Biodiversity Commons^™

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 29, No.4. December 1997

The Prairie Naturalist

BUTTERFLY SPECIES IN NATIVE PRAIRIE AND RESTORED PRAIRIE ▪ D. M. Debinski and A. M. Babbit

BACK-CALCULATED LENGTH-AT-AGE ESTIMATES FROM TWO SCALE RADII ▪ K. L. Hurley, K. L. Pope, and D. W. Willis

DIET OF NORTH DAKOTA ELK DETERMINED FROM RUMEN AND FECAL ANALYSES ▪ R. G. Osborn, J. A. Jenks, and W. F. Jensen

INTERSPECIFIC COMPETITION FOR FOOD BETWEEN WHITE-FOOTED MICE AND EASTERN WOODRATS ▪ B. G. Aloiau, D. M. Post, and E. A. Home

NESTING PIPING PLOVER AND LEAST TERN ON THE KANSAS RIVER ▪ W. H. Busby, D. W. Mulhern, P. G. Kramos, and D. A. …

Terrestrial Natural Communities Of Nebraska - Version I, Gerry Steinauer, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission: White Papers, Conference Presentations, and Manuscripts

The Nebraska Natural Heritage Program has been collecting information and data including published literature, field observations and vegetation plot data over the last 10 years of development of Nebraska’s natural community classification. The classification contains 27 wetland and 36 upland communities including forest, woodland, shrubland, herbaceous, and sparsely vegetated (e.g. rock outcrop) types. The community types were distinguished primarily on plant species composition and to a lesser extent on soils, hydrology and geographic location. The classification contains descriptions of each community type that include dominant species, soils, range, and other ecological information. The classification is designed to be flexible enough …

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants; Proposed Rule To List The Topeka Shiner As Endangered

Endangered Species Bulletin

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) proposes to list the Topeka shiner (Notropis Topeka) as an endangered species under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973 (Act), as amended (16 U.S.C. 1531 et seq.). The Topeka shiner is a small fish presently known from small tributary streams in the Kansas and Neosho river basins in Kansas; the Missouri, Grand, Lamine, Chariton, and Des Moines river basins in Missouri; the North Raccoon River basin in Iowa; the James and Vermillion river watersheds in South Dakota; and, the Rock River watershed in Minnesota. The Topeka shiner is …

Survey Of Mollusks Of The Niobrara River: Final Report, Patricia W. Freeman, Keith Perkins

School of Natural Resources: Faculty Publications

We surveyed the mollusks of the Niobrara River in Nebraska from 1992–1996. We found two species of unionid clams and ten species of snails that either must live in water or near water. Both clams and snails are poorly sampled in the state, however we attribute the low number of species of unionid clams in the Niobrara to its cold, fast flow and rocky bottom. In contrast, the Platte River is slower moving with a muddy bottom and has at least 11 species of unionid clams. Each species has been mapped with latitude/longitude coordinates. Specimens have been curated and are …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 29, No.3. September 1997

The Prairie Naturalist

FISHING STATISTICS IN KANSAS PUT-AND-TAKE RAINBOW TROUT FISHERIES ▪ R. D. Schultz and D. D. Nygren

DISTRIBUTIONAL STATUS Of UNCOMMON FISHES AND AN AMPHIBIAN FROM NORTHEASTERN MISSOURI ▪ R. A. Hrabik,

DIET OF A RELICT POPULATION OF THE EASTERN WOODRAT IN NEBRASKA ▪ H. H. Genoways, P. W Freeman, and M. K. Clausen

ANIMAL SPECIES MONITORED BY THE SOUTH DAKOTA NATURAL HERITAGE PROGRAM ▪ E. D. Stukel and D. C. Backlund

Dedication

Announcements

Endangered And Threatened Wildlife And Plants; Final Rule To Designate The Whooping Cranes Of The Rocky Mountains As Experimental Nonessential And To Remove Whooping Crane Critical Habitat Designations From Four Locations

