Zoology Commons^™

Genetic Resolution Of The Enigmatic Lesser Antillean Distribution Of The Frog Leptodactylus Validus (Anura, Leptodactylidae), Keneth Yanek, W. R. Heyer, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

Leptodactylus validus has an unusual distribution, inhabiting Trinidad, Tobago, and the Lesser Antilles, but not the mainland of South America. This distribution is inconsistent with other distribution patterns observed for these islands. Although slight variation in adult morphology has been observed among the different island populations of L. validus, call data suggest the presence of a single species. Calls of L. pallidirostris from Venezuela and Brazil suggested that this taxon might be conspecific with L. validus. Sequence data from the 12S and 16S mt rDNA genes indicate that L. validus represents a single species throughout its distribution and is conspecific …

Spatial And Seasonal Variation In Wildlife-Vehicle Collisions, Jonathan M. Conard, Philip S. Gipson

The Prairie Naturalist

To understand seasonal variation in the number of wildlife-vehicle collisions and the influence of land cover type on collision distribution we counted road-kill carcasses for 84 weeks along a 40 km route on two state highways in northeastern Kansas. We noted land cover type adjacent to each road-kill and tested the null hypothesis that road-kills were distributed randomly with respect to land cover type. Wildlife-vehicle collisions were not distributed randomly in relation to land cover availability. Instead, collisions occurred more often then expected adjacent to riparian areas and less often than expected adjacent to agricultural fields. Wildlife-vehicle collisions varied seasonally …

Amphibians And Reptiles In A Mixed-Grass Prairie In Northwestern North Dakota, Robert K. Murphy, Robert F. Danley, Patricia K. Moore

The Prairie Naturalist

There have been almost no surveys of herpetofauna at 109 km² Lostwood National Wildlife Refuge (LNWR) or surrounding counties in northwestern North Dakota, an area possibly undergoing significant environmental change from fossil fuel extraction and use. We used 30 m drift fences to survey amphibian and reptile species in prairie-wetland transition zones at LNWR during mid-May to early-July in 1985 to 1987, and again in 1999 and 2000. We captured only four amphibian and two reptilian species and noted one other reptilian species incidental to our survey. Several species expected to occur in the area were not detected.

The Locomotor Kinematics Of Asian And African Elephants: Changes With Speed And Size, John R. Hutchinson, Delf Schwerda, Daniel J. Famini, Robert H.I. Dale, Martin S. Fischer, Rodger Kram

Scholarship and Professional Work - LAS

For centuries, elephant locomotion has been a contentious and confusing challenge for locomotion scientists to understand, not only because of technical difficulties but also because elephant locomotion is in some ways atypical of more familiar quadrupedal gaits. We analyzed the locomotor kinematics of over 2400 strides from 14 African and 48 Asian elephant individuals (body mass 116-4632 kg) freely moving over ground at a 17-fold range of speeds, from slow walking at 0.40 m s^-1 to the fastest reliably recorded speed for elephants, 6.8 m s^-1. These data reveal that African and Asian elephants have some subtle …

Lower Incisors Of Prairie Dogs (Cynomys) As Biorecorders Of Hibernation And Season Of Death, H. Thomas Goodwin, Eva M. Ryckman

Faculty Publications

Incremental dentin and associated enamel, features visible at the surface of lower incisors of rodents, may chronicle important life-history information. This study investigated surface features of lower incisors representing 4 taxa of prairie dogs (Cynomys) in relation to hibernation and season of year. A set of abnormalities in dentin and enamel, observed on 20 of 138 incisors, always chronicled an event ending in late winter or early spring and was interpreted as a hibernation mark. Hibernation was recorded in the incisors of obligate hibernators, C. leucurus and C. gunnisoni, as well as in 20% of specimens of the facultative heterotherm, …

Aerial Searches For Whooping Cranes Along The Platte River, Nebraska, John G. Sidle, Wallace G. Jobman, Craig A. Faanes

Nebraska Bird Review

The endangered Whooping Cranes (Grus americana) that migrate between Wood Buffalo National Park, Alberta and Northwest Territories, and the Aransas National Wildlife Refuge Area, Texas, roost at many aquatic stopover locations (Austin and Richert 2001) including the central Platte River, Nebraska (Johnson 1982; Lingle et al. 1984, 1986, 1991; Faanes et al. 1992; Richert 1999). Under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, 90 km of the central Platte have been designated as critical habitat for the Whooping Crane, although suitable Platte River habitat for Whooping Crane and Sandhill Crane (Grus canadensis) continues to decline (Sidle et al. …

Correction To Winter Bird Numbers Article

Nebraska Bird Review

Correction to Winter Bird Numbers Article

Editor's Note: We regret that there was an error in the text of the Paul Johnsgard article "Recent Changes in Winter Bird Numbers at Lincoln, Nebraska" published in the March 2006 Nebraska Bird Review (Volume 74 Number 1). The last sentence in the first full paragraph on page 18 should read: "(The House Sparrow is declining annually at a rate of 2.5%, and the House Finch is increasing at an annual rate of 1.15%.)"

