Animal Sciences Commons^™

A Reintroduction Retrospective: Comparative Fisher (Pekania Pennanti) Survival And Prey Habitat Use In The Cascade Mountains Of Washington State, Tanner S.T. Humphries

Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers

Increasing human impacts on biodiversity highlight the global need for ecological restoration. For many wildlife species, reintroduction is necessary to re-establish populations in parts of their historic range where they have been extirpated. Reintroduction efforts are commonly used to help restore ecosystem integrity, but are often expensive, time consuming, and unsuccessful at generating self-sustaining populations. Thus, a more complete understanding of the factors affecting restoration success is important for ensuring successful outcomes and responsible stewardship. Fishers (Pekania pennanti) are one of the most commonly reintroduced carnivores in North America, but the success of such efforts is highly variable, …

The Tijeras Pueblo (La 581) Archaeofaunal Project, Emily Lena Jones, Scott Kirk, Caitlin S. Ainsworth, Asia Alsgaard, Jana Valesca Meyer, Cyler Conrad

Anthropology Datasets

These files contain data generated by the Tijeras Pueblo (LA 581) Archaeofaunal Project, a project of the University of New Mexico Department of Anthropology Zooarchaeology Laboratory between 2011 and the present. This project has been supported in part by the National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1732622 and by a grant from the Research Allocations Committee of the University of New Mexico.

These data are the basis of the analyses presented in the following publication:

Jones, Emily Lena, Scott Kirk, Caitlin S. Ainsworth, Asia Alsgaard, Jana Valesca Meyer, and Cyler Conrad. 2021. The Community at the Crossroads: Artiodactyl Exploitation and …

Do Beaver Dam Analogues Act As Passage Barriers To Juvenile Coho Salmon And Juvenile Steelhead Trout?, Christopher G. O'Keefe

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

In the Pacific Northwest, the human-caused reduction of quality and quantity of freshwater rearing habitat is a limiting factor for Pacific Salmon populations. Beaver dam analogues (BDAs) increase suitable rearing habitat for juvenile salmonids and promote the restoration of critical stream processes. Installing BDAs is an increasingly popular alternative to more intensive restoration techniques, due to the relatively low cost and effort required to install BDA structures. However, widespread installation of BDAs has been slowed by regulatory agencies’ concerns that BDAs may impede fish passage. Few studies have empirically assessed the extent to which BDAs impede fish passage, and no …

Evaluating The Effects Of Atlantic Menhaden Management And Environmental Change On The Northwest Atlantic Ocean Ecosystem, Maxwell T. Grezlik

Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects

Atlantic Menhaden (Brevoortia tyrannus) is an abundant forage fish species whose management has recently shifted from using single species reference points to ecological reference points. This type of management allows for the ecological role (e.g., supporting predators) of the species to be considered when making management decisions, and is part of a growing global movement towards ecosystem-based fisheries management. One model that aided in this transition from single species to ecological reference points was the Northwest Atlantic Continental Shelf (NWACS13) model created using Ecopath with Ecosim (Buchheister et al. 2017). Here, I updated and expanded the NWACS13 model …

24andmore: Using Genome-Wide Snps To Investigate The Genetic Diversity Of Iowa Walleye (Sander Vitreous) Broodstock, Rachel Ann Mcdonnell

Dissertations and Theses @ UNI

The stocking of Sander vitreus in Iowa waterbodies is one of the primary tools used by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to ensure healthy populations for enjoyable fishing experiences. A substantial amount of time and money goes into this effort, so stocking efficiency is vital. Knowledge of genetic diversity contained in the broodstock increases this efficiency by having a better understanding of which strain will survive and contribute to the fishery in certain environments. The objective of this study is to investigate the genetic diversity of Iowa S. vitreus broodstock to identify genetic ancestry and quantify the genetic …

รอยสึกบนฟันกรามของสัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยนมในวงศ์ย่อย Caprinae จากสมัยไพลสโตซีนและปัจจุบันของประเทศไทย, จักรีทิพย์ อิศรางกูร ณ อยุธยา

