Animal Sciences Commons^™

Movement Patterns In The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus Fuscus), W. Adam Phelps

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Temperate insectivorous bats have historically used such structures as hollow trees, slabs of loose bark, foliage, and caves as roosts. With the advent of modern man in North America, human-built structures have become available to bats. Eptesicus fuscus is one of only two species of bats in the eastern United States that regularly utilize human structures as roosts, and the only one that regularly hibernates there. Individual ~- fuscus utilizing the attic of a church on the campus of St. Mary-of-the-Woods College (SMWC) were implanted with passive integrated transponder (PIT) tags. The electronic tag reader was placed near the only …

An Analysis Of Materials Suitable For Use As A Pitfall Trap In A Desert Environment, R. Renee Brown

UNLV Theses, Dissertations, Professional Papers, and Capstones

The purpose of this study is to identify a type of pitfall trap container that can withstand the temperature extremes of the Mojave Desert in which the terrestrial, or above ground, drift fence with pitfall traps will be utilized for trapping reptiles. A pitfall trap is a container, such as a plastic bucket with a plastic lid, that is buried in the ground up to the lip of the bucket and used to catch small ground dwelling fauna that fall into the trap. Many different pitfall trap materials have been utilized in the trapping of small ground-dwelling fauna. Plastic has …

Male Reproductive Dynamics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Jamie S. Heisig

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

The population size structure of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus argus, in the Florida Keys, Florida (USA) has undergone a dramatic shift as a result of fishing pressure on the large individuals of the population. Male lobsters are affected most by fishing because of sexual dimorphism in size and other studies have shown that male size has direct impacts on reproductive output (i.e., number of fertilized eggs/clutch) that are independent of female size. To assess more precisely the impact of male size on fertilization success, I conducted laboratory experiments and field observations to examine various male reproductive attributes over …

Ecology Of The Missouri River: Missouri River Creel Survey, Bellevue Bridge To Camp Creek, 30 March Through 11 October 2002. Supplement I, Gerald Mestl

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

This report describes Missouri River activities and results related to a channelized Missouri River creel survey conducted from 30 March through 11 October 2002. This is the third of a planned annual creel survey to be conducted on alternating sections of the channelized Missouri River to measure changes in recreational fishing activity, especially those changes due to large scale habitat restoration efforts. Future reports will contain additional analyses of these data. Anglers spent over 42,000 hours fishing the Missouri River from Bellevue (rkm 967.7) to Camp Creek (rkm 883.5) during the survey period. Effort was steady from late spring (4/27 …

Temperature Regulation And The Constraints Of Climate In The Eared Grebe, Hugh I. Ellis, Joseph R. Jehl Jr

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

Eared Grebes (Podiceps nigricollis) encounter a variety of climatic regimes in their annual cycle. The most dramatic occur while on staging areas in autumn. We investigated the thermoregulatory abilities of the Eared Grebe to determine how they coped with these climate changes during staging. The basal metabolic rate (BMR) was higher than predicted. Mass-specific BMR was 1.212 mL O2/g·h for birds averaging 317 g. The thermoneutral zone is wide and extended from 15°C to 38°C. Minimal thermal conductance and average body temperature were not unusual. We conclude that Eared Grebes live most of the year under thermoneutral conditions and that …

Incorporating Local Knowledge Into Population And Habitat Viability Assessments: Landowners And Tree Kangaroos In Papua New Guinea, Philip J. Nyhus, J Williams, J Borovansky, O Byers, P Miller

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Dangerous Animals In Captivity: Ex Situ Tiger Conflict And Implication For Private Ownership Of Exotic Animals, Philip J. Nyhus, Ronald L. Tilson, J L. Tomlinson

Faculty Scholarship

The risks associated with tiger attacks on people in the wild are well documented. There may currently be more tigers in captivity than in the wild, but relatively little is known about the risks of injury or death associated with owning and managing captive tigers and other large carnivores. The purpose of this study was to conduct a global assessment of attacks by captive tigers on people, with particular emphasis on cases in the United States. Our analysis of 30 international media sources and additional documents uncovered 59 unique incidents in 1998-2001 in which people were reportedly injured or killed …

Abiotic Factors Influencing The Breeding, Movement, And Foraging Of The Eastern Spadefoot (Scaphiopus Holbrookii) In West Virginia, Keith A. Johnson

Theses, Dissertations and Capstones

Haphazard searches and telemetry methods were used to track movements and habitat use of two recently discovered and only known populations of Scaphiopus holbrookii in West Virginia. It was the purpose of this study to determine the home range and habitat use of S. holbrookii. Toads were found to forage a mean distance of 13.5 in. (34.5 cm) from their burrows. Habitat consisted of open areas with soil textures of sandy loam, loamy sand, or sand. Radio- transmitters were surgically implanted in two specimens from one breeding site to provide data about habitat use and emergence. Data loggers were installed …