Letter Of Information' Excerpts

Nebraska Bird Review

In the early years of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union, which was founded in 1899, the organization published its Proceedings, yearly through 1902 and less frequently for the following 13 years. Beginning in 1916, the NOU allied itself with the Wilson Ornithological Club, and its annual proceedings were published by that organization for the next nine years. In 1925, distribution of a mimeographed "Letter of Information" began, with NOU Secretary-Treasurer Myron H. Swenk acting as editor. These Letters, which contain announcements, accounts of meetings and field trips, and notes on bird sightings from members, were published through 1932. They bridged …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review September 2006

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): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall, Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Summer Field Report, June-July 2006, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Under "Old Business", numbers of Black-capped Chickadees are beginning to recover, but several observers mentioned that American Crows and, most recently, Black-billed Magpies are still suffering lowered numbers. On the plus side, Scissor-tailed Flycatchers continue in increasing numbers, including a pair (or at least one of a pair) that returned to the same location where they nested successfully last year and succeeded again this year.

And now ''New Business". Evidence came to hand that both Western and Clark's Grebes may have suffered poor breeding success due to poor water conditions at traditional breeding sites. An intriguing observation on 28 Jul …

White-Cheeked Geese In Nebraska, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

The intent of this paper is to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding "White-cheeked Goose" is used in reference to the various taxa included within the two species Canada Goose (Branta canadensis) and Cackling Goose (B. hutchinsii), as constituted by the American Ornithologist' Union (AOU; 2004). Using culmen measurements, confirmation of both species' and the "expected" subspecies' occurrence in Nebraska was documents, but culmen measurements alone could not confirm the occurrence of any of the "unexpected" subspecies.

TAXONOMY

As many as 10 subspecies of White-cheeked Goose were described by the AOU (1957), five of which ( …

The Nebraska Bird Review Whole Issue September 2006

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Summer Field Report, June - July 2006 by W. Ross Silcock................... 78

Aerial Searches for Whooping Cranes along the Platte River, Nebraska
by John G. Sidle, Wallace G. Jobman, Craig A. Faanes ................... 95

White-cheeked Geese in Nebraska by W. Ross Silcock................... 99

Correction to Paul Johnsgard's "Recent Changes in Winter Bird
Numbers at Lincoln, Nebraska" (Vol. 74 No. 1) ................... 105

Excerpts from the NOU's "Letters of Information"................... 106

Subscription and Organization Information ................... 107

Age Structure And Reproductive Activity Of The Blue Sucker In The Milk River, Missouri River Drainage, Montana, Julie Bednarski, Dennis L. Scarnecchia

The Prairie Naturalist

The life history and ecology of the blue sucker (Cycleptus elongatus) in the lower Milk River, Montana were investigated in 2002 and 2003. A total of 253 blue sucker was captured; 248 adult fish, three larval fish, and two age-0 juveniles. The ages (n = 102) of the adult blue sucker ranged from 10 to 37 years; maximum age greatly exceeded ages reported in other studies. Blue sucker in the Milk River population grew slower, matured later, and lived longer than fish at lower latitudes. Adult females of the blue sucker were longer and weighed more than …

An ∼140-Kb Deletion Associated With Feline Spinal Muscular Atrophy Implies An Essential Lix1 Function For Motor Neuron Survival, John C. Fyfe, Marilyn Menotti-Raymond, Victor A. David, Lars Brichta, Alejandro A. Schaffer, R. Agarwala, William J. Murphy, William J. Wedemeyer, Brittany L. Gregory, Bethany G. Buzzell, Meghan C. Drummond, Brunhilde Wirth, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

The leading genetic cause of infant mortality is spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a clinically and genetically heterogeneous group of disorders. Previously we described a domestic cat model of autosomal recessive, juvenile-onset SMA similar to human SMA type III. Here we report results of a whole-genome scan for linkage in the feline SMA pedigree using recently developed species-specific and comparative mapping resources. We identified a novel SMA gene candidate, LIX1, in an ~140-kb deletion on feline chromosome A1q in a region of conserved synteny to human chromosome 5q15. Though LIX1 function is unknown, the predicted secondary structure is compatible with …

Rana Ocellata Linnaeus, 1758 (Currently Leptodactylus Ocellatus; Amphibia, Anura): Proposed Conservation Of Usage Of The Specific Name By The Designation Of A Neotype, W. Ronald Heyer, Ulisses Caramaschi, Rafael O. De Sá

Biology Faculty Publications

The purpose of this application, under Article 75.6 of the Code, is to conserve the usage of the specific name of Rana ocellata Linnaeus, 1758 for a species of leptodactylid frog from South America by the designation of a neotype. Prevailing usage of the name is threatened by the identity of the type specimen which is a different species than that which is currently known as Leptodactylus ocellatus. It is proposed that all name-bearing types be set aside and a neotype designated in accord with prevailing usage.

