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The Prairie Naturalist Volume 35, No.4 December 2003

The Prairie Naturalist

HOME RANGE AND MOVEMENTS OF EASTERN AND RIO GRANDE WILD TURKEY FEMALES IN NORTHEASTERN

SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ C. P. Lehman, L. D. Flake, and A. P. Leif

THE BAT FAUNA OF SOUTHEASTERN SOUTH DAKOTA . J. E. Lane, C. L. Buck, and R. M. Brigham

FIRST REPORT OF THE NORTH DAKOTA RARE BIRD COMMITTEE ▪ D. Svingen and R. E. Martin

BREEDING CHRONOLOGY OF DABBLING DUCKS IN MINNEDOSA, MANITOBA ▪ A. M. Wells and H. H. Prince

A LIVE COLLECTION OF A PISTOLGRIP FROM NEBRASKA ▪ S. C. Schainost

NEW NESTING DATES FOR SOME BREEDING BIRDS IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ …

Reconstructing The Genomic Architecture Of Mammalian Ancestors Using Multispecies Comparative Maps, William J. Murphy, Guillaume Bourque, Glenn Tesler, Pavel Pevzner, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

Rapidly developing comparative gene maps in selected mammal species are providing an opportunity to reconstruct the genomic architecture of mammalian ancestors and study rearrangements that transformed this ancestral genome into existing mammalian genomes. Here, the recently developed Multiple Genome Rearrangement (MGR) algorithm is applied to human, mouse, cat and cattle comparative maps (with 311-470 shared markers) to impute the ancestral mammalian genome. Reconstructed ancestors consist of 70-100 conserved segments shared across the genomes that have been exchanged by rearrangement events along the ordinal lineages leading to modern species genomes. Genomic distances between species, dominated by inversions (reversals) and translocations, are …

Habitat Use Of Sympatrically Nesting Fish Crows And American Crows, Brook Lauro, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

We examined habitat use of sympatric Fish Crows (Corvus ossifragus) and American Crows (C. brachyrhynchos) nesting in the vicinity of waterbird breeding locations at the Rockaway Peninsula, New York City. Fish Crows nested significantly more often at natural habitats, including coastal dunes and salt marsh islands; American Crows nested significantly more often at residential and recreational areas. In regard to potential foraging areas, Fish Crows nested closer to waterbird colonies and to the water's edge while American Crows nested closer to a garbage source and to lawns. Fish Crows nested significantly more often in deciduous trees …

University Of Nebraska-Lincoln School Of Natural Resources Review: Final Report, December 2003, Michael O'Neill, Phaedra Budy, Stephen Degloria, Ed Kanemasu, Jamie Robertson, Derrel Martin, Anne K. Vidaver, Tylr Naprstek, Donna Woudenberg

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

In July 2003, the School of Natural Resource Sciences was merged with the Conservation and Survey Division and the Water Center Nebraska State Survey. This merger produced the School of Natural Resources (hereafter referred to as the "School") in its current form. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln requested a ten-year review of the School's programs and activities. The review was administered by the Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service (CSREES) in cooperation with the University of Nebraska-Lincoln's Institute of Agriculture and Natural Resources, the College of Agriculture, and the School.

The review document is divided into nine sections. The first …

Creating A Geographical Information System For Freshwater Crabs And Fishes In Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, Walter R.T. Witschey, Panos S. Economidis, Dimitra Bobori

Virginia Journal of Science

A geographical information system (GIS) for freshwater crabs and fishes in Greece was created in response to the European Environmental Agency's (EEA) biodiversity initiative for European Union countries. A total of 1931 collections, made with seines, dipnets, and backpack electroshockers in 32 drainages of Greece, yielded 126 species of fishes and crabs in 2,359 data records including species, latitude, longitude, drainage, prefecture, and locality, 731 also include stream order, elevation, gradient, stream width and depth, pH, temperature, and distance to river mouth. Our GIS indicates current distributions of species, species rich and poor areas, anomalous species distributions, areas warranting further …

Csrees School Of Natural Resources Comprehensive Five-Year Review

School of Natural Resources: Documents and Reviews

No abstract provided.

