Zoology Commons^™

Hemoglobin Isoform Differentiation And Allosteric Regulation Of Oxygen Binding In The Turtle, Trachemys Scripta, Christian Damsgaard, Jay F. Storz, Federico G. Hoffmann, Angela Fago

Jay F. Storz Publications

When freshwater turtles acclimatize to winter hibernation, there is a gradual transition from aerobic to anaerobic metabolism, which may require adjustments of blood O₂ transport before turtles become anoxic. Here, we report the effects of protons, anionic cofactors, and temperature on the O₂-binding properties of isolated hemoglobin (Hb) isoforms, HbA and HbD, in the turtle Trachemys scripta. We determined the primary structures of the constituent subunits of the two Hb isoforms, and we related the measured functional properties to differences in O₂ affinity between untreated hemolysates from turtles that were acclimated to normoxia and anoxia. Our …

Sylvatic Species Of Echinococcus From Rodent Intermediate Hosts In Asia And South America, Scott Lyell Gardner, Altangerel T. Dursahinhan, Gábor R. Rácz, Nyamsuren Batsaikhan, Sumiya Ganzorig, David S. Tinnin, Darmaa Damdinbazar, Charles Wood, A. Townsend Peterson, Erika Alandia, José Luís Mollericona, Jorge Salazar-Bravo

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

During a global survey of the diversity of vertebrates and their parasites including the Gobi and desert/steppe biomes ranging from south central to western Mongolia, we found metacestodes (larvae) of Echinococcus multilocularis (Leuckart 1863) in the liver of an individual vole (Microtus limnophilus Büchner 1889) collected in grassland habitat at Har Us Lake, southeast of Hovd, Mongolia. Positive identification of E. multilocularis from near Hovd was made via comparative cyst morphology, study of hooks from the rostellum derived from protoscolexes, and DNA sequencing of the COX1 mitochondrial gene extracted from tissue of the cysts frozen in the field. This …

Pritchardia Boliviensis N. Gen., N. Sp. (Anoplocephalidae: Linstowinae), A Tapeworm From Opossums (Didelphidae) In The Yungas And Lowlands Of Bolivia And Atlantic Forest Of Paraguay, Scott Lyell Gardner, F. Agustín Jiménez Ruiz, Mariel L. Campbell

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Pritchardia boliviensis n. gen. n. sp. (Anoplocephalidae: Linstowiinae) is described from marsupials (Marmosops noctivagus, Metachirus nudicaudatus, Gracilinanus sp.) collected in Bolivia and Paraguay. These cestodes have a very small strobila with only three segments, regularly alternating genital pores, genital ducts crossing excretory canals ventrally, ovoid to pyriform cirrus sac, three to five testes, external seminal vesicle present and separated from cirrus sac by long seminal duct surrounded by glandular material, uterus ephemeral, eggs forming rapidly in gravid segments, and seminal receptacle present. Pritchardia boliviensis n. sp. includes a single species that occurs in small marsupials in the family …

Fringed Myotis (Myotis Thysanodes Pahasapensis): Species Conservation Assessment, Melissa J. Panella

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: Publications

The primary goal in development of at-risk species conservation assessments is to compile biological and ecological information that may assist conservation practitioners in making decisions regarding the conservation of species of interest. The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project recognizes the fringed myotis (Myotis thysanodes pahasapensis) as a Tier I at-risk species. Provided are some general management recommendations regarding the fringed myotis. Conservation practitioners will need to use professional judgment to make specific management decisions based on objectives, location, and a multitude of variables. This resource was designed to share available knowledge of the fringed myotis that will aid in the decision-making …

Distribution Extension Of Escherbothrium Molinae Berman And Brooks, 1994 (Cestoda: Tetraphyllidea: Triloculariidae) In Urotrygon Sp. From The Pacific Coast Of Mexico, Francisco Zaragoza-Tapia, Scott Monks, Griselda Pulido-Flores, Juan Violante-González

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

Cestodes collected from the spiral valves of the stingray Urotrygon sp. from the Pacific coast of Mexico were identified as Escherbothrium molinae Berman and Brooks, 1994. The first report of the species was from the Gulf of Nicoya and the Guanacaste coast, Costa Rica; this work represents the second report of the species since the original description and extends its distribution north to Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico.

