Animal Sciences Commons^™

Louis A. Fuertes And The Zoological Art Of The 1926–1927 Abyssinian Expedition Of The Field Museum Of Natural History, Paul A. Johnsgard

Papers in Ornithology

The year 2009 marked the 110th anniversary of the first colored reproduction of a Fuertes painting; a watercolor of two seaside sparrows published in The Auk, when Fuertes was about 25 years old. Although Fuertes' life spanned little more than a half-century, and most living ornithologists were born after his tragic 1927 death, his influence on natural history art has not lessened. This manuscript is a testimony to his enduring artistic legacy.

I first looked in awe at the original set of Fuertes paintings in the summer of 1995, during a visit to the Field Museum in conjunction with …

Preliminary Analysis Of The Ecology And Geography Of The Asian Nuthatches (Aves: Sittidae), Shaily Menon, Zafar-Ul Islam, Jorge Soberon, A. Townsend Peterson

Peer Reviewed Publications

We explored distributions of Asian nuthatch species in ecological and geographic space using ecological niche modeling based on occurrence data associated with specimens and observations. Nuthatches represent a well-defined clade occurring throughout the Northern Hemisphere, but are most diverse in southern Asia where 15 of the 24 species occur and where the lineage is believed to have evolved. Species richness was focused in a narrow east-west band corresponding to the forested parts of the Himalayas with a maximum number of nine species predicted present in these foci. The distributional predictions have a mid-elevation focus with highest species diversity between 1,000 …

Fall Field Report, August-November 2008, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Of interest to many is evidence of northward movement of species which generally summer on the Great Plains. In addition to White-winged Dove and Scissor-tailed Flycatcher, both slowly establishing as breeders in Nebraska, significant numbers of Glossy Ibis continue to be found, probably associated with major increases in numbers of White-faced Ibis. Perhaps the biggest surprise this late summer and early fall was the large number of Lesser Goldfinches reported from the southern Panhandle.

Less exciting by far, but worthy of attention were reports of several Mute Swans in the Omaha area, including a duo of juveniles, and a couple …

Remembering Everett Gross And Lee Morris

Nebraska Bird Review

Everett Gross, NOU member since 1966, passed away on March 5, 2008, at the age of 88. Mildred, his wife of 65 years, preceded him in death by only a few months [see June 2007 NBR, p. 62]. Both were regular participants at the NOU spring and fall gatherings.

Lee Morris of Benedict was another loyal, longtime member of the NOU. Lee was 86 when he passed away on July 14, 2008. He is survived by his wife, Shirley, sons James, Steve (also an NOU member), and Tom, and daughter, Linda. Lee was an NOU officer in the 1960s, and …

Fall Field Days At Ashland

Nebraska Bird Review

The Fall Field Days were held southeast of Ashland at the Carol Joy Holling Conference Center September 26-28. Field trips to Platte River and Schramm State Parks, Louisville and Memphis SRAs, Jack Sinn WMA, Fontenelle Forest, and Spring Creek Prairie were led by Kevin Poague, Clem Klaphake, Larry Einemann, Rick Schmid, and Don and Janis Paseka.

Hawk migration was in full swing, and we observed 10 species, including a number of Broad-wings and Swainson's. An American Golden-Plover was a standout among the dozen shorebird species, and 10 warbler species were found, including Black-throated Green and Canada. Total species count was …

Index To Volume 76

Nebraska Bird Review

Alberts, Byron 52

Aleman-Zometa, Jason 155

Alexander,

George 20

Irene 20

R. D. 79

Allen, Sue 20

Anderson, S. H. 80

Anhinga 113

Atwood, J. L. 80

Aubushon, Kathy 19

Audubon, John J. 84-85

Avocet, American 58, 87, 101, 142, 159

Subscription And Organization Information [December 2008]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Nebraska Bird Review (December 2008) 76(4), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Fall Field Report, August–November 2008 ... 134

The 2007 Nebraska Nest Report ... 155

Fall Field Days at Ashland ... 165

Remembering Everett Gross and Lee Morris ... 169

Book Review [Birding in the Northern Plains: The Ornithological Writings of Herbert Krause] ... 171

Index to Volume 76 ... 172

Subscription and Organization Information ... 183

The 2007 Nebraska Nest Report, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

Rains returned to most of the state this breeding season, with the notable exception of almost the entire Panhandle and the western Sandhills, where the 8-year drought continues. In the western Sandhills some early rains began to restore water levels in the potholes and lakes, but levels fell again as the summer wore on. While recovering water levels in much of the Rainwater Basin brought renewed breeding activity by at least some of the marsh and water birds, continued dry conditions in the western Sandhills curtailed breeding by many water bird species there, with reduced or no breeding by grebes …

Book Review [Birding In The Northern Plains: The Ornithological Writings Of Herbert Krause], Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

Birding in the Northern Plains: The Ornithological Writings of Herbert Krause. Ronald R. Nelson, editor. 2008. The Center for Western Studies, Augustana College, Sioux Falls, SD. 252 pp. ISBN 978-0-9312170-87-4. Price: $27.50.