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 35, No.3 September 2003

The Prairie Naturalist

BROWN-HEADED COWBIRDS IN GRASSLANDS: THEIR HABITATS, HOSTS, AND RESPONSE TO MANAGEMENT ▪ J. A. Shaffer, C. M. Goldade, M. F. Dinkins, D. H. Johnson, L. D. Igl, and B. R. Euliss

LlGUMIA SUBROSTRATA (BIVALVIA: UNIONIDAE) IN MINNESOTA AND ITS STATUS IN THE UPPER MIDWEST ▪ B. E. Sietman, D. E. Kelner, R. A. Hart, and M. Davis

GUIDELINES FOR FINDING NESTS OF PASSERINE BIRDS IN TALLGRASS PRAIRIE ▪ M. Winter, S. E. Hawks, J. A. Shaffer, and D. H. Johnson

RESPONSE OF THE LEAST SHREW TO PREY OLFACTORY CUES ▪ F. Punzo and C. Gonzalez

Book Reviews

North Dakota's Butterflies …

Tb190: Spider Predation In Agroecosystems: Can Spiders Effectively Control Pest Populations., Darlene Maloney, Francis A. Drummond, Randy Alford

Technical Bulletins

Recent trends in agriculture towards reduced pesticide use and ecological sustainability have lead to increased interest in spiders as potential biological control agents. Although the Chinese have augmented spider populations in field crops as a pest management strategy for centuries, much debate remains as to whether spiders will effectively control pest populations in U.S. agricultural ecosystems. This technical bulletin reviews the literature to describe the reduction of insect pest densities by spiders and the effects of pesticides on spiders. In addition to addressing the question of whether spiders can be effective biocontrol agents, the authors outline techniques to conserve and …

Endangered Species Bulletin, July/December 2003 - Vol. Xxviii No. 4

Endangered Species Bulletin

In this issue:
10 Species on the Brink of Recovery
12 Saving Species on the Brink of Extinction
14 Recovering a Prairie Orchid
16 From Cage to Rainforest
18 Partners for Running Buffalo Clover Recovery
20 Recovery Planning for the White Abalone
22 Recovery Champions
24 Dick Biggins, Recovery Hero
26 “Sea Otter” and the Geese
28 A Plan for Hawaiian Plants and Their Ecosystems
30 An Unconventional Approach to Habitat Conservation
32 Progress in Riparian Brush Rabbit Recovery
34 Stakeholders Unite for Flycatcher
36 CPR for Species
38 Partners in Butterfly Conservation
40 Listing Actions
44 Box Score

Terrestrial Natural Communities Of Nebraska (Version Iii - June 30, 2005), Gerry Steinauer, Steven B. Rolfsmeier

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

For more than a decade, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and state natural heritage programs, including the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program (NNHP), have used a “coarse filter/fine filter” approach to preserving biological diversity (The Nature Conservancy, 1994). This approach involves identification and protection of natural communities (coarse filter) as well as rare species (fine filter). Identifying and protecting representative examples of natural communities ensures conservation of most species, biotic interactions and ecological processes. Those species that “fall through” the community filters are generally the rare species. Identification and protection of viable occurrences of rare species serves as the fine filter for …

Comparative Genome Organization Of Human, Murine, And Feline Mhc Class Ii Region, Naoya Yuhki, Thomas W. Beck, Robert M. Stephens, Yoko Nishigaki, Kymberly Newmann, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

To study comparative molecular dynamics in the genesis of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC), we determined a complete nucleotide sequence spanning 758,291 bp of the domestic cat (Felis catus) extended and classical class II region. The feline class II MHC includes 44 genes (31 predicted to be expressed) which display DNA sequence homology and ordered gene synteny with human HLA and mouse H2, in extended class II and centromere proximal regions (DM to DO) of the classical class II region. However, remarkable genomic alterations including gene gain and loss plus size differentials of 250 kb are …

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 35, No.2 June 2003

The Prairie Naturalist

NEST PARASITISM ON CONSTRUCTED ISLANDS IN NORTHWESTERN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ A. L. Zimmerman, M. A. Sovada, T. K. Kessler, and R. K. Murphy

HISTORICAL AND RECENT RECORDS AND FIRST NEST RECORDS OF HENSLOW'S SPARROW IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ J. A. Shaffer, L. D. Igl, and F. Vanhove

