Zoology Commons^™

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

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

No abstract provided.

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

Faculty Research & Creative Activity

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

Obituary: Terry Lamon Yates, 1950-2007., Robert J. Baker, David J. Schmidly, Joseph A. Cook, Jorge Salazar-Bravo, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

On December 11, 2007, the science of mammalogy lost one of its most valued and influential leaders. Terry Lamon Yates succumbed to complications of treatments for an aggressive form of brain cancer after a brief but courageous fight. He was born on March 17, 1950, in Mayfield, Kentucky, the older son of Ellen Wanda Byrd and William Hanley Yates. Terry’s only sibling was a brother, Johnny. He is survived by his wife Nancy Fennell Yates, his two sons, Brian Christopher and Michael Ryan, and daughter-in-law Laura Manchéno Macia.

Dr. Maximillian Schmidt's 1884 Review Of The Growth Rates Of Asian Elephants, Robert H.I. Dale, Fred Yaniga

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

Rarely is there a scientific article of such creativity, insight and importance that it is fascinating even 125 years after it was written. The following article by Max Schmidt, translated in English for the first time, as far as we know, is one of these. As in the original article, an illustration precedes the text.

Dr. Schmidt addressed a topic of considerable interest in recent times (for example, Sukumar, 2003, Appendix 2): The growth curves of elephants. He combined data on multiple elephants from several sources to generate a table of shoulder heights from birth to the age of 34 …

Tribute: In Memoriam, Jeheskel "Hezy" Shoshani, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

The elephant community has lost one of its great ambassadors, Dr. Jeheskel "Hezy" Shoshani, at the age of 65. A wave of condolences and testimonials from colleagues and friends around the world followed his death on May 21, 2008.

History: The Birth Of "America" In 1882, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

This article concerns a New York Times story about the birth of the female Asian elephant calf, named America, at the winter headquarters of the "Greatest Show on Earth" in Bridgeport, Connecticut on February 2, 1882. Phineas T. Barnum, one of the owners of the show, and one prone to self-aggrandizing bluster, claimed that America was the second elephant ever born in captivity. America was born only to months before the arrival in New York of the most famous circus elephant of all time, Jumbo, on Easter Sunday, 1882, and only two years before the origin of a small wagon …

Calf Development: Most Births At Night, Robert H.I. Dale

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

For many years, field researchers studying both African (Loxodonta africana) and Asian (Elephas maximas) elephants have indicated that they have observed relatively few births in situ, suggesting that most elephant dams give birth at night. For example, according to Cynthia Moss, "Possibly the majority of births occur at night and perhaps those that do take place in the daytime happen in secluded places" (1988, p. 151). Others, for example, Clive Spinage, have referred to "the old beliefs that the cows retreated to 'calving grounds' or that birth took place at night." (Spinage, 1994, p. 90). Although …

Mating Systems, Copulatory Organ Size, And Scaling Relationship In Mollies (Poecilia Spp.), Martha Divver, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

Copulatory organs rapidly evolve and are subject to complex selective pressures affecting mating success. One feature of copulatory organs that is subject to such selective pressures is size. Benefits of longer organs may include greater signal effectiveness in courtship and longer ‘reach’ when attempting copulations with evasive females. Costs of longer organs may include impaired locomotion, increased energetic cost or reduced mechanical compatibility with female genitalia. The optimal size for a copulatory organ may vary with mating behavior. The objective of this study is to examine among-species variability in copulatory organ size, body size and the relationship between copulatory organ …

Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, 1819-1820: America's First Biodiversity Ineventory, Hugh H. Genoways, Brett C. Ratcliffe

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

It is our thesis that members of the Stephen Long Expedition of 1819-20 completed the first biodiversity inventory undertaken in the United States at their winter quarters, Engineer Cantonment, Missouri Territory, in the modern state of Nebraska. This accomplishment has been overlooked both by biologists and historians, but it should rank among the most significant accomplishments of the expedition. The results of this inventory allow us to evaluate the environmental, faunal, and floral changes along the Missouri River in the intervening nearly 190 years. The historical records form a visual image of a dynamic riverine system in which a highly …

