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Articles 31 - 60 of 75

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Phytoplankton Blooms: Their Occurrence And Composition Within Virginia's Tidal Tributaries, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton Oct 2009

Phytoplankton Blooms: Their Occurrence And Composition Within Virginia's Tidal Tributaries, Harold G. Marshall, Todd A. Egerton

Virginia Journal of Science

Sporadic algal bloom development within a 10 year monitoring program in Virginia tidal tributaries of Chesapeake Bay is reviewed. These blooms were common events, characteristically producing a color signature to the surface water, typically short lived, occurring mainly from spring into autumn throughout different salinity regions of these rivers, and were produced primarily by dinoflagellates. The abundance threshold levels that would identify bloom status from a non-bloom presence were species specific, varied with the taxon's cell size, and ranged from ca. 10 to 104 cells mL-1. Among the most consistent sporadic bloom producers were the dinoflagellates Akashiwo …


First Records Of Hypleurochilus Geminatus And Centropristis Philadelphica From Chesapeake Bay, Aimee D. Halvorson Oct 2009

First Records Of Hypleurochilus Geminatus And Centropristis Philadelphica From Chesapeake Bay, Aimee D. Halvorson

Virginia Journal of Science

During the fall of 2007, Centropris philadelphica (rock seabass) and Hypleurochilus geminatus (Crested blenny) were collected from Chesapeake Bay. These captures are significant as they represent the first substantiated record of C. philadelphica from Chesapeake Bay and only the second and third validated records of H. geminatus. Additionally, the first record of H. geminatus from Chesapeake Bay was only recently recognized since the specimen had been previously misidentified as Parablennius marmoreus (seaweed blenny). The collection of seven individuals of H. geminatus in 2007, from two locations, indicates that the species may be resident within the Chesapeake Bay estuary.


Section Abstracts: Biology And Microbiology & Molecular Biology Jul 2009

Section Abstracts: Biology And Microbiology & Molecular Biology

Virginia Journal of Science

Abstracts of the Biology Section and Microbiology & Molecular Biology for the 87th Annual Meeting of the Virginia Academy of Science, May 27th-29th, 2009, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA.


Seasonal Variation In Diet Of A Marginal Population Of The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Lynn A. Walker, Robert K. Rose Apr 2009

Seasonal Variation In Diet Of A Marginal Population Of The Hispid Cotton Rat, Sigmodon Hispidus, Lynn A. Walker, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

Cotton rats live in oldfields, habitats with a variety of mostly herbaceous plants. Based on other studies, the hispid cotton rat, Sigmodon hispidus, eats many kinds of herbaceous plants but grasses predominate. In contrast, our population of cotton rats ate many monocots but mostly they were not grasses. Our study sought to determine the diet of the cotton rat in eastern Virginia, near the northern limit of distribution on the Atlantic Coast. Fecal samples, collected each month during an on-going capture-mark-release demographic study of the rodent community, were analyzed using a standard method. A greater variety of foods (including …


Graminicolous Fungi Of Virginia: Fungi In Collections 2004-2007, Curtis W. Roane Apr 2009

Graminicolous Fungi Of Virginia: Fungi In Collections 2004-2007, Curtis W. Roane

Virginia Journal of Science

Fungus-grass associations recognized in Virginia from 2004 to 2007 are recorded. Many associations are new to the United States (U), eastern United States (EU) and Virginia (V); other associations extend the known distribution of those previously discovered. These reports contribute further to knowledge of the mycoflora of Virginia.


A Standardized Rna Isolation Protocol For Yam (Dioscorea Alata L) Cdna Library Construction, Satya S. Narina, Ali I. Mohamed, Robert Asiedu, H. D. Mignouna Jan 2009

A Standardized Rna Isolation Protocol For Yam (Dioscorea Alata L) Cdna Library Construction, Satya S. Narina, Ali I. Mohamed, Robert Asiedu, H. D. Mignouna

Virginia Journal of Science

For the purpose of constructing yam cDNA libraries, attempts to isolate high quality RNA using several previously reported protocols were unsuccessful. Therefore a protocol was standardized for yam total RNA isolation by using guanidium buffer at the Department of Biology, Virginia State University. The RNA isolated using this standardized protocol was high in quality and led to successful good quality cDNA library construction and identification of functional ESTs in yam.


