Digital Commons Network^™

Rapid And Persistent Rnai Response In Western Corn Rootworm Adults, Ke Wu, Caitlin E. Taylor, Elane Fishilevich, Kenneth E. Narva, Blair Siegfried

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

RNA interference (RNAi) has proven effective for controlling pest insects such as western corn rootworm (WCR), Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae). Previous studies have shown that WCR adults display a robust RNAi response to orally-administered double-stranded RNA (dsRNA). However, it is unclear how quickly the response occurs after ingestion or how long RNAi effect lasts after WCR stop ingesting diet containing dsRNA. In the current study, WCR adult females were provided with diet treated with dsRNAs of Laccase 2 and Argonaute 2, two nonessential genes, for 8 days. RNAi response in WCR females commenced as early as 10 h …

Ganganomala Saltini Ratcliffe, Jameson, And Zorn, A Newgenus And Species Ofanomalini (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Rutelinae) From Bangladesh And Nepal, With A Revised Circumscription Of The Tribe, Brett C. Ratcliffe, Mary Liz Jameson, Carsten Zorn

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

Ganganomala saltini Ratcliffe, Jameson, and Zorn, a new genus and new species of Anomalini (subtribe Anomalina), is described fromBangladesh and Nepal. To place the new genus within the context of the tribe and subtribe, we provide a key to the four subtribes of world Anomalini, a list of comparative characters and character states for diagnosis and classification of Old World Anomalina, and comparative diagnostic characters for genera of Old World Anomalina. Circumscription, description, diagnosis, and illustrations for the new genus and species are provided. As a result of this research, the Anomalina includes 50 genera and subgenera, and advances our …

Parental Rnai Suppression Of Kruppel Gene To Control Hemipteran Pests, Blair D. Siegfried, Kenneth E. Narva, Kanika Arora, Sarah E. Worden, Chitvan Khajuria, Elane Fishilevich, Nicholas P. Storer, Meghan Frey, Ronda L. Hamm, Ana Velez

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

This disclosure concerns nucleic acid molecules and methods of use thereof for control of hemipteran pests through RNA interference - mediated inhibition of target coding and transcribed non - coding sequences in hemipteran pests. The disclosure also concerns methods for making transgenic plants that express nucleic acid molecules useful for the control of hemipteran pests, and the plant cells and plants obtained thereby.

Examining The Effects Of A Service-Trained Facility Dog On Stress In Children Undergoing Forensic Interview For Allegations Of Child Sexual Abuse, Cheryl A. Krause-Parello, Michele Thames, Colleen M. Ray, John Kolassa

Department of Sociology: Faculty Publications

Disclosure of child sexual abuse can be a stressful experience for the child. Gaining a better understanding of how best to serve the child, while preserving the quality of their disclosure, is an ever-evolving process. The data to answer this question come from 51 children aged 4–16 (M = 9.1, SD = 3.5), who were referred to a child advocacy center in Virginia for a forensic interview (FI) following allegations of sexual abuse. A repeated measures design was conducted to examine how the presence of a service-trained facility dog (e.g. animal-assisted intervention (AAI) may serve as a mode of lowering …

Role Of 3-Hydroxy Fatty Acid-Induced Hepatic Lipotoxicity In Acute Fatty Liver Of Pregnancy, Sathish Kumar Natarajan, Jamal A. Ibdah

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Acute fatty liver of pregnancy (AFLP), a catastrophic illness for both the mother and the unborn offspring, develops in the last trimester of pregnancy with significant maternal and perinatal mortality. AFLP is also recognized as an obstetric and medical emergency. Maternal AFLP is highly associated with a fetal homozygous mutation (1528G>C) in the gene that encodes for mitochondrial long-chain hydroxy acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (LCHAD). The mutation in LCHAD results in the accumulation of 3-hydroxy fatty acids, such as 3-hydroxy myristic acid, 3-hydroxy palmitic acid and 3-hydroxy dicarboxylic acid in the placenta, which are then shunted to the maternal circulation leading …

