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The Relationship Between Variable Host Grouping And Functional Responses Among Parasitoids Of Antispila Nysaefoliella (Lepidoptera: Heliozelidae), Candace Low, Sonja J. Scheffer, Matthew L. Lewis, Michael W. Gates

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

Our study investigated the importance of variability in the parasitoid community as a source of selection on host group size using a field population of the tupelo leafminer, Antispila nysaefoliella Clemens, which specializes on tupelo, Nyssa sylvatica Marsh. Larvae were collected from leaves with variable numbers of larvae and screened for parasitism using polymerase chain reaction of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I using markers designed specifically for amplifying parasitoid DNA while excluding host DNA. This method of selective PCR was effective for detecting the presence and identifying species of immature stages of three hymenopteran superfamilies: Chalcidoidea, Ichneumonoidea and Platygastroidea, which represented …

Metabolic Engineering Of Novel Lignin In Biomass Crops, Ruben Vanholme, Kris Morreel, Chiarina Darrah, Paula Oyarce, John H. Grabber, John Ralph, Wout Boerjan

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

Lignin, a phenolic polymer in the secondary wall, is the major cause of lignocellulosic biomass recalcitrance to efficient industrial processing. From an applications perspective, it is desirable that second-generation bioenergy crops have lignin that is readily degraded by chemical pretreatments but still fulfill its biological role in plants. Because plants can tolerate large variations in lignin composition, often without apparent adverse effects, substitution of some fraction of the traditional monolignols by alternative monomers through genetic engineering is a promising strategy to tailor lignin in bioenergy crops. However, successful engineering of lignin incorporating alternative monomers requires knowledge about phenolic metabolism in …

Genetic Population Substructure In Bison At Yellowstone National Park, Natalie D. Halbert, Peter J. P. Gogan, Philip W. Hedrick, Jacquelyn M. Wahl, James N. Derr

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The Yellowstone National Park bison herd is 1 of only 2 populations known to have continually persisted on their current landscape since pre-Columbian times. Over the last century, the census size of this herd has fluctuated from around 100 individuals to over 3000 animals. Previous studies involving radiotelemetry, tooth wear, and parturition timing provide evidence of at least 2 distinct groups of bison within Yellowstone National Park. To better understand the biology of Yellowstone bison, we investigated the potential for limited gene flow across this population using multilocus Bayesian clustering analysis. Two genetically distinct and clearly defined subpopulations were identified …

Reducing Impacts Of Double-Crested Cormorants To Natural Resources In Central New York: A Review Of A Collaborative Research, Management, And Monitoring Program, Travis L. Devault, Richard B. Chipman, Scott C. Barras, Jimmy D. Taylor Ii, Carl P. Cranker Iii, Elizabeth M. Cranker, James F. Farquhar

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) have used central New York waters for breeding and stopover habitats during migration since 1984. In response to public concern over Oneida Lake, the United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation initiated an integrated research, management and monitoring program aimed at mitigating cormorant impacts to fisheries and other natural resources in 1998. The history of this program was reviewed and efforts to reduce negative impacts of the Double-crested Cormorant population in central New York described. Management was successful, as demonstrated by a substantial decrease in …

Long-Term Effects Of The ‘Exxon Valdez’ Oil Spill: Sea Otter Foraging In The Intertidal As A Pathway Of Exposure To Lingering Oil, James L. Bodkin, Brenda E. Ballachey, Heather A. Coletti, George G. Esslinger, Kimberly A. Kloecker, Stanley D. Rice, John A. Reed, Daniel H. Monson

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The protracted recovery of some bird and mammal populations in western Prince William Sound (WPWS), Alaska, and the persistence of spilled ‘Exxon Valdez’ oil in intertidal sediments, suggests a pathway of exposure to consumers that occupy nearshore habitats. To evaluate the hypothesis that sea otter (Enhydra lutris) foraging allows access to lingering oil, we contrast spatial relations between foraging behavior and documented oil distribution. We recovered archival time-depth recorders implanted in 19 sea otters in WPWS, where lingering oil and de - layed ecosystem recovery are well documented. Sea otter foraging dives ranged from +2.7 to −92 m …

Gene Transcription In Sea Otters (Enhydra Lutris); Development Of A Diagnostic Tool For Sea Otter And Ecosystem Health, Lizabeth Bowen, A. Keith Miles, Michael Murray, Martin Haulena, Judy Tuttle, William Van Bonn, Lance Adams, James L. Bodkin, Brenda Ballachey, James A. Estes, M. Tim Tinker, Robin Keister, Jeffrey L. Stott