Endangered Species Bulletin

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Service) determines that it will designate the whooping crane (Grus Americana) population of the Rocky Mountains as an experimental nonessential population and will remove whooping crane critical habitat designations from four National Wildlife Refuges; Bosque del Apache in New Mexico, Monte Vista and Alamosa in Colorado, and Grays Lake in Idaho. The private lands involved are holdings inside refuge boundaries and a 1-mile buffer around Grays Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The Service will use this population, and captive-reared sandhill cranes and whooping cranes, in experiments to evaluate methods for introducing whooping cranes …

Native Vegetation Handbook For The Shire Of Pingelly, Rod Safstrom

Native vegetation handbook series

This Handbook is one of a series covering the agricultural region of Western Australia. The Handbook aims to assist the development of sustainable farming systems which combine agricultural production and nature conservation. Information is provided on the natural resources of the Shire of Pingelly, including the existing vegetation, drainage systems and soils. Problems in managing these resources are described and community initiatives to tackle the problems are summarised. It is hoped that this Handbook will contribute to the long term viability of the agricultural landscape and the conservation of native vegetation within the Shire.

The Use Of Plot Surveys For The Study Of Ethnobotanical Knowledge: A Brunei Dusun Example, Jay H. Bernstein, Roy Ellen, Bantong Bin Antaran

Publications and Research

This paper describes a technique for using plot surveys to measure individual informants' ethnobotanical knowledge of forests, as applied to the Dusun community of Merimbun in Brunei. Two knowledgeable but non-literate Dusun informants enumerated marked plots of both recent and old secondary growth mixed dipterocarp forest near the village. They were able to provide names (other than life-forms or the most general basic and intermediate categories) for 86-97% of species growing in the plots. Between 152 and 170 plant names were elicited by the surveys. In all cases, about 88% of the names were at the basic naming level and …

Changes In Reproductive Morphology And Physiology Observed In The Amphipod Crustacean, Melita Nitida Smith, Maintained In The Laboratory On Polluted Estuarine Sediments, John T. Tanacredi Ph.D., B. Borowsky, P. Aitken-Ander

Faculty Works: CERCOM

An earlier study showed that the amphipod crustacean Melita nitida Smith maintained on sediments dosed with waste crankcase oil developed physiological and morphological abnormalities. Most notably, mature females developed abnormal setae along the edges of their brood plates. The present study was conducted to determine whether similar abnormalities might be induced in animals maintained on polluted field sediments containing petroleum by-products among other toxic substances. In the laboratory, heterosexual pairs were maintained on three sediments taken from Jamaica Bay (New York) plus one control sediment and one toxic substratum (Ulva lactuca (L.) thalli). The results mirrored the results of …

Native Vegetation Handbook For The Shire Of Beverley, Rod Safstrom

Native vegetation handbook series

This Handbook is one of a series covering the agricultural region of Western Australia. The Handbook aims to assist the development of sustainable farming systems which combine agricultural production and nature conservation. Information is provided on the natural resources of the Shire of Beverley, including the existing vegetation, drainage systems and soils. Problems in managing these resources are described and community initiatives to tackle the problems are summarised.

Native Vegetation Handbook For The Shire Of Brookton, Rod Safstrom

Native vegetation handbook series

This Handbook is one of a series covering the agricultural region of Western Australia. The Handbook aims to assist the development of sustainable farming systems which combine agricultural production and nature conservation. Information is provided on the natural resources of the Shire of Brookton, including the existing vegetation, drainage systems and soils. Problems in managing these resources are described and community initiatives to tackle the problems are summarised. It is hoped this Handbook will contribute to the long term viability of the agricultural landscape and the conservation of native vegetation within the Shire.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 29, No.2. June 1997

The Prairie Naturalist

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA - 1996 ▪ . R. N. Randall

BREEDING BIRD RICHNESS IN THE PRAIRIE POTHOLE REGION OF MINNESOTA ▪ . S. L. Niesar and D. E. Hubbard

UNUSUAL MIGRATION BY A WHITE-TAILED DEER FAWN IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ C. S. DePerno, S. L. Griffin, J. A. Jenks, and L. A. Rice

COYOTE FOOD HABITS AT DESOTO NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE, NEBRASKA ▪ J. J. Huebschman, S. E. Hygnstrom, and J. A. Gubanyi