AMERICAN AVOCET NESTING ON CONSTRUCTED ISLANDS IN NORTH DAKOTA ▪ A. L. Dahl, D. H. Johnson, L. D. Igl, K. L. Baer, T. L. Shaffer, M. A. Johnson, and R. E. Reynolds

CHRISTMAS BIRD COUNTS FOR NORTH DAKOTA 2002 ▪ R. N. Randall

MATERNAL LIVER AND EGG THIAMINE CONCENTRATIONS IN CHINOOK SALMON FROM …

Endangered Species Bulletin, May/June 2003 - Vol. Xxviii No. 3

Endangered Species Bulletin

In this issue:
4 Conserving Wildlife of the Americas: Mexico’s Strategic Role
6 Conservation Along the Border
7 The Kemp’s Ridley: Recovery in the Making
10 Conserving Cacti in México
12 Black-footed Ferrets Thrive in Mexico
14 California Condors Return to Mexico
16 Nightly Wings, Nectar Sips
18 California Red-legged Frog: Jumping to Survival
20 Binational Conservation Grows from the Ground Up
22 Aquatic Life in the Sonoran Desert
24 Jaguar Conservation in the Borderlands
26 Corridors for Migration
27 Pronghorn Races Against Extinction
30 The Masked Bobwhite at Buenos Aires NWR
31 Regional News and Recovery Updates
32 Box …

Sustainability Issues For Agriculture In Western Australia, Anne Bennett, Ross Kingwell, Ross George

Agriculture reports

This paper describes briefly the main challenges to the sustainability of agriculture in Western Australia and outlines some means of responding the the challenges: market-based approaches; agricultural and environmental research and development; accelerated adjustment; and global and national policy initiatives. Challenges include: land resource quality (salinity, soil acidity), biodiversity, greenhouse gas emissions, climate change, water availability, food safety, and pests and diseases.

Host Range Extension For Chlorochlamys Chloroleucaria (Geometrinae, Geometridae) To Include Eriogonum Alatum (Polygonaceae), Kathleen H. Keeler, George J. Balogh

School of Biological Sciences: Faculty Publications

In 2001 and 2002 we collected specimens of Chlorochlamys chloroleucaria from Eriogonum alatum Torr., winged false buckwheat. Eriogonum alatum occurs at elevations of 5000-10,000 feet on both sides of the Rocky Mountains, from Utah (Welsh et al. 1987) to western Nebraska, southeastern Wyoming (Dorn 1977) to western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle to Arizona (Great Plains Flora Association 1986).

The Prairie Naturalist Volume 35, No.1 March 2003

The Prairie Naturalist

PATTERNS OF IMPALING IN A MIGRATORY POPULATION OF THE LOGGERHEAD SHRIKE ▪ J. D. Esely and E. K. Bollinger

COMPARISON OF FEEDING IN TWO PHENOLOGICALLY DISTINCT GRASSHOPPERS ▪ K. J. Haynes

DISTRIBUTION AND TRENDS OF BANDED CANADA GEESE IN SOUTH DAKOTA ▪ J. S. Gleason, J. A. Jenks, and P. W. Mammenga

FLORISTIC ASSESSMENT OF SAND PRAIRIES AND SEDGE MEADOWS, LEE COUNTY, ILLINOIS ▪ W. C. Handel, L. R. Phillippe, and J. E. Ebinger

POULT PROTECTION BY MERRIAM'S TURKEY FEMALES TOWARDS A NORTHERN GOSHAWK ▪ C. P. Lehman

ADDITIONAL ECTOPARASITIC RECORDS OF BATS FROM KANSAS ▪ D. W. Sparks, K. …

Endangered Species Bulletin, March/April 2003 - Vol. Xxviii No. 2

Endangered Species Bulletin

In this issue:
4 Jewels in our Waters
6 Conservation and Recovery of Southeastern Imperiled Fishes
8 Releasing Mussels into Recovering Waters
10 Crayfish: An Overlooked Fauna
12 The Urban Life of Darters
14 Forty-One Tons
16 Landowners Are Recognized for Conservation Work
18 In Memoriam: Tyler Alley Sykes
20 Down by the Green River
22 Sending Surrogates to the Rescue
24 Cryptic Biodiversity
27 Sturgeon Surveys in the Lower Mississippi
28 Chinese Biologists Compare Argali to Bighorn Departments
30 Regional News and Recovery Updates
31 Listing Actions
36 Box Score

