Zoology Commons^™

Scavenging In The Anthropocene: Human Impact Drives Vertebrate Scavenger Species Richness At A Global Scale, Esther Sebastián‐González, Jomar Magalhães Barbosa, Juan M. Pérez‐García, Zebensui Morales‐Reyes, Francisco Botella, Pedro P. Olea, Patricia Mateo‐Tomás, Marcos Moleón, Fernando Hiraldo, Eneko Arrondo, José A. Donázar, Ainara Cortés‐Avizanda, Nuria Selva, Sergio A. Lambertucci, Aishwarya Bhattacharjee, Alexis Brewer, Erin Abernethy, Olin E. Rhodes Jr., Kelsey Turner, James C. Beasley, Travis L. Devault, Andrés Ordiz, Camilla Wikenros, Barbara Zimmermann, Petter Wabakken, Christopher C. Wilmers, Justine A. Smith, Corinne J. Kendall, Darcy Ogada, Evan R. Buechley, Ethan Frehner, Maximilian L. Allen, Heiko U. Wittmer, James R.A. Butler, Johan T. Du Toit, John Read, David Wilson, Klemen Jerina, Miha Krofel, Rich Kostecke, Richard Inger, Arockianathan Samson, Lara Naves‐Alegre, José A. Sánchez‐Zapata

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Understanding the distribution of biodiversity across the Earth is one of the most challenging questions in biology. Much research has been directed at explaining the species latitudinal pattern showing that communities are richer in tropical areas; however, despite decades of research, a general consensus has not yet emerged. In addition, global biodiversity patterns are being rapidly altered by human activities. Here, we aim to describe large‐scale patterns of species richness and diversity in terrestrial vertebrate scavenger (carrion‐consuming) assemblages, which provide key ecosystem functions and services. We used a worldwide dataset comprising 43 sites, where vertebrate scavenger assemblages were identified using …

The Economic Impacts Of Blackbird (Icteridae) Damage To Sunflower In The Usa, Karina Ernst, Julie Elser, George Linz, Hans Kandel, Jason Holderieath, Samantha Degroot, Steven Shwiff, Stephanie Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

BACKGROUND: Blackbird (Icteridae) damage to ripening sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) has been a persistent economic issue in the USA for the last five decades. To quantify losses, we surveyed blackbird damage from 2001 to 2013 (excluding 2004) to physiologically mature sunflower in eight states: North Dakota, South Dakota, Texas, Nebraska, Minnesota, Colorado, Kansas, and Vermont.

RESULTS:We pooled data gathered during the most recent 5 years (2009 to 2013) of the survey and found losses averaged $US2.5 million and $US11.3 million for confectionery and oilseed hybrids, respectively. Three states, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Nebraska, had sufficient acreage and bird damage …

Habitat Selection By American Beaverat Multiple Spatial Scales, Guiming Wang, Lance F. Mcclintic, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Semiaquatic mammals require both aquatic and terrestrial habitats, particularly interfaces between the two habitats. As ecosystem engineers, American beaver (Castor canadensis) consume and fell a great amount of deciduous trees. We tested the prediction that open water and amounts of food resources, including hardwood forests (i.e., deciduous trees as the dominant form of vegetation), herbaceous and woody wetlands, and shrubs, would influence the second-order habitat selection (i.e., placing home ranges on the landscape) by American beaver, whereas the third-order habitat selection of American beaver would be associated with woody wetland and shrub edges. We investigated hierarchical habitat selection by …

Epidemic Growth Rates And Host Movement Patterns Shape Management Performance For Pathogen Spillover At The Wildlife–Livestock Interface, Kezia R. Manlove, Laura M. Sampson, Benny Borremans, E. Frances Cassirer, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin, Thomas E. Besser, Paul C. Cross