WHITE BASS GROWTH IN SOUTH DAKOTA WATERS ▪ D. W. Willis, H. D. Beck, C. A. Soupir, B. A. Johnson, G. D. Simpson, and …

Native Vegetation Handbook For The Shire Of Bridgetown-Greenbushes, Shaun B. Grein

Native vegetation handbook series

This booklet provides rural land managers with information relating to the natural resources of the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes including the existing vegetation, drainage systems and soils. Some of the problems relating to the management of natural resources in the Shire of Bridgetown-Greenbushes and possible solutions to these problems are also discussed. By providing this information, it is hoped this booklet will contribute to the long term viability of the rural landscape and the conservation of native vegetation within the Shire.

Native Vegetation Handbook For The Shire Of Boyup Brook, Shaun B. Grein

Native vegetation handbook series

This booklet provides rural land managers with information relating to the natural resources of the Shire of Boyup Brook including the existing vegetation, drainage systems and soils. Some of the problems relating to the management of natural resources in the Shire of Boyup Brook and possible solutions to these problems are also discussed. By providing this information, it is hoped this booklet will contribute to the long term viability of the rural landscape and the conservation of native vegetation within the Shire.

Native Vegetation Handbook For The Shire Of Augusta-Margaret River, Shaun B. Grein

Native vegetation handbook series

This booklet provides rural land managers with information relating to the natural resources of the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River including the existing vegetation, drainage systems and soils. Some of the problems relating to the management of natural resources in the Shire of Augusta-Margaret River and possible solutions to these problems are also discussed. By providing this information, it is hoped this booklet will contribute to the long term viability of the rural landscape and the conservation of native vegetation within the Shire.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 29, No.1. March 1997

The Prairie Naturalist

UPDATED DISTRIBUTION OF THE LEAST WEASEL ON THE CENTRAL GREAT PLAINS ▪ S. R. Hoofer and J. R. Choate

ESTIMATING SURVIVAL OF SONG BIRD CARCASSES IN CROPS AND WOODLOTS ▪ G. M. Linz, D. L. Bergman, and W. J. Bleier

SEXUAL ALLOCATION IN Carex stricta, A MONOECIOUS, TUSSOCK-FORMING SEDGE ▪ D. M. Estrella and C. E. Umbanhowar, Jr.

ABUNDANCE OF THIRTEEN-LINED GROUND SQUIRRELS IN SHORTGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ L. C. Higgins and P. Stapp

BATS OF JEWEL CAVE NATIONAL MONUMENT, SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. R. Choate and J. M. Anderson

NOTES

Northern Harrier Builds Nest On Top Of Depredated Mallard …

Twenty-Five Year Index To The Prairie Naturalist, Volumes 1-25, 1968-1993, Paul B. Kannowski

The Prairie Naturalist

Forward

Author Index

1.Articles and Notes

2. Book Reviews

3. Editorials

Subject Index

Geographic Index

Taxonomic Index

Plants

Animals

Other Records

Alien Invaders: Envisioning Exotic Species In Florida, Kevin Archer

All Faculty Scholarship for the School of Graduate Studies and Research

No abstract provided.

Spring Population Estimates Of Rocky Mountain Greater Sandhill Cranes In Colorado, Douglas S. Benning, Roderick C. Drewien, Douglas H. Johnson, Wendy M. Brown, Erwin L. Boeker

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We developed an aerial survey to estimate the Rocky Mountain Population (RMP) of greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabidn) (greaters) annually during March 1984-95 in the San Luis Valley, Colorado (SLV). We flew aerial transects covering a 21,220-ha contiguous area. Aerial photographs of crane flocks were taken to correct for estimation errors. We employed ground surveys to correct for presence of lesser sandhill cranes (G. c. canadensis) (lessers), which mixed with RMP cranes. To adjust for RMP cranes not in the survey area, we made ground counts in traditional use areas outside the SLY. During 1984-95, 5 …

Home Range And Habitat Use By Isolation-Reared Sandhill Cranes, Wenrui Duan, Theodore A. Bookhouts, Richard P. Urbanek