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Gene transcription analysis for diagnosing or monitoring wildlife health requires the ability to distinguish pathophysiological change from natural variation. Herein, we describe methodology for the development of quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays to measure differential transcript levels of multiple immune function genes in the sea otter (Enhydra lutris); sea otter-specific qPCR primer sequences for the genes of interest are defined. We establish a ‘reference’ range of transcripts for each gene in a group of clinically healthy captive and free-ranging sea otters. The 10 genes of interest represent multiple physiological systems that play a role in immuno-modulation, …

Preliminary Assessment Of The Hoghopper™ For Excluding Non-Target Wildlife, Tyler A. Campbell, Michael J. Bodenchuk, John D. Eisemann, Steven J. Lapidge, Linton Staples, Phil Morrow

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine populations are expanding throughout the U.S., where they are causing increasing amounts of damage to agriculture, natural resources, and property and threaten human health and safety. Methods to control feral swine damage in the U.S. consist of integrated fencing, trapping, snaring, and shooting (including hunting with dogs) efforts. New methods that are being developed to control feral swine damage include toxicants and fertility control agents. For these emerging technologies to be effective at the population level, they must function through oral routes of delivery. Concurrent to the development of orallydelivered actives, a cost-effective system that delivers biologics to …

Effectiveness Of Theobromine And Caffeine Mixtures In Coyote Lure Operative Devices As A Predacide: A Simulated Field Study, Eric M. Gese, Patrick A. Darrow, John A. Shivik, Bruce A. Kimball, John D. Eisemann, Julie K. Young

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Predators are capable of causing damage to domestic livestock throughout North America. Lethal responses for managing livestock depredations may include the use of sodium cyanide in M- 44 devices. Currently, several states have banned the use of M-44s and several other states are forecast to ban these devices. Therefore, additional tools are being sought to expand the repertoire of options available for managing coyote depredations on domestic livestock. We evaluated the use of a theobromine:caffeine mixture delivered within a Coyote Lure Operative Device (CLOD) as an additional predacide for coyotes (Canis latrans). Results from six trials involving 38 …

Rats! Foiled Again: A History Of Rodent Control Methods Development At The National Wildlife Research Center, Kathleen A. Fagerstone, Michael W. Fall, Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) and its predecessor laboratories have a long history of developing materials and methods for managing rodents and the damage they cause. The NWRC has been influential in exploring, developing, and maintaining legal uses of many traditional field rodenticides such as strychnine and zinc phosphide. Products have been developed for managing rodents in a variety of locales, and for managing a variety of species, from commensal rodents in urban areas, to pocket gophers and mountain beaver in forests, prairie dogs and ground squirrels on rangelands, and nutria and beaver in wetlands. Considerable research has also …

Grizzly Bear Population Vital Rates And Trend In The Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem, Montana, Richard D. Mace, Daniel W. Carney, Tonya Chilton-Radandt, Stacy A. Courville, Mark A. Haroldson, Richard B. Harris, James Jonkel, Bruce Mclellan, Michael Madel, Timothy Manley, Charles Schwartz, Christopher Servheen, Gordon Stenhouse, John S. Waller, Erik Wenum

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We estimated grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population vital rates and trend for the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (NCDE), Montana, between 2004 and 2009 by following radio-collared females and observing their fate and reproductive performance. Our estimates of dependent cub and yearling survival were 0.612 (95% CI = 0.300–0.818) and 0.682 (95% CI = 0.258–0.898). Our estimates of subadult and adult female survival were 0.852 (95% CI = 0.628–0.951) and 0.952 (95% CI = 0.892– 0.980). From visual observations, we estimated a mean litter size of 2.00 cubs/litter. Accounting for cub mortality prior to the first observations of litters …

Long-Term Impacts Of Invasive Species On A Native Top Predator In A Large Lake System, Scott A. Rush, Gordon Paterson, Tim B. Johnson, Ken G. Drouillard, Gordon D. Haffner, Craig E. Hebert, Michael T. Arts, Daryl J. Mcgoldric, Sean M. Backus, Brian F. Lantry, Jana R. Lantry, Ted Schaner, Aaron T. Fisk

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

1. Declining abundances of forage fish and the introduction and establishment of non-indigenous species have the potential to substantially alter resource and habitat exploitation by top predators in large lakes.

