Biology Commons^™

Red Swamp Crayfish Ecology In Lake Mead, Suzanne E. Leavitt, Jennifer Stephens Haley, Mikell Hager, Donald H. Baepler, Nevada Department Of Wildlife

Publications (WR)

Red swamp crayfish (Procambarus clarkii) were trapped in Flamingo Wash, an urban wash of Las Vegas, during four periods of 1988. Life history and reproductive success were determined. The trapped crayfish were marked and released into a study cove in Lake Mead as part of an experimental stocking program. Retrap data from the study cove were used to determine life history, habitat preferences, and movement patterns of the stocked crayfish. In addition, a literature search was done on red swamp crayfish ecology, including food preferences, life history, habitat preferences and fish predation.

A Report On Marron Fishing In Western Australia., Doug Wenn

Fisheries Management Papers

The marroning experience is one enjoyed by many Western Australians. A rapid increase in fishing effort evidenced by the increase in number of recreational fishing licences issued, combined with low rainfall in the last few years resulted in a dramatic reduction of marron catch rates during 1986/87. In view of the state of marron stocks, the Minister for Fisheries considered it appropriate to close the 1987/88 marron season.

Historical Biogeography: Geography As Evolution, Evolution As Geography, Charles H. Smith

DLPS Faculty Publications

Despite a number of advances in recent years, biogeography remains a field with a poorly developed philosophical core. As a result, its historical and ecological sides remain as isolated from one another as ever. In this essay I argue that a more unified approach to biogeographic studies will become possible only when workers realise that it is necessary to reject absolute space, "geography as handmaiden" approaches to distribution problems in favour of structuralist models compatible with both probabilistic spatial interaction and deterministic phylogenetic kinds of thinking. Pros and cons of regionalist, vicariance, and panbiogeographic approaches are weighed in this regard; …

Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee Report To The Minister For Fisheries., Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

The total catch of about 12.1 million kilograms for the 1987/88 season, based on processor returns, was an increase of 44% on the 1986/87 season. This very high catch, the third highest on record, resulted from an above average perulus settlement in 1983/84 and a "flow-on" of fast growing animals stemming from the expected high recruitment in 1988/990 caught as "reds" in 1987/88.

The Committee has identified five major elements related to the state of the rock lobster fishery upon which management advice is considered.

a) The undersize fraction of the population.

b) The "whites" which provide a significant proportion …

Seasonal Trailing Behavior And Corticosterone Levels In Male Red-Sided Garter Snakes (Thamnophis Sirtalis Parietalis), Pamela Kay Thinesen

Dissertations and Theses

Mechanisms of how red-sided garter snakes (Thamnophis sirtalis parietalis) travel up to 18 km from summer feeding sites to hibernation dens are not understood. In this study, monthly and seasonal trailing behavior were investigated to determine whether red-sided garter snakes prefer to follow trails of snakes from the same den (den-mates) versus trails made by other conspecifics (non-den-mates). Snakes from five different hibernacula in Manitoba, Canada, were involved in the study. Eighteen were adults and 15 were subadults. Subadult red-sided garter snakes do not return to hibernacula until their second year of life, so their trailing behavior was of interest …

Regulatory Cell Biology Of Growth Hormone And Prolactin In The Cow Mammary Gland, David Andrew Walkup

Master's Theses

Prolactin (PRL) acts directly on milk secretory cell nuclei to stimulate lactation in rats. In the cow, PRL has been detected in Golgi apparatus, endoplasmic reticulum, and secretory vesicle subcellular fractions of mammary gland , but not nuclear fractions. However, growth hormone {GH) is the galactopoeitic hormone in cows, not PRL. The possibility of GH acting directly on the cow milk secretory cells, and PRL acting on their nuclei was investigated using an immunocytochemical method. PRL and GH were detected in endoplasmic reticular and Golgi apparatus regions of the milk secretory cells, as well as, on nuclear and fat globule …