An Ecosystem-Based Approach To Management: Using Individual Behaviour To Predict The Indirect Effects Of Antarctic Krill Fisheries On Penguin Foraging, Suzanne H. Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Summary 1. Changes in species' abundance and distributions caused by human disturbances can have indirect effects on other species in a community. Although ecosystem approaches to management are becoming increasingly prevalent, they require a fuller understand- ing of how individual behaviour determines interactions within and between species. 2. Ecological interactions involving krill are of major importance to many species within the Antarctic. Despite extensive knowledge of the ecosystem that they occupy, there is still incomplete understanding of the links between species and the effect of environmental conditions on these interactions. In this study, we extended a behavioural model used previously …

Restoration Of The Red Wolf, Michael K. Phillips, V. Gary Henry, Brian T. Kelly

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

"WOLFERS" IN NORTHEASTERN North Carolina were busy on February 5, 1768. Records from the Tyrrell County courthouse read:

Giles Long and Thomas Wilkinson awarded one pound for a certified wolf scalp; Jeremiah Norman awarded two pounds for certified wolf and wild-cat scalps; Davenport Smithwick awarded one pound for a certified wolf-scalp.

Such was the nature of the war on the wolf: people killed them for money. The belief of the time held that the war was necessary because it was humankind's manifest destiny to tame the wilderness. And for the wilderness to be tame, the wolf had to be exterminated. …

Wolf-Prey Relations, L. David Mech, Rolf O. Peterson

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

AS 1 (L. o. MECH) watched from a small ski plane while fifteen wolves surrounded a moose on snowy Isle Royale, I had no idea this encounter would typify observations I would make during 40 more years of studying wolf-prey interactions.

My usual routine while observing wolves hunting was to have my pilot keep circling broadly over the scene so I could watch the wolves' attacks without disturbing any of the animals. Only this time there was no attack. The moose held the wolves at bay for about 5 minutes (fig. p), and then the pack left.

From this observation …

Ecological Games In Space And Time: The Distribution And Abundance Of Antarctic Krill And Penguins, Suzanne Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The distribution and abundance of organisms are affected by behaviors, such as habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction. These behaviors are driven by interactions within and between species, environmental conditions, and the biology of the species in-volved. Although extensive theoretical work has explored predator–prey dynamics, these models have not considered the impact of behavioral plasticity and life-history trade-offs on predicted patterns. We apply a modeling method that allows the consideration of a spatial, dynamic ecological game between predators and prey using a life-history perspec-tive. As an illustrative example, we model the habitat selection of Antarctic krill and penguins during the time …

Ecological Games In Space And Time: The Distribution And Abundance Of Antarctic Krill And Penguins, Suzanne H. Alonzo, Paul V. Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

The distribution and abundance of organisms are affected by behaviors, such as habitat selection, foraging, and reproduction. These behaviors are driven by interactions within and between species, environmental conditions, and the biology of the species in-volved. Although extensive theoretical work has explored predator–prey dynamics, these models have not considered the impact of behavioral plasticity and life-history trade-offs on predicted patterns. We apply a modeling method that allows the consideration of a spatial, dynamic ecological game between predators and prey using a life-history perspec-tive. As an illustrative example, we model the habitat selection of Antarctic krill and penguins during the time …

An Ecosystem-Based Approach To Management: Using Individual Behaviour To Predict The Indirect Effects Of Antarctic Krill Fisheries On Penguin Foraging, Suzanne Alonzo, Paul Switzer, Marc Mangel

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Summary 1. Changes in species' abundance and distributions caused by human disturbances can have indirect effects on other species in a community. Although ecosystem approaches to management are becoming increasingly prevalent, they require a fuller understand- ing of how individual behaviour determines interactions within and between species. 2. Ecological interactions involving krill are of major importance to many species within the Antarctic. Despite extensive knowledge of the ecosystem that they occupy, there is still incomplete understanding of the links between species and the effect of environmental conditions on these interactions. In this study, we extended a behavioural model used previously …

Growth And The Expression Of Alternative Life Cycles In The Salamander Ambystoma Talpoideum (Caudata: Ambystomatidae), Travis J. Ryan, Raymond D. Semlitsch

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Complex life cycles (CLCs) contain larval and adult phases that are morphologically and ecologically distinct. Simple life cycles (SLCs) have evolved from CLCs repeatedly in a wide variety of lineages but the processes that may underlie the transition have rarely been identified or investigated experimentally. We examined the influence of larval growth rate on the facultative expression of alternative life cycles (metamorphosis or maturation as gill-bearing adults [= paedomorphosis]) in the salamander Ambystoma talpoideum. We manipulated growth rates by altering the amount of food individuals received throughout larval development. The expression of alternative life cycles in A. talpoideum is influenced …

