Animal Sciences Commons^™

Of Rats And Men, Thomas S. Walsh

Capstones

This capstone is a data-driven investigation into New York City's rat problem. By using publicly available government data to map rat activity in NYC, I identified several socio-economic variables that correlate with rat populations at the community district, borough, and city-scale. I used these findings (mainly that rat problems are linked to lower incomes) as the basis of an investigation, which includes interviews with residents, experts, and city officials. Prof. Bobby Corrigan, urban rodentologist and formerly with the NYC Department of Health criticizes the city's efforts for the first time on the record.

https://thomasseiyawalsh.wixsite.com/ratstone

The Official List Of The Birds Of Nebraska, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The last published “Official List” of the NOURC (NOURC 2009) included 454 species. Since then the following species have been added:

Brown-headed Nuthatch (Sitta pusilla) Accidental I-P 2010

Hooded Crane (Grus monacha) Accidental I-P 2011

Crested Caracara (Caracara cheriway) Accidental I-P 2012

Black-chinned Hummingbird (Archilochus alexandri) Casual I-P 2012

Hooded Oriole (Icterus cucullatus) Accidental I-P 2013

Brown Booby (Sula leucogaster) Accidental I-P 2014

Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) Accidental I-P 2014

Anna’s Hummingbird (Calypte anna) Accidental I-P 2016

Pacific Wren (Troglodytes pacificus) Accidental I-P 2017

Index To Volume 85

Nebraska Bird Review

Abreu, Shanin 58 ...

through

Ziegelbauer, Amanda 147

(15 pages)

Fall Field Report, August - November 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This fall season will be remembered as the fall with the mega-rarities. There were five, one of which, Pacific Wren, is a first Nebraska record. Based on occurrence dates, Hurricane Irma appears to have influenced the appearance of two of the megas, Black Vulture and Magnificent Frigatebird, neither of which provided opportunities for observers to view them, but both well-documented with photographs. There were an extraordinary TWO sightings of Harris’s Hawk, which together with the presence as of this writing (December 19) of one in northeast Kansas and a view of the species map in eBird strongly suggest a single …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 December 2017 Number 4

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August - November 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 146-178

The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska, compiled by Mark A. Brogie …179-197

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 15 - 17, 2017, by Janis Paseka …198-203

Index to Volume 85 …204-218

Subscription and Organization Information … 219

Ogallala Fall Field Days, Sept. 15 - 17, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The 2017 NOU Fall Field Days took place in and around Ogallala on Sept. 15 - 17 with 55 in attendance. The weather on Friday was hot and windy, making finding birds a challenge. Overnight a cold front came through causing birders to shiver on Saturday and Sunday mornings, but the payoff was easier birding and some interesting species. Field trips were led by William Flack, Clem Klaphake, Wayne Mollhoff, Don Paseka, Ross Silcock and T. J. Walker. Locations included Cedar Point Biological Station, Lake Ogallala SRA, various beaches along the shore of Lake McConaughy SRA, Ash Hollow State Historical …

Genomic Data Reveal A Loss Of Diversity In Two Species Of Tuco-Tucos (Genus Ctenomys) Following A Volcanic Eruption, Jeremy L. Hsu, Jeremy Chase Crawford, Mauro N. Tammone, Uma Ramakrishnan, Eileen A. Lacey, Elizabeth A. Hadly

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Marked reductions in population size can trigger corresponding declines in genetic variation. Understanding the precise genetic consequences of such reductions, however, is often challenging due to the absence of robust pre- and post-reduction datasets. Here, we use heterochronous genomic data from samples obtained before and immediately after the 2011 eruption of the Puyehue-Cordón Caulle volcanic complex in Patagonia to explore the genetic impacts of this event on two parapatric species of rodents, the colonial tuco-tuco (Ctenomys sociabilis) and the Patagonian tuco-tuco (C. haigi). Previous analyses using microsatellites revealed no post-eruption changes in genetic variation in C. …

Evaluating The Ecological Status Of The Introduced Nile Monitor (Varanus Niloticus) In Florida: Forecasting Presence And Population Expansion Using Computational Geographic Information Systems, Noah G. Cohen

HCNSO Student Theses and Dissertations

The Nile monitor (Varanus niloticus) is a large, carnivorous lizard that has become a notorious invasive species in Florida, USA. Initially released in the 1980s from the pet trade, the species has since established at least three breeding populations and spread throughout much of southern Florida. While current control efforts have failed to eradicate V. niloticus, it is important to attain a better understanding of its invasive dynamics to guide and inform better control strategies. In this study, available georeferenced records of V. niloticus in Florida were compiled and linked to a habitat classification map to evaluate ecotype preferences. Factored …

