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2006

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Mental Disorders Among Parents/Caretakers Of American Indian Early Adolescents In The Northern Midwest, Les B. Whitbeck, Dan R. Hoyt, Kurt Johnson, Xiaojin Chen Jan 2006

Mental Disorders Among Parents/Caretakers Of American Indian Early Adolescents In The Northern Midwest, Les B. Whitbeck, Dan R. Hoyt, Kurt Johnson, Xiaojin Chen

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Background: This study reports prevalence and comorbidty of five DSM-III-R diagnoses (alcohol abuse, alcohol dependence, drug abuse, major depressive episode, and generalized anxiety disorder) among American Indian and Canadian First Nations parents/caretakers of children aged 10–12 years from the Northern Midwest United States and Canada. Lifetime prevalence rates were compared to adults in the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) and Southwest and Northern Plains cultures from the AI-SUPERPFP study.

Method: Native interviewers used computer-assisted personal interviews to administer the University of Michigan Composite International Diagnostic Interview (UM-CIDI) to 861 tribally enrolled parents and caretakers (625 females; 236 males) of 741 tribally …


Examining The Changing Influence Of Predictors On Adolescent Alcohol Misuse, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rosalie Torres Stone, Bianca Bersani Jan 2006

Examining The Changing Influence Of Predictors On Adolescent Alcohol Misuse, Kimberly A. Tyler, Rosalie Torres Stone, Bianca Bersani

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the influence of key characteristics on adolescent alcohol misuse (is., maternal binge drinking, parenting, peers, school characteristics, and the adolescent's own behavior) change over time and whether predictors of adolescent alcohol misuse vary by gender and race/ethnicity. Using prospective, longitudinal data from a community sample, results revealed that mother's hinge drinking, peer drinking, and an early age of onset predicted higher levels of alcohol misuse when respondents were 14-16 years of age. Two years later, when adolescents were 16- 18 years of age, maternal binge drinking was no longer significant, however, …


Negative Impact Of Noise On The Principal Component Analysis Of Nmr Data, Steven M. Halouska, Robert Powers Jan 2006

Negative Impact Of Noise On The Principal Component Analysis Of Nmr Data, Steven M. Halouska, Robert Powers

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Principal component analysis (PCA) is routinely applied to the study of NMR based metabolomic data. PCA is used to simplify the examination of complex metabolite mixtures obtained from biological samples that may be composed of hundreds or thousands of chemical components. PCA is primarily used to identify relative changes in the concentration of metabolites to identify trends or characteristics within the NMR data that permits discrimination between various samples that differ in their source or treatment. A common concern with PCA of NMR data is the potential over emphasis of small changes in high concentration metabolites that would over-shadow signifi …


Stability Of Warfarin Solutions For Drug–Protein Binding Measurements: Spectroscopic And Chromatographic Studies, Annette C. Moser, Charles A. Kingsbury, David S. Hage Jan 2006

Stability Of Warfarin Solutions For Drug–Protein Binding Measurements: Spectroscopic And Chromatographic Studies, Annette C. Moser, Charles A. Kingsbury, David S. Hage

Department of Chemistry: Faculty Publications

Warfarin is commonly used in drug–protein binding studies as a displacement marker for Sudlow site I on the protein human serum albumin (HSA). This study examined the stability of aqueous warfarin solutions prepared for such experiments. This was investigated using NMR spectroscopy and affinity chromatography. It was found by 1H NMR that warfarin underwent a slow first-order conversion in aqueous solution. The rate of this reaction increased with temperature, giving rate constants at pH 7.4 of 0.0086 h−1 at 25 °C and 0.041 h−1 at 37 °C. It was concluded from further 1H and 13C NMR studies, along …


Glucocorticoid Hormone Levels Increase With Group Size And Parasite Load In Cliff Swallows, Samrrah A. Raouf, Linda C. Smith, Mary Bomberger Brown, John C. Wingfield, Charles R. Brown Jan 2006

