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Articles 961 - 990 of 2711

Full-Text Articles in Biology

Emerging Physiological Significance Of R-Type Calcium Currents, Paul Jensen May 2006

Emerging Physiological Significance Of R-Type Calcium Currents, Paul Jensen

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

R-type channels are voltage dependent calcium channel subtypes. To date, the only variant of the R-type calcium channel that has been isolated and cloned is the Cav2.3 variant, encoded by the gene Cchral (Yamazaki et al., 1998). The channel was named "R-type" because it was initially characterized by its resistance to nifedipine (a blocker of L-type calcium channels), Ω-conotoxin GVIA (an N-type calcium channel blocker) and Ω -Aga IVA (a blocker of P/Q-type calcium channels) (Hille 2001). The Cav2.3 calcium channel is selectively inhibited by the peptide SNX-482, which was isolated from venom of the African …

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Regulation Of Cardiac Fibroblast Metalloprotease Secretion, Glen De Guzman May 2006

Regulation Of Cardiac Fibroblast Metalloprotease Secretion, Glen De Guzman

Undergraduate Honors Capstone Projects

Matrix metalloproteases (MMPs) are proteolytic enzymes secreted by cardiac fibroblasts. Altered expression of MMPs plays an important role in congestive heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases1,2. Emerging evidence has led us to consider the role of phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase (PtdIns 4-kinase) in regulating MMP secretion in cardiac fibroblast cells3-7. PtdIns 4-kinase is a lipid kinase involved in various cellular processes including protein secretion. This project was designed to test the hypothesis that PtdIns 4-kinase controls MMP secretion. Techniques such as cardiac cell culture, transfection, and in-gel zymography were used for this experiment. Results demonstrated that PtdIns 4-kinase …

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Historical Biogeography Of North American Nightsnakes And Their Relationships Among The Dipsadines: Evidence For Vicariance Associated With Miocene Formations Of Northwestern Mexico, Daniel G. Mulcahy May 2006

Historical Biogeography Of North American Nightsnakes And Their Relationships Among The Dipsadines: Evidence For Vicariance Associated With Miocene Formations Of Northwestern Mexico, Daniel G. Mulcahy

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

I used a hierarchical approach to study historical biogeography in a group of colubrid snakes found in western North America. I combined small regions of mtDNA sequence data from a large number of individuals, with complete mt-genomic data. First, I investigated the relationships among leptodeirines—a presumed subgroup of dipsadines, including nightsnakes (Pseudoleptodeira, Eridiphas, and Hypsiglena)—using ~1.5 kb of data (cob and nad4). The relationships differed among parsimony, likelihood, and Bayesian analyses. All analyses supported the monophyly of the nightsnakes; however, none supported the monophyly of the leptodeirines. Instead, these data supported a new hypothesis …

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Age And Population Structure Of Joshua Trees (Yucca Brevifolia) In The Northwestern Mojave Desert, Kimberly D. Gilliland, Nancy J. Huntly, J. E. Anderson Apr 2006

Age And Population Structure Of Joshua Trees (Yucca Brevifolia) In The Northwestern Mojave Desert, Kimberly D. Gilliland, Nancy J. Huntly, J. E. Anderson

Biology Faculty Publications

Many desert perennials are long-lived, but there are few data on ages or population structures of desert plants. We used 2 methods to estimate ages of a population of Yucca brevifolia (Joshua tree) in southwestern Utah from a 14-year census of plant sizes. Plant height at the 1st census ranged from 0.08 m to 6.0 m, and trees grew in height at a mean rate of 3.75 cm ⋅ yr–1. Plants also increased slowly in basal diameter (0.142 cm ⋅ yr–1) and branch length (0.024 m ⋅ yr–1), but basal diameter varied greatly from …

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Queen Weights Of Polygyne Solenopsis Invicta And S. Xyloni Suggest Reduced Competitive Ability, Ricardo A. Ramirez, D C. Thompson Mar 2006

Queen Weights Of Polygyne Solenopsis Invicta And S. Xyloni Suggest Reduced Competitive Ability, Ricardo A. Ramirez, D C. Thompson