Herbert Krause was a native of Minnesota who spent most of his life in South Dakota, teaching at Augustana College from 1938 until his death in 1976. During that time he wrote extensively on South Dakota birds, much of which appeared in South Dakota Bird Notes, the journal of the South Dakota Ornithologists' Union. This book, assembled and edited by his long-time friend Ronald Nelson, brings …

The Inheritance Of Morphological And Behavioral Differences In The Mating Signals Of Sailfin And Shortfin Mollies, Stephanie Loveless

All Theses

Changes in mating signals often result in the development of new species, thus, understanding the genetic basis of traits that confer pre-mating reproductive isolation can shed light on the speciation process. This study used interspecific hybridization between poeciliid fish, a sailfin molly (Poecilia velifera) and a shortfin molly (P. mexicana), to generate reciprocal F1 and backcross hybrids to investigate patterns of inheritance of traits that contribute to mating signal differences between these two groups of mollies. The first part of my study focused on behavioral differences in the mating system of sailfin and shortfin mollies. I observed mating behaviors of …

Disturbance As Restoration In The Intermountain Sagebrush Steppe: Effects On Non Target Bird Species, Russell Edward Norvell

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Changes in shrubsteppe passerine bird habitat associations in response to disturbance were investigated at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Spatial measures incorporated the effects of area at different ecological scales (nest site, territory, and landscape) to include ecologically meaningful extents. Temporal measures included seasonal and annual effects, and were designed to detect lagged responses should they occur. Local-to-landscape scale effects of mechanical restoration treatments on local extirpation and abundances of nine species indicated most were insensitive to changes in habitat quality, while abundance models showed only broad declines. Changing the availability of nesting habitat on both the attractiveness and quality …

Garter Snake (Thamnophis) Natural History: Food Habits And Interspecific Aggression, Michael J. Edgehouse

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Communication and recognition are closely intertwined and have been well documented in closely related species over the past several decades. These two types of behaviors often will aid in fostering or disrupting coexistence of similar species. Frequently, it is through different diet patterns that similar species will be able to coexist. This study uses data from 1972 through 2006 to demonstrate the diet of Thamnophis sirtalis, T. atratus, T. elegans, and T. couchii throughout their California range of sympatry with Taricha torosa. Additionally, an in depth examination of the diet of T. sirtalis, T. elegans, …

A Conceptual Framework For Understanding Effects Of Wildlife Water Developments In The Western United States, Randy T. Larsen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

Free water can be a limiting factor to wildlife in arid regions of the world. In the western United States, management agencies have installed numerous, expensive wildlife water developments (e.g. catchments, guzzlers, wells) to: 1) increase the distribution or density of target species, 2) influence animal movements, and 3) mitigate for the loss of available free water. Despite over 50 years as an active management practice, water developments have become controversial for several species. We lack an integrated understanding of the ways free water influences animal populations. In particular, we have not meshed understanding of evolutionary adaptations that reduce the …

The Evolutionary Dynamics Of The Lion Panthera Leo Revealed By Host And Viral Population Genomics, Agostinho Antunes, Jennifer L. Troyer, Melody E. Roelke, Jill Pecon-Slattery, Craig Packer, Christiaan Winterbach, Graham Hemson, Laurence G. Frank, Philip Stander, Ludwig Siefert, Margaret Driciru, Paul J. Funston, Kathy A. Alexander, Katherine C. Prager, Gus Mills, David E. Wildt, Mitch E. Bush, Stephen J. O'Brien, Warren E. Johnson

Biology Faculty Articles

The lion Panthera leo is one of the world's most charismatic carnivores and is one of Africa's key predators. Here, we used a large dataset from 357 lions comprehending 1.13 megabases of sequence data and genotypes from 22 microsatellite loci to characterize its recent evolutionary history. Patterns of molecular genetic variation in multiple maternal (mtDNA), paternal (Y-chromosome), and biparental nuclear (nDNA) genetic markers were compared with patterns of sequence and subtype variation of the lion feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV_Ple), a lentivirus analogous to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In spite of the ability of lions to disperse long distances, …

Review Of The "Online Dictionary Of Invertebrate Zoology" From Parasites & Vectors, Les Chappell

Armand R. Maggenti Online Dictionary of Invertebrate Zoology

This is a very useful dictionary, one which I wish I had had access to when, as an undergraduate student of zoology, I was required to consult Hyman’s intensely erudite prose and needed serious assistance in the explication of countless seemingly obscure terms. ... I therefore recommend that all invertebrate zoologists, old or young, mark the URL for this dictionary in their favourites section and use it whenever an unfamiliar (or even supposedly familiar) term is encountered or used.