Glucocorticoid Hormone Levels Increase With Group Size And Parasite Load In Cliff Swallows, Samrrah A. Raouf, Linda C. Smith, Mary Bomberger Brown, John C. Wingfield, Charles R. Brown

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Animals often cope with adverse events by releasing glucocorticoid hormones, which in turn promote increased energy assimilation. In captive animals, crowding also leads to increased glucocorticoid activity, probably because of increased levels of social competition. We investigated how group size and ectoparasite infestations affected endogenous levels of the glucocorticoid hormone, corticosterone, in colonial cliff swallows, Petrochelidon pyrrhonota, in southwestern Nebraska, USA. Parasites were removed from some colonies by fumigating nests. Baseline levels of corticosterone in breeding adults varied significantly with whether parasites were present, colony size (measured by total number of active nests at a site), and nesting stage. …


Nonparametric Estimation Of Natural Selection On A Quantitative Trait Using Mark-Recapture Data, Olivier Gimenez, Rita Covas, Charles R. Brown, Mark D. Anderson, Mary Bomberger Brown, Thomas Lenormand Jan 2006

Nonparametric Estimation Of Natural Selection On A Quantitative Trait Using Mark-Recapture Data, Olivier Gimenez, Rita Covas, Charles R. Brown, Mark D. Anderson, Mary Bomberger Brown, Thomas Lenormand

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

Assessing natural selection on a phenotypic trait in wild populations is of primary importance for evolutionary ecologists. To cope with the imperfect detection of individuals inherent to monitoring in the wild, we develop a nonparametric method for evaluating the form of natural selection on a quantitative trait using mark-recapture data. Our approach uses penalized splines to achieve flexibility in exploring the form of natural selection by avoiding the need to specify an a priori parametric function. If needed, it can help in suggesting a new parametric model. We employ Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling in a Bayesian framework to estimate …


A Coprological View Of Ancestral Pueblo Cannibalism Debate Over A Single Fecal Fossil Offers A Cautionary Tale Of The Interplay Between Science And Culture, Karl J. Reinhard Jan 2006

A Coprological View Of Ancestral Pueblo Cannibalism Debate Over A Single Fecal Fossil Offers A Cautionary Tale Of The Interplay Between Science And Culture, Karl J. Reinhard

Karl Reinhard Publications

As the object of my scientific study, I’ve chosen coprolites. It’s not a common choice, but to a paleonutritionist and archaeoparasitologist, a coprolite—a sample of ancient feces preserved by mineralization or simple drying—is a scientific bonanza. Analysis of coprolites can shed light on both the nutrition of and parasites found in prehistoric cultures. Dietary reconstructions from the analysis of coprolites can inform us about, for example, the origins of modern Native American diabetes. With regard to parasitology, coprolites hold information about the ancient emergence and spread of human infectious disease. Most sensational, however, is the recent role of coprolite analysis …


Privies And Parasites: The Archaeology Of Health Conditions In Albany, New York, Charles L. Fisher, Karl Reinhard, Matthew Kirk, Justin Divirgilo Jan 2006

Privies And Parasites: The Archaeology Of Health Conditions In Albany, New York, Charles L. Fisher, Karl Reinhard, Matthew Kirk, Justin Divirgilo

Karl Reinhard Publications

Large numbers of parasites were identified in archaeological samples collected from privies and other features in excavations in Albany, New York. This information provides the largest database available for the study of parasite infections in historical period American cities. The greatest numbers of parasites were in contexts related to the expansion of the city in the late-18th century. Parasites remained, but their quantities decreased in the 19th century during another period of rapid population growth. The city was able to control parasite infection during this period through several means, including new techniques of privy construction, new water supply systems, and …


Sl1 Rna Gene Recovery From Enterobius Vermicularis Ancient Dna In Pre-Columbian Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl Reinhard, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Luiz Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo, Ana Carolina Paulo Vincente Jan 2006