Chemical Evidence For Dietary Toxin Sequestration In The Asian Snake Rhabdophis Tigrinus, Deborah A. Hutchinson

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

Rhabdophis tigrinus (Colubridae: Natricinae) is an oviparous, bufophagous (toad-eating) snake from eastern Asia that possesses defensive integumentary glands on the neck known as nuchal glands. These glands are used in antipredator displays and typically contain bufadienolide toxins. Whereas toads are known to synthesize bufadienolide steroids from cholesterol precursors, we found that chemically undefended R. tigrinus must sequester bufadienolides from ingested toads in order to exhibit these compounds in their nuchal glands. Chemically defended females are capable of provisioning their embryos with these toxins so their unfed hatchlings possess defensive bufadienolides prior to consuming toads themselves. All of the hatchling R. …

Defensin Transcript Distribution In Tissues And Life Stages Of The Ixodid Ticks Amblyomma Americanum And Ixodes Scapularis, Stephanie M. Todd

Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations

A number of bacterial, viral, and protozoan diseases are transmitted to humans via arthropods. Arthropods possess an innate immune system to destroy invading microorganisms. However, arthropods unable to rid their systems of pathogens function as disease vectors. The American dog tick, Dermacentor variabilis, destroys invading Borrelia burgdorferi spirochetes, preventing transmission. In contrast, the black-legged tick, Ixodes scapularis, which is unable to destroy acquired B. burgdorferi, successfully vectors the pathogen. The Lone Star tick, Amblyomma americanum, vectors a similar pathogen called Borrelia lonestari. The distribution of defensin, an antimicrobial peptide of the innate immune system, was examined in A. americanum and/. …

Anadromous Rainbow Smelt And Tomcod In Connecticut: Assessment Of Populations, Conservation Status, And Need For Restoration Plan, Heather A. Fried, Eric T. Schultz

EEB Articles

(beginning of rainbow smelt executive summary)

Evidence indicates that anadromous rainbow smelt (Osmerus mordax) populations in Connecticut and elsewhere in the northeast United States have severely declined. Several sampling programs have documented declines in Connecticut’s smelt populations over the last three decades (Marcy 1976a, Marcy 1976b, Millstone Environmental Laboratory 2005). Similar declines have also been documented in the Hudson River (ASA Analysis & Communication 2005) and in Massachusetts (personal communication, Brad Chase, MA Division of Marine Fisheries 2004). Recreational and commercial fisheries in the region for this species have virtually ceased (Blake and Smith 1984). The Connecticut Fish Advisory Committee …

2005 (17th) Report Of The Nou Records Committee, Mark A. Brogie

Nebraska Bird Review

The functions and methods of the Nebraska Ornithologists' Union (NOU) Records Committee are described in its bylaws (NOU Records Committee 1986). 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. "The Official List of the Birds of Nebraska" was first published in 1988 (NOU Records Committee 1988) and has been updated two times (NOU Records Committee 1997, 2004).

The "Official List" has been appended fifteen times: (Mollhoff 1989; Grenon 1990, 1991; Gubanyi 1996a, 1996b, 1996c; Brogie 1997, 1998, 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005; Jorgensen 2001, 2002, …

Nou 2006 107th Annual Meeting At Ponca State Park

Nebraska Bird Review

The 107th Annual Meeting of the NOD was held in the new Missouri River Resource and Education Center in Ponca State Park on May 19-21. Although the weather ranged from hot and windy on Friday to steady rain on Saturday morning to cool and breezy on Sunday, the 80+ attendees accumulated a list of 159 species. Warbler diversity was disappointing, but shorebirds were abundant.

On Friday evening, a program on the Galapagos Islands was presented by Dr. Paul Johnsgard, Linda Brown, Dr. Josef Kren and Allison Johnson. Each of the four recounted an aspect of their 2005 trip to the …

A Book-Collector's Guide To Roger Tory Peterson, Paul A. Johnsgard

Nebraska Bird Review

One of the major disappointments of my youth was that I grew up without access to a real field guide to birds. My early years were spent in a small North Dakota village that lacked a library, and my only reference book on birds was a badly-tattered copy of a badly-illustrated 1912 book that my mother had grown up with, Chester A. Reed's Birds of Eastern North America. However, in 1939 a very kind aunt gave me a still-cherished copy of the Macmillan edition of Audubon's Birds of America as a Christmas present. With its hundreds of wonderful color …

Masthead From Nebraska Bird Review

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): $15 in the United States, $18 in Canada and $30 in all other countries, payable in advance. Single copies are $4 each, postpaid, in the United States, $5 in Canada, and $8 elsewhere. Send orders for back issues to Mary Lou Pritchard, NOU Librarian, c/o University of Nebraska State Museum, W-436 Nebraska Hall Lincoln, NE 68588-0514.

