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Territoriality And Inter-Pack Aggression In Gray Wolves: Shaping A Social Carnivore's Life History Rudyard Kipling's Law Of The Jungle Meets Yellowstone's Law Of The Mountains, Kira A. Cassidy, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Daniel R. Macnulty, Daniel R. Stahler, Matthew C. Metz

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

When Rudyard Kipling wrote The Jungle Book in 1894 and included the famous line "For the strength of the Wolf is the Pack, and the strength of the Pack is the Wolf," he would have had no idea that over a century later, scientific research would back up his poetic phrase. Recent studies in Yellowstone have found that both the individual wolf and the collective pack rely on each other and play important roles in territoriality. At a time when most fairy tales and fables were portraying wolves as demonic killers or, at best, slapstick gluttons, Kipling seemed to have …

Wolf (Canis Lupus) Generation Time And Proportion Of Current Breeding Females By Age, L. David Mech, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, John Erb

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

Information is sparse about aspects of female wolf (Canis lupus) breeding in the wild, including age of first reproduction, mean age of primiparity, generation time, and proportion of each age that breeds in any given year. We studied these subjects in 86 wolves (113 captures) in the Superior National Forest (SNF), Minnesota (MN), during 1972–2013 where wolves were legally protected for most of the period, and in 159 harvested wolves from throughout MN wolf range during 2012–2014. Breeding status of SNF wolves were assessed via nipple measurements, and wolves from throughout MN wolf range, by placental scars. In …

Differential Wolf-Pack-Size Persistence And The Role Of Risk When Hunting Dangerous Prey, Shannon M. Barber-Meyer, L. David Mech, Wesley E. Newton, Bridget L. Borg

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

Risk to predators hunting dangerous prey is an emerging area of research and could account for possible persistent differences in gray wolf (Canis lupus) pack sizes. We documented significant differences in long-term wolf-pack-size averages and variation in the Superior National Forest (SNF), Denali National Park and Preserve, Yellowstone National Park, and Yukon, Canada (p < 0.01). The SNF differences could be related to the wolves’ risk when hunting primary prey, for those packs (N = 3) hunting moose (Alces americanus) were significantly larger than those (N = 10) hunting white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (F_1,8 = 16.50, p = 0.004). Our data support the hypothesis that differential pack-size persistence may be …

Complete Genome Sequence Of Highly Virulent Porcine Reproductive And Respiratory Syndrome Virus Variants That Recently Emerged In The United States, Aspen M. Workman, Timothy P.L. Smith, Fernando A. Osorio, Hiep L.X. Vu

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

A recent outbreak of particularly virulent disease caused by porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus has occurred in swine herds across the United States. We report here the complete genome sequence of eight viral isolates from four Nebraska herds experiencing an outbreak of severe disease in 2016.

Domain I Of The 5′ Non-Translated Genomic Region In Coxsackievirus B3 Rna Is Not Required For Productive Replication, L. Jaramillo, S. Smithee, S. Tracy, N. M. Chapman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Domain I is a cloverleaf-like secondary structure at the 5′ termini of all enterovirus genomes, comprising part of a cis-acting replication element essential for efficient enteroviral replication. 5′ genomic terminal deletions up to as much as 55% of domain I can occur without lethality following coxsackie B virus infections. We report here that the entire CVB structural domain I can be deleted without lethality.

Reversion To Wildtype Of A Mutated And Nonfunctional Coxsackievirus B3cre(2c), Shane Smithee, Steven Tracy, Nora M. Chapman

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

The cis-acting replication element (CRE) in the 2C protein coding region [CRE(2C)] of enteroviruses (EV) facilitates the addition of two uridine residues (uridylylation) onto the virus-encoded protein VPg inorder for it to serve as the RNA replication primer. We demonstrated that coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3) is replication competent in the absence of a native (uridylylating) CRE(2C) and also demonstrated that lackof a functional CRE(2C) led to generation of 5’ terminal genomic deletions in the CVB3 CRE-knock-out (CVB3-CKO) population. We asked whether reversion of the mutated CRE(2C) occurred, thus permitting sustained replication, and when were 5’ terminal deletions generated during replication. Virions …

Replicating Single-Cycle Adenovirus Vectors Generate Amplified Influenza Vaccine Responses, Catherine M. Crosby, William E. Matchett, Stephanie S. Anguiano-Zarate, Christopher A. Parks, Eric A. Weaver, Larry R. Pease, Richard J. Webby, Michael A. Barry