Management And Social Indicators Of Soil Carbon Storage In A Residential Ecosystem, Midlothian, Va, Christopher M. Gough, Eliza A. Fritz Jan 2009

Management And Social Indicators Of Soil Carbon Storage In A Residential Ecosystem, Midlothian, Va, Christopher M. Gough, Eliza A. Fritz

Virginia Journal of Science

Soil carbon storage- defined here as carbon mass per unit ground area- is an important ecosystem service, sequestering carbon that might otherwise exist in atmospheric CO2 . Significant attention has focused on the effects that humans have on carbon cycling, but little is known about how human behaviors and attitudes relate to lawn carbon storage. The objectives of this study were to conduct household surveys in concert with soil carbon sampling in a 10-year-old exurban neighborhood near Richmond, Virginia to quantify differences in soil carbon storage between residential lawns and mixed pine-hardwood forest fragments, and to determine how lawn …


Correlation Of Eastern Wild Turkey Poult:Hen Ratios With Population Indices To Detect Reproductive Density Dependence, Jay D. Mcghee, Jim Berkson Oct 2007

Correlation Of Eastern Wild Turkey Poult:Hen Ratios With Population Indices To Detect Reproductive Density Dependence, Jay D. Mcghee, Jim Berkson

Virginia Journal of Science

Knowledge of how density affects population growth is important for the harvest management of wild turkey. Unfortunately, available time-series are often too short for statistical detection of density dependence. The correlation between wild turkey recruitment and population size was assessed using data from 7 state wildlife agencies, circumventing the problem of short time-series by using multiple datasets. Correlation coefficients were calculated between surveyed poult:hen ratios and harvest-based population indices for 31 geographic or harvest management regions. Estimated correlation coefficients were tested for homogeneity to determine if an average correlation could be calculated. Correlation coefficients for the 29 regions ranged from …


Depauperate Small Mammal Communities In Managed Pine Plantations In Eastern Virginia, James D. Dolan, Robert K. Rose Oct 2007

Depauperate Small Mammal Communities In Managed Pine Plantations In Eastern Virginia, James D. Dolan, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

Loblolly pine (Pinus taeda L.) plantations of four different ages were examined to identify changes in the small mammal community in relation to changes in the vegetational community. Small mammals were evaluated during five seasons using two methods of trapping. Live traps accounted for 65% of captures and seven of nine species, whereas pitfall traps yielded eight species, of which two were not taken with live traps. For both trap types, catch rates averaged less than two per 100 trap-nights, very low even for pine forests. Both abundance and biomass of small mammals declined with increasing stand age, whereas species …


Minutes: Council Meeting Oct 2006

Minutes: Council Meeting

Virginia Journal of Science

Minutes of the VAS Council meeting Friday May 26, 2006, 8 - 9:40 AM, at Skelton Conference Center Inn, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg VA. Minutes were edited for publication.


Year-Round Diet Of The Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys Palustris, In Virginia Tidal Marshes, Robert K. Rose, Shannon W. Mcgurk Oct 2006

Year-Round Diet Of The Marsh Rice Rat, Oryzomys Palustris, In Virginia Tidal Marshes, Robert K. Rose, Shannon W. Mcgurk

Virginia Journal of Science

The marsh rice rat, Oryzomys palustris, is the dominant semi-aquatic rodent living in tidal marshes of the Virginia coastal plain. Described as highly carnivorous, this species is known to consume a range of animal foods, including crustaceans, mollusks, fish, and arthropods, as well as some plant foods. Analysis of stomach contents from rice rats collected from Eastern Shore tidal marshes throughout an annual cycle revealed that all 103 stomachs contained dicots, 82 percent had monocots, 61 percent had crabs and insects, and 38 percent had snails. Thirty-eight percent of stomachs contained foods in all five categories, no stomach was …


Distribution And Status Of The Southern Bog Lemming, Synaptomys Cooperi, In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose Jan 2006

Distribution And Status Of The Southern Bog Lemming, Synaptomys Cooperi, In Southeastern Virginia, Robert K. Rose

Virginia Journal of Science

The Dismal Swamp subspecies of the Southern bog lemming, Synaptomys cooperi helaletes, was named based on specimens collected during the 1895-1898 biological surveys conducted in the Dismal Swamp by the US Department of Agriculture. Unknown in the 20th Century until re-discovered in 1980, this small boreal rodent was believed to be restricted to the Great Dismal Swamp of Virginia and North Carolina where the cool damp conditions had permitted it to survive during the Holocene. However, field studies conducted since 1980 have revealed southern bog lemmings to be widespread throughout southeastern Virginia, with populations encompassing an area of more …


Prospects Of Kenaf As An Alternative Field Crop In Virginia, Harbans L. Bhardwaj, Charles L. Webber Iii Oct 2005

Prospects Of Kenaf As An Alternative Field Crop In Virginia, Harbans L. Bhardwaj, Charles L. Webber Iii