Biology Faculty Publications

Solenopsis invicta Buren populations were confirmed in southern New Mexico, resulting in a quarantine of Doña Ana County in 1998; however, Solenopsis xyloni McCook remains the dominant fire ant. This study compared the queen weights and egg production of polygyne colonies of both species. There was no difference in live weights of the major worker caste; however, queens were very different in weight. In this study, S. invicta queens weighed almost twice as much as S. xyloni (S. invicta = 11.32 ± 0.25mg vs. S. xyloni = 6.40 ± 0.30mg) and produced over 50% as many eggs as S. xyloni. …

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Terpenes And Carbohydrate Source Influence Rumen Fermentation, Digestibility, Intake, And Preference In Sheep, J. J. Villalba, F. D. Provenza, K. C. Olson Jan 2006

Terpenes And Carbohydrate Source Influence Rumen Fermentation, Digestibility, Intake, And Preference In Sheep, J. J. Villalba, F. D. Provenza, K. C. Olson

Green Canyon Environmental Research Area, Logan Utah

We hypothesized that toxins and nutrients in foods interact to influence foraging behavior by herbivores. Based on this hypothesis we predicted that 1) terpenes in big sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata) influence intake and preference in sheep for diets varying in sources of nonstructural (barley grain) and structural (sugar beet pulp) carbohydrates, and 2) these effects are due to the differential effects of terpenes on fermentation products and apparent digestibility of each class of carbohydrates. Lambs were fed 2 isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets with varying proportions of the same ingredients (beet pulp- and barley grain-based diet) or offered a choice between the …

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The Offspring/Clutch Size Tradeoff In Mammals, E. L. Charnov, S.K. Morgan Ernest Jan 2006

The Offspring/Clutch Size Tradeoff In Mammals, E. L. Charnov, S.K. Morgan Ernest

Biology Faculty Publications

The Smith‐Fretwell model for optimal offspring size assumes the existence of an inverse proportional relationship (i.e., trade‐off) between the number of offspring and the amount of resources invested in an individual offspring; virtually all of the many models derived from theirs make the same trade‐off assumption. Over the last 30 years it has become apparent that the predicted proportionality is often not observed when evaluated across species. We develop a general allometric approach to correct for size‐related differences in the resources available for reproduction. Using data on mammals, we demonstrate that the predicted inverse proportional relationship between number of offspring …

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A Comparison Of The Species-Time Relationship Across Ecosystems And Taxonomic Groups, Ethan P. White, P. B. Adler, W. K. Lauenroth, R. A. Gill, D. Greenberg, D. M. Kaufman, A. Rassweiler, J. A. Rusak, M. D. Smith, J. R. Steinbeck, R. B. Waide, J. Yao Jan 2006

A Comparison Of The Species-Time Relationship Across Ecosystems And Taxonomic Groups, Ethan P. White, P. B. Adler, W. K. Lauenroth, R. A. Gill, D. Greenberg, D. M. Kaufman, A. Rassweiler, J. A. Rusak, M. D. Smith, J. R. Steinbeck, R. B. Waide, J. Yao

Biology Faculty Publications

The species-time relationship (STR) describes how the species richness of a community increases with the time span over which the community is observed. This pattern has numerous implications for both theory and conservation in much the same way as the speciesarea relationship (SAR). However, the STR has received much less attention and to date only a handful of papers have been published on the pattern. Here we gather together 984 community time-series, representing 15 study areas and 9 taxonomic groups, and evaluate their STRs in order to assess the generality of the STR, its consistency across ecosystems and taxonomic groups, …

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Intra-Guild Compensation Regulates Species Richness In Desert Rodents: Reply, J. R. Goheen, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, J. H. Brown Jan 2006

Intra-Guild Compensation Regulates Species Richness In Desert Rodents: Reply, J. R. Goheen, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, J. H. Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

Null models have had a long and contentious history in community ecology (Connor and Simberloff 1979, Harvey et al. 1983, Gotelli and Graves 1996, Graves and Rahbek 2005). Much of this debate has arisen because multiple strategies for null models can be used to address a particular question of interest, and the present exchange is no exception. To assess constancy in species richness through time in a desert rodent community, Nichols et al. (2006) have proposed a Markov Chain model as an alternative to the random-walk model we developed (Goheen et al. 2005). While both null models simulate stochastic local …

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Intra-Guild Compensation Regulatesspecies Richness In Desert Rodents: Reply, J. R. Goheen, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, J. H. Brown Jan 2006

Intra-Guild Compensation Regulatesspecies Richness In Desert Rodents: Reply, J. R. Goheen, Ethan P. White, S.K. Morgan Ernest, J. H. Brown