Nebraska Center for Virology: Faculty Publications

Head-to-head comparisons of conventional influenza vaccines with ade- novirus (Ad) gene-based vaccines demonstrated that these viral vectors can mediate more potent protection against influenza virus infection in animal models. In most cases, Ad vaccines are engineered to be replication-defective (RD-Ad) vectors. In contrast, replication-competent Ad (RC-Ad) vaccines are markedly more potent but risk causing adenovirus diseases in vaccine recipients and health care workers. To harness antigen gene replication but avoid production of infectious virions, we de- veloped “single-cycle” adenovirus (SC-Ad) vectors. Previous work demonstrated that SC-Ads amplify transgene expression 100-fold and produce markedly stronger and more persistent immune responses than …

Early Life History Of Three Pelagic-Spawning Minnows Macrhybopsis Spp. In The Lower Missouri River, T. A. Starks, M. L. Miller, J. M. Long

United States Army Corps of Engineers, Omaha District

Life-history characteristics of age-0 sturgeon chub Macrhybopsis gelida, shoal chub Macrhybopsis hyostoma and sicklefin chub Macrhybopsis meeki were compared using several methods. All Macrhybopsis species consumed mostly midge pupae, but M. meeki had the most general diet (Levins’ index, B=0⋅22) compared with M. hyostoma (B=0⋅02) and M. gelida (B=0⋅09). Morisita’s diet overlap index among species pairs ranged from 0⋅62 to 0⋅97 and was highest between M. hyostoma and M. gelida. Daily ages estimated from lapilli otoliths for each species ranged from 15 to 43 days for M. gelida, 19 to 44 for …

R0 Analysis Of A Benthic-Drift Model For A Stream Population, Qihua Huang, Yu Jin, Mark A. Lewis

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

One key issue for theory in stream ecology is how much stream flow can be changed while still maintaining an intact stream ecology, instream flow needs (IFNs); the study of determining IFNs is challenging due to the complex and dynamic nature of the interaction between the stream environ- ment and the biological community. We develop a process-oriented benthic-drift model that links changes in the flow regime and habitat availability with population dynamics. In the model, the stream is divided into two zones, drift zone and benthic zone, and the population is divided into two interacting compartments, individuals residing in the …

Simple Adaptive Control For Positive Linear Systems With Applications To Pest Management, Chris Guiver, Christina Edholm, Yu Jin, Markus Mueller, Jim Powell, Richard Rebarber, Brigitte Tenhumberg, Stuart Townley

Department of Mathematics: Faculty Publications

Pest management is vitally important for modern arable farming, but models for pest species are often highly uncertain. In the context of pest management, control actions are naturally described by a nonlinear feedback that is generally unknown, which thus motivates a robust control approach. We argue that adaptive approaches are well suited for the management of pests and propose a simple high-gain adaptive tuning mechanism so that the nonlinear feedback achieves exponential stabilization. Furthermore, a switched adaptive controller is proposed, cycling through a set of given control actions, that also achieves global asymptotic stability. Such a model in practice allows …

Contact Resonances Of U-Shaped Atomic Force Microscope Probes, E. Rezaei, Joseph A. Turner

Department of Mechanical and Materials Engineering: Faculty Publications

Recent approaches used to characterize the elastic or viscoelastic properties of materials with nanoscale resolution have focused on the contact resonances of atomic force microscope (CR-AFM) probes. The experiments for these CR-AFM methods involve measurement of several contact resonances from which the resonant frequency and peak width are found. The contact resonance values are then compared with the noncontact values in order for the sample properties to be evaluated. The data analysis requires vibration models associated with the probe during contact in order for the beam response to be deconvolved from the measured spectra. To date, the majority of CR-AFM …

Incidence Of Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus, Triticum Mosaic Virus, And Wheat Mosaic Virus In Wheat Curl Mites Recovered From Maturing Winter Wheat Spikes, E. Byamukama, S. Tatineni, G. Hein, J. Mcmechan, S. N. Wegulo

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Wheat curl mites (WCM; Aceria tosichella) transmit Wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV), Triticum mosaic virus (TriMV), and Wheat mosaic virus (WMoV) to wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) in the Great Plains region of the United States. These viruses can be detected in single, double, or triple combinations in leaf samples. Information on incidence of viruses inWCM at the end of the growing season is scant. The availability of this information can enhance our knowledge of the epidemiology ofWCM-transmitted viruses. This research was conducted to determine the frequency of occurrence of WSMV, TriMV, and WMoV in WCM populations on fieldcollected maturing …