Elaphe Bairdi (Baird’S Rat Snake): Drinking Behavior., Louis A. Somma

Papers in Herpetology

On 13 February 1988. at 1600 h. a captive-bred (hatched July 1985) male Elaphe bairdi (TL.136.9 cm, SVL .. 89.54 cm). maintained in a 50.5 x 25 x 30 cm terrerium was accidently splashed with water. As beads of water on the snake's head rolled down to the upper labial sceles. swallowing was observed. The water on the labial scales was drawn Into the mouth while It was closed. This behavior lasted 42 sec. This behavior was repeated 23 out of 24 trials conducted during the next 24 days. The duration of swallowing wes 9-62 sec (avg 35.8, N = …

Seasonal Distribution Of The Ichthyofauna Of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, Alamo, Texas, Matthew Albert Ciomperlik

Theses and Dissertations - UTB/UTPA

This study investigated the small aquatic ecosystems of Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge, located in a predominantly agricultural area of the Lower Rio Grande Valley, Texas. Fishes and water quality data were collected for 13 months to determine the status of fish populations and the factors which influence their distributions on the refuge.

Sixteen fish species were collected during the study, however, more than 20 species are known to inhabit the Rio Grande in the vicinity of the refuge. Water source played a major role in influencing fish species richness in these aquatic ecosystems. Diverted river water offered the best …

Effects Of Indomethacin On Prostaglandin E2 In 7,12-Dimethybenz (A) Anthracene Induced Mammary Tumorigenisis In Rats Fed Different Levels Of Polyunsaturated Fat, Candace Sue Smith

Morehead State Theses and Dissertations

A thesis presented to the faculty of the School of Arts and Sciences at Morehead State University in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Degree of Masters of Science in Biology by Candace Sue Smith on August 5, 1988.

Comparative Analysis Of The Effects Of Visual And Auditory Stimuli On Avian Mobbing Behavior, C. Ray Chandler, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Both visual and auditory stimuli elicit avian mobbing behavior, but there is little comparative information on their isolated and additive effects. Using three combinations of two experimental stimuli (mount and tape of an Eastern Screech-Owl, Otus asio) we tested the effects of stimuli on the frequency, intensity, and duration of avian mobbing behavior. Of 169 mount-only trials, only 11 (6.5%) were successful in attracting birds. Tape-only (n = 169) and mount-and-tape (n = 170) were equally successful in attracting birds (approximately 85% of all trials), but mount-and-tape trials were more likely to initiate mobbing behavior. Birds responding …

The Occurrence Of Fish Remains In Modern Lake Systems : A Test Of The Stratified-Lake Mode, Douglas R. Britton

Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects

Theories regarding the taphonomy of fishes in lacustrine environments have traditionally relied on an anoxic water column to explain the excellent preservation. This concept has never been directly tested in modern lacustrine environments that are thought to be analogous to the lacustrine environments predicted by the Stratified-lake Model. This research tested that model by searching for fish remains in 38 collected bottom samples of six modern lacustrine analogues, including Fayetteville Green Lake, New York. The bottom sediments of a warm, holomictic, shallow, and saline lake (Salton Sea, California) were also examined. Although laminated sediments were found in all of the …

Characterization Of The Aquatic Environment In Lake Mead Near The Proposed Spring Canyon Pumped-Storage Project, And Assessment Of Potential Aquatic Impacts, Charles R. Liston, Stephen J. Grabowski, Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

A pumped storage system consists of an upper reservoir and lower reservoir separated by an elevation difference. During low demand energy periods such as nights and weekends water is pumped from the lower to the upper reservoir using available energy from conventional steam electric power plants. During high energy demand periods, such as mornings and afternoons of weekdays, upper reservoir water is allowed to drop back down through the same system of water conduits and turbines, generating electricity to conveniently meet abrupt electrical energy requirements. The same water turbines thus act both as pumps and as conventional hydroelectric turbines. Because …

Histology Of The Ovaries And Fat Bodies Of Chthonerpeton Indistinctum, Rafael O. De Sá, Nibia Berois

Biology Faculty Publications

Histological analysis revealed three different stages in the development of ovarian follicles of Chthonerpeton indistinctum. These stages are identified by (1) location of the oocyte in the ovary wall, (2) oocyte morphology and staining characteristics, (3) development of the zona pellucida, and (4) organization of the follicular layer. Atretic follicles and corpora lutea also were found. Fat bodies are composed of well-developed adipose tissue.