Reported Incidences Of Parasitic Infections In Marine Mammals From 1892 To 1978, John R. Felix

Zea E-Books Collection

The role of parasites in the lives and deaths of marine mammals has been scrutinized by biologists for decades, but the scientific literature prior to 1978 has been difficult to acquire and time-consuming to search. Now this new and extensive bibliography gives researchers a convenient resource for reviewing the classical literature on parasites of marine mammals so that historical infection prevalence and geographical distribution can be easily and properly assessed. This book contains detailed information about accepted (or suspected) taxonomic synonyms and geographical information about the host and/or parasite, covering the parasite groups Acanthocephala, Acarina, Anoplura, Cestoda, Nematoda, and Trematoda, …

The Tiger Genome And Comparative Analysis With Lion And Snow Leopard Genomes, Yun Sung Cho, Li Hu, Haolong Hou, Hang Lee, Jiaohui Xu, Soowhan Kwon, Sukhun Oh, Hak-Min Kim, Sungwoong Jho, Sangsoo Kim, Young-Ah Shin, Byung Chul Kim, Hyunmin Kim, Chang-Uk Kim, Shu-Jin Luo, Warren E. Johnson, Klaus-Peter Koepfli, A. Schmidt-Kunzel, Jason A. Turner, L. Marker, Cindy K. Harper, Susan M. Miller, Wilhelm Jacobs, Laura D. Bertola, Tae Hyung Kim, Sunghoon Lee, Qian Zhou, Hyun-Ju Jung, Xiao Xu, Priyvrat Gadhvi, Pengwei Xu, Yingqi Xiong, Yadan Luo, Shengkai Pan, Caiyun Gou, Xiuhui Chu, Jilin Zhang, Sanyang Liu, Jing He, Ying Chen, Linfeng Yang, Yulan Yang, Jiaju He, Sha Liu, Junyi Wang, Chul Hong Kim, Hwanjong Kwak, Jong-Soo Kim, Seungwoo Hwang, Junsu Ko, Chang-Bae Kim, Sangtae Kim, Damdin Bayarlkhagva, Woon Kee Paek, Seong-Jin Kim, Stephen J. O'Brien, Jun Wang, Jong Bhak

Biology Faculty Articles

Tigers and their close relatives (Panthera) are some of the world’s most endangered species. Here we report the de novo assembly of an Amur tiger whole-genome sequence as well as the genomic sequences of a white Bengal tiger, African lion, white African lion and snow leopard. Through comparative genetic analyses of these genomes, we find genetic signatures that may reflect molecular adaptations consistent with the big cats’ hypercarnivorous diet and muscle strength. We report a snow leopard-specific genetic determinant in EGLN1 (Met39>Lys39), which is likely to be associated with adaptation to high altitude. We also detect a …

2012 (24th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union Records Committee (NOURC) are described in its bylaws (NOURC 2010). The committee's purpose is to provide a procedure for documenting unusual bird sightings and to establish a list of all documented birds for Nebraska. Accidental and casual species for which the NOURC seeks documentation (NOURC Review List) can be found at the NOU website (www.NOUbirds.org).

All records mentioned here are available to interested persons at the NOU archives at the University of Nebraska State Museum (UNSM), Lincoln, Nebraska. Interested parties should contact the current NOU Librarian, whose address can be found …

Summer Field Report, June–July 2013, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

In many ways this summer was a rerun of last; the drought persisted over most of the state after some welcome spring rains, but it was not as severe as it was in 2012. Water conditions were generally poor, with Harvard Marsh the only bright spot; it hosted nesting White-faced Ibises, and Little Bitterns were present. Beneficiaries of the generally low water levels were Least Terns and Piping Plovers, which nested in good numbers at Lake McConaughy, where the increased habitat even attracted Snowy Plovers again. Few Black-necked Stilts were reported statewide. Ducks, shorebirds, and passerines in general were unremarkable. …

Subscription And Organization Information [September 2013]

Nebraska Bird Review

The Nebraska Bird Review is published quarterly by the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, Inc., as its official journal, and is sent to members not in arrears of dues. Annual subscription rates (on a calendar-year basis only): $25 in the United States and $35 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $7 each, postpaid, in the United States and $9 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Anita Breckbill, NOU Librarian, c/o Music Library, WMB 30, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588-0101.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): Active Household (one or more people) $25; Sustaining …