2. We measured stable isotopes of carbon (δ¹³C) and nitrogen (δ¹⁵N) in field-collected and archived samples of Lake Ontario lake trout (Salvelinus namaycush) and five species of prey fish and compared current trophic relationships of this top predator with historical samples.

3. Relationships between δ¹⁵N and lake trout age were temporally consistent throughout Lake Ontario and confirmed the role of lake trout …

Site Use Of European Starlings Wintering In Central New Jersey, H. Jeffrey Homan, Anthony A. Slowik, Linda B. Penry, George M. Linz, Wendy Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Managing European starlings with DRC-1339 near urban and suburban areas can lead to adverse publicity resulting from encounters by the public with dead and dying birds. Collectors could retrieve the birds, if the likely sites of mass mortalities were known. In December 2009, we radio tagged 50 starlings at 3 sites in central New Jersey and studied their movements and behavior. Two of the sites were ensconced in a mosaic of suburban and urban habitats, whereas the other was in a rural setting. The sites were selected from a list of agricultural producers that had requested assistance from the Wildlife …

Hybridization Among Arctic White-Headed Gulls (Larus Spp.) Obscures The Genetic Legacy Of The Pleistocene, Sarah A. Sonsthagen, R. Terry Chesser, Douglas A. Bell, Carla J. Dove

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

We studied the influence of glacial oscillations on the genetic structure of seven species of white-headed gull that breed at high latitudes (Larus argentatus, L. canus, L. glaucescens, L. glaucoides, L. hyperboreus, L. schistisagus, and L. thayeri). We evaluated localities hypothesized as ice-free areas or glacial refugia in other Arctic vertebrates using molecular data from 11 microsatellite loci, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region, and six nuclear introns for 32 populations across the Holarctic. Moderate levels of genetic structure were observed for microsatellites (F_ST = 0.129), introns (Φ_ST = 0.185), and mtDNA control region (Φ …

Simulated Effects Of Host Fish Distribution On Juvenile Unionid Mussel Dispersal In A Large River, J. A. Daraio, L. J. Weber, Steven J. Zigler, Teresa J. Newton, John M. Nestler

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Larval mussels (Family Unionidae) are obligate parasites on fish, and after excystment from their host, as juveniles, they are transported with flow. We know relatively little about the mechanisms that affect dispersal and subsequent settlement of juvenile mussels in large rivers. We used a three-dimensional hydrodynamic model of a reach of the Upper Mississippi River with stochastic Lagrangian particle tracking to simulate juvenile dispersal. Sensitivity analyses were used to determine the importance of excystment location in two-dimensional space (lateral and longitudinal) and to assess the effects of vertical location (depth in the water column) on dispersal distances and juvenile settling …

Genetic Measures Confirm Familial Relationships And Strengthen Study Design, Stacie J. Robinson, Ryan D. Walrath, Timonthy R. Vandeelen, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Social structure and behavioral interactions between individuals shape basic biological processes, such as breeding; foraging and predator avoidance; movement and dispersal; and disease transmission. We used a targeted trapping strategy to capture kin groups of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) during 2007 and 2008 in Sandhill Wildlife Research Area, Wisconsin, USA, in order to observe social behaviors. Because inferring family relationships from observation of behavior is subjective, we usedmeasures of genetic relatedness and parentage assignment tests to determine that our capture strategy was efficient for capturing related pairs (78% of groups contained 1 dyad of related animals). The results of …

Comparative Risk Assessment Of The First-Generation Anticoagulant Rodenticide Diphacinone To Raptors, Barnett A. Rattner, Rebecca S. Lazarus, Karen M. Eisenreich, Katherine E. Horak, Steven F. Volker, Christopher M. Campton, John D. Eisemann, Carol U. Meteyer, John J. Johnston

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

New regulatory restrictions have been placed on the use of some second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides in the United States, and in some situations this action may be offset by expanded use of first-generation compounds. We have recently conducted several studies with captive adult American kestrels and eastern screech-owls examining the toxicity of diphacinone (DPN) using both acute oral and short-term dietary exposure regimens. Diphacinone evoked overt signs of intoxication and lethality in these raptors at exposure doses that were 20 to 30 times lower than reported for traditionally used wildlife test species (mallard and northern bobwhite). Sublethal exposure of kestrels and …

Nwrc Chemical Effects Database – What’S Old Is New Again, Jeannette R. O'Hare, John D. Eisemann, Walter A. Bowles Jr., Edward W. Schafer Jr., Kathleen A. Fagerstone