Virginia Journal of Science

Kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus L.), a warm-season annual plant, has shown potential as an alternate source of fiber in the United States. Although preliminary research has indicated feasibility of kenaf production in Virginia, production details are lacking. Field experiments were conducted during 1995 and 1996 to determine optimal row spacing and fertilizer needs, and to compare available kenaf cultivars. Although results indicated that differences in dry matter yields from four row spacings (30, 60, 90, and 120 cm) and four rates each of N, P, and K fertilizers (50, 100, 150, and 200 kg ha-1) were not …


Fish Consumption Patterns Of Populations In Vicinities Of Lake Kastoria And Lake Pamvotis, Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, Dimitra Bobori Oct 2005

Fish Consumption Patterns Of Populations In Vicinities Of Lake Kastoria And Lake Pamvotis, Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, David V. Grimes, Dimitra Bobori

Virginia Journal of Science

Objectives are to establish fish consumption patterns of populations in vicinities of two lakes (Kastoria and Pamvotis) in Greece for use in the assessment of risks associated with consumption of fishes in these agri-chemically impaired lakes. Parameters measured were demographics (i.e., gender, age, weight, education level, occupation, residency), freshwater fish eating frequency, species and sizes of fishes consumed, and fish consumption habits [i.e., quantity, parts, and preparation method). All annual mean site-specific consumption rates of the four gender-age class sub-populations surveyed in vicinity of Lake Kastoria (avg. range= 0.103-0.29 kg/day) exceed those of Greece (0.066 kg/day), EU (0.068 kg/day), Spain …


Bats Of Skydusky Hollow, Bland County, Virginia, Virgil Brack Jr., Richard J. Reynolds, Wil Orndorff, Joe Zokaites, Carol Zokaites Jul 2005

Bats Of Skydusky Hollow, Bland County, Virginia, Virgil Brack Jr., Richard J. Reynolds, Wil Orndorff, Joe Zokaites, Carol Zokaites

Virginia Journal of Science

During the period 22 November 1999 – 11 October 2001, winter hibernacula surveys, spring staging/autumn swarming surveys, and summer surveys for bats were completed in caves of Skydusky Hollow, Bland County, Virginia. During winter, 12 caves were entered and 16,185 bats counted: 235 Myotis sodalis (Indiana bat), 14,475 Myotis lucifugus (little brown myotis), 12 Myotis septentrionalis (northern myotis), 7 Myotis leibii (eastern small-footed myotis), 1,441 Pipistrellus subflavus (eastern pipistrelle), and 15 Eptesicus fuscus (big brown bat). Myotis sodalis hibernated in thermally stable areas of 7 -9 ̊C. The largest concentration of M. lucifugus (n = 4,280) hibernated in an area …


Correction [To Maurakis And Grimes Article, V. 54, #3&4] Oct 2004

Correction [To Maurakis And Grimes Article, V. 54, #3&4]

Virginia Journal of Science

This page is a correction to an article by Eugene G. Maurakis and David V. Grimes: Predicting Fish Species Diversity in Lotic Freshwaters of Greece, published in Virginia Journal of Science Volume 54, numbers 3 and 4. Amended table 2a owed to a printing corruption.


Subterranean Loss And Gain Of Water In Mountain Lake, Virginia: A Hydrologic Model, Martin Jansons, Bruce C. Parker, Jacob E. Waller Oct 2004

Subterranean Loss And Gain Of Water In Mountain Lake, Virginia: A Hydrologic Model, Martin Jansons, Bruce C. Parker, Jacob E. Waller

Virginia Journal of Science

Mountain Lake, Virginia is a small, unique, oligotrophic, subalpine ecosystem in the southern Appalachians. Previous studies have disclosed that this lake has manifested periodic prolonged low water levels during the several thousand years of its existence. The most recent low water level occurred during the drought years of 1999-2002. Measurements of lake level, precipitation, and other meteorological data including calculated evapotranspiration in the lake basin from 2/19/02 to 8/31/03 have enabled estimation of net subterranean water losses presumably through cracks between Clinch sandstone boulders and/or the recently discovered deep hole at the northwest end of Mountain Lake. These net losses …


Nest-Building And Spawning Behaviors In Nocomis Effusus (Actinopterygii: Cyprindae), Eugene G. Maurakis, George E. Maurakis Oct 2004

Nest-Building And Spawning Behaviors In Nocomis Effusus (Actinopterygii: Cyprindae), Eugene G. Maurakis, George E. Maurakis

Virginia Journal of Science

Spawning behavior in Nocomis effusus is described from direct observations and review of videotapes made in Yellow Creek (Cumberland River drainage), Tennessee in 2003. Nest construction (i.e., excavating a concavity, forming a platform, and building a mound), and spawning behavior in N. effusus where a single breeding male excavates a pit and spawns with females on the upstream slope of his nest is like that described for Nocomis asper and Nocomis biguttatus. In digging a spawning pit, a male N. effusus reshapes and reorganizes substrate materials that results in spawning areas on the upstream slope of the nest composed …


Recently Elected Fellows Apr 2004

Recently Elected Fellows

Virginia Journal of Science

The Virginia Academy of Science elected three scientists at the 2004 Banquet: Harold G Marshall, Rosemary Barra, and Arthur F. Conway.


