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- Aves (8)
- Birds (8)
- Tachycineta bicolor (7)
- Tree Swallows (5)
- Copulation (3)
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- Sexual behavior in animals (3)
- Animal behavior (2)
- Biology (2)
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- Nuthatches (2)
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- Active avoidance conditioning (1)
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- Alkylphenols (1)
- Apis mellifera (1)
- Aquatic Biology (1)
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- Bee (1)
- Behavioral husbandry (1)
- Boat Electrofishing (1)
- Bumblefoot (1)
- Camera trapping (1)
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Articles 1 - 26 of 26
Full-Text Articles in Animal Sciences
Change In The Behaviors And Spatial Use Of Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis) Over Time At John Ball Zoo, Hailee Cederquist
Change In The Behaviors And Spatial Use Of Canada Lynx (Lynx Canadensis) Over Time At John Ball Zoo, Hailee Cederquist
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
Felines are popular attractions at zoos across the country, even more so when young animals are involved. As such caretakers strive to ensure that their animal’s needs are met, and individuals display healthy behaviors and activity levels in comparison to their wild counterparts (Mcphee & Carlstead, 2010). However, cats, being wide-ranging carnivores, are known to be prone to stereotypical behaviors which can be detrimental to an animal’s health (Clubb & Mason, 2003). At John Ball Zoo in Grand Rapids, Michigan, we observed the behaviors and spatial use of 3 Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) during the summer of 2020; an adult …
The Status Of Northern Flying Squirrels In The Lower Peninsula Of Michigan, Phathit Renas
The Status Of Northern Flying Squirrels In The Lower Peninsula Of Michigan, Phathit Renas
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
Being able to determine the presence of a species is imperative to proper wildlife management. This is especially true if the species is sensitive or endangered. Common methods of surveying like live trapping are invasive, labor-intensive, and often fail to give sufficient detection rates. New methods utilizing technological advancements give the opportunity to survey more effectively for species. We conducted a comparison of three trapping methods with the U.S. forest service to determine the viability of each for surveying northern flying squirrels (Glaucomys sabrinus) which is a species of concern. We compared live trapping and two noninvasive techniques, camera trapping, …
Miss Independent: Social Group Composition Influences Spatial Patterns In A Female Lion, Andrew Mayfield, Abigail Smith
Miss Independent: Social Group Composition Influences Spatial Patterns In A Female Lion, Andrew Mayfield, Abigail Smith
Student Scholars Day Posters
The introduction of a new animal to a social group can cause individual zoo animals to alter their behavior. In 2019, a male lion was successfully introduced to an adult female at John Ball Zoo, after previously being exhibited with her sister in 2018. A second, older male continued to be exhibited alone, alternating with the pair in the same enclosure. Our study objective was to compare differences in behavior between 2018 and 2019 for the female (“experimental” animal whose social group changed) and the solitary male (“control” animal whose social group did not change). We used Zoomonitor to record …
Thing 1 And Thing 2 Are In A New Zoo: Changes In Behavior Of Amur Tigers Following Introduction To John Ball Zoo, Caitlin Gerke, Faith Hensley
Thing 1 And Thing 2 Are In A New Zoo: Changes In Behavior Of Amur Tigers Following Introduction To John Ball Zoo, Caitlin Gerke, Faith Hensley
Student Scholars Day Posters
Animals alter their behavior in response to changes in their environment such as alterations to their enclosure, social group, or husbandry routine. In 2018, two related, young adult Amur tigers (Panthera tigris altaica) were transferred to the John Ball Zoo (JBZ). The male siblings were given access to a spacious, wooded outdoor enclosure (area = 920 m²). We used Zoomonitor in 2018 and 2019 to conduct focal-animal sampling of the two males. We recorded state behaviors in 30 sec intervals of scan sampling, and all occurrences of event behaviors, both during 30 min sampling sessions. Our study objective …
A Critical Analysis Of Bumblefoot: Care And Preventative Measures In Captive Penguins, Jamie A. Wolanin
A Critical Analysis Of Bumblefoot: Care And Preventative Measures In Captive Penguins, Jamie A. Wolanin
Honors Projects