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (USDA APHIS WS), National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) “Chemical Effects Database” is an internet-accessible and searchable database that contains bioassay data records for chemicals evaluated for repellency, toxicity, reproductive inhibition, and immobilization of higher vertebrates, and phytotoxicity. These data are of value for environmental risk assessment, conduct of toxicology studies, and the development of safe, effective, and responsible tools to manage vertebrate pest species that cause damage. Chemical screening studies were conducted from 1943 to 1987 by predecessors of the NWRC, and by the U.S. Geological …

Wildlife Services 2011 Research Needs Assessment, Mark E. Tobin, Stephanie A. Shwiff, John E. Mcconnell, Gary A. Littauer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The mission of U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services (WS) is to provide federal leadership and expertise in managing problems caused by wildlife. Approximately every 5 years, WS conducts a research needs assessment (RNA) to help to align research priorities at the National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC, the research arm of the WS program) with WS program and customer needs. In 2011, the WS Deputy Administrator solicited input from employees throughout the WS program and representatives from other federal agencies, all 50 state wildlife agencies, various livestock and agricultural commodity groups, and non-governmental organizations. …

Assignment Of Measurable Costs And Benefits To Wildlife Conservation Projects, S. A. Shwiff, A. M. Anderson, R. Cullen, P. C. L. White, S. S. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Success of wildlife conservation projects is determined bya suite of biological and economic factors. Donorand public understanding of the economic factors is becoming increasingly central to the longevity of funding for conservation efforts. Unlike typical economic evaluation, many costs and benefits related to conservation efforts are realised in nonmonetary tenns. We identify the types of benefits and costs that arise from conservation projects and examine several well developed techniques that economists use to convert benefits and costs into monetary values so they may be compared in a common metric. Costs are typically more readily identifiable than benefits, with financia l …

Effects Of Turf Rolling And Soil Aeration On Rodent Populations, Gary W. Witmer, David Borrowman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rodent populations at airports can cause human safety issues by attracting raptors which increases the risk of raptor-aircraft strikes. Various methods can be used to reduce rodent numbers, including trapping, poisoning, and habitat manipulation. Burrow disruption by turf rolling and soil aeration is a potential habitat manipulation method that could potentially reduce the carrying capacity for rodents. We tested this method at Kansas City International Airport, Missouri. We monitored the rodent populations in a control (untreated) area and in a nearby treated area where the turf was rolled and the soil aerated. We used grids of live traps to determine …

Voles Damage Seedlings, But Do Deer Mice And House Mice?, Gary W. Witmer, Rachael S. Moulton, Jenna L. Swartz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

While it is known that voles will damage seedlings, we do not know the extent to which deer mice and house mice damage seedlings. Knowing this information can assist resource managers in better targeting problem species and implementing appropriate management actions. We planted and monitored ponderosa pine and narrow-leaf cottonwood seedlings in metal stock tanks occupied by deer mice or house mice to assess the potential for damage by these rodents. Both species damaged leaves and stems of cottonwood seedlings, but house mice did more damage. House mouse damage resulted in mortality of over half of the cottonwood seedlings, while …

Deer Mice (Peromyscus Spp.) Biology, Damage And Management: A Review, Gary W. Witmer, Rachael S. Moulton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The deer mouse is the most widely distributed and abundant small mammal in North America. They use a wide array of habitats, are very adaptable, and have a high reproductive potential. They play a number of roles in ecosystems, but can cause damage to orchards, forests, agriculture crops, and rangelands primarily through seed and newly-emerged seedling consumption. They also cause damage similar to house mice when they occupy buildings or other structures. Deer mice are important components in disease transmission especially of hantaviruses and Lyme disease. Damage reduction methods generally involve lethal control to reduce numbers using rodenticides and traps. …

Introduction: Double-Crested Cormorants Of The Great Lakes – St. Lawrence River Basin: Recent Studies, Movements And Responses To Management Actions, D.V. Chip Weseloh, Francesca J. Cuthbert, D. Tommy King

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

This paper introduces the second Special Publication of the Waterbird Society to address the biology and management of the Double-crested Cormorant (Phalacrocorax auritius) in North America. Since the late 1960s and early 1970s, when the species was at very low population levels, the Double-crested Cormorant has rebounded to its greatest population level in over 100 years. Such a significant increase has resulted in changes in community structure, and new stressors, in many aquatic ecosystems. Both Special Publications (1995 and 2013) have been focused on the biology and management of the species. The first volume dealt mainly with population …