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Managing pathogen spillover at the wildlife–livestock interface is a key step towards improving global animal health, food security and wildlife conservation. However, predicting the effectiveness of management actions across host–pathogen systems with different life histories is an on-going challenge since data on intervention effectiveness are expensive to collect and results are system-specific.We developed a simulation model to explore how the efficacies of different management strategies vary according to host movement patterns and epidemic growth rates. The model suggested that fast-growing, fast-moving epidemics like avian influenza were best-managed with actions like biosecurity or containment, which limited and localized overall spillover risk. …

Board Invited Review: Prospects For Improving Management Of Animal Disease Introductions Using Disease-Dynamic Models, Ryan S. Miller, Kim M. Pepin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Management and policy decisions are continually made to mitigate disease introductions in animal populations despite often limited surveillance data or knowledge of disease transmission processes. Science-based management is broadly recognized as leading to more effective decisions yet application of models to actively guide disease surveillance and mitigate risks remains limited. Disease-dynamic models are an efficient method of providing information for management decisions because of their ability to integrate and evaluate multiple, complex processes simultaneously while accounting for uncertainty common in animal diseases. Here we review disease introduction pathways and transmission processes crucial for informing disease management and models at the …

The Role Of Inflammatory Pathways In Development, Growth, And Metabolism Of Skeletal Muscle In Iugr Offspring: Blood Gene Expression Of Inflammatory Factors As Novel Biomarkers For Assessing Stress And Wellbeing In Exotic Species, Robert J. Posont

Department of Animal Science: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

Our first study identified the effects of maternal inflammation-induced intrauterine growth restriction (MI-IUGR) on growth and muscle glucose metabolism in offspring supplemented with curcumin. MI-IUGR lambs exhibited asymmetric growth restriction at birth and 30d of age, but normal glucose-stimulated insulin secretion. Hindlimb glucose oxidation was reduced by MI-IUGR and not improved by curcumin supplementation. Ex vivo muscle glucose oxidation was reduced by MI-IUGR but improved somewhat by curcumin. These finding indicate that fetal programming responses to MI contribute to neonatal growth and metabolic deficits. Neonatal curcumin supplementation had minimal effect on growth deficits but may improve glucose metabolism. …

Improving Risk Assessment Of The Emergence Of Novel Influenza A Viruses By Incorporating Environmental Surveillance, Kim M. Pepin, Matthew W. Hopken, Susan A. Shriner, Erica Spackman, Zaid Abdo, Colin Parrish, Steven Steven, James O. Lloyd-Smith, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Reassortment is an evolutionary mechanism by which influenza A viruses (IAV) generate genetic novelty. Reassortment is an important driver of host jumps and is widespread according to retrospective surveillance studies.However, predicting the epidemiological risk of reassortant emergence in novel hosts from surveillance data remains challenging. IAV strains persist and cooccur in the environment, promoting co-infection during environmental transmission. These conditions offer opportunity to understand reassortant emergence in reservoir and spillover hosts. Specifically, environmental RNA could provide rich information for understanding the evolutionary ecology of segmented viruses, and transform our ability to quantify epidemiological risk to spillover hosts. However, significant challenges …

The Nebraska Bird Review, Volume 87 March 2019 Number 1

Nebraska Bird Review

NOU Annual Treasurer's Report for 2018, by Jan Johnson … 2

Winter Field Report, Dec. 2018 - Feb. 2019, by W. Ross Silcock …3

2018 - 2019 Christmas Bird Counts, by Don Paseka …15-16 & 25-38

Annual Color Photo Section …17-24

Subscription and Organization Information … 39

2018-2019 Christmas Bird Counts, Don Paseka

Nebraska Bird Review

Eighteen counts were held during the 2018-19 Christmas Bird Count season. This is two more than were done last season, which was the first time that as many as sixteen counts were held. This year no counts were postponed or cancelled, and the Beaver Valley Count was revived after a four year hiatus. Twelve of the counts were done during the first week of the count period. While the conditions for these early counts were mild and dry, heavy precipitation in late fall coupled with an early onset of cold weather in the first part of December resulted in little …

Annual Color Photo Section (2019)

Nebraska Bird Review

LeConte's Sparrow, Little Salt Fork Marsh, Lancaster Co., 22 Oct. 2018. Photo by Ruth Stearns.