Bumblefoot is a progressive and sometimes deadly infection that afflicts penguins living in human care. The most prominent cause of the disease is the extended amount of time that captive penguins spend standing in comparison to their pelagic and wild counterparts. For years, facilities have treated bumblefoot with surgery and antibiotics. However, this approach is palliative rather than preventative and has become problematic as bacteria develop stronger resistance to antibiotics. To address the behavioral abnormalities underlying the onset of bumblefoot, zoos and aquariums should utilize environmental enrichment. Many forms of environmental enrichment, including the relationship penguins have with their keepers …
Assessment Of Northern Bobwhite Survival And Fitness In The West Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion, Jacob Doggett, Alexandra Locher
Assessment Of Northern Bobwhite Survival And Fitness In The West Gulf Coastal Plain Ecoregion, Jacob Doggett, Alexandra Locher
Funded Articles
In the West Gulf Coastal Plains (WGCP) northern bobwhite (Colinus virginianus) are declining faster than range-wide averages and such declines have been linked to the consequences of land management. Management for the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker (Picoides borealis) has benefitted northern bobwhite by restoring mature pine-grassland ecosystems in some areas of the region. However, at Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge, Crossett, Arkansas, USA, the bobwhite population was not increasing despite the availability of seemingly suitable habitat from management for the endangered species. To understand factors that may be affecting bobwhite survival on Felsenthal National Wildlife Refuge we conducted …
Brain Transcriptional Profiles Of Male Alternative Reproductive Tactics And Females In Bluegill Sunfish, Charlyn Partridge
Brain Transcriptional Profiles Of Male Alternative Reproductive Tactics And Females In Bluegill Sunfish, Charlyn Partridge
Funded Articles
Bluegill sunfish (Lepomis macrochirus) are one of the classic systems for studying male alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) in teleost fishes. In this species, there are two distinct life histories: parental and cuckolder, encompassing three reproductive tactics, parental, satellite, and sneaker. The parental life history is fixed, whereas individuals who enter the cuckolder life history transition from sneaker to satellite tactic as they grow. For this study, we used RNAseq to characterize the brain transcriptome of the three male tactics and females during spawning to identify gene ontology (GO) categories and potential candidate genes associated with each tactic. We …
Quantitative And Qualitative Nutritional Analysis Of Gvsu Managed Honey Bee Colonies, Emily Noordyke, Anne Marie Fauvel
Quantitative And Qualitative Nutritional Analysis Of Gvsu Managed Honey Bee Colonies, Emily Noordyke, Anne Marie Fauvel
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
Managed honeybee colonies are in significant decline worldwide. The interaction between poor nutrition, pests and diseases, and pesticide use are most cited as potential culprits for the precarious state of the beekeeping industry. By evaluating food coming into the hive, conclusions can be drawn about the quality of hive location and forage availability. Pollen from an apiary with historically low honey production and poor colony health was compared to pollen from an apiary with high honey production and good colony health. Pollen was collected weekly in a 24-hour period, hive weight was monitored, and colonies were assessed for overall growth …
Species Differences In Urinary Specific Gravity Of Various Nonhuman Primates, Patricia Drake
Species Differences In Urinary Specific Gravity Of Various Nonhuman Primates, Patricia Drake
Honors Projects
Specific gravity is a urinalysis parameter that measures the concentration of excreted molecules in urine. Clinically, specific gravity measures the kidney’s ability to dilute or concentrate urine and reflects the concentration of urine during renal filtration. We explored species differences in the specific gravity of various primates’ urine samples, including Alouatta palliata, Alouatta caraya, Callithrix jacchus, Sapajus apella, and Saimiri sciureus. A refractometer was used to measure the urine samples. The urine samples obtained from the wild howler monkeys, Alouatta palliata, had a higher specific gravity than the other primate species’ samples, which were all obtained from captive animals and …
Relatedness Of Male Hoary Bats At A Migratory Stopover Site In Northwestern California, April K. Kaneshiro
Relatedness Of Male Hoary Bats At A Migratory Stopover Site In Northwestern California, April K. Kaneshiro
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
The social structure and genetic make-up of the hoary bat (Lasiurus cinereus) during its fall migration is not well known. Recently, pairs of male hoary bats were observed flying together in the Humboldt Redwoods during the autumn migration. When one individual was netted, the other member of the pair circled around and remained in the area while the two bats called to one another. This suggests a strong social, and a possible genetic, bond between the two males. In order to determine whether these males were related, wing tissue samples were collected from 15 pairs and 76 singleton individuals from …
