Biodiversity Commons^™

Thirty-Seven Additional Microsatellite Loci In The Pacific Lion-Paw Scallop (Nodipecten Subnodosus) And Cross-Amplification In Other Pectinids, Jessica Lynn Petersen, Ana M. Ibarra, Bernie May

Department of Animal Science: Faculty Publications

We characterized 37 new microsatellite markers in the Pacific lion-paw scallop (Nodipecten subnodosus) and tested for cross-amplification in four other species. Genetic diversity was estimated using 24 individuals from the Lagoon Ojo de Liebre, B.C.S., Mexico. Allelic richness varied from 5 to 27 alleles per locus and the average expected heterozygosity was 0.76. Ten loci exhibited significant departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium likely due to the presence of null alleles. Sixteen of these markers cross-amplified in closely related N. nodosus, while little or no amplification was observed in three Argopecten species.

G@Llinformed: Newsletter Of The Iucn-Ssc/Wpa Galliformes Specialist Group 1-7 (2009-2012), Iucn Species Survival Commission, Wpa Galliformes Specialist Group

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

Issue 1 (July 2009)

From the Co-chairs: Welcome to the Galliformes Specialist Group, Peter Garson and Ilse Storch

Welcome to the Species Survival Commission, Simon N. Stuart

Former Specialist Groups: From the Chairs of the former Specialist Groups, Ilse Storch, René Dekker, Richard Fuller, John P. Carroll, Peter Garson, and Rahul Kaul

Tinamous and cracids: The inclusion of the tinamous cracid conservation requires focused efforts and Conserving the Trinidad piping-guan, Jeffrey Thompson, Bennett Hennessey, and Howard Nelson

G@llinformed reports

Breeding ecology of grey junglefowl at Gudular Range, south India, N. Ramesh and M. C. Sathyanarayana

Studies continue with ‘at risk’ …

Wpa News 84 (2009/2010), World Pheasant Association

Galliformes Specialist Group and Affiliated Societies: Newsletters

WPA News (Winter 2009/2010), number 84

Published by the World Pheasant Association

Book Review: Ratcliffe, B. C And M. J. Paulsen. 2008. The Scarabaeoid Beetles Of Nebraska. Bulletin Of The University Of Nebraska State Museum 22, 570 P., Donald B. Thomas

Entomology Papers from Other Sources

Book review of The Scarabaeoid Beetles of Nebraska by Brett C. Ratcliffe and Matt J. Paulsen. Bulletin of the University of Nebraska State Museum 22, 2008, 570 p.

2009 Astragalus Barrii Barneby (Barr’S Milkvetch) Survey On The Oglala National Grassland For The Nebraska Game And Parks Commission And Nebraska National Forest, Grace M. Kostel

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

Astragalus barrii Barneby (Barr’s milkvetch) is ranked globally vulnerable (G3) by NatureServe and critically imperiled (S1) by the Nebraska Natural Heritage Program. A. barrii is designated a sensitive species by the USDA Forest Service (USFS) Region 2 (R2). The Oglala National Grassland (ONG), located in northwestern Nebraska in Dawes and Sioux County, is within the USFS R2 jurisdiction. The purpose of this survey was to: (1) search for and document all A. barrii present on designated areas of the ONG and (2) collect data on rare plant species and high quality native plant community occurrences.

Wolf, Canis Lupus, Visits To White-Tailed Deer, Odocoileus Virginianus, Summer Ranges: Optimal Foraging?, Dominic J. Demma, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

We tested whether Wolf (Canis lupus) visits to individual female White-tailed Deer (Odocoileus virginianus) summer ranges during 2003 and 2004 in northeastern Minnesota were in accord with optimal-foraging theory. Using GPS collars with 10- to 30-minute location attempts on four Wolves and five female deer, plus eleven VHF-collared female deer in the Wolves’ territory, provided new insights into the frequency of Wolf visits to summer ranges of female deer. Wolves made a mean 0.055 visits/day to summer ranges of deer three years and older, significantly more than their 0.032 mean visits/day to ranges of two-year-old deer, …

The Effects Of Climate Change On Biodiversity: Pressing Issues And Research Priorities, Friedhelm Krupp, Lytton J. Musselman, Mohammed M.A. Kotb, Ilka Weidig