Health Disparities Score Composite Of Youth And Parent Dyads From An Obesity Prevention Intervention: Icook 4-H, Melissa D. Olfert, Makenzie L. Barr, Rebecca L. Hagedorn, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Sarah E. Colby, Kendra K. Kattelmann, Adrienne A. White

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

iCook 4-H is a lifestyle intervention to improve diet, physical activity and mealtime behavior. Control and treatment dyads (adult primary meal preparer and a 9–10-year-old youth) completed surveys at baseline and 4, 12, and 24 months. A Health Disparity (HD) score composite was developed utilizing a series of 12 questions (maximum score = 12 with a higher score indicating a more severe health disparity). Questions came from the USDA short form U.S. Household Food Security Survey (5), participation in food assistance programs (1), food behavior (2), level of adult education completed (1), marital status (1), and race (1 adult and …

Inhibitory Effects Of Toll-Like Receptor 4, Nlrp3 Inflammasome, And Interleukin-1Β On White Adipocyte Browning, Meshail Okla, Walid Zaher, Musaad Alfayez, Soonkyu Chung

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Adipose tissue expansion is accompanied by infiltration and accumulation of pro-inflammatory macrophages, which links obesity to pathologic conditions such as type 2 diabetes. However, little is known regarding the role of pro-inflammatory adipose tissue remodeling in the thermogenic activation of brown/beige fat. Here, we investigated the effect of pattern recognition receptors (PRR) activation in macrophages, especially the toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) and Nod-like receptor 3 (NLRP3), on white adipocyte browning. We report that TLR4 activation by lipopolysaccharide repressed white adipocyte browning in response to β3-adrenergic receptor activation and caused ROS production and mitochondrial dysfunction, while genetic deletion of TLR4 protected …

Milk Exosomes Are Bioavailable And Distinct Microrna Cargos Have Unique Tissue Distribution Patterns, Sonia Manca, Bijaya Upadhyaya, Ezra Mutai, Amy T. Desaulniers, Rebecca A. Cederberg, Brett R. White, Janos Zempleni

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

Exosomes participate in cell-to-cell communication, facilitated by the transfer of RNAs, proteins and lipids from donor to recipient cells. Exosomes and their RNA cargos do not exclusively originate from endogenous synthesis but may also be obtained from dietary sources such as the inter-species transfer of exosomes and RNAs in bovine milk to humans. Here, we assessed the bioavailability and distribution of exosomes and their microRNA cargos from bovine, porcine and murine milk within and across species boundaries. Milk exosomes labeled with fluorophores or fluorescent fusion proteins accumulated in liver, spleen and brain following suckling, oral gavage and intravenous administration in …

More Than Fast Food: Development Of A Story Map To Compare Adolescent Perceptions And Observations Of Their Food Environments And Related Food Behaviors, Kristin A. Riggsbee, Jonathon Riggsbee, Melissa J. Vilaro, Lauren Moret, Marsha Spence, Elizabeth Anderson Steeves, Wenjun Zhou, Melissa D. Olfert, Lisa Franzen-Castle, Tanya Horacek, Elizabeth Hall, Sarah E. Colby

Department of Nutrition and Health Sciences: Faculty Publications

The purpose of this convergent, multiphase, mixed methods study was to better understand the perceptions of adolescents’ food environments and related food behaviors using grounded visualization and story mapping. Adolescents from one high school (13–16 years) in the southeastern United States were evaluated via data from health behavior surveys (n = 75), school environment maps, focus groups (n = 5 groups), and Photovoice (n = 6) from October 2016 to April 2017. Data from each phase were integrated using grounded visualization and new themes were identified (n = 7). A story map using ArcGIS Online was developed from data integration, …

Vegetation Responses To Sagebrush-Reduction Treatments Measured By Satellites, Aaron N. Johnston, Erik A. Beever, Jerod A. Merkle, Geneva Chong