Developmental Methylmercury Exposure Affects Avoidance Learning Outcomes In Adult Zebrafish, Xiaojuan Xu, Crystal J. Lamb, Melanie L. Smith, Lillian Schaefer, Michael J. Carvan Iii, Daniel N. Weber
Developmental Methylmercury Exposure Affects Avoidance Learning Outcomes In Adult Zebrafish, Xiaojuan Xu, Crystal J. Lamb, Melanie L. Smith, Lillian Schaefer, Michael J. Carvan Iii, Daniel N. Weber
Peer Reviewed Articles
The present study investigated the neurobehavioral effects of embryonic exposure to methylmercury (MeHg) in zebrafish using avoidance conditioning as the behavioral paradigm. In this study, adult zebrafish developmentally exposed as embryos to 0.00, 0.01, 0.03, 0.1, or 0.3 µM of MeHg were trained and tested for avoidance responses. The results showed that control zebrafish hatched from embryos unexposed to MeHg learned avoidance responses during training and showed significantly increased avoidance responses during testing. Zebrafish developmentally exposed to MeHg as embryos were hyperactive as they frequently swam back and forth, and showed no significant changes in avoidance responses from training to …
Diel Fish Habitat Selection In A Tributary Stream, Andria K. Salas, Eric B. Snyder
Diel Fish Habitat Selection In A Tributary Stream, Andria K. Salas, Eric B. Snyder
Peer Reviewed Publications
This study investigated the location and diel habitat preferences (at 100 m reach scale) of fish in a small tributary stream in late spring, early summer. During the day, coho (Oncorhynchus kisutch) preferred areas with more cover (deeper, greater extent of undercut banks) vs. night when LWD was preferred (Pearson correlation and step-wise MLR). Chinook (O. tshawytscha) exhibited an opposite pattern, preferring LWD during the day vs. higher velocity at night. This suggests these two potadromous species may be partitioning resources. Pooling coho, chinook and rainbow trout (O. mykiss) indicated reaches with more LWD …
Projected Climate Change Effects On Nuthatch Distribution And Diversity Across Asia, Shaily Menon, M. Zafar-Ul Islam, A. Townsend Peterson
Projected Climate Change Effects On Nuthatch Distribution And Diversity Across Asia, Shaily Menon, M. Zafar-Ul Islam, A. Townsend Peterson
Peer Reviewed Publications
We used ecological niche modeling approaches to explore climate change implications for one family of birds, the Sittidae, in Asia. Quantitative niche models based on present-day distributions for each of 13 species were projected onto future climate change scenarios. Species’ potential distributional areas tended to be predicted to retract along their fringes, and at lower elevations along mountain ranges. As observed in other studies, montane systems were relatively more robust to the horizontal effects of climate change on species’ distributions compared to flatland systems, so range contractions were focused in Southeast Asia and peninsular India.
Sublethal Exposure To Two Alkylphenolic Compounds And Their Influence On Development, Growth And Reproductive Behavior Of Crayfish, Steven J. Gauthier, Daniel A. Bergman
Sublethal Exposure To Two Alkylphenolic Compounds And Their Influence On Development, Growth And Reproductive Behavior Of Crayfish, Steven J. Gauthier, Daniel A. Bergman
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
Invertebrates make up much of the world's biological diversity. Their survival is fundamental to the maintenance of all life, and their ubiquitous distribution is useful when using them as biological indicators of pollution. Many invertebrate species are under threat of extinction due to exposure to various chemical pollutants. Crayfish are an important invertebrate that is affected by chemical pollutants, such as pesticide/herbicide runoff and industrial waste effluents. Crayfish are considered keystone species because they are an important resource for other species and consequently influence diversity and abundance. For these reasons, crayfish are important in terms of better understanding the effects …
Population Structure Of The Invasive Round Goby In Lake Michigan, Elizabeth A. Larue, Carl Ruetz Iii, Ryan Thum
Population Structure Of The Invasive Round Goby In Lake Michigan, Elizabeth A. Larue, Carl Ruetz Iii, Ryan Thum
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
The recent establishment of the round goby (Neogobius melanostomus), an invasive fish in Lake Michigan, provides a model system to view fine scale evolutionary and ecological processes that can create genetic structure within a population. We used seven nuclear polymorphic microsatellite markers (N = 11-17 per site) and measurements of fish total length, weight, and sex (N = 20-74 per site) on round gobies captured by minnow traps and angling among 12 sites around the entire shore of Lake Michigan to determine if evolutionary processes are present in Lake Michigan by characterizing population structure of the round goby. Specific objectives …