Nebraska Bird Review (September 2013) 81(3), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Summer Field Report, June–July 2013 ... 102

2012 (24th) Report of the NOU Records Committee ... 120

Subscription and Organization Information ... 131

The Genus Odontophrynus (Anura: Odontophrynidae): A Larval Perspective, Filipe Augusto C. Do Nascimento, Tamí Mott, José A. Langone, Christine A. Davis, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The genus Odontophrynus consists of 11 species of medium-sized frogs distributed across south and east South America. This study examines and describes the chondrocrania and oral cavities of 0. americanus, 0. maisuma, 0. carvalhoi, and 0. cu/tripes, and reviews current knowledge about the larval external morphology of the genus. Twenty-one tadpoles were cleared and double-stained for chondrocranium description and five tadpoles were dissected for analysis in a scanning electron microscope. The presence of a tectum parientale may be considered here as a putative synapomorphy of the genus. The 0. americanus and 0. cu/tripes species groups were partially differentiated by the …

Big Babies, Big Mammas?: Relationship Of Leatherback Hatchling Size And Mother Size, Shane Morales, Violet Campbell, Kelly Stewart

STAR Program Research Presentations

Individual leatherback hatchlings vary in size when compared to individuals from other nests, as well as individuals from the same nest. It is thought that many factors affect hatchling size but that one of the most influential factors is maternal size. Of all the aspects of a mother which could affect hatchling size, evidence for question concerning influence of mother size is determinable within the field using minimal tools and basic statistical analysis. If a direct correlation exists between mother size and hatchling size then the claim can be made that larger mothers produce larger offspring while smaller mothers produce …

Behavioral Variation Between Two Clades Of Leptasterias Spp., Ashley N. Contreras

STAR Program Research Presentations

Leptasterias spp. are six-rayed sea stars found along the rocky intertidal of the northeast Pacific Alaska to Santa Catalina Island, southern California. In central California, three clades of Leptasterias are found in separate or mixed populations, in diverse habitats that range from shallow pools of seagrass and algae to bare rock exposed to crashing waves. Initial field observations of two clades from different locations suggested that behavioral variation may relate to habitat differences among clades. To measure differences in activity, the righting response was timed at both field sites. As a result of behavioral variation observed in the field, more …

Temporal Variation In Larval Release In Botrylloides Violaceous, Damion J. Delton, Sarah Cohen

STAR Program Research Presentations

Despite Botrylloides violaceous being a globally invasive species in temperate marine habitats, little is known about it’s natural dispersal behavior. Previous work (Delton et al, 2011) suggests behavioral inferences based on a related and much more commonly studied species may not be appropriate, potentially due to a large size difference between the non-feeding larvae of these two species. Here, we consider factors that may affect dispersal potential. To study how light affects larval release, we measured timing of larval release in the field and compared larval size and time of release. Colonies were collected from floating docks in Richmond, CA …

Bios 112l: Introduction To Zoology Lab, Fall 2013, University Of Nebraska-Lincoln, Scott Lyell Gardner, S. Elizabeth Rácz, Altangerel Tsogtsaikhan Dursahinhan

College of Arts and Science: Syllabi for Courses

Syllabus for BIOS 112L Introduction to Zoology Lab, Fall 2013, University of Nebraska-Lincoln.

Lab Instructor, S. (Sarah) Elizabeth Rácz. Teaching Assistants, Altangerel (Auggie) Tsogtsaikhan and Rachel Valenziano.

Goals

1. Give you hands on experience with some of the diverse animal taxa of the planet.

2. Gain a working knowledge of taxonomy, anatomy, and biological vocabulary.

3. Students should gain an understanding of how animals compare and contrast, and how they are adapted to their particular way of life.