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Time series of vegetative indices derived from satellite imagery constitute tools to measure ecological effects of natural and management-induced disturbances to ecosystems. Over the past century, sagebrush-reduction treatments have been applied widely throughout western North America to increase herbaceous vegetation for livestock and wildlife. We used indices from satellite imagery to 1) quantify effects of prescribed-fire, herbicide, and mechanical treatments on vegetative cover, productivity, and phenology, and 2) describe how vegetation changed over time following these treatments. We hypothesized that treatments would increase herbaceous cover and accordingly shift phenologies towards those typical of grass-dominated systems. We expected prescribed burns would …

Evaluating Restored Tidal Freshwater Wetlands, Andrew H. Baldwin, Richard S. Hammerschlag, Donald R. Cahoon

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Tidal freshwater wetlands are recognized as highly productive coastal wetlands that support diverse assemblages of plants and animals and complex biogeochemical cycles (in this book, see Chapter 18 by Whigham et al. and Chapter 19 by Megonigal and Neubauer). Many tidal freshwater wetlands and their associated ecosystem services have been damaged or destroyed by urbanization, agriculture, and other human activities (Baldwin, 2004; Barendregt et al., 2006). Increasing recognition of the value of remaining wetlands and environmental regulations requiring wetland mitigation (i.e., enhancement, creation, or restoration of wetlands to compensate for wetland losses; Kentula, 2000) has driven the restoration of all …

Conclusions, Challenges, And Research Needs, Gary W. Witmer, William C. Pitt, James C. Beasley

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

At least 392 species of introduced vertebrate species (excluding fish) occur in the United States and its territories (Witmer and Fuller 2011). Many of these species can be truly considered “invasive,” causing various types of economic, social, and ecological harm. In this book, we have presented examples of many invasive vertebrates in the United States, the impacts they cause, and the methods used to control or eradicate them in various parts of the country.

While progress has been and is being made in the management of invasive vertebrates in the United States, there are still many challenges and issues to …

Evaluating The Waterfowl Breeding Population And Habitat Survey For Scaup, Michael L. Schummer, Alan D. Afton, Shannon S. Badzinski, Scott A. Petrie, Glenn H. Olsen, Mark A. Mitchell

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Potential bias in breeding population estimates of certain duck species from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) has been a concern for decades. The WBPHS does not differentiate between lesser (Aythya affinis) and greater (A. marila) scaup, but lesser scaup comprise 89% of the combined scaup population and their population estimates are suspected to be biased. We marked female lesser scaup (i.e., marked scaup) in the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways, Canada and United States, with implantable satellite transmitters to track their spring migration through the traditional and eastern survey areas of the WBPHS, 2005–2010. Our goal was to …

Feral Goats And Sheep, Steven C. Hess, Dirk H. Van Vuren, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sheep and goats are among the earliest animals domesticated by mankind (Zeder 2009). Both goats and sheep may have made better candidates for domestication than other animals like deer because they follow a single dominant leader, the herdsman (Geist 1971). They now have a nearly ubiquitous worldwide distribution, and they are among the most abundant of all commensal animals. However, they have also become some of the most widespread invasive feral mammals, particularly on the 100 or more islands throughout the world where they have been introduced, causing severe damage to island ecosystems, in some cases for hundreds of years …

Ecology Of The Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus) In North America, Are R. Berentsen, William C. Pitt, Robert T. Sugihara

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is a diurnal opportunistic omnivore native to parts of the Middle East, India, and Asia (Corbet and Hill 1992; Lekagul and McNeely 1977; Veron et al. 2007). Much of what is known about the species comes from records of populations where they were introduced to control rodents on sugarcane plantations (predominantly the Caribbean Islands and Hawaii) rather than their native range (Horst et al. 2001). In published research, the introduced mongoose is alternately, and often synonymously, identied as H. auropunctatus or H. javanicus. However, research by Veron et al. (2007) suggests …

Comparison Of Mixing Methods And Associated Residual Levels Of Zinc Phosphide On Cabbage Bait For Rodent Management, Roger A. Baldwin, Benjamin G. Abbo, David A. Goldade

