior work suggests that artificial visual barriers might enhance perceived risk of predation to deer. During 2008–2010 at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s Plum Brook Station (Erie County, OH), we tested the hypotheses that visual obstruction of winter feeding stations would result in fewer white-tailed deer visiting treatment stations and increased vigilance exhibited relative to deer using control stations. When feeding stations were bounded on 3 sides by a 22.5-m-long, 1.5-m-high, continuous, polyethylene visual barrier (including a 5-m opening on the fourth …

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Bioeconomic Modelling Of Raccoon Rabies Spread Management Impacts In Quebec, Canada, S. A.. Shwiff, C. Aenishaenslin, A. Ludwig, P. Berthiaume, M. Bigras-Poulin, K. Kirkpatrick, L. Lambert, D. Bélanger Jan 2012

Bioeconomic Modelling Of Raccoon Rabies Spread Management Impacts In Quebec, Canada, S. A.. Shwiff, C. Aenishaenslin, A. Ludwig, P. Berthiaume, M. Bigras-Poulin, K. Kirkpatrick, L. Lambert, D. Bélanger

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Beginning in 2006, point infection control operations and aerial distribution of oral rabies vaccines along the US border were performed in Quebec, Canada, to control the potential spread of raccoon rabies. A benefit-cost analysis assessed the economic efficiency of this rabies control programme into the future. In this study, a mathematical simulation model was used to determine the potential spread of raccoon rabies from the 2006 index case, and incidence rates of human post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP), animal testing and human exposure investigations were calculated. Benefits were calculated as the potential savings from reduced numbers of human PEP, animal testing and …

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Movement And Habitat Use Of Feral Swine Near Domestic Swine Facilities, A. Christy Wyckoff, Scott E. Henke, Tyler A. Campbell, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren Jan 2012

Movement And Habitat Use Of Feral Swine Near Domestic Swine Facilities, A. Christy Wyckoff, Scott E. Henke, Tyler A. Campbell, David G. Hewitt, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine (Sus scrofa), a successful invasive species in the United States, have established growing populations in 38 states and are a reservoir of diseases important to domestic swine. An understanding of habitat use and movements is important for the prevention of disease transmission between feral and domestic swine. To assess risk posed to neighboring domestic swine facilities in East and South Texas, we determined habitat use and movement patterns of feral swine within 10 miles of domestic swine facilities, identified similarities in habitat preferences and vegetation types directly surrounding facilities, assessed effects of wet and dry conditions …

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Frequent Cross-Species Transmission Of Parvoviruses Among Diverse Carnivore Hosts, Andrew B. Allison, Dennis J. Kohler, Karen A. Fox, Justin D. Brown, Richard W. Gerhold, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Edward J. Dubovi, Colin R. Parrish, Edward C. Holmes Jan 2012

Frequent Cross-Species Transmission Of Parvoviruses Among Diverse Carnivore Hosts, Andrew B. Allison, Dennis J. Kohler, Karen A. Fox, Justin D. Brown, Richard W. Gerhold, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Edward J. Dubovi, Colin R. Parrish, Edward C. Holmes

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Although parvoviruses are commonly described in domestic carnivores, little is known about their biodiversity in nondomestic species. A phylogenetic analysis of VP2 gene sequences from puma, coyote, gray wolf, bobcat, raccoon, and striped skunk revealed two major groups related to either feline panleukopenia virus (“FPV-like”) or canine parvovirus (“CPV-like”). Cross species transmission was commonplace, with multiple introductions into each host species but, with the exception of raccoons, relatively little evidence for onward transmission in nondomestic species.