4. Get you to think about the natural world.

Material needed for lab

Notebook - Bound, hardback, and unlined pages for sketches …

Reproductive Isolation And Cryptic Introgression In A Sky Island Enclave Of Appalachian Birds, Gene D. Sattler, Michael J. Braun

Faculty Publications and Presentations

Reproductive isolation is central to the speciation process, and cases where the strength of reproductive isolation varies geographically can inform our understanding of speciation mechanisms. Although generally treated as separate species, Black-capped chickadees (Poecile atricapillus) and Carolina chickadees (P. carolinensis) hybridize and undergo genetic introgression in many areas where they come into contact across the eastern United States and in the northern Appalachian Mountains. The Great Smoky Mountains harbor the last large breeding population of atricapillus in the southern Appalachians, isolated from the species’ main range by nearly 200 km. This population is believed to be reproductively isolated from local …

Oral Presentation Abstracts By Day And Symposium From The 11th International Mammalogical Congress (Belfast, Northern Ireland : August 11-16, 2013), International Mammalogical Congress

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

About IMC

IMC returns to Europe after 24 years at a time when IUCN has identified 25% mammal species as at risk. As a venue to share concerns, concepts and techniques among professional mammalogists, IMC has never been more relevant. IMC11 Organising Committee hopes to welcome colleagues with diverse interests in the biology, conservation and management of mammals from throughout the world. IMC11 will encourage active participation in the Congress program by maximising time for spoken papers and posters offered by delegates.

Queen's University Belfast is the venue and are pleased to host the 11th International Mammalogical Congress on behalf …

Coccidia Of Gerbils From Mongolia, Ethan Thomas Jensen

School of Biological Sciences: Dissertations, Theses, and Student Research

In this study, gerbils collected in the Mongolia over the summers of 2009-2012 were examined for coccidia. In total, 171 gerbils of three species from 22 localities were examined for coccidia. Coccidian oocysts were identified from 21 gerbils, but those found in 1 of those gerbils were probably pseudoparasites of the host from which they were recovered. From the remaining 20 gerbils, 7 morphotypes of Eimeria and 1 morphotype of Isospora were identified. Four of the 7 morphotypes of Eimeria were attributed to new species which were described in this study. In addition, 10 previously described species of Eimeria were …

Turpentine Creek: Arkansas' Refuge, Jacob Paul Bain

Graduate Theses and Dissertations

The goal of this Master's thesis film project was twofold. First, I wanted to explore the problem, huge but relatively unknown, of the ownership of exotic pets in the United States of America. Second, in conjunction with that problem, I wanted to see how Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) approached it and what, as an organization, they do to help resolve this problem locally and nationally. In turn, the film also provides an in-depth look at a very unique refuge in the state of Arkansas. Using my own equipment, I shot and edited a short-form documentary about TCWR. The film …

Decades-Long Social Memory In Bottlenose Dolphins, Jason N. Bruck

Faculty Publications

Long-term social memory is important, because it is an ecologically relevant test of cognitive capacity, it helps us understand which social relationships are remembered and it relates two seemingly disparate disciplines: cognition and sociality. For dolphins, long-term memory for conspecifics could help assess social threats as well as potential social or hunting alliances in a very fluid and complex fission-fusion social system, yet we have no idea how long dolphins can remember each other. Through a playback study conducted within a multi-institution dolphin breeding consortium (where animals are moved between different facilities), recognition of unfamiliar versus familiar signature whistles of …

The Mayfly Newsletter, Peter M. Grant

The Mayfly Newsletter

The Mayfly Newsletter is the official newsletter of the Permanent Committee of the International Conferences on Ephemeroptera.

Comparative Approaches To Studying Strategy: Towards An Evolutionary Account Of Primate Decision Making, Sarah F. Brosnan, Michael J. Beran, Audrey E. Parrish, Sara A. Price, Bart J. Wilson

Economics Faculty Articles and Research

How do primates, humans included, deal with novel problems that arise in interactions with other group members? Despite much research regarding how animals and humans solve social problems, few studies have utilized comparable procedures, outcomes, or measures across different species. Thus, it is difficult to piece together the evolution of decision making, including the roots from which human economic decision making emerged. Recently, a comparative body of decision making research has emerged, relying largely on the methodology of experimental economics in order to address these questions in a cross-species fashion. Experimental economics is an ideal method of inquiry for this …

Ectoparasites Of The Virginia Opossum (Didelphis Virginiana), Raccoon (Procyon Lotor), And Striped Skunk (Mephitis Mephitis) From Keith County, Nebraska, Lance A. Durden, Dennis J. Richardson

