Animal Sciences Commons^™

An Assessment Of Night Time And Seasonal Electrofishing In The Lower Wabash River, Eric Christopher Hine

Masters Theses

Large rivers are highly important systems; being exploited both commercially and recreationally. Because of this usage by humans, close monitoring of the ecology of theses rivers is of the utmost importance. The Long-Term Electrofishing project (LTEF) monitors the fish communities of the Illinois, Mississippi, Wabash, and Ohio rivers using day time, pulsed-DC electrofishing during the late Spring through the early Fall each year. Given that previous studies have noted diel and seasonal changes in catch and composition of fish communities, the addition of night time electrofishing may be beneficial to the overarching goals of the LTEF. This study sought to …

The North American River Otter (Lontra Canadensis) On The Department Of Energy's Savannah River Site, Emily B. Mccallen

Masters Theses

The Department of Energy's (DOE) Savannah River Site (SRS) faces a legacy of radionuclide and metal contamination from industrial processes that occurred within the site. The risks posed to ecosystems on the site from contaminants are quantified using the ecological risk assessment process, which often uses the health of a particular species as an ecological endpoint. Northern river otters (Lontra canadensis) are appropriate receptors for studying the effects of long-term, low-level contamination because they are long-lived, higher trophic level organisms likely to accumulate high levels of pollutants. However, little information about river otters on the SRS is known; …

Assessment Of The Efficacy Of The Hose-Bridge As A Road-Crossing Structure For Dekay's Brownsnake (Storeria Dekayi), Sarah Elizabeth Manka

Masters Theses

Various structures have been integrated into roadways to ensure the road does not impede wildlife movements between adjacent habitats. Where traffic volume is low, the costs of installing and maintaining such structures is typically prohibitive. I tested the efficacy of a hose-bridge deployed temporarily on a State Park road in Illinois that allowed the passage of cars over it and small wildlife species to cross through it. I predicted that, during the 4.5 -week period of peak migratory movement, road-based mortality of Dekay's Brownsnakes (Storeria dekayi) would be less at the site having the hose-bridge, when compared to a similar …

Quantifying Bat Detection Survey Methods And Activity Patterns, Tara C. Hohoff

Masters Theses

Bats have an astonishing diversity and provide vital ecosystem services in an array of different niches. In North America, most species of bats are insectivores and tend to be frequently overlooked for their important ecosystem role providing insect control. As bat populations have declined in recent years, farmers, land managers, conservationists, and bat enthusiasts have wondered what we can do to protect our local bat populations. As a first step, we need to develop methods that more effectively survey for rare species of bats. By performing inefficient surveys, we are doing a disservice to our funding agencies providing misinformation that …

Trophic Interactions In A Semiaquatic Snake Community: Insights Into The Structure Of A Floodplain Food Web, Cynthia M. Carter

Masters Theses

Food webs provide a useful conceptual framework for evaluating the relationships that exist within ecological systems. Characterizing the interactions within these webs can improve our understanding of how communities are structured and what mechanisms stabilize them. Untangling these interactions can be an intractable problem in complex systems and insights gained from conventional methods are often accompanied by inherent sources of bias. This study used stable isotope analysis, an alternative to traditional methods, to investigate the roles and relative contributions of consumers at the top of a food web to community structure and stability. I compared the niche parameters of five …

Aspects Of The Trophic Ecology Of An Invertivorous Snake Community, Meagan Amanda Thomas

Masters Theses

Understanding the significance of trophic links has been of interest to ecologists for decades, likely because food web studies have the potential to reveal a considerable amount of information in the fields of ecosystem and community ecology. Despite the intrinsic benefits that come from elucidating food web structures, doing so is often problematic because of the complex and dynamic nature of ecological communities. The dietary ecology of small-bodied invertivorous snakes remains relatively understudied compared to other snake species. Many of these species are abundant throughout their range, making them ideal organisms for studying community-level questions. I employed a combination of …

Taking The Road Most Travelled: Understanding Patterns Of Snake (Colubridae; Storeria) Movement And Road Mortality In A State Park, Iwo P. Gross

Undergraduate Honors Theses

No abstract provided.