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Economic Evaluation Of Vampire Bat (Desmodus Rotundus) Rabies Prevention In Mexico, Aaron M. Anderson, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Karen Gebhardt, A. J. Ramırez, Steven S. Shwiff, Dennis Kohler, Luis Lecuona Jan 2012

Economic Evaluation Of Vampire Bat (Desmodus Rotundus) Rabies Prevention In Mexico, Aaron M. Anderson, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Karen Gebhardt, A. J. Ramırez, Steven S. Shwiff, Dennis Kohler, Luis Lecuona

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vampire bat rabies causes significant impacts within its endemic range in Mexico. These impacts include livestock mortality, animal testing costs, post-exposure prophylaxis costs, and human mortality risk. Mitigation of the impacts can be achieved by vaccinating livestock and controlling vampire bat populations. A benefit- cost analysis was performed to examine the economic efficiency of these methods of mitigation, and Monte Carlo simulations were used to examine the impact that uncertainty has on the analysis. We found that livestock vaccination is efficient, with benefits being over six times higher than costs. However, bat control is inefficient because benefits are very unlikely …

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A Comparison Of Methods For Estimating Raccoon Abundance: Implications For Disease Vaccination Programs, James C. Beasley, William S. Beatty, Todd C. Atwood, Shylo R. Johnson, Olin E. Rhodes Jr. Jan 2012

A Comparison Of Methods For Estimating Raccoon Abundance: Implications For Disease Vaccination Programs, James C. Beasley, William S. Beatty, Todd C. Atwood, Shylo R. Johnson, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Accurate estimates of demographic parameters are critical to the management of wildlife populations, including management programs focused on controlling the spread of zoonotic diseases. Rabies managers in the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) have applied a simple raccoon (Procyon lotor) abundance index (RAI) based on cumulative catch of unique raccoons per unit area to determine vaccine-bait distribution densities. This approach was designed to allow for both the collection of biological samples and to index raccoon abundance to determine bait densities for oral rabies programs. However, postbaiting surveillance data indicate that, on average, only 30% of raccoons sampled …

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Genetic Structure Of A Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) Population Inhabiting A Fragmented Agricultural Ecosystem, William S. Beatty, James C. Beasley, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr. Jan 2012

Genetic Structure Of A Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana) Population Inhabiting A Fragmented Agricultural Ecosystem, William S. Beatty, James C. Beasley, Guha Dharmarajan, Olin E. Rhodes Jr.

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fragmentation has drastically altered the quality of habitats throughout numerous ecosystems, often leading to dramatic changes in the composition of wildlife communities. The ecology and associated movement behavior of a species may also be modified as a result of forest fragmentation, resulting in changes in genetic composition of the affected species. In this research, we evaluated the genetic structure of the Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana Kerr, 1792) at the landscape and local scales in a fragmented, agricultural ecosystem in northern Indiana using 13 microsatellite loci. We examined 290 samples from opossums inhabiting 28 discrete habitat patches, and evaluated partitioning …

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Yersinia Pestis: Examining Wildlife Plague Surveillance In China And The Usa, Sarah N. Bevins, John A. Baroch, Dale L. Nolte, Min Zhang, Hongxuan He Jan 2012

Yersinia Pestis: Examining Wildlife Plague Surveillance In China And The Usa, Sarah N. Bevins, John A. Baroch, Dale L. Nolte, Min Zhang, Hongxuan He

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Plague is a zoonotic disease caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis Lehmann and Neumann, 1896. Although it is essentially a disease of rodents, plague can also be transmitted to people. Historically, plague has caused massive morbidity and mortality events in human populations, and has recently been classified as a reemerging disease in many parts of the world. This public health threat has led many countries to set up wild and domestic animal surveillance programs in an attempt to monitor plague activity that could potentially spill over into human populations. Both China and the USA have plague surveillance programs in place, …

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Digging Behaviors Of Radio-Tagged Black-Footed Ferrets Near Meeteetse, Wyoming, 1981–1984, Dean E. Biggins, Louis R. Hanebury, Kathleen A. Fagerstone Jan 2012

Digging Behaviors Of Radio-Tagged Black-Footed Ferrets Near Meeteetse, Wyoming, 1981–1984, Dean E. Biggins, Louis R. Hanebury, Kathleen A. Fagerstone