A Guide To Prairie And Wetland Restoration In Eastern Nebraska, Gerry Steinauer, Bill Whitney, Krista Adams, Mike Bullerman, Chris Helzer

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

This publication documents the restoration methods originally developed by Bill Whitney and later refined by himself and other ecologists from TNC, PRCT, NGPC and USFWS working in eastern Nebraska. Restoration of the following plant community types is covered in this document: tallgrass prairie, mixed-grass prairie, sand prairie, freshwater wet meadow and marsh, Rainwater Basin wet meadow and marsh, and saline wet meadow and marsh.

The methods we use are generally affordable and not complicated. To quickly summarize, we handpick and machine harvest seed, do little seed cleaning and broadcast plant with a fertilizer spreader. We do not mow annual weeds …

Endangered Species Bulletin, January/February 2003 - Vol. Xxviii No. 1

Endangered Species Bulletin

In this issue:
4 A Century of Conservation
9 Hakalau Forest National Wildlife Refuge
12 Refuges Are a Flight Path to Recovery
14 An Amphibious Assault
18 Community Helps Save Laguna Atascosa’s Wildlife
20 The Key Deer: Back From the Brink
22 Research on Fox Squirrel Reaps Rewards
24 Refuge for an Ice Age Survivor
27 “Habitats” Featured on Geography Action!
28 Bringing Tiger Beetles Together
30 Share the Beach: Teamwork for Turtles
32 The Treasures of the Ozark Plateau
34 The Dynamic Dunes
36 This Partnership is for the Birds!
38 Hard Work Brings Results at Chincoteague

Conservation And Restoration Of Pine Forest Genetic Resources In México, C. Sáenz-Romero, Amy E. Snively, R. Lindig-Cisneros

Student Published Works

Deforestation rates in México are about 670,000 ha/year. This threatens the richness of forest genetic resources in México, causing the disappearance of locally adapted populations and rare and endangered pine species. México is one of the six megadiverse countries in the world, with half of the world’s Pinus species. Pinus is one of the most economically and ecologically important forest genera in México. We suggest that delineation of seed zones and the establishment of a network of Forest Genetic Resource Conservation Units (FGRCUs), linked with forest management and ecological restoration programs will protect this valuable resource. We estimate that FGRCUs …

Incorporating Local Knowledge Into Population And Habitat Viability Assessments: Landowners And Tree Kangaroos In Papua New Guinea, Philip J. Nyhus, J Williams, J Borovansky, O Byers, P Miller

Faculty Scholarship

No abstract provided.

Bats Of Nevis, Northern Lesser Antilles, Scott C. Pedersen, Hugh H. Genoways, Matthew N. Morton, James W. Johnson, Siân E. Courts

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

Only one species of bat, Molossus molossus, previously has been documented as occurring on the northern Lesser Antillean island of Nevis. Field research and reviews of existing museum collections have provided documentation based on voucher specimens for an additional seven species occurring on the island — Noctilio leporinus, Brachyphylla cavernarum, Monophyllus plethodon, Ardops nichollsi, Artibeus jamaicensis, Natalus stramineus, and Tadarida brasiliensis. The biological diversity of the chiropteran fauna on Nevis is similar to that found on other islands in the northern Lesser Antilles. Ecologically, this is a simple chiropteran fauna, including one …

Wolf Interactions With Non-Prey, Warren B. Ballard, Ludwig N. Carbyn, Douglas W. Smith

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

WOLVES SHARE THEIR ENVIRONMENT with many animals besides those that they prey on, and the nature of the interactions between wolves and these other creatures varies considerably. Some of these sympatric animals are fellow canids such as foxes, coyotes, and jackals. Others are large carnivores such as bears and cougars. In addition, ravens, eagles, wolverines, and a host of other birds and mammals interact with wolves, if only by feeding on the remains of their kills.