Sl1 Rna Gene Recovery From Enterobius Vermicularis Ancient Dna In Pre-Columbian Human Coprolites, Alena M. Iñiguez, Karl Reinhard, Marcelo Luiz Carvalho Gonçalves, Luiz Fernando Ferreira, Adauto Araújo, Ana Carolina Paulo Vincente

Karl Reinhard Publications

Enterobius vermicularis, pinworm, is one of the most common helminths worldwide, infecting nearly a billion people at all socio-economic levels. In prehistoric populations the paleoparasitological findings show a pinworm homogeneous distribution among hunter-gatherers in North America, intensified with the advent of agriculture. This same increase also occurred in the transition from nomad hunter-gatherers to sedentary farmers in South America, although E. vermicularis infection encompasses only the ancient Andean peoples, with no record among the pre-Colombian populations in the South American lowlands. However, the outline of pinworm paleo epidemiology has been supported by microscopic finding of eggs recovered from coprolites. …


Puncturing Ability Of Idealized Canine Teeth: Edged And Non-Edged Shanks, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen Jan 2006

Puncturing Ability Of Idealized Canine Teeth: Edged And Non-Edged Shanks, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

Idealized edged and non-edged indenters, mimicking canine teeth, were used to puncture thin materials and thick materials. Less force was needed for the edged (triangular in cross section) indenter to penetrate thin Mylar, paper, leather, beetle elytra and turkey skin than the non-edged (circular in cross-section) indenter. Oak, grass and magnolia leaves responded equally to both indenters. In thick materials, the edged indenter punctured beetles, shrimp, bananas, and chicken flesh more easily than the non-edged indenter. Apple, tomato and avocado were punctured equally well. The edged indenter directs cracks at the corners so that the material can fold away in …


The Problem Of Secular Sacredness: Ronald Dworkin, Michael Perry, And Human Rights Foundationalism, Ari Kohen Jan 2006

The Problem Of Secular Sacredness: Ronald Dworkin, Michael Perry, And Human Rights Foundationalism, Ari Kohen

Department of Political Science: Faculty Publications

The concept of human rights ultimately rests on the premise that there are some things that ought to be done for human beings and other things that ought not to be done to human beings in light of the fact that they are human. According to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, these rights stem from the “recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family” (Ishay 1997: 407). Some would argue that this notion has its roots in the natural law and natural rights tradition that is an important …


Paired-End Sequence Mapping Detects Extensive Genomic Rearrangement And Translocation During Divergence Of Francisella Tularensis Subsp. Tularensis And Francisella Tularensis Subsp. Holarctica Populations, Michael P. Dempsey, Joseph Nietfeldt, Jaques Ravel, Steven H. Hinrichs, Robert Crawford, Andrew K. Benson Jan 2006

Paired-End Sequence Mapping Detects Extensive Genomic Rearrangement And Translocation During Divergence Of Francisella Tularensis Subsp. Tularensis And Francisella Tularensis Subsp. Holarctica Populations, Michael P. Dempsey, Joseph Nietfeldt, Jaques Ravel, Steven H. Hinrichs, Robert Crawford, Andrew K. Benson

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Comparative genome hybridization of the Francisella tularensis subsp. tularensis and F. tularensis subsp. holarctica populations have shown that genome content is highly conserved, with relatively few genes in the F. tularensis subsp. tularensis genome being absent in other F. tularensis subspecies. To determine if organization of the genome differs between global populations of F. tularensis subsp. tularensis and F. tularensis subsp. holarctica, we have used paired-end sequence mapping (PESM) to identify regions of the genome where synteny is broken. The PESM approach compares the physical distances between paired-end sequencing reads of a library of a wild-type reference F. tularensis …


Determination Of Diphacinone Residues In Hawaiian Invertebrates, Thomas M. Primus, Dennis J. Kohler, John J. Johnston Jan 2006