Biology Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

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An Overview Of The 2nd National Invasive Rodent Summit, Gary Witmer, John D. Eisemann May 2005

An Overview Of The 2nd National Invasive Rodent Summit, Gary Witmer, John D. Eisemann

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

On October 19-21, 2004, the USDA, APHIS, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center (NWRC) in Fort Collins, CO, hosted the 2nd National Invasive Rodent Summit. The conference was jointly sponsored by the NWRC, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and The Wildlife Society's Wildlife Damage Management Working Group. The conference was a follow-up to the 2001 "Rat Summit" held in San Francisco, CA. Like the "Rat Summit," this conference emphasized the management of rodents to conserve plants, other wildlife and habitats. The scope of the problem, concerns, species involved, and lands affected were all considered. The conference began with …

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Predator Control For The Protection Of The Federally Endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) At Dimmick's Point, North Manitou Island, Kimberly S. Struthers, Patrick J. Ryan May 2005

Predator Control For The Protection Of The Federally Endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover (Charadrius Melodus) At Dimmick's Point, North Manitou Island, Kimberly S. Struthers, Patrick J. Ryan

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The recovery plan for the federally endangered Great Lakes Piping Plover (Charadrius melodus) identifies the need for predator control/removal to increase Piping Plover chick fledging success. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services entered into an interagency agreement with the National Park Service to conduct predator management on North Manitou Island (NMI), Dimmick's Point, located in Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, during the 2003-2005 field seasons. Six control methods were used to remove American Crow (Corvus brachyrhynchos), Common Raven (Corvus corax), Ring-billed Gull (Larus delawarensis), and …

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Compressed Air, Wooden Clappers, And Other Non-Traditional Methods For Dispersing European Starlings From An Urban Roost, Randolph J. White, Richard A. Dolbeer, Craig R. Hicks May 2005

Compressed Air, Wooden Clappers, And Other Non-Traditional Methods For Dispersing European Starlings From An Urban Roost, Randolph J. White, Richard A. Dolbeer, Craig R. Hicks

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

During autumn 2003, several thousand European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) began roosting on exposed I-beams in a newly constructed, decorative glass canopy that covered the passenger pick-up area at the terminal building for Cleveland Hopkins International Airport, Ohio. The use of lethal control or conventional dispersal techniques, such as pyrotechnics and fire hoses, were not feasible in the airport terminal area. The design and aesthetics of the structure precluded the use of netting and other exclusion materials. In January 2004, an attempt was made to disperse the birds using recorded predator and distress calls broadcast from speakers installed in …

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Alien Birds In North America - Challenges For Wildlife Managers, Michael L. Avery, Eric A. Tillman May 2005

Alien Birds In North America - Challenges For Wildlife Managers, Michael L. Avery, Eric A. Tillman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

In Executive Order 13112 "Invasive Species", an alien species is defined as one "that is not native" to a particular ecosystem. In North America today, there are nearly 100 alien bird species with self-sustaining populations. These include numerous game birds (primarily gallinaceous birds) and escaped pet birds (primarily psittacine species). Others, such as house sparrows (Passer domesticus), European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), and mute swan (Cygnus olor), were originally introduced for aesthetic reasons or to control agricultural insect pests. The establishment of alien bird populations through purposeful or accidental introductions has resulted in numerous problems …

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Overview Of Impacts Of Feral And Introduced Ungulates On The Environment In The Eastern United States And Caribbean, Martin S. Lowney, Paul Schoenfeld, William Haglan, Gary W. Witmer May 2005

Overview Of Impacts Of Feral And Introduced Ungulates On The Environment In The Eastern United States And Caribbean, Martin S. Lowney, Paul Schoenfeld, William Haglan, Gary W. Witmer

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Non-native wild and feral ungulates have been introduced throughout the world for many centuries. Often the reasons for introductions were narrow in scope and benefits or the ungulates escaped or were released. Justifications for some introductions have included providing hunting opportunity, meeting cultural and dietary needs of people, fund raising, and aesthetics. Evaluations about the impacts to the environment, native wildlife, livestock, and people were most likely looked at in a narrow prism or not fully evaluated. Ungulates commonly introduced in the Eastern United States and Caribbean islands over the last 150 years included white-tailed deer, sika deer, hogs, horses, …

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Feral And Introduced Carnivores: Issues And Challenges, Gary Witmer, Bernice U. Constantin, Frank Boyd May 2005