Prescribed Fire Impacts To Amphibians And Reptiles In Shelterwood-Harvested Oak-Dominated Forests, Patrick D. Keyser, David J. Sausville, W. Mark Ford, Donald J. Schwab, Patrick H. Brose Jan 2004

Prescribed Fire Impacts To Amphibians And Reptiles In Shelterwood-Harvested Oak-Dominated Forests, Patrick D. Keyser, David J. Sausville, W. Mark Ford, Donald J. Schwab, Patrick H. Brose

Virginia Journal of Science

As part of a larger study examining the role of prescribed fire in regenerating upland oaks (Quercus spp.), seasonal prescribed burns (winter, spring, summer, and unburned control) were applied to first-stage shelterwood-harvested stands on Horsepen Wildlife Management Area in the Virginia Piedmont in 1995. Because fire impacts are poorly documented for herpetofaunal communities, we surveyed these stands in 1996 capturing 133 individuals of ten species during over 12,720 pitfall trapnights. We found no significant differences in relative abundance of Eastern Red-backed Salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) (P = 0.26), American Toads (Bufo americanus) (P = 0.93), …


Creating A Geographical Information System For Freshwater Crabs And Fishes In Greece, Eugene G. Maurakis, Walter R.T. Witschey, Panos S. Economidis, Dimitra Bobori Oct 2003

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 …


An Unusually Colored Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinerus) From Northern Virginia, Joseph C. Mitchell, Thomas K. Pauley, C. Todd Georgel Apr 2003

An Unusually Colored Red-Backed Salamander (Plethodon Cinerus) From Northern Virginia, Joseph C. Mitchell, Thomas K. Pauley, C. Todd Georgel

Virginia Journal of Science

We describe an orange-pink, patternless, translucent morph of the Red-backed Salamander (Plethodon cinereus) found in northern Virginia on 27 September 2001. This is the first description of this unusual phenotype in this terrestrial salamander.


Keys To The Mammals And Mammal Skulls Of The Northern Coastal Plain Of Virginia, John F. Pagels, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell Apr 2003

Keys To The Mammals And Mammal Skulls Of The Northern Coastal Plain Of Virginia, John F. Pagels, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell

Virginia Journal of Science

This publication is designed to function as a tool for the identification of mammal species that occur on the Coastal Plain of northern Virginia. We provide whole-body and skull keys to the 40 species that occur in this region. Baseline data for this work were collected during several studies conducted on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County. The intended audience includes interested naturalists, teachers, students, field biologists, and natural resource managers.


Identifying Sources Of Fecal Pollution In The Roanoke River, Roanoke County, Virginia, J. Brooks Crozier, Brian Clark, Holly Weber Oct 2002

Identifying Sources Of Fecal Pollution In The Roanoke River, Roanoke County, Virginia, J. Brooks Crozier, Brian Clark, Holly Weber

Virginia Journal of Science

Antibiotic Resistance Patterns (ARPs) of Enterococcus spp. were used as a phenotypic fingerprint to compare and categorize unknown-source isolates in an impaired segment of the Roanoke River, Roanoke County, Virginia. Antibiotic resistance analysis (ARA) of enterococci has been effectively used to differentiate among sources of fecal contamination in many geographic regions in the United States. Enterococcus spp. were used as a fecal indicator in a library consisting of 1,562 known-source isolates. Two-way analysis indicated that approximately 95% of the unknown-source isolates collected were of animal origin. A 3-way analysis indicated that 61% of the unknowns were of livestock origin while …


A Baseline Assessment Of Furbearers On The Upper Coastal Plain Of Virginia, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell Jan 2002

A Baseline Assessment Of Furbearers On The Upper Coastal Plain Of Virginia, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell

Virginia Journal of Science

We assessed the status of furbearing mammals on Fort A.P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia during the 1998-1999 trapping season with the cooperation of local licensed trappers. Our analyses were based on 345 captures representing of 10 mammal species, ranging from one bobcat (Lynx rufus) to 157 beavers (Castor canadensis). Mean number of captures per 100 trap nights was 17.0. Captures varied from 11.9 to 17.9 per 100 trap nights for conibear traps and 9.7 to 18.3 per 100 trap nights for leg-hold traps. External measurements of six species were similar to those reported for other populations …