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We isolation-reared, placed radio transmitters on, and released 38 greater sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis tabida) on Seney National Wildlife Refuge (Seney) in 1988-90 to develop procedures for initiating new populations of cranes. Here we report on habitat selection by breeding birds with functional radio transmitters. Home ranges established by 6 cranes in 1992, when they were 2 to 4 years old, averaged 199±50.8 (SE) ha (harmonic mean method, 75 % utilization) and were of 2 types: feeding grounds separated from nesting habitat and feeding grounds adjacent to nesting habitat. Home ranges consisted of 36% emergent palustrine wetlands, 28% …

Mortality Of Radio-Equipped Sandhill Crane Colts At Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, Gary L. Ivey, Eric J. Scheuering

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We radio-equipped 142 greater sandhill crane (Grus canadensis tabida) colts at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge, Oregon, during 1991-95 to document prefledging mortality factors. Fates of 19 colts were undetermined. A total of 23 colts survived to fledge (19% of known fates). Evidence collected from the carcasses and death sites indicated that predators were responsible for the largest number of colt deaths (64), followed by unknown causes (13), parasitic gapeworms (Cyastoma spp.) (8), drowning (7), intraspecific aggression (5), study-related mortality (I), roadkill (I), and hay swather (1). Of 64 colts killed by predators, 26 were lost to mink …

Use Of Dredged Material To Construct Winter Whooping Crane Habitat, Darrell E. Evans, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Aransas National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR) and nearby coastal marshes serve as the winter home for the only natural flock of whooping cranes (Grus americana), In recent years shoreline erosion and the subsequent loss of wintering habitat have been observed on the refuge adjacent to the GulfIntracoastal Waterway (GIWW). In 1988 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) District, Galveston, Texas, and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) entered into an informal agreement to attempt to slow shoreline/habitat loss on the refuge. Efforts to curtail habitat loss have included armoring the most erosive reaches with temporary concrete erosion control …

The Effect Of Disturbance On The Reproduction And Management Of Captive Cranes, Claire M. Mirande, James W. Carpenter, Ann M. Burke

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

A retrospective analysis of egg laying histories and observations of crane pairs at the International Crane Foundation and the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center indicates that disturbance associated with captivity has adverse impacts on captive breeding. Females on public display laid significantly fewer eggs than those off display (P < 0.05). Crane pairs moved to other pens (other than adjacent pens) or hetween facilities laid slightly fewer eggs than those birds which were not moved. although the results were not statistically significant (P = 0.188). Pen design and construction also appeared to have adverse impacts on breeding. In addition, human activities, intraspecific interactions, and rearing methods influence a bird's response to disturbance, and, therefore, these factors must also be considered in an effective crane management program. Modifying procedures to minimize disturbance, timing necessary disturbances after the breeding and molt seasons, and carefully monitoring birds for signs of stress can result in increased reproductive potential for captive, endangered cranes.

Subspecies Composition Of Sandhill Crane Harvest In North Dakota, 1968-94, William L. Kendall, Douglas H. Johnson, Stanley C. Kohn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

North Dakota is a major fall staging area for the Mid-continent Population (MCP) of sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis), which is composed of 3 subspecies: the greater (G. c. tabida), Canadian (G. c. rawani), and lesser (G. c. canadensis). The number of cranes killed by hunters in North Dakota averaged 6,793 during the 1990-94 seasons, ranking second highest among crane-hunting states. The distribution of harvest among subspecies is important, due to concerns about the poorly known status of these subspecies, especially the greater. We estimated subspecies composition of the harvest in North Dakota by …

Sandhill Crane Use Of The Mid-Pecos Valley Of Eastern New Mexico, James B. Montgomery Jr.