Feral And Introduced Carnivores: Issues And Challenges, Gary Witmer, Bernice U. Constantin, Frank Boyd

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Feral and invasive carnivores have been intentionally or unintentionally introduced to many parts of the world for a variety of reasons. Once established, they have often caused significant impacts to endemic species because of their predatory nature and, in numerous cases, have altered ecosystem structure and function in important conservation areas. They can also cause competition for native predators, hybridization with native species, losses to livestock and companion animals, and disease hazards. We provide examples of the extent of introductions, resulting impacts, and efforts to control or eradicate these populations. Working with introduced or feral carnivores presents many challenges to …

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Thermal Imaging Applications In Urban Deer Control, Earl L. Hodnett May 2005

Thermal Imaging Applications In Urban Deer Control, Earl L. Hodnett

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Control of burgeoning populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) is a challenging endeavor under the best of circumstances. The challenge is further complicated when control programs are attempted within an urban or suburban area. Wildlife managers often consider management techniques and equipment which have a proven track record. New challenges require new and innovative techniques. The deer management program in Fairfax County, Virginia has employed thermal imaging technology in a variety of ways to better address these unique challenges. In addition to the more commonly used aircraft-mounted FLIR (forward looking infrared), this program utilizes vehicle-mounted and hand-held thermal …

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Initial Development Of A Web-Based Tool To Increase Hunter Harvest Of Female Ungulates, James E. Knight, Marc Kenyon, Linda Keddington May 2005

Initial Development Of A Web-Based Tool To Increase Hunter Harvest Of Female Ungulates, James E. Knight, Marc Kenyon, Linda Keddington

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Landowners and agencies have expressed difficulty finding hunters willing to harvest the female portion of the ungulate populations, and likewise, hunters have expressed difficulty achieving access to private lands. Since 2003, the Montana "DoeCowHunt" website (www.doecowhunt.montana.edu) has provided an avenue to improve hunter-landowner contact and wild ungulate population management. A product of Montana State University Extension Wildlife Program, this website provides a means for hunters and landowners in Montana to contact each other by listing contact information (email address, physical address, and telephone number) for the purpose of harvesting antlerless ungulates. In the first year over 10,000 users visited the …

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Deer-Vehicle Crash Patterns Across Ecoregions In Michigan, Krishnan Sudharsan, Shawn J. Riley, Brent A. Rudolph, Brian A. Maurer May 2005

Deer-Vehicle Crash Patterns Across Ecoregions In Michigan, Krishnan Sudharsan, Shawn J. Riley, Brent A. Rudolph, Brian A. Maurer

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) impact the economic and social well being of humans. We examined large-scale patterns behind DVCs across 3 ecoregions: Southern Lower Peninsula (SLP), Northern Lower Peninsula (NLP), and Upper Peninsula (UP) in Michigan. A 3 component conceptual model of DVCs with drivers, deer, and a landscape was the framework of analysis. The conceptual model was parameterized into a parsimonious mathematical model. The dependent variable was DVCs by county by ecoregion and the independent variables were percent forest cover, percent crop cover, mean annual vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and mean deer density index (DDI) by county. A discriminant function …

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Elk In Nebraska: Opportunity Or Another Private-Public Land Conundrum, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Michael A. Cover, Bruce A. Stillings, R. Daniel Crank, Justin W. Fischer, James W. Merchant, Seth P. Korte May 2005

Elk In Nebraska: Opportunity Or Another Private-Public Land Conundrum, Scott E. Hygnstrom, Michael A. Cover, Bruce A. Stillings, R. Daniel Crank, Justin W. Fischer, James W. Merchant, Seth P. Korte

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We conducted a comprehensive research project on elk in the Pine Ridge region of northwestern Nebraska from 1995 to 2002 to determine ecological factors that could be used to improve management and reduce damage. The population ranged from 120 to 150 animals, with an average calf:cow ratio of 0.5:1 and bull:cow ratio of 0.4:1. We located 21 radio-collared female elk 6,311 times during 1995 to 1997. Seasonal home ranges of 2 herds were 10 and 44 km2, while average annual home ranges of the herds were much larger (483 and 440 km2, respectively). All wintering areas …

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Oral Rabies Vaccination - A Progress Report, Dennis Slate, Charles Rupprecht, Mike Dunbar, Robert Mclean May 2005

Oral Rabies Vaccination - A Progress Report, Dennis Slate, Charles Rupprecht, Mike Dunbar, Robert Mclean