Memberships in the NOU (on a calendar-year basis only): …

Spring Field Report, March-May 2006, W. Ross Silcock

Nebraska Bird Review

Introduction

As many of you know, the American Ornithologists' Union (AOU) has changed some generic names and rearranged the taxonomic order for shortbirds in the expanded genus Tringa and for the terns. This Spring Report uses the new taxonomic order.

Observers (thank you, I think!) submitted a huge amount of data that I distilled for this report; I entered more than 3,500 sightings into my database, which allows for a comprehensive overview of what birds were doing this spring.

As has been the case the last few years, there were several record or near-record early arrival dates, some requiring documentation …

The Nebraska Bird Review (June 2006)- Whole Issue

Nebraska Bird Review

Table of Contents

Spring Field Report, Mar. - May. 2006 by W. Ross Silcock...............38

A Book-collector's Guide to Roger Tory Peterson
by Paul A. Johnsgard...............61

NOU Annual Meeting at Ponca State Park, May 19-21...............64

2005 (17th) Report of the NOU Records Committee
compiled by Mark A. Brogie...............69

Subscription and Organization Information...............75

An Experimental Approach To Modeling The Strength Of Canine Teeth, Patricia W. Freeman, Cliff A. Lemen

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

The strength of canine teeth in several carnivores is found through direct fracture experiments. The average forces required to break the canines of adult animals are coyote 1170 N, red fox 533 N, bobcat 737 N and raccoon 512 N. Stresses created in teeth at the breaking load are predicted by finite-element analysis and beam theory. The ultimate tensile stress sustainable in these teeth is 338 MPa in adult animals. The large pulp cavity in the canines of young animals significantly weakens the bases of their teeth (by about 25%), but as the animal ages the pulp cavity decreases and …

A Comparison Of The Imapct Of Environmental Stressors On Blood Parameters Of Captive Harbor Seals (Phoca Vitulina), Maura Allard

Senior Honors Projects

Little research has been established in determining blood chemistry values for harbor seals in Alaska. It has been suggested that various environmental factors can influence the blood chemistry values due to temperature, day length, precipitation, constraint and diet amongst other variables. Currently there are no guidelines for veterinarians and rehabilitators to refer to when analyzing blood chemistry values for sick animals. The hope for this research is that it will aide in establishing guidelines for specific circumstances due to environmental stressors. It is hoped that in the future, this study will be used to create values for which veterinarians can …

Rapid Assimilation Of Yolk Enhances Growth And Development Of Lizard Embryos From A Cold Environment, Melissa Ann Blake

All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Selection for rapid growth in cold environments results in a geographic pattern known as countergradient variation. The eastern fence lizard, Sceloporus undulatus, exhibits countergradient variation in growth rate across latitudinal clines. In a common-garden experiment, S. undulatus embryos from cold environments grew more efficiently than embryos warm environments, even when the energetic contents of eggs were equalized. To examine the physiological mechanisms of higher growth efficiency, I measured the energetics of embryos during the first 49 days of incubation. Specifically, I recorded body mass, residual yolk, total respiration, and developmental stage for embyos from two populations (Virginia and South Carolina). …

2005-06 Cbc Site Data

Nebraska Bird Review

2005-06 CBC Site Data

Date, Species, Individuals, Observers, low temp, high temp, sky, rain, snow

Ames
Beaver Valley
Branched Oak/Seward
Calamous/Loup
Crawford
Desoto-Boyer
Grand Island
Harrison-Sioux Co.
Lake McConaughy
Lincoln
Norfolk
Omaha
Ponca S.P.
Scottsbluff

Total

Additional observer numbers at Beaver Valley, Grand Island, Lake McConaughy and Lincoln are feeder watchers.

2005-06 Christmas Bird Counts In Nebraska

Nebraska Bird Review

For the first time this year, two additional counts, Ames and Harrison Sioux Counties, were reported, bringing our total to 14 counts. The all-time high numbers reached for several species this year need to be regarded in light of that fact. We tend now to have more counts, more counters, and more hours spent counting than ever before. While this is a good thing, it is useful to remember that counting more birds does not in this case mean that there are necessarily more birds present. A look at the effort data, such as number of birds per party hour, …

Corrections To 2004-05 Christmas Bird Counts

Nebraska Bird Review

Corrections to 2004-05 Christmas Bird Counts

A Winter Wren was incorrectly shown as having been seen on the 2004 Scottsbluff count. This should have been a Marsh Wren. Additionally, a Purple Finch was seen during count week at Scottsbluff.