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Intensive radio-tracking during August–December enabled us to collect detailed information on digging behaviors of a small sample of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) occupying colonies of white-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys leucurus). A sample of 33 prairie dogs, also radio-tagged, progressively ceased aboveground activity during late summer and fall, presumably as they descended into burrows to hibernate. Most of the time ferrets spent digging was in November–December when >95% of the radio-tagged prairie dogs were inactive, suggesting that digging was primarily to excavate hibernating prey. Although 43.9% of the burrow openings were estimated to be in large mounds, …

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Site-Occupancy Monitoring Of An Ecosystem Indicator: Linking Characteristics Of Riparian Vegetation To Beaver Occurrence, Stewart W. Breck, Michael I. Goldstein, Sanjay Pyare Jan 2012

Site-Occupancy Monitoring Of An Ecosystem Indicator: Linking Characteristics Of Riparian Vegetation To Beaver Occurrence, Stewart W. Breck, Michael I. Goldstein, Sanjay Pyare

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Establishment of sampling frameworks to monitor the occurrence of ecological indicators and to identify the covariates that influence occurrence is a high-priority need for natural resource restoration and management efforts. We utilized occupancy modeling to identify patterns of beaver occurrence and factors influencing these patterns (i.e., type and amount of vegetation cover) in the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River ecosystem. We used rafts and kayaks to access a stratified random sample of sites (i.e., 100-m-long sections of riverbank) and used repeated sampling procedures to sample for beaver sign (i.e., lodges, cuttings, tracks, and beaver sightings). We quantified the type …

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Characterization Of Newcastle Disease Viruses Isolated From Cormorant And Gull Species In The United States In 2010, Diego G. Diel, Patti J. Miller, Paul C. Wolf, Randall M. Mickley, Anthony R. Musante, Daniel C. Emanueli, Kirk J. Shively, Kerri Pedersen, Claudio L. Afonso Jan 2012

Characterization Of Newcastle Disease Viruses Isolated From Cormorant And Gull Species In The United States In 2010, Diego G. Diel, Patti J. Miller, Paul C. Wolf, Randall M. Mickley, Anthony R. Musante, Daniel C. Emanueli, Kirk J. Shively, Kerri Pedersen, Claudio L. Afonso

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Newcastle disease virus (NDV), a member of the genus Avulavirus of the family Paramyxoviridae, is the causative agent of Newcastle disease (ND), a highly contagious disease that affects many species of birds and which frequently causes significant economic losses to the poultry industry worldwide. Virulent NDV (vNDV) is exotic in poultry in the United States; however, the virus has been frequently associated with outbreaks of ND in cormorants, which poses a significant threat to poultry species. Here, we present the characterization of 13 NDV isolates obtained from outbreaks of ND affecting cormorants and gulls in the states of Minnesota, …

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Ecology And Geography Of Human Monkeypox Case Occurrences Across Africa, Christine K. Ellis, Darin S. Carroll, Ryan R. Lash, A. Townsend Peterson, Inger K. Damon, Jean Malekani, Pierre Formenty Jan 2012

Ecology And Geography Of Human Monkeypox Case Occurrences Across Africa, Christine K. Ellis, Darin S. Carroll, Ryan R. Lash, A. Townsend Peterson, Inger K. Damon, Jean Malekani, Pierre Formenty

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

As ecologic niche modeling (ENM) evolves as a tool in spatial epidemiology and public health, selection of the most appropriate and informative environmental data sets becomes increasingly important. Here, we build on a previous ENM analysis of the potential distribution of human monkeypox in Africa by refining georeferencing criteria and using more-diverse environmental data to identify environmental parameters contributing to monkeypox distributional ecology. Significant environmental variables include annual precipitation, several temperature-related variables, primary productivity, evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and pH. The potential distribution identified with this set of variables was broader than that identified in previous analyses but does not include …

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Toxoplasma Gondii In Circumpolar People And Wildlife, Stacey A. Elmore, Emily J. Jenkins, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Lydden Polley, J. Jeffrey Root, Chester G. Moore Jan 2012

Toxoplasma Gondii In Circumpolar People And Wildlife, Stacey A. Elmore, Emily J. Jenkins, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Lydden Polley, J. Jeffrey Root, Chester G. Moore