Taking The Road Most Travelled: Understanding Patterns Of Snake (Colubridae; Storeria) Movement And Road Mortality In A State Park, Iwo P. Gross

Student Honors Theses

Roadways negatively affect their surrounding ecosystems through the contamination of air, water, and soil resources, the dissection of populations and habitat areas, and the direct mortality of several fauna. My study assessed the significance of a number of variables that might influence the temporal and spatial patterns of road mortality in a population of Midland Brownsnakes (Storeria dekayi wrightorum). I utilized passive sampling techniques and roadwalking surveys to collect individual snakes from a road during their biannual migrations from lowland activity areas to upland forests where they hibernate. I discovered that sexually biased behavioral and natural history traits impacted an …

Dietary Ecology Of An Actively-Foraging Snake Species: Coluber Constrictor Foxii, Corissa Pauline Lennon

Masters Theses

The trophic niche width of a species varies depending on the foraging strategy employed by the individuals within a population. Among reptiles, the niche breadth of many species of snakes is relatively understudied. Within this clade, the genus Coluber includes wide-ranging, actively foraging snakes that have been historically labeled as dietary generalists. The dietary information on Blue Racers (Coluber constrictor foxii) is limited, and little is known about ontogenetic or seasonal differences in the prey species consumed. Additionally, this information is available from gut and fecal content only. In addition to obtaining gut and fecal contents, I employed stable isotope …

Behavioral Explanations Underlying The Lack Of Trap Effectiveness For Small-Scale Management Of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Patrick C. Enstrom, Carissa A. Schoenick

Paul V. Switzer

Traps containing a combination floral and synthetic pheromone lure are used to monitor and manage Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). One key factor limiting trap effectiveness for beetle control is the "trap spillover" phenomenon, in which the trap attracts beetles without capturing them, resulting in increased damage to surrounding host plants. We investigated the mechanisms underlying trap spillover by conducting two studies in a soybean field in east central Illinois. In the first study, we set up trap stations for 1 d and compared the sex, size, and egg load (for females) of beetles caught in the traps …

Behavioral Explanations Underlying The Lack Of Trap Effectiveness For Small-Scale Management Of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul V. Switzer, Patrick C. Enstrom, Carissa A. Schoenick

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Traps containing a combination floral and synthetic pheromone lure are used to monitor and manage Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). One key factor limiting trap effectiveness for beetle control is the "trap spillover" phenomenon, in which the trap attracts beetles without capturing them, resulting in increased damage to surrounding host plants. We investigated the mechanisms underlying trap spillover by conducting two studies in a soybean field in east central Illinois. In the first study, we set up trap stations for 1 d and compared the sex, size, and egg load (for females) of beetles caught in the traps …

Demographics Of A Geographically-Isolated Population Of Threatened Salamander (Caudata: Ambystomatidae) In Central Illinois, Stephen J. Mullin, Sarabeth Klueh

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Amphibian populations that use small isolated wetlands are often small in size, susceptible to stochastic extinction processes, and have little to no contact with other populations. One can ascertain the persistence of such populations only by obtaining data that allow the prediction of future changes in population’s size, and propensity to achieve a sustainable number of individuals. The number of metamorphosing larvae leaving a pond predicts the viability of a salamander population, and thus, the number recruited into the terrestrial adult population. The Jefferson Salamander, Ambystoma jeffersonianum, is a listed threatened species in Illinois, occurring at fewer than 15 ponds …

Behavioral Explanations Underlying The Lack Of Trap Effectiveness For Small-Scale Management Of Japanese Beetles (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae), Paul Switzer, Patrick Enstrom, Carissa Schoenick

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Traps containing a combination floral and synthetic pheromone lure are used to monitor and manage Japanese beetles, Popillia japonica Newman (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae). One key factor limiting trap effectiveness for beetle control is the "trap spillover" phenomenon, in which the trap attracts beetles without capturing them, resulting in increased damage to surrounding host plants. We investigated the mechanisms underlying trap spillover by conducting two studies in a soybean field in east central Illinois. In the first study, we set up trap stations for 1 d and compared the sex, size, and egg load (for females) of beetles caught in the traps …

Scale-Dependent Habitat Use By Fall Migratory Birds: Vegetation Architecture, Floristics, And Geographic Consistency, Jill Deppe, John Rotenberry

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Animal habitat selection is a central focus of ecology and conservation biology. Understanding habitat associations in migratory animals is particularly complicated because individuals have variable habitat requirements during the annual cycle, across their geographic range, along migratory routes, and at multiple spatial scales. We studied habitat associations of 16 fall Nearctic–Neotropical migratory land birds at two spatial scales at a stopover site along the northern Yucatan coast to examine scale-dependent habitat use, identify proximate cues shaping birds' distributions, and evaluate similarities in habitat use between our tropical stopover site and temperate sites. We addressed scale-dependent habitat associations in two ways, …

Variation In Surrounding Forest Habitat Influences The Initial Orientation Of Juvenile Amphibians Emigrating From Breeding Ponds, Leroy J. Walston, Stephen J. Mullin

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

Scale-Dependent Habitat Use By Fall Migratory Birds: Vegetation Architecture, Floristics, And Geographic Consistency, Jill L. Deppe, John T. Rotenberry