Determination Of Diphacinone Residues In Hawaiian Invertebrates, Thomas M. Primus, Dennis J. Kohler, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A reversed-phase ion-pair liquid chromatographic analysis combined with a solid-phase extraction clean-up method is used to assess the quantity of diphacinone residue found in invertebrates. Three invertebrate species are exposed to commercially available diphacinone-fortified bait used for rat control. The invertebrate samples are collected, frozen, and shipped to the laboratory. The samples are homogenized after cryogenic freezing. A portion of the homogenized samples are extracted with acidified chloroform–acetone, followed by cleanup with a silica solid-phase extraction column. Diphacinone is detected by UV absorption at 325 nm after separation by the chromatographic system. The method limit of detection (MLOD) for snail …


Developing And Extending Sustainable Agriculture: A New Social Contract, Michele Schoeneberger, Gary Bentrup, Charles A. Francis, Richard Straight Jan 2006

Developing And Extending Sustainable Agriculture: A New Social Contract, Michele Schoeneberger, Gary Bentrup, Charles A. Francis, Richard Straight

United States Department of Agriculture, Forest Service / University of Nebraska-Lincoln: Faculty Publications

Conclusions

Based on the practical community applications of woody buffe rs and multifuncti onal areas that grew from the ini tial concepts ofecobelts. we are convinced that this type of initiative is a viable option in establishing a positive interface between different types of human activities. The challenge becomes more real every day, as cities expand and both city-edge subdivisions and acreages create ever more interfaces between people with different and often con!1icting activities and basic values. There is a need to provide some logical and acceptable boundary between these people and their different lifestyles. It is also desirable to …


Life-Course Socioeconomic Position And Hypertension In African American Men: The Pitt County Study, Sherman A. James, John Van Hoewyk, Robert F. Belli, David S. Strogatz, David R. Williams, Trevillore E. Raghunathan Jan 2006

Life-Course Socioeconomic Position And Hypertension In African American Men: The Pitt County Study, Sherman A. James, John Van Hoewyk, Robert F. Belli, David S. Strogatz, David R. Williams, Trevillore E. Raghunathan

Department of Psychology: Faculty Publications

Objectives. We investigated the odds of hypertension for Black men in relationship to their socioeconomic position (SEP) in both childhood and adulthood.

Methods. On the basis of their parents’ occupation, we classified 379 men in the Pitt County (North Carolina) Study into low and high childhood SEP. The men’s own education, occupation, employment status, and home ownership status were used to classify them into low and high adulthood SEP. Four life-course SEP categories resulted: low childhood/low adulthood, low childhood/high adulthood, high childhood/low adulthood, and high childhood/high adulthood.

Results. Low childhood SEP was associated with a 60% greater …


Status Of Feral Pigs In Kansas And Nebraska, Philip S. Gipson, Charles D. Lee, Sam Wilson, James R. Thiele, Deke Hobbick Jan 2006

Status Of Feral Pigs In Kansas And Nebraska, Philip S. Gipson, Charles D. Lee, Sam Wilson, James R. Thiele, Deke Hobbick

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Wild pigs have expanded their range markedly during the last 30 years. In Kansas feral pigs from domestic stock were first reported in 1994 on Fort Riley Army Base. During 2005, 2006, and 2007 the occurrence of reproducing wild pigs was confirmed on 18 sites throughout Kansas and 4 sites in Nebraska. One Nebraska population is in a county neighboring Kansas. Estimated numbers of pigs ranged from 8-10 individuals at each of 2 sites in Kansas to more than 30 on each of 3 other sites. The wild pig population in Kansas appears to be changing from 1 predominantly of …


Multi-Species Patterns Of Avian Cholera Mortality In Nebraska’S Rainwater Basin, Julie A. Blanchong, Michael D. Samuel, Gene Mack Jan 2006

Multi-Species Patterns Of Avian Cholera Mortality In Nebraska’S Rainwater Basin, Julie A. Blanchong, Michael D. Samuel, Gene Mack