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Despite extensive worldwide surveillance in populations of both people and wildlife, relatively little is known about Toxoplasma gondii ecology in the circumpolar north. Many northern animals and people demonstrate exposure to T. gondii, but the apparent low densities of domestic or wild felids suggest that additional transmission mechanisms are responsible for T. gondii persistence in high latitudes, whether remote source (from another region), vertical, or dietary. People in these northern communities who practice subsistence hunting might have an increased infection risk due to traditional food preparation techniques and frequent handling of wild game. Recent advances in T. gondii genotyping, …

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Wildlife Services—A Leader In Developing Tools And Techniques For Managing Carnivores, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Gail Keirn Jan 2012

Wildlife Services—A Leader In Developing Tools And Techniques For Managing Carnivores, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Gail Keirn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Did you ever wonder who invented the breakaway snare or the Livestock Protection Collar? These and many other wildlife management tools and techniques are the result of the ingenuity and creativity of U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services (WS) program scientists, technicians, and field specialists, with the help of collaborators at universities, other federal and state agencies, and private partners. This manuscript will highlight some of the tools and methods that were developed, tested, or registered by WS National Wildlife Research Center scientists for use in predator damage management.

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Designing A Monitoring Plan, Eric M. Gese, Hilary S. Cooley, Frederick F. Knowlton Jan 2012

Designing A Monitoring Plan, Eric M. Gese, Hilary S. Cooley, Frederick F. Knowlton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Monitoring is the collection and analysis of repeated observations or measurements ro determine whether a management action is having the desired effect of meeting management objectives and demonstrating success or failure of a management strategy (Elzinga et al 2001). Monitoring is composed of a series of surveys (sensu Chapter 2) framed in a design aimed at answering specific management questions. There are many reasons to establish monitoring plans, such as when a carnivore species is of a high social or economic value, is rare and decreasing in numbers, is in eminent danger of extinction, or is part of a …

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Influence Of The Urban Matrix On Space Use Of Coyotes In The Chicago Metropolitan Area, Eric M. Gese, Paul S. Morey, Stanley D. Gehrt Jan 2012

Influence Of The Urban Matrix On Space Use Of Coyotes In The Chicago Metropolitan Area, Eric M. Gese, Paul S. Morey, Stanley D. Gehrt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Expansion of the coyote’s (Canis latrans) distribution in North America has included most urban areas. Concerns for human safety have resulted in the need to understand the spatial relationship between humans and coyotes in urban landscapes. We examined the space use of coyotes with varying degrees of urban development in the Chicago metropolitan area, IL, USA, between March 2000 and December 2002. We compared home-range size, land use, and habitat use of 41 radio-collared coyotes (5 coyotes residing in developed areas, 29 in less-developed areas, and 7 in a matrix of developed and less-developed areas). The partitioning of …

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Do Gastrointestinal Taste Receptors Contribute To Associative Learning And Foraging Behavior?, G. J. Golden, A. M. Hussey, B. A. Kimball Jan 2012

Do Gastrointestinal Taste Receptors Contribute To Associative Learning And Foraging Behavior?, G. J. Golden, A. M. Hussey, B. A. Kimball

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Foraging behavior is an expression of learning, context, and experience arising from integration of sensory information obtained during feeding with postingestive consequences of food ingestion. Although it has been well established that gustatory and olfactory systems of the mouth and nose provide sensory information to the consumer (in the form of flavor), sweet and bitter taste receptors have recently been identified in the intestinal tract of humans and rodents. It remains possible that sensory information generated in the gut could contribute to the learning process. Thus, a series of experiments was conducted to determine if classical associative learning occurs when …

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Surveillance For Avian Influenza Viruses In Wild Birds In Denmark And Greenland, 2007–10, Charlotte Kristiane Hjulsager, Solvej Østergaard Breum, Ramona Trebbien, Kurt Jensen Handberg, Ole Roland Therkildsen, Jesper Johannes Madsen, Kasper Thorup, John A. Baroch, Thomas J. Deliberto, Lars Erik Larsen, Poul Henrik Jørgensen Jan 2012