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

Animal habitat selection is a central focus of ecology and conservation biology. Understanding habitat associations in migratory animals is particularly complicated because individuals have variable habitat requirements during the annual cycle, across their geographic range, along migratory routes, and at multiple spatial scales. We studied habitat associations of 16 fall Nearctic–Neotropical migratory land birds at two spatial scales at a stopover site along the northern Yucatan coast to examine scale-dependent habitat use, identify proximate cues shaping birds' distributions, and evaluate similarities in habitat use between our tropical stopover site and temperate sites. We addressed scale-dependent habitat associations in two ways, …

Colony Composition And Demographics Of Beavers In Illinois, Stanley T. Mctaggart

Masters Theses

Beavers (Castor canadensis) have been extensively studied throughout North America, but little research has been conducted on this species in Illinois and the Midwest. Beavers exhibit wide variations in colony composition and demographics over their broad geographic range, so regional research is important for sound management. The objectives of this study were to investigate the: (1) typical composition of beaver colonies in Illinois; (2) reproductive potential of female beavers in Illinois; (3) sex-age composition of beaver populations in Illinois; and (4) efficacy of night-vision surveys versus removal trapping for estimating colony size. This study was conducted during the 1999-00 and …

Aging Coyotes Using Dental Characteristics, Michelle Maher

Masters Theses

The accepted methods of age determination in the coyote (Canis latrans) are either highly subjective and unquantifiable or expensive and require the extraction of the canine tooth. Since neither of these methods are ideal, their limitations have impeded research on this species. Therefore, it was my objective to (1) develop and test the accuracy and precision of a descriptive key based on tooth wear patterns on the lower canine tooth, (2) develop and test the reliability of multiple regression models for aging coyotes using measurements from extracted teeth, and (3) suggest criteria for improving the consistency of results …

Off To The (Earthworm) Races: A Quick And Flexible Laboratory Experiment For Introductory Zoology Courses., Paul V. Switzer, Ann H. Fritz

Paul V. Switzer

No abstract provided.

Off To The (Earthworm) Races: A Quick And Flexible Laboratory Experiment For Introductory Zoology Courses., Paul Switzer, Ann Fritz

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

The Effect Of Predator Chemical Cues And Conspecific Alarm Signals Upon Behavior In Early And Late Developmental Stages Of American Toad (Bufo Americanus) Tadpoles, Carol Lynette Johnson

Masters Theses

The chemosensory capability and subsequent habitat choice of larval American toad (Bufo americanus) tadpoles were quantified using choice of refuge with both early and late developmental stages. Treatments were performed with two tadpole densities to ascertain the effect of social aggregations upon behavior. Bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) and predaceous diving beetle larvae (Dytiscus sp.) predators were used to condition water. Conspecific tadpoles as well as Southern leopard frog (Rana sphenocephala) tadpoles were used to prepare treatment extracts.

Tadpole density (n=10 and n=20) had no significant effect upon the percentage of tadpoles seeking cover …

Heartworm And Lungworms In Illinois' Canids And Their Possible Effect On Coyote Condition And Reproduction, David G. Gregory

Masters Theses

This study focuses on the prevalence of heartworm and lungworms in Illinois' canid species, and the effect that they may have on condition (body weight, kidney fat, marrow fat) and reproduction (placental scars) on coyote populations. A total of 1,150 coyotes (Canis latrans), 2,269 domestic dogs, 47 red foxes (Vulpes vulpes), and 2 gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) were examined. Prevalence of heartworms (Dirofilaria immitis) averaged 17.8% in coyotes, 3.0% in domestic dogs, 2.0% in red foxes, and 0% in gray foxes. Domestic dogs not receiving any type of prophylactic treatment had a higher prevalence (12.5%) of heartworms than dogs on …

A Comparison Of Predation Rates On Real And Artificial Nests Of Grassland Birds, William B. Davison

Masters Theses

I compared rates of predation between real and artificial nests of grassland birds in order to test the impact of nest type, nest position, and egg size on predation rates. I distributed wicker avicultural baskets and realistic grass nests baited with a clay egg and either northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) or house sparrow (Passer domesticus) eggs in four Conservation Reserve Program (CRP) grasslands in east-central Illinois. Nest success averaged 86.5% for 12 days of exposure for artificial nests. For real nests, nest success was markedly lower; averaging 39% over the entire nesting cycle and 59% during approximately 12 days of …

The Effects Of Habitat Fragmentation And Factors Influencing Nest Box Use On The Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys Volans) In Southern Illinois, Catherine J. Woodworth