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Nebraska’s Rainwater Basin (RWB) is a key spring migration area for millions of waterfowl and other avian species. Avian cholera has been endemic in the RWB since the 1970s and in some years tens of thousands of waterfowl have died from the disease. We evaluated patterns of avian cholera mortality in waterfowl species using the RWB during the last quarter of the 20th century. Mortality patterns changed between the years before (1976–1988) and coincident with (1989–1999) the dramatic increases in lesser snow goose abundance and mortality. Lesser snow geese (Chen caerulescens caerulescens) have commonly been associated with mortality …


A Continuous 250,000 Yr Record Of Oxygen And Carbon Isotopes In Ostracode And Bulk-Sediment Carbonate From Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, Walter E. Dean, Jordon Bright, Darrell S. Kaufman, Richard M. Forester Jan 2006

A Continuous 250,000 Yr Record Of Oxygen And Carbon Isotopes In Ostracode And Bulk-Sediment Carbonate From Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, Walter E. Dean, Jordon Bright, Darrell S. Kaufman, Richard M. Forester

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Oxygen and carbon isotopes from a continuous, 120-m-long, carbonate-rich core from Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho, document dramatic fluctuations in the hydrologic budget of the lake over the last 250,000 yr. Isotopic analyses of bulk sediment samples capture millennialscale variability. Ostracode calcite was analyzed from 78 levels, mainly from the upper half of the core where valves are better preserved, to compare the isotopic value of purely endogenic carbonate with the bulk sediment, which comprises both endogenic and detrital components. The long core exhibits three relatively brief intervals with abundant endogenic aragonite (50±10%) and enriched δ18O and δ13C. …


Use Of Mammal Manure By Nesting Burrowing Owls: A Test Of Four Functional Hypotheses, Matthew D. Smith, Courtney J. Conway Jan 2006

Use Of Mammal Manure By Nesting Burrowing Owls: A Test Of Four Functional Hypotheses, Matthew D. Smith, Courtney J. Conway

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Animals have evolved an impressive array of behavioural traits to avoid depredation. Olfactory camouflage of conspicuous odours is a strategy to avoid depredation that has been implicated only in a few species of birds. Burrowing owls, Athene cunicularia, routinely collect dried manure from mammals and scatter it in their nest chamber, in the tunnel leading to their nest and at the entrance to their nesting burrow. This unusual behaviour was thought to reduce nest depredation by concealing the scent of adults and juveniles, but a recent study suggests that manure functions to attract arthropod prey. However, burrowing owls routinely …


Landscape Context Mediates Influence Of Local Food Abundance On Wetland Use By Wintering Shorebirds In An Agricultural Valley, Oriane W. Taft, Susan M. Haig Jan 2006

Landscape Context Mediates Influence Of Local Food Abundance On Wetland Use By Wintering Shorebirds In An Agricultural Valley, Oriane W. Taft, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

While it is widely understood that local abundance of benthic invertebrates can greatly influence the distribution and abundance of wetland birds, no studies have examined if wetland landscape context can mediate this relationship. We studied the influence of wetland food abundance and landscape context on use of agricultural wetlands by wintering dunlin (Calidris alpina) and killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) in the Willamette Valley of Oregon, USA, over two winters (1999–2000, 2000–2001) of differing rainfall and subsequent habitat distribution. We monitored bird use (frequency of occurrence and abundance) at a sample of wetlands differing in local food abundance …


Comprehensive Genetic Analyses Reveal Evolutionary Distinction Of A Mouse (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) Proposed For Delisting From The Us Endangered Species Act, Tim L. King, John F. Switzer, Cheryl L. Morrison, Michael S. Eackles, Colleen C. Young, Barbara A. Lubinski, Paul Cryan Jan 2006

Comprehensive Genetic Analyses Reveal Evolutionary Distinction Of A Mouse (Zapus Hudsonius Preblei) Proposed For Delisting From The Us Endangered Species Act, Tim L. King, John F. Switzer, Cheryl L. Morrison, Michael S. Eackles, Colleen C. Young, Barbara A. Lubinski, Paul Cryan