Effects Of Fish Cage Culture On The Water Quality Of The Matang Mangrove Estuaries, Peninsular Malaysia, Sui Chuen Wong

Student Works (2000-2009)

A study on the effects of fish cage aquaculture on water quality was carried out in three Matang mangrove estuaries of the Sangga Bcsar (SSB), Jaha (SJ) and Sangga Kecil rivers. These estuaries, on a comparative basis, represented high-density, low­density and no aquaculture, respectively. To test the hypothesis that cage aquaculture increases the nutrient concentration of surrounding waters, and consequently increases chlorophyll a concentration (phytoplankton biomass), several investigations comprising comparisons of background (non-cage sites) nutrient levels among estuaries and cage and non-cage (control) sites, with consideration for confounding effects by tide (flood/ebb), diel (day/night) and season (wet/dry), were carried out. …

The Tadpole Of Phrynobatrachus Mababiensis Fitzsimons, 1932 (Anura, Ranidae, Petropedetinae), Rafael O. De Sá, Alan Channing

Biology Faculty Publications

The puddle frog genus Phrynobatrachus Günther, 1862 comprises about 64 currently recognized species (Frost, 1985). Of these, only the tadpoles of P. natalensis (Smith, 1849) (Power, 1927; Channing, 2001), P. guineensis Guibé & Lamotte, 1961(Rödel,1998) and P. alticola Guibé & Lamotte, 1961 (Rödel & Ernst, 2002) have been described. Phrynobatrachus mababiensis FitzSimons, 1932 (Dwarf Puddle frog, Wager, 1986; Mababe River frog, Frank & Ramus, 1996) is a small frog that usually calls from low in thick vegetation on flooded terrains close to the water. Very little has been published about the biology of this species. Passmore & Carruthers (1979) reported …

Introduction, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

THE WOLF IS TRULY a special animal. As the most widely distributed of all land mammals, the wolf, formally the gray wolf (Canis lupus), is also one of the most adaptable. It inhabits all the vegetation types of the Northern Hemisphere and preys on all the large mammals living there. It also feeds on all the other animals in its environment, scavenges, and can even eat fruits and berries. Wolves frequent forests and prairies, tundra, barren ground, mountains, deserts, and swamps. Some wolves even visit large cities, and, of course, the wolf's domesticated version, the dog, thrives in …

Wolf Population Dynamics, Todd K. Fuller, L. David Mech, Jean Fitts Cochrane

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

A LARGE, DARK WOLF poked his nose out of the pines in Yellowstone National Park as he thrust a broad foot deep into the snow and plowed ahead. Soon a second animal appeared, then another, and a fourth. A few minutes later, a pack of thirteen lanky wolves had filed out of the pines and onto the open hillside.

Wolf packs are the main social units of a wolf population. As numbers of wolves in packs change, so too, then, does the wolf population (Rausch 1967). Trying to understand the factors and mechanisms that affect these changes is what the …

Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, And Conservation: Photo Section Ii, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Isaac Babcock, Melissa Mccaw

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

Adult wolves are very attentive to the pups. Both parents feed and care for them. Any older siblings similarly participate in pup care and feeding. Kin selection is probably the best explanation for the latter behavior. Top: Photograph by Isaac Babcock. Bottom: Photograph by L. David Mech.

Leptodactylus Mystacinus, M. M. Heyer, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Adult Leptodactylus mystacinus are of moderate size, the head is as wide as long, and the hind limbs are moderately short (see Table; Heyer and Thompson 2000 provided definitions of adult size and leg length categories for Leptodactylus). Male vocal sacs are not visible externally or at best are weakly expanded laterally and slightly darker than female throats. Male snouts are more spatulate than those of females. Male forearms are not hypertrophied. Males lack asperities on the thumbs and chest. One or two pairs of dorsolateral folds (indicated by dark/light outlining in indifferently preserved specimens) are present: one …

Demographic Assessment Of The Blue Crab (Callinectes Sapidus) In Chesapeake Bay Using Extractable Lipofuscins As Age Markers, Se-Jong Ju, David H. Secor, H. Rodger Harvey

OES Faculty Publications

The blue crab (Callinectes sapidus) plays an important economic and ecological role in estuaries and coastal habitats from the Gulf of Mexico to the east coast of North America, but demographic assessments are limited by length-based methods. We applied an alternative aging method using biochemical measures of metabolic byproducts (lipofuscins) sequestered in the neural tissue of eyestalks to examine population age structure. From Chesapeake Bay, subsamples of animals collected from the 1998-99 (n-769) and 1999-2000 (n=367) winter dredge surveys were collected and lipofuscin was measured. Modal analysis of the lipofuscin index provided separation into three modes, whereas carapace-width …

Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, And Conservation: Photo Section I, Douglas W. Smith, Rolf Peterson, L. David Mech, Barron Crawford

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

Wolves in Yellowstone National Park's restored population often must compete with grizzly bears at the carcasses of their kills. Especially after their first feeding at a kill, wolves tend to relinquish their kills to bears. Photograph by Doug Smith.