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

สัตว์เลี้ยงลูกด้วยนมในวงศ์ย่อย Caprinae สามชนิด ได้แก่ เลียงผาใต้ (Capricornis sumatraensis) กวางผาจีน (Naemorhedus griseus) และกวางผาหิมาลัย (Naemorhedus goral) ปรากฎหลักฐานการกระจายตัวในประเทศไทยสมัยไพลสโตซีน อย่างไรก็ตาม ปัจจุบันกวางผาหิมาลัยได้สูญพันธุ์ไปจากประเทศไทยแล้ว เพื่อบ่งบอกนิเวศวิทยที่เปลี่ยนแปลงไปในอดีตจนถึงปัจจุบันของสัตว์กลุ่มนี้ รอยสึกบนฟันกรามจึงถูกนำมาใช้เพื่อการศึกษาอาหาร รููปแบบการกินอาหาร และนิเวศวิทยาบรรพกาลของสัตว์ในวงศ์ย่อย Caprinae ผู้วิจัยศึกษาตัวอย่างจาก 4 แหล่งขุดค้นซากดึกดำบรรพ์ในประเทศไทย ที่มีอายุระหว่างสมัยไพลสโตซีนตอนกลางถึงตอนปลาย ได้แก่ ถ้ำผาบ่อง, บ้านโคกสูง, ถ้ำวิมานนาคินทร์ และเพิงผาถ้ำลอด รวมไปถึงตัวอย่างปัจจุบันจากพิพิธภัณฑ์และเขตรักษาพันธุ์สัตว์ป่าทั้งหมด 10 แห่ง โดยเก็บข้อมูลค่าดัชนีความสูงตัวฟัน (hypsodonty index: HI), รอยสึกระดับ mesowear I และ II, และรอยสึกระดับ microwear จากฟันกราม ผลการศึกษาพบว่า รอยสึกระดับ mesowear และค่า HI บ่งชี้ว่าเลียงผาและกวางผาทั้งในปัจจุบันและไพลสโตซีนกินใบไม้และหญ้า โดยเลียงผาใต้มีแนวโน้มการกินใบไม้มากกว่าชนิดอื่น ผลการศึกษารอยสึกระดับ microwear จากทั้งตัวอย่างปัจจุบันและไพลสโตซีนพบว่า เลียงผาใต้กินใบไม้อ่อนนุ่ม ขณะที่กวางผาจีนและกวางผาหิมาลัยกินใบไม้และหญ้าที่มีความแข็ง เมื่อพิจารณาผลการศึกษาที่ได้ร่วมกับค่าไอโซโทปเสถียรของธาตุคาร์บอนจากงานวิจัยก่อนหน้า อาจกล่าวได้ว่า เลียงผาใต้ในสมัยไพลสโตซีนกินใบไม้อ่อนนุ่มทั้งประเภท C3, C3/C4, และ C4 อยู่อาศัยได้ทั้งป่าทึบและทุ่งหญ้า กวางผาจีนในสมัยไพลสโตซีนกินใบไม้และหญ้าประเภท C4 ที่มีความแข็ง อาศัยในทุ่งหญ้าเปิด สำหรับกวางผาหิมาลัยในสมัยไพลสโตซีนกินใบไม้และหญ้าประเภท C4 หรือ C3/C4 และอาศัยในทุ่งหญ้าเปิด ผลการศึกษาสามารถสรุปแนวโน้มการเปลี่ยนแปลงนิเวศวิทยาของสายพันธุ์เลียงผาและกวางผาได้ว่า เลียงผาและกวางผาสมัยไพลสโตซีนอาศัยในทุ่งหญ้าเปิดมากกว่าประชากรในปัจจุบัน ซึ่งอาจเป็นผลจากการเปลี่ยนแปลงของสภาพแวดล้อมจากอดีตจนถึงปัจจุบัน และการรุกรานของมนุษย์ตั้งแต่สมัยไพลสโตซีนที่ส่งผลให้จำนวนประชากรลดลง

ความหลากหลายทางพันธุกรรมของยีนสร้างโปรตีน Pfs25 ของเชื้อมาลาเรีย Plasmodium Falciparum ในประเทศไทย, พรปวีณ์ สุขพงษ์ไทย