A New Method Of Calculating The Wing Area Of Bats, B.R. Blood, Donald A. Mcfarlane

WM Keck Science Faculty Papers

Wing area is a parameter important to any study of chiropteran flight behaviour (Struthsaker 1961 ; Findley et al. 1972 ; Lawlor 1973), because it is a necessary component for the calculation of aspect ratio and wing loading. Bats possessing high aspect ratio wings usually display swift and steady flight, often at high altitudes. Bats that possess low aspect ratio wings usually display slower, more manouverable flight and often fly at lower altitudes (Findley 1972 ; Findley et al. 1972 ; Mortensen 1977 ; Vaughan 1970). However, despite the importance of wing area, no-one has published a simple, yet accurate, …

Incubation Energetics Of The Laysan Albatross, Ted N. Pettit, K A. Nagy, Hugh I. Ellis, G Causey Whittow

Biology: Faculty Scholarship

The energy expenditure of incubating and foraging Laysan Albatross (Diomedea immutabilis, mean body weight 3.07 kg) was estimated by means of the doubly-la- belled water technique. During incubation, the energy expenditure was similar to that of resting birds that were not incubating an egg. The energy expenditure of foraging albatross (2072 kJ/day) was 2.6 times that of resting birds. It was concluded that the energy expenditure of the tropical Laysan Albatross was not less than that of species foraging over cold, high-latitude oceans. An energy budget compiled for an incubating pair of albatross revealed that the energy expenditure of the …

Fish Aid: The Lake Mead Fertilization Project, Richard Axler, Larry Paulson, Peter Vaux, Patrick Sollberger, Donald H. Baepler

Publications (WR)

Sport fishing at Lake Mead in Nevada and Arizona is a resource valued at nearly $100 million per year to southern Nevada. During the past two decades, salmonids, mostly trout, have disappeared entirely, the largemouth bass catch has drastically declined despite greater fishing pressure, and the condition factors for striped bass have steadily deteriorated. It appears that a major reduction in phosphorus loading caused by the upstream impoundment of the Colorado River to form Lake Powell in 1963 and advanced wastewater treatment removal of phosphorus from domestic wastewater inflows in 1981 are the principal factors responsible for decreased production at …

Age, Growth, And Movement Patterns Of The Atlantic Stingray, Dasyatis Sabina, In A Florida Coastal Lagoon System, Thomas Henry Schmid

Retrospective Theses and Dissertations

Age, growth rates, and patterns of movement were studied in the Atlantic stingray, Dasyatis sabina, in the Indian River lagoon system in east central Florida. Age was estimated using the growth rings on the vertebral centrum and tretacycline marking. Tetracycline injections produced clear readable rings in all pups, but failed to be incorporated into the centra of adults. Females possess more centrum rings than males, but annual periodicity could not be verified. Growth rates were determined from aquarium held pups and adults and from tagged and recaptured animals. Males appeared to reach maturity in about two years, females in slightly …

Front Matter, Elephant Editors

Elephant

No abstract provided.

Lake Mead Prefertilization Study: Preliminary Nutrient Enhancement Studies In Lake Mead, Richard P. Axler, Larry J. Paulson, Patrick J. Sollberger, Donald H. Baepler, U.S. Bureau Of Reclamation

Publications (WR)

Studies conducted by the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV), the Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), the Arizona Game and Fish Department (AGFD), The Nevada Division of Environmental Protection (NDEP), and the United States Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) have identified decreased algal production as a major factor involved in the decline of the Lake Mead sport fishery. Phosphorus-laden silt particles in the Colorado River have been sedimenting out in Lake Powell since the completion of Glen Canyon Dam 286 miles upstream in 1963. This sharp decrease in phosphorus loading to Lake Mead (>5000 tons per year) has resulted in decreased …