Developing The Framework For A Risk Map For Mite Vectored Viruses In Wheat Resulting From Pre-Harvest Hail Damage, Anthony L. Nguy-Robertson, Arthur Zygielbaum, Anthony J. Mcmechan, Gary L. Hein, Stephen N. Wegulo, Abby R. Stilwell, Travis M. Smith

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

There is a strong economic incentive to reduce mite-vectored virus outbreaks. Most outbreaks in the central High Plains of the United States occur in the presence of volunteer wheat that emerges before harvest as a result of hail storms. This study provides a conceptual framework for developing a risk map for wheat diseases caused by mite-vectored viruses based on pre-harvest hail events. Traditional methods that use NDVI were found to be unsuitable due to low chlorophyll content in wheat at harvest. Site-level hyperspectral reflectance from mechanically hailed wheat showed increased canopy albedo. Therefore, any increase in NIR combined with large …

Cryptic Species: A Leitmotif Of Contemporary Mycology Has Challenges And Benefits For Plant Pathologists, Frank M. Dugan, Sydney Everhart

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Multiple traditional species names for plant pathogenic fungi have been supplemented with new names that delimit formerly cryptic species. In separate instances, isolates within a species are clearly differentiated by both phylogeny and distinctive pathogenic traits and are assigned sub-specific designations. These new species names and the sub-specific designations are both cases of cryptic species that are, in some instances, relevant and/or critical for plant disease management. Here we provide examples of such instances in which newly described taxa differ from the original (“parent”) in phenotypic traits of importance to plant disease management: host range, fungicide sensitivity, environmental niche, metabolite …

Sequence Variation In Two Genes Determines The Efficacy Of Transmission Of Citrus Tristeza Virus By The Brown Citrus Aphid, S. J. Harper, N. Killiny, Satyanarayana Tatineni, S. Gowda, S. J. Cowell, T. Shilts, W. O. Dawson

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Vector transmission is an important part of the viral infection cycle, yet for many viruses little is known about this process, or how viral sequence variation affects transmission efficacy. Here we examined the effect of substituting genes from the highly transmissible FS577 isolate of citrus tristeza virus (CTV) in to the poorly transmissible T36-based infectious clone. We found that introducing p65 or p61 sequences from FS577 significantly increased transmission efficacy. Interestingly, replacement of both genes produced a greater increase than either gene alone, suggesting that CTV transmission requires the concerted action of co-evolved p65 and p61 proteins.

Field Damage Of Sorghum (Sorghum Bicolor) With Reduced Lignin Levels By Naturally Occurring Insect Pests And Pathogens, Patrick F. Dowd, Deanna L. Funnell-Harris, Scott E. Sattler

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) brown midrib (bmr) mutant lines have reduced levels of lignin, which is a potentially useful trait for bioenergy production, but the effects of this trait on insect and plant pathogen interactions are unknown under field conditions. Field-grown bmr6, bmr12, and wild-type (WT) plants were examined for insect and disease damage. In most cases, observed frequency, population, or leaf area damage caused by insects or pathogens on bmr6 or bmr12 plants were not greater than those observed on WT plants in the field or laboratory assays. European corn borers [Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)(Lepidoptera: …

What's New In Plant Pathology, Anthony O. Adesemoye, Loren Giesler, Robert M. Harveson, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems, Kevin Korus, Stephen N. Wegulo

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Changes to the Disease Management Section of the 2016 Guide for Weed, Disease, and Insect Management in Nebraska

Biological control Products

Trivapro Fungicide

Priaxor D. Fungicide

Table 1. Foliar products for disease control that were updated in the 2016 Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management in Nebraska.

Table 2. Seed treatment products for disease control that were updated in the 2016 Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management in Nebraska.

Table 3. Seed treatment nematicide product that was updated in the 2016 Guide for Weed, Disease and Insect Management in Nebraska.

Fungicide Application Timing And Disease Control, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems, Loren J. Giesler, Robert M. Harveson, Stephen N. Wegulo, Kevin Korus, Anthony O. Adesemoye

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Wet weather that persisted during much of the 2015 growing season proved to be very favorable for disease development in several crops across Nebraska. In particular, diseases caused by fungi were favored by repeated rainfall events and high relative humidity, fog, etc., that supported the production of more spores and continuous plant infection. On some susceptible varieties and hybrids, diseases developed early and quickly eventually reaching moderate to severe levels. Foliar fungicides were applied one or more times to some crops in an effort to mitigate losses due to disease. However, low crop prices and narrow profit margins made foliar …