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Pfs25 เป็นโปรตีนที่พบได้บนเยื่อหุ้มเซลล์ของเชื้อมาลาเรีย Plasmodium falciparum ในระยะ sexual stage และเป็นหนึ่งในแอนติเจนของวัคซีนสำหรับป้องกันการติดต่อของโรคมาลาเรียชนิด transmission blocking vaccine (TBV) วัคซีนชนิดนี้สร้างจากแอนติเจน Pfs25 ของเชื้อมาลาเรีย P. falciparum สายพันธุ์ 3D7 และได้รับการพัฒนาอย่างต่อเนื่องจนถึงขั้นตอนทดสอบทางคลินิก อย่างไรก็ดี การศึกษาความหลากหลายของยีน Pfs25 ในประชากร P. falciparum ในธรรมชาติทั้งในประเทศไทยและพื้นที่อื่น ๆ มีอยู่อย่างจำกัด ดังนั้น วิทยานิพนธ์เรื่องนี้มีวัตถุประสงค์เพื่อศึกษาความหลากหลายทางพันธุกรรมของยีน Pfs25 ของ P. falciparum ในประเทศไทยและพื้นที่อื่น ๆ ทั่วโลก ตัวอย่างประกอบด้วยลำดับนิวคลีโอไทด์ของ Pfs25 ของ P. falciparum ในประเทศไทยจำนวน 83 ตัวอย่าง และข้อมูลจากฐานข้อมูล GenBank และ PlasmoDB จำนวน 224 ตัวอย่าง ซึ่งการศึกษานี้ได้รวบรวมและสร้างฐานข้อมูลนิวคลีโอไทด์ขึ้นเป็นครั้งแรก ทำการศึกษาความหลากหลายด้วยการวิเคราะห์ทาง พันธุศาสตร์ประชากร ผลการศึกษาพบว่า Pfs25 ในประชากรเชื้อมาลาเรีย P. falciparum ทั่วโลกมีจำนวน 11 haplotype ในจำนวนนี้ พบในประเทศไทยจำนวน 7 haplotype (H) โดย H2 เป็น haplotype ที่พบมากที่สุดในประชากรเชื้อมาลาเรียในทวีปเอเชีย ส่วน H1 พบมากที่สุดในประชากรในทวีปแอฟริกาและทวีปอเมริกากลางและอเมริกาใต้ การวิเคราะห์ด้วย Fst แสดงให้เห็นว่า การกระจายของ haplotype ทั้งหมดแตกต่างกันตามแต่ละทวีป แสดงว่า เชื้อมาลาเรีย P. falciparum แบ่งออกเป็น 3 ประชากรย่อย ๆ ตามพื้นที่ คือ ประชากรในทวีปเอเชีย ทวีปแอฟริกา และทวีปอเมริกากลางและอเมริกาใต้ นอกจากนี้ เมื่อวิเคราะห์ความสัมพันธ์ของ haplotype ด้วย …

Effects Of Sacubitril/Valsartan On Cardiac Function, Mitochondrial Quality And Autophagy In A Rat Model With Chronic Mitral Regurgitation, Lalida Tantisuwat

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Sacubitril/Valsartan (S/V), an angiotensin receptor blocker-neprilysin inhibitor (ARNi), has demonstrated beneficial outcomes in heart failure (HF) patients. However, the effects of the drug in mitral regurgitation (MR) condition are not thoroughly elucidated. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of S/V compared with valsartan (Val) on cardiac function, mitochondrial quality and autophagy in a rat model with chronic MR. MR was induced in male, Sprague-Dawley, rats (n=24), while the other 6 rats underwent sham surgery. Four weeks post-surgery, the MR rats were randomly divided into 3 groups: MR (n=8), Val (n=7), and S/V (n=8); one rat was …

Extending Animal Welfare Science To Include Wild Animals, Walter Veit, Heather Browning

Animal Sentience

Ng’s (2016) target article built on his earlier work advocating a science of welfare biology (Ng 1995). Although there were problems with the models proposed in Ng’s original paper regarding the balance of pleasure and suffering for wild animals, his call for a science of wild animal welfare was a sound one. This does not require a new discipline but just an extension of the existing frameworks and methods of animal welfare science to include wild animals.