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Oral rabies vaccination (ORV) targeting specific wild Carnivora species has emerged as an integral adjunct to conventional rabies control strategies to protect humans and domestic animals. ORV has been applied with progress toward eliminating rabies in red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) in western Europe and southern Ontario, Canada. Beginning in the 1990's, coordinated ORV was implemented in Texas to contain and eliminate variants of rabies virus in the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and coyote (Canis latrans) and in several eastern U.S. States with the goal of preventing spread of raccoon (Procyon lotor) rabies. …

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Bovine Tb Eradication Project - Recognizing Hot Buttons Issues, Bridget Kavanagh-Patrick May 2005

Bovine Tb Eradication Project - Recognizing Hot Buttons Issues, Bridget Kavanagh-Patrick

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Michigan Departments of Agriculture, Community Health, and Natural Resources, US Department of Agriculture (USDA) and Michigan State University work cooperatively together as the bovine TB eradication project partners. The interagency group combines expertise in epidemiology, veterinary and human medicine, pathology, wildlife biology, animal husbandry, regulatory law and policy and risk communications. The stakeholders, those impacted by the disease, include agriculture and tourism industry representatives, " Mom-and-Pop" businesses, hunters, wildlife enthusiasts, farmers, Local Health Departments and legislators. The regulatory agencies are the above mentioned project partners, excluding MSU and USDA Wildlife Services, both of which offer services to agencies and …

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Taking An Endemically Infected Bovine Tb Area Through To Livestock Clearance. A Case Study Of West Taupo, New Zealand, Kevin Nicholas May 2005

Taking An Endemically Infected Bovine Tb Area Through To Livestock Clearance. A Case Study Of West Taupo, New Zealand, Kevin Nicholas

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Pest Management Strategy for Bovine Tuberculosis (Tb) in New Zealand aims to achieve efficient freedom from Tb by 2013 and to eradicate the disease from livestock and wildlife. The West Taupo area, in the central North Island of New Zealand, was chronically infected with Tb in both domestic livestock herds (cattle and deer) and within wildlife populations (brushtail possum, ferret, feral deer and pigs). Through the development and implementation of a technically innovative management plan, this area is now approaching Tb free status. The case study/management plan reported here discusses the operational techniques and strategies that were implemented to …

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Observations On The Use Of The Gnrh Vaccine Gonacon™ In The Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), G. Killian, D. Wagner, L. Miller May 2005

Observations On The Use Of The Gnrh Vaccine Gonacon™ In The Male White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus), G. Killian, D. Wagner, L. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Observations made over an 11 year period during the development and evaluation of the GnRH vaccine GonaConTM use in male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are summarized. Sexually mature bucks at the Penn State Deer Research Center were administered a single immunization of GonaConTM in July. Some males were also given a second boost immunization in September. Compared to similar aged controls, testicular size for treated males was considerably reduced in the first and subsequent years of study, as were testosterone concentrations and sexual libido. During the first year, antler development was relatively normal leading to antler …

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Development Of Nicarbazin As A Reproductive Inhibitor For Resident Canada Geese, Kimberly S. Bynum, Christi A. Yonder, John D. Eisemann, John J. Johnston, Lowell A. Miller May 2005

Development Of Nicarbazin As A Reproductive Inhibitor For Resident Canada Geese, Kimberly S. Bynum, Christi A. Yonder, John D. Eisemann, John J. Johnston, Lowell A. Miller

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Expanding populations of resident Canada geese that remain in suburban and urban areas year-round often result in increased conflicts with humans. Non-lethal and humane means are needed for managing the size of Canada goose flocks residing near or on airports, golf courses, industrial parks, government sites, and city parks. A side effect of nicarbazin, a veterinary drug used to control coccidiosis in chickens, is decreased egg production and hatching. Exploiting this side effect, studies of nicarbazin for reducing the hatchability of eggs from Canada geese were conducted. An initial study in Cotumix quail verified reduction in hatchability in a species …

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Challenges Of Invasive Reptiles And Amphibians, William C. Pitt, Daniel S. Vice, Mike E. Pitzler May 2005

Challenges Of Invasive Reptiles And Amphibians, William C. Pitt, Daniel S. Vice, Mike E. Pitzler