A Study Of The Urban Red Fox (Vulpes Vulpes) Population In Baton Rouge, Louisiana Using Social Media, Ahsennur Soysal

LSU Master's Theses

Foxes are timid yet resourceful animals that are integrated into many urban environments. Because they are elusive, collecting information about the number of urban foxes, their diet and spatial distribution, their interactions with the ecological community in their urban habitat, as well as residents’ response to them, is difficult. Involving stakeholders to participate in the data collection on wildlife via citizen science on social media is one way to overcome this complication, while simultaneously engaging residents in the ecology happening around them. Therefore, we used social media as the platform to engage the public to document and map the foxes …

The North American Quails, Partridges, And Pheasants, Paul A. Johnsgard

Zea E-Books Collection

This book documents the biology of six species of New World quails that are native to North America north of Mexico (mountain, scaled, Gambel’s, California, and Montezuma quails, and the northern bobwhite), three introduced Old World partridges (chukar, Himalayan snowcock, and gray partridge), and the introduced common (ring-necked) pheasant. Collectively, quails, partridges, and pheasants range throughout all of the continental United States and the Canadian provinces. Two of the species, the northern bobwhite and ring-necked pheasant, are the most economically important of all North American upland game birds. All of the species are hunted extensively for sport and are highly …

Cnemidophorus Sexlineatus And The Impacts The Environment Has On Its Population At The Braidwood Dunes, Jeremiah Soto

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.

First Report Of A Population Of Western Blacknose Dace (Rhinichthys Obtusus) In The Brushy Creek System Of The Black Warrior River Drainage, Alabama, Eric Bauer, Malorie M. Hayes

Southeastern Fishes Council Proceedings

Alabama is home to the southernmost populations of Rhinichthys obtusus, the Western Blacknose Dace. Within Alabama, R. obtusus is found in the Tennessee, Coosa, and Black Warrior River basins, but its presence in the Black Warrior River drainage has been limited. Until now, R. obtusus in the Black Warrior drainage has only been reported as collections of 1 to 4 specimens at a time in the Sipsey Fork drainage. Herein, we report two novel occurrences of R. obtusus in the headwaters of the Brushy Creek system in the Black Warrior River drainage including a singleton and a large population. …

Rehabilitation Of An Injured Golden Eagle (Aquila Chrysaetos): A Case Study, Fida Muhammad Khan, Fakhar-I- Abbas, Abu Ul Hassan Faiz

Journal of Bioresource Management

Habitat destruction and anthropogenic activities cause wild birds to migrate towards urban areas in search of food and sometimes nesting in high-roof buildings, where they are caught by local people using different techniques and are further used for hunting or recreational purposes. An injured Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) was found entangled in bushes near the vicinity of Balkasar Research Complex, Chakwal, Pakistan. After complete physical examination, a wound on the right wing and closed leg fracture was diagnosed. The successful treatment was done by anti-parasitic and anti-bacterial drugs with careful monitoring. Splint was adjusted after aligning the fractured …

European Starlings, H. Jeffrey Homan, Ron J. Johnson, James R. Thiele, George M. Linz

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris, Figure 1) are an invasive species in the United States. The first recorded release of the birds was in 1890 in New York City’s Central Park. Because starlings easily adapt to a variety of habitats, nest sites and food sources, the birds spread quickly across the country. Today, there are about 150 million starlings in North America. Conflicts between people and starlings occur mostly in agricultural settings. Conflicts can occur during winter in urban and suburban environments, especially in business districts.

Starlings damage apples, blueberries, cherries, figs, grapes, peaches, and strawberries. Besides causing direct losses from …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 September 2017 Number 3

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June - July 2017, by W. Ross Silcock …94

Diet and Habitat Analysis of Barn Owls (Tyto alba) Nesting at Ponca State Park, by Ann Spilker and Joseph Gubanyi … 121

2016 (28th) Report of the NOU Records Committee, by Mark A. Brogie …128

Subscription and Organization Information … 143

Summer Field Report, June - July 2017, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Changes in breeding ranges and numbers of Nebraska breeding birds are the primary focus of a Summer Seasonal Report. Every year there are changes to be noted; this year is no exception. Although most of the phenomena listed below are examples of dispersing individuals without breeding evidence, these often indicate breeding range expansion. White-winged Doves are becoming numerous in southern and western Nebraska, although breeding in far eastern Nebraska was only the 5th report for the state. Chuckwill’s- widow continues to creep westward in the south; the westernmost report to date was of one that crossed the 100-mile gap from …