The Urinary Proteomic Analysis And The Vitamin D Receptor Polymorphisms In Dogs With Calcium Oxalate Urolithiasis, Sumonwan Chamsuwan

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Calcium oxalate (CaOx) urolithiasis is one of the most common stone components which frequently occurs in both humans and dogs. Hypercalciuria is one of the predisposing factors commonly found in both people and dogs with calcium urolithiasis. The genetic factors are also involved with the pathogenesis of stone formation, and the relationship between calcium handling and vitamin D receptor (VDR) polymorphisms has been demonstrated to be related to calcium urolithiasis in human populations. Moreover, some urinary proteins may be involved in the process of stone formation. The present study aimed firstly to evaluate the relationship between VDR polymorphism in dog …

The Effect Of Low Dietary Cation–Anion Difference (Dcad) On Urine Acidification And Acid–Base Balance In Dairy Goats Under Tropical Condition, Dang Khoa Do Nguyen

Chulalongkorn University Theses and Dissertations (Chula ETD)

Global warming is characterized by high ambient temperature (HTa). The negative effects of HTa in tropical condition have been well elucidated in dairy goats. The effect of high dietary cation-anion difference (H-DCAD) has been partially elucidated on dairy goats under tropical condition. However, there is scarce information about the low DCAD (L-DCAD) effect on dairy goats under tropical condition. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the potential effect of low DCAD on alleviating HTa effect, urine acidification, and acid-base balance in dairy goats under tropical condition. In total, twelve lactating Saanen goats (n=12) were enrolled and divided into a …

Spatial Transferability Of Expert Opinion Models For American Beaver Habitat, Isidro Barela, Leslie M. Burger, Guiming Wang, Kristine O. Evans, Qingmin Meng, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Species distribution models and habitat suitability models (HSMs) have become a popular tool in the conservation of biodiversity. However, the ability to predict species spatial distributions at sites beyond the data source sites (i.e., spatial transferability) is critical for the applications of HSMs in the management and conservation of rare or endangered species. The main objective of our study was to assess the predictive performance and spatial transferability of expert opinion models (EOMs). To build EOMs, we identified through extensive literature reviews 17 key landscape variables to characterize habitat use by American beaver (Castor canadensis). We developed 31 pairwise opinion …

Evidence For Continental-Scale Dispersal Of Antimicrobial Resistant Bacteria By Landfill-Foraging Gulls, Christina A. Ahlstrom, Mariëlle L. Van Toor, Hanna Woksepp, Jeffrey C. Chandler, John A. Reed, Andrew B. Reeves, Jonas Waldenström, Alan B. Franklin, David C. Douglas, Jonas Bonnedahl, Andrew M. Ramey

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Anthropogenic inputs into the environment may serve as sources of antimicrobial resistant bacteria and alter the ecology and population dynamics of synanthropic wild animals by providing supplemental forage. In this study, we used a combination of phenotypic and genomic approaches to characterize antimicrobial resistant indicator bacteria, animal telemetry to describe host movement patterns, and a novel modeling approach to combine information fromthese diverse data streams to investigate the acquisition and long-distance dispersal of antimicrobial resistant bacteria by landfill-foraging gulls. Our results provide evidence that gulls acquire antimicrobial resistant bacteria from anthropogenic sources, which they may subsequently disperse across and between …

Evaluating Potential Effects Of Solar Power Facilities On Wildlife From An Animal Behavior Perspective, Rachel Y. Chock, Barbara Clucas, Elizabeth K. Peterson, Bradley Blackwell, Daniel T. Blumstein, Kathleen Church, Esteban Fernández-Juricic, Gabriel Francescoli, Alison L. Greggor, Paul Kemp, Gabriela M. Pinho, Peter M. Sanzenbacher, Bruce A. Schulte, Pauline Toni

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Solar power is a renewable energy source with great potential to help meet increasing global energy demands and reduce our reliance on fossil fuels. However, research is scarce on how solar facilities affect wildlife. With input from professionals in ecology, conservation, and energy, we conducted a research-prioritization process and identified key questions needed to better understand impacts of solar facilities on wildlife. We focused on animal behavior, which can be used to identify population responses before mortality or other fitness consequences are documented. Behavioral studies can also offer approaches to understand the mechanisms leading to negative interactions (e.g., collision, singeing, …