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Zinc phosphide is a toxicant that is used extensively for rodent management throughout many parts of the world. Some rodent species, such as Belding's ground squirrels (Urocitellus beldingi Merriam, 1888), often avoid zinc phosphide grain baits, leaving green vegetation such as cabbage as the only viable carrier for rodenticides. However, to date, ambiguity has existed as to the most appropriate mixing strategy for zinc phosphide-coated cabbage baits, and it is unknown how rapidly zinc phosphide degrades on these green carriers. Following laboratory and field-enclosure trials, we detected no significant difference in mean zinc phosphide concentrations or variability in zinc …

Monk And Rose-Ringed Parakeets, Michael L. Avery, Aaron B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Worldwide, there are about 350 species of parrots and parakeets (order: Psittaciformes). According to the analyses of Cassey et al. (2004), 54 of these species have been introduced to areas outside their native ranges, and 38 species have become established in the nonnative range. Humans exhibit ambivalent feelings toward parrots and parakeets. Many of these birds are strikingly beautiful and highly prized as companion animals, while others are banned because of potential agricultural damage or competition with native species. Many parrot species are afforded special protection because they are endangered in their native habitats, but often these same species are …

It Takes Two: Evidence For Reduced Sexual Conflict Over Parental Care In A Biparental Canid, Christopher J. Schell, Julie K. Young, Elizabeth V. Lonsdorf, Jill M. Mateo, Rachel M. Santymire

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In biparental systems, sexual conflict over parental investment predicts that the parent providing care experiences greater reproductive costs. This inequality in parental contribution is reduced when offspring survival is dependent on biparental care. However, this idea has received little empirical attention. Here, we determined whether mothers and fathers differed in their contribution to care in a captive population of coyotes (Canis latrans). We performed parental care assays on 8 (n = 8 males, 8 females) mated pairs repeatedly over a 10-week period (i.e., 5–15 weeks of litter age) when pairs were first-time breeders (2011), and again as experienced …

Assessing The Utility Of Metabarcoding For Diet Analyses Of The Omnivorous Wild Pig (Sus Scrofa), Michael S. Robeson Ii, Kamil Khanipov, George Golovko, Samantha M. Wisely, Michael D. White, Michael J. Bodenchuck, Timothy J. Smyser, Yuriy Fofanov, Noah Fierer, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are an invasive species descended from both domestic swine and Eurasian wild boar that was introduced to North America during the early 1500s. Wild pigs have since become the most abundant free-ranging exotic ungulate in the United States. Large and ever-increasing populations of wild pigs negatively impact agriculture, sport hunting, and native ecosystems with costs estimated to exceed $1.5 billion/ year within the United States. Wild pigs are recognized as generalist feeders, able to exploit a broad array of locally available food resources, yet their feeding behaviors remain poorly understood as partially digested material …

Seroconversion Of Raccoons Following Two Oral Rabies Vaccination Baiting Strategies, Are R. Berentsen, Erin M. Patrick, Chad Blass, Keith Wehner, Brett Dunlap, Bradley Hicks, Robert Hale, Richard B. Chipman, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Seroprevalence of rabies virus neutralizing antibodies (rVNA) in raccoons (Procyon lotor) following oral rabies vaccination (ORV) with RABORAL V-RG® in the United States has annually averaged 30% since 1997, a level that is unlikely to successfully interrupt rabies transmission in raccoon populations. A longitudinal ORV zone is maintained in the eastern United States with raccoon variant rabies established east of the zone but absent to the west. However, questions remain regarding the effect of the bait application strategy towards achieving optimal population immunity. We estimated the number of ORV baits/km2 of raccoon home range and calculated rVNA seroprevalence …

Evaluation Of The Palatability And Toxicity Of Candidate Baits And Toxicants For Mongooses (Herpestes Auropunctatus), Robert T. Sugihara, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Cynthia G. Payne