Transactions of the Nebraska Academy of Sciences and Affiliated Societies

Six Virginia opossums (Didelphis virginiana), nine raccoons (Procyon lotor) and one striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) collected from Keith County Nebraska were examined for ectoparasites. All three host species were parasitized by adults of the American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis. Opossums were also parasitized by the flea Pulex simulans and the tiny fur mite Didelphilichus serri­fer; the latter species represents a new state record for Nebraska. Raccoons were also parasitized by P. simulans and by the lago­morph-associated flea Euhoplopsyllus glacialis affinis, whereas the skunk was also parasitized by the chewing louse Neotrichodectes …

Spring Field Days And Annual Meeting At Central City

Nebraska Bird Review

The 114th Annual Meeting was held at the Covenant Cedars Bible Camp in Merrick County east of Central City on May 17–19, 2013. The 45+ members and friends in attendance found 163 species, including Eared Grebe, White-faced Ibis, Black-bellied and American Golden Plovers, Black-necked Stilt, American Avocet, Ruddy Turnstone, Buff-breasted Sandpiper, Laughing Gull, White-winged Dove, Yellow-throated Vireo, Wood Thrush, 16 warbler species, and 12 sparrow species.

Field trips went to Lakes North and Babcock, Wilkinson WMA, Don Dworak WMA, Headworks Park, Palmer sewage lagoon, Loup River north of Palmer, Loup Junction WMA, North Loup SRA, Kirkpatrick Basin South WMA, Farmer's …

Photo Documentation By Ron And Anne Kruse Of Black-Billed Magpie Nest Cycle In Hall County, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

Every once in a while a fortunate birder has a chance to witness the sequence of events that make up a breeding season. In May of 2004, NOU members Ron and Anne Kruse of Grand Island had that opportunity and made the most of it. While checking Eastern Bluebird nest boxes on the south side of the northernmost channel of the Platte River east of Locust Street in the City of Grand Island Wellfield property, they found a Black-billed Magpie nest. They returned with a camera and ladder and photographed the nest at two-day intervals for the next three weeks. …

Status Of Black-Billed Magpie In Nebraska, Wayne J. Mollhoff

Nebraska Bird Review

Black-billed Magpie is currently listed as a species of least concern by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN); however, it has been in abrupt decline in Nebraska with no evidence that it is beginning to recover. There appear to be at least two causes for this decline. The initial decline began at the end of the first atlas project and went unnoticed at the time. It began after the introduction of famphur (also known by its trade name Warbex), an insecticide introduced to control parasitic warble flies (Hypoderma sp.) in cattle. Die-offs of both magpies and hawks …

Spring Field Report, March 2013 To May 2013, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

This spring season was notable for unusual migration patterns. Western birds are showing up in the east in greater numbers each year, with Lazuli Bunting the prime example. There were 17 Lazulis reported east of Grand Island. Black-headed Grosbeak has been a rare find east of Grand Island, with only 5 previous sightings; now there have been 9, including 3 in the extreme east. There were more Black-headeds east than Rose-breasteds west, the reverse of the usual situation. Western Grebes and Sandhill Cranes also came east in greater numbers, as did Cinnamon Teal. On the other hand, there was a …

The Junco Called Cassiar, Rick Wright

Nebraska Bird Review

A well-marked male Cassiar Junco is subtly distinctive. In its overall grayness, the bird closely recalls a Slate-colored Junco, but the darkness of the head, breast, and nape approaches that of a male Oregon Junco, creating a more striking contrast between the "hood" and the rest of the upperparts than is visible in any but the very blackest of male Slate-coloreds. More significant than the colors themselves is their distribution: the blackish nape is sharply set off from the grayer or brownish back, and the dark of the breast meets the paler gray of the flank and the white of …

Nebraska Bird Review (June 2013) 81(2), Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Spring Field Report, March–May 2013 ... 50

Status of Black-billed Magpie in Nebraska ... 79

Photo Documentation by Ron and Anne Kruse of Black-billed Magpie Nest Cycle in Hall County … 81

The Junco Called Cassiar … 87

NOU Spring Field Days and Annual Meeting at Central City, May 17–19, 2013 ... 94

Subscription and Organization Information ... 99