Historic And Recent Distributions Of Elk In Nebraska, Kent A. Fricke, Michael A. Cover, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Scott R. Groepper, Hugh H. Genoways, Kit M. Hams, Kurt C. Vercauteren

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

Elk (Cervus elaphus) were historically found throughout North America but were extirpated from Nebraska and much of the Great Plains in the 1880s due to consumptive uses by settlers, miners, market hunters, and others. Elk began to reappear in Nebraska in the 1950s and 1960s, and established a stable, nonmigratory population that currently consists of seven herds and an estimated 1,400 individuals throughout western and central Nebraska. The reappearance and subsequent persistence of elk in Nebraska suggests there is adequate habitat to support a self-sustaining population. The general movement of elk eastward may lead to an eventual statewide …

High Rate Of Recent Transposable Element–Induced Adaptation In Drosophila Melanogaster, Josefa Gonzalez, Kapa Lenkov, Mikhail Lipatov, J. Michael Macpherson, Dmitri A. Petrov

Biology, Chemistry, and Environmental Sciences Faculty Articles and Research

Although transposable elements (TEs) are known to be potent sources of mutation, their contribution to the generation of recent adaptive changes has never been systematically assessed. In this work, we conduct a genome-wide screen for adaptive TE insertions in Drosophila melanogaster that have taken place during or after the spread of this species out of Africa. We determine population frequencies of 902 of the 1,572 TEs in Release 3 of the D. melanogaster genome and identify a set of 13 putatively adaptive TEs. These 13 TEs increased in population frequency sharply after the spread out of Africa. We argue that …

Amphibian, Reptile, And Small Mammal Associates Of Ozark Pocket Gopher Habitat In Izard County, Arkansas, M. Connior, I. Guenther, Thomas S. Risch, Stanley E. Trauth

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

We conducted a study of the amphibian, reptile, and small mammal community assemblage of Ozark pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius ozarkensis) habitat in north-central Arkansas. We used 2 methods to capture individuals: hand capture and drift fences. During the study, we captured and marked a total of 9 anuran, 4 salamander, 5 lizard, 3 turtle, 16 snake, and 8 small mammal species exclusive of pocket gophers. We found one hatchling three-toed box turtle (Terrapene carolina triunguis) and one rough earth snake (Virginia striatula) inside a pocket gopher burrow and mound, respectively. Additionally, we witnessed both eastern racers (Coluber constrictor) and eastern …

Distribution And Taxonomic Status Of Tarantulas In Arkansas(Theraphosidae: Aphonopelma), Michael D. Warriner

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

The genus Aphonopelma (Theraphosidae) is marked by a dearth of distributional data and a problematic taxonomy. To develop occurrence information for the genus in Arkansas, I conducted a citizen-science based survey augmented by field work and examination of museum collections. Results of these efforts yielded a significant amount of data that enabled the construction of a county level map of Aphonopelma distribution in Arkansas; a resource hitherto unavailable. Three Aphonopelma species have been described as occurring in Arkansas: A. baergi, A. hentzi, and A. odelli. Specimens were collected from Arkansas and Oklahoma to evaluate taxonomic and historical issues concerning the …

Rabies Prevalence Among And New Distribution Records Of Arkansas Bats, D. Blake Sasse, David A. Saugey

Journal of the Arkansas Academy of Science

No abstract provided.

A Species Of Nilotonia Thor, 1905 (Acari, Hydrachnidia, Anisitsiellidae) New For The Turkish Fauna, Yunus Ömer Boyaci, Muhli̇s Özkan

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Nilotonia (Manotonia) tegulata (Viets 1951), known previously from Africa and Italy, is new for the Turkish fauna. The morphological features are compared with similar species, and an identification key for subgenera of the genus Nilotonia is given. The subgenus Manotonia is also reported for the first time from Turkey.