Induction Of Winter Breeding In Small Mammals By 6-Mboa, Robert K. Rose, Roger K. Everton, Gregory E. Glass

Virginia Journal of Science

A plant-derived cyclic carbamate, 6-methoxybenzoxazolinone (6-MBOA), is

known to initiate reproductive activity in Microtus montanus. We studied

overwintering populations of four other rodent species, and observed increased

reproduction in experimental populations of two herbivorous species, Microtus

pennsylvanicus and Sigmodon hispidus, but not in two omnivorous species,

Oryzomys palustris and Mus musculus. These results suggest that low

concentrations of 6-MBOA may trigger seasonal breeding primarily in

herbivorous small mammals.

Inside Unlv, Diane Russell, Shane Bevell, Jennifer Vaughan

Inside UNLV

No abstract provided.

Endoparasites Of Fat-Tailed Mouse Opossums (Thylamys: Didelphidae) From Northwestern Argentina And Southern Bolivia, With The Description Of A New Species Of Tapeworm, F. Agustin Jimenez Ruiz, Janet K. Braun, Mariel Campbell, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

The parasite fauna of two species of fat-tailed mouse opossums from northwestern Argentina is herein presented. Five species of helminths were found, i.e., Pterygodermatites kozeki, Hoineffia simplispicula, Oligacanthorhynchus sp., and a new species of tapeworm, Mathevotaenia sanmartini n. sp. (Cyclophyllidea: Anoplocephalidae). The new species is characterized by a calyciform scolex, relatively few testes (32), and a long cirrus sac; it occurs in fat-tailed mouse opossums at localities above 4,000 m. Those characters make it different from 6 species known to occur in marsupials from the New World, and from other species occurring in armadillos and bats. Didelphoxyuris thylamisis …

A New Species Of Lentiella (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) From Proechimys Simonsi (Rodentia: Echimyidae) In Bolivia = Una Especie Nueva De Lentiella (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) De Proechimys Simonsi (Rodentia: Echimyidae) En Bolivia, Terry R. Haverkost, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

During a biodiversity survey of mammals and their parasites in the Beni, Bolivia in the summer of 2000, several spiny rats, Proechimys simonsi Thomas, 1900, were collected and examined for parasites. Herein we describe Lentiella lamothei n. sp. from one of these hosts. This species is can be distinguished from L. machadoi Rêgo, 1964 by having a greater total length but smaller maximum width, a greater number of segments, a smaller cirrus sac, a smaller scolex diameter, and in the eggs, a larger pyriform apparatus. In addition, we formally validate the genus Lentiella Rêgo, 1964, that had been placed in …

Observation Of Hailstorm-Caused Mortality Of Least Terns And Piping Plovers On The Niobrara River, Nebraska, Mark M. Czaplewski, Mark Peyton, Jim Jenniges

Nebraska Bird Review

Hail has been documented to be a cause of mortality to adult Least Terns and Piping Plovers as well as to eggs and young (Boyd 1992, Lingle 1993, Schweitzer and Davis 2000, SD Dept. of Game, Fish and Parks 2005). While on an airboat survey to document Least Tern (Sternula antillarum) and Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) use of a portion of the Niobrara River (from Highway 137 to the Spencer Dam, approximately 40 river miles), the authors observed the remnants of a Least Tern and Piping Plover colony that had been hit by an overnight rainstorm …

Migration Chronology, Nesting Ecology, And Breeding Distribution Of Mountain Plover (Charadrius Montanus) In Nebraska, Bartholomew L. Bly, Larry Snyder, Tammy Vercauteren

Nebraska Bird Review

The Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) is a loosely colonial (Graul 1975) upland shorebird that breeds across the xeric tablelands of the western Great Plains and shortgrass prairie ecoregion of North America (Knopf and Wunder 2006). This is a species of conservation concern throughout its range because of apparent range-wide population declines (Knopf and Wunder 2006). The U.S. Shorebird Conservation Plan (USSCP) recently classified the species as globally highly imperiled (Brown et al. 2001; USSCP 2004). Reasons for the decline of Mountain Plovers are not fully understood. Habitat destruction and the tendency of the species to nest in agricultural …

2007 (19th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (NOU) Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). 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. The "Official List of the Birds of Nebraska" was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and has been updated two times (NOU Records Committee 1997, 2004).