Multi-Level Movement Response Of Invasive Wild Pigs (Sus Scrofa) To Removal, Guillaume Bastille-Rousseau, Peter E. Schlichting, David A. Keiter, Joshua B. Smith, John C. Kilgo, George Wittemyer, Kurt C. Vercauteren, James C. Beasley, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Lethal removal of invasive species, such as wild pigs (Sus scrofa), is often the most efficient approach for reducing their negative impacts. Wild pigs are one of the most widespread and destructive invasive mammals in the USA. Lethal management techniques are a key approach for wild pigs and can alter wild pig spatial behavior, but it is unclear how wild pigs respond to the most common removal technique, trapping.We investigated the spatial behavior of wild pigs following intensive removal of conspecifics via trapping at three sites within the Savannah River Site, SC, USA. We evaluated changes in …

Food Habits Of Wintering Double-Crested Cormorants In The Mississippi Delta, Terrel W. Christie, Brian S. Dorr, J. Brian Davis, Luke A. Roy, Carole R. Engle, Katie Hanson-Dorr, Anita M. Kelly

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Given its ubiquity, it is not surprising that agriculture, including fin fish aquaculture, contributes to food webs worldwide and is used by numerous wildlife for foraging and meeting other needs. Double-crested Cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) impact United States commercial aquaculture and are considered the primary avian predator in catfish (Ictalurus spp.) aquaculture facilities in the Mississippi Delta. Recent changes in aquaculture practices, regulatory policies, and decreased overall hectares in production prompted this study that assessed cormorant consumption of catfish in relation to their night roosts through surveys and diet analysis. Cormorants were collected from night roosts from October …

Principal Economic Effects Of Cormorant Predation On Catfish Farms, Carole R. Engle, Terrel W. Christie, Brian S. Dorr, Ganesh Kumar, Luke A. Roy, Anita M. Kelly

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Substantial economic losses of farmed catfish to fish-eating birds such as the double-crested cormorant, Phalacrocorax auritus, continue to be reported on U.S. catfish farms. An economic analysis was conducted of the on-farm effects of both the increased expenditures to scare fish-eating birds from catfish farms and of the value of the catfish that were consumed by cormorants. A survey was conducted of U.S. catfish farmers in the Delta region of Mississippi and Arkansas, to obtain farm-level data on expenditures to scare birds. Estimations of the lost revenue from catfish consumed by cormorants were developed from a concurrent study on …

Environmental Correlates Of Genetic Variation In The Invasive European Starling In North America, Natalie R. Hofmeister, Scott J. Werner, Irby J. Lovette

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Populations of invasive species that colonize and spread in novel environments may differentiate both through demographic processes and local selection. European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) were introduced to New York in 1890 and subsequently spread throughout North America, becoming one of the most widespread and numerous bird species on the continent. Genome-wide comparisons across starling individuals and populations can identify demographic and/or selective factors that facilitated this rapid and successful expansion. We investigated patterns of genomic diversity and differentiation using reduced-representation genome sequencing of 17 winter-season sampling sites. Consistent with this species' high dispersal rate and rapid expansion history, …

Continental-Scale Dynamics Of Avian Influenza In U.S. Waterfowl Are Driven By Demography, Migration, And Temperature, Erin E. Gorsich, Colleen T. Webb, Andrew A. Merton, Jennifer A. Hoeting, Ryan S. Miller, Matthew Farnsworth, Seth R. Swafford, Thomas J. Deliberto, Kerri Pedersen, Alan B. Franklin, Robert G. Mclean, Kenneth R. Wilson, Paul Doherty

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Emerging diseases of wildlife origin are increasingly spilling over into humans and domestic animals. Surveillance and risk assessments for transmission between these populations are informed by a mechanistic understanding of the pathogens in wildlife reservoirs. For avian influenza viruses (AIV), much observational and experimental work in wildlife has been conducted at local scales, yet fully understanding their spread and distribution requires assessing the mechanisms acting at both local, (e.g., intrinsic epidemic dynamics), and continental scales, (e.g., long-distance migration). Here, we combined a large, continental-scale data set on low pathogenic, Type A AIV in the United States with a novel network-based …

Embracing Dynamic Models For Gene Drive Management, Andrew J. Golnar, Emily W. Ruell, Alun L. Lloyd, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Robust methods of predicting how gene drive systems will interact with ecosystems is essential for safe deployment of gene drive technology. We describe how quantitative tools can reduce risk uncertainty, streamline empirical research, guide risk management, and promote cross-sector collaboration throughout the process of gene drive technology development and implementation.

