Animal Sciences Commons^™

Parental Care In Sphaerium Striatinum Lamarck: Evidence For Retention Of Competent Offspring, Mark Beekey, Ronald H. Karlson, Alyse R. Greenberg

Biology Faculty Publications

The timing of offspring release is a fundamental turning point in the life history of any organism. It represents the end to many of the most costly forms of parental care (e.g., provisioning of nutrients for developing eggs and zygotes) and the beginning of an independent life for the offspring. Generally temporal variation in this event is attributed to a variety of physiological and evolutionary trade-offs. Here we examine the retention of offspring in the freshwater clam Sphaerium striatinum Lamarck. Brooded offspring are typically not released into the environment until they are 4.0 mm shell length (SL). We provide evidence …

Biological And Physical Observations On Larval Spot (Leiostomus Xanthurus) Recruiting To Oregon And Ocracoke Inlets North Carolina, Thomas R. Wasaff

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Patterns of abundance, length, age, and growth of larval spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) were compared to assess the variability between spot larvae ingressing to two North Carolina inlets. The source of variability for the recruitment of larval fishes to estuarine nurseries has been linked to environmental stochasticity. Wind data and seasurface temperature satellite images were analyzed as two influential environmental variables that may help explain recruitment variability. As part of the South Atlantic Bight Recruitment Experiment (SABRE), spot larvae were collected between October 1994 and April 1995 as they recruited to Pamlico Sound through Oregon Inlet, located north of Cape Hatteras, …

An Analysis Of Migratory Behavior Physiological Condition And Life History Strategy In The Salamanders Ambystoma Mabeei And A. Opacum In Southeastern Virginia, Michael W. Mccoy

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Ambystoma mabeei is listed as threatened in Virginia due to its rarity and susceptibility to urbanization and poor forestry practices. The goal of this study was to identify factors that may affect the persistence of A. mabeei in Virginia by studying the life history and ecology of A. mabeei and its syntopic congener A. opacum. This information will contribute to the knowledge of life history variation within Ambystomatidae and will be critical for the development of a comprehensive management plan for A. mabeei. Population sizes of the two species and the proximate factors responsible for initiating breeding migrations were determined …

Los Anfibios Del Monumento Natural Barro Colorado, Parque Nacional Soberania Y Areas Adyacentes, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

This book focuses on the batrachofauna of Barro Colorado Nature Monument. Soberania National Park and adjacent areas. It complements other recent publications on Neotropical amphibians such as those by Rodriguez and Duellman ( 1994) on Peru, Achaval and Olmos (1995) on Uruguay, and Meyer and Foster (1996) on Belize. The goal of these books is to reach a wider audience than the more technical batrachofaunal summaries-e.g., Frogs of Boracéia (Heyer 1990). Amphibians of Argentina (Cei 1985), and Frogs of the Genus Eleutherodactylus in Western Ecuador (Lynch and Duellman 1997). These geographically focused guides are especially useful to students, amateur biologists, …

Los Coquís De Puerto Rico: Su Historia Natural Y Conservación, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

As the title indicates, this well-illustrated (115 photographs and 76 illustrations) book summarizes the current knowledge about the natural history of the 16 species of Eleutherodactylus inhabiting Puerto Rico. The book consists of eight chapters (including the epilogue) and it is clearly stated that it was written to serve both the scientific community and the nonspecialist reader. The goal of bridging these two audiences is ambitious and usually difficult; however, the book has probably accomplished this goal. The technical reader, i.e., students and professional herpetologists, will find a good summary of data and enough information to continue reading with interest. …

Leadership In Wolf, Canis Lupus, Packs, L. David Mech

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

I examine leadership in Wolf (Callis lupus) packs based on published observations and data gathered during summers from 1986 to 1998 studying a free-ranging pack of Wolves on Ellesmere Island that were habituated to my presence. The breeding male tended to initiate activities associated with foraging and travel, and the breeding female to initiate, and predominate in, pup care and protection. However, there was considerable overlap and interaction during these activities such that leadership could be considered a joint function. In packs with multiple breeders, quantitative information about leadership is needed.