Masters Theses

I studied the effects of habitat :fragmentation on the southern flying squirrel (Glaucomys volans) in 30 forest fragments in southern Illinois. The fragments ranged in size from 6 ha to 5264 ha, and had varying degrees of isolation. I placed 10 nest boxes in each habitat fragment and checked them monthly. I captured southern flying squirrels in 24 of the 30 fragments, and found evidence of squirrels (i.e., nests and feeding stations) in 4 additional fragments. Thus, only 2 fragments did not show any evidence of squirrel use suggesting that the southern flying squirrel may not be particularly …

Comparisons Of Genetic Variance And Physiological Responses In Two Populations Of Western Mosquitofish, Gambusia Affinis, Brett Egger

Masters Theses

The study was conducted to determine the effects of lowered genetic variance in the Western mosquitofish (Gambusia affinis) on the physiological parameters of critical thermal maximum and minimum pH. Mosquitofish were obtained from two small central Illinois ponds, Lost Pond and Shadow Pond, by seines and dip nets. Once caught, fish were returned to the laboratory and acclimated for a minimum of five days at a temperature of 27°C and a pH of 8.25. At the beginning of each experimental run, fish were subjected to the physiological experiments for determination of critical thermal maximum and minimum pH, and then measured …

Roost Site Selection Of The Red Bat (Lasiurus Borealis), Kenneth J. Mager

Masters Theses

I monitored the roosting activity and evaluated roost site selection of red bats (Lasiurus borealis) at study sites in Coles County during the summer of 1996. Red bats were mist-netted and radio transmitters were affixed to 12 individuals. A total of 105 transmitter-days were recorded with 75 roost locations identified. The roost types consisted of eight different species of trees, prairie grass, and residential structures but the vast majority of roosts (92%) were in large, deciduous trees. The height of the roosts ranged from 0.5 to 21.4 m, but 54.7% were between 5-10 m. Movement between consecutive roosts ranged from …

Transfer Of Immunity Against Hymenolepis Diminuta Parasites In Mice, Jerome F. Atta-Fynn

Masters Theses

The potential transfer of resistance against the rat tapeworm, Hymenolepis diminuta, from adult BALB/c mice to their young, was tested by comparing the worm burdens of 24 experimentally infected pups from previously infected females to 14 experimentally infected pups from uninfected females. The mean number of worms recovered, mean weight of recovered worms and frequency of mice pups with eggs of the parasite in their feces were significantly lower in infected pups from infected mothers than in infected pups from uninfected mothers. The lower worm burden observed in the infected pups from infected mothers suggested that the resistance to …

Ecology And Community Relationships Of The River Cooter, Pseudemys Concinna In A Southern Illinois Backwater, Michael J. Dreslik

Masters Theses

In Illinois the River cooter, Pseudemys concinna, is an enigmatic endangered species. Even throughout its range, ecological studies on the River cooter are rare. During 1994 and 1995 I quantified the: growth rates and trends, population size and structure and dietary habits of a population from floodplain lake in Gallatin county, Illinois. Population estimation (Schnabel method) predicted 136 individuals at a density of 4.6 turtles/ha with a biomass of 3.6 Kg/ha. The sex ratio is slightly male biased (1:1.14). From back-calculated growth data, the von Bertalanffy growth model (Fabens' method) estimates males with a higher growth rate (k) and …

Parental Investment In The Red-Eared Slider Turtle, Trachemys Scripta, Michael D. Marlen

Masters Theses

This study was conducted to determine egg and hatchling components of the red-eared slider (Trachemys scripta). In addition, energy components transferred from egg to hatchling were used to determine the level of parental investment in embryogenesis and hatchling care. Eggs of the red-eared slider, collected from central Illinois ponds, were obtained by inducing gravid females to lay by an injection of oxytocin. Egg and hatchling lipids were extracted with petroleum ether while egg and hatchling protein content was determined using the micro-Kjeldahl procedure. Eggs averaged 70.7% water by mass, and dry mass of whole eggs and egg yolks averaged 2.4g …

Predator Deterrence In The Central Newt, Notophthalmus Viridescens Louisianensis (Wolterstorff) With Notes On Salamander Antipredator Strategies, Malcolm Mccallum

Masters Theses

The effectiveness of the skin secretions of Notophthalmus viridescens as a predator deterrent has been well documented. Still, there have been documented cases of predation on this salamander. This study investigates the ability of a variety of herptiles to feed on N. viridescens louisianensis.

In the first experiment, plethodonts and efts were fed on alternate weeks to snakes. Latency of response, anatomical location of predator attack, and behaviors displayed by predators and prey were recorded during each trial.

In the second experiment, tongue flick frequency by T. sirtalis to the essence of live N. viridescens louisianensis, Eurycea cirigerra …