Harris's Sparrow and Whitecrowned Sparrow, Polk Co., 29 Oct. 2018. Photo by Jan Johnson.

Vesper Sparrow, Chimney Rock Road, Morrill Co., 18 Sept. 2017. Photo by Clem Klaphake.

Fox Sparrow, Mahoney State Park, Cass Co., 25 Feb 2019. Photo by Elizabeth Winter.

Adult Bald Eagle, Chalco Hills Recreation Area, Sarpy Co., 25 Jan. 2019. Photo by Mike Schilmoeller.

White-winged Dove, photographer's yard,Wahoo, Saunders Co., 19 May 2019. Photo by Joe Freeborn.

Juvenile Cooper's Hawk, midtown Omaha, Douglas Co,. 18 Aug. 2014. Photo by Craig Crews. …

Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018), In Memoriam, Suzanne Boyer Mclaren, Catharine A, Hawks, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Obituary and biography of Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018).

Excerpts:

His move in 1990 returned him to Texas Tech University, taking up positions as Collection Manager in the Museum, and Adjunct Professor in the Museum Science Program. His final professional move was made in 1995 to the Department of Museum Studies at the Strecker Museum now known as the Mayborn Museum Complex at Baylor University in Waco, Texas, where he took positions as Assistant Professor and Collections Manager. Steve retired from Baylor in 2007.

Steve was present at the birth of the Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections, serving …

Bibliography Of The Published Works Of Stephen L. Williams, Suzanne Boyer Mclaren, Catharine A. Hawks, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Bibliography of the published works of Stephen Lory Williams (1948-2018).

Winter Field Report, December 2018 To February 2019, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

As has been the trend in recent winters, and despite the relative coolness of this winter, there were numerous examples of species north of expected midwinter ranges or present in higher numbers than usual in winter. The long list includes unexpected midwinter records of Tundra Swan, American Wigeon, Ring-necked Duck, Lesser Scaup, White-winged Dove, Sandhill Crane, Clark’s Grebe, Doublecrested Cormorant, Red-shouldered Hawk, and Yellow-bellied Sapsucker. Startling was the state’s first winter record of Sedge Wren, perhaps the biggest rarity of the season. And Eastern Meadowlark was documented in midwinter for the first time, although its presence in the southeast has …

Individual-Level Antibody Dynamics Reveal Potential Drivers Of Influenza A Seasonality In Wild Pig Populations, Kim M. Pepin, Kerri Pedersen, Xiu-Feng Wan, Fred L. Cunningham, Colleen T. Webb, Mark Q. Wilber

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Swine are important in the ecology of influenza A virus (IAV) globally. Understanding the ecological role of wild pigs in IAV ecology has been limited because surveillance in wild pigs is often for antibodies (serosurveillance) rather than IAVs, as in humans and domestic swine. As IAV antibodies can persist long after an infection, serosurveillance data are not necessarily indicative of current infection risk. However, antibody responses to IAV infections cause a predictable antibody response, thus time of infection can be inferred from antibody levels in serological samples, enabling identification of risk factors of infection at estimated times of infection. Recent …

Using Dna To Identify The Source Of Invasive Mongooses, Herpestes Auropunctatus (Carnivora: Herpestidae) Captured On Kaua‘I, Hawaiian Islands, Darren J. Wostenberg, Matthew W. Hopken, Aaron B. Shiels, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Two small Indian mongooses (Herpestes auropunctatus) were live-captured in 2012 at separate locations on the Hawaiian Island of Kaua'i, which was previously considered to be free of this invasive species. Genotypes from these two individuals were compared to genotypes of H. auropunctatus from the islands of Hawai'i (n =39), O'ahu (n =91), Maui (n = 39), and Moloka'i (n = 19) to determine the island of origin of the Kaua'i individuals. Genotypes were generated from each individual using five microsatellite loci. Genetic clustering was estimated by Bayesian inference of spatial clustering of individuals and …