Diet And Habitat Analysis Of Barn Owls (Tyto Alba) Nesting At Ponca State Park, Ann Spilker, Joseph A. Gubanyi

Nebraska Bird Review

In 2015 Barn Owls (Tyto alba) nested on the floor of a grain bin in Ponca State Park, Dixon County. Seven nestlings were observed (Figure 1). It is believed that 6 fledged (one carcass was found on the floor of the bin September 26). Barn Owls were not observed the following spring (Jan Johnson, personal communication). Because there are few records of Barn Owls in the region, we collected data to better understand the Barn Owl nesting in Ponca State Park. Barn Owl prey and their importance to reproductive success has been well documented (Marti et al. 2005; Gubanyi et …

2016 (28th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union Records Committee (NOURC) are described in its bylaws (NOURC 2010). The committee’s purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska. Accidental and casual species for which the NOURC seeks documentation (NOURC Review List) can be found at the NOU website: www.NOUbirds.org. All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, NE. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found …

Modelling Walleye Population And Its Cannibalism Effect, Quan Zhou

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Walleye is a very common recreational fish in Canada with a strong cannibalism tendency, such that walleyes with larger sizes will consume their smaller counterparts when food sources are limited or a surplus of adults is present. Cannibalism may be a factor promoting population oscillation. As fish reach a certain age or biological stage (i.e. biological maturity), the number of fish achieving that stage is known as fish recruitment. The objective of this thesis is to model the walleye population with its recruitment and cannibalism effect. A matrix population model has been introduced to characterize the walleye population into three …

Herons And Egrets, Michael D. Hoy

Wildlife Damage Management Technical Series

Human-Wildlife Conflicts

Landscapes -- Herons and egrets commonly cause damage at aquaculture facilities and recreational fishing waters where fish are held at high densities. In one study, on average wading birds consumed from 4 to 24 golden shiners per day at minnow production facilities in Arkansas. Great blue herons and great egrets commonly feed at catfish production facilities in Mississippi. The tendency for herons and egrets to congregate in large feeding flocks often leads to extensive loss of fish at aquaculture facilities. Fish-eating birds also can have an impact on intensively managed sport fisheries. Damage occurs when herons and egrets …

Nesting Success Of The Barn Owl (Tyto Alba) Using Nest Boxes In Southwest Missouri, Robert Grant Dickerson

MSU Graduate Theses

The Barn Owl (Tyto alba) is a medium-sized owl belonging to the family Tytonidae. They raise young within natural cavities and on hard surfaces including nest boxes. The nesting success of Barn Owls, using wooden nest boxes, was studied in southwestern Missouri in 2016. Data were collected on clutch and brood sizes, the numbers of young fledged, and the species and amount of prey found in their regurgitated pellets. Interaction between Barn Owls and Great Horned Owls (Bubo virginianus) was also observed and documented. Nest box occupancy was 30% which is lower than in other studies, however this study included …

Habitat Associations With Small Mammal Communities At Wilson's Creek National Battlefield, Stephanie Anne Ellison

MSU Graduate Theses

The purpose of this study was to aid the National Park Service at Wilson’s Creek National Battlefield with the reported habitat monitoring and management goals through vegetation and wildlife surveys within the park. I provided a description of two major habitat types that are of ecological concern, which included non-native ruderal grasslands and upland deciduous woodlands and forests. I evaluated small mammal communities to determine factors that may affect the detection of individual species and examined habitat associations with occupancy, as small mammals are good indicators of habitat quality. My study highlights the need to manage invasive species such as …

A Global Community Effort To Decipher The Unique Biology Of Annual Killifish, Nibia Berois, Graciela Garcia, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Over the past 50 years, annual killifishes arose as alternative model organisms for studies of vertebrate biology. The annual fish offers exceptional advantages for studies of genetics, genomics, developmental biology, population dynamics, ecology, biogeography, and evolution. They inhabit extremely variable freshwater environments in Africa and South America, have a short lifespan and a set of unique and fascinating developmental characteristics. Embryos survive within the dry substrate during the dry season, whereas the adult population dies. Thus, the survival of the populations is entirely dependent on the buried embryos that hatch the next rainy season. Although Old and New World species …

Nou Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting, Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, Janis Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