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Effects Of Habitat Quality On Reproduction In Two Georgia Populations Of Gopherus Polyphemus, Jaqueline W. Entz

College of Graduate Studies: Theses & Dissertations

Author's Abstract: The purpose of this study was to examine differences in maternal investment by examining variation in the habitat structure and reproductive parameters for two populations of Gopherus polyphemus in Southeast GA. Both habitat structure and reproductive parameters for these populations are known from a previous study, thus this study expands upon the previous one and addresses four main questions. (1) Has habitat quality changed in the past ten years within and between population sites? (2) Could a change of habitat have affected female morphology or female reproductive parameters within or between populations? (3) Is female body size shaping …

Mitochondrial Phylogeography Illuminates The Origin Of The Extinct Caspian Tiger And Its Relationship To The Amur Tiger, Carlos A. Driscoll, Nobuyuki Yamaguchi, Gila Kahila Bar-Gal, Alfred L. Roca, Shu-Jin Luo, David W. Macdonald, Stephen J. O'Brien

Biology Faculty Articles

The Caspian tiger (Panthera tigris virgata) flourished in Central Asian riverine forest systems in a range disjunct from that of other tigers, but was driven to extinction in 1970 prior to a modern molecular evaluation. For over a century naturalists puzzled over the taxonomic validity, placement, and biogeographic origin of this enigmatic animal. Using ancient-DNA (aDNA) methodology, we generated composite mtDNA haplotypes from twenty wild Caspian tigers from throughout their historic range sampled from museum collections. We found that Caspian tigers carry a major mtDNA haplotype differing by only a single nucleotide from the monomorphic haplotype found across …

Pyramidobacter Piscolens Gen. Nov., Sp. Nov., A Member Of The Phylum ‘Synergistetes’ Isolated From The Human Oral Cavity, Julia Downes, Sonia R. Vartoukian, Floyd E. Dewhirst, Jacques Izard, Tsute Chen, Wen-Han Yu, Iain C. Sutcliffe, William G. Wade

Department of Food Science and Technology: Faculty Publications

Four strains of anaerobic, gram-negative bacilli isolated from the human oral cavity were subjected to a comprehensive range of phenotypic and genotypic tests and were found to comprise a homogeneous group distinct from any species with validly published names. 16S rRNA and 23S rRNA gene sequence analyses and DNA–DNA reassociation data revealed that the strains constituted a novel group within the phylum ‘Synergistetes’ and were most closely related to Jonquetella anthropi. Two libraries of randomly cloned DNA were prepared from strain W5455T and were sequenced to provide a genome survey as a resource for metagenomic studies. A new genus …

Predatory Senescence In Ageing Wolves, Daniel R. Macnulty, Douglas W. Smith, John A. Vucetich, L. David Mech, Craig Packer

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

It is well established that ageing handicaps the ability of prey to escape predators, yet surprisingly little is known about how ageing affects the ability of predators to catch prey. Research into long-lived predators has assumed that adults have uniform impacts on prey regardless of age. Here we use longitudinal data from repeated observations of individually-known wolves (Canis lupus) hunting elk (Cervus elaphus) in Yellowstone National Park to demonstrate that adult predatory performance declines with age and that an increasing ratio of senescent individuals in the wolf population depresses the rate of prey offtake. Because this ratio fluctuates independently of …

Problems With The Claim Of Ecotype And Taxon Status Of The Wolf In The Great Lakes Region, Matthew A. Cronin, L. David Mech

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Koblmuller et al. (2009) analyzed molecular genetic data of the wolf in the Great Lakes (GL) region of the USA and concluded that the animal was a unique ecotype of grey wolf and that genetic data supported the population as a discrete wolf taxon. However, some of the literature that the researchers used to support their position actually did not, and additional confusion arises from indefinite use of terminology. Herein, we discuss the problems with designation of a wolf population as a taxon or ecotype without proper definition and assessment of criteria.

Koblmuller et al. (2009) wrote ‘The GL …

A Serological Survey Of Infectious Disease In Yellowstone National Park’S Canid Community, Emily S. Almberg, L. David Mech, Douglas W. Smith, Jennifer W. Sheldon, Robert L. Crabtree

United States Geological Survey, Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center: Publications

Background: Gray wolves (Canis lupus) were reintroduced into Yellowstone National Park (YNP) after a .70 year absence, and as part of recovery efforts, the population has been closely monitored. In 1999 and 2005, pup survival was significantly reduced, suggestive of disease outbreaks.