Do Wolves Affect White-Tailed Buck Harvest In Northeastern Minnesota?, L. David Mech, Michael E. Nelson

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

We used simple linear regression to analyze 8-23 years of data on a wolf (Canis lupus) population and human harvest of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) bucks in northeastern Minnesota to determine any effects of wolves on buck harvesting. Over the long term, wolves accounted for at least 14-22% inter-year variation in buck harvest in the region, but an unknown amount of variation in hunter effort have obscured any more precise estimate. For part of the area with poorest habitat, we found strong relationships (r² = 0.66-0.84) between annual wolf numbers and buck harvests from 1988 …

Assessing Factors That May Predispose Minnesota Farms To Wolf Depredations On Cattle, L. David Mech, Elizabeth K. Harper, Thomas J. Meier, William J. Paul

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

Wolf (Canis lupus) depredations on livestock cause considerable conflict and expense in Minnesota. Furthermore, claims are made that such depredations are fostered by the type of animal husbandry practiced. Thus, we tried to detect factors that might predispose farms in Minnesota to wolf depredations. We compared results of interviews with 41 cattle farmers experiencing chronic cattle losses to wolves (chronic farms) with results from 41 nearby "matched" farms with no wolf losses to determine farm characteristics or husbandry practices that differed and that therefore might have affected wolf depredations. We also used a Geographic Information System (GIS) to …

Mortality Of Adult White-Tailed Deer On Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, Gregory G. Humphreys, Thomas A. Nelson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We conducted a telemetry study on Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, to estimate the extent, timing, and causes of mortality among resident adult white-tailed deer {Odocoileus virginianus). Twenty-seven deer were captured, radio-collared and monitored for 1 yr to assess seasonal mortality. Annual mortality rates differed considerably between sexes, with males exhibiting a much higher rate (86.1%) than females (5.3%). The primary causes of death among males were poaching, predation by coyotes, and legal harvest. Legal harvest by a gun-hunter accounted for the only female mortality. No mortalities were attributed to military exercises, which occurred frequently on the study area. Our results suggest …

Feeding Relationship Between Two Synoptic, Morphologically Similar Fishes, The Western Mosquitofish (Gambusia Affinis) And The Blackspotted Topminnow (Fundulus Olivaceus), Allyson R. Neely, Edmund J. Pert

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We sampled fish during the summer of 1999, in Caney Bayou on the campus of the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Jefferson County, in order to study the feeding relationship between the western mosquitofish (Gambusia ajfinis) and the blackspotted topminnow (Fundulus olivaceus). We identified and enumerated the diet items of 56 blackspotted topminnows and 28 mosquitofish that were captured using electroshocking, seining, and dipnetting. Pooled diet items for each species were analyzed using a variety of approaches: percent of diet composition, frequency of occurrence, Levins' measure of diet breadth, and Morisita's measure of diet overlap. Twenty-one percent of mosquitofish …

Record Of The Lake Sturgeon, Acipenser Fulvescens Rafinesque, From The Caddo River (Ouachita River Drainage), Arkansas, Betty G. Crump, Henry W. Robison

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia Esula) Infestation On Breeding Birds Of The Sheyenne National Grassland, Nd, Daniel M. Scheiman

Masters Theses

Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula) is an exotic invasive weed in the northern Great Plains. We examined the effects of leafy spurge infestation on densities and nest success of breeding birds in grasslands on the Sheyenne National Grassland (SNG), ND. We categorized spurge-infested grasslands into three levels of infestation, based on the area covered by spurge patches: (a) low (0-20%), (b) medium (20-60%) and, (c) high (> 60%). We surveyed 60 100-m radius circular plots (20 in each category), and searched for nests in three 16-ha plots (one in each category). There were no statistically significant differences in mean species richness …

Growth Curves Of Four Species Of Commercially Valuable Freshwater Mussels (Bivalva: Unionidae), Alan D. Christian, Chris L. Davidson, William R. Posey Ii, Peter J. Rust, Jerry L. Farris, John L. Harris, George L. Harp

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

North American freshwater mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) have been exploited commercially for over 100 years and have been regulated using shell size limits and/or harvest seasons. Presently, freshwater mussels are considered a threatened faunal group in North America due to the large numbers of endangered, threatened or special concern species. Therefore, management of this fauna should emphasize their long-term sustainability. The objectives of this study were 1) to construct von Bertalanffy growth curves for selected "commercially-most-valuable" species, Fusconaia ebena, Megalonaias nervosa, Amblema plicata and Quadrula quadrula, from five rivers and two reservoirs, 2) to compare species-specific von Bertalanffy growth curves from …

Curly-Tail Malformity In Hatchlings Of The Alligator Snapping Turtle, Macroclemys Temminckii (Testudines: Chelydridae) In Arkansas, Malcolm L. Mccallum, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Breeding Mortality In The Wood Frog, Rana Sylvatica (Anura: Ranidae), From Northcentral Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, Malcolm L. Mccallum, Michael E. Cartwright

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Home Ranges And Movements Of Adult Deer On Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, Gregory G. Humphreys, Thomas A. Nelson