Gene drive technologies, although diverse in design and mode of action, are molecular architectures that promote the transmission of genetic information between generations. In theory, the release of one gene-drive-modified organism (GDMO) has the potential to irreversibly alter species, ecosystems, and environmental processes at a global scale (although in practice …

Temporal And Spatial Blood Feeding Patterns Of Urban Mosquitoes In The San Juan Metropolitan Area, Puerto Rico, Matthew W. Hopken, Limarie J. Reyes-Torres, Nicole Scavo, Antoinette J. Piaggio, Zaid Abdo, Daniel Taylor, James Pierce, Donald A. Yee

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Simple Summary: Understanding the biodiversity of urban ecosystems is critical for management of invasive and pest species, conserving native species, and disease control. Mosquitoes (Culicidae) are ubiquitous and abundant in urban ecosystems, and rely on blood meals taken from vertebrates. We used DNA from freshly blood-fed mosquitoes to characterize the diversity of vertebrate host species in the San Juan Metropolitan Area, Puerto Rico. We collected two mosquito species that fed on a variety of vertebrates. Culex quinquefasciatus fed on 17 avian taxa (81.2% of blood meals), seven mammalian taxa (17.9%), and one reptilian taxon (0.85%). Aedes aegypti blood meals were …

Population Genomic Transformations Induced By Isolation Of Wild Bird Avian Influenza Viruses (Orthomyxoviridae) In Embryonated Chicken Eggs, Matthew W. Hopken, Antoinette J. Piaggio, K. L. Pabilonia, James Pierce, Theodore Anderson, Courtney Pierce, Zaid Abdo

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Isolation and cultivation of wild-type viruses in model organism cells or tissues is standard practice in virology. Oftentimes, the virus host species is distantly related to the species from which the culture system was developed. Thus, virus culture in these tissues and cells basically constitutes a host jump, which can lead to genomic changes through genetic drift and/or adaptation to the culture system. We directly sequenced 70 avian influenza virus (Orthomyxoviridae) genomes from oropharyngeal/cloacal swabs collected from wild bird species and paired virus isolates propagated from the same samples following isolation in specific-pathogen-free embryonated chicken eggs. The data were analyzed …

Variation In Angiostrongylus Cantonensis Infection In Definitive And Intermediate Hosts In Hawaii, A Global Hotspot Of Rat Lungworm Disease, Chris Niebuhr, Shane R. Siers, Israel Leinbach, Lisa M. Kaluna, Susan I. Jarvi

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Angiostrongylus cantonensis (rat lungworm) is a tropical and subtropical parasitic nematode, with infections in humans causing angiostrongyliasis (rat lungworm disease), characterized by eosinophilic meningitis. Hawaii has been identified as a global hotspot of infection, with recent reports of high infection rates in humans, as well as rat definitive and snail intermediate hosts. This study investigated variation in A. cantonensis infection, both prevalence and intensity, in wild populations of two species of rats (Rattus exulans and R. rattus) and one species of snail (Parmarion martensi). An overall infection prevalence of 86.2% was observed in P. martensi and …

Estimation Of Wildlife Damage From Federal Crop Insurance Data, Sophie Mckee, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Aaron M. Anderson

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Wildlife damage to crops is a persistent and costly problem for many farmers in the USA. Most existing estimates of crop damage have relied on direct assessment methods such as field studies conducted by trained biologists or surveys distributed to farmers. In this paper, we describe a new method of estimating wildlife damage that exploits federal crop insurance data. We focused our study on four crops: corn, soybean, wheat, and cotton, chosen because of their economic importance and their vulnerability to wildlife damage.

RESULTS: We determined crop-raiding hot spots across the USA over the 2015–2019 period and identified the …

Inefficiency Of Anthraquinone-Based Avian Repellents When Applied To Sunflower: The Importance Of Crop Vegetative And Floral Characteristics In Field Applications, Brandon Kaiser, Burton L. Johnson, Mike Ostlie, Scott J. Werner, Page E. Klug

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Blackbirds (Icteridae) cause significant damage to sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) prompting the need for effective management tools. Anthraquinone-based repellents can reduce feeding by > 80% in laboratory settings, but require birds to learn the negative association through repellent ingestion. We evaluated an anthraquinone-based repellent applied directly to mature sunflower plants for its ability to reduce bird damage. We used captive male red-winged blackbirds (Agelaius phoeniceus) to evaluate efficacy of two anthraquinone-based formulations in varying concentrations and applied in a manner attainable by sunflower producers. We also assessed field application methods for repellent coverage and anthraquinone residues when …