Methodology/Principal Findings: We analyzed sympatric wolf, coyote (Canis latrans), and red fox (Vulpes vulpes) serologic data from YNP, spanning 1991–2007, to identify long-term patterns of pathogen exposure, identify associated risk factors, and examine evidence for disease-induced mortality among wolves for which there were survival data. We found high, constant exposure to canine …

A Redescription Of Three Species Of Monoecocestus (Cestoda: Anoplocephalidae) Including Monoecocestus Threlkeldi Based On New Material, Terry R. Haverkost, Scott Lyell Gardner

Scott L. Gardner Publications

Because we have new and detailed data on species in the genus, herein we redescribe both Monoecocestus macrobursatus and M. minor based on existing museum specimens. We also redescribe M. threlkeldi (Parra, 1952) using material collected in Bolivia. Based on the specimens representing M. thelkeldi, we affirm that Perutaenia Parra, 1953 should remain a junior synonym of Monoecocestus.

Farmers And Nature Conservation: What Is Known About Attitudes, Context Factors And Actions Affecting Conservation?, Johan Ahnström, Jenny Höckert, Hanna L. Bergea, Charles A. Francis, Peter Skelton, Lars Hallgren

Department of Agronomy and Horticulture: Faculty Publications

Farmers’ attitudes towards viability of specific conservation practices or actions strongly impact their decisions on adoption and change. This review of ‘attitude’ information reveals a wide range of perceptions about what conservation means and what the impacts of adoption will mean in economic and environmental terms. Farmers operate in a tight financial situation, and in parts of the world they are highly dependent on government subsidies, and cannot afford to risk losing that support. Use of conservation practices is most effective when these are understood in the context of the individual farm, and decisions are rooted in land and resource …

Trematoda (Platyhelminthes) Of The Gulf Of Mexico, Robin M. Overstreet, Joshua O. Cook, Richard W. Heard

Harold W. Manter Laboratory of Parasitology: Faculty Publications

First paragraph:

The platyhelminth class Trematoda, consisting of the subclasses Aspidogastrea and Digenea, contains individuals referred to as digeneans, trematodes, or flukes. Aspidogastreans, not digeneans in the strict sense2 number about 80 species in total (Rohde 2005), but adults in the Gulf of Mexico of 4 species have been reported from teleost and chondrichthyan fishes (Hendrix and Overstreet I 977) and one from a turtle (Wharton 1939). Consequently, this chapter deals with trematodes rather than just digeneans, even though all the records but the 5 refer to digeneans. Trematoda is the largest group of platyhelminths, and trematode adults, other than …

Recent Occurrence Of An American Black Bear In Nebraska, Justin D. Hoffman, Sam Wilson, Hugh H. Genoways

University of Nebraska State Museum: Mammalogy Papers

We report on a young male, cinnamon-phase American black bear (Ursus americanus) that was collected in northwestern Nebraska on May 12, 2008. This specimen represents the first black bear taken in Nebraska since 1907. Cranial characteristics and mass of the individual indicated a 15–16-month old bear. This bear may have dispersed from the Laramie Mountains in southeastern Wyoming along the North Platte River into western Nebraska. This record adds to the growing number of cases where large carnivores are reinvading previously occupied territory in the Great Plains. These reinvasions potentially have broad ecological implications to local prey populations …

Reintroduction Of Bison (Bison Bison) On Reservations In South Dakota: Four Case Studies, Trudy M. Ecoffey

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

This research explored and documented issues of sustainability associated with the reintroduction of bison in four different bison herds on Reservations in South Dakota. The four herds were managed by: a tribal family cooperative, an individual tribal member, a tribal university and a tribal fish and wildlife agency. The objectives were to identify management practices associated with the sustainability of bison introduction by American Indians; to explore the role of American Indian culture in the management of bison for sustainability; and to investigate rangeland criteria that could be used to measure sustainability of bison reintroduced by American Indians. This project …

Common Raven Nests In North Dakota After 100-Year Hiatus, Melvin P. Nenneman, Todd A. Grant, Ron E. Martin