The Impact Of Weather On Kingbird Foraging Behavior, Michael T. Murphy

Biology Faculty Publications and Presentations

Foraging data on Eastern Kingbirds (Tyrannus tyrannus) were collected during the early breeding season in eastern Kansas to test the hypothesis that foraging rate and other aspects of foraging behavior vary with weather. Foraging characteristics of five additional kingbird species were also examined to assess Fitzpatrick's (1980) generalization that kingbirds (Tyrannus spp.) are aerial hawking specialists. In Eastern Kingbirds, total foraging rate was independent of air temperature, cloud cover, wind speed, and time of day, but the rate of aerial hawking varied directly with air temperature and inversely with cloud cover (both P < 0.05). Effects of the two variables were additive. The percentage of foraging movements that were aerial hawks also increased with temperature and declined with cloud cover, and, hover-gleaning and perch-to-ground sallying were observed mainly during cloudy weather. Sally (i.e., foraging flight) distance correlated directly with perch height and air temperature, and large insects were captured almost exclusively in long upward or horizontal flights. I interpret these data to indicate that foraging behavior and the capture of large, flying insects depends on weather because of how it affects the activity of insect prey. Foraging data on kingbirds support Fitzpatrick's generalization, but the relative use of aerial hawking varies considerably among species. Resident Tropical Kingbirds( T. melancholicus) are the most specialized foragers, whereas the migrant and widely distributed Eastern Kingbird appears to be the most generalized. Certain habitats also appear to favor the use of particular foraging methods (e.g., outward striking in grasslands and perch-to-ground sallying in drier, open habitats).

Genic Population Structure And Gene Flow In The Northern Flicker (Colaptes Auratus) Hybrid Zone, Thaddeus A. Grudzien, William S. Moore, J. Richard Cook, Danilo Tagle

Biological Sciences Faculty Research Publications

The Yellow-shafted Flicker (Colaptes auratus auratus) and Red-shafted Flicker (C. a. cafer) form a stable, narrow hybrid zone on the western Great Plains of North America. Allozyme data were obtained from 31 structural gene loci for 33 samples representing 246 Northern Flickers from throughout the Great Plains. Flickers were approximately equivalent to other birds in terms of proportion of polymorphic loci (P = 0.207) and average heterozygosity (H = 0.056). There was no concordant variation between plumage characters and allelic frequencies.

Gene-diversity analysis indicated that 92.5% of the genic variation occurred as within-deme heterozygosity ( …

Use Of Woody Vegetation By Beavers In Southeastern Virginia, John L. Echternach, Robert K. Rose

Biological Sciences Faculty Publications

Nonbreeding and sometimes transient beavers, Castor canadensis, cut a variety of woody plants throughout the year during a 15-month study at three sites in southeastern Virginia. Ten species of trees were cut in proportions greater than would be expected according to their availabilities. Beavers heavily used viburnum, alder, ironwood, bayberry, tulip poplar, and dogwood. Winter food caches were constructed but were only lightly used.

Report Of The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee To The Hon. Minister For Fisheries., Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee

Fisheries Management Papers

The Committee recognises that the exploitation rate on the rock lobster stocks is very high and that this factor is a major importance in formulating the advice on management measures. However, the Committee also recognises the high level of capital investment in the industry and that any recommendation which leads to a significant change in the management rules is likely to have a far reaching effect on many of the participants. Accordingly, the Committee endeavours to reduce to a minimum the year to year changes in the management rules. When changes are required the Committee places considerable weight on matters …

Benthic Invertebrates And Crayfish Of Lake Mead, Susan K. Peck, William L. Pratt, James E. Pollard, Larry J. Paulson, Donald H. Baepler

Publications (WR)

The objectives of this study were to:

1. Establish baseline densities of benthic invertebrates and relative abundance of crayfish in Lake Mead.

2. Evaluate the distributions of benthic organisms and crayfish in relation to existing habitat conditions and 1imnological characteristics of Lake Mead.