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is an invasive pest species responsible for damage to native avian, reptile, and amphibian species on Hawaii, Croatia, Mauritius, and several Caribbean Islands, among other regions.Mongoose control has been pursued through a variety of means, with varying success. One toxicant, diphacinone, has been shown to be effective in mongooses and is co-labeled in a rodenticide bait for mongoose control in Hawaii; however, preliminary observations indicate low performance as a mongoose toxicant due likely to poor consumption. We evaluated the efficacy and palatability of 10 commercial rodenticide baits, technical diphacinone powder, and two …

Evaluating The Waterfowl Breeding Population And Habitat Survey For Scaup, Michael L. Schummer, Alan D. Afton, Shannon S. Badzinski, Scott A. Petrie, Glenn H. Olsen, Mark A. Mitchell

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

Potential bias in breeding population estimates of certain duck species from the Waterfowl Breeding Population and Habitat Survey (WBPHS) has been a concern for decades. The WBPHS does not differentiate between lesser (Aythya affinis) and greater (A. marila) scaup, but lesser scaup comprise 89% of the combined scaup population and their population estimates are suspected to be biased. We marked female lesser scaup (i.e., marked scaup) in the Mississippi and Atlantic Flyways, Canada and United States, with implantable satellite transmitters to track their spring migration through the traditional and eastern survey areas of the WBPHS, 2005–2010. Our goal was to …

Grass Is Not Always Greener: Rodenticide Exposure Of A Threatened Species Near Marijuana Growing Operations, Alan B. Franklin, Peter C. Carlson, Angela Rex, Jeremy T. Rockwelt, David Garza, Emily Culhane, Steven F. Volker, Robert J. Dusek, Valerie I. Shearn-Bochsler, Mourad W. Gabriel, Katherine E. Horak

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Marijuana (Cannabis spp.) growing operations (MGO) in California have increased substantially since the mid-1990s. One environmental side-effect of MGOs is the extensive use of anticoagulant rodenticides (AR) to prevent damage to marijuana plants caused by wild rodents. In association with a long-term demographic study, we report on an observation of brodifacoum AR exposure in a threatened species, the northern spotted owl (Strix occidentalis caurina), found freshly dead within 669–1347 m of at least seven active MGOs.

Species With Greater Aerial Maneuverability Have Higher Frequency Of Collisions With Aircraft: A Comparative Study, Esteban Fernandez-Juricic, James Brand, Bradley F. Blackwell, Thomas W. Seamans, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Antipredator responses may appear unsuccessful when animals are exposed to approaching vehicles, often resulting inmortality. Recent studies have addressed whether certain biological traits are associated with variation in collision risk with cars, but not with higher speed-vehicles like aircraft. Our goal was to establish the association between different species traits (i.e., body mass, eye size, brain size, wing loading, wing aspect ratio) and the frequency of bird collisions with aircraft (hereafter, bird strikes) using a comparative approach controlling for the effects of shared ancestry. We proposed directional predictions as to how each of the species traits would affect the frequency …

Common Ravens Conditioned To A Nutritious Seasonal Aquatic Food Source In Rocky Mountain National Park, Richard M. Engeman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Common Ravens (Corvus corax) are among the most intelligent of birds with extraordinary problem-solving capabilities (Heinrich 1995, Heinrich and Bugnyar 2005). Their intelligence, behavioral flexibility, and omnivorous diet allow ravens to adapt to many conditions and innovatively learn foraging behaviors, especially in context with human landscape changes and food sources (e.g., Ficken 1977, Andersson 1989, Heinrich 1995, Lefebvre et al. 1997). Ravens can also identify interconnections between stimuli and potential unseen food resources. For example, a controlled experiment in Wyoming found that Common Ravens learned to fly toward gunshots, but only in forested areas where the auditory stimuli …

Chapter 11 An International Perspective On The Regulation Of Rodenticides, John D. Eisemann, Penny M. Fisher, Alan Buckle, Simon Humphrys