Surveillance For Avian Influenza Viruses In Wild Birds In Denmark And Greenland, 2007–10, Charlotte Kristiane Hjulsager, Solvej Østergaard Breum, Ramona Trebbien, Kurt Jensen Handberg, Ole Roland Therkildsen, Jesper Johannes Madsen, Kasper Thorup, John A. Baroch, Thomas J. Deliberto, Lars Erik Larsen, Poul Henrik Jørgensen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In Denmark and Greenland, extensive surveillance of avian influenza (AI) viruses in wild bird populations has been conducted from 2007 through 2010. In Denmark, the surveillance consisted of passive surveillance of wild birds found dead or sick across Denmark and active surveillance of apparently healthy live birds in waterfowl reservoirs and along migratory flyways, birds living in proximity to domestic poultry, and hunted game birds. Dead birds were sampled by oropharyngeal swabbing. Healthy live wild birds were captured with nets, traps, or by hand and were sampled by swabbing of the oropharyngeal and cloacal tracts, or swabs were collected from …

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Band Encounters Of Wintering European Starlings Captured In Kansas, Nebraska, And Texas, H. Jeffrey Homan, James R. Thiele, Garrett W. Unrein, Shannon M. Gaukler, Anthony A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz Jan 2012

Band Encounters Of Wintering European Starlings Captured In Kansas, Nebraska, And Texas, H. Jeffrey Homan, James R. Thiele, Garrett W. Unrein, Shannon M. Gaukler, Anthony A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) are agricultural and societal pests in the U.S., thus, understanding their migratory behavior is of practical importance to resource managers. We leg-banded starlings and used publicly reported encounters with them to estimate migration distances traveled by wintering populations to reach their reproductive territories. We captured and banded 9,939 starlings at 6 sites between November and February 2005–2010 in 3 states. We banded birds in industrial areas surrounding Omaha, Nebraska, and at cattle feedlots in central Kansas (n = 2) and the Texas Panhandle (n = 3). Banding sites were associated with wintering …

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Freshwater Clams As Bioconcentrators Of Avian Influenza Virus In Water, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jenny S. Carlson, Kevin T. Bentler, Kacy R. Cobble, Dale L. Nolte, Alan B. Franklin Jan 2012

Freshwater Clams As Bioconcentrators Of Avian Influenza Virus In Water, Kathryn P. Huyvaert, Jenny S. Carlson, Kevin T. Bentler, Kacy R. Cobble, Dale L. Nolte, Alan B. Franklin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We report experimental evidence for bioconcentration of a low-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (H6N8) in the tissue of freshwater clams. Our results support the concept that freshwater clams may provide an effective tool for use in the early detection of influenza A viruses in aquatic environments.

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Development Of A Feral Swine Toxic Bait (Hog-Gone®) And Bait Hopper (Hog-Hopper™) In Australia And The Usa, Steven Lapidge, Jason Wishart, Linton Staples, Kathy Fagerstone, Tyler A. Campbell, John D. Eisemann Jan 2012

Development Of A Feral Swine Toxic Bait (Hog-Gone®) And Bait Hopper (Hog-Hopper™) In Australia And The Usa, Steven Lapidge, Jason Wishart, Linton Staples, Kathy Fagerstone, Tyler A. Campbell, John D. Eisemann

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

At the 13th Wildlife Damage Management Conference, the primary author delivered a paper titled “Is America ready for a humane feral pig ‘toxin’?” The toxin, sodium nitrite, a common meat preservative that prevents botulism, had previously been shown to be a quick-acting and low-residue toxicant for feral pigs in Australia and has since been patented. Pigs are particularly sensitive to nitrite-induced methemoglobinemia because they have low levels of methemoglobin reductase, the enzyme required to reverse the effects of nitrite toxicosis. Over the last two years, a great deal of progress has been made towards developing a nitrite bait and a …

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Sunflower Growers Use Nonlethal Methods To Manage Blackbird Damage, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, William J. Bleier Jan 2012