The annual meeting of the Nebraska Ornithologists’ Union was held at the Senior Center in Auburn on May 19-21, 2017, and was organized by Robin Harding and Don and Janis Paseka. About 70 birders attended on a weekend that began wet but finished with more birder-friendly conditions. Our Friday evening program was a presentation by Kevin Holliday, Superintendent of Indian Cave State Park. He mentioned the park’s features including the cave and petroglyphs, St. Deroin cemetery, 22 miles of trails, Missouri River overlook and reconstructed town. He also highlighted the many events held in the park during the year, including …

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone Canadensis Tabida) Copulation Detected Along The Big Bend Of The Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, Andrew J. Caven, Emma M. Brinley Buckley

Nebraska Bird Review

On 9 March 2017 at 0805 hrs, two A. canadensis tabida were observed copulating on a sandy island within the south channel of the Platte River, Hall County, Nebraska (40.790982°N, -98.404635°W, WGS84; 581 m elev.). Two biologists witnessed the copulation at a distance of about 175 m looking to the south from within an overnight viewing blind on the north bank of the south channel of the Platte River, utilizing an 80 mm spotting scope (20x60x magnification). The sequence of events previous to the copulation followed very closely the observations reported by Tacha (1988). The copulation was proceeded by the …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 85 June 2017 Number 2

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March - May 2017, by W. Ross Silcock … 54

Greater Sandhill Crane (Antigone canadensis tabida) Copulation Detected Along the Big Bend of the Platte River, South-Central Nebraska, by Andrew J. Caven and Emma M. Brinley Buckley … 83

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting in Auburn, May 19-21, 2017, by Janis Paseka … 85-90

Subscription and Organization Information … 91

Evolutionary Genetic Aspects Of Host Association In Generalist Ectoparasites, Benoit Talbot

Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Despite the use of the host for dispersal by most parasite species, the extremely loose relationship typical between highly mobile hosts and generalist ectoparasites may lead to very different gene flow patterns between the two, leading in turn to different spatial genetic structure, and potentially different demographic history. I examined how similar gene flow patterns are between Cimex adjunctus, a generalist ectoparasite of bats present throughout North America, and two of its key bat hosts. I first analyzed the continent-scale genetic structure and demographic history of C. adjunctus and compared it to that of two of its hosts, the …

Mitigating The Conflict Between Pitfall-Trap Sampling And Conservation Of Terrestrial Subterranean Communities In Caves, Peter Kozel, Tanja Pipan, Nina Šajna, Slavko Polak, Tone Novak

International Journal of Speleology

Subterranean habitats are known for their rich endemic fauna and high vulnerability to disturbance. Many methods and techniques are used to sample the biodiversity of terrestrial invertebrate fauna in caves, among which pitfall trapping remains one of the most frequently used and effective ones. However, this method has turned out to be harmful to subterranean communities if applied inappropriately. Traditionally, pitfall traps have been placed in caves solely on the ground. Here we present an optimized technique of pitfall trapping to achieve a balance between sampling completeness and minimal disturbance of the fauna in the cave. Monthly we placed traps …

Breeding Ecology And Habitat Use Of Unisexual Salamanders And Their Sperm-Hosts, Blue-Spotted Salamanders (Ambystoma Laterale), Kristine Hoffmann

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Unsexual Salamanders within the Blue-Spotted Salamander Complex carry combinations of ambystomatid genomes (those of Blue-Spotted Salamanders, Ambystoma laterale, and Jefferson Salamanders, A. jeffersonianum in Maine). They are nearly all female, breed in wetlands, and use sperm of related species to reproduce. Little is known about their ecology to guide the conservation of this unique lineage. I examined breeding site occupancy, demographics, orientation, and terrestrial habitat selection of Unisexual Salamanders in comparison to Blue-Spotted Salamanders and other amphibians. I compared statistical tests of orientation to determine which was most appropriate for pitfall data.

Unisexual Salamander occupancy at breeding sites was positively …

The Biogeographic Origins And Trophic Ecology Of Maine’S Island Red-Backed Salamanders (Plethodon Cinereus), Nikko-Ideen Shaidani

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Island populations of terrestrial species have an increased potential, compared to mainland populations, to adapt and diverge, as these populations often are isolated with respect to gene flow from other populations and may be subjected to novel pressures. Indeed, extended isolation of individuals can elicit dramatic changes within populations and is recognized as a common driver of speciation. It is for these reasons that island populations are often a priority for conservation. Plethodontid salamanders are among the most terrestrial of Maine’s amphibians and are not tolerant of prolonged exposure to seawater, and yet, they are found on a number of …