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Zapus hudsonius preblei, listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act (ESA), is one of 12 recognized subspecies of meadow jumping mice found in North America. Recent morphometric and phylogenetic comparisons among Z. h. preblei and neighbouring conspecifics questioned the taxonomic status of selected subspecies, resulting in a proposal to delist the Z. h. preblei from the ESA. We present additional analyses of the phylogeographic structure within Z. hudsonius that calls into question previously published data (and conclusions) and confirms the original taxonomic designations. A survey of 21 microsatellite DNA loci and 1380 base pairs from two mitochondrial …


A Spatially Explicit Decision Support Model For Restoration Of Forest Bird Habitat, Daniel J. Twedt, William B. Uihlein Iii, A. Blaine Elliott Jan 2006

A Spatially Explicit Decision Support Model For Restoration Of Forest Bird Habitat, Daniel J. Twedt, William B. Uihlein Iii, A. Blaine Elliott

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The historical area of bottomland hardwood forest in the Mississippi Alluvial Valley has been reduced by >75%. Agricultural production was the primary motivator for deforestation; hence, clearing deliberately targeted higher and drier sites. Remaining forests are highly fragmented and hydrologically altered, with larger forest fragments subject to greater inundation, which has negatively affected many forest bird populations. We developed a spatially explicit decision support model, based on a Partners in Flight plan for forest bird conservation, that prioritizes forest restoration to reduce forest fragmentation and increase the area of forest core (interior forest >1 km from “hostile” edge). Our primary …


Long-Term Population Monitoring: Lessons Learned From An Endangered Passerine In Hawai‘I, Luanne Johnson, Richard J. Camp, Kevin W. Brinck, Paul C. Banko Jan 2006

Long-Term Population Monitoring: Lessons Learned From An Endangered Passerine In Hawai‘I, Luanne Johnson, Richard J. Camp, Kevin W. Brinck, Paul C. Banko

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Obtaining reliable population estimates is crucial to monitoring endangered species and developing recovery strategies. The palila (Loxioides bailleui) is an endangered seed-eating Hawaiian honeycreeper restricted to the subalpine forests of Mauna Kea, a volcano on the island of Hawai‘i, USA. The species is vulnerable to extinction primarily because >90% of the population is concentrated in <30 km2 of habitat on the western slope of this high, dormant volcano. Annual surveys of the palila population have been conducted for ecological, legal, and other purposes since 1980. Because refinements to sampling protocols and analytical methods have evolved, we examined means of …


Sex Determination Of Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers Using Morphological And Molecular Genetic Techniques, Dylan C. Kesler, Iara F. Lopes, Susan M. Haig Jan 2006

Sex Determination Of Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers Using Morphological And Molecular Genetic Techniques, Dylan C. Kesler, Iara F. Lopes, Susan M. Haig

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Conservation-oriented studies of Micronesian Kingfishers (Todiramphus cinnamominus) have been hindered by a lack of basic natural history information, despite the status of the Guam subspecies (T. c. cinnamominus) as one of the most endangered species in the world. We used tissue samples and morphometric measures from museum specimens and wild-captured Pohnpei Micronesian Kingfishers (T. c. reichenbachii) to develop methods for sex determination. We present a modified molecular protocol and a discriminant function that yields the probability that a particular individual is male or female. Our results revealed that females were significantly larger than males, …


Modeling Approaches In Avian Conservation And The Role Of Field Biologists, Steven R. Beissinger, Jeffrey R. Walters, Donald G. Catanzaro, Kimberly G. Smith, John B. Dunning Jr., Susan M. Haig, Barry R. Noon, Bradley M. Stith Jan 2006

Modeling Approaches In Avian Conservation And The Role Of Field Biologists, Steven R. Beissinger, Jeffrey R. Walters, Donald G. Catanzaro, Kimberly G. Smith, John B. Dunning Jr., Susan M. Haig, Barry R. Noon, Bradley M. Stith