Larval Development Of The Caridean Shrimp Exopalaemon Styliferus (H. Milne Edwards, 1840) (Decapoda, Caridea, Palaemonidae) From The South Of Iraq Reared In The Laboratory, Mortadha Yousif Al-Abbad, Sabeeh Hilyel Al-Mayah, Malik Hassan Ali, Salman Daood Salman

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The complete series of larval development of the caridean shrimp Exopalaemon styliferus (H. Milne Edwards, 1840) was determined from the laboratory hatching of ovigerous females. There were 6 zoeal stages followed by a megalopa. The distinctive features of zoea I are as follows: total length 2.72 mm, rostrum shorter than peduncle of antennules, scaphognathite of maxilla with 5 setose marginal setae and there are 3 rudiments of peraeopods. These stages were described in detail. A comparison was made with larvae of closely related species.

Effects Of A Neem Sample On Protein Patterns Of Bactrocera Cucurbitae, Nikhat Yasmin, Mohammad Farhanullah Khan, Muhammad Samiullah Channa, Zeeshan Ali

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Bactrocera cucurbitae (Coquillett) adults were reared with 5% honey solution, sugar, and protein-hydrolysate. Females were provided to lay eggs on larval rearing media in a bottle gourd. Twenty third-instar larvae of the same size and age were exposed to filter papers treated with varying doses of a neem sample in 90 mm diameter petri dishes for 24 h. A probit-mortality curve was drawn to determine the LC_{50} of the sample. LC_{50} dose of the sample was calculated as 5.6%. Thin layer chromatography was used to determine the effects of neem sample on the protein patterns of the treated insect. The …

Characterization Of A Contact Zone Between Two Subspecies Of The Big Brown Bat (Eptesicus Fuscus) In Nebraska, Justin D. Hoffman, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Two subspecies of the big brown bat (Eptesicus fuscus) are reported to occur in Nebraska. The eastern race, E. f. fuscus, is reportedly bigger and darker than its western counterpart E. f. pallidus. Where these 2 subspecies come in contact is the subject of debate. We used external, cranial, and colorimetric data to investigate geographic variation among populations of E. fuscus in Nebraska to determine the location of the zone of contact between E. f. fuscus and E. f. pallidus. We discovered significant variation in external, cranial, and colorimetric data, suggesting that E. fuscus is …

Earthworm Abundances In Endophyte-Infected Tall Fescue Pastures In Northwest Arkansas, Ashley Rashe, Mary C. Savin

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

The ecology of organisms that co-evolve within an ecosystem is likely to be distinct from that involving organisms recently introduced into an area. To better understand the relationship of earthworms with endophyte-infected tall fescue, earthworms in novel and toxic endophyte-infected tall fescue pastures were enumerated and identified as adults or juveniles. We hypothesized that differences in endophyte infection of the fescue would influence earthworm abundances. Earthworms in two toxic and two novel endophyte-infected tall fescue fields in Fayetteville, Ark., were sampled weekly from January through July 2007. Each type of endophyte-infected pasture was established in 1997 and 2003. Sampling was …

Engaging Recreational Fishers In Management And Conservation: Global Case Studies, Elise F. Granek, Elizabeth M.P. Madin, M. A. Brown, Will F. Figueira, Darren S. Cameron, Zeb Hogan, Gerry Kristianson, Pierre De Villiers, Jack E. Williams, John R. Post, S. Zahn, R. Arlinghaus

Environmental Science and Management Faculty Publications and Presentations

Globally, the number of recreational fishers is sizeable and increasing in many countries. Associated with this trend is the potential for negative impacts on fish stocks through exploitation or management measures such as stocking and introduction of non-native fishes. Nevertheless, recreational fishers can be instrumental in successful fisheries conservation through active involvement in, or initiation of, conservation projects to reduce both direct and external stressors contributing to fishery declines. Understanding fishers’ concerns for sustained access to the resource and developing methods for their meaningful participation can have positive impacts on conservation efforts. We examined a suite of case studies that …

Impact Of Stressing A Pen Mate On Physiological Responses Of Growing Pigs, Brent Koonce, Elizabeth B. Kegley, Doug Galloway, Jason Apple