Mammals Of Fort A. P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia And Vicinity, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell, John F. Pagels, Heather N. Mansfield Oct 2001

Mammals Of Fort A. P. Hill, Caroline County, Virginia And Vicinity, A. Scott Bellows, Joseph C. Mitchell, John F. Pagels, Heather N. Mansfield

Virginia Journal of Science

Fort A.P. Hill (APH) is a 30,329 ha military training installation (U.S. Army) located in the upper Coastal Plain of Caroline County, Virginia. It was formed in 1941 and named in honor of Civil War Confederate Lt. General Ambrose Powell Hill. The current landscape includes a mosaic of habitats that range from old fields to hardwood forests. Forty species of mammals are known to exist on or near the installation. These include one marsupial, five insectivores, 9 chiropterans, one lagomorph, 12 rodents, 10 carnivores, and one cervid. We have studied many of the species on APH since 1997. In this …


Comparison Of Spawning And Non-Spawning Substrates In Nests Of Species Of Exoglossum And Nocomis (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), Eugene G. Maurakis, Terre D. Green Apr 2001

Comparison Of Spawning And Non-Spawning Substrates In Nests Of Species Of Exoglossum And Nocomis (Actinopterygii: Cyprinidae), Eugene G. Maurakis, Terre D. Green

Virginia Journal of Science

Percent composition of pebble size classes from spawning and non-spawning substrates of nests were used to test the hypothesis that distribution of pebble sizes is random in nests of Exoglossum laurae, Exoglossum maxillingua, Nocomis leptocephalus, Nocomis micropogon, Nocomis platyrhynchus, and Nocomis raneyi in Virginia. In nests of the two species of Exoglossum, spawning areas (i.e., upstream bases of nests) contain significantly greater amounts of the 6.0 mm size class, and significantly smaller amounts of the 2.5 mm size class of stones than do non-spawning areas. Spawning areas (i.e., pits) in nests of N. leptocephalus contain …


Ice Storm Damage To Virginia Coastal Plain Forests During The Christmas 1998 Ice Storm, Peter Elstner, Stewart Ware Apr 2001

Ice Storm Damage To Virginia Coastal Plain Forests During The Christmas 1998 Ice Storm, Peter Elstner, Stewart Ware

Virginia Journal of Science

On December 23-25, 1998, a major ice storm struck southeastern Virginia. The storm-deposited glaze ice felled trees and limbs, causing a power outage and highway blockage. Between February and April, 1999, we recorded occurrence, severity, and type of damage to trees over 2.5 cm dbh in nine mostly gently sloping plots in Matoaka Woods at the College of William and Mary. Frequency and severity of damage varied with species and with size of trees. Canopy damage occurred in 75% of large Fagus grandifolia trees, but in only 6% of small Sassafras albidum stems. As a group, small (2.5 to 15 …


Environmental Effects On Yield And Agronomic Traits Of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Tadesse Mebrahtu, Teklu Andebrhan, Ali Mohamed Apr 2001

Environmental Effects On Yield And Agronomic Traits Of Common Bean (Phaseolus Vulgaris L.), Tadesse Mebrahtu, Teklu Andebrhan, Ali Mohamed

Virginia Journal of Science

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) demand is increasing with an alarming rate around the world, especially in Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Therefore, increase bean yield per hectare is the best way to meet the world demand rather than expansion of area under cultivation. The objectives of this experiment were to determine the genotypic variations for green bean and dry seed yield and magnitude of genotype x environment interaction effects on yield and yield components of common bean. Thirteen genotypes were planted during the 1992, 1994, and 1995 growing seasons. Genotypes were evaluated for green pod and seed …


Isolation And Fusion Of Cotton Protoplasts, Michael H. Renfroe, Ronald C. Hartwig, Roberta H. Smith Apr 2001

Isolation And Fusion Of Cotton Protoplasts, Michael H. Renfroe, Ronald C. Hartwig, Roberta H. Smith

Virginia Journal of Science

Protoplasts were isolated from five species of Gossypium. Protoplast yield and viability were affected by incubation conditions, osmolarity, purification procedures, and cell source. Using an optimized procedure, highly viable protoplasts were isolated from cell suspensions, callus cultures, and leaf tissue of G. hirsutum, G. arboreum, G. klotzschianum, G. harknessii, and G. herbaceum. Protoplasts of G. harknessii were enucleated and successfully fused with protoplasts of G. hirsutum.