Are Turf-Type Tall Fescue Cultivars Useful For Reducing Wildlife Hazards In Airport Environments?, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wildlife-aircraft collisions pose a serious risk to aircraft and cost civil aviation over US$1 billion worldwide annually. Habitat management within airport environments is the most important long-term component of an integrated approach to reduce the use of airfields by hazardous wildlife. Recent research has demonstrated that Canada geese avoid foraging on endophyte-infected tall fescue; consequently, this turfgrass might be useful in airfield revegetation and seeding projects. Although some research evaluating commercially available tall fescue cultivars on airfields has been conducted, additional information is needed to determine if tall fescue cultivars might be viable for airfields in various regions of the …

Corrigendum To “Avian Use Of Solid Waste Transfer Stations” [Landscape Urban Plan. 104 (2012) 388–394], Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

No abstract provided.

Chapter 4: Crop Management Of Switchgrass, Matt A. Sanderson, Marty Schmer, Vance Owens, Pat Keyser, Wolter Elbersen

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

Management of switchgrass for bioenergy and forage share some commonalities, of particular interest in bioenergy crop production is: (1) rapid establishment of switchgrass to generate harvestable biomass in the seeding year, (2) highly efficient management of soil and fertilizer N to minimize external energy inputs, and (3) harvest management to maximize yields of lignocellulose. Bioenergy cropping may entail management for multiple services in addition to biomass yield including soil C sequestration, wildlife habitat, landscape management, and water quality protection. Management is a critical factor especially as land classified as marginal or idle land will be emphasized for bioenergy production to …

Efficacy Of Proximity Loggers For Detection Of Contacts Between Maternal Pairs Of White-Tailed Deer, Ryan Walrath, Timonthy R. Vandeelen, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Contact frequency and duration estimates between individuals are important to understanding the behavioral ecology of wildlife species and the epidemiology of infectious diseases. A new technology uses proximity data loggers to record time and duration of contacts. We conducted an experiment at Sandhill Wildlife Management Area, located near Babcock, Wisconsin (USA) to compare probabilities of detecting intraspecific contacts among white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) maternal pairs (dams/fawns) based on detections from proximity loggers deployed on collars versus those obtained from direct observation. We defined 5 discrete probabilities of detection of a contact in terms of P (probability of detection …

Safety And Immunogenicity Of Onrab® In Raccoons And Skunks In West Virginia – 2011 Field Trial Report, D. D. Slate, R. Chipman, K. Nelson, C. Croson, S. Mills, C. Rupprecht, K. C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In 2011, a field trial was conducted in southeastern West Virginia to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of a live recombinant human adenovirus (serotype 5)-rabies glycoprotein vaccine (ONRAB®) in wild raccoons and skunks. ONRAB® was selected for evaluation based on the success achieved in eliminating raccoon rabies from Ontario and Quebec, Canada, through the integration of this vaccine into rabies management strategies and significantly higher sero-positivity in comparison to Raboral V-RG® in studies along the U.S.-Canada border. The field trial site was composed of forested and agricultural habitats in an area where raccoon rabies is enzootic and oral rabies vaccine …

Invasives: The High Cost Of Indifference, Mark Pfost, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

At one time, wildlife professionals may have been blissfully ignorant about invasive species, classifying “plants” as lawn grass, flowers, trees, or weeds, and putting animals into two groups: species with bag limits and everything else. But those days of ignorance are long past. We see how invasives threaten local, even global, ecosystems, and we need to help create greater awareness about the scope of the problem.

Wildlife professionals must not only prepare to deal with how seven billion people, climate change, and habitat loss will affect native species and habitats, but also how those species and habitats will be affected …

Fitting Statistical Distributions To Sea Duck Count Data: Implications For Survey Design And Abundance Estimation, Elise F. Zipkin, Jeffery B. Leirness, Brian P. Kinlan, Allan F. O’Connell, Emily D. Silverman

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Determining appropriate statistical distributions for modeling animal count data is important for accurate estimation of abundance, distribution, and trends. In the case of sea ducks along the U.S. Atlantic coast, managers want to estimate local and regional abundance to detect and track population declines, to define areas of high and low use, and to predict the impact of future habitat change on populations. In this paper, we used a modified marked point process to model survey data that recorded flock sizes of Common eiders, Long-tailed ducks, and Black, Surf, and White-winged scoters. The data come from an experimental aerial survey, …