Reducing Prairie Dog Populations And Damage By Castration Of Dominant Males, Gary W. Witmer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) occur widely across the prairie states of North America. They compete with livestock for forage, transmit plague, and damage lawns, landscaping, and property. Interest in non-lethal methods, such as immunocontraception, is growing; however, reductions in the population due to contraception may be offset by increases in survival because adults and yearlings are not subject to the energetic demands of reproduction, and lower densities may increase the amount of resources available to growing offspring. Surgical sterilization provides a means for modeling these effects. Thus, we castrated males prior to the 1998 breeding season to simulate the …

Fall Field Report, August - November 2019, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

By far the most striking feature of this fall’s report is the large number of lingering migrants, a trend that is continuing and apparently increasing, especially among passerines. Editor Jan Paseka counted 17 uses of the word “tardy” and 43 of “late” or “latest”. It is tempting to relate this to the warmer environment and resulting increased availability of food items at higher latitudes and later dates than in previous years. A sad note: a startling occurrence in Gering, Scotts Bluff 20 Aug was described by Marie Smith: “We had a huge hailstorm around 10:30. The hail was probably pea …

Cause‐Specific Mortality Of The World’S Terrestrial Vertebrates, Jacob E. Hill, Travis L. Devault, Jerrold L. Belant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Aim: Vertebrates are declining worldwide, yet a comprehensive examination of the sources of mortality is lacking. We conducted a global synthesis of terrestrial vertebrate cause‐specific mortality to compare the sources of mortality across taxa and determine predictors of susceptibility to these sources of mortality.

Location: Worldwide.

Time period: 1970–2018.

Major taxa studied: Mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians.

Methods: We searched for studies that used telemetry to determine the cause of death of terrestrial vertebrates. We determined whether each mortality was caused by anthropogenic or natural sources and further classified mortalities within these two categories (e.g. harvest, vehicle collision and predation). …

Feral Swine Harming Insular Sea Turtle Reproduction: The Origin, Impacts, Behavior And Elimination Of An Invasive Species, Richard M. Engeman, Robert W. Byrd, Jamie Dozier, Mark A. Mcalister, James O. Edens, Elizabeth M. Kierepka, Timothy J. Smyser, Noel Myers

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Feral swine are among the world's most destructive invasive species wherever they are found, with translocations figuring prominently in their range expansions. In contrast, sea turtles are beloved species that are listed as threatened or endangered throughout the world and are the focus of intense conservation efforts. Nest predation by feral swine severely harms sea turtle reproduction in many locations around the world. Here we quantify and economically assess feral swine nest predation at North Island, South Carolina, an important loggerhead sea turtle nesting beach. Feral swine depredation of North Island sea turtle nests was first detected in 2005, with …

A Bioeconomic Model For The Optimization Of Local Canine Rabies Control, Aaron Anderson, Johann Kotze, Stephanie A. Shwiff, Brody Hatch, Chris Slootmaker, Anne Conan, Darryn Knobel, Louis H. Nel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We present a new modeling tool that can be used to maximize the impact of canine rabies management resources that are available at the local level. The model is accessible through a web-based interface that allows for flexibility in the management strategies that can be investigated. Rabies vaccination, sterilization, chemo-contraception, and euthanasia can be specified and limited to specific demographic groups. Additionally, we allowed for considerable complexity in the specification of management costs. In many areas, the costs of contacting additional dogs increases as management effort increases, and this can have important strategic implications. We illustrated the application of the …