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

This review grew out of our realization that models play an increasingly important role in conservation but are rarely used in the research of most avian biologists. Modelers are creating models that are more complex and mechanistic and that can incorporate more of the knowledge acquired by field biologists. Such models require field biologists to provide more specific information, larger sample sizes, and sometimes new kinds of data, such as habitat-specific demography and dispersal information. Field biologists need to support model development by testing key model assumptions and validating models. The best conservation decisions will occur where cooperative interaction enables …


Renewing The Conservation Commitment, Frank W. Davis, Dale D. Goble, J. Michael Scott Jan 2006

Renewing The Conservation Commitment, Frank W. Davis, Dale D. Goble, J. Michael Scott

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

As we write this in early 2005 there are several ESA-related pieces of legislation pending before Congress. Most of the proposed legislation is championed by Republican leaders from western states, who promise to strengthen the use of science or ensure fairer treatment of private landowners. Ir has become a perennial drama on the American political stage: "conservatives" rally to rein in a law that they believe has reached too far and "conservationists" mobilize ro defend the law that they believe offers the best ho pe for protecting biodiversity from relentless economic exploitation. There is much posturing, finger pointing, and, ultimately, …


Introduction To "The Endangered Species Act At Thirty, Volume 2", Frank W. Davis, J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble Jan 2006

Introduction To "The Endangered Species Act At Thirty, Volume 2", Frank W. Davis, J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

More than thirty years after its passage, the Endangered Species Act (ESA) of 1973 continues to be a corners tone of U.S. biodiversity policy and among our most powerful environmentallaws. The ESA set the nation's biodiversity conservation policy on a path that emphasized species-based conservation and triggered action only when a species faced imminent extinction. However, promoting recovery has proven more challenging than the original designers of the law anticipated. The number of listed species has mushroomed from 78 in 1973 to 1,267 in 2005, while in that time only 13 species have recovered sufficiently to be removed from the …


The National Wildlife Refuge System, Robert P. Davison, Alessandra Falcucci, Luigi Maiorano, J. Michael Scott Jan 2006

The National Wildlife Refuge System, Robert P. Davison, Alessandra Falcucci, Luigi Maiorano, J. Michael Scott

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The National Wildlife Refuge System (NWRS) has played a key role in conserving at-risk species from its beginnings in 1903 when President Theodore Roosevelt established apreserve to protect Pelican Island, in Florida, as a breeding ground for an imperiled population of brown pelicans (Pelecanus occidentalis) (Fischman 2003). Today, the Atlantic coast population of the brown pelican is no longer in need of protection under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) , but Pelican Island National Wildlife Refuge provides protection for nine threatened and endangered species.

Management of the refuge system has changed significantly since the presidency of Teddy Roosevelt, …


Hybrids And Policy, Susan M. Haig, Fred W. Allendorf Jan 2006

Hybrids And Policy, Susan M. Haig, Fred W. Allendorf

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Hybridization (the interbreeding of individuals from genetically distinct populations, regardless of their taxonomic status) is the double-edged sword of conservation biology. On one hand, increased rates of hybridization because of human activities have led to the extinction of populations and species in plant and animal taxa throughout the world (Rhymer and Simberloff 1996; Allendorf et al. 2001). On the other, hybridization is an important and natural part of the evolutionary process. Thus, hybridization between isolated populations can be an important tool for recovery (Mansfield and Land 2002). However, it has been difficult to develop conservation policies that treat the problems …


Introduction To "The Endangered Species Act At Thirty, Volume 1", J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble, Frank W. Davis Jan 2006

Introduction To "The Endangered Species Act At Thirty, Volume 1", J. Michael Scott, Dale D. Goble, Frank W. Davis

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

This book examines one legislative effoft to resolve the dilemma, the Endangered Speeies Aet of 1973 (ESA 1973). The ESA was an idealistic and perhaps naive attempt to preserve humanity by preserving other species in the ecological support system that makes life possible. In the words of the House report accompanying the bill:

A certain humility, and a sense of urgency seem indicated .... One might analogize the case to one in which one copy of all the books ever printed were gathered together in one huge building. The position in which we find ourselves today is that of custodians …