Corn Disease Update, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The 2015 corn crop was impacted by several corn diseases from the beginning to the end of the season and in all areas of Nebraska. The increased severity and incidence of some diseases was largely due to the extended periods of favorable weather conditions in varying parts of the state that supported the increase in some diseases. In particular, frequent rainfall and high relative humidity were especially favorable for several fungal diseases. Unfortunately, almost all diseases of corn (except rusts) are caused by pathogens that can successfully overwinter in Nebraska. For this reason, making detailed notes on disease development and …

Trivapro A + Trivapro B Application Timing And Disease Efficacy In Field Corn In Nebraska, 2015, J. D. Harbour, T. A. Jackson-Ziems

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The objective of the trial was to evaluate foliar fungicides and application timings for crop response and foliar disease efficacy. Irrigated corn was grown based on Nebraska Extension irrigation recommendations at the South Central Ag Lab near Clay Center, NE. Soils were a silt loam with 6.7 pH and 1.8 % OM and the previous crop was soybean. Reduced tillage was performed to the field prior to planting. Corn (DKC 65-79 RIB, tolerant to grey leaf spot (GLS)) was planted at approximately 34,000 seed/A on 26 May. Seven treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with six replications. …

Foliar Fungicide Comparison For Southern Rust Management, Stay Green, Push Lodging, And Yield In Nebraska, 2015, J. D. Harbour, T. A. Jackson-Ziems

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The objective of the trial was to compare foliar fungicides for southern rust (SR) efficacy. Irrigated corn was grown based on Nebraska Extension irrigation recommendations at the South Central Ag Lab near Clay Center, NE. Soils were a silt loam with 6.7 pH and 1.8 % OM and the previous crop was soybean. Reduced tillage was performed to the field prior to planting. Corn (DKC 65-79 RIB, tolerant to gray leaf spot (GLS)) was planted at approximately 34,000 seed/A on 26 May. Eight treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with six replications. . . . Stalk lodging …

Fungicide And Herbicide Effects On Grey Leaf Spot In Nebraska Field Corn, 2015, J. D. Harbour, T. A. Jackson-Ziems

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The objective of the trial was to compare foliar fungicides applied to three growth stages of corn for grey leaf spot (GLS) efficacy. Irrigated corn was grown based on Nebraska Extension irrigation recommendations at the South Central Ag Lab near Clay Center, NE. Soils were a silt loam with 6.7 pH and 1.8 % OM and the previous crop was soybean. Reduced tillage was performed to the field prior to planting. Corn (DKC 65-79 RIB, tolerant to gray leaf spot (GLS)) was planted at approximately 34,000 seed/A on 26 May. Five treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design …

A Foliar Fungicide Plus Herbicide Tank Mixture Evaluation In Field Corn In Nebraska, 2015, J. D. Harbour, T. A. Jackson-Ziems

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

The objective of the trial was to evaluate the tank mixture of Laudis herbicide plus Stratego YLD fungicide for corn response. Irrigated corn was grown based on Nebraska Extension irrigation recommendations at the South Central Ag Lab near Clay Center, NE. Soils were a silt loam with 6.7 pH and 1.8 % OM and the previous crop was soybean. Reduced tillage was performed to the field prior to planting. Corn (DKC 65-79 RIB, tolerant to gray leaf spot (GLS)) was planted at approximately 34,000 seed/A on 26 May. Four treatments were arranged in a randomized complete block design with six …

Corn Disease Profiles: Diseases Favored By Dry Conditions, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems, Anthony O. Adesemoye, Loren J. Giesler, Robert M. Harveson, Kevin A. Korus, Stephen N. Wegulo

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Extension Circular 1910 (EC1910)

Extreme weather events are predicted to become increasingly common and could bring periods of drought as well as intense rainfall events. Wet conditions are favorable for many plant pathogens and the development of diseases, but some diseases may also develop during or following dry weather. The timing during the season when dry conditions occur, as well as other factors, such as temperature, impact which diseases develop and when. The list summarizes some of the most common corn diseases that can develop during dry conditions: Seedling Root Rot Diseases, Nematodes, Common Smut, Rust Diseases Charcoal Rot, Stalk …

Corn Disease Profiles: Diseases Favored By Wet Conditions, Tamra A. Jackson-Ziems, Anthony O. Adesemoye, Loren J. Giesler, Robert M. Harveson, Kevin A. Korus, Stephen N. Wegulo

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

Extension Circular 1909 (EC1909)