No Detection Of Brodifacoum Residues In The Marine And Terrestrial Food Web Three Years After Rat Eradication At Palmyra Atoll, Central Pacific, A. Wegmann, G. Howald, S. Kropidlowski, N. Holmes, A.B. Shiels

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Invasive alien species represent one of the greatest threats to native plants and animals on islands. Rats (Rattus spp.) have invaded most of the world’s oceanic islands, causing lasting or irreversible damage to ecosystems and biodiversity. To counter this threat, techniques to eradicate invasive rats from islands have been developed and applied across the globe. Eradication of alien rats from large or complex island ecosystems has only been successful with the use of bait containing a rodenticide. While effective at eradicating rats from islands, rodenticide can persist in the ecosystem longer than the time required to eradicate the target rat …

Ecological Functions Of Vertebrate Scavenging, James C. Beasley, Zachary H. Olson, Nuria Selva, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

The role of vertebrate scavenging in food web dynamics has historically been minimalized and portrayed as the activity of a select group of obligate scavengers (e.g., vultures), with a simplistic linkage between carrion and detritivores in food webs. Research in the last few decades, however, has revealed that the role of carrion in food web dynamics is severely underestimated, highly complex, and pervasive among ecosystems across the globe (DeVault et al. 2003; Selva and Fortuna 2007; Wilson and Wolkovich 2011). Such observations have led to a surge in research interest in scavenging ecology that continues to reveal new information …

Mind The Gap: Experimental Tests To Improve Efficacy Of Fladry For Nonlethal Management Of Coyotes, Julie K. Young, John Draper, Stewart Breck

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Coyotes (Canis latrans) are the top predator of livestock in the contiguous United States. Developing more effective nonlethal tools to prevent coyote depredation will facilitate coexistence between livestock producers and coyotes. Fladry is a nonlethal deterrent designed to defend livestock by creating a visual barrier to wolves (C. lupus). Fladry may also be effective with coyotes, but large gap spacing between flags may reduce its efficacy. To address this issue, we performed 2 experiments on captive coyotes using fladry modified to reduce gap spacing at the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Predator Research Facility in Millville, Utah, USA, during 2015–2016 and …

What Are The Transmission Mechanisms Of Influenza A Viruses In Wild Mammals?, J. Jeffrey Root

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Some influenza A viruses (IAVs) represent serious potential threats to public and agricultural health, with 3 notable examples from the past decade. During 2009, a novel H1N1 IAV (A[H1N1]pdm09), which was first detected in the United States, spread rapidly throughout many regions of the world. In the United States alone, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that >60 million human cases were associated with this emergent and pandemic virus. During 2013, a novel H7N9 avian-origin IAV (Asian lineage avian influenza A[H7N9] virus) was first detected in China. This virus not only cost the poultry industry more than $1 …

Analysis Of Iophenoxic Acid Analogues In Small Indian Mongoose (Herpestes Auropunctatus) Sera For Use As An Oral Rabies Vaccination Biological Marker, Are R. Berentsen, Robert T. Sugihara, Cynthia G. Payne, Israel Leinbach, Steven F. Volker, Ad Vos, Steffen Ortmann, Amy T. Gilbert

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus) is a reservoir of rabies virus (RABV) in Puerto Rico and comprises over 70% of animal rabies cases reported annually. The control of RABV circulation in wildlife reservoirs is typically accomplished by a strategy of oral rabies vaccination (ORV). Currently no wildlife ORV program exists in Puerto Rico. Research into oral rabies vaccines and various bait types for mongooses has been conducted with promising results. Monitoring the success of ORV relies on estimating bait uptake by target species, which typically involves evaluating a change in RABV neutralizing antibodies (RVNA) post vaccination. This …

Carrion Availability In Space And Time, Marcos Moleón, Nuria Selva, David M. Bailey, David M. Bailey, Ainara Cortés-Avizanda, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Introduction