Preliminary Analysis Of The Ecology And Geography Of The Asian Nuthatches (Aves: Sittidae), Shaily Menon, Zafar-Ul Islam, Jorge Soberon, A. Townsend Peterson
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 …
Examination Of Crayfish Biodiversity And Distribution Within The Grand River, Michigan, Norrissa M. Thomas, Daniel A. Bergman
Examination Of Crayfish Biodiversity And Distribution Within The Grand River, Michigan, Norrissa M. Thomas, Daniel A. Bergman
Student Summer Scholars Manuscripts
Invertebrates make up a large part of the world's biological diversity and perform essential ecological functions. Many invertebrates are under threat of extinction due to extreme transformations of habitats. Crayfish are one such threatened invertebrate. Crayfish are keystone species in many freshwater systems. Keystone species are those species most important in shaping the ecology of a system. Crayfish are an important resource for many animals and affect species diversity and abundance. Specifically, crayfish can adversely affect ecosystems by removing plants, making the water turbid. They also prey on fish eggs reducing their numbers. There are 415 species of crayfish in …
Sampling A Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison Of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting And Boat Electrofishing, Carl R. Ruetz Iii, Donald G. Uzarski, Damon M. Krueger, Edward S. Rutherford
Sampling A Littoral Fish Assemblage: Comparison Of Small-Mesh Fyke Netting And Boat Electrofishing, Carl R. Ruetz Iii, Donald G. Uzarski, Damon M. Krueger, Edward S. Rutherford
Peer-reviewed scientific publications
We compared small-mesh (4-mm) fyke netting and boat electrofishing for sampling a littoral fish assemblage in Muskegon Lake, Michigan. We hypothesized that fyke netting selects for small-bodied fishes and electrofishing selects for large-bodied fishes. Three sites were sampled during May (2004 and 2005), July (2005 only), and September (2004 and 2005). We found that the species composition of captured fish differed considerably between fyke netting and electrofishing based on nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS). Species strongly associated with fyke netting (based on NMDS and relative abundance) included the brook silverside Labidesthes sicculus, banded killifish Fundulus diaphanus, round goby Neogobius melanostomus, mimic …
Left-Sided Directional Bias Of Cloacal Contacts During House Sparrow Copulations, Karen B. Nyland, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe
Left-Sided Directional Bias Of Cloacal Contacts During House Sparrow Copulations, Karen B. Nyland, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe
Peer Reviewed Publications
Most female birds have only a left ovary and associated oviduct. The entry to the oviduct is on the left side of the urodeum of the cloaca. This arrangement may favor males that mount females from the left during copulation if it results in sperm being placed closer to the opening of the oviduct. Therefore, we predicted a left-sided directional bias of cloacal contacts during House Sparrow (Passer domesticus) copulations. Cloacal contacts from the left outnumbered those from the right 74 to 25 (3:1) during 25 bouts of copulation at 11 House Sparrow nests. While this pattern suggests …
Individual, Temporal, And Seasonal Variation In Sperm Concentration In Tree Swallows, Michael P. Lombardo, Armetris N. Forman, Matthew R. Czarnowski, Patrick A. Thorpe
Individual, Temporal, And Seasonal Variation In Sperm Concentration In Tree Swallows, Michael P. Lombardo, Armetris N. Forman, Matthew R. Czarnowski, Patrick A. Thorpe
Peer Reviewed Publications
We determined sperm concentrations in Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) by manually expressing semen samples from males during prelaying, egg-laying, incubation, and nestling periods. Sperm concentrations varied by orders of magnitude (0-109 sperm mL-1) among males. Sperm concentrations were highest during the incubation period and lowest during the prelaying period. None of the samples collected during the prelaying, egg-laying, and incubation periods were devoid of sperm. In contrast, 45% of samples collected during the nestling period lacked sperm. Sperm concentrations (1) did not vary over the course of the morning during prelaying, egg-laying, and incubation periods …
Nestling Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor) Diets In An Upland Old Field In Western Michigan, Matthew E. Johnson, Michael P. Lombardo
Nestling Tree Swallow (Tachycineta Bicolor) Diets In An Upland Old Field In Western Michigan, Matthew E. Johnson, Michael P. Lombardo
Peer Reviewed Publications
We collected and identified 1852 prey items from 89 boluses delivered to 62 nestling tree swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) at 14 nests in an upland old field in western Michigan. We found that 90.8% of nestling diets was insects from the Orders Diptera, Homoptera, Hymenoptera and Coleoptera. We also found clam and snail shells in boluses. Over the most common brood sizes of 4-6 nestlings, brood size was inversely proportional to the number of items per bolus delivered to nestlings although mean dry and mean organic weight of boluses did not differ. Bolus composition was not influenced by weather …