Discovery, The Student Journal of Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences

Crossbred barrows and gilts (n = 36), weighing 16.59 ± 2.1 kg, were used to test the effects of stressing a pen mate on the physiological responses of growing pigs. Pigs were randomly allotted to 6 groups after stratifying according to gender, litter origin, and body weight. Dominance order was determined within each group, and 1 to 3 d prior to the stress treatment the most- and least-dominant pigs within a group were fitted with indwelling catheters in their vena cavas. Over 3 d, groups were either: 1) isolated from audile and visual contact with stressed pigs in a separate …

Mitochondrial Dna Sequence And Body Size Variations In Turkish Sardine (Sardina Pilchardus) Stocks, Ali̇ye Sarmaşik, Fatma Arik Çolakoğlu, Tülay Altun

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Sardine (Sardina pilchardus) is one of the most important species among Turkish fisheries and is broadly distributed along its coastal waters. In the present study, mitochondrial DNA sequences from the cytochrome b (cytb) gene were examined to assess the genetic diversity of sardines inhabiting Turkish coastal waters. A fragment of sardine cytb DNA from each sample collected from 8 representative regions along the coastal zones was amplified by PCR analysis and subsequently sequenced. The results of sequence analysis determined the existence of variations in 16 single nucleotide sites within the 452 bp fragment of the cytb gene examined in the …

Nitrate-Induced Morphological Anomalies In The Tadpoles Of Nyctibatrachus Major And Fejervarya Limnocharis (Anura: Ranidae), S. V. Krishnamurthy, Das Meenakumari, H. P. Gurushankara, Venkateshaiah Vasudev

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The present study examined the effects of nitrate on the tadpoles of 2 ranid frogs (Nyctibatrachus major and Fejervarya limnocharis) studied under laboratory conditions. Tadpoles of these species were exposed to ecologically relevant concentrations of nitrates (0, 100, 2500, and 5000 µg NO_{3}-N l^{-1}). Upon exposure tadpoles of N. major showed protruded mouth, swollen body and head, paralysis, lateral and vertical swimming, restlessness, and wriggling movement. Tadpoles of F. limnocharis showed swollen body and head, bent tail, paralysis, restlessness, depigmentation, and intestinal hemorrhage. In both species, abnormalities increased with the increase in nitrate concentration. However, compared to F. limnocharis, tadpoles …

Limnochemical Factors Influencing The Seasonal Population Density, Secondary Production, And Calcium-To-Tissue Ratio In The Freshwater Limpet Septaria Lineata (Archaeogastropoda: Neritidae), Asitava Chatterjee, Manjari Jain, Utpal Singha Roy, Subhra Kumar Mukhopadhyay

Turkish Journal of Zoology

The distribution, secondary production, and calcium:tissue (Ca:tissue) ratio in relation to limno-chemical factors were studied in a freshwater limpet (Septaria lineata) population from the west bank of the River Hooghly, West Bengal, India, for 2 successive years. Total hardness, chloride, pH, and phosphate were shown to be significant in Pearson´s correlations in influencing the abundance of the limpet population. Annual production for the 2 successive years was 10.3 g m^{-2} and 9.5 g m^{-2}, respectively. The annual turnover ratios, the ratios of annual production (P) and annual standing crop (B), ´P/B´, were calculated to be 2.06 and 1.67, while annual …

Sem Observations And Morphometrics Of The Cabbage Cyst Nematode, Heterodera Cruciferae Franklin, 1945, Collected Where Brassica Spp. Are Grown In Tabriz, Iran, Habibeh Jabbari, Gholamreza Niknam

Turkish Journal of Zoology

During a survey of plant parasitic nematode biodiversity in vegetable fields of Tabriz, East Azerbaijan province, Iran between 2004 and 2005, 25 species belonging to 16 genera of nematodes were identified from 88 soil and root samples, among which a large population of the cyst nematode, Heterodera cruciferae, was found in most of the sampling regions. Cysts, males, and second-stage juveniles were extracted from field soils, and from the infected roots of kohlrabi (Brassica oleracea L. var. gongylodes) and white cabbage (Brassica oleracea L. var. captita alba). The morphology of the cysts, second-stage juveniles, and males established the identity of …