Extreme weather events are predicted to become increasingly common and could bring periods of more intense rainfall. Wet conditions are favorable for many plant pathogens and the development of diseases. Seasonal timing when these conditions occur, as well as other factors such as temperature, impact which diseases develop and when. Listed, described, and illustrated are some common corn diseases favored by wet conditions: Pythium Root Rot, Eyespot, Northern Corn Leaf Blight, Gray Leaf Spot, Physoderma Brown Spot, Rust Diseases (Puccinia spp.), Stalk and Crown Rot Diseases (such as those caused by Fusarium and Diplodia spp.), …

Association Of Neonectria Macrodidyma With Dry Root Rot Of Citrus In California, A. O. Adesemoye, J. S. Mayorquin, B. B. Peacock, K. Moreno, S. Hajeri, R. Yokomi, A. Eskalen

Department of Plant Pathology: Faculty Publications

During yearly surveys that started in 2010 to identify pathogens associated with dry root rot disease of citrus in California, samples with root rot symptoms were collected in Tulare County. Small pieces of tissue from root samples were plated onto potato dextrose agar amended with 0.01% tetracycline and incubated at 25°C. Pure cultures of fungal isolates were identified by morphology and sequence analysis of the Internal Transcribed Spacer and Beta Tubulin regions. Neonectria macrodidyma (Cylindrocarpon macrodidymum) was first recovered in 2011 and has subsequently been recovered multiple times from citrus samples. The pathogen appeared to be widely distributed …

Reflections Of The Social Environment In Chimpanzee Memory: Applying Rational Analysis Beyond Humans, Jeffrey R. Stevens, Julian N. Marewski, Lael J. Schooler, Ian C. Gilby

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

In cognitive science, the rational analysis framework allows modelling of how physical and social environments impose information-processing demands onto cognitive systems. In humans, for example, past social contact among individuals predicts their future contact with linear and power functions. These features of the human environment constrain the optimal way to remember information and probably shape how memory records are retained and retrieved. We offer a primer on how biologists can apply rational analysis to study animal behaviour. Using chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) as a case study, we modelled 19 years of observational data on their social contact patterns. Much …

Cognitive Phenotypes And The Evolution Of Animal Decisions, Tamra C. Mendelson, Courtney L. Fitzpatrick, Mark E. Hauber, Charles H. Pence, Rafael L. Rodriguez, Rebecca J. Safran, Caitlin A. Stern, Jeffrey R. Stevens

Jeffrey Stevens Publications

Despite the clear fitness consequences of animal decisions, the science of animal decision making in evolutionary biology is underdeveloped compared with decision science in human psychology. Specifically, the field lacks a conceptual framework that defines and describes the relevant components of a decision, leading to imprecise language and concepts. The ‘judgment and decision-making’ (JDM) framework in human psychology is a powerful tool for framing and understanding human decisions, and we apply it here to components of animal decisions, which we refer to as ‘cognitive phenotypes’. We distinguish multiple cognitive phenotypes in the context of a JDM framework and highlight empirical …

Taxonomic Review Of The Wingmite Genus Cameronieta (Acari: Spinturnicidae) On Neotropical Bats, With A New Species From Northeastern Brazil, Juliana C. Almeida, Donald D. Gettinger, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

The ectoparasitic mite genus Cameronieta (Acari: Mesostigmata: Spinturnicidae) is endemic to the New World and associated exclusively with bats of the family Mormoopidae. The genus consists of 7 species, 4 broadly distributed through the Caribbean and mainland of North and South America, and 3 species limited to the Greater Antilles archipelago. We present a brief review of the taxonomic history, redefine the genus, and consider some questions that remain concerning the biology and systematics of the group. A new species, Cameronieta almaensis n. sp., is described from the wings of Pteronotus parnellii collected from the Serra das Almas Reserve, in …

Phylogeny And Biogeography Of Species Of Syphacia Seurat, 1916 (Nemata : Oxyurida : Oxyuridae) From The Australian Bioregion, Haylee J. Weaver, Scott Monks, Scott Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Pinworm nematodes of the genus Syphacia (Nemata : Oxyurida : Oxyuridae) have a global distribution, and infect the caecum of rodents. Within the Australian Bioregion, 17 species of Syphacia infect a range of rodent hosts. Pinworms are traditionally thought to have coevolutionary relationships with their hosts, but the evolution and dispersal of Australian rodents and their helminths remains unclear. This combination of factors allowed us to investigate the likely relationships of Australian Syphacia species based on phylogenetic analysis, overlaid with the ecology and relationships of host species. We conducted a phylogenetic analysis using morphological characters of the species of Syphacia …