Sunflower Growers Use Nonlethal Methods To Manage Blackbird Damage, George M. Linz, H. Jeffrey Homan, Scott J. Werner, James C. Carlson, William J. Bleier

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Blackbird damage to sunflower in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, South Dakota, and Minnesota is an unyielding challenge to the industry. Large populations of blackbirds and environmental concerns have driven the direction of research toward nonlethal methods that can be implemented locally. Currently, Wildlife Services field specialists lend propane cannons to growers and spray wetlands with glyphosate to fragment dense cattail stands used by roosting blackbirds. After researchers demonstrated decoy crops (wildlife conservation sunflower plots), some growers have adapted the basic principles and have started diverting blackbirds from sunflower, a high value crop, to alternative lesser-value crops, such …

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Phytochemical Variation Within A Single Plant Species Influences Foraging Behavior Of Deer, Bruce Kimball, John H. Russell, Peter K. Ott Jan 2012

Phytochemical Variation Within A Single Plant Species Influences Foraging Behavior Of Deer, Bruce Kimball, John H. Russell, Peter K. Ott

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

To determine how black-tailed deer Odocoileus hemionus columbianus respond to phytochemical cues while browsing in heterogeneous phytochemical environments, we offered captive and free-range deer cloned rooted cuttings and seedlings of western red cedar Thuja plicata selected for varying monoterpene content. Black-tailed deer were thus allowed to browse among a controlled array of phytochemical cues in a series of experiments designed to evaluate foraging behavior at fine (within plot) and coarse (plot selection) scales. Within-plot diet selection experiments demonstrated that browse preference for individual western red cedar plants was a function of foliar monoterpene concentration. Individual plant palatability combined with momentary …

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Integrity And Retention Of Ear-Tag Radiotransmitters In Domestic Cattle And Feral Horses, Bryan M. Kluever, Laura Lagos, Stewart W. Breck, Larry D. Howery, Manuel L. Sanmartín, David L. Bergman, Felipe Bárcena Jan 2012

Integrity And Retention Of Ear-Tag Radiotransmitters In Domestic Cattle And Feral Horses, Bryan M. Kluever, Laura Lagos, Stewart W. Breck, Larry D. Howery, Manuel L. Sanmartín, David L. Bergman, Felipe Bárcena

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Radiotelemetry is an important tool for wildlife management and research, but in some cases attachment of neck collars can be problematic. An alternative in large mammals is to attach transmitters to the ear, though little is published about ear-tag radiotransmitter integrity (i.e., how long a transmitter emits a useful signal) and retention (i.e., how long a transmitter remains attached to an animal). Here we report eartag transmitter integrity and retention from 2 studies monitoring free-ranging calves (Bos taurus) in eastern Arizona, USA, and feral horse (Equus ferus) foals in northwestern Spain. Transmitter integrity and retention was …

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North American Birds As Potential Amplifying Hosts Of Japanese Encephalitis Virus, Nicole M. Nemeth, Angela Bosco-Lauth, Paul T. Oesterle, Dennis Kohler, Richard Bowen Jan 2012

North American Birds As Potential Amplifying Hosts Of Japanese Encephalitis Virus, Nicole M. Nemeth, Angela Bosco-Lauth, Paul T. Oesterle, Dennis Kohler, Richard Bowen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is an emerging arbovirus, and inter-continental spread is an impending threat. The virus is maintained in a transmission cycle between mosquito vectors and vertebrate hosts, including birds. We detected variation in interspecies responses among North American birds to infection with strains of two different JEV genotypes (I and III). Several native North American passerine species and ring-billed gulls had the highest average peak viremia titers after inoculation with a Vietnamese (genotype I) JEV strain. Oral JEV shedding was minimal and cloacal shedding was rarely detected. The majority of birds, both viremic (72 of 74; 97.3%) and …

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The Use Of Diazacon™ To Limit Fertility By Reducing Serum Cholesterol In Female Grey Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, Brenda A. Mayle, Mark Ferryman, Andrew Peace, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller, David Cowan Jan 2012