Evaluating The Effects Of Mountain Beaver (Aplodontia Rufa) Management On Conifer Stocking In Western Oregon, Jimmy D. Taylor, Vanessa M. Petro

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Mountain beaver (Aplodontia rufa) is the most primitive rodent species in North America and is endemic to the Pacific Northwest, USA. Within their range, mountain beaver cause more conflict with conifer forest regeneration than any other vertebrate species. Most damage occurs as a result of clipping and browsing new seedlings, which reduces stocking density and delays stand development. An integrated approach using trapping and a registered toxicant (baiting) has been suggested as the most efficacious means to reduce seedling loss during stand initiation. We evaluated this management strategy in intensively managed conifer stands across two mountain ranges in …

Avian Use Of Exotic Street Treescapes In Metropolitan Areas Of Phoenix, Arizona, Brian E. Washburn, Karen Hoss, David L. Bergman

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Urban areas are highly modified environments that are strongly influenced by a variety of anthropogenic factors. Consequently, these areas contain unique wildlife communities typically dominated by species that are generalist in nature or highly adaptable. We examined the use of five species of exotic treescapes by exotic and native birds in metropolitan areas of Phoenix, Arizona. House Sparrows [Passer domesticus (37%)], European Starlings [Sturnus vulagris (27%)], Mourning Doves [Zenaida macroura (11%)], and Great-tailed Grackles [Quiscalus mexicanus (7%)] were the most frequently observed species during the study. Approximately two-thirds (67%) of the birds observed during the study were exotic species. Avian …

Anthraquinone Repellent Seed Treatment On Corn Reduces Feeding By Wild Pigs, Nathan P. Snow, Joseph M. Halseth, Scott J. Werner, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are a destructive invasive species that cause extensive damage to agriculture throughout many regions of the world. In particular wild pigs damage corn more than any other crop, and most of that damage occurs immediately after planting when wild pigs excavate and consume planted seeds. We evaluated whether anthraquinone (AQ), a repellent, could be useful for protecting seed corn from consumption by wild pigs. Specifically, we conducted cafeteria-style tests at 16 bait sites for 6 nights using concentrations of: untreated, 0.5, 1.5, and 3.0% AQ by weight sprayed on whole-kernel corn in AL and …

The Evolutionary Consequences Of Human–Wildlife Conflict In Cities, Christopher J. Schell, Lauren Stanton, Julie K. Young, Lisa Angeloni, Joanna E. Lambert, Stewart W. Breck, Maureen H. Murray

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Human–wildlife interactions, including human–wildlife conflict, are increasingly common as expanding urbanization worldwide creates more opportunities for people to encounter wildlife. Wildlife–vehicle collisions, zoonotic disease transmission, property damage, and physical attacks to people or their pets have negative consequences for both people and wildlife, underscoring the need for comprehensive strategies that mitigate and prevent conflict altogether. Management techniques often aim to deter, relocate, or remove individual organisms, all of which may present a significant selective force in both urban and nonurban systems. Managementinduced selection may significantly affect the adaptive or nonadaptive evolutionary processes of urban populations, yet few studies explicate the …

Modeling Mongoose Rabies In The Caribbean: A Model-Guided Fieldwork Approach To Identify Research Priorities, Caroline C. Sauvé, Erin E. Rees, Amy T. Gilbert, Are R. Berentsen, Agathe Allibert, Patrick A. Leighton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We applied the model-guided fieldwork framework to the Caribbean mongoose rabies system by parametrizing a spatially-explicit, individual-based model, and by performing an uncertainty analysis designed to identify parameters for which additional empirical data are most needed. Our analysis revealed important variation in output variables characterizing rabies dynamics, namely rabies persistence, exposure level, spatiotemporal distribution, and prevalence. Among epidemiological parameters, rabies transmission rate was the most influential, followed by rabies mortality and location, and size of the initial infection. The most influential landscape parameters included habitat-specific carrying capacities, landscape heterogeneity, and the level of resistance to dispersal associated with topography. Movement …