3. Measure seasonal changes in abundances of benthic organisms and crayfish in Lake Mead.

4. Compare observations of Procambarus clarkii life history in Lake Mead to reports from other aquatic systems.

5. Evaluate the importance of benthic organisms and crayfish as food sources for game fish in Lake Mead.

The Shark Bay Scallop Fishery: Discussion Paper, L. M. Joll

Fisheries Management Papers

Studies of the biology of the saucer scallop Amusium balloti in Shark Bay show that it is a highly fecund, broadcast spawner, with a long breeding season (from April to December). It is also a fast growing species, with the bulk of the recruits from a breeding season reasing fishable size by April/May of the next year, at which time they also enter their first breeding season. In recent years, however, the earlier part of the breeding season appears to have been the most important for production of recruits.

Lake Mead Cover Enhancement Project, Jennifer Stevens Haley, Suzanne Leavitt, Larry Paulson, Donald H. Baepler

Publications (WR)

Ninety-three wildlife agencies were surveyed for information on their attempts to improve fish habitat. In addition, an annotated bibliography including over 100 summaries was completed on: 1. largemouth bass cover requirements and preferences, 2. use and effectiveness of artificial cover, 3. aquatic plant introduction and species requirements for germination and establishment, 4. terrestrial plant introduction and species requirements for germination and establishment, and 5. nutrient exchange between sediment, aquatic plants, and water. A reconnaissance of existing terrestrial and aquatic vegetation was completed in June 1986 including the production of a video tape of the Nevada shoreline of Lake Mead. Cover …

Adaptation Of Striped Bass To Sea Water Following Direct Transfer From Freshwater: Morphological, Biochemical, And Physiological Parameters, Judy A. King

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

There has been heightened interest in the biology of striped bass (Morone saxatilis) because of increased pollution in their native spawning grounds and because of their extensive use in landlocked sport fisheries. Their euryhalinity makes them an excellent species for osmoregulation studies. The objective of this research was to study the rate of adaptation of striped bass gills to sea water (3% salt) after direct transfer from freshwater using biochemical (ion transport enzyme levels), physiological (chloride efflux), and ultrastructural methods. Striped bass have specialized osmoregulatory cells located on the interlamellar and afferent surfaces of their gill filaments as shown by …

Behavioral Feeding Specialization In Pinaroloxias Inornata, The “Darwin's Finch” Of Cocos Island, Costa Rica, Tracey K. Werner, Thomas W. Sherry

Dartmouth Scholarship

As a population, Cocos Finches exhibit a broad range of feeding behaviors spanning those of several families of birds on the mainland, while individuals feed as specialists year-round. Although this extreme intraspecific variability occurs as predicted in a tropical oceanic island environment, these specializations challenge contemporary ecological theory in that they are not attributable to individual differences in age, sex, gross morphology, or opportunistic exploitation of patchy resources. Instead, they appear to originate and be maintained behaviorally, possibly via observational learning. This phenomenon adds another direction to the evolutionary radiation of the Darwin's Finches and underscores the necessity for detailed …

Contingency Analysis Of The Agonistic Behavioral Sequence In Sceloporus Undulatus Hyacinthinus, Deborah Allison

Masters Theses & Specialist Projects

A contingency analysis of the sequence of actions associated with agonistic behavior of resident and introduced male Sceloporus undulatus nya irthirus was carried out to determine the degree of stereotypy. During the time period April to June 1984 and 1985, caged pairs of adult male and juvenile female lizards were filmed on three occasions in order to gather data on resident males not involved in aggressive interactions. During the same threemonth time period, a different nonresident male was introduced singly into a given resident's cage on three occasions and the interactions filmed. The films were analyzed to determine which actions …

Western Rock Lobster Industry Compensation Study. Report To The Rock Lobster Industry Advisory Committee By Arthur Young Services., Arthur Young Services

Fisheries Management Papers

Terms of reference are outlined in letter dated 11 August 1986. The Fisheries Department seeks to reduce western rock lobster fishing capacity to ensure the long-term viability of the fishery and has asked us to evaluate the financial implications of a number of specific resource management proposals.