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Although worldwide distributions of many amphibians and reptiles are declining, a handful of species are spreading rapidly throughout tropical regions of the world. The species that have the greatest effect tend to be generalist feeders, have high reproductive rates, attain large population sizes, and often due to their behavior and or small size, are easily transported or are difficult to detect. The most notable of these species include the coqui frog, cane toad, bullfrog, brown tree snake, and Burmese pythons. The effect of a few individuals typically is small but the combined effect of large populations can be devastating to …

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Effectiveness Of A White-Tailed Deer Exclusion Fence Based On Traction Limitations Of The Hoof: The Slipper Fence, George R. Gallagher, Heidi A. Keen, Robert H. Prince May 2005

Effectiveness Of A White-Tailed Deer Exclusion Fence Based On Traction Limitations Of The Hoof: The Slipper Fence, George R. Gallagher, Heidi A. Keen, Robert H. Prince

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

We hypothesized that an exclusion fence could be devised to capitalize on traction limitations of the hooves of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Hexagonal plots (9.8 m wide) enclosed by a 2.4 m field fence with two openings (4.9 m) were established. Data were collected daily on consumption of corn provided (2.27 kg) and events recorded by infrared monitors (IR) for treatment and control sites. Five-day treatment periods consisted of test panels (4.9 m x 2.4 m) placed in plot openings at 0°, 5° and 10° slopes, and lubricant applied at the 10° slope. Deer consumed all corn provided …

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Dogs For Reducing Wildlife Damage To Organic Crops: A Case Study, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan W. Seward, Daniel L. Hirchert, Michael L. Jones, Scott F. Beckerman May 2005

Dogs For Reducing Wildlife Damage To Organic Crops: A Case Study, Kurt C. Vercauteren, Nathan W. Seward, Daniel L. Hirchert, Michael L. Jones, Scott F. Beckerman

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Deer (Odocoileus spp.) damage millions of dollars in agricultural crops each year in the United States. A variety of frightening devices and repellants have been developed to reduce crop depredation, however most are effective temporarily (< 6 months). Several types of fences are available, but the most effective are expensive, time consuming to install, and may be considered aesthetically displeasing. Additional means to control wildlife damage to agriculture are needed. We evaluated the efficacy of dogs (Canis familiaris) over a several year period for preventing crop damage caused by white-tailed deer (O. virginianus) and other wildlife at an organic fruit and vegetable farm in south-central Wisconsin. Annual losses at the farm before the introduction of dogs were estimated at $3,177 in 1997 and $4,391 in 1999. One field was protected with 2 crop protection …

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Wildlife Master Volunteers: A Multi-County Approach To Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Daniel L. Einarsen, Tom Mason, Deryl E. Waldren, Ray T. Sterner May 2005

Wildlife Master Volunteers: A Multi-County Approach To Resolving Human-Wildlife Conflicts, Daniel L. Einarsen, Tom Mason, Deryl E. Waldren, Ray T. Sterner

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

The Wildlife Master (WM) Program in Colorado was modeled after the highly successful Master Gardener volunteer program. In 10 highly populated suburban counties with large rural areas surrounding the Denver Metro Area, Colorado State University (CSU) Cooperative Extension Natural Resources agents train, supervise and manage these volunteers in the identification, referral, and resolution of wildlife damage issues. High quality, research-based training is provided by university faculty and other professionals in public health, animal damage control, wildlife management and animal behavior. Inquiries are responded to mainly via telephone. Calls by concerned residents are forwarded to WMs who provide general information about …

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Situational And Driver Characteristics Associated With Deer-Vehicle Collisions In Southeastern Michigan, Alix Marcoux, Graham J. Hickling, Shawn J. Riley, Scott R. Winterstein May 2005

Situational And Driver Characteristics Associated With Deer-Vehicle Collisions In Southeastern Michigan, Alix Marcoux, Graham J. Hickling, Shawn J. Riley, Scott R. Winterstein

Wildlife Damage Management Conference

Deer-vehicle collisions (DVCs) create societal impacts throughout the range of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginanus). In Michigan reported DVCs increased by nearly 60% between 1992-2003, with current estimates at more than 65,000 DVCs per year and a mean of $2,300 vehicle damage. To better understand where to direct education and information programs, we used Office of Highway Safety Planning (OHSP) data, 2001-2003, to profile driver characteristics and accident situations of DVCs in Washtenaw, Oakland, and Monroe Counties in Michigan. Each county varies in intensity of land use, human and deer densities, and available deer habitat. Deer density in Washtenaw, …

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