The "Official List" has been appended seventeen times: (Mollhoff 1989; Grenon 1990, 1991; Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c; Brogie 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007; Jorgensen …

Summer Field Report, June-July 2008, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Generally excellent water conditions in the southeast, including the Rainwater Basin, and in the Sandhills resulted in some notable breeding records, such as Eared Grebes in York County. Ducks were numerous in the Sandhills, especially Redhead. These conditions may have encouraged shorebirds to linger; several late spring records were noted.

Three western species were found eastward; Western Wood-Pewee and Cordilleran Flycatcher were not unexpected based on recent records, but a major surprise was a pair of Pygmy Nuthatches in Cherry County.

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2008) 76(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2008 ... 94

2007 (19th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 111

Migration Chronology, Nesting Ecology, and Breeding Distribution of Mountain Plover (Charadrius montanus) in Nebraska ... 120

Observation of Hailstorm-Caused Mortality of Least Terns and Piping Plovers on the Niobrara River, Nebraska ... 129

Subscription and Organization Information ... 131

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2008]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada, and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Mitochondrial Genomes Reveal An Explosive Radiation Of Extinct And Extant Bears Near The Miocene-Pliocene Boundary, Johannes Krause, Tina Unger, Aline Nocon, Anna-Sapfo Malaspinas, Sergios-Orestis Kolokotronis, Mathias Stiller, Leopoldo Soibelzon, Helen Spriggs, Paul H. Dear, Adrian W. Briggs, Sarah C. E. Bray, Stephen J. O'Brien, Gernot Rabeder, Paul Matheus, Alan Cooper, Montgomery Slatkin, Svante Paabo, Michael Hofreiter

Biology Faculty Articles

Background: Despite being one of the most studied families within the Carnivora, the phylogenetic relationships among the members of the bear family (Ursidae) have long remained unclear. Widely divergent topologies have been suggested based on various data sets and methods.

Results: We present a fully resolved phylogeny for ursids based on ten complete mitochondrial genome sequences from all eight living and two recently extinct bear species, the European cave bear (Ursus spelaeus) and the American giant short-faced bear (Arctodus simus). The mitogenomic data yield a well-resolved topology for ursids, with the sloth bear at the basal …

Material Properties Of Coyote Dentine Under Bending: Gradients In Flexibility And Strength By Position, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

We investigate the nonlinear properties of dentine from the upper canines of coyotes Canis latranswith bending tests. With the results we predict the behavior of whole canines under load. Coyote dentine is not homogeneous but is stronger and more ductile farther away from the pulp cavity. The modulus of rupture (MOR) first increases and then declines with distance from the pulp cavity. Our analysis of the composite nature of dentine produced by these gradients indicates that there may be an adaptive explanation with the composite having nearly the strength of the strongest dentine and a work of fracture greater …

Sequences, Annotation And Single Nucleotide Polymorphism Of The Major Histocompatibility Complex In The Domestic Cat, Naoya Yuhki, James C. Mullikin, Thomas W. Beck, Robert M. Stephens, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Two sequences of major histocompatibility complex (MHC) regions in the domestic cat, 2.976 and 0.362 Mbps, which were separated by an ancient chromosome break (55–80 MYA) and followed by a chromosomal inversion were annotated in detail. Gene annotation of this MHC was completed and identified 183 possible coding regions, 147 human homologues, possible functional genes and 36 pseudo/unidentified genes) by GENSCAN and BLASTN, BLASTP RepeatMasker programs. The first region spans 2.976 Mbp sequence, which encodes six classical class II antigens (three DRA and three DRB antigens) lacking the functional DP, DQ regions, nine antigen processing molecules (DOA/DOB, DMA/DMB, TAPASIN, and …

A Review Of Species In The Genus Rhopalias (Rudolphi, 1819), Terry R. Haverkost, Scott Lyell Gardner

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty and Staff Publications

Currently, there are 6 recognized species in the genus Rhopalias. These parasites are found in the small intestines of numerous species of marsupials throughout North and South America. Small mistakes in various classical taxonomic works have given rise to recent and numerous misidentifications of these species. In this work, we examine a total of 99 specimens across all species from museum collections in an attempt to determine informative taxonomic characters to distinguish these species. Despite confusion in the literature, accurate identification of these species can be achieved by observing the presence or absence of oral and flanking spines anterior …