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

In the late 1940s, anticoagulant active ingredients were introduced into the global rodenticide market. They were rapidly favored over existing rodenticides, such as red squill, zinc phosphide, strychnine and inorganic compounds, because they were comparatively inexpensive and did not appear to have any unpalatable taste, odor or cause any immediate post-ingestive reaction that could lead to bait shyness in rodents (Wardrop and Keeling 2008). The number of products registered in the United States (US) under Section 3 of the Federal Fungicide, Insecticide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA), which was passed in 1947 and was the first US law to require product …

Individual Variation In Avian Avoidance Behaviours In Response To Repeated, Simulated Vehicle Approach, Travis L. Devault, T. W. Seamans, B. F. Blackwell, S. L. Lima, E. Fernandez-Juricic

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Birds exhibit variation in alert and flight behaviours in response to vehicles within and between species, but it is unclear how properties inherent to individuals influence variation in avoidance responses over time. We examined individual variation in avoidance behaviours of Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater (Boddaert, 1783)) in response to repeated presentation of a simulated vehicle approach in a video playback scenario. Wemodeled temporal alert and flight behaviours to determine whether overall behavioural variation resulted primarily from variation within individuals (i.e., intraindividual variation) or between individuals (i.e., interindividual variation). We examined reaction norms (individual × treatment day) and whether birds …

Prophage Induction Reduces Shiga Toxin Producing Escherichia Coli (Stec) And Salmonella Enterica On Tomatoes And Spinach: A Model Study, Brigitte Cadieux, Anna Colavecchio, Julie Jeukens, Luca Freschi, Jean-Guillaume Emond-Rheault, Irena Kukavica-Ibrulj, Roger C. Levesque, Sakjia Bekal, Jeffrey C. Chandler, Shannon M. Coleman, Bledar Bisha, Lawrence D. Goodridge

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Fresh produce is increasingly implicated in foodborne outbreaks and most fresh produce is consumed raw, emphasizing the need to develop non-thermal methods to control foodborne pathogens. This study investigates bacterial cell lysis through induction of prophages as a novel approach to control foodborne bacterial pathogens on fresh produce. Shiga toxin producing Escherichia coli (STEC) and Salmonella enterica isolates were exposed to different prophage inducers (i.e. mitomycin C or streptonigrin) and growth of the cells was monitored by measuring the optical density (OD₆₀₀) during incubation at 37C. Beginning at three hours after addition of the inducer, all concentrations (0.5, …

Management Of Wintering Short-Eared Owls At Airports In The Lower Great Lakes Region, Aaron Bowden, Robert J. Hromack, Christopher H. Loftis, Brian E. Washburn

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

USDA Wildlife Services airport wildlife biologists have been tasked with reducing the hazards that raptors (including owls) pose to safe aircraft operations at airports and military airfields throughout the USA. A review of available wildlife strike information suggests short-eared owls (Asio flammeus) are frequently struck by aircraft during the winter months at numerous airports within the Lower Great Lakes Region of the United States. Further, this species is listed as ‘endangered’ by state fish and wildlife agencies in many states, although not at the federal level. Consequently, there is particular interest in developing non-lethal management tools for reducing …

Foraging Behavior Of Red-Winged Blackbirds (Agelaius Phoeniceus) On Sunflower (Helianthus Annuus) With Varying Coverage Of Anthraquinone-Based Repellent, Brandon K. Kaiser, Mike Ostlie, Page E. Klug

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Animals attempt to maximize foraging efforts by making strategic foraging decisions. Foraging efforts can be influenced by chemically defended food. Food resources that are chemically defended force foragers to balance the nutritional gain with the toxic costs of foraging on a defended food resource. Chemical defense, in this case sunflower treated with chemical repellent, may be capable of deterring birds from foraging on treated crops. Blackbirds (Icteridae) cause significant damage to sunflower (Helianthus annuus) with damage estimates of $3.5 million annually in the Prairie Pothole Region of North Dakota, the largest sunflower producing state. Chemical repellents …