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We radio-tracked 27 white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) weekly for one year on Fort Chaffee, Arkansas, to investigate their seasonal home ranges and movements between hunted areas and refuges on this military base. This work resulted in2,123 separate radiolocations, of which 85% (1,799) were suitable for use in home range analyses. We used the McPAAL computer package to estimate home range using the Harmonic Mean and minimum convex polygon (MCP) methods. Harmonic mean estimates were based on 95% contour lines. Home range size differed between the sexes and methods. Male home ranges were larger than those of females (t= 3.32, P<0.01; harmonic mean) (t=2.07, P<0.05; MCP). Average home range sizes for males and females based on the harmonic mean method were estimated to be 483 ha and 181 ha, respectively, whereas home range estimates for males and females using the MCP method were 636 ha and 289 ha, respectively. The average home range size for all deer was 259 ha (harmonic mean) and 379 ha (MCP). We found no evidence that females restricted their home ranges during the fawning period. However, females' home ranges expanded during the breeding season, perhaps to find mates. Few deer moved to refuge areas that were off-limits to hunters during the hunting season.

Winter Breeding As A Common Occurrence In The Ringed Salamander, Ambystoma Annulatum (Caudata: Ambystomatidae), In The Ozark National Forest Of Northcentral Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

Prolonged Winter Undernutrition And The Interpretation Of Urinary Allantoin:Creatinine Ratios In White-Tailed Deer, Glenn D. Delgiudice, Ken D. Kerr, L. David Mech, Ulysses S. Seal

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

The urinary allantoin:creatinine (A:C) ratio (expressed in micromoles of allantoin to micromoles of creatinine) has shown potential as an index of recent winter energy intake in preliminary controlled studies of elk (Cervus elaphus) involving mild condition deterioration (up to 11% loss of body mass). To ensure reliable nutritional assessments of free-ranging cervids by measuring A:C ratios of urine in snow, it is essential to extend this work. We assessed the effect of moderate and severe winter nutritional restriction on urinary A:C ratios of captive white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) that lost up to 32% body mass and …

Proximity Of White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, Ranges To Wolf, Canis Lupus, Pack Homesites, Michael E. Nelson, L. David Mech

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

Seven adult female White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in northeastern Minnesota lived within 1.8 km of Wolf pack (Canis lupus) homesites without vacating their home ranges. Six of these deer and at least three of their fawns survived through the Wolf homesite period.

A Record Large Wolf, Canis Lupus, Pack In Minnesota, L. David Mech

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

This report documents a pack of 22-23 Wolves (Canis lupus) in central Minnesota. This is larger than the largest pack previously observed on the mainland in the midwestern U.s. during 650 wolf pack-years. Because this record-large pack preyed on White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus), one of the Wolfs smaller prey, it is evidence that pack size and prey size are not tightly related. It also indicates the size that Wolf packs can attain in the area if fully protected from human persecution.

Lack Of Reproduction In Muskoxen And Arctic Hares Caused By Early Winter?, L. David Mech

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

A lack of young muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) and arctic hares (Lepus arcticus) in the Eureka area of Ellesmere Island, Northwest Territories (now Nunavut), Canada, was observed during summer 1998, in contrast to most other years since 1986. Evidence of malnourished muskoxen was also found. Early winter weather and a consequent 50% reduction of the 1997 summer replenishment period appeared to be the most likely cause, giving rise to a new hypothesis about conditions that might cause adverse demographic effects in arctic herbivores.

Durant l’été 1998, et ce, à la différence de la plupart des années depuis …

Accuracy And Precision Of Estimating Age Of Gray Wolves By Tooth Wear, Philip S. Gipson, Warren B. Ballard, Ronald M. Nowak, L. David Mech

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

We evaluated the accuracy and precision of tooth wear for aging gray wolves (Canis lupus) from Alaska, Minnesota, and Ontario based on 47 known-age or known-minimum-age skuIIs. Estimates of age using tooth wear and a commercial cementum annuli-aging service were useful for wolves up to 14 years old. The precision of estimates from cementum annuli was greater than estimates from tooth wear, but tooth wear estimates are more applicable in the field. We tended to overestimate age by 1-2 years and occasionaIIy by 3 or 4 years. The commercial service aged young wolves with cementum annuli to within …

Salinity And Shade Preferences Result In Ovipositional Differences Between Sympatric Tiger Beetle Species, W. Wyatt Hoback, Douglas A. Golick, Tina Marie Svatos, Stephen M. Spomer, Leon G. Higley

Department of Entomology: Faculty Publications

1. Adult tiger beetles of the genus Cicindela often co-occur within a habitat but larvae do not. Larvae are sedentary and form usually permanent burrows at the site of oviposition where they require 1-3 years for development.

2. To test niche partitioning based on ovipositional preference, the behavior of two sympatric salt marsh tiger beetles, Cicindela circumpicta and C. togata (Coleoptera: Cicindelidae), were examined.