Spider Fauna Of Almond Orchards In Eastern And Southeastern Anatolia, Hali̇l Bolu, İnanç Özgen, Abdullah Bayram

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This research was carried out in almond orchards (Amygdalus sp.) in Eastern and Southeastern Anatolia in 2003 in order to determine the spider fauna. Among the 129 specimens collected, 21 species belonging to 16 genera and 9 families were recorded at 10 localities with more spiders in the almond orchards in these regions. Among the species, Atea sturmi (Hahn, 1831) is a new record for the araneo-fauna of Turkey. The study was the first on spider fauna in almond orchards in Turkey.

The Fruit Fly (Diptera: Tephritidae) Fauna Of Kayseri And Sivas Provinces With A New Record For Turkey, Murat Kütük

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study is based on the fruit fly material collected in the Kayseri and Sivas provinces of Turkey during 2005 and 2006. Thirty-nine species of fruit flies were identified in the study region. Urophora tenuior Hendel is recorded for the first time from Turkey. The distribution, host plants, and figures of wing patterns of each species are given. The zoogeographic distribution of the species is included.

Embryonic Mortality In Loggerhead Turtle (Caretta Caretta) Nests: A Comparative Study On Fethiye And Göksu Delta Beaches, Adem Özdemi̇r, Oğuz Türkozan, Özgür Güçlü

Turkish Journal of Zoology

In total, 66 loggerhead turtle nests were examined and compared in terms of embryonic mortality during the 2004 and 2005 breeding seasons on Fethiye and Göksu Delta beaches. In all, 5012 eggs were counted, 2751 (54.90%) of which hatched successfully. Of the 2261 unhatched eggs, 68 (1.35%) were classified as unidentified eggs and 2193 (43.75%) were classified as containing dead embryos. Of these dead embryos, a high percentage were in the early stage (n = 1177, 23.48%) and late stage (n = 814, 16.24%,) of development. The lowest percentage of the eggs with dead embryos (n = 202, 4.03%) were …

Use Of Otolith Length And Weight In Age Determination Of Poor Cod (Trisopterus Minutus Linn., 1758), Gülnur Meti̇n, Akin Türker İlkyaz

Turkish Journal of Zoology

Totally 189 poor cod (Trisopterus minutus Linn., 1758) specimens were collected by trawling in the central Aegean Sea between April 2001 and March 2002. The relationship of the otolith length and weight with the age of poor cod was investigated, as the age determination is relatively difficult by otolith readings. There was a linear relationship between the fish length (LT) and the otolith length (L_{o}), i.e. L_{o} = 0.421 LT + 1.659 (R^{2} = 0.998), a linear relationship between the fish age (T) and the otolith weight (W_{o}), i.e. W_{o} = 0.041 T - 0.030 (R^{2} = 0.994), and a …

Gerromorpha And Leptopodomorpha (Insecta; Heteroptera) Fauna Of Southwest Anatolia, Suat Kiyak, Ali̇ Salur, Savaş Canbulat

Turkish Journal of Zoology

This study was based on 1627 specimens belonging to 12 species and 1 subspecies of 8 genera in 7 families of the infraorders Gerromorpha and Leptopodomorpha of the order Heteroptera. The specimens were collected from Southwest Anatolia (provinces Antalya, Burdur, Isparta, Denizli, Aydın, and Muğla) during 2000-2002. Eleven species and 1 subspecies of these are the first records for this area. These species are Mesovelia vittigera (Mesovelidae), Hebrus pusillus (Hebridae), Hydrometra stagnorum (Hydrometridae), Velia affinis filippii, V. caprai (Veliidae), Aquarius paludum, Gerris argentatus, G. costae, G. lacustris (Gerridae), Saldula pallipes, S. saltatoria (Saldidae), and Leptopus marmoratus (Leptopodidae). Distributions of each …