Availability of carrion to scavengers is a central issue in carrion ecology and management, and is crucial for understanding the evolution of scavenging behaviour. Compared to live animals, their carcasses are relatively unpredictable in space and time in natural conditions, with a few exceptions (see below, especially Sect. “Carrion Exchange at the Terrestrial-Aquatic Interface”). Carrion is also an ephemeral food resource due to the action of a plethora of consumers, from microorganisms to large vertebrates, as well as to desiccation (i.e., loss of water content; DeVault et al. 2003; Beasley et al. 2012; Barton et al. 2013; Moleón et …

Comparing Live-Capture Methods For Nutria: Single- Versus Multiple-Capture Cage Traps, Trevor R. Sheffels, Mark D. Sytsma, Jacoby Carter, Jimmy D. Taylor

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Herbivory and burrowing by nutria (Myocastor coypus) cause substantial ecological and economic damage. Trapping is a common, effective practice for reducing nutria damage; however, trapping approaches must continually be adapted to keep pace with evolving animal welfare and ethical issues and to more effectively target pest species of interest. Our objective was to evaluate the efficacy of 2 nonlethal trap types for nutria: single-capture (SCT) and multi-capture (MCT) cage traps. We established 3 MCTs and 3 SCTs at each of 7 sites on a 10,500-ha mixed-use island located 15 km northwest of Portland, Oregon, USA. We pre-baited using carrots, apples, …

Biology And Impacts Of Pacific Island Invasive Species. 15. Psittacula Krameri, The Rose-Ringed Parakeet (Psittaciformes: Psittacidae)1, Aaron B. Shiels, Nicholas P. Kalodimos

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The rose-ringed parakeet (RRP), Psittacula krameri, has become established in at least four Pacific Island countries (Hong Kong China, Japan, New Zealand, U.S.A.), including the Hawaiian islands of Kaua‘i, O‘ahu, and Hawai‘i. Most Pacific islands are at risk of RRP colonization. This species was first introduced to Hong Kong in 1903 and Hawai‘i in the 1930s–1960s, established since 1969 in Japan, and in New Zealand since 2005 where it has repeatedly established after organized removals. The founding birds were imported cage-birds from the pet trade. In native India, RRP are generally found associated with human habitation and are considered a …

Novel Information On The Morphology, Phylogeny And Distribution Of Camallanid Mematodes From Marine And Freshwater Hosts In South Africa, Including The Description Of Camallanus Sodwanaensis N. Sp., Roman Svitin, Marliese Truter, Olena Kudlai, Nico J. Smit, Louis Du Preez

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Library Materials

Four species of previously known nematodes from the family Camallanidae were found from different hosts in South Africa: Batrachocamallanus xenopodis from the frog Xenopus muelleri, Paracamallanus cyathopharynx, and Procamallanus pseudolaeviconchus from the catfish Clarias gariepinus and Spirocamallanus daleneae from the catfish Synodontis zambezensis. In the material collected from various marine fishes, several specimens of nematodes from the genus Camallanus clearly differed from all previously known species. Based on morphological differences these specimens are assigned to a new species, C. sodwanaensis. Molecular data of 18S and 28S rDNA and COI sequences are provided for the collected species …

Distribution Extension Of Aspiculuris Americana Parasite Of Peromyscus Difficilis In Hidalgo, Mexico, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Scott Monks, Jorge Falcón-Ordaz

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

English: As a part of an ongoing project to inventory the helminth parasites of rodents in Mexico, 30 individuals of Aspiculuris americana were collected inhabiting the intestine from three specimens of the rock mouse Peromyscus difficilis, collected from Cerro Xihuingo, Municipality of Tepeapulco, Hidalgo State, Mexico. This species of nematode parasite different species of the genus Peromyscus (P. gossypinus, P. leucopus, P. maniculatus, and P. floridanus) distributed from Yukon Territory in Canada to Florida in the United States of America. This is the first report of Aspiculuris americana in a Mexican endemic rodent, widening …