3. In laboratory studies, female C. circumpicta and C. togata distinguished between experimental salinities, with the former preferring 4 parts per thousand (ppt) and the latter preferring 12 ppt. In the field, C. circumpicta larvae were …

Comparing The Tadpoles Of Hyla Geographica And Hyla Semilineata, Anne D'Heursel, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

External morphology, internal oral anatomy, and chondrocranial anatomy were examined for tadpoles of Hyla geographica from the Amazon rainforest, Brazil, and Hyla semilineata from the Atlantic rainforest, Brazil. Here, we provide morphological larval data to help diagnose these closely related species. Scanning electron microscopy analysis of buccal morphology showed the most distinctive features between these species: the distance between the lingual papillae in the buccal floor of H. geographica is three times greater than that distance in H. semilineata, and the relative size of the lingual papillae in H. geographica is less than half their size in H. semilineata. Although …

Estructura Del Condrocráneo Y Esqueleto Visceral De Larvas De Pseudis Minuta (Anura, Pseudidae, E. O. Lavilla, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The chondrocranium and visceral skeleton of Pseudis minuta tadpoles are described, based on a series of five larvae in stages 31 - 35 of Gosner (1960). Among their striking characters are the presence of peculiar articular surfaces between cornua trabeculae and suprarostral cartilage, the incomplete development of the orbital cartilage, the high fenestration of the floor of the cavum cranii, the fusion of posterior foramina, and the fusion of spicules 3 and 4 in the hyobranchial skeleton.

The Timing And Pattern Of Myogenesis In Hymenochirus Boettgeri, Matthew T. Smetanick, Rafael O. De Sá, Gary P. Radice

Biology Faculty Publications

Differences in the relative timing of homologous developmental events among closely related species, known as heterochronies, may provide valuable clues in understanding evolutionary relationships (McKinney, 1988; McNamara, 1995). Examining the timing of myogenic events is a relatively easy and effective method for finding heterochronic events. For example, whether muscle proteins and myofibrils appear before or after multinucleation can be determined through histological techniciques (Kielbowna, 1981). Simple observations of live specimens can pinpoint functional landmarks such as first twitch (spontaneous or due to external stimuli) and first heartbeat.

Analysis Of Intraguild Predation With A Consideration Of Adaptive Foraging, Toshinori Okuyama

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Identification of interactive units in food webs is particularly important in population and community ecology. Intraguild predation has gained much attention recently with the recognition of its prevalence in the field, although its significance has not been fully studied. Nature contains much more complex interactions than a simple food chain. Yet, much theory still focuses on the trophic levels connected in a single linear chain. In this thesis, I study intraguild predation including the consideration of animal behavior whose importance is also often neglected in population and community ecology.

First, the concepts of intraguild predation and animal behavior are introduced. …

Occurrence And Reproduction Of The Alabama Shad, Alosa Alabamae Jordan And Evermann, In The Ouachita River System Of Arkansas, Thomas M. Buchanan, Josh Nichols, Don Turman, Colton Dennis, Stuart Woolridge, Brett Hobbs

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The anadromous Alabama shad, Alosa alabamae, has drastically declined in abundance in recent decades throughout its historic range and has previously been reported in Arkansas from only five localities. Three of those locality records are pre- 1900. Sampling by seine in the Ouachita River drainage system of southern Arkansas in July and August of 1997 and 1998 produced more than 300 juvenile A. alabamae from two localities on the Little Missouri River and four localities on the Ouachita River. One record of an adult Alabama shad, taken on 4 April1997 by an angler below Remmel Dam on the Ouachita River, …

Alpha Status, Dominance, And Division Of Labor In Wolf Packs, L. David Mech

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

The prevailing view of a wolf (Canis lupus) pack is that of a group of individuals ever vying for dominance but held in check by the “alpha” pair, the alpha male and alpha female. Most research on the social dynamics of wolf packs, however, has been conducted on non-natural assortments of captive wolves. Here I describe the wolf-pack social order as it occurs in nature, discuss the alpha concept and social dominance and submission, and present data on the precise relationships among members in free-living packs, based on a literature review and 13 summers of observations of wolves …

Status Of Three Plethodontid Salamanders (Genus Plethodon) From The Ouachita National Forest Of Southwest Arkansas, Stanley E. Trauth, J. D. Wilhide

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

A three-year field investigation was initiated in 1996 to update previous information on the local abundance and distribution of three salamanders of the genus Plethodon (P. caddoensis, P.fourchensis, and P. ouachitae); these salamanders are found within a five-county area of the Ouachita National Forest in southwestern Arkansas. Plethodon fourchensis was most numerous at three sites in Polk County; a total of 18 specimens was found. Searching for Plethodon fourchensis was successful following moderate-to-heavy precipitation but only in selected habitats on Fourche and Irons Forks mountains. The preferred habitats of P. caddoensis were talus-covered slopes and wet ravines consisting of mostly …