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) were monitored during winters 1989-94 in the mid-Pecos River Valley of eastern New Mexico to detennine how many used this region following a population decline in the 1980's. Numbers annually increased to a late October/early November peak (X = 7,017), fluctuated around 6,000 through December, declined in January (X = 3,531), and again peaked in February/early March (X = 5,737). Annual crane use-days (weekly counts X 7) varied from 500,545 to 1,007,673 (X = 760,606). Cranes foraged mainly in corn and sorghum stubble and alfalfa fields. Crop averages (ha) during 1990-92 were alfalfa 21,449, …

Monogamy And Productivity In Sandhill Cranes, Stephen A. Nesbitt, Thomas C. Tacha

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Marked pairs of Florida (Grus canadensis pratensis) and greater sandhill cranes (G. c. tabida) were monitored for 426 pair-years. Among pair members, females averaged 3.7 ± 3.6 (SD) years older than males. Pair longevity was not correlated with pair productivity (P ~ 0.279) for pairs that were together >3 years. Forty-four percent of 72 Florida sandhill crane pair bonds were broken during the study, 67.7% due to death and 32.3 % to divorce. Among both Florida and greater sandhill cranes, the incidence of divorce was related to a failure to reproduce; 52.6% of pairs that failed to produce …

Whooping Crane Mortality At Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, 1982-95, Glenn H. Olsen, Joanna A. Taylor, George F. Gee

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Whooping cranes (Grus americana) have been reared at Patuxent Wildlife Research Center since 1966. During 1982-95 there were 103 mortalities caused by infectious and parasitic diseases (46%), trauma (21 %), anatomic abnormalities (17%), miscellaneous conditions (12 %) I and open or no diagnoses (5 %). The implications that disease may have on new whooping crane flocks in Florida and Canada are discussed, based on these mortality factors in captivity.

Sandhill Crane Hunts In The Rio Grande Valley And Southwest New Mexico, C. Gregory Schmitt, Barry Hale

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Annual limited permit hunting seasons for sandhill cranes (Grus canadensis) were initiated in southwestern New Mexico (SWNM) in 1982 and in the middle Rio Grande Valley (MRGV) in 1986. Within the MRGV and SWNM are wintering areas for 3 migratory subspecies, including the lesser sandhill crane (G. c. canadensis) (lessers). Canadian sandhill crane (G. c. rowani) (Canadians), and greater sandhill crane (G. c. tabida) (greaters). We summarized annual season dates, bag limits, requirements for permits, procedures for examination of crane specimens at check stations, number of hunters, estimated harvest, mean harvest per …

Pair Formation By Color-Marked Whooping Cranes On The Wintering Grounds, Thomas V. Stehn

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

Observations were made of color-marked whooping cranes (Grus americana) at Aransas during the 1977-94 winters. Suhadult cranes wintered near their juvenile home ranges in flocks averaging 3.12 birds. One and 2 winters prior to nesting, subadults at Aransas tended to form duos apart from other subadults. Frequencies of association 1 year prior to nesting averaged 65.4%. However, 27.7 % of pair bonds (n = 18) formed during spring migration or on the breeding grounds without any observed prior association at Aransas. Sixty-eight banded cranes formed pairs. Pair members averaged 1.06 years difference in age. Winter territories of adults …

Recent Advances In Scheduling Strategies And Practical Techniques In Crane Artificial Insemination, Scott R. Swengel, Monica L. Tuite

Proceedings of the North American Crane Workshop

We analyzed fertility patterns of 339 eggs laid 1985-93 at the International Crane Foundation by cranes whose sole means of fertility was artificial insemination (AI). Ten of 15 crane species were studied. Fertility rates increased significantly (P < 0.05) with (I) higher sperm density, (2) greater sperm motility, and (3) 2 vs. 1 vs. 0 inseminations 4-7 days before oviposition. Semen sample size was inversely related to sperm density and had no strong relationship with egg fertility. Inseminations less than 2.5-3.0 days before an egg is laid are probably too late to contribute to fertilizing the egg but may contribute substantially to fertilizing the next egg. We also describe practical knowledge gained during the past 10 years that apply to certain species or situations. Wattled cranes (Bugeranus carunculatus) have a long fertile period post-AI (up to 16 days), but may require more careful methods and special AI scheduling strategies. We also describe techniques for AI just after oviposition that are especially beneficial for Siberian cranes (Grus leucogeranus), and methods for maximizing sample delivery to the female.