The Prairie Naturalist

Our observations represent the first documented nesting by the common raven in North Dakota since the late 1800's. Houston (1977) suggested that the expansion of the American crow onto the Canadian prairies was limited by the scarcity of trees for nest sites, which also might have limited the extent of the common raven. Aspen woodland has increased substantially in and around J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge since European settlement, due primarily to fire suppression and extirpation of large herbivores (Grant and Murphy 2005). Thus, plausibly these increases in woodland habitat might be providing nest sites necessary for the common …

Factors Associated With Duck Use Of Impounded And Natural Wetlands In Western South Dakota, Jane E. Austin, Deborah A. Buhl

The Prairie Naturalist

Many wetlands in the northern Great Plains west of the Missouri River are stock ponds, created by impoundment of natural drainages or excavation of existing wetlands to provide water for livestock or improve habitat for waterfowl. We evaluated factors influencing use of wetlands by breeding duck pairs and broods relative to modification, water regime, size, and hydrological location on United States Forest Service lands within the Grand River National Grassland in northern South Dakota (2003 and 2004). Responses for both indicated pairs and broods were related positively to wet area, total wetland area within 4 km, emergent edge cover, and …

Brood Parasitism In A North American Population Of White-Faced Ibis, Mark E. Clark

The Prairie Naturalist

In 2007 while monitoring reproductive success among various overwater nesting birds at J. Clark Salyer National Wildlife Refuge in North Dakota, I observed parasitism of a white-faced ibis nest by a cattle egret. I located a nest on 23 May 2007 that contained four white-faced ibis eggs and one cattle egret egg. The nest was located in the middle of a small colony of nesting white-faced ibis (approximately 35 pairs) and black-crowned night herons (approximately 30 pairs). On 3 June 2007 all of the eggs were still present in the nest, but two of the white-faced ibis eggs began hatching …

The Game Of Conservation: International Treaties To Protect The World’S Migratory Animals, Mark Cioc

Ohio University Press Open Access Books

The Game of Conservation is a brilliantly crafted and highly readable examination of nature protection around the world.

Twentieth-century nature conservation treaties often originated as attempts to regulate the pace of killing rather than as attempts to protect animal habitat. Some were prompted by major breakthroughs in firearm techniques, such as the invention of the elephant gun and grenade harpoons, but agricultural development was at least as important as hunting regulations in determining the fate of migratory species. The treaties had many defects, yet they also served the goal of conservation to good effect, often saving key species from complete …

Fisheries Occasional Publication No.72 - Western Rock Lobster Ecological Effects Of Fishing Research Plan., Rhys Brown

Fisheries Occasional Publications

The commercial West Coast Rock Lobster Fishery (WCRLF) targets the western rock lobster (WRL), Panulirus cygnus, averaging approximately 10,000 tonnes of lobsters each year. Currently approximately 450 to 500 boats operate in the Fishery in waters ranging from 5 m to 200 m depth adjacent to the Western Australian coast and stretching from Cape Leeuwin in the south to Shark Bay in the north. The Fishery is managed by the Department of Fisheries (DoF) in Western Australia, using an input control system designed to constrain exploitation/fishing effort and deliver sustainable catches. The annual value of the catch is estimated at …

The Evolutionary Dynamics Of The Lion Panthera Leo Revealed By Host And Viral Population Genomics, Agostinho Antunes, Jennifer L. Troyer, Melody E. Roelke, Jill Pecon-Slattery, Craig Packer, Christiaan Winterbach, Graham Hemson, Laurence G. Frank, Philip Stander, Ludwig Siefert, Margaret Driciru, Paul J. Funston, Kathy A. Alexander, Katherine C. Prager, Gus Mills, David E. Wildt, Mitch E. Bush, Stephen J. O'Brien, Warren E. Johnson

Biology Faculty Articles

The lion Panthera leo is one of the world's most charismatic carnivores and is one of Africa's key predators. Here, we used a large dataset from 357 lions comprehending 1.13 megabases of sequence data and genotypes from 22 microsatellite loci to characterize its recent evolutionary history. Patterns of molecular genetic variation in multiple maternal (mtDNA), paternal (Y-chromosome), and biparental nuclear (nDNA) genetic markers were compared with patterns of sequence and subtype variation of the lion feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV_Ple), a lentivirus analogous to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In spite of the ability of lions to disperse long distances, …

Spots Of Adult Male Red-Spotted Newts Are Redder And Brighter Than In Females: Evidence For A Role In Mate Selection?, Andrew K. Davis, Kristine L. Grayson