Wolves: Behavior, Ecology, And Conservation: Photo Section Ii, Douglas W. Smith, L. David Mech, Isaac Babcock, Melissa Mccaw

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

Adult wolves are very attentive to the pups. Both parents feed and care for them. Any older siblings similarly participate in pup care and feeding. Kin selection is probably the best explanation for the latter behavior. Top: Photograph by Isaac Babcock. Bottom: Photograph by L. David Mech.

Wolf-Prey Relations, L. David Mech, Rolf O. Peterson

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

AS 1 (L. o. MECH) watched from a small ski plane while fifteen wolves surrounded a moose on snowy Isle Royale, I had no idea this encounter would typify observations I would make during 40 more years of studying wolf-prey interactions.

My usual routine while observing wolves hunting was to have my pilot keep circling broadly over the scene so I could watch the wolves' attacks without disturbing any of the animals. Only this time there was no attack. The moose held the wolves at bay for about 5 minutes (fig. p), and then the pack left.

From this observation …

Introduction, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

THE WOLF IS TRULY a special animal. As the most widely distributed of all land mammals, the wolf, formally the gray wolf (Canis lupus), is also one of the most adaptable. It inhabits all the vegetation types of the Northern Hemisphere and preys on all the large mammals living there. It also feeds on all the other animals in its environment, scavenges, and can even eat fruits and berries. Wolves frequent forests and prairies, tundra, barren ground, mountains, deserts, and swamps. Some wolves even visit large cities, and, of course, the wolf's domesticated version, the dog, thrives in …

Wolf Social Ecology, L. David Mech, Luigi Boitani

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

THE FIRST REAL BEGINNING to our understanding of wolf social ecology came from wolf 2204 on 23 May 1972. State depredation control trapper Lawrence Waino, of Duluth, Minnesota, had caught this female wolf 112 km ( 67 mi) south of where L. D. Mech had radio-collared her in the Superior National Forest 2 years earlier. A young lone wolf, nomadic over 100 km² (40 mi²) during the 9 months Mech had been able to keep track of her, she had then disappeared until Waino caught her. From her nipples it was apparent that she had just been …

An Analysis Of Diversity In Freshwater Mussels (Bivalvia: Unionidae) Of The Cuyahoga And Rocky River Watersheds (Ohio, Usa) Based On The 16s Rrna Gene, Robert A. Krebs, Roxana N. Vlasceanu, Michael J.S. Tevesz

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

The continued loss of freshwater unionid mussel species in the Great Lakes region, and particularly from Lake Erie, raises the question of how much phylogenetic and genetic variation remain in the watershed. The introduction of molecular markers into population biology offers one reproducible technique for assessing this variation. A fragment of the 16S rRNA gene of mitochondrial DNA has previously been used to infer phylogenetic relationships in the family Unionidae. Therefore, we reanalyzed these published molecular data with the addition of 12 species from the Cuyahoga and Rocky rivers in northeast Ohio. Both rivers drain to Lake Erie. The species …

Water Quality Characterization And Mathematical Modeling Of Dissolved Oxygen In The East And West Ponds, Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, Krishnanand Maillacheruvu, D Roy, John Tanacredi Ph.D.

Faculty Works: CERCOM

The current study was undertaken to characterize the East and West Ponds and develop a mathematical model of the effects of nutrient and BOD loading on dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations in these ponds. The model predicted that both ponds will recover adequately given the average expected range of nutrient and BOD loading due to waste from surface runoff and migratory birds. The predicted dissolved oxygen levels in both ponds were greater than 5.0 mg/L, and were supported by DO levels in the field which were typically above 5.0 mg/L during the period of this study. The model predicted a steady-state …

Wolves And Humans, Steven H. Fritts, Robert O. Stephenson, Robert D. Hayes, Luigi Boitani

USGS Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center

TRY TO IMAGINE a small group of wolves sitting at a table engaged in vigorous debate. These wolves are from various parts of the globe and are perhaps a bit more scholarly than most. In fact, they are especially knowledgeable about the biology of that notorious two-legged species, Homo sapiens. They have been brought together to document their relationship with humans over the last several millennia. Pause for a few moments and consider what they might say ...

Perhaps the wolves' discussion would chronicle the evils of the human species, including details of atrocities committed against lupine ancestors down …