Elk are one of the most common prey of wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains of North America, primarily because in most areas they tend to outnumber other prey. This large bull standing his ground escaped this pack. Photograph by Doug Smith.

Incidence Of Mink, Mustela Vison, And River Otter, Lutra Canadensis, In A Highly Urbanized Area, L. David Mech

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

Mink (Mustela vison) frequently inhabited or traversed a residential. business. and industrial part of the Twin Cities. Minnesota, with little water or natural vegetation. At least one River Otter (Lutra canadensis) also resided on a small pond on a golf course in the area for several winter months.

Wolf Social Ecology, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

THE FIRST REAL BEGINNING to our understanding of wolf social ecology came from wolf 2204 on 23 May 1972. State depredation control trapper Lawrence Waino, of Duluth, Minnesota, had caught this female wolf 112 km ( 67 mi) south of where L. D. Mech had radio-collared her in the Superior National Forest 2 years earlier. A young lone wolf, nomadic over 100 km² (40 mi²) during the 9 months Mech had been able to keep track of her, she had then disappeared until Waino caught her. From her nipples it was apparent that she had just been …

Wolves And Humans, Steven H. Fritts, Robert O. Stephenson, Robert D. Hayes, Luigi Boitani

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

TRY TO IMAGINE a small group of wolves sitting at a table engaged in vigorous debate. These wolves are from various parts of the globe and are perhaps a bit more scholarly than most. In fact, they are especially knowledgeable about the biology of that notorious two-legged species, Homo sapiens. They have been brought together to document their relationship with humans over the last several millennia. Pause for a few moments and consider what they might say ...

Perhaps the wolves' discussion would chronicle the evils of the human species, including details of atrocities committed against lupine ancestors down …

Wolf Interactions With Non-Prey, Warren B. Ballard, Ludwig N. Carbyn, Douglas W. Smith

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

WOLVES SHARE THEIR ENVIRONMENT with many animals besides those that they prey on, and the nature of the interactions between wolves and these other creatures varies considerably. Some of these sympatric animals are fellow canids such as foxes, coyotes, and jackals. Others are large carnivores such as bears and cougars. In addition, ravens, eagles, wolverines, and a host of other birds and mammals interact with wolves, if only by feeding on the remains of their kills.

Conclusion, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

WOLVES CAN LIVE almost anywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, and almost everywhere they do, they are an issue. In the vast emptiness of the northern tundra or the Arabian desert, on the outskirts of a European town or in the safety of an American national park, in meager agricultural lands in India or mountains in rich Norway or Switzerland, wolves always attract people's attention. Wolves form a key part of many ecosystems, and they are considered charismatic creatures by most human cultures. Thus they polarize public opinion and make headlines year after year.

If we look back 6o years to …

References, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

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

Abrams, P. A. 2000. The evolution of predator-prey interactions. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 31:79-105.

Abuladze, K. I. 1964. Osnovy Tsestodologii. Vol. IV. Teniatylentochnye gel' minty zhivotnykh i cheloveka i vyzyvaevaniia. Nauka, Moscow. 530 pp.

Achuff, P. L., and R. Petocz. 1988. Preliminary resource inventory of the Arjin Mountains Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, People's Republic of China. World Wide Fund for Nature, Gland, Switzerland. 78 pp.

Ackerman, B. B., F. A. Leban, M. D. Samuel, and E. 0. Garton. 1990. User's manual for program Home Range. 2d ed. Technical Report no. 15. Forestry, Wildlife, and Range Experiment Station, University ofldaho, Moscow.

Acorn, …

Survival Of The Western Pond Turtle (Emys Marmorata) In An Urban California Environment, Phillip Q. Spinks, Gregory B. Pauly, John J. Crayon, H. Bradley Shaffer

United States Geological Survey: Staff Publications

The western pond turtle Emys (formerly Clemmys marmorata) is declining throughout its range, primarily due to loss of habitat via urbanization and conversion to agriculture. Urban waterways present several important challenges to freshwater turtle populations, but they also present an opportunity to maintain declining species in a ubiquitous habitat that has high public visibility. The arboretum waterway on the University of California, Davis campus is an example of an extensively altered urban habitat that supports a relatively large E. marmorata population. Over the last 6 years, we monitored the turtle population inhabiting the arboretum waterway to determine the …