Biology Faculty Publications

As aquatic adults, eastern red-spotted newts (Notophthalmus v. viridescens) are generally green with two rows of dorsal spots, which vary in number between individuals and range in colour from orange to red. The function of these spots is unknown, but it is possible that they serve as sexual ornamentations and we examined this hypothesis by testing for sexual dimorphism in spot characteristics. We used an image analysis approach that has been used previously with this and other amphibian species to compare the number, size and colour – redness (hue score) and brightness – of spots in 100 male …

Traversing Swanton Road, 1st Ed., James A. West

Academic, Government & Associated Organizational Research Resources

Situated at the northwest end of Santa Cruz County and occupying circa 30 square miles of sharply contrasted terrain, the Scott Creek Watershed concentrates within its geomorphological boundaries, at least 10-12% of California's flora, both native and introduced. Paradoxically, the use/abuse that the watershed has sustained over the past 140+ years, has not necessarily diminished the biodiversity and perhaps parallels the naturally disruptive but biologically energizing processes (fire, flooding, landslides and erosion), which have also been historically documented for the area for +60 years. This is an early edition of an extensive document by James A. West. Please visit the …

Fisheries Research Report No. 181 - Developing Long-Term Indicators For The Sub-Tidal Embayment Communities Of Cockburn Sound, Danielle Johnston, C. Wakefield, A Sampey, J Fromont, D C. Harris

Fisheries Research Reports

Swan Catchment Council Project – 01-0506 T 2006 – 2008 program

The geomorphology of Cockburn Sound is unique to the lower west coast of Australia due to the relative paucity of sheltered nearshore marine embayments along this coastline. Numerous studies on many of the commercially and/or recreationally important species that inhabit Cockburn Sound have demonstrated that for many of them this marine embayment constitutes an integral part of their life history. Since the commencement of industrial and urban development in the mid 1950s, in the waters and along the shores of Cockburn Sound, the marine fauna utilising this area have …

Colorado Butterfly Plant (Gaura Neomexicana Coloradensis) In Nebraska, Travis Wooten

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

The state of Nebraska contains a wide variety of plants, twenty of which are listed in The Nebraska Natural Legacy Project as Tier I species of conservation concern (Schneider et al. 2005). Of the 20 Tier I listed species, 4 are listed as either Endangered or Threatened on the Threatened & Endangered Species System (TESS) list (USFWS 2008), with Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis being one of these four. The common name of Gaura neomexicana ssp. coloradensis is the Colorado butterfly plant, and is currently listed as threatened, both state and federally. In Nebraska it is only found along the Lodgepole …

Endangered Species Bulletin – Fall 2008, Volume 33, No. 3

Endangered Species Bulletin

Table of Contents:
Family Ties
A Natural Connection: USGS and Endangered Species Research
Recovering Endemic Plants of the Channel Islands
Conserving Bird Communities in the Sagebrush Sea
Ice, Climate Change, and Wildlife Research in Alaska
Bringing Back the Bonytail and the Razorback
The California Clapper Rail and Multispecies Recovery Planning
Tracking Sea Turtles in the Everglades
Hair Samples Shed Light on Grizzly Bears
Understanding Pallid Sturgeon in the Big Muddy
Surveys Reveal Decline of the Palila
How Temperature Affects Juvenile Coho Salmon
Bridging the Information Gap for Mussels
Neosho Madtom: A Small Fish with Complex Problems
Invasive Plants and Pollinator …

Population Structure Of Coyote (Canis Latrans) In The Urban Landscape Of The Cleveland, Ohio Area, Rebecca M. Rashleigh, Robert A. Krebs, Harry Van Keulen

Biological, Geological, and Environmental Faculty Publications

To obtain information on the population structure of coyote (Canis latrans) in an urban setting, a non-invasive genetic sampling technique was applied that consisted of DNA isolation from scat collected around the Cleveland metropolitan area. Muscle tissue was provided from two other coyotes. Amplifying the mitochondrial D-loop or control region produced 33 haplotypes from just 57 coyote sequences and two additional dog sequences from putative coyote-dog hybrids. The mitochondrial DNA genetic diversity in the Cleveland area was high, π 0.02, and composed of six distinct haplotype lineages. In addition, Fst values ranged from 0.07 between collections east and west of …