Microbial Colonization Of The Cloacae Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Tamara K. Mills, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe
Microbial Colonization Of The Cloacae Of Nestling Tree Swallows, Tamara K. Mills, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe
Peer Reviewed Publications
Microbes have the potential to be important selective forces in many aspects of avian biology. Microbes can affect fitness as a result of either their pathogenic or beneficial effects on host health. Little is known about the chronology of microbial colonization of nestlings or the effects of microbes on fledgling condition. We set out to (1) characterize the time course of microbial colonization of the cloacae of nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), (2) examine the relationship between cloacal microbes and fledgling condition, and (3) determine if nest mates had similar assemblages of cloacal microbes. We repeatedly measured nestlings …
Communities Of Cloacal Bacteria In Tree Swallow Families, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe, R. Cichewicz, M. Henshaw, C. Millard, C. Steen, T. K. Zeller
Communities Of Cloacal Bacteria In Tree Swallow Families, Michael P. Lombardo, Patrick A. Thorpe, R. Cichewicz, M. Henshaw, C. Millard, C. Steen, T. K. Zeller
Peer Reviewed Publications
Our aim in this study was to survey the communities of bacteria found in the cloacae of adult and nestling Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), determine if there were familial patterns of prevalence, and determine if there were relationships between bacteria loads and nestling size when 12 days old and fledging success.
Within-Pair Copulations: Are Female Tree Swallows Feathering Their Own Nests?, Michael P. Lombardo
Within-Pair Copulations: Are Female Tree Swallows Feathering Their Own Nests?, Michael P. Lombardo
Peer Reviewed Publications
A variety of hypotheses has been proposed to explain why socially monogamous birds copulate repeatedly with their mates when only a single copulation is necessary to fertilize an entire clutch (Birkhead and Møller 1992, Petrie 1992, Hunter et al. 1993). Petrie (1992) hypothesized that a female should copulate frequently with her mate so as to reduce her mate’s involvement in extrapair copulations. By reducing her mate’s involvement in extrapair copulations, a female may: (1) avoid the transmission of parasites and sexually transmitted diseases (Hamilton 1990); (2) may avoid sperm depletion by her mate; and (3) may monopolize her mate’s paternal …
Effect Of Feathers As Nest Insulation On Incubation Behavior And Reproductive Performance Of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor), Michael P. Lombardo, Ruth M. Bosman, Christine A. Faro, Stephen G. Houtteman, Timothy S. Kluisza
Effect Of Feathers As Nest Insulation On Incubation Behavior And Reproductive Performance Of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta Bicolor), Michael P. Lombardo, Ruth M. Bosman, Christine A. Faro, Stephen G. Houtteman, Timothy S. Kluisza
Peer Reviewed Publications
Many species of birds line their nests with feathers, presumably because of the insulative qualities of feathers and because feathers may act as a barrier between nest parasites and nestlings. In 1993, we experimentally examined the role of feathers as nest insulation on the incubation behavior, nestling growth, and reproductive performance of Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor) nesting in boxes in western Michigan. There were no significant differences between the incubation rhythms of females with experimental nests (i.e. no feathers) and females with control nests (i.e. with feathers). Nestlings that were reared in control nests had significantly longer right …
Homosexual Copulations By Male Tree Swallows, Michael P. Lombardo, Ruth M. Bosman, Christine A. Faro, Stephen G. Houtteman, Timothy S. Kluisza
Homosexual Copulations By Male Tree Swallows, Michael P. Lombardo, Ruth M. Bosman, Christine A. Faro, Stephen G. Houtteman, Timothy S. Kluisza
Peer Reviewed Publications
Homosexual courtship behavior in non-human animals is well known (Ford and Beach 1980) and occurs in a wide variety of taxa. However, homosexual copulations, especially between males, are less well known. In birds, males mounting other males have been observed in the colonially breeding Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis) (Fujioka and Yamagishi 1981) and Common Murre (Uria aalge) (Birkhead et al. 1985, Hatchwell 1988). Neither Fujioka and Yamagishi (1981) nor Birkhead et al. (1985) and Hatchwell (1988) reported whether cloacal contact occurred during their observations of male-male mountings. Here we describe homosexual copulations by male Tree Swallows …