The Use Of Diazacon™ To Limit Fertility By Reducing Serum Cholesterol In Female Grey Squirrels, Sciurus Carolinensis, Brenda A. Mayle, Mark Ferryman, Andrew Peace, Christi A. Yoder, Lowell A. Miller, David Cowan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: The grey squirrel, Sciurus carolinensis Gmelin, is an invasive alien species introduced into Great Britain in the late nineteenth century and into Northern Italy during the early twentieth century. Grey squirrels have displaced the native European red squirrel, Sciurus vulgaris L., throughout much of Great Britain and have a significant impact on trees and woodlands through bark-stripping activity. In Britain, eradication is no longer an option at a regional scale, but fertility control offers a non-lethal approach to reducing negative impacts. The cholesterol mimic DiazaCon™ has been successfully used to inhibit reproduction in some species. These studies aimed to …

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Oblique Color Vision In An Open-Habitat Bird: Spectral Sensitivity, Photoreceptor Distribution And Behavioral Implications, Bret A. Moore, Patrice Baumhardt, Megan Doppler, Jacquelyn Randolet, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault, Ellis R. Loew, Esteban Fernández-Juricic Jan 2012

Oblique Color Vision In An Open-Habitat Bird: Spectral Sensitivity, Photoreceptor Distribution And Behavioral Implications, Bret A. Moore, Patrice Baumhardt, Megan Doppler, Jacquelyn Randolet, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault, Ellis R. Loew, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Color vision is not uniform across the retina because of differences in photoreceptor density and distribution. Retinal areas with a high density of cone photoreceptors may overlap with those with a high density of ganglion cells, increasing hue discrimination. However, there are some exceptions to this cell distribution pattern, particularly in species with horizontal visual streaks (bands of high ganglion cell density across the retina) that live in open habitats. We studied the spectral sensitivity and distribution of cone photoreceptors involved in chromatic and achromatic vision in the Canada goose (Branta canadiensis), which possesses an oblique rather than …

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Detection Of Prion Protein In The Cerebrospinal Fluid Of Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) With Chronic Wasting Disease Using Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification, Tracy A. Nichols, Terry R. Spraker, Tom Gidlewski, Jenny G. Powers, Glenn C. Telling, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Mark D. Zabel Jan 2012

Detection Of Prion Protein In The Cerebrospinal Fluid Of Elk (Cervus Canadensis Nelsoni) With Chronic Wasting Disease Using Protein Misfolding Cyclic Amplification, Tracy A. Nichols, Terry R. Spraker, Tom Gidlewski, Jenny G. Powers, Glenn C. Telling, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Mark D. Zabel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) has been examined as a possible source for preclinical diagnosis of prion diseases in hamsters and sheep. The present report describes the detection of chronic wasting disease (CWD) in the CSF of elk and evaluates its usefulness as an antemortem test for CWD. The CSF from 6 captive and 31 free-ranging adult elk was collected at necropsy and evaluated for the presence of the abnormal isoform of the prion protein that has been associated with CWD (PrPCWD) via protein misfolding cyclic amplification. Additionally, the obex from each animal was examined by immunohistochemistry (IHC). Four out …

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A Novel Bipolar Electric Fence For Excluding White-Tailed Deer From Stored Livestock Feed, G. E. Phillips, M. J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. White, Scott J. Wells, K. C. Vercauteren Jan 2012

A Novel Bipolar Electric Fence For Excluding White-Tailed Deer From Stored Livestock Feed, G. E. Phillips, M. J. Lavelle, Justin W. Fischer, Joshua J. White, Scott J. Wells, K. C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Where cattle (Bos taurus) and free-ranging white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) coexist, they frequently share space and resources, potentially resulting in damage to stores of livestock feed and risk of interspecies disease transmission. Preventing use of stored feed by deer can be an important objective in farm management, depending on amount of damage experienced and perceived risk of disease transmission. Woven wire fences (2.4 to 3.0 m high) are generally considered to be the most effective means for excluding deer. However, rapidly deployable temporary means of excluding deer could be useful, especially during late winter when deer …

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